United Church of Christ

OWL Taking Flight: Updates for Grades 10-12
2024-02-07 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | Zoom
Join Rev. Amy Johnson (UCC) and Dr. Melanie Davis (UUA) for an introduction to what’s new with the forthcoming 2nd edition of Our Whole Lives for Grades 10-12, 2nd edition.

Praying Into the New Year
2024-02-01 15:30 - 16:30 | Zoom
Join a team from the National Ministries of the UCC and pray into the new year! This will be a candid conversation about what we are holding as people of faith, the relationships we are response-able to, and how that shapes our prayers. And of course, we will pray together! Featuring Rev. Tracy Howe, Team Leader of FaithINFO, Rev. Dr. Cheryl Lindsay, Minister for Worship and Theology, Rev. Dr. Velda Love, Minister for Racial Justice and Join the Movement Lead, and Rev. Dr. Sharon Fennema, storyteller and curator for Join the Movement.

Primary Season: Prioritizing Climate Solutions
2024-01-10 13:00 - 14:00 | Zoom
In reference to the prospects of progressive candidates in 2024, recent headlines have highlighted a “waning enthusiasm” among Black, Hispanic, and young voters. Among voters concerned about the climate crisis, dissatisfaction and anger have arisen as fossil fuel projects in Alaska and Appalachia move forward. In this webinar, we will focus on what can be done to create the momentum needed for champions of climate justice to be elected into office. We will look at how climate solutions can be prioritized in the primaries, so that policies in accord with environmental justice values can be advanced.
Our featured webinar guests include:

Lashelle Johnson, State Equity Policy Director, League of Conservation Voters
Saul Levin, Legislative and Political Director, Green New Deal Network
Wanda Mosley, National Field Director, Black Voters Matter Fund

Even if you cannot make the webinar at its scheduled time, still sign-up, and we will send you a link to a recording of it. This monthly installment of Creation Justice Webinars is co-hosted by the Rev. Dr. Brooks Berndt who serves as the Minister of Environmental Justice for the United Church of Christ and the Rev. Michael Malcom who serves as the Executive Director for Alabama Interfaith Power & Light and the People’s Justice Council.

Climate Action Commissioning Service
2024-01-03 13:00 - 14:00
Climate action is a sacred and holy calling of utmost importance for people of faith today. To launch ourselves into this ministry in 2024 with a prophetic passion that energizes and sustains our work, the UCC Council for Climate Justice is convening a Climate Action Commissioning Service. The preacher for this event will be Nellis Kennedy-Howard who has served as a teaching pastor in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and has held a number of prominent leadership roles in the environmental justice movement. For four years, she worked alongside Winona LaDuke as the Co-Executive Director of Honor the Earth. She has additionally worked as the Sierra Club’s Director of Equity, Inclusion, and Justice. She is the founder and principal of Asdzaa (As-Saw) Consulting, a Navojo consulting firm that assists organizations and leaders in becoming more effective and equitable.

OWL Taking Flight with Author Airlie Anderson
2024-01-03 12:00 - 13:00 | Zoom
Airlie Anderson is the author illustrator of Neither, Cat’s Seasons, Cat’s Colors, and several other children’s books. She has won the Moonbeam Children’s Book Award, the Independent Publisher Book Award, and the Practical Preschool Award. You can visit her online at airlieanderson.com.

Global H.O.P.E. Blue Christmas Service
2023-12-05 16:00 - 17:00 | Livestream
Join us on Tuesday, December 5, 4pm ET for a virtual worship service with Team Global HOPE at UCC National Ministries for a Blue Christmas worship service.
Blue Christmas services traditionally provide space for those who don’t feel so “merry and bright” during the holiday season. This service seeks to recognize and stand in solidarity with the experiences of those aggrieved or displaced by disaster or forced migration in 2023, as well as those who are grieving. We remember that we are called to stand in solidarity with the captive and the oppressed, the grieving and the suffering, and work together with God’s guidance to create a just world for all.
UCC Clergy, members, and choirs engaged in humanitarian ministries across the denomination will be providing reflective liturgy, music, and prayers during this event. This event will be recorded for later availability or use in local Blue Christmas events.

