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!

An important message from Rev. John Thomas, UCC General Minister and Presidant
"Exciting news ... and we're asking for help one more time "

Tuesday, October 9, 2007  Will you help us in the final days of our campaign? Sign the petition today! Let me begin with exciting news. Yesterday alone, we added more than 10,000 signatures in support of the UCC’s Pastoral Letter on the Iraq War. That brings the total number to nearly 52,000! I’m told the fax machine in Justice and Witness Ministries ran non-stop all day long. Tomorrow, on Oct. 10, the Rev. Linda Jaramillo, JWM’s executive minister, and I will deliver our statement and the signatures to the leadership offices of the U.S. House and Senate at approximately 10 a.m. (ET). We have confirmed this meeting and pray it will be productive. Although we have requested a similar meeting with Administration officials, we have not yet received a favorable response. However, we will still attempt to deliver the Pastoral Letter and copies of the petitions to the White House at 12:30 p.m. (ET). Our plan is to stay until someone receives our petitions, or until we are arrested. In solidarity with our actions in Washington, D.C., we’re asking for help one more time. Here are two specific requests: Please join in prayerful solidarity with us at 12:30 p.m. (ET) tomorrow, wherever you will be. Pray for peace in Iraq, and pray that our message of peace will be received in Washington. Knowing that thousands of UCC members will be joining simultaneously in prayer, as we’re delivering the petitions, will be great encouragement to us. We also ask that you make a special effort to call your in-district offices of your U.S. Representatives and Senators, in order to amplify our message. You can find names and contact information at www.congress.org. Also, to make it easier for you, we’ve provided a sample telephone call-in script that you might find helpful. United Church News will be providing the latest updates on our visit to Washington, so be sure to visit www.ucc.org/news late on Wednesday and again on Thursday to learn what happened, to see photos and watch video coverage. Thanks for all you have done and continue to do in support of “100,000 for Peace.” Sincerely, The Rev. John H. Thomas General Minister and President United Church of Christ See also John's 10/4 letter, Our Plans for Wednesday: "We’ve only got six days left until we deliver the UCC’s '100,000 for Peace' petitions to Washington, D.C. But there’s just one Sunday remaining, so we’ve got work to do!..." (continued) See also John's 10/3 letter, One week from today: "One week from today, on the morning of October 10, I will be visiting the leadership offices of the U.S. House and Senate to share with them the UCC’s Pastoral Letter on the Iraq War, along with the thousands of petitions we’ve gathered...." (continued)

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 - Proposed 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 November 23, 2007 10:30 AM