Lent 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.
Read MoreMarch 2nd · 12 pm
Register Here for Zoom Link
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.
Read MoreBlack 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.
Register here.
Read MoreSociologist Ray Oldenburg coined the phrase “third place” to describe spaces beyond the two main poles of our lives: home and work. At home, we live our private roles. At work, we carry out our public responsibilities. Third places are the church, cafés, libraries, and parks where community forms, and we remember we are more than our obligations.
When those spaces disappear, life tightens into a loop between productivity and privacy. We move from task to task and rarely pause to ask who we are becoming.
Ash Wednesday and the season of Lent create a sacred third space. At home, relationships and routines shape you. At work, expectations and performance define you. But when you step forward to receive ashes, those labels fall away. Titles fade. Status fades. Success and failure lose their grip. Christ meets you there, not as a résumé or a role, but as a soul. You hear the words: " You are dust. And you belong to Christ.
Click through to read Dr. Derrick’s entire article.
Read MoreThe Prophetic Witness Campaign is a statewide, faith-rooted effort organized by Arizona Faith Network & Corazón AZ to protect human dignity, strengthen community safety, and bear public witness to the sacred worth of every person. At the same time, unjust and immoral immigration policies continue to separate families, criminalize asylum, and place already-vulnerable communities in constant fear and harm.
We invite clergy and faith leaders across Arizona to join this shared work of unity, nonviolence, and moral courage. Sign up using the link below and you will receive updates about Faithful Witness Gatherings, monthly trainings, public vigils, action opportunities, and ways to participate locally and statewide.
PROPHETIC WITNESS CAMPAIGN SIGN UP
Coming Soon: In-Person Trainings
If you're interested in attending an in-person training event for the Prophetic Witness Campaign in either Tucson (Feb. 17 at 6:00 pm) or Phoenix (Feb 19 at 6:00 pm), please click here to RSVP and to receive more details.
Read MoreLast year, I began reaching out to clergy across the Southwest Conference with a request to submit their current call agreements and Three-Way or Four-Way Covenants. This was more than a routine administrative task or a simple check-in on record keeping. It was an invitation to revisit the very heart of our shared identity. In the United Church of Christ, we are a covenantal people. If we claim to live in such a relationship, we should be able to point to where that covenant is written and retained. Healthy governance requires this balance of relational clarity and accurate documentation, ensuring that our shared promises are both lived and recorded.
This identity shapes how we understand authorization, which is the formal recognition that an individual is called and prepared to serve. In our tradition, ministers are never authorized independently of the wider church. Their standing exists within a web of covenantal relationships. That recognition is expressed through a Three-Way Covenant linking the minister, the local church, and the Conference, or through a Four-Way Covenant that includes an employing institution or ecumenical partner. Through these documents, the wider church affirms that a specific ministry is not a solo endeavor, but one accountable to and supported by the whole Body.
Because we do not operate through hierarchical control, our accountability flows directly from these mutual commitments. It is helpful to distinguish between a call agreement, which addresses the practical terms of employment and compensation, and a covenant, which names the ecclesial bond.
Read MoreNew course listings for April.
Read MoreJoin them in Columbus, Ohio this summer for workshops, worship, concerts, networking and camaraderie.
July 8 – 11, 2026
First Community Church, North Campus, 3777 Dublin Road, Columbus, Ohio
They especially welcome the Association of Disciples Musicians!
Open to all. Need to know more?
Conference Director Andrew Blosser will be on Zoom to answer your questions.
Saturday, March 28 at 9 am AZ / 10 am NM & El Paso
Register to receive the link.
Read MoreThis reflection from the Conference Minister invites the Southwest Conference to embody faithful presence and justice during Black History Month, reminding us that in challenging times, we are grounded in God’s presence and committed to showing up together with dignity, courage, and hope.
Read MoreEvery February, we celebrate Black History Month. For the church, this is far more than marking a date on the calendar—it is an essential rhythm of our faith. We must remember that Black history is not a footnote to Christian history; it is the heart of it.
