01/08/2020 - Changing Our Destiny
By: Kelly Gallagher - Justice and WitnessGiven the recent actions of our country – the assassination of a foreign leader justified as necessary to stop a feared attack – it is more important than ever to reflect...
Blogs
Blogs
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12/19/2019 - A Christmas Cry
By: Dawn Adams - Justice and WitnessI did not expect this. The angel had warned me in a dream. We had to leave. I packed us up in the night. Herod’s men were coming with their swords drawn. We were barely...
12/10/2019 - I Have Work To Do. So Do You
By: Donald Remick - Conference staff Justice and WitnessEarly in November, the Conference Ministers gathered in Birmingham for our fall meeting. But it was more than a meeting. We had been encouraged to read articles and books...
11/04/2019 - Community Accountability in Restorative Justice
By: Brenda Nolan - Justice and WitnessFree public presentation on restorative justice and dialogue with Lauren Abramson, 1-3:30 PM Saturday, November 16, in Boston. For more information and to register, go ...
10/16/2019 - Getting Personal - A Devotional on Race
By: ivy tillman - Justice and Witnessby ivy tillman “The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captive and ...
10/01/2019 - Let's Take a Walk: The Ministry of Accompaniment
By: The Parish Paper - Justice and Witness Many Voices, One MissionWalking alongside someone in a time of need can be vastly reassuring. The ministry of “accompaniment,” often provided by churches in support for immigrants facing ...
09/18/2019 - Get Up High!
By: Brendan Curran - Justice and WitnessIn the very midst of their destruction, the prophet Isaiah empowers the people of God. The people in exile feel abandoned by God because they have been severed ...
08/29/2019 - Facing the Rising Sun Part 3: Slave, Midwife, and Legacy
By: Cleo Graham - Justice and WitnessRev. Cleo Graham commemorates the 400-year anniversary of African slaves first coming to America by sharing stories about her own ancestors.
08/21/2019 - Goodbye
By: Chancellur Dixon - Justice and Witness Outdoor MinistriesChance Dixon shares lyrics from a song he created about the inclusive community that is fostered at Silver Lake
08/12/2019 - Facing the Rising Sun Part 2: Searching for Milo
By: Cleo Graham - Church History and Identity Justice and WitnessRev. Cleo Graham commemorates the 400-year anniversary of African slaves first coming to America by sharing stories about her own ancestors.
08/01/2019 - Facing the Rising Sun Part 1
By: Cleo Graham - Church History and Identity Justice and WitnessRev. Cleo Graham commemorates the 400-year anniversary of African slaves first coming to America by sharing stories about her own ancestors who were slaves in America. ...
07/30/2019 - LGBT Asylum Seeker at the Border Released to UCC Church
By: Judy Hanlon - Justice and WitnessIn the middle of May, I received an email from Paralegal Erin Anderson from Al Otro Lago, an agency that works at the border to free folks in detention and provide ...
07/16/2019 - Value Our Families: Reuniting Families Act
By: Carla Dietz - Justice and WitnessRev. Carla Dietz shares her recent experience in Washington D.C. advocating for new immigration policy.
07/11/2019 - Celebration and Pride
By: Kathie Carpenter - Justice and WitnessCelebrate, Agitate, Activate - ONA35 On June 15, supporters of Open and Affirming gathered from around the Mass Conference to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the ...
07/11/2019 - Lights For Liberty Event Re-Cap
By: Carla Dietz - Justice and WitnessRev. Carla Dietz recaps the Lights for Liberty event held at First Church of Christ Congregational in Glastonbury on Friday, July 12.
07/09/2019 - Standing Up and Speaking Out for our Neighbor: Becoming an Immigrant Welcoming Church
By: Dawn Adams - Justice and WitnessWhat does it sound like when voices of over 625 churches in the new TA1 Conference come ...
06/13/2019 - Faith Floods the Courtroom
By: Liza Neal - Justice and WitnessJesus said, “I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink.” Matthew 25:35a Dr. Warren receives a blessing from clergy. Photo by Liza Neal. “If you live ...