Praying Through Advent
2023-11-30 15:30 - 16:30 | Zoom
This four-week series on Nurture the Soul will bring us deep into the Advent story, from escaping the violence of Herod, to journeying through the desert, to being left outside to give birth. Hosted by Rev. Tracy Howe and featuring guests from across the National Setting of the United Church of Christ and Local Church pastors around the country, we will consider how these stories are still unfolding in the forms of repression, migration and the housing crisis. We will then join in fervent prayer, that we may be part of God’s unfolding love in this world. The final episode will feature a music filled virtual worship event local churches can then download and share.

You Can't Stop Justice
2023-11-28 12:00 - 13:00 | Zoom
In the prophetic tradition of our faith, justice is a river that never stops. As Amos declared, “Let justice roll down like water and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” In this special Giving Tuesday event, two prophetic leaders will join in conversation about the never-ending movement for justice that extends from one generation to the next. In the 1980s, the Rev. Dr. Benjamin Chavis, Jr. coined the phrase “environmental racism” and helped lead protests that garnered the attention of the world to the struggle for environmental justice. More recently, Rep. Justin Pearson of Tennessee has been involved in protests that have challenged the status quo and awakened the conscience of the public in calling for common sense gun legislation. Before becoming a state representative, Pearson was an environmental justice leader in Memphis where he co-founded Memphis Community Against the Pipeline (MCAP), now known as Memphis Community Against Pollution.
Join us for this free webinar as we support the UCC’s Giving Tuesday appeal to support the next generation of environmental justice leaders. Give today: https://bit.ly/GivingTuesdayUCC

Trans Day of Remembrance Vigil
2023-11-20 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom
Trans Day of Remembrance Vigil will be a time where we collectively hold space to honor and remember the names of trans siblings we know and may never know lost to violence this year. Just as we hold space for All Saints Day, may we hold space for our transgender saints in this special offering from Gender & Sexuality Justice Ministries.

From Greenwashing to Environmental Justice
2023-11-08 13:00 - 14:00 | Zoom
The United Nations Charter declares that one of its central mandates is “to employ international machinery for the promotion of the economic and social advancement of all peoples.” Despite this, the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) transparently reveals a process that has become dominated by fossil fuel interests rather than the interests of all peoples. The President of COP28 is Sultan Al Jaber, the CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company which is one of the world’s largest oil producers and is currently working to aggressively expand its production. In this webinar, panelists will not only provide a critical assessment of the greenwashing and corporate capture of the upcoming COP, but they will also cast an alternative vision and pathway forward. Ultimately, the world deserves and desperately needs a UN process dedicated to the advancement of all peoples. Justice must be central not only to COP pronouncements but also to its actions.
Even if you cannot make the webinar at its scheduled time, still sign-up, and we will send you a link to a recording of it.
This monthly installment of Creation Justice Webinars is co-sponsored by Alabama Interfaith Power & Light, the People’s Justice Council, United Church Funds, and the United Church of Christ.

Sowing Justice: Cultivating a Just World for All in the Farm Bill
2023-11-07 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom
Join us for a three-part webinar series in collaboration with Franklinton Center on UCC advocacy priorities in the next Farm Bill. Farmers, policy experts, and impacted community leaders will highlight the need to advocate for economic, racial, and environmental justice for small farmers, the food insecure, and the earth. Tuesdays, November 7, 14, and 28 at 7:00 pm ET.

Nurture the Soul Special Offering: Lisa Sharon Harper
2023-11-02 15:30 - 16:30 | Zoom
Please join us for an important conversation between Lisa Sharon Harper and Rev. Tracy Howe. They will be discussing Lisa’s most recent book, “Fortune: How Race Broke My Family And The World–And How To Repair It All” which was named one of Best Books of 2022 by Englewood Review of Books.
Lisa Sharon Harper is the founder and president of Freedom Road, a groundbreaking consulting group that crafts experiences that bring common understanding and common commitments that lead to common action toward a more just world. Lisa is a public theologian whose writing, speaking, activism and training has sparked and fed the fires of re-formation in the church from Ferguson and Charlottesville to South Africa, Brazil, Australia and Ireland. Lisa’s previous book, “The Very Good Gospel” was named 2016 “Book of the Year” by Englewood Review of Books. The Huffington Post identified Lisa as one of 50 Women Religious Leaders to Celebrate on International Women’s Day. Lisa is host of the Freedom Road Podcast, cohost of The FOUR Podcast and author of her weekly column on Substack, “The Truth Is…”.

