Since writing about C.A.R.E.S., I sometimes feel like I’m on Sesame Street. You remember how each episode featured a “letter of the day”? So here, humor me if you please, “Today’s reflection comes to you by the letter S.” I have finished spelling out C.A.R.E.S., and now we arrive at the final letter: S is for Spiritual Formation and Service. I went out of order, but God always brings us back into alignment with what matters most. And speaking of alignment, let me start with a little story.
Have you ever seen one of those “reply to all” mishaps? One message goes out, and suddenly everyone piles on with a quick “Sounds good” or “Thanks.” Before long, inboxes overflow with twenty variations of the same thing. It’s funny at first, but soon it feels like noise. Our spiritual lives can look the same; full of activity that doesn’t always add real value. Yet God redirects us. Even when we lose focus or get out of order, God draws us back to what truly matters.
Click through to read Dr. Derrick’s full article.
Read MoreOn September 9, 2025, the Southwest Conference Committee on Ministry-A met and formally welcomed Davin “Dax” Michael Franklin-Hicks into the Member in Discernment (MID) process of the United Church of Christ.
The MID process is an important step in exploring and affirming a call to ordained ministry. According to the Manual on Ministry, becoming a Member in Discernment is an ecclesial status within the UCC that recognizes a person’s sense of call and places them in a covenantal relationship of support, preparation, and accountability with their local church (Rincon UCC), the Conference acting as an Association, and the wider church.
As part of the Southwest Conference, Dax will walk this path of discernment with the support of conference leaders, local church partners, and mentors. The process includes spiritual formation, theological education, ministry training, and regular reviews, all oriented toward the Marks of Faithful and Effective Authorized Ministers and Manual on Ministry.
The Committee on Ministry-A expressed gratitude for Dax’s commitment to discern God’s call in community with the SWC and the wider UCC. Now as a covenantal community, we invite you to hold Dax in prayer, asking God to guide, strengthen, and encourage him in this season of discernment.
Blessings,
Committee on Ministry-A
Read MoreActive Shooter Training Webinar
Tuesday, October 14, 11 am AZ / 12 pm NM & TX
Speaker: Chad Cunningham, Insurance Board's Director of Loss Control
Register here.
Read MoreSome of you might think I can’t spell C.A.R.E.S. correctly. I didn’t follow the order. I began with C – Covenant Relationships, jumped ahead to E – Empowerment through Education, and circled back to R – Resilience and Renewal. Now I arrive at A – Accountability and Alignment: We keep our work true to our mission. I promise I can spell—but sometimes the Spirit of Spellcheck has other plans!
When we hear accountability, we often think of rules, reports, or someone checking up on us. In faith, accountability works differently. It keeps us honest about who we are and what we do. It reminds us that our choices and actions ripple outward, shaping the lives of those we serve.
Click through to read Dr. Derrick’s full article.
Read MorePATHWAYS Fall 2025 schedule, six-week courses
What is the Bible? (Dickinson/MBS) 9/17/2025
Professional Boundaries and Ministerial Self-Care 9/17/2025
New Testament Hermeneutics 10/8/2025
Practicing Our Faith in the Public Square 10/8/2025
Living the Heart of Progressive Christian Theology 10/8/2025
Ecological Theology 10/8/2025
Preaching Liberation Theology 10/8/2025
Introduction to Spiritual Health (Pastoral Care) 10/15/2025
Go to the PATHWAYS website to learn more and to apply.
Read MoreThe Department of Homeland Security (DHS) invites you to a webinar for the faith-based community. During this webinar, DHS components and offices will share practical tools and resource information to help you strengthen the safety and security of your places of worship. In addition, participants will be provided an updated threat briefing for the period of Fall religious observances. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. This event is closed to the press.
DHS Fall Religious Observance Safety and Security Briefing
September 9, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm AZ / 12:00 - 1:30 pm NM & TX
Registration link
This webinar is part of the DHS’s 4th annual “Protecting Places of Worship National Weeks of Action.” Throughout September, DHS will host several other webinars intended to empower faith leaders and facility managers to bolster their security. These webinars will focus on topics like:
Suspicious Activity Recognition and Response
Bomb Threat Assessment
Active Shooter Preparedness.
Surveillance Detection Principles
Conflict Prevention Strategies
View the full calendar of events and register for other webinars
Read MoreSATURDAY SHARING with the UCC Musicians Association
Justice in Worship and Music, Part 1
September 27 - 9:00 am AZ / 10:00 am NM & TX on ZOOM
Join UCCMA Board member Dr. Amanda Udis-Kessler for an introduction to her free-use sacred music and the DEI side of her Board role.
