United Church of Christ

Where Do We Go From Here: COVID-19 in 2021
2021-05-11 15:30 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | Zoom
Please join Rev. Traci Blackmon and Nicolette A. Louissaint, PhD, executive director and president of Healthcare Ready: a 501(c)(3) organization that focuses on strengthening the United States’ healthcare supply chain preparedness and response before, during and after natural disasters and disease pandemics. Dr. Louissaint will share with us the current state of the virus and vaccinations nationally, as well as considerations community for re-engagement and long-term recovery post vaccination.

Sisterhood: The Work Our Soul Requires
2021-05-06 15:30 - 16:30
Our togetherness is rooted in the spirit of Ubuntu – I am because you are, and because you are, I can be also. Join African American Women in Ministry (AAWIM) for a candid conversation with an intergenerational panel of women from our select Sister Circles. In the spirit of Ubuntu, these sisters will share from a personal lens the essentiality of sisterhood in these unprecedented times. We are hopeful all will be enriched by this conversation and equipped with resources to continue on this sacred journey during this season of recovery.

State of Global Racial Justice
2021-05-05 14:00 - 15:00
Racism, xenophobia and all forms of discrimination are on the rise globally. Afrophobia refers to a range of negative attitudes and feelings towards black people or people of African Descent around the world. It is a perceived fear and hatred of the cultures and peoples of Africa and the African diaspora. Casteism prejudice or antagonism directed against someone of a different caste. These are global problems diminishing the human rights of the world’s population. Join us for a conversation on the state of racism and discrimination globally.

OWL Taking Flight: Consensual Non-Monogamy and Faith: What can we learn from a Canadian Unitarian Council Survey
2021-05-05 12:00 - 13:00
Join us to explore what UCC churches and UU congregations can learn from a Canadian Unitarian Council report on how to be welcoming and inclusive of polyamorous people and families in every aspect of congregational life, recognizing that consensually non-monogamous individuals and families are part of our faith communities as members, friends, clergy, and staff.
Guests: Vyda Ng, Executive Director, Canadian Unitarian Council; Rev. Michael Crumpler, Director of LGBTQ and Multicultural Programs, UUA; and Gabriela De Golia, UCC seminarian.

Mind the Gap: Motherhood
2021-05-04 15:30 - 16:30
In this four-part series, we will address the need for economic justice. Over the next four months we will explore Motherhood, Working and Wage Justice, Debt and Health Equity.
Join us for part one on the topic of Motherhood with Congresswoman Alma S. Adams, Ph.D., co-lead sponsor of the Momnibus bill in the US House of Representatives and member of House Financial Services and Education and Labor Committees. The conversation will continue with ways that you and your congregation can participate in advocating for paid family leave for all workers beyond the pandemic and the global movement for equity and justice for women and girls. Let’s spend our time honoring mothers by advocating for them effectively!

Gonna Trouble the Water: A Live Reading and Book Discussion
2021-04-29 15:30 - 16:30
To deny water is to deny life. On Thursday, April 29th, join author Miguel A. De La Torre and contributors to Gonna Trouble the Water as they discuss the sacred nature of water and the ways it is weaponized against non-white communities. Gonna Trouble the Water: Ecojustice, Water, and Environmental Racism de-centers “water as commodity” and centers the dignity of water and its life-giving character.
Gonna Trouble the Water is available at thepilgrimpress.com and wherever your favorite e-books are sold.

The State of Global Refugees, Migrants and Asylum
2021-04-27 15:30 - 16:30
The world currently has a crisis as people are on the move for a variety of reasons. Learning about the push and pull of migration, increases the ability to be advocates for changes and policies, with the changes in administration. Join this conversation for an update on the ways in which communities of faith are involved in addressing the issues facing refugees, migrants and asylum seekers and the ways in which churches are resettling these families and individuals.

Getting Ready, Getting Rooted Part II
2021-04-22 15:30 - 16:30
In part II, of Getting Ready, Getting Rooted – Thursdays For the Soul, General Synod Worship Director, Rev. Tracy Howe, planning team members, liturgists, artists and others will look at formation and how the spiritual journey and sub themes of the General Synod worship services were developed. Featuring sneak peaks of original music commissioned for General Synod as well as other art and cultural offerings!

