The United Church of Christ is equipping congregants for the election both practically and spiritually, offering resources, webinars and an all-church worship service leading up to Nov. 3. A record number of Americans have already cast their ballots. With eight days to go until Election Day, the count of 58 million voters has already surpassed […]
The United Church of Christ effort to abolish medical debt stands at $51.8 million with the latest buy announced in New England. A collaborative effort by 122 United Church of Christ congregations, four Associations, and more than 100 households in the Southern New England Conference has abolished in $26.2 million in medical debt. Two separate buys benefited families in seven states and […]
Often, the chance to write for Witness for Justice is one I enjoy. Mostly I write dry(ish) policy briefs, and the chance to flex my sartorial and theological muscles in a less restrictive format is welcome. But right now, we’re in the middle of a global pandemic, on the verge of what could be a […]
A Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) minister with extensive experience in disaster response and volunteerism has been named to lead those ministries and more for the United Church of Christ. The Rev. Joshua Baird will start work Nov. 16 as team leader of Global H.O.P.E., part of Wider Church Ministries. Formerly Humanitarian and Development Ministries, […]
More than 90 migrant children and their families, seeking asylum in the United States, marched to the border wall in Nogales, Mexico on Oct. 21, accompanied by immigration advocates, where they were greeted by allies of faith on the American side. Wearing masks, some carrying signs and singing, demonstrators in Sonora and in Arizona came […]
A deadline is almost here for those in the United Church of Christ who want to submit a resolution for the 2021 General Synod to consider. As announced in July, resolutions are due Saturday, Oct. 31, to the Synod’s Resolution Review Team. In a just-released video, Kevin Peterson of Seattle, who helps shepherd the resolution […]
How does one make tangible the lives lost to COVID-19? The deaths of more than 200,000 Americans can be hard to grasp. Now, and for the next two weeks, a United Church of Christ congregation on Long Island is using the toll of a bell to mark each one. “There is no single word as […]
Nov. 3 is two weeks away, and Americans are already turning out in record numbers to vote in the fall election. By mail, or early in-person, state election officials across the United States are reporting long lines at the local board of elections and hordes of ballots in hand. As of Saturday, Oct. 17, more […]
Nine United Church of Christ congregations in Northern California were able to eliminate a lot more medical debt than first thought, with a second buy whose impact totaled almost $2 million. The churches, in collaboration with the National Setting and the Northern California Nevada Conference UCC, raised $52,000 for medical debt relief in their state. […]
I’ve been thinking a lot about words lately, and language, encouraged by the indomitable Rev. Dr. Velda Love in the Sacred Conversations to End Racism Fall Institute. I’ve been thinking about the characteristics of white supremacy culture, and how “worship of the written word” is included on the list. I’ve been thinking about who controls […]