Conference News
Mental Health Sunday is recognized within the UCC on the 3rd Sunday of May, or any other Sunday a church chooses.
Identifying a Mental Health Sunday is a way for your congregation to begin or continue providing education and support to your members on mental health and wellness.
Worship Resources are available from the UCC Mental Health Network.
Other Resources are also available.
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In a rapidly shifting world, how can your investments continue to reflect your financial goals and faith values?
Join United Church Funds for our virtual Quarterly Town Hall on Thursday, May 14, at 5:00 p.m. ET, designed to give you clear insights on how your assets are being stewarded. Register here.
What you’ll gain from this session:
🏛️ Key updates across UCF and what’s ahead
🌱 How our responsible investing efforts are evolving
📈 A look at recent market activity and performance
🎥 A featured Just Investing Podcast clip with Ben Cohen, co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s
🙋 Live Q&A
This is your opportunity to better understand how your investments are working, and how they can continue to serve both your mission and your long-term goals.
As spring continues to unfurl outside, consider these options to plant more seeds for peace in the coming months.
Restorative Conversations: May 12
Peaceful, Productive Pastor Parish Partnerships (P5): May 14
Conflict Transformation Skills: June 10
Free Clergy Roundtable: June 25
Family of Origin—Small Group Coaching: June 25
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The worship services at Annual Meeting will be live streamed so anyone in the Southwest Conference and beyond can worship with us!
You can watch the live stream on The Good Shepherd UCC’s Facebook page.
Friday, April 24 at 9 am Arizona / 10 am New Mexico & El Paso
Saturday, April 25 at 9 am Arizona / 10 am New Mexico & El Paso
Link: https://www.facebook.com/thegoodshepherdsahuarita/
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October 7–10, 2026 | Louisville, KY
The Convergence Music Project invites you to Converging 2026, a national gathering of musicians, worship leaders, pastors, and creatives centered on the theme “Sing Through It!”
In a time when faith communities are navigating profound change and challenge, this conference lifts up the power of congregational song to ground us, connect us, and carry us forward. Through keynotes, workshops, and shared singing, participants will explore the songs we need now—and the songs waiting to be written.
Featured leaders and artists include Rev. Otis Moss III, Dr. Cynthia Wilson, Mark Miller, Ken Medema, and many others whose work reflects justice-centered, inclusive, and innovative worship.
Early bird registration is now open, with a 25% discount available to CMP member churches. Join here. Membership also includes year-long access to CMP’s worship music and resources with full copyright permission.
Come sing, learn, and be renewed—and join others who believe that even in challenging times, we sing through it, together.
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📅 Tuesday, May 12, 2026
⏰ 11:00 am Arizona / 12:00 pm New Mexico/El Paso
💲 Free for all Insurance Board insured ministries
Register to attend this webinar by clicking here. The ZOOM has a limited number of live participants, and the recording will be posted on their Webinar page.
This session will provide practical cybersecurity awareness tips and highlight a variety of no‑cost, federally funded tools, training, and assessments available through the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). These resources are designed specifically to help ministries strengthen their defenses and protect their people, data, and mission.
Read MoreThe United Church of Christ Council of Conference Ministers offers this Seven Last Words of Christ Good Friday service on April 3.
The Southwest Conference will publish the video at 1 pm New Mexico & El Paso time / 12 pm Arizona time on our YouTube channel and Facebook page.
The service is led by:
Rev. Dr. Toni Hawkins, Southwest Conference
Rev. Nayiri Karjian, Florida Conference
Rev. Dr. Terrill Murff, Illinois Conference
Rev. Dr. Davena Jones, Northern California Conference
Rev. Freeman Palmer, Central Atlantic Conference
Rev. Dr. Marsha Williams, New York Conference
Rev. Darrell Goodwin, Southern New England Conference
“We are pleased to share our 2025 Annual Report, “Rooted in Faith. Forward in Mission.” This report highlights UCF’s responsible investing, rooted in the United Church of Christ’s traditions and its role in advancing meaningful change — from addressing systemic risks through advocacy to collaborating with partners to build a more just and sustainable world.
