The United Church of Christ is a justice-loving, peacemaking, open and affirming church, long an activist church, full of concerned Christians who take action in response to suffering and need. On this page, we will post news and opportunities for action and ministry that relate to the many concerns we share as people of the Spirit. Please let us know if there are links or text you would like to add to these Justice and Witness / Mission and Action / Peacemaking pages!

SACRED CONVERSATIONS ON RACE
SPIN, SPIRIT AND SOUNDBYTES ON RACE, WRIGHT AND POLITICS

On Sunday, May 18, many pastors across the UCC offered sermons on race in hopes of beginning a sacred conversation, a dialogue that is needed in our pews, our homes and the hallways of power across our country. After May 18, congregations are encouraged to develop a months-long process in order to set aside the necessary time and attention needed to structure a sacred conversation about race.

Click the logo to go to our Sacred Conversations on Race page.

Empowerment for Social Justice and Peace
OVERVIEW BOARD FOR JUSTICE & WITNESS MINISTRIES

Mission Statement
      The guiding principle for the work of the NCNCUCC's Overview Board for Justice & Witness Ministries is to empower local congregations of the Conference to engage in issues of social justice that reflect the interests and needs of those local congregations and their surrounding communities.
      The Overview Board strives to provide tools to local congregations that will assist them in addressing systemic issues consistent with those supported through the annual Neighbors In Need offering of the United Church of christ. These include poor health, racial and economic injustice, hunger, disparities in education, violence, environmental injustice and underemployment.

To learn more about the NCNC Justice & Witness Board, check out our Brochure. (Please feel free to download, print and distribute!)

Assisting congregations seeking funding for justice and witness programs
JUSTICE AND WITNESS GRANT PRINCIPLES

Is your congregation interested in starting a program in your community to deal with health care for the poor? Or to raise up issues of economic justice? Hunger action? Disparities in education? Peace education or environmental justice or underemployment? ...here are the guidelines you need to apply to the NCNCUCC Justice and Witness Ministries for a grant.

The UCC's Annual Justice & Witness All-Church Offering
Neighbors in Need - offering information

In a time of war...WE ARE PEACEMAKERS
NCNC WAR AWARENESS

Iraqi and Afghani families, even more than our own, are grieving and fearful. We in the United Church of Christ are peacemakers. What do we do, as war becomes an everyday reality? How do we keep from becoming numb and oblivious?

ANNUAL MEETING 2007 - Administrative Affirmation - Establishing a Ministry Network on Justice and Peace for Iraq

Reaffirming the NCNCUCC as a Just Peace Church - Position Statement of our Annual Meeting, May, 2003.

UCC Justice and Witness Ministries Endorses National Peace Campaign
The United Church of Christ Justice and Witness Ministries has endorsed the Declaration of Peace, a pledge to take peaceful steps for the immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq and to engage in nonviolent protest if a plan to end the war is not established. To read the declaration of peace, to learn more and sign up for the campaign online, visit the website at: http://declarationofpeace.org/

Wage Peace Campaign - Check out the American Friends Service Committee's peace pages. While you're there, be sure to view the AFSC's excellent Wage Peace Movie, Eyes Wide Open  (A short, 2 minute movie to see, and a petition to sign: "Tell the President and the Congress: Bring the troops home now.")

OPPORTUNITY FOR MINISTRY
EMERGENCY RELIEF & DISASTER RESPONSE
We are there, whenever, wherever...

Whenever disaster strikes, many of our churches respond immediately with extra financial gifts through the Northern California Nevada Conference United Church of Christ. Our gifts are routed quickly through the UCC's Wider Church Ministries, One Great Hour of Sharing and/or Church World Service, all of which are on alert and ready to send help immediately wherever and whenever there is a crisis. Every dollar goes directly for emergency relief.

During an emergency, make checks payable to NCNCUCC, and mark it clearly on the memo line for the crisis to which you are responding. Send your check to:
    The Northern California Nevada Conference UCC
    21425 Birch Street,
    Hayward, CA 94541-2131
Questions? Please email David Bergman-Hill, Associate Conference Minister for Stewardship, Administration and Finance.