06/07/2019 - Casino Forum in CT: A Report
By: Grace O'Connor - Justice and WitnessGrace O'Connor Intern, CT Conference, UCC In the first event of its kind, a Forum on the Economic and Social Impact of Expanded Gambling was held at the Connecticut ...
05/08/2019 - Creating a House of Refuge for Trans Asylum Seekers
By: Liza Neal - Justice and Witness“The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord ...
04/29/2019 - Actual Justice: The Justice of our Faith
By: Jon Tetherly - Justice and WitnessWe call ourselves the Actual Justice Task Team. We began as the Innocence Commission Task Team. Having been scandalized by first degree murder convictions of two African...
04/17/2019 - Many Voices One Mission: Redefining Social Matter in America
By: TJ Harper - Conference programming Justice and Witness Many Voices, One Mission Together, As One"So often, people fail to realize the interconnectedness of our struggle, because individual liberties are mistaken as the liberation of all people." — TJ Harper
04/04/2019 - Seven Best Practices for Supporting Interfaith and Ecumenical Partners in Challenging Times
By: Gail Wright - Justice and Witnessby The Rev. Gail Wright Even before I became a member of the Interfaith and Ecumenical ...
03/28/2019 - We Are Not Facing the Big Issues Alone
By: Grace O'Connor - Justice and WitnessHearing from so many others who view climate change as a worrisome issue was helpful for me personally in recognizing that nobody must face it alone.
03/21/2019 - Youth and Racism
By: Isaac Monts - Justice and Witness"At our last Conference Wide "Did You Know" Youth Racial Justice Program, there were many young people who didn't know." — Isaac Monts
03/13/2019 - Many Voices One Mission: Justice Is Local
By: Wendy Vander Hart - Conference programming Justice and Witness Many Voices, One Mission Together, As One"Our most vital churches have a pulse on their neighborhood and are actively serving God’s people..." —Rev. Wendy Vander Hart
03/05/2019 - Come To The Water
By: Brendan Curran - Justice and Witness“Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters;” -Isaiah 55:1 Beloved Community,, As people of faith we meet our God in all the ways we put love for our neighbors, our ...
03/05/2019 - Restorative Justice: Building and Repairing Human Connections
By: Louellyn Lambros Brenda Nolan - Justice and WitnessThe MACUCC Restorative Justice Task Team advocates for restorative practices in all areas of our community life, whether within the criminal legal system, in communities ...
02/22/2019 - How are we Doing with Social and Racial Justice?
By: Brenda Nolan - Justice and WitnessDear Friends, How are we doing with social and racial justice? …as communities? …as churches? The UCC Restorative Justice Task Team is grappling with this question; we’...
02/06/2019 - An Ecumenical Partnership
By: Marisa Brown-Ludwig - Justice and WitnessRecently Rev. Marisa Brown Ludwig, pastor of First Church of Christ in Longmeadow, MA and long-time member of the Interfaith and Ecumenical Task Team of the MA ...
02/06/2019 - How are the Children?
By: Liza Neal - Justice and WitnessIn the words of Rev. Traci Blackmon, the children at the border "are not well." And we are their keepers.
01/31/2019 - UConn Intern to Aid CTUCC in Justice Work
By: Grace O'Connor - Justice and WitnessDebby Kirk, Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries, will be overseeing the work of CTUCC's new intern, Grace O'Connor. Debby has this to say: " We are delighted to ...
01/30/2019 - Many Voices, One Mission: Ever Flowing Streams
By: Karen Methot - Conference programming Justice and Witness Many Voices, One Mission Together, As One"I find myself looking forward to working with people from our future tri-conference as we get to know each other and begin reaching out with resources shared, offers of ...
01/25/2019 - Ever Flowing Streams - Together as One!
By: Kelly Gallagher - Justice and Witness Together, As OneA message from Kelly Gallagher, ACM for Justice and Witness, Massachusetts Conference Greetings Ever Flowing Streams readers! It is with great joy that I announce to you ...
