Schedule is released for first webinars of 2022

Worship. Grief. The Bible. Bias. Black History Month. Contemplation. The rural church. Youth and young adults.

Those are among the topics of weekly United Church of Christ webinars now set for the first quarter of 2022.

“Thursdays for the Soul,” in reruns since November, will start the calendar year with all-new programming, said the Rev. Chris Davies. She heads the Faith Education, Innovation and Formation team of Justice and Local Church Ministries, which manages the series. All the Thursday webinars will be at 3:30 p.m. ET.

“Grace Emerged Visible,” an Epiphany worship service led by national UCC staff members, will kick off the new schedule on Jan. 6.

How to view live

A summer survey helped inform Faith INFO’s choices of topics. “We listened to the needs of the folks watching,” said Jennifer White, project coordinator for digital events. “Our first quarter is full of topics that will focus on the spirituality and care of the people. I am looking forward to this quarter of digital programming to be robust and engaging.”

People who register for the webinars can interact with presenters and each other live via Zoom’s “Q&A” and “chat” features. Each webinar is also recorded and can be viewed later at the UCC YouTube channel.

Registration links for the Thursday webinars — and for others as well — are posted at the “Events” page at ucc.org as they become available.

Schedule, January through March

Here is the full first-quarter lineup for 2022:

• Jan. 6: “Grace Emerged Visible,” an Epiphany worship service. Get info and register here.
• Jan. 13: “Queerness and Disability: Showing Up as Our Full Selves.” Get info and register here.
• Jan. 20: “Let Us Worship as One Body.” Leader: the Rev. Cheryl Lindsay, Writer and Editor, “Sermon Seeds.” Get info and register here.
• Jan. 27: “Vibrant Re-Entry and Voters’ Rights.” Civil Rights activist Desmond Meade with the Rev. Traci Blackmon, Associate General Minister. Get info and register here.
• Feb. 3: “United Black Christians Celebration of Black History Month.” Led by UBC. Get info and register here.
• Feb. 10: “Reading the Bible through a Womanist Lens.” The Rev. Raquel Lettsome and the Rev. Traci Blackmon. Get info and register here.
• Feb. 17: “Becoming Abolitionists.” Attorney Dereka Purnell and the Rev. Traci Blackmon. Get info and register here.
• Feb. 24: “Confronting Bias in Search and Call.” The Rev. Elizabeth Dilley and the Ministerial Excellence, Support and Authorization team. Get info and register here.
• March 3: “Rural Voices of Worship and Praise.” Get info and register here.
• March 10: “Midwifing Grief.” The Rev. Jamie F. Eaddy and the Rev. Traci Blackmon. Get info and register here.
• March 17: “Contemplatives in Action: Mindfulness in the UCC.” The Rev. Matt Carriker. Get info and register here.
• March 24: “Preparing for Youth and Young Adult Summers.” The Rev. Trayce Potter, Minister of Youth and Young Adult Engagement. Get info and register here.
• March 31: “Celebration of UCC Ethnic-Identified Cultures and Congregations.” Get info and register here.

“I’m sure this new season will inspire conversation and congregational resourcing in creative ways,” Davies said, “just as the previous ones continue to be of use for local churches.”