Conference News
“You’re all following Rev. Sarah on TikTok and Instagram, right? Seriously, click here and here and take care of that right now. Then come back and keep reading.
“All set? Welcome back.”
Settle in for this conversation between Dr. Sarah TevisTownes, pastor of Church of the Good Shepherd in Albuquerque and Rev. Jim Keat, Minister of Digital Worship & Education at The Riverside Church and the Director of Online Innovation at the Convergence network.
Read MoreI had the chance this week to pick up the phone and call a few of our retired clergy in the Southwest Conference. As the SWC Associates Conference Minister and also their colleagues, I to say it felt good just to hear their voices. It is my belief that sometimes a simple check-in is all it takes to feel a little less alone. We don’t always have to solve big problems—sometimes it’s enough just to be present for each other. This caused a flashback of my military days!
Back when I was in the military, first the Army, then the Air Force, we never went out by ourselves. In the Army, you had a battle buddy. In the Air Force, you had a wingman. Those were not just nice titles. They meant you always had someone by your side. A battle buddy was there to make sure you came back safe. A wingman was there to keep watch, to cover you when things got rough. No matter how well-trained you were, you still needed that person you could count on.
This isn’t a new idea. It shows up in our sacred stories, too. In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus sent the disciples out in pairs. They didn’t head off alone to teach or heal. They went together. They depended on each other, and that was part of the plan all along.
Click through to read Dr. Derrick’s full article.
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Come spend a weekend with me in the cool pines of Prescott!
Most people in the conference don't know that I'm a lifelong member of the Disciples of Christ. For years I've led the singing at our annual Arizona women's retreat. I look forward to it every single year, and a few years ago we opened the invitation to our UCC sisters. Our Conference Minister Dr. Toni has enjoyed attending the last two retreats and keynoted last year.
This amazing retreat is held at the beautiful Chapel Rock Retreat Center in Prescott. They have comfortable lodging and the food is phenomenal!
This year's keynote speaker is Rev. Lori Tapia, National Pastor and president of the Obra Hispana of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada.
The workshops are always top notch and there's free time for fellowship (sistership?) and even naps. We begin Friday evening with dinner and end with worship on Sunday morning.
I truly hope to see you there. Save the dates, September 12-14, alert your church’s groups, and register today!
You can register with a $50 deposit, and the remaining balance will be due by August 27th. All registrations must be completed by August 27. Contact me and I'll be happy to answer any questions. wgonzales@uccswc.org or text/call 520-329-3012.
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Introduction to Spiritual Health (Pastoral Care) begins August 1.
Through personal reflection and exploration of current pastoral care paradigms, this 6-week course offers training to
identify and apply best practices in empathetic listening
understand models of pastoral care assessment
create a pastoral care plan based on spiritual assessment tools
articulate how to provide pastoral care effectively in diverse cultural settings.
The course outcome project will give you an opportunity to apply what you have learned within your own faith community or practice context.
SAVE THE DATE: Saturday, September 13, 2025, 7:00p.m.
Come celebrate with us! PATHWAYS Theological's Benefit Concert sponsored by Lena’s Place Coffee House in the beautiful Central Congregational UCC sanctuary in Atlanta. Enjoy great local musicians (Maureen & Matthew Shelton, and Mockingbird’s Wing) and delicious refreshments. Watch for more information including how to attend online.
Go to the PATHWAYS website (pathwaystheological.org) to learn more and to apply for this and other courses.
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by Rev. Dr. Derrick Elliott
Recently, Rev. Dr. Gloria and I attended our boundary training with other Associate Conference Ministers throughout the United Church of Christ (UCC), and the topic of the UCC Ministerial Code and the Marks of Faithful and Effective Authorized Ministry came up. It sparked some honest conversation—not just about rules and expectations but about what it really means to be faithful in ministry today. It reminded me that we don’t talk about these tools often enough, even though they shape how we live and lead.
Every profession has some code. Teachers follow standards for education. Doctors take an oath. Even hairstylists know there are rules—keep your tools clean, respect your clients, and show up on time. Ministry is no different. In the UCC, those of us who are called to serve are expected to do so with integrity, accountability, and care—not just for what we do but for how we live.
The UCC Ministerial Code isn’t just a list of dos and don’ts. It’s a covenant.
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Rev. Susan Valiquette of First Church UCC Phoenix attended last year’s Convergence Music Project conference and writes:
I am now on the planning team of the Converging 2025 Conference. This was a deeply spiritual experience for me. It was like the best of summer camp and a soulful retreat that sparked theological musings in worship and music.
