Many advocates for a strong, robust democratic process were breathing a cautious sigh of relief after the November 2022 midterm elections. With the myth of election denial still alive and well after the 2020 elections, there were threats of increased voter suppression and challenges to election officials and the vote-counting process. Among voting and civil
More than 300 churches. More than 40 states. And nearly 900 works of art by church youth, from preschoolers to high schoolers. All to promote environmental justice and hope for the future of the Earth’s climate. To wrap up an art contest that began last fall, the United Church of Christ’s Environmental Justice Ministries announced
The national officers of the United Church of Christ offer public condolences after two mass shootings in three days in California claim the lives of 18 people. In Monterey Park on Saturday, Jan. 21, 11 Asian Americans were killed and nine others injured during a Lunar New Year celebration at a local dance studio. Two
Sandy Sorensen, director of the United Church of Christ Office of Public Policy and Advocacy in Washington, D.C., reflects on the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. This year, Jan. 22 marked the 50th anniversary of the 1973 Supreme Court Roe v. Wade decision, making it possible for women to legally and safely receive abortion care
The Rev. Traci Blackmon is speaking out and taking action against the abortion ban in her home state of Missouri. The UCC Associate General Minister is one of 13 clergy from six faith traditions challenging the abortion bans in Missouri, saying that laws based on one religious doctrine cannot be imposed on everyone. Four of
The United Church of Christ’s Council for Health and Human Service Ministries (CHHSM) has opened applications for enrollment for the 2023-24 class of its Nollau Leadership Institute. The institute’s year-long leadership formation program helps class members discern their call as Diakonal Ministers. A special vocation for serving leaders within CHHSM members and the wider UCC, Diakonal Ministers
Churches in rural areas sometimes may be, geographically, set apart. But that doesn’t mean they have to be isolated in their ministries. To help forge important connections, the United Church of Christ is offering a three-day virtual gathering aimed at linking UCC congregations in smaller communities throughout the United States. The Virtual National Gathering of
It’s a new year, and the national ministries of the United Church of Christ are looking toward what it means “to make all things new.” Those words from Isaiah 43:18-19 comprise the theme for this year’s General Synod and for much of what the national setting has planned in 2023. Advocating for the most vulnerable
It was a gathering four years in the making. When the Authorizing Ministry for the 21st Century gathering took place in December, it was the first time since 2018 that Conference staffers, the Local Church Ministries Ministerial Excellence, Support and Authorization team, and other national staff could come together in one place. The wider church
After more than five years of lobbying and a decade of work on the issue, UCC Media Justice (formerly OC Inc.) celebrated a major victory Jan. 5 when President Joe Biden signed a law to limit the rates that communications providers serving prisons, jails and detention centers can charge incarcerated persons and their family members.