The Trump Administration rescinded a policy that required Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to seek additional authority prior to conducting immigration enforcement actions in locations like churches, schools, and hospitals on January 20, 2025. Churches are rightfully concerned the rescission of the policy will result in raids or enforcement actions at or near churches.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said that “life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” United Church of Christ congregations have been actively answering that question in many ways, including embracing the Civil Rights leader’s federal holiday, MLK Jr. Day — held the third Monday in January since 1986
If ever there was a person who could talk with great passion and write prolifically about the covenantal foundation of the United Church of Christ, that would be the Rev. Dr. Clyde J. Steckel. Born March 11, 1926, Steckel, a UCC pastor who spent a long and illustrious career in academia, joining United Theological Seminary
When a group of United Church of Christ and interfaith clergy and people of faith gathered in Memphis on the evening of Jan. 20, they shared energy and visions to remain rooted in love, justice, and inclusion in the coming days. Video highlights from the “For Such a Time as This” worship and mass meeting
“Now hope that is seen is not hope, for who hopes for what one already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” (Romans 8:24-25) Twenty years ago, when I was leading Back Bay Mission (Biloxi, Mississippi) through the horrific aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, there were
“In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now.” Those were the words of The Right Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, Bishop of the Diocese of Washington at a prayer service in Washington DC, as she asked President Trump to show compassion towards
The annual meeting of the ACT Alliance North America Forum was held at the National Setting of the United Church of Christ in Cleveland, Ohio on January 15 and 16. ACT North America (ACT NA forum) members include the UCC, Baptist World Aid, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, and others whose
On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, prominent religious leaders from across the country filled the sanctuary of Healing Cathedral Christian Church in Memphis, Tennessee, with music and united visions of hope. Many gathered in person, online, and at satellite sites around the country to participate in For Such a Time as This, a national worship