The Converging Conference is a great opportunity for a pastor, worship leader, worship committee, and/or music team for an injection of fresh energy and excitement around worship and music. Many of our churches are hungry for theology in lyrics that represent what we believe.
If you are not familiar with the Convergence Music Project (www.convergencemp.com), CMP is a rapidly growing online source of new music for congregational singing that congregations and denominations committed to justice, compassion for the poor, inclusive language, creation care, LBGTQ+ affirmation, and expansive theology can trust.
Please check out the event website to see the list of exciting keynote speakers and musicians who will be featured at the conference.
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The UCC Open and Affirming Coalition has a new 30-day devotional for Pride, “Sacred, Seen, and Called: Living Our Truth, Embracing Our Light.” You can use it for personal reflection or group discussion throughout the month.
Click here to access the devotional.
Read MoreThe Disaster Resilience and Recovery Ministry is responsible for overseeing the Southwest Conference’s Relationship with Safe Communities Coalition (not to be confused with the national SAFE (Science and Families Engaging) Communities Coalition. Arizona Faith Network’s website describes this Coalition as: “… a bold, inclusive initiative uniting faith communities, advocacy partners, and historically marginalized groups to protect sacred spaces and ensure all people can live, worship, and gather in safety. Amid rising threats of violence and extremism, the Coalition serves as a proactive and unifying response. Together, we foster secure, resilient communities across Arizona through trust-building, strategic partnerships, and rapid action.” (We will seek to duplicate this format for New Mexico and El Paso churches in the Southwest Conference.)
Local Church Ministers have received a letter asking them to select a delegate from their church to participate in monthly meetings. If you have an interest in serving as a representative for your local church, please contact your minister.
Look for forthcoming information as we begin our work beside other faith based communities to keep sacred spaces safe and secure.
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As Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, draws near, we pause to consider what freedom means through the lens of faith. You might be surprised that The Star-Spangled Banner wasn’t officially adopted as the U.S. national anthem until March 3, 1931. But even then, not everyone in this country was truly free. Black Americans, Indigenous peoples, Asian Americans, and Latinx communities were still denied equal rights under the law. That familiar phrase, “the land of the free,” didn’t reflect everyone’s experience then, and it still challenges us today.
Juneteenth marks the day in 1865 when enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas, finally heard the news of their freedom: two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. This moment reminds us that freedom delayed is freedom denied. It pushes us to ask a deeper question: What does liberation look like now?
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Are you considering studying more about the Bible or working toward the Bible Studies Certificate? A good overview of the Bible, What is the Bible? (Dickinson/MBS), begins September 17.
The 3-course Bible Studies Certificate guides the learner to deepen their knowledge and current scholarship of the Old and New Testaments, while also giving the learner opportunities to create and teach curriculum in their own faith community.
· Old Testament Hermeneutics 08/6/2025 - 9/23/2025
· New Testament Hermeneutics 10/8/2025 - 11/18/2025
· Approved Elective Course with Bible Study Project
Go to the PATHWAYS website to learn more and to apply for these and other courses.
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When I first stepped into the role of a local church pastor, I believed I was ready. I had the education, the sense of call, and the fire to serve. But reality hit hard one quiet Tuesday afternoon—sermon half-written, voicemail piling up, and no one around who truly understood what I faced. That day, I realized how much I needed someone to listen.
My seminary didn’t prepare me for the loneliness that can sneak into ministry. Our congregations see us on Sundays but don’t see the in-between: the pastoral visits, the strained budget meetings, and the quiet moments of doubt. I didn’t need advice or critique. I needed someone to hear me out. I needed a connection.
Click through to discover Dr. Derrick’s message.
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Join us for an intimate workshop and learning community space for womxn as we journey toward Synod together! We’ll grow together and share communal space in an open-meeting format. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to build community and gather. Register here.
Read MoreJune is LGBTQIA+ Pride Month! The United Church of Christ Cornerstone Fund joins UCC congregations nationwide in celebrating LGBTQIA+ individuals, families, and organizations.
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As we look ahead to the next General Synod of the United Church of Christ, I invite each of you—clergy and lay leaders alike—to reflect with me on the Synod’s theme: “Into the Deep,” drawn from Luke 5:4, where Jesus says to Simon Peter, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.”
This isn’t just a poetic phrase for a conference banner. It’s a direct challenge to our spiritual lives, our ministries, and our churches. Going into the deep requires faith when answers are unclear, when the waters seem still, or even when we’re tired and uncertain about what’s next. In many ways, that’s where the Church finds itself today; not only at a crossroads, but also at a shoreline, being asked by Christ to push out a little further.