01/16/2019 - I Felt Fear. But We Shall Overcome
By: Isaac Lawson - Justice and WitnessEditor's Note: The author took part in the Interfaith Freedom and Justice Ride 2019, a delegation of 37 Christians and Jews from Hartford who traveled together to ...
01/16/2019 - Seeing Is Believing
By: Stephen Camp - Justice and WitnessEditor's Note: The author took part in the Interfaith Freedom and Justice Ride 2019, a delegation of 37 Christians and Jews from Hartford who traveled together to ...
01/16/2019 - To Tell the Truth: Reflections on Alabama
By: Kari Nicewander - Justice and WitnessEditor's Note: The author took part in the Interfaith Freedom and Justice Ride 2019, a delegation of 37 Christians and Jews from Hartford who traveled together to ...
01/16/2019 - You Can't Change What You Don't Acknowledge
By: Kent Siladi - Justice and WitnessEditor's Note: The author took part in the Interfaith Freedom and Justice Ride 2019, a delegation of 37 Christians and Jews from Hartford who traveled together to ...
01/02/2019 - Many Voices, One Mission: Love Knows No Borders
By: Kelly Gallagher - Conference programming Justice and Witness Many Voices, One Mission Together, As One"As we look to acknowledge that the borders we have created may not be serving God’s call for us as church, it opens our hearts to consider other borders and boundaries ...
12/12/2018 - Restoring Hope One Smile at a Time
By: Charles Kuchenbrod - Justice and WitnessI am convinced that there are people in your congregation that will thank you for sharing this information with them! Read on! The Conference is organizing a week-long ...
12/05/2018 - Take a Stand Against Anti-Semitism
By: Andrea Ayvazian - Justice and WitnessDear Friends and Fellow Clergy, I am writing to you in the wake of the Tree of Life Synagogue massacre because I am heartbroken once again. The blatant targeting of ...
11/28/2018 - Many Voices One Mission: Advocate Together
- Clergy Transitions Conference programming Justice and Witness Many Voices, One Mission Together, As One"Would you be willing to work with CTUCC in our efforts to promote environmental, racial and economic justice in our state?" — Michele Mudrick
11/15/2018 - We’re In The Armor
By: Brendan Curran - Justice and WitnessThis piece is taken from the report given by Brendan Curran, Associate Minister at the Barrington Congregational Church UCC in Barrington, RI, to the 212th Autumnal ...
11/07/2018 - A Place to Call Home
By: Karen Methot - Justice and WitnessCommunity – that basic human impulse to be part of a group, particularly one that understands your struggles and offers support and friendship.
10/24/2018 - Many Voices One Mission: We Do Jesus Differently
By: Wendy Vander Hart - Conference programming Justice and Witness Many Voices, One Mission Together, As One"As the United Church of Christ...we do Jesus differently." —Rev. Wendy Vander Hart
10/17/2018 - Many Voices One Mission: Irrelevant?
By: TJ Harper - Conference programming Justice and Witness Many Voices, One Mission Together, As One"There seems to be, in many cases, a disconnect between what one’s perception of God is and how that perception aligns with the beliefs and actions of the Church." — TJ ...
10/10/2018 - Many Voices One Mission: Cultivating Collaboration
By: Deborah Kirk - Conference programming Justice and Witness Many Voices, One Mission Together, As One"As we dedicate ourselves to building God’s kingdom, we must define what it looks like in the local community." —Debby Kirk
10/04/2018 - "This used to be a man's world."
By: Donald Remick - Justice and WitnessI was standing at the check-in counter for a routine medical appointment a couple years ago when I heard those words. They came from an older gentleman standing at the ...
09/25/2018 - For the Least of These
By: Kelly Gallagher - Justice and WitnessFor I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you ...