Spiritualities and Powers
2021-04-21 14:00 - 15:00
The spiritualities of colonized peoples survived and are being recovered by new generations. The project of decolonizing Christianity and dismantling Empire is one that must confront the realities of spiritualities that give life and flourish in spite of past and present oppression. How are these surviving and contributing to resilience and justice?
The Wednesdays with the World webinar series will be highlighting the ways in which the quest for justice is intersectional and global, allowing UCC members greater opportunities for increased awareness of global concerns and highlighting options for advocacy and action.

Getting Ready, Getting Rooted Part I
2021-04-20 15:30 - 16:30
Join General Synod Worship Director, Rev. Tracy Howe, planning team members, liturgists, artists and others who are helping to develop the spiritual foundations as well as the worship, music and arts programing for this historic virtual gathering. In this two-part series, Tuesday for Nurture will explore the practical considerations in developing this massive project, many of which translate to the local church as well. What does it mean to create trauma informed liturgy? What is does disability justice look like in the virtual environment? How does the expectation of General Synod worship pasts inform what we are creating? Featuring sneak peaks of original music commissioned for General Synod as well as other art and cultural offerings!

#StopTheHate – A Call to Prayer and Action
2021-04-15 15:30 - 16:30
#StopTheHate – A Call to Prayer and Action by the Pacific Islander/Asian American Ministries (PAAM) of the United Church of Christ Angry! Outraged! Upset! There are no words to reflect what is happening in our Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. Brutal attacks on the elderly and vulnerable are increasing. And these are not robberies. Just hate crimes and in broad daylight. The latest report from just one center monitoring AAPI crimes list over 3,700 incidents from March 2020 to February 2021.
Join the United Church of Christ for an expanded edition of Thursdays for the Soul as leaders and members from the UCC Pacific Islander & Asian American Ministries (PAAM) offer prayers, reflections, and song for collective lament, grieving, a call of national repentance, hope for healing and forgiveness. Followed by a panel presentation and discussion calling for action on how UCC congregations and the wider church can help respond to counter the increasing harassment and violence aimed at our AAPI siblings, sisters and brothers.

What's Fair?: The U.S. and Responsibility for the Climate Crisis
2021-04-14 13:00 - 14:00
Historically, the United States has released more global warming pollution than any other country, and it remains the world’s second highest emitter. With its wealth and power, what are the moral obligations of the U.S. in confronting the climate crisis? In short, what’s fair? Three leaders in the effort to address this question will present in this webinar:
-Sivan Kartha, Senior Scientist, Stockholm Environment Institute
-Jean Su, Energy Justice Program Director, Center for Biological Diversity
-Susannah Tuttle, Director, North Carolina Interfaith Power & Light
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.
Special thanks to the sponsorship of the Cornerstone Fund in making this webinar possible.

Telling Our Story(ies)
2021-04-13 15:30 - 16:30
The United Nations declared the International Decade for People of African Descent, 2015-2024. Around 200 million people identifying themselves as being of African descent live in the Americas. Many millions more live in other parts of the world, outside of the African continent. These are descendants of enslaved Africans brought in the region to multiple countries, with multiple stories of resilience, rebellion and resistance. Telling the story(ies) is important and requires a comprehensive narrative as we strengthen the call for justice.

Let’s Talk About Abortion
2021-04-08 15:30 - 16:30
Abortion Access is an issue of faith! The United Church of Christ has had a strong history of supporting access to safe and healthy abortion since before Roe V. Wade. UCC Clergy have been advocating for the women and people who need abortions for decades! Join for a conversation with Elaina Ramsey, Ohio Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, Sandy Sorenson, United Church of Christ DC Team Leader, and Rev. Dr. Chris Davies, advocate for abortion access in Ohio. This conversation will be moderated by Rev. Jes Kast.

