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Can you do something about___________? Whether it comes through an email or voicemail, or simply implied after reading the day’s news, ministry is in part the work of answering this question. This question and whether or how we choose to answer, has rippling consequences. Including for the minister themselves. To have a pastor’s heart means that it will be filled to over-flowing and broken or broken open, often in the same day. You know this to be true. And what happens after, how do you tend to your heart after tending to others? In a conversation with a colleague a…

Did you know that an exciting piece of legislation has just passed the California state legislature that would both fast-track lots of new affordable housing projects WHILE earning revenue for our churches? It’s headed for Governor Newsom’s desk next and needs your support to become law! SB4, the Affordable Housing on Faith Lands Act, will allow faith communities and nonprofit colleges to build affordable housing on their land by-right: without submitting to the arduous and often expensive process to get local approval. Building affordable housing on our church campuses–on parking lots, repurposing or replacing unused or underutilized buildings–is an elegant…

“Communities of Practice are groups of people who share a concern about a set of problems, or a passion about a topic and who deepen their knowledge and expertise in this area by interacting on an ongoing basis.” -- Etienne Wenger The purpose of Communities of Practice (COP) is to bring seasoned clergy, new clergy, AND lay people together focusing on strengthening your ministry. The participants share a common interest in their commitment to ongoing development of competence in ministry (in various settings). In COP knowledge within the group is developed and is tested through the member’s actual practice of…

Grace is a supple movement through tense passages. It blindsides vengeance. This is a lesson taught to me most dramatically through events that occurred at this time of year, over the course of six decades. Every year, as August mellows into September, the memories return. Seasonal reminders of powerful events and teachings. AUGUST 1993 On Monday, August 23, 1993, I was in Gugulethu, outside of Cape Town. It was a time of turbulence in South Africa—politically, socially, racially. Laws that had held apartheid in place were gone, but free elections were still 8 months in the future, and no one…

Rev. David K. Popham, the Hawaii Conference Minister, shared this information in the Hawaii Conference newsletter: WildfiresNo doubt, like me, you watched in horror the newscasts and read news stories as the fires spread across Maui and Hawai'i Islands. Most heartrending at this time are the images of Lahaina on fire. Due to limited phone access, we are still seeking firm information regarding people and church properties directly affected.     We do know the following limited information: Waiola Church fellowship hall burned in the fire, we do not have word on their sanctuary. We know the Campbell House and adjacent park…

High schoolers and youth leaders are heading down to Camp Tamarack youth camp in about a week. We’ll spend seven days together with bonfires, camp songs, togetherness, time to listen and share, oh, lots of sweat, and it’s hot out there. But when we ask teens where they’ve seen God work, summer camp shows up a lot—not because of how fantastic our campsite is, but because God has used this week to change our hearts in beautiful and abundant ways. We’re praying that God does that again this year. I hope and pray that you will send your High Schoolers…

That feeling of experiencing history in person took my breath away, tears rolled down my face and I had to keep my feet from breaking into a full-on Holy Ghost Dance as the favorable vote came across the screens. The Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia Thompson was elected as the UCC's General Minister and President, the first female and the first of African descent. For me, it was an important reminder of being a part of a larger whole, where each part of the church can offer its blessings and ask for support in its burdens. I have been publicly criticized…

Disaster responders, communicators and coordinators gathered May 8-11 in St. Louis for the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) conference, “Gateway to Collaboration.” Attendees from religious and secular organizations from around the country, along with representatives from government agencies such as FEMA, heard the latest disaster response initiatives in the various workshops and presentations offered throughout the four-day event. What was just as important as the plethora of information, though, was for VOAD members to meet in-person once again.“It was good having the family back together,” said the Rev. Karl Jones. Jones, who serves as a Conference Disaster Coordinator…

This month we, the Northern California Nevada Conference UCC, celebrate our 61st Anniversary. We are the United Church of Christ in Northern California and Northern Nevada. We are 110 local churches (13,500 members) and 357 ministers, from Eureka to Tulare, from Monterey to Reno, and everywhere in between. Some of our churches were founded during the early years of the California gold rush. We all started with a desire to be people of worship, education, fellowship, and ministry to our communities. Our mission is to unite ourselves as a covenant community and support and nurture each other as we seek to make God’s…