08/15/2018 - Many Voices, One Mission: Strangers At Our Doors
By: Karen Methot - Church History and Identity Conference programming Justice and Witness Many Voices, One Mission"And all of us can pray."— Karen Methot
08/08/2018 - Charlottesville, One Year Later - A Liturgy
By: Kelly Gallagher - Justice and WitnessAs we approach the anniversary of the events in Charlottesville caused by white supremacy and hatred, let us take a moment to reflect on where we stand today as people of...
07/30/2018 - Immigration Tears Turned to Hope
By: Dawn Adams - Justice and WitnessWe read about families at the border being split up. We weep. We cry. We wonder what we can do (see one idea here). The work at the border is indeed important and ...
07/18/2018 - Many Voices, One Mission: Let's Not Keep God Waiting
By: Kelly Gallagher - Church History and Identity Conference programming Justice and Witness Many Voices, One Mission Together, As One Tri-Conference Annual Meeting"Now is the time to get at it." — Rev. Kelly Gallagher
07/04/2018 - Many Voices, One Mission: The Road Toward Justice
By: TJ Harper - Conference programming Justice and Witness Many Voices, One Mission"The only fact that matters is that we persist; that we do not turn from the path we have chosen." —TJ Harper
06/27/2018 - It’s Not About the Numbers
By: Wendy Vander Hart - Justice and WitnessAs I stood with my sign for the Poor People’s Campaign on the Washington DC Mall listening to voices and stories from people on the margins of our society, I kept looking...
06/27/2018 - Many Voices, One Mission: Vote Your Values
By: Ryan Gackenheimer - Conference programming Justice and Witness Many Voices, One Mission Outdoor Ministries"The Bible is a not a book free of politics." —Rev. Ryan Gackenheimer
06/24/2018 - Goliath and David
By: Jocelyn Gardner Spencer - Justice and Witness"You and I, every one of us, has resources within us that can, that must, be put to use in the quest for justice." - The Rev. Jocelyn Gardner Spencer
06/13/2018 - Many Voices, One Mission: Uncomfortable Work
- Church Growth and Vitality Conference programming Justice and Witness Many Voices, One Mission"When have you been uncomfortable, but did/said/stood up for [your work] anyway?" —Michele Mudrick
05/23/2018 - Keep Your Eyes on the Man in the Handcuffs
By: Kate Layzer - Justice and WitnessThis story is about what we bore witness to in court the day after our arrest. I share it because I think it’s urgently important in this life to shed our illusions. I ...
05/02/2018 - Domestic Workers Coalition Partners with Immigration & Refugee Task Team
By: Myriam Hernandez Jennings - Justice and WitnessCreating partnerships to promote love and respect between Domestic Workers and their employers makes sense. And if these partnerships also promote social and racial ...
05/02/2018 - Living Sanctuary: 40 Days in the Wilderness
By: Laura Fitzpatrick-Nager - Justice and Witness"Offering sanctuary is our sacred responsibility grounded in the biblical ethics and gospel values of neighbor love." — Rev. Laura Fitzpatrick-Nager
04/25/2018 - Many Voices, One Mission: Wrestling With Our Past
By: Wendy Vander Hart - Church History and Identity Conference programming Justice and Witness Many Voices, One Mission"Memory has an influence on what we see and do." — Rev. Wendy Vander Hart
04/17/2018 - While It Was Still Dark
By: Brendan Curran - Justice and WitnessIn the week following Easter, I traveled to Washington D.C. to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who was murdered ...
04/11/2018 - Racial Justice Podcasts Available Today!
By: TJ Harper - Justice and WitnessThere are times when voices outside of congregations, associations, and the Conference can have a different perspective and shed new light on the call to racial justice. ...
03/23/2018 - Holy Week Message from Rev. Siladi
By: Kent Siladi - Church Growth and Vitality Justice and Witness"Love one another. It is finished. He is Risen!" — Rev. Kent Siladi
03/21/2018 - Puerto Rican Evacuees in Dedham: A Conversation with Rev. Cheryl Kerr
By: Joanne Dickey Judith Raymond - Justice and WitnessRecently we had an opportunity to visit with the Rev. Cheryl Kerr, pastor of the Allin Congregational Church in Dedham, MA, to discuss the plight of Puerto Rican evacuees...
