As the election approaches, many United Church of Christ congregations have been asking where, exactly, churches should draw the lines around political engagement. The webinar, “Be Prophetic, Not Partisan: Navigating Election DO’s and Don’ts for Churches,” which took place last week, has answers to some of the most frequently asked questions. Find the full recorded webinar here!
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The seriousness of the choices awaiting us this election season and the impacts they will have for the future are overwhelming for many of us, especially those of us committed to using our voices and votes to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God (Micah 6:8). And purposefully divisive messaging fills our devices with the language of fear and hate.
If you are looking for ways to stay centered and connect to the divine image that dwells in each of us, Join the Movement toward Racial Justice has curated a collection of practices, prayers, and art to for such a time as this. Our Election Season Spiritual Care Package offers everything from rituals for when you’re feeling unwanted, to gender affirming chants and centering meditations. We hope that these resources will offer you a tender place of care as we wade in the God-troubled waters of this election season, seeking a more just world for all.
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Our SWC Decentering Whiteness Taskforce shares their August article, written by Rev. Clara Sims, about resources to learn about The 1619 Project.
"In the ever present prophetic urgency of truth-telling about the origins and legacies we have inherited, we invite you to spend some time in August with any part of this work and trust that you will be inspired by the liberative vision of freedom and dignity for all people that BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) resistance and resilience have kept alive."
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This letter was sent out by the United Church of Christ yesterday in support for an end to genocide in Palest1ne.
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For the Apache and other Indigenous peoples, Oak Flat is a sacred site akin to Mount Sinai. It is currently under threat of being mined for copper by Resolution Copper, a subsidiary of the multinational mining companies Rio Tinto and BHP. A legal effort to block the transfer of public land for the project was denied by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The case is now being appealed to the Supreme Court.
The speakers will be Dr. Wendsler Nosie, leader of Apache Stronghold, Sarah Augustine, Executive Director of the Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery, and Rev. Carol Rose, co-pastor of Shalom Mennonite Fellowship in Tucson, AZ. Apache Stronghold's legal case, seeking to prevent the transfer of sacred land at Oak Flat from the Tonto National Forest to Resolution Copper Company (a subsidiary of multinational mining corporations Rio Tinto and BHP), is being appealed to the United States Supreme Court. Resolution Copper is planning to dig a copper mine that would destroy Oak Flat forever, violating Apache religious freedom. The mine would also require 250 billion gallons of water in drought-stricken Arizona, and create 1.4 billion tons of toxic mine tailings.
Join us to hear from those who have been engaged in the struggle to defend Oak Flat as it enters this crucial stage. Even if you cannot make it at its scheduled time on Wednesday, August 14th at Wednesday, August 14 at 10:00am Arizona/Pacific Time, 11am Mountain Time, still sign-up, and we will send you a recording. Register now!
Read MoreOur friends at the Apache Nation, San Carlos Reservation, need our help. Please help if you are able.
The Watch Fire has seriously damaged homes, property and the environment on the reservation. The AZcentral link to most recent report is HERE.
To assist with donations, please contact the San Carlos Apache Tribe Emergency Response Commission at 928-475-2008.
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As part of the UCC’s Our Faith Our Vote campaign, UCC members are encouraged to consider becoming a trained Poll Chaplain for the 2024 election. This training is offered through the Faiths United to Save Democracy (FUSD) campaign, of which the UCC is a sponsor. These multifaith, multi-racial poll chaplains (ordained and lay leaders) will help promote the peace and provide a calming and moral presence at vulnerable polling places. Register now for one of the trainings that begin in July. You can also get more information about registering to be a poll worker here.
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We need more than overdose prevention. People who use drugs deserve access to care and justice long before an overdose event. There are loads of resources linked in this article.
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from First Church UCC Phoenix:
None of us knew what to expect after President Biden issued an executive order on June 4 allowing Border Patrol agents to shut down all asylum processing when the number of migrant crossings in between ports of entry exceeded 2,500 per day over a 7-day period. Those of us who volunteer at the Welcome Center and Pastor Martha's knew that the number of arrivals at both shelters had been dropping for some time, due to the greater presence of the Mexican government on the southern side of our border, but what would this new U.S. government policy mean?
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The event is organized by the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, Interfaith Power & Light, NM-EP, New Mexico Conference of Churches, Nuclear Watch New Mexico, Soka Gakkai International-USA and Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium.
Join us in our Peace Movement to grasp the urgency of nuclear abolition and explore immediate actions. Enjoy captivating exhibitions, music, speakers, and moments of reflection and prayer. All are warmly welcomed.
Admission is free. Reservations highly recommended.
