“There is so much misinformation out there. I hope this helps folks weed that out.”
Access the UCC COVID-19 Daily Briefing here.
Read MoreUCC’s ‘Daily Briefing’ on COVID-19 provides facts to fight fear
Conference News
Zoom Meetings Security Enhancements - Coming April 5th
Zoom has taken steps to prevent Zoom-bombing. “Starting April 5th, we’ve chosen to enable passwords on your meetings and turn on Waiting Rooms by default as additional security enhancements to protect your privacy.”
Read MoreFake 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.
Read MoreA Pastoral Letter in a Time of Pandemic
The United Church of Christ leadership is urging congregations and clergy to suspend all traditional worship services.
Read MoreTranscript and video: Conference Minister Rev. Dr. Bill Lyons update on COVID-19 and the Southwest Conference UCC
Read and/or watch Conference Minister Rev. Dr. Bill Lyons' important message to the Southwest Conference.
Read MoreModerators & Treasurers 3/31/20 Zoom call follow-up: CARES Act and more
On Tuesday, March 31, Southwest Conference church moderators and treasurers met via Zoom. This is valuable follow-up information regarding the CARE Act and more.
Read MoreDeborah Hill's Ecclesiastical Council
Deborah Hill has been approved by the Committee on Church and Ministry ‘A’ to take the next step toward ordination. Her Ecclesiastical Council will still be held on April 26 at 3 p.m. Arizona time / 4 p.m. New Mexico and El Paso time, but via Zoom.
You may read her Ordination Paper HERE.
You may read her paper on The Marks of Faithful and Effective Authorized Ministers of the UCC HERE.
This will be the first time holding an Ecclesiastical Council via Zoom.
Read MoreWebinar: The New World of Church Stewardship (from Offering Plates to Online Giving)
Tuesday, March 31, 2020, 12 p.m. EST / 9 a.m. PST
FREE interactive webinar for a discussion about the (quickly) changing face of church stewardship and overall giving, including best practices, lessons learned, and experimental efforts going on during the COVID-19 pandemic and suspension of in-person services.
This FREE, one-hour webinar includes a 45-minute panel presentation with a 15-minute question and answer session.
Pastors, church staff, and lay leadership are invited to attend.
Read MoreJoin us for the SW Conference’s regional StoryCafés
Join us for the SW Conference’s regional StoryCafé. We’ve scheduled regional sessions (one in the morning and one at night for folks who can’t participate during the workday) on most upcoming Mondays and Thursdays (and on Good Friday during Holy Week). The morning sessions will take place at 9 am in the AZ time zone, or 10 am if you’re in either New Mexico or El Paso, TX. Evening sessions will be held at 7 pm Arizona time (8 pm in New Mexico/El Paso).
Read MoreSBA Coronavirus Loan Guidance for churches
From Phil Shea, Southwest Conference Disaster Ministries Coordinator:
Greetings, Bill asked me to research and pass on to you some information received by the conference office regarding the eligibility of churches to access the Small Business Association (SBA) Economic Injury Disaster Loans for the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Incident. The below information should help you determine if and how to access the loan.
Read More2020 SWC Annual Meeting - Plan “C”
This year’s Southwest Conference Annual Meeting (AM) will not take place April 24-26, 2020, as a result of health threats posed by COVID-19. The 2020 Annual Meeting date has been changed. The new date for the SWC 2020 Annual Meeting is October 2-4, 2020. Here are answers to some of the questions you may have in light of this decision.
Read MoreModerator & Treasurer Zoom follow-up
An email from Conference Minister Rev. Dr. Bill Lyons went out to all Southwest Conference church moderators and treasurers of record. The topics may be of interest to other church leaders.
Read MoreResources for Chaplains
We're grateful to the SWC chaplains for their work and dedication to their ministries. On March 18, we had a Zoom conversation with our chaplains. You may watch the recorded video HERE. Some informal notes that include a list of contacts for chaplains at local area hospitals and other communities are available HERE.
Read MoreHow-to guides and resources for online church apps
As our conference churches navigate new ways of being the church during the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing, they will need helpful tools to accomplish online worship and online giving. We’ll add to this post as we become aware of additional tools. Feel free to email Wende with your favorites.
Read MoreCreative Pastoral Care during COVID-19
Sue Joiner led a conversation on Zoom this week in creative pastoral care. You can access the recording HERE. You can read the notes from the call HERE.
Below are a few other sites that may be worth exploring to help provide additional avenues to collaborate online working, sharing, worshipping, and video conferencing.
Read More"Plan H"
The Southwest Conference staff are working from home. During their deployment here are some things we thought you’d like to know.
Read MoreCreative worship alternatives during COVID-19
On Tuesday, March 17, the Conference office hosted a Zoom conversation around creative worship during COVID-19. The call generated some great conversation on best practices for Live streaming, ways to encourage and engage people throughout the week and to be community while maintaining some physical distance. We were not able to record the call, so Genevieve put together this list of some great resources to help office guidance on moving to digital platforms for worship.
Read MoreCOVID-19 recommendation Part 2 from Southwest Conference Minister, Rev. Dr. Bill Lyons
Yesterday the Southwest Conference Executive Board and I met to review the conference-wide response to COVID-19. With their support, I am writing this morning to strongly recommend and respectfully request that all SWC congregations and communities suspend all in-person gatherings through at least Sunday, April 12, 2020. This recommendation includes all worship gatherings, small groups, rehearsals, Palm Sunday, Holy Week observances, and Easter Sunday.
Read MoreUCC churches establish protocols, preach awareness, not panic as COVID-19 cases grow
United Church of Christ leaders are sharing information with each other, listening to the latest data from world health organizations and taking directives from their local health departments to discern how best to take precautions as the coronavirus COVID-19 spreads across United States.
Borrowing from the Rev. Kaji Douša, senior pastor of the Park Avenue Christian Church in New York City, the UCC is taking "a posture of awareness, not panic."
Read MoreWorship practices re COVID-19
As we look at how we are responsive to the health needs of our local communities, many churches are making the decision whether to host worship together in person; or virtually to have connection digitally if not possible in person. Congregations are looking towards what their county health officials and local school districts are deciding, and often following suit.
This document serves as a resource for faithful tips and considerations for congregations.
Read More