OWL Taking Flight: Reclaiming Sexual Identity Through Carnival
2023-11-01 12:00 - 13:00 | Zoom
In this session, Onika Henry revisits what many traditionally think about carnival. She challenges the idea that carnival is about unbridled debauchery but rather is a time to reclaim our sexuality.
Onika is a Caribbean Sexologist in private practice, with a background in Expressive Arts. She was a 2019 TEDxPortofSpain Speaker, a USA Fulbright Scholar (2012) and is the cofounder of a top performing arts company in Tobago.

Revitalizing Church Practices IV: Effective Grant Making
2023-10-26 15:30 - 16:30 | Zoom
In this final webinar of the series, we pivot to those aiming to create grant opportunities. If you’re an entity seeking to make a difference, this session is for you. We’ll guide you through the steps to design impactful grant programs, ensuring they benefit recipients and echo the larger mission of our series: to revitalize and uplift church practices.

Donors Who Don't Come to Church: Engaging Donors Outside of Sunday Morning
2023-10-25 19:30 - 20:30 | Zoom
People find multiple ways to engage in the life of a congregation. Congregations often do well at engaging people who attend in-person services regularly, volunteer and donate. But how do we meaningfully engage people online? How do we inspire those who don’t give to donate? Connect with those who share our values but are not interested in worship, in-person or online. The webinar will help us think together about various ways to engage donors beyond Sunday Morning services. Presented by Rev. Andrew Warner, CFRE, Generosity Outreach Officer, National Ministries, United Church of Christ.

Installation of the 10th General Minister and President
2023-10-20 17:00 - 19:00 | Lakewood Congregational Church (Livestream Available), 1375 West Clifton Boulevard, Lakewood, Ohio, 44107
You are cordially invited to attend the Installation of the 10th General Minister and President, Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia A. Thompson. Learn more about the Installation here: www.ucc.org/gmp-installation/. Can’t attend in person? You can participate in the service online: https://UCC.zoom.us/webinar/register/8016942040880/WN_SwP7ZZcjQAubcJjuSl-Upw

Revitalizing Church Practices III: Navigating the Waters
2023-10-19 15:30 - 16:30 | Zoom
Grants can be a lifeline for church projects. Continuing our “Revitalizing Church Practices” journey, this webinar delves into the grant ecosystem. Learn to pinpoint the right funding opportunities, craft compelling applications, and secure pivotal funds. Equip yourself to steer confidently through the world of grants.
Thursdays for the Soul: A webinar series to care for the whole church. Topics are wide ranging, and are focused on the spirituality and care of people. Prayer, worship, music, psalm readings, or compassionate teaching are included. This will be a predictable time of gathering for something to feed your spirit, offered by Faith Education, Innovation, and Formation and Justice and Local Church Ministries of the national setting, United Church of Christ.

Revitalizing Church Practices II: Multiply Streams of Income through 501c3
2023-10-12 15:30 - 16:30 | Zoom
Financial resilience is crucial for church growth. In this installment of our “Revitalizing Church Practices” series, we’ll explore how churches can diversify their revenues, maximizing financial opportunities by leveraging the benefits of 501c3 status. Navigate the intricate pathways to solidify your church’s financial future.

Queer & Wonderfully Made Worship
2023-10-11 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom
Gender & Sexuality Justice Ministries invites you to celebrate queer lives OUT LOUD on National Coming Out Day for an inaugural Queer & Wonderfully Made Worship service October 11th, 7-8 PM ET with musical guest Flamy Grant!

