Serving Our Covenant Through United Church Funds

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Serving Our Covenant Through United Church Funds

The Rev. Dr. Derrick Elliott represented the Southwest Conference at the United Church Funds (UCF) Board of Directors meeting on October 26 and 27, 2026, in Cleveland, Ohio. As a UCF board member, he serves on the Sustainable and Responsible Investing Committee and the Institutional Relationships Committee.

UCF is growing. It now manages about $1.485 billion for more than 1,100 churches, Conferences and ministries, and it has welcomed 12 new clients this year. At the meeting, the board planned for 2027, learned about artificial intelligence, and heard updates on UCF's work to protect the rights of faith-based investors.

UCF is one of five UCC financial ministries, along with the Pension Boards, Cornerstone Fund, Church Building & Loan Fund, and Insurance Board. These are our covenant partners. They exist to serve our churches.

If your church keeps its endowment or savings with a commercial bank or brokerage, please consider moving some or all of it to UCF or another UCC financial ministry. Your money will be professionally managed, invested in line with UCC values, and put to work for the wider church. You can start small, with just one fund. To learn more, visit ucfunds.org or contact Rev. Dr. Elliott, who will gladly connect you with the UCF team.

Grace and peace,

The Rev. Dr. Derrick Elliott

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Cybersecurity is key in modern stewardship

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Cybersecurity is key in modern stewardship

Cyber threats can put sensitive information and ministry operations at serious risk. Explore these resources from our United Church of Christ Financial Ministries partners for practical guidance on recognizing threats and protecting your church or organization.

Cybersecurity Is Modern Stewardship

Security Awareness: Phishing and the Art of Deception

Stay Alert for Messaging Scams

Security and Crime

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Welcome Pathways new Executive Director!

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Welcome Pathways new Executive Director!

The Executive Director Search Committee and the PATHWAYS Board proudly announce their new Executive Director, Rev. Sonja B. Williams, PhD. Dr. Williams will begin her role on October 12, 2026.

Rev. Sonja B. Williams, PhD, is a practical theologian, theological educator, ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, and executive leader whose work centers theological education, leadership, community transformation, and the formation of people called to serve in a changing world.

Click through to learn more.

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UCC National Ministries Love of Children’s 2027 cohorts

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UCC National Ministries Love of Children’s 2027 cohorts

Applications for Our 2027 Cohorts Are Now Live

We are excited to announce that applications for UCC National Ministries Love of Children’s 2027 cohorts are now live! Wait, you said cohorts, not cohort? That’s right! We have multiple cohorts available for next year! We will have the traditional hybrid cohort that includes in-person gatherings, and WE WILL ALSO HAVE four virtual cohorts with specific focuses. Here are the exciting details:

  • These are all 12-month cohort groups designed to provide educational experiences, nurture a supportive community of practice, and create opportunities to apply shared learning directly to your ministry setting.

  • Our traditional hybrid cohort group will have two in-person gatherings, meet online twice monthly, and receive grants for establishing a prayground or family-inclusive space in their congregation’s sanctuaries. More details are available in the application form for this group.

  • We will also have FOUR all-virtual cohort groups that meet monthly on Zoom.

Click through for details!

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Faith Formation Beyond Sunday School presentation

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Faith Formation Beyond Sunday School presentation

During the SWC Faith Formation Network meeting on September 28, Loree Adams from COM B made a presentation on the creative ideas that funded through the CRR grants over the past 3 years with a focus on Families, Children and Youth Ministry.

Associate Conference Minister Dr. Gloria shares this presentation with you and prays that it inspires your creativity as you design your church's ministries.

Read “Faith Formation Beyond Sunday School” here.

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It's not too late to join the Southwest Conference Anti-Racism Circle of Practice

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It's not too late to join the Southwest Conference Anti-Racism Circle of Practice

Have you done anti-racism training, or decentering whiteness training, or cultural humility training and still long for a place to practice identifying racism when you see it, and to get better at knowing what to say or do when it happens? Consider joining the Anti-Racism Circle of Practice—a group of clergy and lay people in the conference who are committed to getting better at addressing racism when we see it.   

We meet the second Thursday of the month September through May each year at 5:30 AZ time by Zoom. 

Click through for details and registration.

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2026 Clergy Retreat

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2026 Clergy Retreat

All clergy and MIDs with standing in the Southwest Conference are invited to the 2026 Southwest Conference Clergy Retreat, November 16–18 at the Redemptorist Renewal Center in Tucson.

Ministry cannot thrive without rest—not simply time away, but intentional time to reconnect with God, with one another, and with the quiet places within ourselves that we too often overlook. When we neglect that space, we risk running empty while trying to lead others toward fullness.

