United Church of Christ

A Latine Caribbean Celebration in Words of Praise!
2021-10-14 15:30 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | Zoom
A Latine Caribbean Celebration in Words of Praise!
Join us as the United Church of Christ continues to celebrate Latine/Hispanic History Month with the celebration of UCC Leaders of Puerto Rican, Dominican, and Cuban Descendant share their stories of faith, hope and love.

Be the Healing Conference 2021 with Dr. Joy DeGruy
2021-10-08 08:30 - 18:00 | Zoom
Conference Objectives
At the completion of this conference, participants will:

Understand how the structural inequalities beginning with the period of enslavement continue to impact African Americans and their communities today.
Select and apply strategies to enhance empowerment for African American populations at risk, and to promote economic and social justice.
Analyze relevant concepts of the Relationship Approach and the Philosophical Aspect of cultural difference as a basis for understanding the behaviors of African American individuals and families within their social/cultural environments.
Examine and investigate culturally appropriate interventions including “Virtues Training” for work with African American individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities.
Understand the role that social learning theory and learned helplessness has played in the adaptive behaviors of African Americans and other racial and ethnic groups.
Apply improvement tools in work with individuals, families and communities.

Vibrant Re-Entry And Voter’s Rights with Desmond Meade
2021-10-07 15:30 - 16:30 | Zoom
Vibrant Re-Entry And Voter’s Rights with Desmond Meade
Please join Rev. Traci Blackmon and Desmond Meade, a formerly incarcerated civil rights activist and recent McArthur Genius Grant Awardee, as they discuss the church’s role in welcoming returning citizens. Desmond Meade’s work centers on restoring voting rights to formerly incarcerated citizens and removing barriers to their reentry in every aspect of vibrant life. His voice was a key component of the restoration of voting rights to thousands of Floridians.

OWL Taking Flight: Online Training Sneak Peek AND Ask Us Anything OWL
2021-10-06 12:00 - 13:00 | Zoom
OWL Taking Flight: Online Training Sneak Peek AND Ask Us Anything OWL
Join Rev. Thea Racelis and Dr. Melanie Davis Oct 6, noon ET, to get the scoop on online OWL facilitator training. Thea and Melanie were among the 5 trainers to lead field tests in April and August, and they’ll share challenges and successes; explain how online training differs from in-person training; the time commitment, and requirements of facilitators and Religious and Christian Educators. This webinar may help you determine whether online or in-person trainings suit your needs.

Be The Healing – Re-Membering with Dr. Joy DeGruy
2021-10-05 15:30 - 16:30 | Zoom
Be The Healing – Re-Membering with Dr. Joy DeGruy
The United Church of Christ welcomes Dr. Joy DeGruy for a two day Be The Healing Conference combining Dr. DeGruy’s groundbreaking anti-racism work with her next steps work of healing our moral wounds. Tuesday for Nurture on October 4th will feature a recent presentation Dr. DeGruy shared with the United Church of Christ. We are hopeful this sharing will encourage you to register for the course.
Be The Healing

Ministry on the Move
2021-09-30 15:30 - 16:30 | Zoom
Ministry on the Move
A conversation with General Minister & President, John C. Dorhauer, moderated by Rev. Traci Blackmon
The national setting of the United Church of Christ is relocating once again to meet the current and evolving needs of our staff and ministry partners. Join us for a conversation about the move and what we can expect in this new space.

World Communion Sunday Worship
2021-09-29 14:00 - 15:00 | Zoom
Join us the Wednesday before World Communion Sunday as we celebrate and worship together. The first Sunday of October has become a time when Christians in every culture break bread and pour the cup to remember and affirm Christ as the Head of the Church. On that day, we remember that we are part of the whole body of believers. Whether shared in a grand cathedral, a mud hut, outside on a hilltop, in a meetinghouse, or in a storefront, Christians celebrate the communion liturgy in as many ways as there are congregations.
We will be celebrating communion together virtually so please have something to eat and drink ready. It can be whatever you have on hand, not necessarily bread and juice.

