Faith In Action
The theme for the fourth annual UCC Earth Summit is "A Future with Hope" (Jeremiah 29:11). To ground and inspire us as people of faith in difficult times, the Jim Antal Keynote Lecture will be delivered by the Rev. Dr. Kenneth Samuel, a renowned advocate and organizer for justice who serves as the pastor of Victory for the World Church in Decatur, Georgia. This two-and half-hour summit will additionally feature a panel discussion entitled “Power to the People: Energy Justice for an Equitable Future.”
Panelists will include Dr. Shalanda Baker, who headed the Office of Energy Justice and Equity at the Department of Energy under the Biden Administration, and Chandra Farley, who serves as the Chief Sustainability Officer for the City of Atlanta. Celebrations at the summit will include the announcement of the winners for both the Dollie Burwell Prophetic Action Award and the Climate Hope Art Contest for children and youth. Moreover, we will recognize our newest Creation Justice Churches and our first Climate Hope Affiliates.
The Decentering Whiteness journey is not one you have to take alone. The Southwest Conference Decentering Whiteness Task Force (DWTF) is here to support congregations on this path. Whether you have questions, need guidance identifying resources, want assistance facilitating conversations, or wish to share feedback about your church's activities, we are ready to walk alongside you.
This is a collaborative movement, and our role is to empower you.
Here's how we support you:
Conference Support: We provide ongoing communication through our regular newsletters and “In The Loop” reminders, sharing suggested activities and reports from other congregations to keep you inspired and informed.
Clergy Involvement & Training: We offer Clergy Lunch & Learn calls specifically focused on integrating these efforts into preaching and pastoral care. These discussions with Conference leadership help ensure clergy are equipped to lead this work pastorally and theologically.
Guidance & Resources: The DWTF can help you identify suitable resource people, including outside facilitators, Sacred Conversations to End Racism (SC2ER) and ASDIC graduates, or paid experts as needed. We are a central point of contact for you to find the support you need.
Liaison Role: We want to reiterate the importance of designating a local church contact person or committee to liaise with the DWTF. This simple step ensures smooth communication and is the key to accessing the full spectrum of support we offer.
Your feedback on the program plan, resources, and your congregation's experiences is invaluable. We are building this journey together, and your insights help us all grow.
Final Call to Action: The most crucial step you can take today is to designate a person or a committee in your church to begin this work. Then, connect with the Decentering Whiteness Task Force to get started. You can find all the resources and contact information you need on the Decentering Whiteness section of the SWCUCC website.
Wednesday, March 11th at 1 pm AZ / 2 pm NM & El Paso on Zoom
The Circle of Protection invites you to join their webinar: “Preparing for the Coming Medicaid and SNAP Cuts from the One Big Not So Beautiful Bill (H.R.1).”
You’ll hear from faith leaders and policy experts including Representative Glenn Ivey (MD-04), Reverend Richard Williams (Lead Pastor at the Metropolitan United Methodist Church & Executive Director at the Beacon Center), Sammi Goldsmith (Deputy Director of Public Policy at MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger), Paulo Pontemayor (Senior Director of Government Relations at the Catholic Health Association), and Reverend Adam Russell Taylor (President at Sojourners).
They will discuss how the cuts to Medicaid and SNAP will impact your community and opportunities to mitigate the damage.
To register for the webinar, click here.
"The Circle of Protection is a broad coalition of Christian denominations and ministries that span the theological and political spectrum. We are united in our shared faith in Jesus Christ and His call to love and serve “the least of these” (Matthew 25:40). As followers of Christ, it is our moral duty to stand up for the most poor and vulnerable in our society. To that end, we are bringing together speakers who can describe how last year’s budget reconciliation bill will impact the health and nutrition of low- and middle-income communities."
Invitation from Creation Justice Ministries:
We know many are holding immense grief and uncertainty right now. We’ve witnessed horrific tragedies, both on our own soil and beyond. As we begin this new year, may our commitment to the intersectionality of creation justice remain steadfast, holding onto the truth that our collective liberation is bound to each other and the natural world.
With that commitment in mind, we invite you to join us for an advocacy 101 training. This offering will be an introduction for beginner advocates who want to take their advocacy a bit further and a refresher for folks who feel a bit rusty.
Join us on March 2nd at 7pm ET / 4pm PT to learn about:
🌏 The role people of faith play in advocacy right now
🌏 Tips for advocating at the federal level
🌏 Ways to build relationships with your Members of Congress
🌏 Ideas to engage your community to take action
In this time of immense uncertainty, grief and for many sacred rage, people of faith have an important role to play. Together, we will plant seeds of hope for loving God’s creation and our neighbors.