UCC Disaster Response HURRICANE RELIEF IS ONGOING        - YOUR HELP IS STILL NEEDED OCTOBER 2007 UPDATE - Our United Church of Christ had a goal of raising $3 million from members and congregations to support long-term hurricane relief, recovery and rehabilitation.  So far, over 6 million dollars has been raised! Here is the latest report (October 2007) on funds received and expended through the One Great Hour of Sharing special fund, Hope Shall Bloom. The need for volunteer work groups continues (see http://www.ucc.org/volunteer/hurricane/). Find out more about how you can help....see our GULF COAST HURRICANE RELIEF PAGES

Over but not Forgotten
EARTH STEWARDS CONFERENCE, OCTOBER 28, 2006

Over 70 people gathered at the First Congregational Church of Sonoma, UCC for the Northern California Nevada Conference’s Earth Steward’s gathering held on October 28th.

The Conference is over, but there's lots of work yet to do! Check out the pictures and a report, "From 'Cheater Economics' to 'Eco-Economy'" by Veda Lewis. (On the Sonoma UCC website)

Go to Earth Stewards web pages

Communities of Compassion Confronting Genocide
DEAR SUDAN,

Tim Nonn, member of our Petaluma United Church of Christ, had a wake-up call in 2004 - something HAD to be done to stop the genocide in Darfur, Sudan.

From the website: "It began in Petaluma, California as 'Dear Sudan, Love Petaluma,' a local interfaith campaign to support humanitarian relief in the Darfur region of Sudan. The goal: raise enough money to feed 55,000 refugees for one day--equal to the population of Petaluma. Since each Sudanese refugee requires only 16 cents per day for food provided through a program supported by Church World Service, the goal was $8,800.

"The 'Dear Sudan, Love Petaluma,' campaign surpassed this goal, raising over $10,000 in 2004!  These funds were sent directly to Church World Service, meaning that 65,000 displaced Sudanese have food for one more day...(continued on the Dear Sudan, website, "How did it start?")

Proclaim Liberty Throughout the Land
Jubilee Congregations

Clergy For Fairness
CLERGY GROUP OPPOSES CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT

Clergy for Fairness is an ad-hoc coalition of clergy and religious leaders from a number of religious backgrounds. They have united their efforts to oppose passage of the Federal Marriage Amendment out of a deep desire to preserve religious liberty and to oppose writing discrimination into the Constitution.

They have established a website - http://clergyforfairness.org/ - to organize clergy members and religious leaders who strongly oppose any attempt to write discrimination into the United States Constitution. Despite the fact that similar legislation failed in both the House and Senate in the last Congress, the Federal Marriage Amendment (also known as the so-called “Marriage Protection Amendment”) has been reintroduced. More than 100 national organizations oppose this extreme amendment to the Constitution, including many national religious groups.

If you are a clergy member or religious leader, go to http://clergyforfairness.org/ to join the fight to stand up for individual rights and religious liberty. Add your name to the growing list of Americans who oppose writing discrimination into our Constitution. In addition, read the joint letter from national denominations and religious groups opposing the Federal Marriage Amendment. As of May 23, 2006, 1,618 clergy members and religious leaders have signed the Open Letter to the U.S. Senate.

33rd Anniversary of Roe v. Wade
"PRO-CHOICE"  "PRO-LIFE"  "ROE v. WADE"
  by Mary Susan Gast, Conference Minister

As a society we have never passed legislation to require fathers or mothers, brothers or sisters to donate bone marrow or a kidney to a family member, even if such a donation is the only action that will keep the needy person alive. We do not intrude, although lives are at stake. Instead, we assume that the potential donor will weigh the action and make a responsible choice. And we offer support no matter what the decision. Not so, though, when the “donation” is 9 months during which... (more)

"Madonna and Child" courtesy of Keith A. Rosko

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this page last updated on August 5, 2008 2:43 PM