The Black church has carried the gospel through the fires of slavery, segregation, and systemic injustice. In hidden "hush harbors" and crowded sanctuaries, believers clung to Jesus when the world refused to acknowledge their humanity. Their faith was not a theory; it was a lifeline. Spirituals were sermons set to music, and prayer meetings were acts of resistance. Leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Fannie Lou Hamer, and countless local pastors didn't just seek policy change—they spoke from a radical trust in Jesus’ command to love neighbors, seek justice, and walk humbly with God.
The entire Body of Christ has been shaped by this witness.
For pastors, this month is an opportunity for "truth-telling" from the pulpit.
Click through to read Dr. Derrick’s full article.
Read MoreFaith communities are actively responding to the U.S. invasion of Venezuela as the U.S. seeks to control Venezuela's oil. In working to expand and strengthen these efforts, what do faith communities need to know about the situation faced? How can they act to prevent U.S. imperialism in Venezuela and other countries?
In addressing these questions, our webinar panelists will be Phyllis Bennis from the Institute for Policy Studies, Lisa Sullivan from the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, and Tim Heishman from the Friends Committee on National Legislation.
Even if you cannot make the live event on Wednesday, February 11th at 11 am MST, still register, and we will send you a recording. Register today!
Read MoreWednesday, February 11, 8:30 am - 2:00 pm
Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza
1700 W Washington St, Phoenix, AZ 85007
Join with the Sierra Club, Chispa Arizona, Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection, AZ Youth Climate Coalition, Arizona Faith Network, and many other groups for the annual lobby day at the Arizona Capitol. Meet with your legislators, hear from great speakers, and connect with others who are doing advocacy work both inside and outside the Arizona Legislature. RSVP so we have enough materials, can put you in a team for legislative meetings, and can plan for food. This year's theme is "People Power for the Planet!"
RSVP here.
Read MoreEco-Theology: Centering Creation in Love begins April 8, 2026
As with all subcategories of theology, ecotheology has many facets. In this course, we will engage with theological points of view across several expressions of American Christian thought: creation care within community, creation care as incarnational love, creation care as earthkeeping, and creation care as an expression of hope. A daily environmental observational journal of wonder for the duration of the course. This can be in any format, including digital, handwritten, sketched, video, audio, photographs, etc., and media may be mixed. Assignments based on the journal are included in Week 1, Week 4, and Week 6 of the course. Each week will have a different focus on the same environment.
Click through to see this and other course offerings.
Read MoreIn the United Church of Christ, we do not organize ourselves around control. We organize ourselves around a covenant. That word can sound formal or abstract, but covenant is deeply practical. It shapes how we relate to one another as local churches, authorized ministers, Committees on Ministry, and the Conference. Covenant is not a contract. It is not a hierarchy. It is a promise to walk together under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Throughout Scripture, the covenant is the way God chooses to be in relationship with God’s people. In Genesis, God binds God’s self to Abraham. In Exodus, God forms a covenant community at Sinai. In Jeremiah, God promises a new covenant written on the heart. Covenant is God’s way of saying, “I will be your God, and you will be my people.” It is relational, mutual, and enduring.
Our life together in the Southwest Conference reflects that same spirit.
Click through to read Dr. Derrick’s article.
Read MoreSaturday, January 24, 2026 at 10 am MST
To celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2025, The United Church of Canada commissioned a group of 30 ministers, musicians and worship leaders to create a new hymnal. It was seven years in the making and the results are remarkable. Its globally-sourced collection of hymns “lifts up the intercultural and anti-racist commitment of the church with material that prioritizes Black, Indigenous, People of Color, French-speaking, Two-Spirit and LGBTQTTIA+ voices, and concerns of people with disabilities.” (TLUS preface) It reminds us of “faithful song as an antidote to fear,” and calls us to remember Jesus’ love for everyone.
Join three members of the development team as they discuss Then Let Us SING! and their experience in its creation.
Read MoreA few weeks, I emailed our clergy to remind them that the 2025 Annual Information Review will take place soon. In that message, I also noted the need for the Conference to have each minister’s three-way or four-way covenant on file. Preparing that reminder led me to pause and reflect on a simple but important question: What do we mean when we talk about covenant?
