Empowered and impassioned, Pacific NW group is ready for National Youth Event
May 17, 2012
The Rev. Tara Barber makes a pretty strong case for bringing youth and young adults to the United Church of Christ's National Youth Event. "I know that NYE changes lives," said Barber, one of seven adult chaperones who will accompany 43 youth and young adults from the UCC's Pacific Northwest Conference to NYE 2012 at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., July 10-13.

UCC leader calls petition for ‘Pardons of Innocence’ for Wilmington Ten an ‘opportunity to undo the wrong done’
May 17, 2012
UCC General Minister and President the Rev. Geoffrey A. Black reiterates UCC support of the Wilmington Ten as members petition for a formal pardon from the state of North Carolina.

New energy fueling UCC Coalition at 40
May 17, 2012
The UCC Coalition for LGBT Concerns is making a significant turn as it celebrates its 40th anniversary and approaches the annual National Gathering June 25-28 at UCC-related Elmhurst (Ill.) College.

'Longing for sister and brother churches,' Liberation Ministries comes into UCC fold
May 15, 2012
The journey to the UCC for Liberation, which was unanimously received April 27-29 at the UCC's Pacific Northwest Conference annual meeting in Pasco, Wash., began in 2009. A radically inclusive, multiracial, charismatic congregation founded in 2007 by Goodwin, the church was first a member of the Presbyterian Church (USA).

Seeking solutions to stop sex trafficking helps build community at Centro Romero
May 15, 2012
She could be your sister, your daughter, your neighbor. A mother. In Mexico, she's also a commodity to buy and sell.

‘I Do!’ addresses real-world issues in ground-breaking resource for all couples
May 10, 2012
For couples facing the unpredictable journey of marriage, there is now a ground-breaking new resource available from the United Church of Christ. I Do! Getting Ready for Marriage: Today’s Guide for Couples offers a fresh take on modern marriage that includes same-gender couples.

Commentary: A letter from North Carolina
May 10, 2012
Many of us in North Carolina are dismayed by the passage of Amendment One in the May 8 primary election.

Ohio Conference minister to compete in aquatics disability meet in tune-up for Paralympics Trials
May 10, 2012
In preparation for the Paralympics Trials, the Rev. Bob Molsberry, Conference Minister of the United Church of Christ's Ohio Conference, will compete May 19-20 in Cincinnati at the Greater Toledo Aquatic Club's Disability Open.

Separate journeys lead three newer UCC churches to destinations in various ways
May 10, 2012
Celebrating three new churches joining the United Church of Christ in Philadelphia Pa., Evanston, Ill., and Mitchell, S.D.

Geoffrey Black to deliver commencement address at Lancaster
May 10, 2012
The Rev. Geoffrey A. Black, general minister and president of the United Church of Christ, will deliver the commencement address for the 2012 graduating class of Lancaster (Pa.) Theological Seminary.

Church community rallies around gay pastor in Wisconsin
May 10, 2012
the Rev. Jen Johnson was touched by the May 6 worship service at the small church she pastors in Boscobel, Wis. It was an especially moving Communion Sunday, since more than 120 people showed up to support the lesbian pastor after she was asked to sit out the community's annual baccalaureate ceremony because of her sexual orientation.

UCC leader applauds Obama stance on marriage equality
May 9, 2012
The Rev. Geoffrey A. Black, general minister and president of the 1.1-million-member United Church of Christ, today (May 9) released a statement applauding U.S. President Barack Obama for affirming same-gender marriage.

UCC's Mission:1 money fulfilling campaign promise to fight hunger
May 8, 2012
From down the block to around the world, the United Church of Christ is already putting Mission:1 money to work.

New ideas about environmental justice propel the work of Pilgrim Firs
May 8, 2012
With the assistance of more than a dozen people from around country, the United Church of Christ is taking a substantial step forward in environmental justice work, launching a new curriculum to help teach protection of the planet as a moral and spiritual issue.

UCC adding to faith family, receiving two new churches in West Virginia and Florida
May 3, 2012
The ringing of church bells will resonate more widely within the UCC on May 5 when two new-church plants are officially received as member churches by the denomination.

Igniting Leadership speaker encourages churches to follow Disney model of 'immersive environment'
May 3, 2012
The minute the Rev. Christopher Perry began to present a link between the success of the Disney empire and the bold possibilities of the church experience, his audience was all ears.

Guess to deliver commencement address at Andover Newton Theological School
May 2, 2012
The Rev. J. Bennett Guess, executive minister of the UCC's Local Church Ministries and a member of the UCC's five-person Collegium of Officers, will deliver the commencement address for the 2012 graduating class of Andover Newton Theological School in Newton Centre, Mass.

Opinion: Why same-gender marriage is good for America: a pastor's view
May 2, 2012
In recent years the issue of marriage equality has been front and center in the news. Most recently the issue has come home to Maryland as legislators passed a bill allowing for full and equal marriage rights for all Marylanders. One quote I heard on CNN was that this threatened the institution of Marriage in America. How exactly? As an openly gay man who was legally married almost nine years ago in Massachusetts, I am still baffled when people say my marriage threatens theirs. And as an ordained Christian minister I believe that marriage equality may indeed be the best thing for our country as a whole.

New ways of being church celebrated in Connecticut with large confirmation class, big mission project
May 1, 2012
It's a new day at Greenfield Hill Congregational UCC in Fairfield, Conn.

Pastors celebrating service in intercultural settings come together in Cleveland
April 30, 2012
Serving rural churches, inner-city congregations and a church on an Indian reservation, 25 UCC pastors and lay leaders gathered with national staff including Collegium members April 23-25 at the Church House in Cleveland to share their experiences serving churches whose cultural makeup is different from their own.