Watch Bill's sermon for Sunday, April 19, 2020. Click here for the transcript.
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Conference News
An Update from Michael Curry, Lay Minister for Disability Education, Advocacy, and Awareness
I entered a time of grief when congregations made the difficult decision to suspend ALL in-person worship as a result of this pandemic...I struggled to come to terms with the reality that I must shift from conducting an in-person to virtual ministry as a result of the pandemic. This has not been easy, to say the least, as I have struggled to notice how God is guiding and speaking to me in the midst of this crisis.
Read MoreEcclesiastical Council for Kelly Kahlstrom
Kelly's Ecclesiastical Council will be held via Zoom at 3 pm on Sunday, May 3, 2020. All are invited to watch the Zoom webinar event, limited to 100 people. During the Question and Answer portion of the Council, Zoom participants may ask questions in the chat feature which will be monitored by one of the leaders (panelists), who will then ask the questions to Kelly.
The Zoom details have been emailed to parish clergy in the conference who may invite up to three members of their congregations to be voting attendees to the EC.
This event will not be live streamed to Facebook as previously announced.
Read MoreThe Southwest Conference Parish Clergy Coaching Initiative
We are thrilled to announce the launch of the Southwest Conference Parish Clergy Coaching Initiative. The SWC is offering clergy serving local congregations:
$2 for $1 matching grants – up to $1000 per clergyperson – when they participate in one year of coaching through one of COCAM B’s vetted professional clergy coaches. Your investment of $500 becomes $1500!
Grants of $1500 to first-call clergy serving local churches when they participate in one year of coaching through one of COCAM B’s vetted professional clergy coaches.
Happy Easter from the Southwest Conference
Happy Easter from the Southwest Conference UCC.
Read MoreApproved 2020 Nominating Slate
The SWC Executive Board met on Thursday, April 2 and approved the candidates on the Nominating Slate for 2020 to fill positions being vacated at the end of this month. Nominees will be affirmed by SWC delegates when the annual meeting convenes in October.
Read MoreFirst UCC-wide online service draws prayers from everywhere
Led by UCC ministers from New England to Hawaii and points between, the interactive "Call to Prayer" kicked off what will now be a regular series of such Zoom gatherings on a variety of themes each Tuesday and Thursday from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.
Read MoreEmergency Grants being offered
Many community foundations around the conference are offering emergency grants to nonprofits as a response to COVID-19. Several links are listed below and there are many more that appear in a google search. We encourage you to consider your regional community foundation as a possible source of income in these emergent times.
Read MoreCelebrating Easter in this Extraordinary Time
In his Holy Week message, United Church of Christ General Minister and President the Rev. John C. Dorhauer encourages all in the wider church to find joy in the risen Christ, despite social distancing.
Read MoreUCC’s ‘Daily Briefing’ on COVID-19 provides facts to fight fear
Zoom Meetings Security Enhancements - Coming April 5th
Zoom has taken steps to prevent Zoom-bombing. “Starting April 5th, we’ve chosen to enable passwords on your meetings and turn on Waiting Rooms by default as additional security enhancements to protect your privacy.”
Read MoreFake emails from clergy: scams abound
Please be vigilant about any email that appears to be from your clergy person or our conference minister or staff, asking you to take some kind of unusual action. A number of congregations across our conference and the country have been hit with an email scam. It involves making a fake Gmail (or yahoo, etc.) account in the minister’s name and then sending a request for gift cards allegedly from that minister to the congregation’s directory.
Read MoreA Pastoral Letter in a Time of Pandemic
The United Church of Christ leadership is urging congregations and clergy to suspend all traditional worship services.
Read MoreTranscript and video: Conference Minister Rev. Dr. Bill Lyons update on COVID-19 and the Southwest Conference UCC
Read and/or watch Conference Minister Rev. Dr. Bill Lyons' important message to the Southwest Conference.
Read MoreModerators & Treasurers 3/31/20 Zoom call follow-up: CARES Act and more
On Tuesday, March 31, Southwest Conference church moderators and treasurers met via Zoom. This is valuable follow-up information regarding the CARE Act and more.
Read MoreDeborah Hill's Ecclesiastical Council
Deborah Hill has been approved by the Committee on Church and Ministry ‘A’ to take the next step toward ordination. Her Ecclesiastical Council will still be held on April 26 at 3 p.m. Arizona time / 4 p.m. New Mexico and El Paso time, but via Zoom.
You may read her Ordination Paper HERE.
You may read her paper on The Marks of Faithful and Effective Authorized Ministers of the UCC HERE.
This will be the first time holding an Ecclesiastical Council via Zoom.
Read MoreWebinar: The New World of Church Stewardship (from Offering Plates to Online Giving)
Tuesday, March 31, 2020, 12 p.m. EST / 9 a.m. PST
FREE interactive webinar for a discussion about the (quickly) changing face of church stewardship and overall giving, including best practices, lessons learned, and experimental efforts going on during the COVID-19 pandemic and suspension of in-person services.
This FREE, one-hour webinar includes a 45-minute panel presentation with a 15-minute question and answer session.
Pastors, church staff, and lay leadership are invited to attend.
Read MoreJoin us for the SW Conference’s regional StoryCafés
Join us for the SW Conference’s regional StoryCafé. We’ve scheduled regional sessions (one in the morning and one at night for folks who can’t participate during the workday) on most upcoming Mondays and Thursdays (and on Good Friday during Holy Week). The morning sessions will take place at 9 am in the AZ time zone, or 10 am if you’re in either New Mexico or El Paso, TX. Evening sessions will be held at 7 pm Arizona time (8 pm in New Mexico/El Paso).
Read MoreSBA Coronavirus Loan Guidance for churches
From Phil Shea, Southwest Conference Disaster Ministries Coordinator:
Greetings, Bill asked me to research and pass on to you some information received by the conference office regarding the eligibility of churches to access the Small Business Association (SBA) Economic Injury Disaster Loans for the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Incident. The below information should help you determine if and how to access the loan.
Read More2020 SWC Annual Meeting - Plan “C”
This year’s Southwest Conference Annual Meeting (AM) will not take place April 24-26, 2020, as a result of health threats posed by COVID-19. The 2020 Annual Meeting date has been changed. The new date for the SWC 2020 Annual Meeting is October 2-4, 2020. Here are answers to some of the questions you may have in light of this decision.
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