In the United Church of Christ, the word covenant sits at the heart of who we are. We use it often, sometimes so often that it can sound like familiar church language. Covenant is worth slowing down for, because it names the way we choose to live together as God’s people.
Click through to read Dr. Derrick’s full article.
Read MoreDo you have youth in your congregation who are ready to make their voices heard in the halls of Congress? Join United Church of Christ youth from across the country in Washington, D.C. this June for Youth Voices: Bold Faith, a week-long immersion in faith-based advocacy, justice, and community.
This transformative experience is a collaboration between the UCC Office of Public Policy & Advocacy and UCC-NOWCYM (United Church of Christ Network of Wider Church Youth Ministries. Together, we’ll explore how our faith calls us to speak truth to power, stand up for what’s right, and work toward a world where all can thrive.
Participants will:
⭐️ Engage with leaders making change on Capitol Hill and beyond;
⭐️ Learn practical tools for organizing, advocacy, and public witness;
⭐️ Engage in Youth Leadership Development
⭐️ Build deep connections with peers who share your passion for justice and hope for the world.
Space is limited and individuals will be considered on an application basis. Youth who have just completed either 10th, 11th, or 12th grade by Summer 2026 are welcome to apply. Bring your courage, your convictions, and your voice. The world needs your leadership now more than ever. The application deadline is Sunday February 22, 2026.
Find out more here.
Read MoreThe Southwest Conference will hold its 2026 Annual Meeting April 23–25 at The Good Shepherd UCC in Sahuarita, Arizona!
We’ve secured a block of rooms for the event at the Best Western for $130 per night (one king bed or two full beds), which includes a free breakfast. It’s located at 111 S La Canada Drive in Green Valley, an easy 10-minute drive down the street from the church.
Early registration will be available soon!
Read MoreNollau Leadership Institute Class of 2026-27 Enrollment
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.
Grounded in the health and human service organizations of the United Church of Christ, this program offers a unique space in which to experience leadership formation. Each year, Nollau brings together a community of leaders committed to creating a just, caring, and compassionate world. Such values deepen during the program, as participants grow in their leadership skills from a place of belonging. Cultivating this connection between others, the world, and within themselves is the heart of the Nollau experience.
Through retreats, online interactions, and peer mentoring, this program supports leadership formation through a variety of learning modalities and within a community of practice. The use of rituals, art, poetry, embodiment, and time to simply be in nature are all part of the program—alongside the interactive didactic sessions. You can learn more about the curriculum here.
Read MoreThursday, February 26, 6:00 pm on Zoom
In a world increasingly divided by race and power, our call as followers of Christ is to embody a radical love that ensures every child of God has a place at the center of the table. Join us for a 90 - minute introductory webinar, "Decentering Whiteness: Our Journey Together," where we will explore what it means to shift our church's focus away from dominant white cultural norms and toward a more inclusive, multiracial future. Using the robust resources and the three-level framework provided by the Southwest Conference UCC in its website, we will learn how to build a shared vocabulary, distinguish between racial justice and cultural decentering of whiteness, and move from foundational education into meaningful, visible action.
This interactive session is designed for both clergy and lay leaders who are ready to ask the "hard questions" in a spirit of grace and humility. Through thoughtful small group reflections and a guided tour of the SWC Resource Hub - featuring everything from the Seeing White podcast to practical guides for worship - you will leave with a clear roadmap for starting this pilgrimage in your own congregation. Whether your church is just beginning to talk about race or is ready to confront deep - seated institutional habits, this webinar offers the tools and community support needed to align our local ministries with God’s vision of justice and reconciliation.
Objectives: By the end of this training you will be able to:
Define and distinguish the concept of "Decentering Whiteness" from "Racial Justice" within a church context.
Identify at least ten specific habits that center whiteness in both congregational life and personal daily routines.
Develop a localized action plan to launch or engage with a Decentering Whiteness Task Force using the Southwest Conference’s three - level framework.
Register here.
Read More
