When: Fri Feb 10, 2012 11:45am to 1:15pm  EST

Event Status: confirmed

When: Mon Feb 13, 2012 7pm to 8pm  EST

Event Status: confirmed

Leaders of the United Church of Christ today (Feb. 7) applauded the ruling handed down by the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals calling California’s "Prop 8” unconstitutional.

Widely regarded as one of the world’s leading authorities on African-American art, David Driskell will help the United Church of Christ’s national setting commemorate Black History Month with a guest speech Feb. 22 (Ash Wednesday) addressing the link between the creative process and religious beliefs.

Preparing the way for future faith leaders is part of what the newly established Lee and Jacquelin Brummel ISEDET Education Fund hopes to accomplish. The Brummels served in Argentina for more than 15 years with Global Ministries at the Superior Evangelical Institute of Theological Studies (ISEDET) in Buenos Aires and the Disciples of Christ Church of Argentina. An ecumenical institution with involvement from many Protestant churches, ISEDET provides training in theology to prepare students as pastors, teachers and researchers. Drawing upon the diverse traditions, values and beliefs in Latin America, ISEDET is better able to respond to the needs of a community rich in faith. All donations to the Brummel ISEDET Education Fund will be sent annually and used for the most pressing needs, with priority given to scholarship programs at the seminary.

When: Sat Feb 18, 2012 9:30am to 10:30am  EST

Event Status: confirmed

Building on its award-winning momentum, the UCC's StillSpeaking Magazine is in the initial stages of a planned reassessment of the goals it has achieved and those that lie ahead, including new ways to broaden its appeal.

When the earthquake in Haiti hit, a five-year-old girl from First United Protestant Church UCC in Hilo, Hawaii, asked her congregation to save its change and help buy shoes for the children in Haiti. The Sunday School children collected the money and were amazed at how much they received. When an earthquake hit Chile the little girl did the same thing again and showed her congregation that one person can start something.

This winter, food pantries and homeless shelters in many parts of the country are serving increased numbers of people. Homelessness and hunger are crises any time of year, but in winter the situation is acute—especially for families. UCC churches across the country are mobilizing and focusing on what they can do in these uncertain financial times. Certainly many churches are cutting back expenses, but they are also looking deeper at what they are able and equipped to do for others—and it’s a lot. Congregations are offering all kinds of assistance, to community members and church members alike. At St. Mathews UCC in Wheaton, IL, the youth group volunteers at the People’s Resource Center, a local food pantry. The youth work hard to get their jobs done, but it isn’t until they see the people coming in that they realize just how important food pantries are. That’s when they realize that not everyone gets to wake up from a warm bed and eat a hot breakfast before leaving the house to spend a short time in the cold. Some people may be in the cold all the time, and without the sustenance of three meals a day. It’s humbling to see the many people in need, but also good to know that the food pantry has a good stockpile of food at the moment. Projects like this provide defining moments in fellowship and service for church members. This winter, UCC congregations are stepping up to the plate and seeking opportunities to serve the vulnerable among us.

When the local food bank was asked to relocate, it had no place to go and was going to have to close its door if a new location could not be found. First Congregational Church UCC in Madison, Conn., realized that with a little rearranging it could give the food bank space to continue helping others. In just two years the food bank has tripled the number of families it serves and is now in need of a bigger space. The church has also helped a refugee family from Iraq, providing the empty parsonage as their home for a year. The youth of the church also have been helping others. On a mission trip to the Dominican Republic they experienced first hand what the homeless go through - sleeping where they sleep, eating common food, and loving the families they served. The church is continuing to help others in their community and all over the world.

United Church of Christ justice advocates have joined with the National Council of Churches and a growing list of religious and advocacy organizations calling for the tightening of laws to prevent Internet stalking.

The Rev. Geoffrey A. Black, UCC general minister and president, introduced the first of five weekly Black History Month observances at the United Church of Christ's Amistad Chapel in Cleveland as "setting the stage for things to come."

The Cleveland-based denominational headquarters of the United Church of Christ are presenting five prominent African Americans who will highlight activities at the UCC Church House during Black History Month. They will preach at special noontime Wednesday worship services in the Amistad Chapel.

First Congregational Church of Buxton, Maine, had two options: Deep Change or Slow Death. It chose the former and made drastic changes to the small congregation. After rearranging committee members, reducing the number of council meetings, moving Sunday School to the church and adding activities for the youth group, First Congregational Church found it is discovering new life, not heading for a slow death.

UCC’s ‘one church’ emphasis to help youth attend event

There is room enough for all at God’s table. Members of the Disciples of Christ and the United Church of Christ, along with leaders of the Disciples and Congregational Churches of Mexico, gathered in San Diego in February 2011 to participate in a conference called, “Turning Walls into Tables”. If we turn walls on their sides that’s just what they become – tables at which to gather instead of barriers to keep us apart. Part of the group’s commitment is “identifying the walls that exist in our communities—from language, education, residency and economic disparity, to other political, religious and social boundaries. These walls impede the creation of God’s Realm on earth.” The commitment further states, “We commit ourselves to respond to the Gospel call to welcome the stranger, for we have become even more aware that we are “no longer strangers and aliens, but citizens with the saints, and also members of the household of God” (Ephesians 2:19).”

Within a few months of the pastor of Zion UCC in Lenoir, N.C., starting, she walked to the neighboring elementary school and asked if the church could help them in any way. The principal said they needed tutors and “A Homework Ministry” was born. Once a week children walk next door to Zion after school for an hour tutoring session with active and retired schoolteachers and administrators. Children have the opportunity to get help with homework and a safe space to gather, talk, laugh and pray.

UCC pastors, denominational leaders and members are joining with ecumenical colleagues for the second consecutive year to make Lent an opportunity to enter into a spiritual discipline of fasting from carbon.

The Super Bowl is just a few weeks away and, like every year, there will be variables – the teams, the players, the play book, the venue. Unfortunately, one thing will remain constant – the shame of child trafficking. Change.org, an online organization that raises awareness about important social causes, says that children as young as 11 are trafficked in hosting Super Bowl cities every year. If you’ve never heard of this travesty, you’re not alone. Child trafficking at the Super Bowl is not something host cities want to advertise. At the 2011 Super Bowl in Texas, a local organization called Traffick911 created the "I'm Not Buying It" campaign in Dallas. According to change.org’s website, Traffick911 “offered The Host Committee free PSAs, posters, banners and informational cards to educate the public and protect children from being abused and raped.” The Host Committee refused to display the information. Get involved in protecting children this year at the Super Bowl.

When: Sun Jan 29, 2012 12pm to 1pm  EST

Event Status: confirmed