This message resonates even more powerfully as we approach Pentecost Sunday, the moment when the Spirit moved with fire and breath, pushing the early Church out of comfort and into courageous witnesses. Pentecost reminds us that God’s Spirit doesn’t just comfort—it compels. The Spirit meets us in the deep and calls us beyond the shallow waters of the familiar.
Click through to read Dr. Derrick’s entire article.
Read MoreThe CRMT on Race focuses participants on the importance of culturally responsive ministry, how we are socialized and how culture shapes us, how we examine our own bias, and the challenges of race/racism/whiteness in congregations. We end our training by breaking participants into racial affinity groups where white folks learn about the deep impact of microaggressions on our siblings of color, while People of Color have the opportunity to check in about their ministry and the impact of race/racism on it. We lead the trainings as a two-person multiracial team.
Register here for the summer CRMT session on June 26, 2025, 9 am-3 pm AZ (10 am - 4 pm NM).
Can’t make that one? Sign up here for the fall CRMT session on October 21, 2025, 9 am-3 pm AZ (10 am - 4 pm NM).
The cost is $30 per person. We’ll send out the Zoom link to all registrants the week before the session.
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Join us for this OWL Taking Flight webinar that will explore the impact of identity erasure, laws, and executive orders on the lives of trans/intersex/nonbinary/queer people of all ages.
Heather Corinna, founder of Scarleteen.com, joins Rev. Amy Johnson and Dr. Melanie Davis to discuss the impact of policies, laws, and executive orders on the lives of trans/intersex/nonbinary/queer people of all ages. Scarleteen is the largest online resource for comprehensive and highly inclusive sex and relationships education, information and support centering young people.
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Registration will remain at $250.
The Open and Affirming Coalition is committed to keeping this gathering affordable and accessible to as many people as possible. Registration includes four meals (one breakfast, two lunches, one dinner), and they do not profit from this event—your fee helps cover meeting and food costs only.
Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia Thompson, General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ, will be our Opening Worship Preacher!
Join us for two days of celebration, learning, strategy, and community as we gather under the theme:
Sacred, Seen and Called: Living Our Truth, Embracing Our Light
Inspired by Philippians 2:15 – “...then you will shine among them like stars in the sky.”
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER: Don’t miss your chance to save and secure your spot!
Dear Clergy Colleagues,
As we approach the heart of summer in the Southwest Conference, I hope you’re finding moments to exhale—whether under the desert sun, beside northern pines, or in the familiar stillness of your study. Summer offers us the gift of kairos time: not just to plan or preach, but to pause, reflect, and renew.
Many of you are shifting rhythms—offering simpler worship services, stepping away for continuing education or vacation, or accompanying congregants through seasonal transitions. Wherever you find yourself, may you feel God’s presence not only in your work, but in your rest.
Click through to read more encouraging words from Dr. Derrick.
Read MoreThe Strengthen the Church offering supports the expansion of ministry and growth of UCC local congregations. Your support helps the UCC fulfill its commitment to creating a just world for all by investing in ministries and practices that meet the emerging needs of local communities. Most congregations will receive the STC offering on Pentecost Sunday, June 8, 2025. There are several downloadable resources available for use, including a leader's guide, bulletin inserts, media files, posters, and more.
Strengthen the Church is one of the 5 for 5 offerings!
Read MoreI grew up in the Black church, where Bible study was not optional—it was part of your formation as a young disciple of Christ. Wednesday night meant church, and Sunday morning meant you better have read your lesson. From a young age, I was taught that this "ancient book"—with all its violence, sex, joy, lament, and hope—was worth wrestling with. It still is.
Even now, after seminary and ordination, after years of pastoral ministry and justice advocacy, I remain rooted in the evangelism of the Bible—not evangelism as manipulation but as a deep sharing of the Good News. And that Good News still comes alive when we open the Scriptures with humility, curiosity, and courage.
In the Southwest Conference, we can be proud of how boldly and compassionately our churches respond to the call for justice. Whether it's advocating for the dignity of LGBTQ+ siblings, confronting white supremacy, promoting environmental stewardship, or standing in solidarity with migrants and asylum seekers, our actions reflect the heart of a Gospel that insists God's love belongs to all.
But I wonder: while we're in the streets, are we also at home in the text?
Click through to read Dr. Derrick’s latest blog post.
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