The National Ministries has prepared special options for people to tune into parts of Synod’s work and worship from near and far.
As many plan to gather for General Synod in Kansas City in just a few weeks, the United Church of Christ National Setting has prepared special options for people to tune into parts of Synod’s work and worship from near and far.
A livestream, to be hosted on a special page of the UCC website, will broadcast the plenary sessions and worship gatherings of General Synod, taking place July 11-15.
General Synod will hold three worship services, including a community worship service on Sunday, July 13 at 2:00 CDT, featuring General Minister and President Rev. Karen Georgia Thompson as preacher. People from the surrounding communities are invited to attend this service in-person at no cost.
Rev. Marilyn Pagán-Banks and Rev. Tony Coleman are the featured preachers for opening and closing worship on July 11 and 15, respectively.
The General Synod Agenda-at-a-Glance offers times for all plenary and worship sessions, based in local CDT time.
More details here.
Read MoreDuring our weekly staff meeting on Tuesday, our Executive Assistant, Shandrika, shared a thoughtful devotional she had written called “Divine Check-In.” It was a way for us to pause early in the week and reflect on how we’re tending to our spiritual health and sense of purpose from the beginning of the year until now! So Beloveds, as we enter July, we’ve already completed six months of 2025. It is a good moment to pause and ask ourselves: What is our divine check-in?
I don’t have to tell you that this year has been among the most challenging for our communities and the people we serve. Some realities in our community and this nation were once hidden from some but always visible to others. They have been brought into the open, and our souls weep and wrestle with consternation. We are faced with changes, uncertainty, and moments that have tested our resilience and faith; all the more reason to take time for an honest check-in with God and ourselves.
Click through to read Dr. Derrick’s full article.
Read More“You’re all following Rev. Sarah on TikTok and Instagram, right? Seriously, click here and here and take care of that right now. Then come back and keep reading.
“All set? Welcome back.”
Settle in for this conversation between Dr. Sarah TevisTownes, pastor of Church of the Good Shepherd in Albuquerque and Rev. Jim Keat, Minister of Digital Worship & Education at The Riverside Church and the Director of Online Innovation at the Convergence network.
Read MoreI had the chance this week to pick up the phone and call a few of our retired clergy in the Southwest Conference. As the SWC Associates Conference Minister and also their colleagues, I to say it felt good just to hear their voices. It is my belief that sometimes a simple check-in is all it takes to feel a little less alone. We don’t always have to solve big problems—sometimes it’s enough just to be present for each other. This caused a flashback of my military days!
Back when I was in the military, first the Army, then the Air Force, we never went out by ourselves. In the Army, you had a battle buddy. In the Air Force, you had a wingman. Those were not just nice titles. They meant you always had someone by your side. A battle buddy was there to make sure you came back safe. A wingman was there to keep watch, to cover you when things got rough. No matter how well-trained you were, you still needed that person you could count on.
This isn’t a new idea. It shows up in our sacred stories, too. In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus sent the disciples out in pairs. They didn’t head off alone to teach or heal. They went together. They depended on each other, and that was part of the plan all along.
Click through to read Dr. Derrick’s full article.
Read MoreCome spend a weekend with me in the cool pines of Prescott!
Most people in the conference don't know that I'm a lifelong member of the Disciples of Christ. For years I've led the singing at our annual Arizona women's retreat. I look forward to it every single year, and a few years ago we opened the invitation to our UCC sisters. Our Conference Minister Dr. Toni has enjoyed attending the last two retreats and keynoted last year.
This amazing retreat is held at the beautiful Chapel Rock Retreat Center in Prescott. They have comfortable lodging and the food is phenomenal!
This year's keynote speaker is Rev. Lori Tapia, National Pastor and president of the Obra Hispana of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada.
The workshops are always top notch and there's free time for fellowship (sistership?) and even naps. We begin Friday evening with dinner and end with worship on Sunday morning.
I truly hope to see you there. Save the dates, September 12-14, alert your church’s groups, and register today!
You can register with a $50 deposit, and the remaining balance will be due by August 27th. All registrations must be completed by August 27. Contact me and I'll be happy to answer any questions. wgonzales@uccswc.org or text/call 520-329-3012.
Read MoreIntroduction to Spiritual Health (Pastoral Care) begins August 1.
Through personal reflection and exploration of current pastoral care paradigms, this 6-week course offers training to
identify and apply best practices in empathetic listening
understand models of pastoral care assessment
create a pastoral care plan based on spiritual assessment tools
articulate how to provide pastoral care effectively in diverse cultural settings.
The course outcome project will give you an opportunity to apply what you have learned within your own faith community or practice context.
SAVE THE DATE: Saturday, September 13, 2025, 7:00p.m.
