By posted by Joy Davis
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Reflection on “Every 15 Minutes” Program

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By Rev. Melissa Tumaneng, ACM, NCNC-UCC On March 19, 2026, I participated in the “Every 15-minutes” program at College Park High School in Pleasant Hill. The Pleasant Hill Police Department were looking for chaplains. Profound appreciation to Rev. Niels Teunis, Senior Minister at Hillcrest UCC in Pleasant Hill, for the invitation. Overview: “Every 15 Minutes” program is a high school educational initiative designed to show the seriousness of impaired driving, including drunk and distracted driving. It is meant to be emotional, realistic, and memorable. The program name comes from the (historical) statistic that someone dies in an alcohol-related crash every…
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By posted by Joy Davis
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Remembering Together: Faith, Memory, and Solidarity on the Day of Remembrance

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By Pastor Tomoko Murao-Fuse On February 25, a Day of Remembrance Interfaith Vigil was held outside the ICE Field Office in San Francisco. Organized by the Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity (IM4HI), the gathering was supported by many faith communities—including Sycamore Congregational Church—as well as Japanese American and Japanese community organizations. Faith leaders, community organizers, and members of many traditions came together in prayer, remembrance, and solidarity. The Day of Remembrance marks the anniversary of Executive Order 9066, signed on February 19, 1942, which led to the forced removal and incarceration of more than 125,000 people of Japanese ancestry (⅔…
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By posted by Joy Davis
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Root Causes of Migration in Honduras and Central America

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By Rev. Deborah Lee, Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity Tonight, I depart for Honduras to participate in a delegation coordinated by the SHARE Foundation. It is difficult to step away from the daily realities that we are responding to together, especially knowing that several of our community leaders are detained. But I will carry you all with me as I take this opportunity to honor the legacy of Berta Cáceres and Juan López, who, even in their death, inspire us with their vision to face the crises confronting us here in this part of the Americas. Our delegation will attend the 10th Anniversary memorial…
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By posted by Joy Davis
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Have You Heard? As I Begin my Study Leave

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By Rev. Rhina Ramos, ACM I am reflecting on this opportunity. I have never had this chance in any other employment. The conference is allowing me to take two weeks of paid leave to dedicate to spiritual reflection. What a privilege! I hope to brainstorm my second book, something along the lines of faith and doubts. They co-exist in a perfect balance. It is sometimes from the darkest places of the soul that our strongest convictions come to life. Before I came out of the closet, I used to fear that if I allowed myself to admit I was a…
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By posted by Joy Davis
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Honoring Black History & the Living Legacy of Rev. Jesse Jackson

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By MeLinda LaViene On this day a childhood memory came to mind when I heard about the loss of Rev. Jesse Jackson. My grandmother was a caterer and house maid for Mayor Diane Feinstein. I can remember being on the campaign trail with my grandmother in San Francisco’s Nob Hill district; popping up an ironing board as our table setup and getting unregistered voters registered to vote. As Mayor Diane Feinstein exited her vehicle and began to speak with people another long black vehicle pulled up and out exited Rev. Jesse Jackson. He approached our ironing board table set up…
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By posted by Joy Davis
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A Faithful Response to Economic Injustice

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In 2017, the United Church of Christ, through General Synod XXXI, named a hard truth: our economic systems do not serve everyone equally. Many of our neighbors remain excluded from fair financial services, while others are harmed by predatory lending practices that profit from vulnerability rather than support human flourishing. The Church recognized that economic justice is not separate from our faith, it is an expression of it. Out of that conviction, Generations United Federal Credit Union was established. GUFCU exists as a practical response to the call of General Synod: to support those who are historically underbanked or unbanked,…
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By posted by Joy Davis
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Have You Heard? Resistance Comes with a Price

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By Rev. Rhina Ramos, ACM I was 9 years old when the civil war erupted in El Salvador. Pretty soon our lives changed because we learned to fear our own government. We knew of neighbors captured by the army at night. Their only crime was to oppose a repressive government. We knew of the disappeared and were afraid that our loved ones could be taken too. My father had to go into exile in 1982, and my aunt, his sister, ended up in Nicaragua because of political persecution. In those times, anything we said in public could be used to label us…
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By posted by Joy Davis
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Herod is terrified of losing power

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By Rev. Rhina Ramos When Herod is terrified to lose his grip as king, he orders a massacre of children under two in Jerusalem. When President Trump faces lower approval presidential rates, and the increasing inflation of prices in the US, he resorts to invasion of a sovereign state. The situation in Venezuela is complex. Many Venezuelans have longed for President Maduro to be replaced. During 29 years of Chavismo-Maduro dictatorships, Venezuela went down from being one of the countries with best standards of living in the hemisphere to a place where its nationals want to desperately leave. You can…
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By posted by Joy Davis
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Faith and the Moral Imperative of Housing

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By Rev. Dr. G. Penny Nixon As a faith leader, and as a human, what I am thinking about this holiday season are the faces of all those so deeply impacted by the high cost of housing—the woman working three jobs who still can't afford rent ;the teacher forced to move two counties away from the students she loves; the family living in their car in the shadow of empty buildings. They are not statistics. They are our neighbors. And if my faith means anything at all, it must speak to this crisis with clarity and conviction. While there is…
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