Towards a Sustainable Future
2021-04-07 14:00 - 15:00
The Sustainable Development Goals or Global Goals are a collection of 17 interlinked global goals designed to be a “blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all”. The SDGs were set in 2015 by the United Nations General Assembly and are intended to be achieved by the year 2030. The work of justice and ministry in the church are critically tied to sustainable development. Join this conversation about how these global goals are paving the way to a sustainable future.
The Wednesdays with the World webinar series will be highlighting the ways in which the quest for justice is intersectional and global, allowing UCC members greater opportunities for increased awareness of global concerns and highlighting options for advocacy and action.

OWL Taking Flight: Trauma-Informed Sexuality Education
2021-04-07 12:00 - 13:00
In recognition of April as Sexual Trauma Awareness Month, our April 7, 9 PT/Noon ET OWL Taking Flight webinar will provide recommendations for how to be a trauma-informed sexuality educator. Join us for this important topic.

The State of Black Bodies in the US
2021-04-06 15:30 - 16:30
Dean Kelly Brown Douglas is Dean of the Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary and Professor of Theology at Union. She also serves as the Canon Theologian at the Washington National Cathedral and Theologian in Residence at Trinity Church Wall Street. Her groundbreaking and widely taught book Sexuality and the Black Church: A Womanist Perspective (1999) was the first to address the issue of homophobia within the black church community. Her latest book, Stand Your Ground: Black Bodies and the Justice of God (2015), examines the challenges of a “Stand Your Ground” culture for the black church. The publication of her next book, Resurrection Hope: A Future Where Black Lives Matter, is forthcoming.
Join us as Dean Douglas invited us to consider the current state of Black liberation in this country and how we must contend with the myth of Anglo-Saxon Exceptionalism.

Maundy Thursday
2021-04-01 15:30 - 16:30
On Maundy Thursday we commemorate the day on which Jesus Christ shared a meal, prayed, and was taken to trial before he was crucified. This year pastors from across the denomination read the scripture through a new lens.

Commission on the Status of Women
2021-03-31 14:00 - 15:00
Global movements are necessary to affect change. The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. CSW65 just closed out. What were the outcomes of the event? How can women impact global advocacy and be more involved in the fight for women’s justice? What is the role of the church in advocating for justice for women and girls? Join us for this important conversation.
The Wednesdays with the World webinar series will be highlighting the ways in which the quest for justice is intersectional and global, allowing UCC members greater opportunities for increased awareness of global concerns and highlighting options for advocacy and action.

Stories Rooted in Love that Dismantle Stigma
2021-03-30 15:30 - 16:30
Stigma perpetuates the harm that people experience in their communities and in their world. The Gospel calls us to be communities of love and healing. Join the UCC’s Health and Wholeness Advocacy Team for stories and actions rooted in love that help to dismantle stigma.

Lessons from the Hebrew Bible: The Enduring Resilience of African Descended Women
2021-03-25 18:00 - 19:30
This webinar will highlight two significant days in March on the UN International Decade for People of African Descent calendar:
UN International Day for the Elimination of Racism and UN International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Using the book of Job as a scriptural focus, the panelists will provide critical reflection on these significant UN Decade days from the perspectives of women of African descent committed to liberation, healing, and transformation of biblical narratives.

The History of Afro-Christian Churches in the UCC with Rev. Yvonne Delk
2021-03-25 15:30 - 16:30
In 1957, when the Evangelical and Reformed church and the Congregational and Christian churches formed the United church of Christ, there was a fifth stream that fed into our formation, the Afro Christian Church. While it maintained a Christian identity, it was an independent and separate organizational structure comprised of the Afro Christian Convention, five conferences, 150 churches, 25,000 members, 185 ordained ministers and licentiates. Join us as we hear of this rich legacy from Dr. Yvonne Delk a daughter of the Afro Christian tradition and spiritual leader in our midst.

