Join in UCC Women’s Week through daily meditation, new liturgy and global advocacy

The United Church of Christ will celebrate UCC Women’s Week, observed from March 3 to 9, with opportunities and resources for worship, reflection and participation in global advocacy. 

Every March, UCC Women’s Week kicks off Women’s History Month and coincides with International Women’s Day. This year, UCC leaders are offering fresh perspectives, liturgy and a chance to engage in wider dialogue around women in society and in the church.

This celebration will begin Monday, March 4 with the first of a five-day meditation based around a new reinterpretation of Psalm 19 written by UCC General Minister and President the Rev. Karen Georgia Thompson. Each day, from March 4 to 8, a part of the psalm will be shared through Instagram and other social media channels of the UCC.  

“Each day for UCC Women’s Week, we’ll meditate together on this Living Psalm offering from our General Minister and President,” said Rachael Ward, minister and team lead for the UCC Gender and Sexuality Justice Ministries. “Through the week, this Living Psalm will come to life piece by piece, revealing its full message on Friday. We invite you to journal along, to share comments and reflections, and share this reading with your local church, community and friends.” 

The Living Psalms are a collection of psalms reinterpreted through poetry and art, created by UCC Witness and Worship Artists’ Group. Thompson’s psalm was created to coincide with the observance of UCC Women’s Week. 

Embodying Women & Gender Justice Year-Round Webinar

Join our Wednesday, March 6 webinar to hear stories and learn tangible ways to engage in justice for women around the globe. National staff will share current work underway and invite us into the work of celebrating and expanding our advocacy for women. Register, here.

New liturgy and global advocacy 

In addition, UCC congregations and clergy are invited to use new liturgy written for this occasion. The liturgy was written by Sherry Warren, minister for women’s and gender justice, and the Rev. Amy Johnson, minister for sexuality education and justice, both part of the Gender and Sexuality Justice Ministries team. 

“Just as God has been with us while we observe the importance of women and girls, take God’s celebration of all of humanity into the world and share a love that knows no bounds!” reads the benediction. “Love loudly, love boldly, love all!” 

Soon after UCC Women’s Week concludes, the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) will hold its two-week session March 11 to 22. CSW is held every year and is the main global body that works toward gender equality and the empowerment of women.  

“The UCC has been present at CSW for years, and even sent a delegation of women to Beijing in 1995,” said Rebekah Choate, minister for global advocacy and education with Global Ministries.  

Every year, representatives of UN member states, civil society organizations like the UCC, and UN entities gather at the UN headquarters in New York, Choate explained. “They discuss progress and gaps in the implementation of the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the key global policy document on gender equality, as well as emerging issues that affect gender equality and the empowerment of women.”

Participate in live online events 

CSW’s theme for 2024 is “accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty and strengthening institutions and financing with a gender perspective.” 

“Our main event is focused on period poverty, particularly among people on the move,” Choate noted. 

The official UN proceedings can be viewed live here. Register here to participate in the civil society events, including the UCC events. 

During CSW, Ecumenical Women at the UN — of which the UCC is a member — will lead daily worship at 8 a.m., which can be joined through a Facebook livestream. The group will also hold an orientation on March 9 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., which can be watched live on YouTube.

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