United Church of Christ

Reading Into the New Year: The Story of Bob - a Trailblazer in Faith and LGBTQ+ Advocacy
2026-02-19 15:30 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | Zoom
Today, the pursuit of living “more fully and authentically” is a quest that crosses terrains of social influences and self-image, intersecting with political strains for liberation and well-being. As authoritarianism swells its censorship of LGBTQ stories, “The Story of Bob” remembers the work of resistance against similar terrains strewn with legal landmines that restricted who could be fully themselves, and how, and where. During our webinar, we’ll learn more about the limits of faith in helping Bob cope with personal loneliness, desire and the impact of fear on his capacity to love and explore/wonder why the Christian landscape is as unpredictable as any other social construct of life, including family.

Future of Faith: Movement on the Margins
2026-03-16 15:30 - 16:30
We are living in the most divided times we’ve known collectively. Between fascism, genocide, war, famine, environmental collapse, and uncertainty about our relationships and what we are called to be in such a time – we find ourselves deepening or returning to our faith. Join the Heartland Conference Minister Rev. David Long-Higgins for an engaging conversation around the future of faith in their local and regional contexts and discover how we are called to be generous, gracious, loving, and courageous during these times.

Flickering Encounters of Life with Life: Re-Earthing Spiritual Practice
2026-03-26 15:30 - 16:45
Whether we participate in organized religion or not, we often feel closest to God or the sacred when we’re outside and in rapport with the natural world. This is not surprising, as when we trace our lineages back, we find ancestors who practiced earth-based spiritualities. In this conversation on “re-earthing spiritual practice,” we will draw from Daniel’s two books—”Speak with the Earth and It Will Teach You: A Field Guide to the Bible” and “Live Each Season as It Passes”—as well as Daniel’s experience co-founding an outdoor “wild church” community, to trace an evolution in theology of nature beyond the dominion and stewardship paradigms, and towards relationship and reciprocity with the more-than-human world.

Future of Faith: Faith in Chaotic Times
2026-04-20 15:30 - 16:30
Faith practices, even leadership during “normal” times can be difficult but in times of chaos, we might find ourselves asking different questions. In this webinar, we’ll explore how being faithful is an embodied practice that prepares us to not respond with fear or “old ways of being”, but to anchor ourselves to communities that commit to cultivating trusting and compassionate practices to meet our spiritual and practical needs. By modeling faith over fear, we can transform crises into opportunities for resilience and abundance.

Let’s Talk About It | Mental Health Sunday
2026-04-23 15:30 - 16:45
Reports from SAMHSA and CAHMI in recent years have shown that approximately 1 in 4 Americans have had a diagnosable mental health condition. With this prevalence in mind, discussing mental health experiences in a way that normalizes conversation and care—particularly from the pulpit—is vital to healthy and holistic spiritual care. The UCC annually recognizes the third Sunday in May as Mental Health Sunday, and this year it lands on May 17, 2026. But what even is Mental Health Sunday, why should you host one, and how do you go about planning a worship service dedicated to mental health? You are invited to join Rev. Dr. Sarah Lund (UCC National Staff) and members of the UCC Mental Health Network’s Board of Directors as they discuss implementing Mental Health Sunday in your own ministry context.

Proclaiming “Love Knows No Borders”: Moving from Desolation to Action
2026-05-07 15:30 - 16:45
Join the United Church of Christ National Setting for an engaging and timely webinar exploring our “Love Knows No Borders” resource, a powerful witness and resource offered to equip congregations to respond to the continued attacks on immigrants, refugees, and LGBTQIA siblings. Grounded in the Gospel call to welcome the stranger, Love Knows No Borders (LKNB) resources offer theological reflection, policy analysis, and practical strategies for advocating for our migrant siblings.
This webinar will highlight voices from UCC national staff and leaders from UCC COREM ministries to share stories of how communities are being impacted and growing points of collaboration on immigrant justice, humane border policies, and the role of faith communities in confronting systems of exclusion and harm.
Together, we will:
• Explore the biblical and theological foundations for immigrant justice
• Examine current U.S. immigration policies and their human impact
• Highlight opportunities for advocacy at the local, state, and federal levels
• Share tools for congregational engagement, storytelling, and public witness
Whether you are new to advocacy or looking to deepen your congregation’s commitment to welcome, this webinar will provide actionable insights and inspiration to live out a love that truly knows no borders.

