Thanks to the help and generosity of participants in a United Church of Christ General Synod service project, homeless men, women and children in the Baltimore area will receive a warm perk this winter.

The delegates at the United Church of Christ General Synod had a good number of resolutions to deliberate in Baltimore last week, and a group of thirteen people from the host conference helped ensure the process ran smoothly.

The Rev. Kim Kendrick, final preacher during the UCC's 2017 General Synod, told the gathering that the vision for a just world for all has been cast, and the work starts now.

Reminding the denomination that all people are created in God's image, the General Synod of the United Church of Christ called on churches and congregants to "commit itself to disability justice," including advocacy of agreements among nations to protect and promote opportunities for people with disabilities, and to advocate for the rights of migrant farm workers.

To strengthen the United Church of Christ's ability to pursue its vision of a just world for all, the denomination is launching the public phase of a campaign that will support the diverse and life-changing work of the church.

Delegates to General Synod 2017 voted against a resolution calling churches to identify the difference in rights of adult adoptees as a human and civil rights issue.

Delegates to the United Church of Christ's General Synod 2017 voted in favor of a resolution advocating for economic justice, including calling for churches to support legislation that raises the minimum wages to $15 per hour. 

There are more than 730 delegates to General Synod 2017. They are the voting representatives of the governing body of the denomination, and they listen to reports, resolutions, sermons, Speak Outs from other delegates, and even presentations from youth at Synod. But two people in the Plenary Hall have worked as a team to listen to every single spoken word of the five-day gathering.

If all goes according to the plans of organizers, the climax of General Synod 2017 will come with Baltimore's traditional Fourth of July celebration at the Inner Harbor.

Noting that the Creator "implores us" to "open our mouths, judge righteously and defend the rights of the afflicted and needy," the United Church of Christ’s General Synod 2017 called on the various settings of the church to publicly address "the healing needs of adult survivors of child abuse."