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When you save with Generations United Federal Credit Union (GUFCU), you’re not just securing your future — you’re helping to build someone else’s.
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Learn more at gufcu.org.
When I began discerning my call to become a clergyperson in the United Church of Christ, I was blessed and had the joy of being surrounded by retired clergy who mentored, guided, and encouraged me. Now, as I sit in the Southwest Conference office and review the list of clergy celebrating their ordination anniversaries, I am reminded again of the impact these ministers have made. Their faithfulness shaped congregations and communities, and their influence continues to reach far beyond the years of their formal service. Their presence helped form my call, and their legacy continues to guide and inspire the life of the church.
As we continue our journey through Advent and light the candle of Joy, we recognize God’s presence in every season of ministry. Joy rises not only in beginnings but also in those faithful chapters that come to a natural and meaningful close. Here in the Southwest Conference, 36 ordained ministers currently hold Exempt Standing. These individuals served congregations, chaplaincies, classrooms, military units, hospitals, and mission fields with devotion and heart.
Exempt Standing reflects a distinct form of joy.
Click through to read more of Dr. Derrick’s article.
Join a collaboration between the Decentering Whiteness Task Force and Communities of Practice in offering a conversation over zoom about Rev. Dr. Willie James Jennings’ stirring book: After Whiteness: An Education in Belonging.
Our conversation will be an opportunity to revisit and reflect upon our own theological formation and how whiteness shaped that formation. With Jennings’ prompting, we will ask: how can we become better stewards of belonging in our expressions of faith?
Through her role at New Mexico Interfaith Power and Light, Pastor Clara at First Congregational in Albuquerque will be walking a “pilgrimage for our shared home” with other IPL staff members from Carlsbad to Santa Fe in January. It will be a 25-day walk and she will participate in about 15 days total. The walkers will arrive on February 5th at the New Mexico State Capitol for Climate Action Day. “This walk is born out of the incredible urgency we feel to take bold and symbolic action for our shared home in light of the terrible climate policies at the federal level and the stranglehold of oil and gas interests in our state politics.” You can read more about it here.
Each month, UCC experts unpack a complex justice issue through our Getting to the Root series. This month, the UCC Office of Public Policy & Advocacy team reflects on this past year to consider what we accomplished, what we learned, and what we continue to hope for as we move forward. You can read the full reflection here.
On September 25, 2025, the President of the United States released a Presidential Memorandum titled Countering Domestic Terrorism and Organized Political Violence. The memorandum asserts that political violence is being organized by anti-fascists, which the memo defines as those who support “anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism, and anti-Christianity; support for the overthrow of the United States Government; extremism on migration, race, and gender; and hostility towards those who hold traditional American views on family, religion, and morality.”
Click here to read the full article by Heather Kimmel, General Counsel for the UCC.
Imagine opening your call agreement and unexpectedly finding that your compensation package includes a jar of honey and a pound of locusts. No pension details. No housing allowance. No benefits. Just insects and sweetener.
Most clergy would call a special board meeting. John the Baptist called it lunch.
Advent always invites us to picture the unexpected. A prophet in the wilderness announcing peace. A child born under a borrowed roof brings salvation. God’s work moving forward in ways that do not match our expectations, budgets, or timetables.
This week, as we focus on Advent peace, we remember that the peace of God does not always arrive in polished form.
Click through to read Dr. Derrick’s article.
Growing up in church, I always heard about Advent. The candles, the colors, the readings — all of it.
But to be honest, it didn’t fully click for me back then. I knew about Advent, but I didn’t really understand the depth of it.
It wasn’t until I started working for the Southwest Conference UCC — right in the middle of my seminary journey and reconnecting with God in a deeper, grown-woman kind of way — that Advent came alive for me. Suddenly, these candles weren’t just “church tradition.” They became personal. They became invitations to slow down, breathe, reflect, and pay attention to what God is doing in me as much as around me.
And let me tell you something else I didn’t realize right away:
My role as Executive Assistant is ministry — not just a job.
Click through to read Shandrika’s article.
UCF SUES TO BLOCK ENFORCEMENT OF TEXAS LAW
UCF, the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) and Ceres filed a lawsuit on November 10 to block broad enforcement of a new Texas law that threatens investors’ ability to receive expert, values-aligned guidance. CLICK HERE to read why we feel this action is vitally important to faithfully serve our clients’ missions.
TOWN HALL RECORDING AND FUND FACT SHEETS
The Q4 2025 Town Hall recording is now available, and you can view it by CLICKING HERE. Also available are updated Fund Fact Sheets as of 09/30/2025. CLICK HERE to view them. Fund Fact Sheets provide detailed and essential data and metrics such as fund performance, asset allocation and top ten holdings. We encourage you to share these resources with your Investment/Endowment Committee members or anybody else who may benefit.
Six-week courses beginning on January 7
**(Introductory Level 1 Bible Course based on The Exploring the Bible Dickinson Series by Rev. Anne Robertson, published by the Massachusetts Bible Society.)