The 2017 Phoenix Pride Parade kicked off on April 2nd and the Southwest Conference was proud to march side by side with Congregations from around the valley displaying their pride front and center. Take a moment and see photos from those who marched Sunday morning in support of the LGBTQ community.
Read MoreDelegates will be asked to approve revised Southwest Conference bylaws at the 2017 annual meeting to be held in Albuquerque, May 5-6.
In the spring of 2016 the Mission Planning Board (MPB) representatives began reimagining their role in the conference in light of the needs of their churches. Through a process of Appreciative Inquiry, the MPB recreated themselves as the Mission and Church Vitality Committee (MCVC). Some of their previous responsibilities were delegated to the Executive Board; some new responsibilities and purposes were added. This kind of re-visioning work within the conference is exactly what the MPB/MCVC was created to accomplish. The responsibility for monitoring the mission and needs of the conference remains with them in the proposed bylaws.
Read MoreThis year's Annual Meeting the Executive Board (EB) will introduce a motion calling Rev. Dr. William M. Lyons as our next settled Conference Minister. Breakout sessions to talk with EB members and Dr. Lyons will be held on Friday, May 5. The vote will be held during Saturday's business session (May 6). Leaders of the Southwest Conference call on conference members and our partners in ministry to hold this decision in prayer between now and when the vote is taken.
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We are Called Together May 5th & 6th in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Annual Meeting 2017
After a number of requests the Annual Meeting 2017 Registration deadline has been extended until April 7th, just one week away. If you are planning on attending the Annual Meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico please signup now!
For an up to date schedule, and more information please see the Annual Meeting 2017 page.
Read MoreThe 2017 Annual Meeting Schedule is now available.
Please review the upcoming workshops, business sessions, and events as you coordinate your local church deligation.
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The Thirty-first General Synod Nominating Committee is well into its work and the process of soliciting candidates for nomination and election as Moderator and Assistant Moderator of the General Synod. The nominations of these two individuals will come at the Nominating Committee’s April 20th meeting. The deadline for submission of nominees for Moderator and Assistant Moderator is April 6th.
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Marcia McFee and Chuck Bell are offering a ground-breaking one-day workshop
that brings clergy and musicians together in a learning environment
that will enrich collaborations with exciting creative processes and skills.
Saturday, March 18 at First UMC in Phoenix
5510 N Central Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85012
Read MoreA Sermon from Rev. Dr. Lyons, at Church of the Red Rocks.
It had been a tough week for Jesus and his posse. As Robert Brown observes in Unexpected News: Reading the Bible with Third World Eyes, the realm of God wasn't "exactly appearing overnight."[1]After fleeing north to escape Herod, Jesus asked his closest friends, “Who do people say I am.” And then more pointedly, "Who do you say I am? " Peter nails the answer with, "You are the anointed one, Son of the Living God." Jesus used the moment to clarify for the group what Peter’s answer meant
Read MoreBeginning February 1st, The Southwest Conference UCC Office will close Wednesdays from 1:00-5:00 pm on an ongoing basis. In order to provide Conference Staff with much needed time to focus on large project and event planning preparation, we will be closing the office Wednesday afternoons. See below for new weekly office schedule.
Read MoreThe Designated Conference Minister Review Team Requests Your Input. Rev. Dr. Bill Lyons’ has been in his Designated Conference Minister (DCM) role for just over one year now. In keeping with our SWC Employee Handbook and good employment practices it is time for the Personnel Committee and Moderator to provide him with an annual review.
Read MoreDear UCC Ordained, Licensed, Commissioned and Privilege of Call Ministers and Members in Discernment:
New Year’s Greetings! We are pleased to announce that the United Church of Christ is being invited to participate in the Flourishing in Ministry Project, a national study on clergy wellbeing. This longitudinal study is designed and implemented by Dr. Matthew Bloom of the University of Notre Dame and is funded by the Lilly Endowment...Using surveys and daily life studies, as well as conducting a limited number of interviews, the project’s main objective is to provide empirical data that will shed light on the conditions most conducive to wellbeing among clergy and their families. What distinguishes a flourishing, meaningful, vital life from one that is declining, empty, languishing, or otherwise not well lived?
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The Southwest Conference Nominating Committee is beginning it's discernment to identify our next conference leaders. If you are feeling called to serve the conference through one of our standing committees, the Nominating Committee invites you to let them know that. If you know an outstanding leader in your church we encourage you to talk with them about sharing their name with us.
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As our conference looks toward the future we are interested in how all members of the conference see who we are, what is important and how we should prioritize goals for our coming journey. With this in mind, your Executive Board has committed to leading “listening sessions” around the conference. Your input gives guidance to the Executive Board and staff for planning next steps.
The Listening Sessions focus on the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) of our conference. From the information that you offer, specific goals will be established.
In addition to the In-person Listening Sessions, zoom/conference call sessions will also be available. Those dates, times, and connect information will be available soon! Please watch for updates at www.uccswc.org.
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Committee on Church and Ministry A discussed the Southwest Conference requirements for ministerial authorization in light of our current cultural context for ministry and best practices being recommended by and adopted throughout the United Church of Christ. “As a condition of maintaining standing, all parish and non-parish active clergy and all retired clergy serving in active ministry will be required to complete anti-racism training by the end of 2017.” This step is not an indication of a problem or deficiency among us, but rather an expression of our shared commitment to excellence in ministry.
Read MoreAs a non-profit ministry, Lombard Mennonite Peace Center works to encourage the non-violent transformation of conflict in relationships in homes, churches, workplaces, schools, and throughout our world. Our training events address ways of resolving conflicts and building healthier relationships in all of these settings. Conflict in itself is neither good nor bad, but, an indicator for the need for growth. Handled in a healthy way, it is an opportunity for all involved to mature and cultivate healthier relationships.
Read MoreThe Southwest Conference logo has a new look. Curious? This Huffington Post article will help.
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White Privilege: Let's TALK. Let's DO something.
The UCC now offers a new adult curriculum—White Privilege: Let's Talk—that's designed to encourage church members to engage in safe, meaningful, substantive and bold conversations on race.
Share your opinions with the UCC Faith Community Nursing leadership team.
Read MoreA post-election pastoral letter from the Rev. Dr. Bill Lyons, Designated Conference Minister.
In every congregation in this conference, voters from both presidential candidate's camps will sit next to one another on Sunday. We as Church stand independent of politics, yet, because we live as Church in a political world, and because God issued and Jesus exemplified a call to be prophetic, we are impacted by and must speak to political realities around us. Sometimes these two worlds align, sometimes they don't, and sometimes we live in the limbo of wondering. That's part of what Jesus was getting at when he challenged us to live in the world without being part of the world, [1] and when he said “See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves." [2]
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