United Church of Christ

Love is Louder: Listening Deeply to LGBTQIA+ Experiences
2023-08-10 15:30 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | Zoom
Gender & Sexuality Justice Ministries hosts a month-long webinar series focusing on intentional dialogue with LGBTQIA+ individuals to learn more about the state of this moment and how we can collectively offer care and just action together.

Continuing our Love is Louder series we’ll spend time with Erin Green who serves as the Campus and Alumni Organizer for REAP (Religious Exemption Accountability Project). In this series episode we’ll explore the intersections of education and LGBTQIA+ experiences. This conversation will help widen our perspectives on the various ways LGBTQIA+ experiences can be oppressed throughout different systems and ways you can engage supportively!

Erin Green (She/They) is the Campus and Alumni Organizer for REAP. They are an affirming biblical scholar and LGBTQ+ activist. Erin has a Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies from Azusa Pacific University and an M.Div. from San Francisco Theological Seminary. Their specialties are in the entire Christian biblical corpus with an emphasis on the Hebrew Bible, the ancient Near East, exegesis, and how to employ various hermeneutical methods. Erin’s passion is helping those excluded by the church to heal from spiritual abuse and trauma by navigating the biblical text in restorative ways.

Erin is best known for their work in supporting LGBTQ+ students on conservative, Christian university campuses and in religious spaces.

Centering Environmental Justice at the EPA
2023-08-09 14:00 - 15:00 | Zoom
The mission of the Environmental Protection Agency is “to protect human health and the environment.” It’s a mission that relates directly to some of the core values held by people of faith. It’s also a mission that has evolved and developed in important ways. This past year the EPA institutionalized environmental justice and civil rights as top priorities. In this webinar, we will focus on what people of faith need to know about how the EPA works. We will pay particular attention to environmental justice and new programs, such as those related to environmental justice grants. Our featured guests will be:

-Charles Lee, Senior Policy Advisor for Environmental Justice, EPA
-Jacob Burney, Environmental Justice Grants Division Director, EPA

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 Hope Cards Prayer Service
2023-08-07 13:30 - 14:30 | Zoom
Join us for a brief online prayer service as we enter into the final week of collecting Climate Hope Cards to deliver to Washington, DC in September. Climate Hope Cards is an effort to strengthen EPA protections so that we might save thousands of lives, address societal inequities, and put our nation on track to reach its climate goals. UCC churches and camps across the country have been participating in this campaign over the course of the summer. The prayer service will feature interns and fellows who have been devoting time and energy to collecting cards. They will share with us moments in which they have experienced or witnessed hope over the past few months. All are welcome to join us!

Love is Louder: Listening Deeply to LGBTQIA+ Experiences
2023-08-03 15:30 - 16:30 | Zoom
Gender & Sexuality Justice Ministries hosts a month-long webinar series focusing on intentional dialogue with LGBTQIA+ individuals to learn more about the state of this moment and how we can collectively offer care and just action together.

Kicking off our Love is Louder series will be Dr. Katrina Roseboro-Marsh, who currently serves as the Executive Director for the Open and Affirming Coalition of the United Church of Christ. In this series episode, we’ll explore together the impact of genuine extravagant welcome and affirmation of LGBTQIA+ siblings. This conversation will help prepare the way for asking ourselves what our internal work is for this moment and how we can act collectively out loud in love!

Nurture the Soul Webinar: A Conversation with the New GMP
2023-07-27 15:30 - 16:30 | Zoom
This week will feature conversation with our new General Minister and President, Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia Thompson. Register now to join the Zoom!
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.

Discover Your Why: How a Clear Purpose Strengthens Evangelism, Giving, and Impact
2023-07-26 18:30 - 19:30 | Zoom
Andrew Warner and Kent Siladi will talk about the importance of understanding the “why” of your congregation. You will learn methods to articulate this reason for being of your Church. Together, we will consider how to use the why to motivate and engage people.

Summer Artist Series IV: Convergence Music Project
2023-07-20 15:30 - 16:30 | Zoom
In our fourth and final Nurture the Soul Summer Artist Series, we are joined by musicians and songwriters from Convergence Music Project, music for a just and generous Christianity. Listen to folks like Bryan Sirchio, Richard Bruxvoort Colligan and Tracy Howe share their latest work as well as exciting developments with CMP.