Creation Justice Ministries has released a new downloadable resource for churches just in time for Earth Month. The new resource is entitled "The Canopy of Creation: Trees, Faith, and the Work of Justice." The resource invites us to consider the following truth: in many cities, tree canopy follows the same fault lines as historic redlining. Neighborhoods that were denied investment generations ago are often the same neighborhoods with fewer trees today; neighborhoods experiencing higher temperatures, poorer air quality, and greater vulnerability to flooding.
Learn more about this issue and the new resource available to churches in this webinar in which we will hear from Derrick Weston, the Director of Theological Education and Formation at Creation Justice Ministries.
Even if you cannot make the live event on Wednesday, March 18 at 10 am PT, still register, and we will send you a recording. Register today!
In this season, LGBTQ+ people and our allies and accomplices need spaces to connect, encourage one another, and remember we are not alone. We are in the midst of a movement—and movement work calls us out of our silos and into community.
These offerings are opportunities to learn, grow, and build relationships with people across the country who are committed to justice, affirmation, and faithful resistance.
Come build community with us. Come be strengthened for the work ahead.
Click on the graphics below for more info or to register.
by Kayla Berkey | published on Feb 3, 2026
This February, United Church of Christ Racial Justice Ministries are offering the invitation to commit to a focused study of Black history both this month and throughout the year.
Black History Month resources are available for the month of February that include a Call to Worship incorporating the names of “ancestors who made a way out of no way with God before them, beside them, and lovingly guiding succeeding generations.”
These resources can also be used for the UCC’s designated Racial Justice Sunday, which falls on Feb. 8, the second Sunday in February.
Black History 365 resources are available to intentionally engage with Black history all year. These offer a four-part spiritual journey of reading, listening, and sitting with a long history of God’s human family from the continent of Africa. It is divided into four sections that focus on human migration around the globe, “looking back and moving forward” with Sankofa, the creation of humans, and exploring virtual spaces dedicated to Black history.
The four Black History 365 sections are intended to align with quarterly learning sessions, with the invitation for people to develop a plan with congregations, groups, or individually to participate together throughout the year.
“Black History 365 is a gateway to remember we are gifted and diverse people, culturally and ethnically. We are made in the image of God and members of God’s human family,” said the Rev. Velda Love, minister for Racial Justice.
From the Open and Affirming Coalition UCC:
Practicing Sacred Storytelling in a World That Tries to Erase Us
In a world of systemic and intersectional injustice that often tears LGBTQIA+ communities down, having confidence in the knowledge of who we are as God’s beloved creations is essential to our survival and flourishing as LGBTQIA+ Christians. As a result, personal storytelling and testimony is a vital spiritual practice of self-care and rootedness that enables us to explore our identity, learn about ourselves in prayerful conversation with God, prepare to engage with an unjust world, and discover ways to thrive and flourish. This session will lay a scriptural, theological, and experiential framework for storytelling as a spiritual practice of self-care and rootedness, provide three opportunities to practice storytelling through creative writing activities, and generate safe space for sharing together.
Tickets are offered on an honor-system sliding scale. Please choose the rate that best fits your circumstances.
• Student Rate – $15 (For students and seminarians.)
• Sages Rate 65+ – $15 (For participants age 65 and older.)
• Standard Rate – $30 (Helps cover the true cost of the workshop.)
• Pay-It-Forward Rate – $45 (For those who are able to give more and help expand access for others.)
Click through for more details.
The journey toward decentering whiteness can sometimes feel isolating, but you are not alone. There are congregations across the Southwest Conference engaged in this work, and hearing from them can be both inspiring and informative. Stories are a powerful way to build community, share wisdom, and remind us that we are all on this path together.
Our website will be a dedicated space for these stories. We are collecting videos and testimonials from churches as they share their experiences, learnings, and challenges. By sharing your story, you can help to inspire and encourage other congregations to begin their own work. We want to hear from every stage of the journey—from those just starting to those who have been at it for a while. Your story, no matter where you are, is valuable.
Click through to read more.
In January and February, three New Mexico Interfaith Power & Light team members are walking from Carlsbad to the State Capitol in Santa Fe, arriving on Climate Action Day.
Rev. Clara Sims of First Congregational and Jerry Kennell of Taos UCC are involved.
This pilgrimage is a spiritual and moral journey — an act of witness, confession, and hope. We walk carrying prayers for a livable climate, for justice, and for future generations.
Our path begins in the Permian Basin, the heart of New Mexico’s oil and gas country, and ends at the State Capitol in Santa Fe, where our leaders face a choice: to serve the few or act for the common good.