A Plea from the Pope
2023-10-11 13:00 - 14:00 | Zoom
As the feast day of Francis of Assisi is celebrated on October 4th, Pope Francis will release the “second part” of his encyclical on the climate crisis and inequality. The new edition of the encyclical will provide an update to confronting “the senseless war on our common home.” A multi-faith panel of climate leaders will reflect upon Pope Francis’s plea for climate action.
Panelists will include:

Dan Misleh, Founder, Catholic Climate Covenant
Rev. Susan Hendershot, President, Interfaith Power & Light
Joelle Novey, Director, Interfaith Power & Light (DC.MD.NoVA)
Imam Saffet Catovic, Director, United Nations Operations for Justice For All

Even if you cannot make the webinar at its scheduled time, still sign-up, and we will send you a link to a recording of it. This monthly installment of Creation Justice Webinars is co-hosted by the Rev. Dr. Brooks Berndt who serves as the Minister of Environmental Justice for the United Church of Christ and the Rev. Michael Malcom who serves as the Executive Director for Alabama Interfaith Power & Light and the People’s Justice Council.

Revitalizing Church Practices: New Church Planting Strategies for Success
2023-10-05 15:30 - 16:30 | Zoom
Embark on a transformative journey to breathe life into communities through new church plants. In this session, discover innovative strategies that ensure the growth and sustainability of new churches. This kickoff to our “Revitalizing Church Practices” series offers a deep dive into the foundation of successful church planting.

OWL Taking Flight - LGBTQ and Aging
2023-10-04 12:00 - 13:00 | Zoom
Join us as we discuss issues specific to LGBTQ+ people and aging.

A Conversation: Rev. Dr. Chanequa Walker Barnes
2023-09-28 15:30 - 16:30 | Zoom
Join us for this special offering of our Thursday Nurture the Soul webinar where Rev. Traci D. Blackmon will be in conversation with Rev. Dr. Chanequa Walker Barnes, author of Sacred Self-Worth and I Bring the Voices of My People and Too Heavy A Yoke.

General Synod Worship Planning Community: A Case Study (Reimagining Ritual Series)
2023-09-21 15:30 - 16:30 | Zoom
General Synod Worship provides an opportunity for the church to center as a community of faith. The first onsite GS was charged to “Make All Things New.” This webinar will reflect on General Synod Worship as a model, in planning, preparation and execution, to consider how local church worship may be renewed and reimagined.

Partners in Building: A Virtual Conference with the UCC Church Building and Loan Fund
2023-09-21 11:00 - 2023-09-22 15:30 | Zoom
Is your church contemplating ways to have a positive, long-term impact in your community?
Your church property might be a key ingredient to your congregation’s future mission and growth. Join us forour annual Partners in Building virtual conference to learn how to navigate possibilities and take steps torepurpose, finance and manage church-owned property to create a lasting impact.
Partners in Building is the only Church-led, faith oriented event that provides comprehensive education aboutreal estate redevelopment, from concept to completion. The conference is open to church leaders of anyChristian denomination based in the United States. It includes opportunities to connect with loan partners,capital fundraising executives, building professionals and other experts to discuss your goals. There will bepresentations and workshops on land use, repurposing resources for mission, faith-based entrepreneurship,fundraising and the future of ministry as well.
Don’t miss this important event that could help shape your church’s future. Sign up today.
Register: https://web.cvent.com/event/03c4dfed-e9a8-4094-8b83-fd73533e5628/summary

Trails of Hope and Terror - Ames UCC Theologian-in-Residence
2023-09-16 10:00 - 13:00 | Zoom
Every four days, five immigrants attempting to cross the desert to enter the United States end up dying in on our southern border. This is probably the greatest human rights violation currently occurring in our country … why? Trails of Hope and Terror is a documentary film whose mission is to explore the political, economic, social and historic reasons for this tragedy.

Join the 38th Annual Theologian in Residence Program broadcast from Ames UCC in Ames, Iowa. This year’s theologian is Rev. Dr. Miguel Torre, professor of social ethics at Iliff School of Theology in Denver, CO.

The program will be in two parts: 10-11:30 am ET – Video broadcast “Trails of Hope and Terror” (2009) followed by a Q&A session with Rev. Dr. Torre. 11:30-11:45 am ET – Break 11:45 – 1 pm ET – “Confronting the Hopelessness of Immigration” keynote address by Rev. Dr. Torre followed by Q&A.

Learn more about the program here.