03/16/2018 - $15 Wage for Economic Growth in Connecticut
By: David Biklen - Justice and Witness"Low wages unnecessarily stress the state economy, government services, and workers and their families. The state can reduce each of these stresses by increasing the ...
03/16/2018 - No Guns In School
By: Laura Fitzpatrick-Nager - Justice and Witness"The notion of arming teachers with guns as a response to gun violence is abhorrent and absurd." —Rev. Laura Fitzpatrick-Nager
03/14/2018 - Many Voices, One Mission: Be A Champion for Racial Justice
By: TJ Harper - Conference programming Justice and Witness Many Voices, One Mission"There is no one way or best way to achieve racial justice; instead, it is our collective differences and our united goal that will one day allow us to be successful in ...
03/07/2018 - Marching Forth Together for Gun Safety
By: Kelly Gallagher - Justice and WitnessThe Parkland shootings have once again brought the issue of gun safety to the front of our national dialogue. This time, however, our young people are being listened to ...
02/14/2018 - A Reflection on Grace: A Sanctuary Meal
- Justice and WitnessDinner was served: chicken enchiladas, kale and apple salad, and rice and beans with chocolate pudding for dessert. We gathered around the table and said grace. Lucio ...
02/07/2018 - Stand for Love on April 4th
By: Kelly Gallagher - Justice and WitnessWe encourage all those called to stand for love and to stand up against hate to join us in Washington DC on April 4th for a day of action, liturgy and prayer to launch ...
01/24/2018 - Poor People’s Campaign – Together We Move Forward
By: Kelly Gallagher - Justice and WitnessAs people of faith we are compelled to consider where we stand in relationship to the poor. To quote Diana Butler Bass from a Twitter post in reference to Matthew ...
01/23/2018 - Women's March 2018: Standing On The Edge Of History
By: Kristen Provost Switzer - Justice and Witness"The 2018 Women’s March helped me to remember that like the Triune God and our own worshipping communities, we are so much stronger together than we could ever be on our ...
01/19/2018 - A Living Hope
By: Wendy Vander Hart - Conference staff Justice and WitnessThe meeting began with the passing around of a relic- a button from the Poor Peoples Campaign march in 1968. Fingers grasped the round blue button with the picture of ...
01/02/2018 - RICUCC Racial Justice Ministry— Spreading the Word
By: Nancy Hamlin Soukup - Justice and WitnessHappy New Year! The Racial Justice Ministry recommends you kick off 2018 with an event sponsored by the Rhode Island Center for the Book on Jan. 27, 2:00 - 4:00 PM at The...
12/18/2017 - The David and Goliath Battle for Bridgeport and CT’s doorsteps
By: Anne Hughes - Justice and WitnessA reflection on the recent anti-casino gathering in Bridgeport, and a look at what comes next.
12/06/2017 - A Call to Join the Race
By: Wendy Vander Hart - Justice and WitnessThere is a race to be run right now and it is not the short distance of a 5K.
12/04/2017 - Jesus was a Refugee and an Immigrant
By: Lindsay Popper - Justice and WitnessIt is Advent, the days when we remember that Jesus is coming to us, the days when we imagine Mary and Joseph making a long and difficult trek—first, to get to a place ...
11/09/2017 - Time for Churches to Mark Transgender Remembrance Sunday
By: Thomas Gregory Gray - Justice and WitnessIt is hard to believe how time has flown by since we all met together in June for Annual Meeting in Hartford. At Annual Meeting we accomplish many things for the work of ...
11/06/2017 - After Sutherland Springs: A Reflection
By: Maxwell Grant - Justice and WitnessYesterday’s tragic church shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas has already hit the “refresh” button on any number of rallying cries on all sides of the gun violence ...
10/25/2017 - Listening to the Call of the Great Spirit – a Walk Across the Cape to Mourn, Remember and Begin to Heal
By: Kelly Gallagher - Justice and Witness“Let us walk together to learn and reflect, to deepen our understanding so that we may ...