Sunday, July 14th - Doors open at 2 pm
Saint John XXIII Catholic Community, 4831 Tramway Ridge Dr NE, Albuquerque, NM 87111
Read MoreMany of you were first introduced to the Decentering Whiteness Taskforce during our Annual Meeting. The Decentering Whiteness Taskforce hosted the panel discussion “Decentering Whiteness 101.” We were thrilled with the amount of interest that we received after the panel discussion AND we learned that many folks were confused about who and what we are. Read this article by Rev. Rhonda Newby-Torres (chair) to learn more.
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From Bishop William J. Barber, II, DMin and Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis:
In less than a month, thousands of impacted people, poor & low wage workers, and allies will join us in the nation’s capital for the June 29th “Mass Poor People’s & Low-Wage Workers’ Assembly & Moral March on Washington D.C. & to the Polls” to demand that those running for elected office this year embrace a moral public policy agenda.
This Monday, June 17, please join us for a National Virtual Rally from anywhere in the United States by watching a livestream we will be posting on our website.
During the National Virtual Rally, we’ll be taking a moment to celebrate the powerful work of hundreds of impacted people and organizers who’ve helped build this movement and who are making the upcoming assembly in Washington DC a reality.
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Racial Justice Ministries and Join the Movement toward Racial Justice invite you to honor and celebrate Juneteenth this year by remembering and discovering the healing practices that sustained freedom in the bones of our ancestors, before and after emancipation. Through music and prayer, poetry and art, reflection, and ritual, may we find a medicine bundle, a libation, a Brush Harbor and a clearing, a poultice that teaches us the sound of freedom, echoing from legacies of healing and singing futures of wholeness.
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The United Church of Christ’s Our Faith Our Vote Campaign is our ongoing commitment to equip you with the tools for nonpartisan faithful engagement in our democratic process. The campaign is made up of three main components; voter registration, issue education, and voter empowerment. The 2024 Our Faith Our Vote campaign asks the church to answer the call of 1 John 3:18 to “let us not love with words or speech, but in action and in truth,” by “voting with love.” Vote with love for creation, for our neighbors both here and abroad, for a just peace, for repair and reconciliation of the brokenness of our nation. And encourage your family, friends, and community to do the same. The 2024 election season is well underway, so please check this page for updates to learn how you can “vote with love” this year.
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The next UCC Climate Action Assembly will feature Cora Wynet, who is the Senior Director of Research at Rewiring America, the nation's leading electrification nonprofit, focused on electrifying our homes and communities. She will help us further the UCC's commitment to electrifying our churches and the homes of our members.
Every two months the UCC Council for Climate Justice hosts a Climate Action Assembly to further collective efforts on three endeavors launched this year: the Freedom from Plastics Campaign, the Electrification Checklist Initiative, and the Vote for Climate Hope Campaign. Each of these programs is rooted in recent General Synod resolutions. Climate Action Assemblies are open to all members of the UCC. Register to join us!
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Juneteenth 2024 - Racial Justice Ministries and Join the Movement invite you to be on a journey of engagement during the week of June 17th by remembering and discovering the healing practices that sustained freedom in the bones of our ancestors, before and after emancipation. Through music and prayer, poetry and art, reflection, and ritual, may we find a medicine bundle, a libation, a Brush Harbor and a clearing, a poultice that teaches us the sound of freedom, echoing from legacies of healing and singing futures of wholeness.
Click here to learn more, and here to register for a webinar on June 20th.
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UCC Women's and Gender Justice Ministries Launches Menstrual Justice Toolkit
Riding on the enthusiasm stirred up at General Synod in 2023, National Ministries Women's and Gender Justice has released a new toolkit to help congregations host their own period pack events to assemble menstrual hygiene kits for our partner Church World Service. Learn more by visiting the Encounters at the Well page.
Read MoreThe new UCC Economic Justice Ministries’ landing page is now live – www.ucc.org/fillthejar! We are called to “Fill the JAR” of God’s economic justice. Going forward, this site and phrase will be the central hub and framework for equipping churches and people with opportunities and resources for measurably manifesting economic justice. “JAR” is an acronym for Jubilee, Abundance, and Reparations – the three overlapping fountains our Still-Speaking God pours out for collective thriving. In the coming weeks and months, “Fill the JAR” content will expand broadly. Visit and bookmark this page to learn more!
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The United Church of Christ gathered this past weekend to celebrate the start of Pride month as part of the Love is Louder campaign, with 16 Ohio UCC churches participating and walking in the Pride parade on Saturday, chanting “Love is louder.” …This election year has triggered higher amounts of harmful anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation, so we must continue to believe in the work of honoring our bodies with soft space and mirroring our kin-ship to one another. Read More and keep an eye out for updates to the Our Faith Our Vote page.
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