The service acknowledged the grief and devastation of the wildfires that began Aug. 8, moving between Scripture readings and prayers shared from clergy and laity in Maui and across the Conference and wider denomination.
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Five years have now passed from when Greta Thunberg and others launched a movement that reverberated around the world. The movement continues as organizers prepare for the March to End Fossil Fuels in New York City on September 17th.
This webinar will feature faith-based organizers and activists who will reflect back on the movement and where we are today. Speakers will include Rev. Jim Antal, Aly Tharp, and Gabriela Martinez.
Even if you cannot make the webinar at its scheduled time on September 13th at 1 pm ET, still sign-up, and we will send you a link to a recording of it.
Read MoreThe United Church of Christ, through Wider Church Ministries, is issuing a special appeal to provide essential items and long-term support to those impacted by wildfires across Hawaii, including the deadly wildfires on the island of Maui.
Read MoreYour donation to the Hawaii wildfires appeal helps the United Church of Christ increase support to immediate relief efforts and enables us to be present for the journey ahead, assuring long-term aid for persons who require assistance with their recovery.
Read MoreJayne Peak and Kay Klinkenborg of Church of the Palms attended the Arizona Faith Network’s ‘heat relief bag preparation event’ in mid-June. 100+ volunteers filled 1000 Heat Relief Bags in one hour!. Jayne and Kay took their idea and presented an opportunity for ‘anyone to carry heat relief bags’ to hand out their car window. They provide the list and a sturdy plastic bag in their church narthex for anyone.
Read MoreYour overwhelming support for the Period Packs Service Project at General Synod 34 helped us to exceed our goal. Because of you, we were able to deliver 4,257 period packs to Church World Service (CWS) warehouses for distribution to menstruating people with limited funds and/or access to menstrual hygiene products.
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“In these times we want to be of help and assistance to our 'ohana in distress. Offerings and collections taken through your local church can be sent to the Conference Office where we will work to distribute the funds to devastated areas and those in need. Individuals may also donate directly through our Conference 2023 Wildfires Relief Fund.”
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From the Rev. Michael Neuroth, Director of the UCC Washington D.C. Office:
Recess was often the favorite part of my school day growing up. It was a break in the day - a time to relax, play kickball, connect with friends, and prepare for what was to come. Here on Capitol Hill, "recess" has a different connotation. “August Recess” is the time in which members of Congress head back to their states and districts to engage constituents in town hall meetings, state fairs, and other community events. It is a key time to engage with your members of Congress locally. For us in the UCC Washington D.C. office, August Recess also provides space to reflect on the past few months and plan for the work ahead.
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Learn more about how reparatory justice is becoming manifest in Lansing along with ways your community can engage the reparatory justice process too!
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In partnership with the Heat Relief Network, our faith-based organizations, and other partners, Arizona Faith Network has launched an initiative to help establish and operate faith-based hydration, cooling, and heat relief respite centers throughout the valley. Due to the record-setting extreme temperatures, these centers have been very busy and are providing life-saving services, especially to the Valley's unhoused population. Below are links to just a few of many news stories, and we thank the media for helping to spread the word about the availability of these impactful and important services.
NBC: Heat wave scorches millions as relief efforts strive to keep up
KTAR: Tempe gets funding from Maricopa County to operate indoor cooling center
DONATE NOW TO SUPPORT THE INITIATIVE!
Charles Lee, the lead author of the UCC’s landmark report on toxic waste and race as well as the lead organizer of the historic First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit, will be one of two featured speakers on environmental justice at the EPA. Lee is now the Senior Policy Advisor for Environmental Justice at the EPA. He will be joined by Jacob Burney who directs the Environmental Justice Grants Division at the EPA.
In the past year, the EPA has been in the news due to significant institutional changes that have prioritized funding and staffing for environmental justice.
Even if you cannot make the webinar at its scheduled time on August 9th at 2 pm ET, still sign-up, and we will send you a link to a recording of it.
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The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) created the largest climate and clean energy investment America has ever made. These bills provide federal funding for energy and climate resiliency improvements that can be used in houses of worship and our individual homes.
Join us for a briefing on July 18th with the U.S. Department of Energy to learn more about direct pay, the tax credits, the programs, and the role faith communities can play in helping our country address the climate crisis and ensure that all communities are supported.
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Read the full newsletter here.
Highlights in this issue:
The ADA and The Church....It’s Complicated!
Building up a New World
How Many Postcards Can Your Congregation Collect?
Resources Available from Reproductive Justice Town Hall at Synod
Over 1,500 bags filled with a wide variety of health-oriented supplies were assembled for handing out by community members and at cooling and respite centers. AFN thanks everyone who participated and supported the event through donations of supplies and funds.
The AZFamily interview with AFN Executive Director Rev. Katie Sexton-Wood covers a little more about the Heat Relief Initiative.
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As our UCC General Synod has affirmed, transgender and nonbinary people are beloved by God. We are called not just to affirm and stand in solidarity with our trans siblings, but to actively work toward equitable access to the full sphere of public life for trans folks.
We as people of faith either work to combat this wave of hate, or are complicit in its perpetuation. We have a call to uphold the dignity and value of each person, knowing all of us bear the Imago Dei.
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We must remain committed to preserving and protecting access to the full range of reproductive health care – including legal abortion – as an imperative rooted in our deeply-held faith beliefs in social justice, moral agency, and religious liberty for all. Please contact your elected leaders to ask them to introduce and support legislation protecting an individual’s right to access abortion and the full range of reproductive healthcare access.
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How can we find a path forward in addressing the wildfires that have created a landscape of crisis in our climate changed world? This webinar will feature leading thinkers and practitioners in answering this question.
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Our faith compels is to declare that a culture of violence and death is not inevitable. We are not powerless in making these changes; we can take steps to end gun violence. Tell your elected leaders to summon the moral courage and take immediate action.
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We must call on Congress to end the use of torture in the form of solitary confinement in our federal prisons and jails. As people of faith who follow Christ that proclaimed release to the captive, let us act as Christ’s body to proclaim the release of those tortured in our name to create a truly just system of restoration, not retribution.
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