Convergence Music Project is a platform connecting local churches to congregational songs and worship resources embodying a just and generous Christianity. This includes commitments to restorative racial justice and uplifting the sacredness of queer and trans folx to for starters. The website and platform for distributing these resources also makes sure artists receive fair and just compensation in a digital age. It is like fair and direct trade music. It is also an open network, always growing and welcoming new submissions! Learn more at convergencemp.com.

Summer Artist Series III: Music That Makes Community
2023-07-13 15:30 - 16:30 | Zoom
Music That Makes Community, working with ecumenical communities and leaders to empower and liberate communities’ spiritual life through singing.
In this third episode of the Nurture the Soul Summer Artist Series, we are joined by song leaders, composers and artists from Music That Makes Community, and organization that connects a worldwide network of practitioners and leaders who share a practice of paperless song leading. MMC partners with hosts to produce conferences and workshops to teach the practice and create resources for making connections and building a repertoire of songs for paperless song leading. On this webinar, learn about this movement and practice and be renewed and inspired by the songs that are shared.

Seeing through the Smoke: Wildfires, Climate, and a Path Forward
2023-07-12 13:00 - 14:00 | Zoom
How can we find a path forward in addressing the wildfires that have created a landscape of crisis in our climate changed world? This webinar will feature three leading thinkers and practitioners in answering this question. John Vaillant has recently released a book entitled “Fire Weather: A True Story from a Hotter World” that David Wallace Wells has praised as “mesmerizing” and “unfortunately, exquisitely timed.” Shana Udvardy is the Senior Climate Resilience Policy Analyst for the Union of Concerned Scientists. Rick O’Rourke is from the Cultural Fire Management Council which practices fire stewardship on the Yurok Reservation and ancestral lands.
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 Tenure of John Dorhauer: a Nurture the Soul Special Offering
2023-06-22 15:30 - 16:30 | Zoom
Join us for a special offering of Nurture the Soul, an interview with Rev. Dr. John Dorhauer, who has served as General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ for eight years. In this intimate interview, we will visit milestones and memories, lessons learned and the legacy John hopes to leave with us all.

World Refugee Day 2023 Worship Service
2023-06-20 19:00 - 20:00 | Livestream
As Christians, we seek to live out God’s call to welcome refugees and asylum seekers. With multiple threats facing our siblings across the globe and ever-changing legislation, where are God’s people Finding Freedom?
You’re invited to an ecumenical worship service in honor of World Refugee Day 2023. This is a celebration with those who have found freedom and a call to continue the work of liberation until all of God’s children know a safe home.
Join the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and United Church of Christ, featuring:

“Words of Welcome” by Rev. Terri Hord Owens (General Minister and President of the DOC).
UCC and DOC choirs and speakers.
Sermon by Gustavo Sermeño (Ainsworth UCC).
“Blessing for the Journey” by Rev. Dr. John Dorhauer (General Minister and President of the UCC).

Worship planned by DOC’s Immigration & Refugee Response and UCC’s Refugee & Migration Ministries/Global H.O.P.E.
*Observe World Refugee Day with your congregation: Download the free, ecumenical resources from the DOC’s Week of Compassion website: full worship service, videos of each segment, and order of worship.
Register for the live stream:

First Name *

Last Name *

Email *

Select your denomination

United Church of Christ

Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

Other/None

Email preferences

I would like to receive periodic emails from the United Church of Christ

I would like to receive periodic emails from the Disciples of Christ

I only wish to receive emails regarding this event

Mobile Phone

Text preferences

I would like to receive periodic text messages (UCC only)

Submit

Celebrating Juneteenth: Practicing Antiracism from Emancipation to Freedom
2023-06-15 15:30 - 16:30 | Zoom
As part of our engagement with Ibram X Kendi’s book How to Be an Antiracist, Join the Movement’s All Church Read, our Juneteenth panelists will reflect on the themes of the last chapters of the book: Failure, Success, and Survival. The exploration of each theme will include our resident historian, Dr. Renee K. Harrison offering a historical connection to Juneteenth and emancipation, reflection from a UCC leader on the implications for our continued work of emancipation and antiracism, and an artistic expression connecting it to our call to abolitionist futures. Join together to discover how practicing antiracism can continue the Juneteenth lineage of moving us from emancipation toward freedom.