A Conversation with Dr. Wilda C Gafney: A Women’s Lectionary for the Whole Church
2021-09-28 15:30 - 16:30 | Zoom
The Rev. Dr. Wil Gafney is a scholar, pastor, preacher and activist. She is the Right Rev. Sam B. Hulsey Professor of Hebrew Bible at Brite Divinity School in Ft. Worth, TX. Dr. Gafney is also an Episcopal priest and remains a member of the historic African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas in Philadelphia, PA. She is the author of Womanist Midrash: A Reintroduction to Women of the Torah and of the Throne, a commentary on Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah in the Wisdom series; Daughters of Miriam: Women Prophets in Ancient Israel; and co-editor of The Peoples’ Bible and The Peoples’ Companion to the Bible. She is the author of A Women’s Lectionary for the Whole Church and translator of its biblical selections. Please join us for this important conversation with Dr. Gafney about her latest groundbreaking work: A Conversation with Rev. Dr. Wilda C. Gafney, Ph.D.: A Women’s Lectionary for the Whole Church.

Receive Your Wisdom: A Gift from the Divine Within
2021-09-23 15:30 - 16:30 | Zoom
Receive Your Wisdom: A Gift from the Divine Within
Using a loosely guided meditation practice, you will have the opportunity to connect with the Holy Within. Discern the lessons, yearning, direction your Soul has to offer you for this time in your life’s journey. Bring a notebook, if you’d like, to further explore your vision gift.

2022 Midterm Elections Ahead: The Fight for Voting Rights
2021-09-21 15:30 - 16:30 | Zoom
In states across the country efforts are underway to significantly erode voting rights. Join with us to learn more about these threats, and what steps are being take at the federal level to address them. You’ll leave with a better understanding of the state of democracy in the U.S. and more importantly some concrete actions you can take to protect you and your neighbor’s vote.

Colectivo Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month Celebration
2021-09-16 15:30 - 16:30 | 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.

Reflections on Mission in the Time of COVID
2021-09-15 14:00 - 15:00 | Zoom
Join mission co-workers serving around the world as they reflect about their call, serving during the pandemic, and what mission means to them as they live and work with global partners.
Andrew Larsen, serving with the NCCP in the Philippines, Kahala Cannon, serving with the Council of Churches of Swaziland in eSwatini, Nishan and Maria Bakalian both serving with the Union of Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East in Lebanon, will be in conversation with Cathy Nichols, Executive for Mission Personnel.

UCC Justice and Local Church Ministry Grants - 101
2021-09-14 15:30 - 16:30 | Zoom
UCC Justice and Local Church Ministry Grants – 101
Justice and Local Church Ministries of the United Church of Christ has decided to take a bold step in creating a common application that streamlines our granting process. The hope and goal is to ensure granting is made easier for congregations in the United Church of Christ as we honor the intentions for funding for seven funding areas. Come and learn about the new application process, application deadlines, and types of congregational grants available from JLCM grants for 2021-2022 cycle.

Training for UCC Churches: Serving Afghan Refugees
2021-09-11 17:00 - 18:30 | Zoom
This hour and a half training builds on the new toolkit Welcoming and Advocating for Afghan SIVs and Other Afghan Refugees (“SIV”) and Other Afghan Refugees, tailored for UCC congregations that want to engage effectively in support for Afghan SIVs and other Afghan refugees being resettled to the United States.
The training will include stories and insights from refugees resettled by UCC churches, UCC churches who have built successful refugee ministries, and migration professionals concerning effective ways that churches can make an impact.
Presenters will include Seo Conrad, a former refugee from Laos; Rev. Carolyn Lambert from the Maine Council of Churches; Irene W. Hassan of UCC Refugee and Migration Services; Katie Adams of the UCC Washington, D.C., Domestic Policy Advocacy Office.
They will offer tailored resources for UCC congregations to take action and take questions from churches wanting to build responsive ministries. Participants will walk away with confidence for action in response to the call to help.
Need more information? Contact Irene Hassan, UCC Minister for Refugee and Migration Services, at hassani@ucc.org.

Coming Home
2021-09-09 15:30 - 16:30 | Zoom
Join members of the national setting of the United Church of Christ as we begin the third season of Thursdays for the Soul in worship. We remember….We renew….We rejoice….in coming home.

OWL Taking Flight: Why We Do The Things We Do
2021-09-01 12:00 - 13:00 | Zoom
Explore the behind-the-scenes craft of Our Whole Lives design! This “tour,” will help you with scheduling and implementation and provide tools you can use to craft other types of lessons and programs. You’ll learn the rationale behind workshop length, scope, and sequencing; how to use learning goals and objectives to your group’s advantage; and how to tailor OWL to a group’s personalities and needs. You’ll also get the scoop on field testing and keeping current between revisions of the curriculum.
Note: There will not be a live chat or Q & A feature for this webinar. You may submit questions which will be forwarded to the presenter for answering at a later time. Please include contact information in your question.
Recommended: Before you start or restart your OWL program, please review the July Taking Flight webinar “Framing Conversations About Restarting OWL Programs,” which encourages slow re-entry into group programming.

