United Church of Christ

For people who are unhoused, winter can be a particularly difficult time – especially with the United States in the midst of a serious housing crisis. Last year, a 12% increase in the amount of people experiencing homelessness included a…

The post Churches respond to housing crisis with shelter, advocacy, care appeared first on United Church of Christ.

From March 3 to 9, the United Church of Christ is commemorating UCC Women’s Week this year. That includes a special webinar, “Embodying Women and Gender Justice Year-Round,” that will be held Wednesday, March 6 at 3:30 p.m. ET. March…

The post Watch: UCC officers honor women in church and beyond appeared first on United Church of Christ.

It is important for Christians to reframe the conversation around abortion, according to Rev. Rebecca Todd Peters.   This was the major point of her talk as the guest speaker at an event hosted by Friends Congregational Church of College Station,…

The post Texas church-led event helps ‘change the conversation’ around reproductive justice, theology appeared first on United Church of Christ.

A virtual interfaith vigil for peace was held Feb. 23, a day before the two-year anniversary of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian military, which first entered Crimea in 2014. Organized by the Episcopal Public Policy Network, in…

The post Two years after invasion, needs of displaced Ukrainians continue as UCC keeps appeal going appeared first on United Church of Christ.

While heated policy debates and threats to programs for migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers continue in the United States, similar conversations are being held across the ocean.  Global Ministries, the common witness of the United Church of Christ and Christian…

The post ‘Immigration debate is not unique to U.S.’: Global Ministries co-sponsors Rome conference on migration, refugees appeared first on United Church of Christ.

Since 1949, the season of Lent has been one in which churches across denominations, including the United Church of Christ, have practiced the spiritual discipline of giving by participating in the One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS) offering to help…

The post One Great Hour of Sharing celebrates 75 years: Churches prepare to take offering with mix of nostalgia and urgency appeared first on United Church of Christ.

When the Rev. Ray Jordan began offering pulpit supply at First Community Church United Church of Christ, he didn’t know that it would lead to a position as the church’s pastor and a shift in how the Dallas church does…

The post ‘Church without walls’: Dallas congregation moves out of building to mission-centered model appeared first on United Church of Christ.

Julia Gaughan, chair of the United Church of Christ Board, has issued the following report on the board’s recent meeting. She is an authorized minister serving Peace United Church of Christ in Alma, Kansas, and a member-in-discernment with Plymouth Congregational UCC in Lawrence, Kansas. Greetings, siblings…

The post Report to the church from the UCC Board: March 2024 appeared first on United Church of Christ.

The United Church of Christ will celebrate UCC Women’s Week, observed from March 3 to 9, with opportunities and resources for worship, reflection and participation in global advocacy.  Every March, UCC Women’s Week kicks off Women’s History Month and coincides…

The post Join in UCC Women’s Week through daily meditation, new liturgy and global advocacy appeared first on United Church of Christ.

In the year following General Synod, the United Church of Christ typically holds an annual Clergywomen’s Leadership Event (CWLE), sponsored by the Antoinette Brown Society (ABS). In 2024, CWLE comes to Charleston, South Carolina, from April 16 to 18. Authorized…

The post Early bird registration extended for clergywomen leadership gathering in Charleston this April appeared first on United Church of Christ.

This election year, the United Church of Christ is inviting children and youth to share their hopes for the world: What do they value? What would they like to see protected? What should adults remember when they vote this year,…

The post Vote for Climate Hope art contest submissions open March 1 appeared first on United Church of Christ.

As Black History Month wraps up, the United Church of Christ Historical Council encourages congregations to make plans for continued study of Black history within the denomination. The book Afro-Christian Convention: The Fifth Stream of the United Church of Christ,…

The post Celebrate Black church history with Afro-Christian Convention study guide appeared first on United Church of Christ.

Last week, a coalition of interfaith groups and justice organizations — including Christian, Muslim, Jewish and Hindu partners — completed an eight-day “Pilgrimage for Peace,” urging a ceasefire in Gaza.  The pilgrims left Philadelphia on Feb. 14 and arrived at…

The post Why they walked: Hear from UCC members why they joined week-long ‘Pilgrimage for Peace’ for Gaza appeared first on United Church of Christ.

“A great cloud of witnesses” gathered for a United Church of Christ commemoration of Black History Month this week. At the Feb. 14 Black History virtual gathering, “Unsung Heroes of the Environmental Justice Movement,” the Rev. Brooks Berndt, co-host and…

The post Environmental justice leaders share stories of colleagues and ‘unsung heroes’ for Black History Month appeared first on United Church of Christ.

What if loneliness isn’t a social problem to be solved but rather an opportunity for spiritual transformation?  The Rev. Dwight Wolter is the pastor of the Congregational Church of Patchogue, New York, and the author of The Gospel of Loneliness,…

The post Author interview: UCC pastor explains how loneliness is ‘an opportunity for transformation’ appeared first on United Church of Christ.

Valentine’s Day found members of several Washington, D.C.-area United Church of Christ congregations participating in the delivery of over 500 olivewood hearts — each representing one beating heart of the nearly 12,000 Palestinian children killed in Gaza since Oct. 7.…

The post Symbolizing children killed in Gaza, hundreds of hearts from Bethlehem delivered to Congress by UCC volunteers appeared first on United Church of Christ.

On Ash Wednesday, Feb. 14, in Lafayette Park near the White House, national Christian organizations and peacemakers, including the United Church of Christ, launched a weekly Lenten ceasefire campaign. It started with a Catholic Mass followed by an ecumenical public…

The post Lenten ceasefire campaign launches with Ash Wednesday witness in front of White House appeared first on United Church of Christ.

On Ash Wednesday, Feb. 14, a mass shooting after Kansas City’s Super Bowl celebration took the life of one person and wounded more than 20 others. Meanwhile, political discourse and policy debate in the United States put at risk migrants and asylum seekers…

The post Thompson offers Lenten lament in response to Kansas City shooting and other violence appeared first on United Church of Christ.

The new year has brought many changes to the United Church of Christ national offices. This year, the Rev. Shari Prestemon began her tenure as Acting Associate General Minister, while the National Setting continued to live into a “one-staff model”…

The post Fresh faces among national staff represent UCC mission and vision appeared first on United Church of Christ.

The United Church of Christ’s Harm Reduction and Overdose Prevention Ministries have plans to offer education and resources for UCC faith and lay leadership, specifically for certain areas of the Appalachian region. It’s an area that has been disproportionately impacted…

The post New grant will support UCC harm reduction, overdose prevention ministry in reaching high-need areas appeared first on United Church of Christ.