In July I was able to travel back to Charlottesville, Virginia, where I had lived for six years before moving to Arizona, and witness the Confederate statues finally come down. It was a long time coming, five years since then-15-year-old Zyhanna Bryant called for their removal, four years after the 2017 summer of hate in
A safe and storm-resistant place to live and raise a family. That’s been a longtime dream for many of our nation’s farmworkers. On Nov. 10, in Immokalee, Fla., that dream begins to be realized, with the groundbreaking for the first building of what will become a neighborhood of 128 safe, affordable apartments. An artist’s layout shows
Latinx members of the United Church of Christ and their allies have much to celebrate: Four new ministers, and another soon to be ordained. The first Latinx woman to become a Conference minister. A major assembly, or asemblea, coming on Nov. 13. Latinx UCC members celebrate the “diversity and complexities” of their journeys and cultures
The United Church of Christ, collaboratively, has now wiped out more than $71.2 million in medical debt in a little more than two years. Through a partnership with the New York-based nonprofit RIP Medical Debt, the church has bought up debt for pennies on the dollar in every one of the UCC’s six geographical regions. By
Hartford Seminary has a new name, partly inspired by an old one. To be sure, the new name — Hartford International University for Religion and Peace — is forward-looking. It will “better reflect the expanded, international scope of our rigorous academic programs, research and partnerships,” said university President Joel N. Lohr in an Oct. 13
Policy Advocate for Domestic Issues You might have heard a lot recently about the filibuster in Congress. It’s a rule in the Senate that allows any Senator to hold up legislation, making it harder for legislation to pass because it requires a supermajority—60 votes—for passage through the Senate. Baked into the Senate rules of conduct
Add the United Church of Christ national offices to the list of organizations mandating COVID-19 vaccines. “UCC national is committed to the health and safety of our employees, their families and the community at large. It made sense to mandate the vaccine now that the FDA approved the Pfizer vaccine,” said Alisa Lewis, director of
In 2020, a police officer murdered George Floyd — and interest in dismantling racism spiked in the United Church of Christ. A year later, that interest is still high. And the UCC still offers four ways to become deliberately anti-racist. People can: Applications are due Dec. 31 for people who want to take training in
It’s a “firearms recycling center.” That’s what the Rev. Sarah Verasco, senior minister of United Church of Christ, Longmont, Colo., is calling her church after a gun buyback day Sept. 25. Karina Doyle and John Parsons using a chop saw to disable guns at Longmont United Church of Christ’s gun buyback event. “In Longmont, you can bring metal scraps for recycling and get
The calendar may say October, but a New York church already has its sights on Thanksgiving. Hollis Avenue Congregational Church in Queens Village is aiming to provide a holiday spread for more than 400 households this year. It’s part of a continuing effort to ensure “that no one goes hungry in Southeast Queens.” Guests line up at a