Come celebrate with us! PATHWAYS Theological's Benefit Concert sponsored by Lena’s Place Coffee House in the beautiful Central Congregational UCC sanctuary in Atlanta. Enjoy great local musicians (Maureen & Matthew Shelton, and Mockingbird’s Wing) and delicious refreshments. Watch for more information including how to attend online.
Go to the PATHWAYS website (pathwaystheological.org) to learn more and to apply for this and other courses.
Read Moreby Rev. Dr. Derrick Elliott
Recently, Rev. Dr. Gloria and I attended our boundary training with other Associate Conference Ministers throughout the United Church of Christ (UCC), and the topic of the UCC Ministerial Code and the Marks of Faithful and Effective Authorized Ministry came up. It sparked some honest conversation—not just about rules and expectations but about what it really means to be faithful in ministry today. It reminded me that we don’t talk about these tools often enough, even though they shape how we live and lead.
Every profession has some code. Teachers follow standards for education. Doctors take an oath. Even hairstylists know there are rules—keep your tools clean, respect your clients, and show up on time. Ministry is no different. In the UCC, those of us who are called to serve are expected to do so with integrity, accountability, and care—not just for what we do but for how we live.
The UCC Ministerial Code isn’t just a list of dos and don’ts. It’s a covenant.
Read MoreRev. Susan Valiquette of First Church UCC Phoenix attended last year’s Convergence Music Project conference and writes:
I am now on the planning team of the Converging 2025 Conference. This was a deeply spiritual experience for me. It was like the best of summer camp and a soulful retreat that sparked theological musings in worship and music.
The Converging Conference is a great opportunity for a pastor, worship leader, worship committee, and/or music team for an injection of fresh energy and excitement around worship and music. Many of our churches are hungry for theology in lyrics that represent what we believe.
If you are not familiar with the Convergence Music Project (www.convergencemp.com), CMP is a rapidly growing online source of new music for congregational singing that congregations and denominations committed to justice, compassion for the poor, inclusive language, creation care, LBGTQ+ affirmation, and expansive theology can trust.
Please check out the event website to see the list of exciting keynote speakers and musicians who will be featured at the conference.
Read MoreThe UCC Open and Affirming Coalition has a new 30-day devotional for Pride, “Sacred, Seen, and Called: Living Our Truth, Embracing Our Light.” You can use it for personal reflection or group discussion throughout the month.
Click here to access the devotional.
Read MoreThe Disaster Resilience and Recovery Ministry is responsible for overseeing the Southwest Conference’s Relationship with Safe Communities Coalition (not to be confused with the national SAFE (Science and Families Engaging) Communities Coalition. Arizona Faith Network’s website describes this Coalition as: “… a bold, inclusive initiative uniting faith communities, advocacy partners, and historically marginalized groups to protect sacred spaces and ensure all people can live, worship, and gather in safety. Amid rising threats of violence and extremism, the Coalition serves as a proactive and unifying response. Together, we foster secure, resilient communities across Arizona through trust-building, strategic partnerships, and rapid action.” (We will seek to duplicate this format for New Mexico and El Paso churches in the Southwest Conference.)
Local Church Ministers have received a letter asking them to select a delegate from their church to participate in monthly meetings. If you have an interest in serving as a representative for your local church, please contact your minister.
Look for forthcoming information as we begin our work beside other faith based communities to keep sacred spaces safe and secure.
Read MoreAs Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, draws near, we pause to consider what freedom means through the lens of faith. You might be surprised that The Star-Spangled Banner wasn’t officially adopted as the U.S. national anthem until March 3, 1931. But even then, not everyone in this country was truly free. Black Americans, Indigenous peoples, Asian Americans, and Latinx communities were still denied equal rights under the law. That familiar phrase, “the land of the free,” didn’t reflect everyone’s experience then, and it still challenges us today.
Juneteenth marks the day in 1865 when enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas, finally heard the news of their freedom: two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. This moment reminds us that freedom delayed is freedom denied. It pushes us to ask a deeper question: What does liberation look like now?
Read MoreIn a moment when queer and trans lives are under attack, we turn to those who’ve been here before. Join us on Wednesday, June 18 for a special discussion led by LGBTQ-RAN board members Sharon Groves and Cedric Harmon with three of our elders—Rev. Harry Knox, Rev. Louis Mitchell and Bishop Tonyia Rawls—about how they faced crisis, carved out joy, built movements, and survived.
Each of our guests will bring firsthand stories of resistance, imagination, and care from their days fighting for the rights and respect that we are now working to protect. They remind us that we come from a lineage of strength as they share what sustained them then—and what we need to carry forward now.
You can read more about this program and its presenters at this link.
