Conference News

CLERGY: Meet your antiracism training requirement with Culturally Responsive Ministry Training

CLERGY: Meet your antiracism training requirement with Culturally Responsive Ministry Training

The 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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Summer Rhythms and Sacred Space

Summer Rhythms and Sacred Space

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.

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Strengthen the Church Offering

Strengthen the Church Offering

The 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!

Order resources here.

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Justice and the Word

Justice and the Word

I 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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What the New Pope Means for Us

What the New Pope Means for Us

by Rev. Dr. Derrick Elliott

Beloved Church,

Every so often, the world pauses to watch white smoke rise from the Sistine Chapel. And last week, it did just that. Pope Leo XIV has been elected, and while that may feel like news from another corner of the Christian family tree, it’s a moment worth noticing—and reflecting on—even for us in the United Church of Christ.

We are not Catholic, of course. We embrace a covenantal polity, which means our various settings—local churches, Associations, Conferences, and the national setting—are bound together not by hierarchy, but by sacred promises to walk together in mutual respect and love. So, there are no cardinals in red robes. No Vatican. Our churches don’t wait for word from Rome before we make decisions. That’s part of what makes us who we are. But that doesn’t mean we’re disconnected. We are, after all, part of one Body.

So what does it mean for us?

Click through to read more.

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An Evening With Nadia Bolz-Weber

An Evening With Nadia Bolz-Weber

by Dr. Kristina “Tina” Campbell

She’s the tattooed, recovering, straight-talking Lutheran pastor who years ago formed the church called for House for All Sinners and Saints. I have read her works for many years and have appreciated her no b.s. approach to theology found in many recovering communities.  At the moment, she has taken to the road as a one-woman rebellion against the anxiety and despair that has engulfed many of us after our current election.  She’s visiting all of the red states where she is holding revivals.  She wants us to be revived from despair and self-righteousness, and encourages a posture of humility, curiosity, mercy and hope.  She wants us to distance ourselves from our screens to gather and sing. 

I knew I was excited that she was coming to Arizona but had no idea that she would fill a huge sanctuary with hundreds of kindred spirits who created an overflowing parking lot an hour before her remarks began.  She has made real her belief that we need to exit the screen and gather in person to sing and laugh. I, for one, wanted to add a hallelujah to her emphasis on a return to humility and her firm belief that we are meant to be together in person. 

Click through to read the entire article.

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The People's Pope

by Dr. Kristina “Tina” Campbell

The world pauses to mourn the death of Pope Francis, the people’s Pope, who reminded us that compassion is our strongest power, that simplicity is a way of life, that education is intended for understanding, and that immigrants are our family. 

He walked freely among the people, and I have the feeling that he was probably a lot of fun.  As a Jesuit, he earned the highest possible education, and he used his knowledge and intellect to promote relationships and peace…never to gain power over others. 

Click through to read the full article

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Seasons of Ministry: Supporting Clergy Across the Journey

Seasons of Ministry: Supporting Clergy Across the Journey

As the saying goes, “April showers bring May flowers.” This familiar phrase reminds us of that growth often follows seasons of change, reflection, and preparation. Ministry unfolds in much the same way. Clergy moves through seasons of active service and times of rest or redirection. The United Church of Christ embraces this natural rhythm by offering active and exempt ministerial standing, recognizing that ministry takes many faithful forms throughout a lifetime.

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