Faith In Action
☀️ As triple-digit temperatures return, Arizona Faith Network is gearing up to open our Heat Relief Sites across the Valley. These sites provide life-saving hydration, cooling, and care for our neighbors experiencing homelessness or heat vulnerability.
We need your help. From volunteering onsite to donating water, snacks, or sun protection gear, there are many ways to get involved.
💧 Learn more and sign up to volunteer today.
Together, we can make sure no one is left in the heat!
Read MoreIn our shared journey within the United Church of Christ, we are called to foster spaces of radical hospitality, inclusion, and belonging. Yet, creating such beloved communities requires more than just welcoming words. It demands the courage and skill to address harm when it occurs, particularly when individuals or groups with marginalized identities experience bias, microaggressions, or discrimination. How do we interrupt harm effectively while aiming for understanding and constructive change?
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The story of Charles Lee’s involvement and leadership in the struggle for environmental justice intersects with many of the most pivotal events in the movement’s history: the Warren Country protests that gave birth to a movement, the publication of “Toxic Wastes and Race in the United States” that became a landmark report, the First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit that issued the groundbreaking “Principles of Environmental Justice,” and the establishment of environmental justice as a core part of the EPA’s mission.
On March 31st, Charles Lee retired as the Senior Policy Advisor for Environmental Justice at the EPA after working there for more than two decades. In this webinar, Lee will reflect back on his distinguished career. Even if you cannot make the scheduled time on Wednesday, May 14th at 1 pm ET, still register, and a recording will be sent to you.
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Tuesday, April 22, 10:00 am - 11:00 am MST via Zoom
Inspired by Creation Justice Ministries' 2025 annual resource, The Power of God: From Extractive Theology to Transformative Faith, this service will lead participants into a time of prayer and reflection, centered around seven original pieces of music produced for the resource. Derrick Weston, Creation Justice Ministries' director of theological education and formation will offer a reflection and the service will include new music commissioned for the Earth Day resource.
Join us online for this ecumenical service of music, prayer, and contemplation as we consider how God's power renews us and how we might use our power to renew Creation.
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The Jim Antal Keynote for this year’s UCC Earth Summit will be delivered by Katharine Hayhoe, one of the world’s leading climate scientists. Through television appearances on PBS and Showtime as well as her widely viewed TED Talks, Hayhoe has reached a broad audience with a compelling perspective on science, climate, and faith.
The summit will additionally feature a panel of grassroots leaders in the struggle against environmental racism in North Texas.
This two and a half hour online summit will begin at 2 pm ET on April 26th.
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The Decentering Whiteness Task Force of the Southwest Conference of the UCC will be present at the 2025 Annual Meeting in Albuquerque. We will be offering a workshop titled "Calling People In," a method designed to address problematic behaviors or statements, especially those rooted in racial bias, with compassion and education rather than public shaming. In the context of racial justice and decentering whiteness, this approach fosters accountability while recognizing that everyone is on a learning journey, prioritizing understanding and growth over punitive measures. This seeks to create a safer space for dialogue, particularly for those from marginalized groups, by fostering a learning environment where individuals can recognize and correct their biases, thus shifting away from a culture that protects white comfort at the expense of addressing systemic inequity. Additionally, we will host a table with various resources to support churches in their quest for decentering whiteness, both personally and within their congregations.
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Sunday, April 13, 4:00 pm in Douglas, AZ
You’re invited to join us on April 13th from 4pm to 6pm, in Douglas, Arizona, at the border (near the border crossing) for a healing circle dedicated to fostering peace and unity. In a space of shared respect and compassion, we will come together to offer prayers, meditations, and reflections for healing the divisions that affect our communities. This gathering aims to create a moment of connection, understanding, and hope, emphasizing our shared humanity. All are welcome to participate in this call for peace and unity.
We will meet at 3:45 pm in the Walmart Parking lot, 199 5th St, Douglas, AZ 85607.
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Too often, our theology of God’s power has been shaped by images of dominion and control, mirroring human systems of exploitation and extraction. But Scripture reveals a different kind of power—one that flows through relationships, nurtures life, and brings healing to both people and planet. Creation Justice Ministries has released a new resource in time for Earth Sunday that explores life-giving theologies in conversation with those leading at the grassroots of a faith-rooted movement. In this webinar, we will hear from the lead author of the resource along with two of the faith leaders profiled in it. Even if you cannot make the webinar at its scheduled time of 1 pm ET on Wednesday, April 9th, still sign-up, and we will send you a link to a recording of it. Register now to join us!
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CHHSM, UCC Wellness Ministries, and the UCC DC Office of Public Policy & Advocacy are hosting a Medicaid and SNAP Advocacy Week April 21-25, where registrants from around the country will have in-district meetings with their members of Congress in support of Medicaid, CHIP, and SNAP.
Register here for the advocacy week and to sign up for two 1-hour trainings, which will walk you through how to (1) set up a meeting with your senators and representatives and (2) prepare for that meeting. You will also receive meeting request scripts, talking points, and other materials that will walk you step by step through how you can lift your voice in support of these critical programs. No experience necessary!
Deadline for registration: April 1, 2025. Click through for details.