From Surviving to Thriving: Healing for the Forgotten Survivors of Racial Terror
2023-09-15 10:30 - 15:00 | Zoom
Commemorating the 60th anniversary of the 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing and Supporting Sarah Collins Rudolph
On September 15, 1963, four members of the Ku Klux Klan planted dynamite inside the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama and at about 10:20am, it was detonated. When that dynamite exploded into the history of our nation, it destroyed the lives of four girls, Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson and Cynthia Wesley who were attending Sunday School services. Unknown to many is the fact that there was a 5th little girl, 12-year-old Sarah Collins, who survived the bombing and whose life has been shaped by that trauma ever since.
On September 15, 2023, Join the Movement toward Racial Justice is partnering with Nurturing Justice to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the bombing and to support survivor Sarah Collins Rudolph. Through an online symposium, we will seek healing from the horror of past harms, while keeping the power of the story of survival alive in our communities. Through education, skill-building and reparatory justice, this symposium promises to not only honor the past but to equip us to build a future free from racial terror, one where people of African descent cannot only survive, but thrive.
The ongoing rise of white nationalist terror in our contemporary context, the prevalence of trauma for Black and Brown people in America, and the political and systemic roll back of voting, educational, reproductive and other basic human rights and freedoms, require our persistent attention. Let us join together on this historic day to see what history has to teach us about repairing our present and creating a more just future.
Contribute to the community restorative justice campaign to support Sarah Collins Rudolph by donating here.
Symposium Format
Morning Session

Opening Worship
Interview with Sarah Rudolph Collins
Plenary Keynote: Racial Terror, Trauma and Survival – Then and Now

Register here for the Morning Session:
https://UCC.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Nn4Ltq2PQnWlpdd-u2pm0w
Afternoon Session

Workshops

Combatting Christian Nationalism
Healing Intergenerational Trauma
Community Organizing against Racial Terror

Register here for the Afternoon Session:
https://UCC.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0vdu6oqD4vHNYx9RninS_ncA2q0XBHci-A
Symposium Speakers and Leaders

Rev. Dr. Willie Dwayne Francois III
Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis
Rev. Dr. Velda Love
Sarah Collins Rudolph
Dr. Obery Hendricks, Jr.
Rev. Dr. Danielle Buhuro
Bishop Dwayne Royster

Then Let Us Sing! A Case Study (Reimagining Ritual Series)
2023-09-14 15:30 - 16:30 | Zoom
Then Let Us Sing! is a new online hymnal and music resource developed by the United Church of Canada for release in fall 2024. The Education Justice, and Ethos (EJE) sub-committee works to create strong theological criteria and rubric for music selection and edits from an anti-oppression, anti-colonial lens — including an ethical framework for copyright. Members of the sub-committee, including UCC Minister of Worship and Theology, Cheryl Lindsay, discuss the process and impact of the theological and ethical commitments in the development of this resource.

The Climate Strike Movement 5 Years Later
2023-09-13 13:00 - 14:00 | Zoom
Five years have now passed from when Greta Thunberg and soon others went on strike from school to launch a movement that expanded and reverberated around the world. The movement continues as organizers prepare for the March to End Fossil Fuels in New York City on September 17th. This webinar will feature organizers and activists who will reflect back on the movement and where we are today. The Rev. Jim Antal has recently written a new chapter for his popular book “Climate Church, Climate World” that is entitled, “Trump, Biden, Greta—Years of Upheaval, 2018-2022.” Aly Tharp is the Senior Organizer for GreenFaith and is currently organizing faith communities in support of the September 17th march. Gabriela Martinez is an organizer for the Franciscan Action Network and is also mobilizing support for the march. Even if you cannot make the webinar at its scheduled time, still sign-up, and we will send you a link to a recording of it. This monthly installment of Creation Justice Webinars is co-hosted by the Rev. Dr. Brooks Berndt who serves as the Minister of Environmental Justice for the United Church of Christ and the Rev. Michael Malcom who serves as the Executive Director for Alabama Interfaith Power & Light and the People’s Justice Council.

The Metamorphosis Moment: A Conversation with Marcia McFee (Reimagining Ritual Series)
2023-09-07 15:30 - 16:30 | Zoom
Marcia McFee, PhD (professor, worship designer, author, preacher and ritual artist) joins Cheryl Lindsay, DWS (UCC Minister for Worship and Theology) for a conversation about the creativity and innovation needed and available to worshipping communities in this moment as the church emerges from the pandemic into the next normal.