Journey to the Waters: A Service of Remembrance and Healing
2021-03-24 10:00 - 11:30
The International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade is one of few days that honors the memory of the millions whose lives were interrupted and disrupted by the Transatlantic Slave Trade. This service will create space for the honoring of many whose names are unknown, individuals who were not funeralized or ritualized. The service is designed as a time for lament as we remember the resilience, courage, resistance, ingenuity and rebellion of Africans who were brought forcefully into the Americas. Through song, dance, poetry and prayers – we will remember.
In recalling the memories of those who have passed on, there is the acknowledgement that the atrocities of 400 years of movement of Africans into the Americas abroad ships designed to move people as chattel. These memories compel us to ensure that we eradicate the legacies of the enslavement of Africans that continues to manifest as racism, Afrophobia and other forms of discrimination.
The service gathers the international and interfaith communities to honor the dead, to pray for healing, to celebrate the joy of African descendant people, and to affirm the commitment to eliminate the legacy of injustices that linger.
The waters are healing. The waters are an essential part of human life. The waters hold the bodies and memory of the dead. We journey to the waters to remember and to heal.

Building Supportive Networks in Faith Formation
2021-03-23 15:30 - 16:30
In April 2020, the Wisconsin Conference UCC began offering a weekly drop-in support Zoom for faith formation leaders, both lay and clergy, to provide a safe space for faith formation leaders to talk about how they were navigating the extraordinary and sudden changes to how they engaged in this ministry. Within a short time, the group expanded to include faith formation leaders from other conferences and other denominations. This has become a community that not only shares ideas and resources, but also shares its challenges and frustrations as well as celebrates its joys and successes. Join us for a conversation about the value of building supportive networks in faith formation.

Celtic Worship
2021-03-18 15:30 - 16:30
A blessing from the 19th century compendium of Gaelic prayer, the Carmina Gadelica:
The guarding of the God of life be upon me,
The guarding of loving Christ be upon me,
The guarding of the Holy Spirit be upon me,
Each step of the way,
To aid me and enfold me,
Each day and night of my life.
In this ongoing season of Lent and as we gather ourselves in for all to follow; pour yerself a cup of tea, wouldja, and join in on the day after St. Patrick’s for some traditional Celtic music by Laureano Sanchez and worship led by Rev. Dr. Chris Davies, Rev. Brendan Curran, and Chaplain Lynn Cooper.

Fukushima: Living in the Shadow of a Nuclear Disaster
2021-03-17 14:00 - 15:00
Join us for a discussion of the painful legacy and a prayer commemorating the 10th anniversary of the “triple disaster” in Japan. Featuring an interview with Terumi Kataoka, Representative of the Aizu Radiation Information Center in Fukushima Prefecture.

Doctrine of Discovery Hawaii
2021-03-16 15:30 - 16:30
In their own voices, Hawaii will discuss the destructiveness of the Doctrine of Discovery past and present on their people and how it differs from the experiences of present day Americas.

A Lenten Hour of Prayers and Reflections
2021-03-11 15:30 - 16:30
Join us as UCC pastoral leaders offer up Lenten prayers and reflections from their ethnic roots and perspectives. A spiritual journey for all of God’s children.

Climate Savior or Neocolonialist?: Assessing Biden from an Indigenous Christian Perspective
2021-03-10 13:00 - 14:00
The environmental movement has widely lauded the actions taken by the Biden-Harris administration in addressing the climate crisis through early appointments and executive orders. Yet, there is a larger context to consider as indigenous leaders continue fights against pipelines domestically and Syria is bombed internationally. In this webinar, Mark Charles, a dual citizen of the US and the Navajo Nation, will provide an indigenous Christian perspective on Joe Biden’s presidency. Mark is a co-author of the book, “Unsettling Truths: The Ongoing, Dehumanizing Legacy of the Doctrine of Discovery.” In 2020, Mark ran as an independent candidate for the US presidency.
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.
Special thanks to the sponsorship of the Cornerstone Fund in making this webinar possible.

Beyond the Children’s Moment: Children’s Ministry Today
2021-03-09 15:30 - 16:30
Come for a conversation of Children’s ministry in 2021. How are we seeing people connect to the children in their congregations and beyond? What tenets of faith formation do we hold towards our children when faith becomes digital? Join the Association of Christian Educators and Faith INFO Team Lead Chris Davies, with esteemed panelists across the UCC discussing how they engage Children in the life of the church.
