The Reverends Michael Malcom and abby mohaupt have released a new book that acknowledges the stark horrors of climate change while building hope and moral-spiritual agency for a brighter future. Bringing decades of leadership experience in interfaith efforts toward environmental and climate justice, they guide readers along pathways toward a clear-eyed but energizing vision of different ways of being.
Join us to hear from the authors about the writing of the book and the insights it has to offer. The Rev. Michael Malcom is the Executive Director of the People’s Justice Council and Alabama Interfaith Power & Light. The rev. abby mohaupt is the director of the Garrett Collective at Garrett Seminary.
Even if you cannot make the live event, still register, and we will send you a recording.
Register now!
Read MoreIntroducing the Old Testament (Dickinson/MBS)** begins January 7, 2026
Using the student text Introducing the Old Testament from the Exploring the Bible Dickinson Series, the author, Rev. Anne Robertson, introduces participants to the Old Testament as part of the Christian scriptural tradition. Participants who complete this course will be prepared to continue their Biblical journey with the New Testament course based on the other volumes in the series.
PATHWAYS Winter 2026 Schedule, Six-week courses beginning on January 7
Introducing the Old Testament (Dickinson/MBS)**
Environmental Literacy in God's Creation
Environmental Ethics
Stories of Christian Saints and Sinners
UCC History and Polity (12-weeks)
Faith Formation (Children, Youth,Adults)
Art of Preaching
Supervised Ministry IV
Making Sense of Theology
Theology of Gender and Sexuality
**(Introductory Level 1 Bible Course based on The Exploring the Bible Dickinson Series by Rev. Anne Robertson, published by the Massachusetts Bible Society.)
Go to the PATHWAYS website (pathwaystheological.org) to learn more and to apply for this and other courses.
Read MoreThe Pastoral Residency Program at The Village Church in Wellesley and Weston, Massachusetts is a two-year, full-time ordainable call in the United Church of Christ designed for recent M.Div. graduates preparing for parish ministry.
This position is an ordainable call in the United Church of Christ, with a full-time salary and housing allowance of $60,000 a year (or $55,000 with free parsonage housing, if available), and full benefits.
As full-time pastors, Residents participate in all aspects of the life of Village Church in Wellesley and Weston. The two settings provide experience of working with a large staff and as solo pastor.
Residents gain experience in core areas of pastoral leadership: Worship, Faith Formation, Pastoral Care, Transformational Leadership, Social Justice, and Professional Development. We intentionally leave space in their portfolios for Residents to respond to the Spirit's movement.
The program trains two Residents at a time, and the staggered call process enables them to progress in their learning and leadership with the support of a peer.
Throughout their service with us, residents receive extensive support and mentoring from both the pastoral staff at Village Church in Wellesley and the congregations in Wellesley and Weston.
We support participation in a New Clergy Group through the UCC’s Southern New England Conference.
To read more program details and the application timeline for the 2026–2028 cohort, click here.
Read MoreLombard Mennonite Peace Center is launching a free quarterly clergy roundtable program.
The first program theme is:
Generational Differences in the Balance of Togetherness and Individuality - Implications for the Church
Particular focus will be given to the emotional labor Gen Z experiences around performative roles (like showing up at church or a holiday dinner) when they perceive forces of togetherness differently than others.
How do we create churches that welcome the authentic presence of youth instead of masking while participating?
Register for free to get the link.
They recommend reading the book, Hear Us Out: Six Questions on Belonging and Belief by Sue Pizor Yoder (Author), with contributors Bonnie Bates, Brandon Heavner, Joanne Marchetto, Jill Peters, Stephen Simmons, Janet Stahl, and James Stahl in preparation for this round table discussion.
Read MoreRecovery Spirituality is born out of what many in recovery call “the gift of desperation.” It begins in the moment when we recognize our own powerlessness and become willing to turn our will and lives over to a Spirit greater than ourselves. It’s not about perfection — it’s about surrender, trust, and a new way of living that opens us to grace, hope, and healing.
Click through to learn more.
Read MoreSome of you know I keep chickens in my backyard. If you have ever raised chickens, you understand that they are not the cleanest animals. And where there are chickens, there are flies.
Have you ever noticed how flies rush to what is rotten while butterflies search for what is colorful and alive? Both insects have wings. Both can fly wherever they want. Yet they seek very different things. Flies target decay. Butterflies look for blossoms. One sees garbage. The other sees growth.
There is more to the story.
Click through to read the rest of it!
Read MoreThe Convergence Music Project
New Progressive Congregational Music
Andra Moran, singer/songwriter, worship leader, and co-founder of the Convergence Music Project (CMP), talks with Board member Amanda Udis-Kessler about CMP and its resources, and shares her observations about what is happening in progressive worship music these days. Andra will also share two of her songs with us.
Saturday, October 25, 2025 at 12 noon ET / 9 am PT on Zoom.
This event is free and open to all. Register to receive the Zoom link.
Read MoreWe live in a time when people draw lines quickly. They sort, group, and divide one another by politics, culture, or even sports teams. Tribalism has always existed. People instinctively gather with those who look, think, and act like them. At its best, tribalism gives belonging and security. At its worst, it hardens hearts and turns neighbors into enemies.
Religion calls us to live differently. Scripture tells story after story of God pushing people past narrow loyalties.
Click through to read Dr. Derrick’s article.
Read Moreby Minister Gordon Street, Commissioned Minister – Southwest Conference, UCC
For the past several years, my ministry has centered on “making a spiritual connection”—meeting people where they are and helping them reconnect with a personal sense of the Divine through the lens of 12-Step wisdom.
As my ministry continues to grow and evolve, I’m excited to share its new title and theme: Recovery Spirituality in Action. This updated name reflects not a new direction but a deeper commitment to what has always been at the heart of my work—spirituality lived out in real time, in the real world, with real people.