We invite you to READ THE REPORT and share it with others who may feel called to partner with us in faithful stewardship. We recommend using Google Chrome for the best viewing experience.”
Read MoreLast week, I attended the United Church Funds Board of Directors meeting as part of my covenantal work with the wider church. As a pastor and UCF Board member, I left encouraged and grateful for UCF's ministry to our churches.
Many congregations have endowments, reserves from property sales, memorial gifts, or long-term funds set aside for mission. The question is always the same: How do we steward these resources faithfully and responsibly?
If your church has:
An endowment
Reserve funds
Proceeds from property sales
Memorial or legacy gifts
Or is it reviewing its investment strategy
Contact United Church Funds to learn more, ask your questions, or attend their quarterly town hall to see how they can partner with your church.
Click through to read Dr. Derrick’s full article.
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“Yesterday, I had to do one of the hardest things that I have ever done in my life. I had to put my beloved fur baby to sleep and say goodbye. The above photograph was taken about 10 minutes before her procedure. I knew it would be our last photo together, and I sense that she knew it as well. After I snapped our final selfie, I broke down. And just like the dutiful companion she has been for over a decade, she comforted me in her final moments.”
In justice‑centered and faith‑rooted work, the most meaningful support often comes from the quietest companions.
The Open and Affirming Coalition (ONA) recently launched its Spring Campaign, Love Without Fear, inspired by the deep bond between people and the pets who sustain them through grief, exhaustion, and hope. Sparked by the personal loss of a beloved companion experienced by ONA’s Acting Executive Director, Rev. Derek Terry, the campaign has grown into a collective moment of reflection, gratitude, and action.
For many engaged in advocacy and community work, the emotional labor is constant. The pressure is high, the challenges unrelenting, and rest can feel elusive. In these moments, pets become grounding presences—pulling us outside, slowing us down, offering comfort without expectation, and reminding us that we are loved simply for who we are.
As Rev. Terry reflects, pets teach us how to “love without fear.” We welcome them fully into our lives, knowing their time with us will likely be shorter, and we choose love anyway. That courage—to love deeply despite loss—mirrors what it means to keep showing up for one another and for a more just world.
Love Without Fear invites community members to share photos and stories of the pets who bring them joy, connection, and steadiness. These tributes will be shared on ONA’s social media platforms through the end of May, creating a space to honor the companions who quietly sustain this work.
In addition, the campaign aims to raise $5,000 to support a new microgrant program launching in June. These grants, up to $500 each, will help Open and Affirming churches extend their work beyond their walls and deepen local impact.
By weaving together memory, tenderness, and action, Love Without Fear reminds us that care is not separate from justice—it makes the work possible.
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The PATHWAYS Environmental Justice Program equips participants with the tools to engage in environmental justice work in their own communities (such as community advocates, eco-church consultants, or coalition builders among faith-based, science-based, and government-based organizations). Consisting of 17 courses in three levels (comprehending, applying, synthesizing), this program invites participants to encounter the planet’s devastation and move towards its healing. Click here for more information.
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The United Church of Christ’s General Minister and President/CEO, the Rev. Karen Georgia Thompson issued a statement Saturday condemning the bombing of Iran by the United States and Israel, and urged people of faith to continue to call on elected officials to reject war.
“We call for an end to the abuse of government might that is poured out on people who are not the ones making decisions yet bear the brunt of the ensuing violence, casualties of actions they do not support,” said Thompson in the statement.
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The Council for Health & Human Service Ministries (CHHSM)
1st Retreat: May 18-22, 2026
2nd Retreat: October 5–9, 2026
CHHSM Annual Gathering: March 15-19, 2027
The Nollau Leadership Institute is CHHSM's signature program with more than 300 attendees in its 20+ years. Enrollment is open, and the short online application can be found here. We invite you to make plans to participate in next year's class by registering now. A limited number of tuition scholarships are available to help offset the cost of the program.