Rest is not indulgent. Rest is part of how we honor and sustain the sacred calling we have received.

We invite you to retreat for a time that is not about fixing, producing, performing, or checking things off a list, but simply BEING.

Come for prayer.
Come for laughter.
Come for quiet.
Come for meaningful connection with colleagues.
Come for renewal.
And yes, perhaps even come to sleep in without guilt.

Ask yourself: What might it look like to truly rest in the presence of God, among colleagues who understand the joys and demands of ministry?

Come and see. 

PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS A CLERGY-ONLY RETREAT

Click through for the registration link.

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An Advent and Christmas Season Workshop for Preachers

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An Advent and Christmas Season Workshop for Preachers

Looking for ways to breathe new life into your Advent and Christmas season preaching? Join this workshop with Anna Carter Florence and Jake Myers from Columbia Theological Seminary, and explore the upcoming lectionary texts together, with a special emphasis on Luke 1.

We’ll discover some new strategies for reading Scripture that are easy to grasp and easy to adapt to your context. We’ll move from text to sermon, as we consider what the familiar stories might have to say to us this year. We’ll talk about some images of the preacher to spur thought and conversation. And we’ll share roundtable conversation about how the light of the world might be illuminating our own congregations and our own lives, as preachers.

Sponsored by the CTS Preachers’ Studio for Renewal, this one-day event will be a lively and energizing deep dive into Scripture and your own preaching ministry. The workshop is limited to the first 35 registrants. 

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Not Your Predecessor’s PPRC!

SWC Clergy,

I want to share an upcoming training opportunity that may be helpful for you and your congregational leaders:

PPRC To PSC with Rev. Tara Barber
Monday, September 14, 2026
5:00–6:30 PM NM & El Paso | 4:00–5:30 PM Arizona Time

Not Your Predecessor’s PPRC!

This workshop will explore the transition from the traditional Pastor/Parish Relations Committee model to a Pastoral Support Committee (PSC). Rev. Tara Barber will discuss the purpose and priorities of a well-functioning PSC, clarify what the committee is and is not responsible for, share best practices from across the church, and answer questions.

The training is open to pastors, lay leaders, and judicatory staff.

Registration:
Register for PPRC To PSC Training

I encourage you to share this opportunity with appropriate leaders in your congregation.

Blessings,
Rev. Dr. Derrick D. Elliott

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Together for Tomorrow: Build a Legacy of Love with the UCC

Together for Tomorrow: Build a Legacy of Love with the UCC

August is National Make-A-Will Month with an annual reminder about the importance of writing a will. We’re are inviting you to put your love into action by creating or updating your will at no cost!

In 2024, the Pension Boards-UCC and National Ministries launched Together for Tomorrow, a shared legacy campaign that provides our UCC community with access to FreeWill.

Through FreeWill, you can create or update your will in minutes and, if you choose, leave a planned gift to the causes and ministries that matter most to you. It takes just minutes to document the choices that will help you secure:

  • Peace of mind with a long-term plan for your assets.

  • Protection for children or pets by naming a guardian.

  • A legacy of care for your local congregation, the UCC, or another charity you care about.

Create Your Free Will

FreeWill makes it easy to include a legacy gift to The Christmas Fund, National Ministries, your local church or Conference, or any organization close to your heart. A will allows us to protect the family, faith, and finances that have been entrusted to our care for this generation; a planned gift allows us to continue this legacy and serve our faith community in the generations to come.

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Season of Creation Toolkit

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Season of Creation Toolkit

The season starts September 1st, the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, and ends October 4th, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology beloved by many Christian denominations.

Throughout the month-long celebration, the world's 2.2 billion Christians come together to care for our common home. Click below to download Creation Justice Ministries' Season of Creation toolkit to access free activities and resources to celebrate the Season of Creation are supported by an ecumenical steering committee and a coalition of partners from around the world.

Download the Toolkit

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Covenant Tending

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Covenant Tending

The Southwest Conference is beginning the development of a new pastoral practice called Covenant Tending.

Covenant Tending is intended to address what we have identified as the “missing middle” between situational support and a formal fitness review. There are times when communication has become strained, trust has been weakened, or relationships need intentional care, but the circumstances do not call for disciplinary action or another formal Conference process.

Click through to learn more.

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Fake emails from clergy: scams abound

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Fake emails from clergy: scams abound

Please be vigilant about any email that appears to be from your clergy person or our conference minister or staff, asking you to take some kind of unusual action. A number of congregations across our conference and the country have been hit with an email scam. It involves making a fake Gmail (or yahoo, etc.) account in the minister’s name and then sending a request for gift cards allegedly from that minister to the congregation’s directory.

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