Thursday, March 27, 1:00 - 3:00 pm
Arizona Capitol - House Lawn
1700 West Washington Street Phoenix, AZ 85007
Arizonans are united in their love for Public Lands and Waters, but special interests, seeking short-term profits, are working behind the scenes to make it easier to sell our public resources to the highest bidder.
Arizonans are uniting to fight back. Defending our American freedoms to hunt, fish, hike, and camp is more urgent than ever. We need to speak up to protect it.
Arizonans from across the state are gathering at the 2025 Arizona Rally for Public Lands to call on every elected official – from Phoenix to Washington, D.C. – to protect our access, wildlife, public workforce, and keep our public lands and waters in public hands. If you need transportation to the event, buses will be available from Tucson to Phoenix.
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Wednesday, March 12, 6:30 - 8:00 pm MST via Zoom
With ongoing changes to immigration policies, it is more important than ever for our communities to be informed and prepared. Join clergy, faith leaders, and community advocates for this second essential rapid response training, designed to empower individuals and families facing increasingly strict immigration enforcement and provide updates on legal and advocacy efforts to challenge current policies.
This training will include:
✅ Know Your Rights – Key legal protections for individuals and families facing immigration enforcement.
✅ Legal & Advocacy Updates – The latest statewide and federal immigration policies and how we can take action.
Faith communities play a vital role in protecting and advocating for immigrant rights. Don’t miss this opportunity to strengthen our collective commitment and learn how to respond with compassion and action.
This training is hosted by: Corazón AZ, Arizona Interfaith Network (Valley Interfaith Project, Pima County Interfaith, Northern Arizona Interfaith), and Arizona Faith Network.
If you are interested in tracking bills that faith-based environmental organizations are tracking, you can check out this legislative tracker from the NM Interfaith Power and Light here.
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Regardless of your citizenship or immigration status, you have guaranteed rights under the Constitution. Join this webinar to learn your rights if you are approached by law enforcement – including local and state police, ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), and Border Patrol. The presentation will be given in English, with the option for live captions in Spanish.
Hosted by ACLU of Arizona
Read MoreThe UCC is currently launching its first chapters of the UCC Climate Hope Affiliates program in Allentown (PA), Hanover (NH), Framingham (MA), and Freemont (CA). The goal is to create the political will to address the twin, intertwined crises of climate change and societal injustice. Chapters will take monthly actions to develop long-term relationships with their members of congress and local media.
Let us know if you are interested in starting a chapter where you live.
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The Immigrant Legal Resource Center has “Know Your Rights” Red Cards available. These cards are a reminder of the rights and protections provided to all people in the United States, regardless of immigration status, and are useful when confronted by immigration enforcement. The Red Cards are available as free downloadable files to print for your congregation and community.
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The Interfaith Immigration Coalition invites faith-based organizations and faith leaders to sign onto a letter urging the Trump Administration to resume refugee resettlement and restore humanitarian assistance to recently arrived refugees.
The Sign on Letter, Sign on Forms for Faith Leaders, and Sign on Form for Faith Organizations can be signed using the respective links.
The deadline is February 13, 2025.
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Over and over again, the Bible tells of prophets who confronted rulers and the rich with an eye toward justice. Today, the ultra-rich hold enormous political power in the United States, and the implications are many, especially when it comes to the pursuit of climate justice. As the world’s richest man and as someone once hailed as a climate savior, Elon Musk has told the President that “we don’t need to rush” to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
As people of faith, what are we to make of this situation in which a small number of wealthy individuals have a tremendous influence over the future well-being of humanity and all of God’s creation? More importantly, what are we to do? Join us as a panel of speakers helps us address these questions.
Even if you cannot make the webinar at its scheduled time, still sign-up, and we will send you a link to a recording of it. Register today!
This webinar is at 11 am AZ/NM/EP time on Wednesday, February 12.
Read MoreToday, and in the days to come, know that you are loved, you are valued, and who you are and how you show up in the world, no one gets to decide anything about it.
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by Dr. Kristina “Tina” Campbell
Few would argue that we are living in a time when we long for symbols of hope in our weary and conflicted world. Several congregations and the Southwest Conference of the United Church of Christ have found hope in supporting the work of Centro de Esperanza in Sonoyta, Mexico.
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The Department of Labor now wants to know whether the public supports its proposal to phase out the Section 14(c) program and stop allowing employers to pay workers with disabilities less than the minimum wage.
As Christians, we know that all human beings are created equal in view of God’s loving kindness, no matter what differences their bodies and minds may exhibit. To properly follow Jesus Christ’s call to love all, we must ensure every worker, including those with disabilities, receives a fair wage that enables them to live with dignity. We have a chance to support this critically needed proposal from the Biden administration—and let the incoming Trump administration know how important it is to make sure this rule goes into effect.
That is why the UCC DC Office of Public Policy & Advocacy, as part of the Interfaith Disability Advocacy Coalition, sent a letter signed by multiple faith denominations and organizations to the Department of Labor in support of this critical rule. Now YOU have a chance to submit your comment by January 17th, for consideration by the Department.
It’s time to eliminate this discriminatory policy and implement stronger, fairer protections for all workers. Send your comment today!
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On Monday, January 20th, Arizonans and New Mexicans will join in the national celebration of the birthday of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Arizona Faith Network shared notable celebrations in their recent newsletter; we've added some New Mexico events as well.
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