Seizing an Opportunity: Strengthening EPA Protections in 2023
2023-06-14 13:00 - 14:00 | Zoom
Pollution from the power sector places a disproportionate burden on low income neighborhoods and communities of color. The power sector also produces a quarter of green house gas emissions in the United States. In the coming months, there is a significant opportunity to advance environmental justice and put the United States on a path to achieve 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2035. In 2023, the Environmental Protection Agency can make desperately needed strides in strengthening protections that will safeguard communities and our future. In this webinar, we will learn more about the possibilities before us and what communities of faith can do to realize them.

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.

Summer Artist Series II, Q Worship Collective
2023-06-08 15:30 - 16:30 | Zoom
TITLE: Q Worship Collective,
forging new ground and creating space for artists to share stories and music of reclamation, reconciliation and identity with the Divine.

DESCRIPTION: In this second episode of the Nurture the Soul Summer Artist Series, we are joined by the Q Worship Collective, a fierce collective of divergent artists who have experienced parallel spiritual journeys delving into the intersection of holy and queer creative expression. This webinar will feature artists from across the country, sharing stories and music of queer reclamation, healing and faith.

OWL Taking Flight - Trans Action
2023-06-07 12:00 - 13:00 | Zoom
We will lift up ways that the UCC and UUA are creating support for trans beloved.

What has been your most important COVID shift?
2023-05-31 13:00 - 14:00 | Zoom
Part 8 of the Create Playspace with the President series.
Provocateur:
Rev. Dr. John C. Dorhauer, General Minister and President of the UCC.
**Please note- all sessions in this series will be recorded.

Strengthen the Church Offering
2023-05-28
Strengthen the Church offering is traditionally taken on the first Sunday of Pentecost. This year it will be on May 28, 2023. Order your offering theme materials here.

Security and Faith: Threats and Responses from UCC Local Churches
2023-05-25 15:30 - 16:30 | Zoom
Security and Faith. In this three-part series, host Rev. Tracy Howe, Team Leader and Minister for FaithINFO and seasoned organizer invites panelists to engage community security issues. We live in a world of increasing vulnerability, charged public rhetoric, and more and more guns. Local congregations are encountering threats to persons and property, from their local churches where buildings are being vandalized and pastors being threatened to the greater community where white Christian nationalists are demonstrating against drag shows and pride festivals. What does security mean from a Gospel perspective? What can we build together towards a safety for all?
Security and Faith Episode III: Local Church Preparedness and Safety. Join Rev. Tracy Howe, Team Leader and Minister for FaithINFO at the National Setting and seasoned organizer as she speaks to local church pastors and lay leaders involved in local church preparedness and safety. Learn about the resources available and where imagination and faithfulness are coming together to fill in the gaps. What if a local church hosts a school? A food pantry? How do these public programs impact community safety in a world with increasing threats and vulnerability. How can we faithfully prepare and respond?

Building an Endowment
2023-05-24 18:30 - 19:30 | Zoom
An endowment can support a congregation and its wider mission. But where do you start? This webinar will provide ideas and policies for creating and growing an endowment for your congregation. Rev. Andrew Warner will draw on his experience with the Wisconsin Foundation UCC when discussing how to raise, manage, and use endowment funds.

Security and Faith: Abolitionist Perspectives
2023-05-18 15:30 - 16:30 | Zoom
Security and Faith. In this three-part series, host Rev. Tracy Howe, Team Leader and Minister for FaithINFO and seasoned organizer invites panelists to engage community security issues. We live in a world of increasing vulnerability, charged public rhetoric, and more and more guns. Local congregations are encountering threats to persons and property, from their local churches where buildings are being vandalized and pastors being threatened to the greater community where white Christian nationalists are demonstrating against drag shows and pride festivals. What does security mean from a Gospel perspective? What can we build together towards a safety for all?
Building off of Commuinty Safety for All, this Webinar brings us into the commitments the United Church of Christ has made over the years through General Synod Resolutions, from supporting movements for racial justice live Black Lives Matter to advocating for gun control, how should these things inform the decisions we make about local church security. Join Rev. Tracy Howe, Team Leader and Minister for FaithINFO at the National Setting and seasoned organizer, Katie Adams, Domestic Policy Advocate for the UCC Washington D.C. office, and Rev. Adam Erickson, pastor of Clackamas UCC in Clackamas, OR in a critical conversation on embodying our faith and collective justice commitments in the context of increasing threats and vulnerability of pastors and local churches.