In this session, Amanda will introduce her music website queersacredmusic.com with a special focus on new texts written to traditional tunes. She'll also introduce the UCCMA DEI statement and its importance in our current social and political context. Finally, Amanda will draw some connections between DEI, prophetic justice, and the importance and power of inclusive liturgy, drawing from her workshop at UCCMA Conference 2024 and pointing forward to a future Saturday Sharing session about how church musicians might think about inclusive liturgy.
There will be time for a Q&A.
Saturday Sharing is an occasional free, one hour conversation on Zoom with various guests tackling topics of interest to you. Open to all.
INFO & REGISTRATION
Read MoreI grew up hearing the phrase, and I still hear it today: "We are living in our last days." We can acknowledge that people's eschatological discussions (look, I'm using my seminary degree, lol, meaning "end times") are often sparked by troubling headlines, cultural shifts, or periods of uncertainty. I will admit, sometimes when I hear it, I want to smile and say, "Not me, I'm just trying to live until Sunday's sermon!" But beneath the humor, those words carry weight. They reveal the unease many feel when the world seems unsettled and the future unclear.
Yet when we turn to Scripture, we remember God's people have always lived with an awareness of the last days." The early church embraced this truth not as a reason to fear, but as a call to faithfulness. Hebrews 10:24-25 stirs us to encourage one another, to continue meeting together, and to remain steadfast in love and good works, especially when life feels heavy with challenges.
Here is where Resilience and Renewal become vital for us in the Southwest Conference.
Click through to read more.
Read MoreAre you someone who has done significant anti-racism work? Do you ever wonder – “How could I get better at recognizing racism when I see it?” “How could I get better at knowing what to do about it?” Then this Community of Practice may be for you. As a group of both lay and clergy UCC members we meet monthly on Zoom from September through May on the 2nd Thursday of the month at 5:30 PM Arizona time.
Each September we welcome new members who would like to be part of the work. You can apply to join this community of practice here.
Click through to see what some members of the group say about the experience.
Read Moreby Southwest Conference Minister Rev. Dr. Toni Hawkins
Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. — Ecclesiastes 4:12
Thank you for your prayers during my recent health challenge. That experience reminded me of how much we truly need one another. Covenant is not just a church word — it’s the sacred bond that carries us when life feels heavy and celebrates with us when joy overflows.
In the Southwest Conference, Covenant Relationships are the “C” in our CARES framework, and they are the foundation of everything we do. We are stronger when we walk side by side. We are braver when we hold each other accountable to love, justice, and mercy. And we are more resilient when we honor that no one is meant to walk this journey alone.
This month, I invite you to pause and ask yourself: Where am I being called to deepen my covenant — with God, with my congregation, or with the wider church? Sometimes covenant looks like showing up; sometimes it looks like speaking truth; sometimes it looks like simply sitting with one another in silence.
This is the work that makes us the Southwest Conference — a community bound not by convenience, but by covenant.
In my next message, we’ll explore how Accountability and Alignment help us walk in step with our values and keep us focused on the mission God has given us.
In Care and Covenant,
Dr. Toni
Read MoreMinistry wasn’t my first professional career. I’ve mopped floors as a janitor, watered plants at a nursery, flipped burgers as a fry cook, marched in boots as a soldier and airman, wrangled lesson plans as a teacher, and pushed plenty of paper as support staff. And you know what every one of those jobs had in common? Training. Some class, workshop, or “this is how you do it” moment. You don’t just get handed a mop, a spatula, or a classroom full of teenagers without some instruction (trust me, that would end badly).
Last week in my Loop article, Who Cares?, I reflected on Rev. Dr. Toni’s devotion and the framework of C.A.R.E.S. This week, I want to zoom in on the “E”: Empowerment through Education.
Click through to read the full article.
Read MoreDr. Derrick has created a video to equip delegates serving at Ecclesiastical Councils.
This resource explains the purpose of the Council, the journey of the candidate, and the important role of delegates in discernment. It also guides you in using the Marks of Faithful and Effective Ministers as a tool for prayerful evaluation.
We pray that by the end of the video, you’ll be ready to listen carefully, ask thoughtful questions, and vote with confidence. Together, we carry out this work as the church, trusting in the presence of God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit.
Read MoreThe Southwest Conference of the United Church of Christ (“SWC”) seeks to maintain a standard of stewardship, integrity, and responsibility in all financial practices, events, and ministries. This policy clarifies the Conference’s position on the purchase, use of funds, and reimbursement of alcohol-related expenses in any context connected to SWC activities, funds, or representation.