Emotional and Spiritual Care Resources Post Disasters
2026-05-14 15:30 - 16:45
Katie Howe, Minister for Disaster Response and Recovery will be joined by two members of the Emotional and Spiritual Care Team, Rev. Dr. Martha Jacobs, and Rev. Jackie Thornton to discuss how this team can support clergy, chaplains and other spiritual caregivers post-disasters. When disasters strike, we realize that our clergy, chaplains and other spiritual caregivers are the ones that are providing spiritual care to their communities, and the UCC’s Emotional and Spiritual Care Team wants to support these individuals in a variety of ways. In this webinar, we will discuss some of the recent ways that we have responded, as well as review some of the new resources available on our webpage for those who have been impacted by disasters.

Future of Faith: Small Town - Full Building
2026-05-18 15:30 - 16:45
First Congregational Church of Benzonia United Church of Christ strives to create a united community in Christ’s Love. Instead of focusing on the lack of children in the church on Sunday mornings, we shifted our focus to getting community groups and other organizations into the building throughout the week. We share our hospitality and love by opening our doors (and parking lot) to various groups in our community. From hosting 12-step programs, to tutoring, to Single MOMMS, and the Father Fred Back to School Shoe Event (just to name a few!), we are living into our community.

Youth Lead: Faith, Identity, and Calling with Raven Trammell
2026-05-26 15:30 - 16:30
The next generation of faith leaders is already reshaping what community and calling can look like. Join us for a conversation with Raven Trammell, storyteller, speaker, and founder of Culture Shift, a creative project exploring spirituality, identity, and purpose through storytelling.
After experiencing a traumatic brain injury during his college basketball career, Raven returned to photography and storytelling, something he first discovered as a child, as a way to preserve memory and make meaning of life’s turning points. Today he shares his journey, including his experience as a trans person navigating faith and identity, to encourage others, especially young adults, LGBTQ+ people, and Black and Brown communities, to live fully into who God created them to be.
This one-hour conversation will explore resilience, faith, identity, and the ways new generations are imagining spiritual community beyond traditional walls.

Juneteenth Commemoration 2026: In Troubling Times Consult the Ancestors!
2026-06-18 15:30 - 16:30
Juneteenth marks the official end of the enslavement of African descended people in the U.S. The original legal declaration was signed into law by Abraham Lincoln January 1, 1863, which instituted The Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth is also known as Freedom Day nationally, and Emancipation Day in Texas, and became an official holiday in the State of Texas in 1980. President Joe Biden officially signed into Law Juneteenth as a National Day of Remembrance, June 17, 2021.
Racial Justice Ministries of the United Church of Christ invite you to engage in prophetic remembering to confront the challenges of our time. Nurturing a movement toward justice for all is a sacred call for liberators and freedom fighters to seek wisdom from Old and New Testament Prophets who stood up against the empires of their day and to gain inspiration from modern prophets who lead the resistance to oppressive tyrannies, ideologies, and theologies. Racial Justice Ministries and wisdom teachers of the United Church of Christ National Ministries invite you to listen and learn how to thrive during national and global threats from authoritarian leaders.

Faith, Leadership, and Organizing for This Moment
2026-07-16 03:30 - 16:30
How do faith leaders, organizers, nonprofits, congregations, and community advocates sustain themselves while responding to the urgent challenges of this moment? Join Rev. Dr. Dietra Wise Baker from the Center for Faith Lived Organizing for a timely dialogue exploring how today’s social, political, spiritual, and community realities are shaping new approaches to leadership, organizing, public theology, and transformative community engagement.
The conversation will highlight THRIVE 2026 — Eden’s groundbreaking one-day conference for nonprofit leaders, clergy, organizers, educators, congregational leaders, community advocates, and laypeople seeking practical tools, spiritual grounding, and transformative leadership development for today’s world. Participants will also hear about a new scholarship initiative designed to support a cohort from the UCC in participating in a certificate program, helping expand access to leadership formation grounded in justice, spirituality, and organizing.

Fostering Vitality: Liturgical Resources for a Faithful & Vital Church
2026-08-06 15:30 - 16:30
You may have noticed a special after Pentecost sermon series titled: Faithful and Vital. Inspired by conversations with local church leaders, Minister for Worship and Theology, Rev. Dr. Cheryl Lindsay began the process to create worship resources inviting us to remember who we are and who we could be through the framework of the Marks of Faithful and Vital Local Churches from the United Church of Christ Manual on Local Church. Join us for an engaging conversation to learn more about how this project came together, what the spirit behind the messages are and how these liturgical resources can support engaging faith-rooted dialogue within your own local church setting around the Manual on Local Church’s Marks for Faithful and Vital Churches.