General Synod Frequency Town Hall 3/3
2023-05-17 18:00 - 19:00
At General Synod 34 in Indianapolis, delegates will consider amendments to the UCC Bylaws that would change the frequency of General Synod from two years to three years.
Join one of the Town Halls to learn more about the Bylaws changes recommended by the UCC Board.

Becoming an Immigrant Welcoming Church
2023-05-17 14:00 - 15:00 | Zoom
Just as ONA, WISE, and Willing to Respond are standardized designations across the life of the UCC, we are working to expand the Immigrant Welcoming Church (IWC) designation. Please join us for a conversation on becoming an IWC church, and how this formalized designation will help you with resources, collaboration, and strengthening our collective capacity to welcome with dignity.

What is changing in ministry?
2023-05-17 13:00 - 14:00 | Zoom
Part 7 of the Create Playspace with the President series.
Provocateur:
Rev. Elizabeth Dilley, Team Leader of Ministerial Excellence, Support and Authorization (MESA), Justice and Local Church Ministries.
**Please note- all sessions in this series will be recorded.

Security and Faith: Faithfulness and Vulnerability
2023-05-11 15:30 - 16:30 | Zoom
Security and Faith. In this three-part series, host Rev. Tracy Howe, Team Leader and Minister for FaithINFO and seasoned organizer invites panelists to engage community security issues. We live in a world of increasing vulnerability, charged public rhetoric, and more and more guns. Local congregations are encountering threats to persons and property, from their local churches where buildings are being vandalized and pastors being threatened to the greater community where white Christian nationalists are demonstrating against drag shows and pride festivals. What does security mean from a Gospel perspective? What can we build together towards a safety for all?
Security and Faith Episode I: Faith and Vulnerability, Imagining Community Safety for All We are living in times that call for prophetic imagination and a courageous willingness to “practice the world we wish to see,” as Adrienne Maree Brown says in Emergent Strategy. These times also call for honest reflection on how racism and violence are entangled with policing and property security. Can we imagine safety for all and start to build community practices for preparedness? In this, the first of three webinars on Security and Faith, seasoned faith organizer and UCC Minister Rev. Anne Dunlap brings us through SURJ’s (Showing Up for Racial Justice) Community Safety for All toolkit. As local churches imagine safety, we look to the Gospel to illuminate what security means, and be bold and courageous in imagining safe communities for all people, not just church properties.

Stop Cop City: A Moral Call
2023-05-10 13:00 - 14:00 | Zoom
In Atlanta, faith leaders have been involved in a struggle to confront violence in multiple forms as they seek to prevent the destruction of the Weelaunee Forest for the building of a police training center in a predominantly Black community. Through their actions for a just world, these faith leaders have additionally sought to honor Manuel “Tortuguita” Terán who was killed by the Georgia State Police while protecting the forest. This webinar will feature Rev. Leo Seyij Allen, Rev. Darci Jaret, and Rev. Keyanna Jones as they share with us about the ongoing pursuit of justice in seeking to stop Cop City.
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.

Sacred Reckonings
2023-05-04 15:30 - 16:30 | Zoom
Sacred Reckonings, a conversation with Rev. Traci Blackmon and Rev. Dr. Rebecca Voelkel on white settler-colonizer churches doing the work of reparations.

A new eco-system for Members in Discernment.
2023-05-03 13:00 - 14:00 | Zoom
Part 6 of the Create Playspace with the President series.
Provocateur:
Rev. David Vasquez-Levy, President and Professor of Homiletics at the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, California
**Please note- all sessions in this series will be recorded.

Mental Health Awareness While Offering OWL
2023-05-03 12:00 - 13:00
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Rev. Dr. Sarah Lund UCC Minister for Mental Health and Disabilities, and Jennica Davis-Hockett UUA Youth Ministry Specialist, will join us for a conversation about youth, mental health, and intersections with Our Whole Lives.

Rethinking What God Calls Volunteers to Do
2023-04-26 18:30 - 19:30 | Zoom
Rev. Bridget Daniels of Union UCC in Green Bay, WI, and Rev. Elana Larson of the National Ministries will reflect on ways to engage volunteers and hear God’s call to something new when you can’t find volunteers. They will help us think about ways to make more dynamic volunteer experiences.

General Synod Frequency Town Hall 2/3
2023-04-26 18:00 - 19:00