Read MoreThe landscape of faith is shifting, and we’ve all felt the growing gap between traditional church structures and the spiritual hunger of younger generations. We are reaching out because we have identified a significant grant opportunity designed to bridge that exact divide.
This grant focuses on creating and testing innovative Christian practices specifically tailored for Generation Z, Millennials, and those who identify as "Spiritual but Not Religious" (SBNR). It is a chance to move beyond "business as usual" and pilot meaningful ways of being the Church in a post-institutional world.
Click through to read more about this exciting opportunity.
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The United Church of Christ Musicians Association is pleased to announce its upcoming biennial national conference to be held July 8 – 11, 2026 at the First Community Church in Columbus, Ohio.
Conference 2026: United in Spirit, Diverse in Sound will offer workshops, worship services, concerts, optional activities and networking to church musicians and worship leaders. The First Community Church of Columbus, Ohio, which is affiliated with both the Disciples of Christ (DOC) and the United Church of Christ (UCC), will host the conference. Attendees will have access to a wide range of activities designed to refine musical skills and provide valuable resources and ideas for expressing God's Spirit creatively, especially during challenging times.
This in-person event is open to all. For complete information and registration, please visit Conference 2026.
For information about the United Church of Christ Musicians Association, visit their website or click here for an introductory welcome letter.
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Feb 26, 2026 01:30 PM
This is the first in a four-part series discussion on those ministers who serve in and with community-based organizations, rather than through congregational outreach. Join our conversation as we discuss the immediate role of clergy and other authorized spiritual support individuals in times of emergency crisis and disasters. Four spiritual support specialists from across the country will discuss their roles as first-responder chaplains and disaster response individuals on the important role of clergy in those moments when all hope seems lost and in long-term community-based situations when immediate concerns are being handled, but hope seems hard to find.
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Insurance Board - Webinar - EPL Risk Management 360: Smart Hiring, Compliance, and Litigation Readiness
Thursday, March 19, 11:00 am AZ / 12:00 pm NM/El Paso
via Zoom
Register to attend this webinar by visiting this link. The Zoom has a limited number of live participants, and the recording will be posted on the IB webinar page.
Read MoreLent brings us back to what matters. When we receive ashes and hear, “Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return,” we remember something essential. Titles do not define us. Positions do not elevate us. We all stand equally before God as servants of Christ.
This truth shapes how we live and govern together in the United Church of Christ, and especially here in the Southwest Conference.
We practice covenant, not hierarchy.
Jesus showed us this way. When the disciples questioned their importance and status, Jesus did not set up a chain of command. He taught them to serve, wash their feet, and walked beside them. He formed a community rooted in humility, trust, and shared responsibility. He showed leadership grows from service, not control.
We continue that same practice today.
Click through to read Dr. Derrick’s article.
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March 2nd · 12 pm
The Safe Communities Coalition will host Praveen Sinha, Security Director of Equality Labs. This interactive workshop will offer tangible steps to help you and your colleagues tighten your online security, including best practices for preventing doxxing and addressing other digital threats.
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Black women are often praised for strength, resilience, and endurance, but rarely given space to name the cost. This workshop examines how racism functions as a system of power rather than individual bias, and how Black women, including Black trans and queer women, experience its impacts in work, leadership, relationships, and movement.
Together, we will explore how the demand for exceptionalism emerges as a survival strategy within racialized systems, and how it leads to burnout, disconnection from the body, and conditional belonging. Participants will be invited to reflect on the ways faith communities may unintentionally reinforce these expectations through theology, leadership culture, and justice work.
Grounded in spiritual practice and collective care, the workshop closes by reclaiming rest as resistance understood as small, intentional acts of pause and presence that refuse disposability, restore agency, and re-center sacred worth, even as violence, occupation, and struggle persist.
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