The UCC’s Justice and Local Church Ministries is among dozens of Decision Day cosponsors. So is the UCC’s Open and Affirming Coalition. They are urging people to sign up here for the rally and town hall. Those who do will be notified that morning. “The Court doesn’t announce in advance which opinions will be issued, so we won’t know Decision Day until that morning,” organizers wrote at the event’s website.
Read MoreLetecia and her young baby got off the Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) bus at the Welcome Center at 10am this past Saturday, the day each week that First Church volunteers help out with all of the various tasks that are part of welcoming new asylum-seekers to Phoenix. Like so many others, she had crossed the border at Yuma after leaving everything she had behind. Everything except the baby.
Read MoreIn the spiritual alchemy of wisdom and insight, sometimes humor and empathy go hand in hand. The Rev. Jim Bear Jacobs wrote a satirical masterpiece earlier this year that provokes one to consider, "How would I feel if someone put an oil pipeline through my home?" Jacobs was inspired to write by a comically doctored photo and an accompanying headline that announced, "Anishinaabe Leaders Approve Oil Pipeline through Governor’s Mansion."
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As Arizonans and people of faith, we strongly believe in the “Green Rule” and believe it should be followed to protect one of our greatest natural and spiritual treasures: The Grand Canyon. Senator Sinema, Senator Kelly, and Representative Grijalva have all introduced versions of the Grand Canyon Protection Act. We ask that you stand with them in supporting this monumental piece of legislation.
Please sign your name, faith community, or organization to encourage our Senators to pass the Grand Canyon Protection Act today.
The Women’s Health Protection Act, soon to be introduced in the House of Representatives, is a critically needed bill that will enact protections on the federal level to safeguard access to high-quality care and to secure constitutional rights by protecting patients and providers from political or religious interference. It would bar state and federal legislation that imposes medically unnecessary regulations on access to abortion services including medication, mandatory waiting periods, or out and out abortion bans.
Read MoreTake a stand with an Indigenous-led movement of water protectors! Learn what you and your faith community can do to stop the expansion of a massive tar sands oil pipeline known as Line 3. Sign-up now for this free webinar: bit.ly/StoppingLine3
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June 27 is National Open and Affirming Sunday! Always celebrated on the fourth Sunday of June, the Coalition created ONA Sunday as an opportunity for congregations to renew their commitment to support LGBTQIA+ neighbors and their families. On June 7, we'll release an inspiring worship and music video, along with worship resources to help you build your own ONA service. Let’s celebrate the rapid growth of our movement, hold our 1,700 ONA churches and ministries in prayer, and commit to growing our movement until the UCC is not just 33%, but 100% ONA!
Read MoreToday, Church World Service is joining dozens of organizations and advocates in a renewed commitment to build a reimagined asylum system in the U.S. as part of the new Welcome with Dignity Campaign. We invite you to take action with us to transform the way the United States receives and protects people forced to flee from their homes and seek safety. Now is the time for visionary action to restore and strengthen asylum protections and policies that welcome asylum seekers and unaccompanied children.
For more information about the campaign and for more resources, visit this toolkit and this web page.
Read MoreFrom Katie Adams at the D.C. Office.
Read MoreJoin the May 26 National Summit gathering to train and empower faith communities to support equitable U.S. vaccine distribution.
Read MoreChurch of Beatitudes is currently collecting Men's and Women's clean socks to help the homeless and less fortunate. These will be given to ShoeBox Ministries on June 16th.
Read MoreThe fighting between Israel and Hamas must end immediately. Israel’s brutal occupation of Palestine is supported by US diplomacy and $3.8 billion in annual funding to Israel. The US must stop being complicit in these human rights violations and condition funding on Israel’s compliance with US and international law.
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TikTok Pastors Rev. Timoth Sylvia and Rev. Sarah TevisTownes lead congregations and have literally millions of engagements online. Join the United Church of Christ for a conversation about TikTok, how ministry is happening creatively, and a celebration of the ways our Faith moves outside of the buildings and traditional expectations upon it.
Read MoreThe campaign is national in scope. The SWC has joined the letter. Maybe you and your local church would like to join the advocacy effort too.
IPL and our partners are asking faith leaders to add their name to this sign on letter to Congress calling for critical investments in climate and clean energy as we rebuild our economy.
The deadline is June 9th.
Read MoreNational Council of Churches and Grace & Race invite you to participate in White Privilege: Let’s Talk dialogue sessions. This 6-session course is designed as a sacred conversation on race. It is intentional in its focus on the history, impact and manifestations of White Privilege. We enter with the spirit of faith, hope, praying that the conversations will help us to see one another and stay on the journey toward racial equity.
The deadline for registration is May 24, 2021
Read MorePhil Shea, SWC Disaster Coordinator, has shared three PDF documents for your review.
American Rescue Plan Act Guidance
Emergency Food and Shelter Program county contacts
Emergency Food and Shelter Program key dates
Also, here is the link regarding FEMA Funeral Assistance.
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Shared here is an invitation from the AZ Governor’s office of Youth, Faith, & Families. The GOYFF initiative is hoping to connect the Arizona Coalition for Military Families with local congregations who would be willing to partner with them in their mission. “The Arizona Coalition for Military Families is a public/private partnership and statewide collective impact initiative focused on building Arizona’s capacity to care for, serve, support and employ service members, veterans and their families.”
We encourage you or the appropriate representative from your church to participate if ministry to military families is a part of or in line with your mission.
Read MoreThe For The People Act, a comprehensive election reform bill, and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would restore the provisions gutted by the Supreme Court in its 2013 decision are two critical ways we can defend our democratic process and the right of every American to have their voice heard and counted in the electoral process.
As civil rights giant John Lewis himself declared, 'too many people have struggled, suffered and died to the right to vote.' A strong, vibrant democracy must move forward, not backward. Contact your Senators and urge them to defend our democracy by supporting the For The People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
Read MoreTo emerge from the pandemic, an economic recovery that prioritizes jobs and justice is desperately needed. Now is a time to cast a vision for a holistic recovery that is guided by a commitment to employment, affordable housing, racial justice, public health, and a transition to a decarbonized economy. This webinar will focus on what a just recovery would look like and what faith communities can do to call for legislation that embodies our values.
Read MoreAcross Arizona’s southern border, nonprofits and religious organizations continue to support asylum seekers who have waited months to present their cases in the United States. Tony Paniagua traveled to Nogales, Sonora where he visited a shelter providing aid and spoke to migrants about their journeys.
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