Click here to view/download
Read MoreFew churches have professional web designers on staff, but many pastors, church leaders, volunteers and staff members find themselves responsible for their church website, whether updating their existing site or creating a new one.
Maryle Malloy, member of Church of the Good Shepherd UCC, has created an on-demand webinar, Ministry Website Design 101, created exclusively for our Southwest UCC Conference churches. The webinar introduces the 7 Pillars of Church Website Design—practical, foundational elements that help churches create websites that truly serve their congregations and communities.
Maryle is a long-time member at Church of the Good Shepherd, served as its former Moderator, and is the owner of a branding, design, and marketing agency in Albuquerque.
This resource highlights practical ways your church website can better reflect who you are and what you offer as an open and affirming community of faith, rooted in love, inclusiveness, and service.
Read MoreEXECUTIVE BOARD APPROVAL DATE August 28, 2025
The 2026 SWC Annual Meeting will be in-person in Sahuarita, AZ on April 23-25, 2026, with online/hybrid accessibility for the business session. The Notice of the Annual Meeting will be communicated to churches and community no later than 60 days before the event. All relevant delegate materials will be available at swcucc.org.
Procedures for communicating resolutions from churches, individual delegates, or other interested parties who are members of the SWC that are to be considered by the Annual Meeting are as follows:
Read MoreDuring our last weekly staff meeting, Rev. Dr. Toni led a devotion called “Who Cares?” It took me back to my childhood when I used to throw out that phrase without thinking. It was my way of saying, “It doesn’t matter.” But now, I hear it differently with a few more years of life behind me. “Who cares?” is not just a question. It’s an invitation for Who notices? Who shows up? Who carries the love of Christ into the places where it is most needed?
Rev. Dr. Toni reminded us that caring isn’t vague—it has shape and meaning. She gave us the framework of C.A.R.E.S:
C – Covenant Relationships: We commit to each other and to those we serve.
A – Accountability and Alignment: We keep our work true to our mission.
R – Resilience and Renewal: We remain strong through challenges and seek renewal along the way.
E – Empowerment through Education: We equip one another and those we serve with the tools they need.
S – Spiritual Formation and Service: We root our work in faith and serve purposefully.
Click through to read Dr. Derrick’s full article.
Read MoreOn September 21, 2025 at 3:00 pm AZ (NM/TX 4:00 pm) we will gather for an Ecclesiastical Council for Sonja Haller at Desert Palm United Church of Christ, 1230 E Guadalupe Rd, Tempe, Arizona 85283, both in person and on Zoom.
My beloved SWC, it is my prayer that every church within the Southwest Conference will be represented. Your presence is not only a gift to the Sonja, but also a visible sign of the covenant we share as a Conference family.
Let’s come together with hearts open to encourage, support, and celebrate the work of God among us. Click here to register for this event.
Read MoreAre you someone who has done significant anti-racism work? Do you ever wonder – “How could I get better at recognizing racism when I see it?” “How could I get better at knowing what to do about it?” Then this Community of Practice may be for you. As a group of both lay and clergy UCC members we meet monthly on Zoom from September through May on the 2nd Thursday of the month at 5:30 PM Arizona time.
Each September we welcome new members who would like to be part of the work. You can apply to join this community of practice here.
Click through to see what some members of the group say about the experience.
Read MoreRev. Leroy Calbom peacefully died on June 7, 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona. He served as pastor of First Church from 1982 - 1988. During this time Leroy was a founding member of the Interfaith Cooperative Ministry, ICM, now called Nourish. The organization was one of the first in Phoenix to serve the homeless community by collaborating collections of food, clothing and supplies. Leroy’s final call was to the Beatitudes Church in Phoenix, AZ as Director of Pastoral Care & Chaplain of the Beatitudes Campus in 1991 serving until his retirement in 2001. A celebration of Rev. Leroy Calbom’s life will be held at 1:00 PM Saturday, August 23, 2025 in the Life Center at the Beatitudes Campus located at 1620 W Glendale Ave, Phoenix AZ.
Click through to read more.
Read MoreFrom Generations United Federal Credit Union:
We are excited to offer our congregation members a special opportunity to join Generations United Federal Credit Union, a member-focused financial institution whose mission aligns with the values of the United Church of Christ. Serving UCC congregations nationwide, including Puerto Rico, Generations United FCU provides a variety of basic banking services with unique features that promote financial security and confidence for members.
Click through to read more.
Read More