Meet our Racial Equity Auditors
2021-07-08 17:00 - 18:00 | Zoom
The United Church of Christ affirms God’s call to be an anti-racist church. Now what? How do we begin to live out this Synod mandate? How might our conferences and churches collaborate? Why do we need an audit? If these questions, and more, are on your mind join UCCB Board Chair, Yvette Wynn; Associate General Minister, Rev. Traci Blackmon, Conference Minister Chair, Rev. Gordon Rankin, and CULTURE BROKERS, our chosen racial equity audit partners for a panel discussion as we continue the journey toward anti-racism.

OWL Taking Flight: Framing Conversations about Restarting OWL Programs
2021-07-07 12:00 - 13:00 | Zoom
Eager to start or re-start your Our Whole Lives program? Join national UCC and UUA OWL staff and guests to explore the value of a “soft reentry” focused on safety, community building, and relearning how to be in shared spaces, including considerations for justice and the integrity of OWL.

Looking Back; Looking Forward
2021-07-06 15:30 - 16:30 | Zoom
Join Rev. Traci Blackmon, and Rev. Dr. Chris Davies from the Tuesdays for Nurture and Thursdays for the Soul webinar series for a conversation on where we’ve been—and where we hope to go. As we move into General Synod and a Summer Sabbatical in the webinar series, we want to celebrate some highlights of our shared digital space together. But don’t worry! We’ll return with worship on September 9th with more relevant programming for our audience in the United Church of Christ, and beyond.

Polity Primer 101: How is our Polity Lived out at General Synod?
2021-07-01 15:30 - 16:30 | Zoom
The United Church of Christ has a way of governing itself (“polity”) that’s different than many other denominations. Bound together by covenant and freely entered into through congregational autonomy, the UCC gathers in many different expressions to be the church. Every two years, the United Church of Christ comes together for worship and business, taking time to speak to the church about matters of faith and conscience. Come listen to some UCC History, Theology, and Polity teachers talk about the gifts and challenges of our structure, how our theological values show up at General Synod, with attention to proposed resolutions for this year’s General Synod.

Thursdays in Black: Toward a world without rape and violence
2021-06-30 14:00 - 15:00 | Zoom
Globally, 1 in 3 women experience physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime, according to data from the World Health Organization. Such violence can increase during public health crises like the COVID-19 pandemic. We all have a responsibility to speak out against violence, to ensure that everyone is safe from rape and violence in homes, schools, work, streets – in all places in our societies.
Join us as we learn about the Thursdays in Black campaign and ways in which we, as faith communities, can help to end gender-based violence in local and global settings.

Decision Day
2021-06-30
DecisionDay will occur sometime between now and the end of June. The court does not announce which opinions will be issued ahead of time.
Decision Day Schedule:

10 AM ET: Court begins to announce decisions; one every 10 min
11 AM ET: We will email you that today is “DecisionDay”
2-2:30 PM ET: Check-in call for organization staff & event speakers. Overview of the opinion, outcome scenario we are facing, recommended talking points and brief Q&A. RSVP required
7 PM ET: Virtual National Rally with featured speakers and performances. Live-streamed on DecisionDay.org, YouTube, and Facebook
8:30 PM ET: Virtual Town Hall. RSVP required at DecisionDay.org

Sharing Leadership in UCC Community
2021-06-29 15:30 - 16:30 | Zoom
Some mistakenly believe that United Church of Christ faith communities resist leadership by-design. The truth is that UCC polity calls on communities to share leadership, voluntarily and covenantally. Sharing leadership is so countercultural, it’s easy to misunderstand.
Join Dean Sarah B. Drummond of Andover Newton Seminary at Yale Divinity School and Rev. Dr. Chris S. Davies for an in an energizing and timely conversation about Drummond’s new book from the Pilgrim Press, Sharing Leadership: A United Church of Christ Way of Being In-Community.
Davies and Drummond will reflect on questions like, “How can faith communities share leadership well?” and, “How can the UCC help its members to carry the life-giving practices of sharing leadership into their families, communities, and workplaces?”