Sign up here to receive the link to join this Zoom webinar on June 18 at 8 p.m. Eastern/5 p.m. Pacific. And please share this announcement with friends and colleagues. It's the Pride Month discussion we need to keep going in these times.
Read MoreAre you considering studying more about the Bible or working toward the Bible Studies Certificate? A good overview of the Bible, What is the Bible? (Dickinson/MBS), begins September 17.
The 3-course Bible Studies Certificate guides the learner to deepen their knowledge and current scholarship of the Old and New Testaments, while also giving the learner opportunities to create and teach curriculum in their own faith community.
· Old Testament Hermeneutics 08/6/2025 - 9/23/2025
· New Testament Hermeneutics 10/8/2025 - 11/18/2025
· Approved Elective Course with Bible Study Project
Go to the PATHWAYS website to learn more and to apply for these and other courses.
Read MoreWe are invited to the barbeque capital of the country this July for General Synod 35. The General Synod brings together faithful members of the United Church of Christ for inspirational worship, public witness, and fellowship with friends old and new. Delegates will address the business of the church and discern the church’s engagement with issues of the day. Gathering under the theme Into the Deep (Luke 5:4), all will explore being rooted in faith and what new depths God is leading the church into.
Come to Kansas City for this biennial gathering, and register to access all things Synod:
Inspiring worship services
Lively fellowship and dining events
Dozens of engaging workshops
The exhibit hall, including an exciting new space for the National Ministries
An electrifying keynote speaker
Faith-filled business proceedings
And much more!
Fascinated? Register today!
Read MoreWhen I first stepped into the role of a local church pastor, I believed I was ready. I had the education, the sense of call, and the fire to serve. But reality hit hard one quiet Tuesday afternoon—sermon half-written, voicemail piling up, and no one around who truly understood what I faced. That day, I realized how much I needed someone to listen.
My seminary didn’t prepare me for the loneliness that can sneak into ministry. Our congregations see us on Sundays but don’t see the in-between: the pastoral visits, the strained budget meetings, and the quiet moments of doubt. I didn’t need advice or critique. I needed someone to hear me out. I needed a connection.
Click through to discover Dr. Derrick’s message.
Read MoreJoin us for an intimate workshop and learning community space for womxn as we journey toward Synod together! We’ll grow together and share communal space in an open-meeting format. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to build community and gather. Register here.
Read MoreJune is LGBTQIA+ Pride Month! The United Church of Christ Cornerstone Fund joins UCC congregations nationwide in celebrating LGBTQIA+ individuals, families, and organizations.
Read MoreAs we look ahead to the next General Synod of the United Church of Christ, I invite each of you—clergy and lay leaders alike—to reflect with me on the Synod’s theme: “Into the Deep,” drawn from Luke 5:4, where Jesus says to Simon Peter, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.”
This isn’t just a poetic phrase for a conference banner. It’s a direct challenge to our spiritual lives, our ministries, and our churches. Going into the deep requires faith when answers are unclear, when the waters seem still, or even when we’re tired and uncertain about what’s next. In many ways, that’s where the Church finds itself today; not only at a crossroads, but also at a shoreline, being asked by Christ to push out a little further.
This message resonates even more powerfully as we approach Pentecost Sunday, the moment when the Spirit moved with fire and breath, pushing the early Church out of comfort and into courageous witnesses. Pentecost reminds us that God’s Spirit doesn’t just comfort—it compels. The Spirit meets us in the deep and calls us beyond the shallow waters of the familiar.
Click through to read Dr. Derrick’s entire article.
Read MoreThe CRMT on Race focuses participants on the importance of culturally responsive ministry, how we are socialized and how culture shapes us, how we examine our own bias, and the challenges of race/racism/whiteness in congregations. We end our training by breaking participants into racial affinity groups where white folks learn about the deep impact of microaggressions on our siblings of color, while People of Color have the opportunity to check in about their ministry and the impact of race/racism on it. We lead the trainings as a two-person multiracial team.
Register here for the summer CRMT session on June 26, 2025, 9 am-3 pm AZ (10 am - 4 pm NM).
Can’t make that one? Sign up here for the fall CRMT session on October 21, 2025, 9 am-3 pm AZ (10 am - 4 pm NM).
The cost is $30 per person. We’ll send out the Zoom link to all registrants the week before the session.
Read MoreJoin us for this OWL Taking Flight webinar that will explore the impact of identity erasure, laws, and executive orders on the lives of trans/intersex/nonbinary/queer people of all ages.
Heather Corinna, founder of Scarleteen.com, joins Rev. Amy Johnson and Dr. Melanie Davis to discuss the impact of policies, laws, and executive orders on the lives of trans/intersex/nonbinary/queer people of all ages. Scarleteen is the largest online resource for comprehensive and highly inclusive sex and relationships education, information and support centering young people.
Register here.
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