Read MoreThe Cornerstone Fund has reached out about two new products:
Read MoreKelsey Rose, Institutional Relationships Associate at United Church Funds, has reached out with some resources that you might find interesting:
United Church Funds (UCF) offers a variety of resources that can serve as valuable tools for UCC churches. For example, here are some recent items related to church finances, strategic planning and values-aligned investing.
Two Workshops from the UCF Team – The workshops, Faithful Finances: How Money Choices Affect Human Rights and Building a Legacy: Establishing Lasting Legacies through Strategic Institutional Planning are excellent learning tools. UCF presented these workshops at General Synod, and we have recorded them to ensure that all have access to them.
Planning a Lasting Legacy for Your Church – The new 2025 edition of Living Legacy: Church Legacy and Closure Resource is now available. Learn more about UCF’s work supporting congregations and organizations navigating this faithful conversation and discussion of financial assets.
UCF Notches Notable Wins for Faith-Based Investors – Learn more about shareholder resolutions UCF filed this year and the impact of our ongoing responsible investing work as faith-based investors.
Read MoreWhen we join the Southwest Conference of the United Church of Christ, we enter into multiple covenant relationships as individuals and as congregations. COM B (Committee on Ministry Section B) is a SWC committee whose primary responsibility is to serve and assist congregations. We recently had the joy of receiving our second round of proposals for the Congregational Revitalization and Resiliency Grants. The goal of the grant money is to assist churches in moving beyond the status quo, and in creative and new ways, developing programs that will inspire church growth. Creativity and originality were encouraged, and we were delighted to receive well-written, thoughtfully considered, and creative grants from congregations across the Conference. Congratulations to all congregations who submitted grants and who were awarded funds for their creative endeavors!
Read MoreAs Indigenous Peoples’ Day approaches, the Church faces a faithful reminder: we worship on land once cared for by Indigenous peoples. A land acknowledgment names those who first tended this ground; the Akimel O’odham and Piipaash peoples in our region, and invites us to respond with gratitude, respect, and responsibility.
A land acknowledgment does more than open a service. It tells the truth about where we stand and challenges us to live as better caretakers of God’s creation. When we speak these words, we recognize that the earth is God’s gift, not our possession, and that God calls us to protect it with care.
Words alone can sound empty. A land acknowledgment loses meaning when we treat it as a formality. It gains power when we act on it and when we build relationships, learn stories, and seek justice.
Read MoreCurious about the new credit union serving UCC congregations nationwide? Get this on your calendar now: Tuesday, October 28 7:00 - 8:00 pm AZ / 8:00 - 9:00 pm NM & El Paso. Register here!
The entire Southwest Conference is invited to attend an informational webinar with the GUFCU folks.
Click through to learn more.
Read MoreAt the end of this month, dozens of UCC conference ministers will be traveling to Washington D.C. to raise the prophetic voice of the United Church of Christ on Capitol Hill. Guided by the theme of "Love Knows No Borders," we will gather to seek justice with and for every neighbor and every community oppressed by the fear and greed of an unholy movement fueled by white supremacy and Christian nationalism.
Learn more about how you can get involved here.
Read MoreSaturday, October 25
6:00 am - 10:00 am AZ; 7:00 am - 11:00 am NM & El Paso
on Zoom
Join CTL staff for a morning of practical learning for church officers. Following a workshop on the art of leadership, we will break into groups to provide framework and best practices for specific leadership roles. Learn more here.
Read MoreWhat’s in a name?” Shakespeare once asked. A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet. The same is true for many of us. Over the years, I’ve held many titles: son, husband, friend, teacher, chaplain, pastor, and now associate conference minister. Each one carries its own weight, but some titles go deeper than description. They take responsibility, even identity. Thomas C. Oden never took the title of pastor lightly. In his book Pastoral Theology: Essentials of Ministry, he reminds us that “pastor” comes from the Latin for shepherd. That’s not just a quaint metaphor. It’s one of the deepest biblical images for Christian ministry (Psalm 23, John 10, 1 Peter 5).
Shepherds don’t get corner offices, they don’t spend their days shuffling memos, and they certainly don’t wear Italian suits to go herd sheep. They walk with the flock, make sure no one wanders off a cliff, fend off predators, and sometimes even smell like the sheep they’re caring for. Oden believed that the image best describes what the clergy are called to be.
A pastor, he says, isn’t primarily a manager, a therapist, or an entertainer. The role is far older and far weightier. To be called pastor is to be entrusted with the care of souls: preaching, baptizing, feeding the people with Word and Sacrament, praying, and modeling what faith looks like in real life.
Click through to read Dr. Derrick’s article.
Read MoreWe sadly share the news of the passing of Rev. Carson Hawks.
Obituary
Read MoreA message from GUFCU:
Generations United Federal Credit Union (GUFCU), which was first introduced to the United Church of Christ in June of this year, continues to grow and establish its identity as new members from many UCC conferences across the nation join.
Over the past few months, we’ve welcomed clergy, congregants, and their family members from New York to Hawaii, Massachusetts to Puerto Rico, and many states in between. We’re especially excited to see parents and grandparents open Youth Accounts for their children and grandchildren, and associations establishing checking and savings accounts to take advantage of our competitive interest rates. Most importantly, our deposits are being lent to members young and old, so they can pay down debt. These activities reflect our mission: building a stronger, financially responsible UCC community.
Through conversations with both prospective and new members, we’ve also discovered there are some misconceptions about our mission. We have updated our messaging on our website – https://gufcu.org to try to address them. Click through to read more.
Read MoreDr. Derrick holds our clergy in prayer for Clergy Appreciation Month.
Read More
