Decisions about resuming in-person gatherings in your church rest in your hands, not in the hands of government officials or of the Southwest Conference staff. This resource has been designed to be a starting point for meaningful conversation among your local church leaders as you develop your own protocol or policy for resuming in-person gatherings (worship, classes, working in the office). It reflects our deep and abiding love for one another and for our neighbors and highlights our common desire to nurture the health and welfare of the people in our congregations and our communities.
Read MoreWe hold Bob Carlson and his wife Millie in our prayers; Dosia died on Wednesday, January 13, 2021. Even two nights ago from ICU, Dosia continued to text family and friends to remind them of God's love and to encourage them to continue living in ways that show God's light and love. How like Dosia. She was a significance presence in the Church, in the life of the Southwest Conference, and for countless people whose lives were touched by her ministry.
Read MoreThe Just Peace Steering Committee will be hosting a webinar to invite Just Peace Churches (and those exploring becoming a Just Peace Church) to explore the important justice work ahead of us in 2021.
Read MoreThe members of The Church of the Palms and the Southwest Conference of the United Church of Christ joyfully invite you to the ordination of Debby Stinton on Sunday, January 24 at 3 pm.
Register here.
Read MoreJanuary 19, 2021, 12–1pm MST, presented by Maryle Malloy
Great church websites have one thing in common: they focus on the new visitor experience. We'll cover the key points every church website needs to engage new visitors and inspire them to learn more.
Resources: We'll send you away with several resources such as the eBook "Organizing Graphic Assets," which contains over 20 links to free graphic resources.
Read MoreCharles Mills is author of one of the books we read as part of the course "Deep Dive" for Sacred Conversations to End Racism. Time listed is Eastern Time; it will be 9–11 am Mountain Time.
Read MoreThe United Church of Christ offers scholarships for those preparing to serve the church. Applications close March 1.
Read MoreUpdated UCC website offers much more than just a new look.
Read MoreThe Members in Discernment, along with Associate Conference Minister Rev. Dr. Barb Doerrer-Peacock, have collaborated to create a worship service for the first Sunday of Christmas, December 27, 2020. The video is available in its entirety, as well as the individual components, for churches to download and use in their virtual worship and websites. The worship service will stream live on the SWC Facebook page at 9 am on Sunday, December 27.
Read MoreThere are a new opportunities to be generous and reduce your tax liability through end-of-year giving: The Cares Act charitable giving benefit and tax-free gifts made directly to charitable organizations from IRA and other retirement accounts.
Read MoreAn offering United Church of Christ congregations traditionally collect in December has become a lifeline this year for scores of clergy struggling with financial insecurity because of COVID-19.
Read MoreJanuary 19, 2021, 12–1pm MST, presented by Maryle Malloy
Great church websites have one thing in common: they focus on the new visitor experience. We'll cover the key points every church website needs to engage new visitors and inspire them to learn more.
Read MoreWende Gonzales is curating a Spotify playlist of the Southwest Conference’s cherished Advent and Christmas songs by your favorite artists. Old and new, sacred and secular, joyful and melancholy.
To join this project, just email Wende with the song title, artist, and album (if known). Add a note (optional) telling us what you love about the song(s). If you’d rather not have your name attached to your thoughts about the song, please add the word “anonymous” to your note.
Read MoreA mournful loss: An iconic New York church, home to one of the city’s first religious congregations, is gutted by fire.
Read MoreUCC@ASU student Hailey Lyons is producing an incredible podcast that we are delighted to share with students at ASU and the Desert Palm church family as well as all the UCC congregations in the SWC. Nearly all our UCC@ASU students are participating in interviews with Andrew in our past and upcoming episodes. We are delighted to offer this as a way to share about our ministry but also to have an intergenerational connection.
Click on the link to listen:
S1E5 - Coming Out and Faith (pinecast.co)
S1E6 - What We're Offering (pinecast.co)
Read MoreEleven digital hymns, a movie and a pageant of lessons and carols, produced by the national setting of the United Church of Christ, will soon be available to local churches for Advent and Christmas.
Each piece will be downloadable as a video file.
Read MoreMeet the 2021 General Synod worship planners and worship director, and download General Synod Zoom backgrounds and logos.
Read MoreIf you weren’t able to join us on November 22, you can watch the recording of our online gathering.
Read MoreEach one of us, through the small actions we can take, can contribute to stopping the spread of the virus, reducing the number of daily new cases, and saving lives. Please use your agency and courage to do everything possible to stop COVID19.
Read MoreOn November 12, 2020 the SWC Executive Board adopted three significant bylaws changes purposed to implement the SWC resolution “Decentering Whiteness in our Churches and Society.”
These additions will impact how the nominating committee identifies and recruits conference leaders. The nominating committee will invite local church’s and clergy to submit individuals’ names for consideration as SWC leaders with a particular emphasis on church members who identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or Persons of Color.
The Board also updated the SWC bylaws to include Lay Ministerial Standing.
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