-
1 week ago | 
ucc.org | Kayla Berkey
Unraveling wicker chairs, dull gardening shears, and broken necklaces are all items that routinely end up in landfills – a reality that folks from three churches in the Denver area set out to change by organizing a Helping Hands Repair Café. The event, held at First Plymouth United Church of Christ on April 26, invited people in the broader community to bring all kinds of broken and worn things for repair.
-
1 week ago | 
ucc.org | Kayla Berkey
The acts of preaching and worship hold a unique power to address the challenges and opportunities of the current moment. An upcoming Preaching and Worship Summit, “For Such a Time as This,” aims to empower people with resources to craft messages and worshipful responses amid global occurrences of war, genocide, climate crisis, and the nation’s highest office perpetuating racism, misogyny, and transphobia.
-
2 weeks ago | 
ucc.org | Kayla Berkey
When the Rev. Quinn Caldwell leads communion during a weekly worship service for students at Cornell University, he is intentional about connecting the sacrament to a broader sense of responsibility and inclusion. “Communion is a thing to fill you up, and therefore, when you step away from this table, it’s your job to go out with your hands full of nourishment for the world,” he shares with the students.
-
1 month ago | 
ucc.org | Kayla Berkey
The final proposed resolutions for General Synod 35 are now available for review. Eight resolutions and one formal motion are ready to be considered by this national body of the United Church of Christ in Kansas City, July 11-15. The UCC Board, acting as the General Synod Business Committee, affirmed the action of each submitted resolution during its March meeting.
-
1 month ago | 
ucc.org | Kayla Berkey
A variety of new staff have joined the United Church of Christ National Ministries in recent months, bringing with them talents and passion for the work of the church. Further, as the National Ministries continue to live into a model of One Staff, One Budget, One Mission, some staff realignment has taken place as part of ongoing efforts to enhance operational efficiency and productivity.
-
1 month ago | 
ucc.org | Kayla Berkey
Climate disasters like hurricanes, storms, and wildfires are taking place more frequently these days, and often with increased intensity. Yet in a reality where the demand for disaster response resources is greater, more than 200 employees have been cut from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, which manages the federal response to disasters and emergencies.
-
1 month ago | 
ucc.org | Kayla Berkey
The Rev. Marilyn Pagán-Banks serves many roles in her hometown city of Chicago. She pastors at San Lucas United Church of Christ, serves as the executive director of the organization A Just Harvestto combat hunger in the city, teaches seminary classes, and was recently elected as a member of the Chicago Police District Council. A newly added role for her will be to offer the message at the opening worship of this summer’s General Synod 35 on July 11. Registration for General Synod is open now.
-
2 months ago | 
ucc.org | Kayla Berkey
The search committee for the role of Associate General Minister for Love of Church did not identify a candidate to recommend to the United Church of Christ Board during their March 6-8 meetings in Cleveland. The Love of Church Search Committee, which began its work in August 2024, held a diligent search that included online and in-person interviews, as described in the report to the UCCB prepared by Committee Chair, the Rev. Jasmine Quinerly.
-
2 months ago | 
ucc.org | Kayla Berkey
This week, faith leaders across the country carried church to the people with the practice of offering “ashes to go” in their communities. As the Lenten season began with Ash Wednesday on March 5, pastoral staff of Covenant United Church of Christ extended love, prayer, and ashes through car windows as people drove through their Illinois community. In Massachusetts, pastors from First Church Sandwich UCC set up near their town’s old town hall to offer ashes to go.
-
2 months ago | 
ucc.org | Kayla Berkey
On most Sundays at First Congregational Church of Memphis, the Rev. Tony Coleman delivers his sermons surrounded by large, brightly colored art and a diverse group of congregants gathered in a circular arrangement. First Congo, as the church is often called, includes three buildings that house the church’s food justice ministry, a bike co-op, a hostel – but “the center of gravity,” as Coleman described it, is the sanctuary.