Synod Storytelling
2021-06-24 15:30 - 16:30 | Zoom
As we gather in for the first ever Special Edition Digital General Synod upcoming, we know that there are so many who will hold an ache for the kind of things that happen in person. General Synod in the past has been: A gathering of our church to do the work of the denomination and pass resolutions, a family reunion of sorts, a place where people are activated for Justice and Jesus, a place where connections happen and sparks of innovation come forward, and so much more. While we’ll still have resolutions and worship and digital programming for Synod 2021, it will certainly be different this year! Before we gather in July, come to this Synod Storytelling event to hear stories of Synod’s past, and the incredible community, work, and connections which have occurred, because WE are the UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST.

Rural Congregations of the South/Southwest
2021-06-22 15:30 - 16:30 | Zoom
In a continuing series regarding the state of rural congregations and ministries in the United Church of Christ today; join Conference and Local congregational leaders as they speak into the opportunities, challenges, and realities of doing church in rural and small towns in the Southern and Southwestern parts of the U.S.

A Juneteenth Celebration with Stories and Sacred Music
2021-06-18 12:00 - 13:30 | Zoom
Juneteenth marks the official end of slavery in the U.S. The original legal declaration was signed into law by Abraham Lincoln which instituted Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration honoring the end of slavery in the United States. On June 19, 1865, Union General Gordon Granger led thousands of federal troops to Galveston, Texas to announce that the Civil War had ended, and slaves had been freed.
Listen to lives of African peoples through 4-genres of storytelling and music. Experience the long history of first peoples despite the interruptions, setbacks, and tragedies. Journey with us through sacred music, spoken word, and creative expressions of joy, sorrow, and praise. African descended people have resisted, revolted, protested, and fought for their freedom and right to exists as God intended since the beginning of human existence. In the 21st century, COVID-19, state sanctioned law enforcement murders, and white nationalism and vigilante threats and acts of violence continue to impact people of African descent nationally and globally. And Still We Rise!

United Black Christians (UBC) Celebrates Juneteenth
2021-06-17 15:30 - 16:30 | Zoom
On June 19, 1865 in Galveston, Texas, a U.S. federal proclamation was read notifying people of African Descent were all free and that slavery was abolished. This date has since been commemorated as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Liberation Day and/or Emancipation Day. The earliest Juneteenth celebration being recorded in 1867.
On Thursday, June 17th at 3:30 pm EST, come and celebrate with UCC’s United Black Christians (UBC) celebrate the historic significance of Juneteenth to our UCC congregations, especially our African Descendent churches

Together in Hope: A Journey through Southern Asia
2021-06-16 14:00 - 15:00 | Zoom
Join Brande Crosby, Global Ministries Communications Associate, at the premier of a 37-minute travel documentary, “A Story from Southern Asia”, on her encounters with people and their initiatives for change. To make connections between continents for Global Ministries’ Southern Asia Initiative, Brande travelled to India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Indonesia in 2019, and captured stories and images of people engaged with the challenges of human trafficking and forced migration, caste discrimination, religious and ethnic conflicts and climate change.
Nearly two years since then, these partners now find themselves in circumstances more complex and challenging on account of Covid 19. Deenabandhu Manchala, Southern Asia Executive, will reflect on what these mean to the churches there and here, and to our journey of hope together.

Mind the Gap: Worker Justice, Wage, Medicaid, and the Right to Organize
2021-06-15 15:30 - 16:30 | Zoom
In part 2 of this four-part series, we will address the need for worker justice. Over the next few months we will explore Motherhood, Working and Wage Justice, Debt and Health Equity.
Join us as we look at the gaps for workers and their families that make it difficult to survive and thrive. We will examine wage, labor organizing, Medicaid Expansion, and how to hold corporations accountable for how they treat workers both in the US and abroad. A link to a social media toolkit on how to engage these efforts moving forward will be provided to registrants and on the Youtube description resources afterwards.

Take a Stand: Stop Line 3
2021-06-14 13:00 - 14:00 | Zoom
The Line 3 Expansion is a massive tar sands oil pipeline under construction through the heart of Northern Minnesota. If completed, it would cross a hundred waterways, including the headwaters of the Mississippi River. It would also pass near the border of multiple Native nations and across hundreds of miles of treaty-protected land, which those communities depend on for drinking water and wild rice gathering. In this webinar, we will learn more about Line 3 and what faith communities can do to stop it. Featured speakers will include:

Rev. Jim Bear Jacobs, Minnesota Council of Churches and Healing Minnesota Stories
Nina Berguland, Youth Council and Indigenous Council for Earth Guardians
Joe Meinholz, Pipeline Resistance Coordinator for Minnesota Interfaith Power & Light

Even if you cannot make the scheduled time, still sign-up, and we will send you a recording.
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
