Author: Davena Jones

by Conference Minister Diane Weible As many of you know, our Annual Gathering theme last year was centered around The Elephant in the Room when it comes to racism and white supremacy. Today I want to reflect of the part of the elephant that is reproductive justice and the threat to the rights of women, especially women of color, to make decisions about their own body. If a state bans abortions, some women can go to other states and still make decisions for themselves. Some women, however, and those women are disproportionately women of color, will lose the choice to…

by Conference Minister Diane Weible Earlier this week I was talking to the Rev. Tami Groves, pastor and teacher of First Congregational Church in San Francisco. She was telling me about Recovery Café, a ministry located at their church which opened its doors during a critical time: during the pandemic. This ministry makes such an impact on the Tenderloin neighborhood where their church is located and is in need of our help in order to continue.  I will share more about this invitation for our support in a bit. First, I want to share a sacred experience I had in…

by Diane Weible As we continue to build on our 2020 Annual Gathering theme,“The Elephant in the Room,” and our 2021 theme, “The Elephant Speaks: Listen. Reflect. Learn,” we are expand our opportunity for reflection even further: “Learn. Love. Act.” Is our 2022 Annual Gathering theme. As our Annual Gathering Planning Team was brainstorming what we would like to see from a keynote presentation, we decided we want to focus, in particular, on the word “Act”. For the past two years (at least) we have been encouragingLearning—learning to hear stories in a way that invites perspectives outside our single narrative—out…

by Conference Minister Diane Weible I have preached on the story of Doubting Thomas more than any other scripture passage. As Conference Minister, it is not unusual for me to be asked to preach the Sunday after Easter, which, traditionally, includes this story in the Revised Common Lectionary. My feelings about Thomas have shifted over the years. This year I was really surprised by a connection one of my lectionary sources made of this passage to passages that come before this one. While I was aware of each passage, I hadn’t seen the connection until it was pointed out to…

In Valarie Kaur’s newsletter last week, she explored the topic of Wonder. In the work I do in the practice of coaching, wonder is something near and dear to my heart. I see wonder as being what allows us to approach something with an open heart and curiosity. I see it at the opposite of certainty. When we are certain about something, sometimes, it means we have already made our assumptions and judgments and we have closed ourselves off from other stories, of other ways of seeing an issue or an individual.Valarie says in her newsletter that who we wonder…

Years ago, while I was in discernment around my own call to ministry, I was in a small circle of a group of faithful women and men – all of whom have since joined the great cloud of witnesses. One of the men, a retired clergyperson himself, asked me to describe what I saw the church like in 2020, knowing he’d not live to see it. I shared my dreams and ideas, infused by my own love of then-emerging communications technology that we now know as ‘social media.’ As I spoke, one of the women smiled and took my hand…

Last week I learned about a racial justice initiative of the United Parish Church in Brookline, Massachusetts, called “The Negro Spiritual Royalties Project.” To best explain this initiative, I have copied some information from their website: We will begin the practice of collecting "royalties" ​for the African American, or “Negro,” Spirituals we sing in worship. (Negro Spirituals is the term most commonly used by Black Americans and historians for this body of music. The term itself makes many white Americans uncomfortable, but I believe the discomfort is a necessary part of the process.) Unlike other hymns and worship music, Negro…

by Conference Minister Diane Weible The war in Ukraine is heartbreaking. We lift up our prayers for those who are fighting and for those who are fleeing to find safety, leaving behind family members who remain to fight. We pray for God’s peace to prevail in the midst of this horrendous war and look for ways we can make a difference. The tragic war in Ukraine dominates the news cycle but we all know it is not the only place where people fear for their lives and are forced to flee. From violence on our own streets to the real…

by Associate Conference Minister Daniel Ross-Jones I was sitting with a group of leaders from a small church that were daunted by the task in front of them: completing the Local Church Profile as part of the process to find their next Pastor & Teacher. For those who are unfamiliar, the Local Church Profile in the United Church of Christ answers three broad questions: Who are we? Who is our neighbor? Who is God calling us to become? This church had struggled with their own identity for quite some time. It had a storied past, one of a timeless legacy…

We are all paying attention to the news reports that are coming from Ukraine. Valarie Kaur sent out an email last week and she has given me permission to share it with you today. I cannot think of any words better than hers in this tender time. Be safe and well, My Friends, and please take care of yourselves even as you are working to care for others. My loves, I have been breathless watching the terror in Ukraine unfold. Russia’s invasion comes in the midst of nearly a decade of escalating tension, violence, and antagonization. Since 2014, at least…