10/17/2017 - An Open Letter to Roger Goodell
By: Kent Siladi - Justice and WitnessMr. Goodell, why not meet with the players who are choosing to kneel and ask them, “What might we do TOGETHER to use our public voice to address racism in our culture?”
10/11/2017 - Combating Fear with Education
By: Khamis Abu-Hasaballah - Justice and Witness"By learning about the faith of others at this conference, we are affirming our own faith in ways that no words or religious service can capture." — Khamis ...
10/10/2017 - It’s Time to Shed the Judgment Leveled at People Sick with the Disease of Addiction
By: Robert Everett - Justice and WitnessRecovery Sunday worship is designed to help the church begin to talk about the problems of...
10/04/2017 - Save The "Yeah, but....." Until After the Victims are Buried
By: Amy Lignitz Harken - Justice and WitnessSomewhere on the other side of the woods is a gun club and, I have heard, someone's personal, private firing range. So my lugubrious coffee-soaked contemplations are ...
10/02/2017 - Muslims and Christian Together - Inviting Conversations
By: Jane Smith - Justice and Witness"It’s not us inviting them, or them inviting us but Muslims and Christians together inviting people from all over Connecticut to listen to and participate in our ...
09/27/2017 - The Power to Protest - and Speak Out
By: TJ Harper - Conference staff Justice and WitnessWhen Frederick Douglass was asked to speak about the “celebration of America’s independence” he delivered: “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”
09/25/2017 - Opposing Hate with Spirit
By: Paul Kix - Justice and WitnessOn the morning of November 9th, 2016, my wife and I woke up and, over coffee, decided to live our lives in opposition to the hate we saw around us. Neither of us had ...
09/05/2017 - DACA – Not a policy, not an amalgamation of letters, but PEOPLE in peril
- Justice and WitnessUpdate: It has been announced today, 9/5/17, that DACA has been rescinded. The program will wind down over the next six months, with no new applications being accepted as...
08/23/2017 - March for Justice in Boston: Answering the Call
By: TJ Harper - Conference staff Justice and WitnessTo see 40,000 people gathered in Boston to counter-protest 30 or 40 Neo-Nazis and White Supremacists was remarkable. Even if some of our political leaders refused to call...
08/15/2017 - Charlottesville
By: Kelly Gallagher - Justice and WitnessI was at Charlottesville. Something tells me this will be a phrase that will be a part of the rest of my life. The clergy call to Charlottesville came from a new ...
08/15/2017 - Charlottesville: a sermon
By: Wallace A. Hurd IV - Justice and WitnessThe hoods the Klu Klux Klan wore were about fear: not for those who wore them, but to instill it in those who were confronted by them. In hiding their faces, the Klan ...
07/25/2017 - I Could No Longer Remain Silent, and Was Arrested
By: Bart Cochran - Justice and WitnessOn Tuesday, July 18, I was arrested in Washington, DC and charged with section 22-1307 of the DC criminal code: “crowding, obstructing, or incommoding.”
07/10/2017 - South Church's Decision to Offer Sanctuary
By: Thomas Gerstenlauer - Justice and WitnessLeaders at South Congregational UCC in Springfield have been involved in studying the issue of sanctuary for undocumented immigrants for many months now, attending events...
07/01/2017 - How Can We Help Immigrants?
By: The Parish Paper - Church Growth and Vitality Faith Formation and Christian Education Justice and WitnessA new church member—a recent African immigrant—described what his Christian mother taught him: “When someone comes to you and needs food and shelter, you give it to them....
06/22/2017 - An Authentic Experience of Kingdom Work
By: Laura Westby - Justice and Witness"These trips to the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation are among the best things I am privileged to do each year. And the reason is simple: what we do there is as close as ...
06/01/2017 - Ministry in the Midst of Tragedy
By: The Parish Paper - Church Growth and Vitality Faith Formation and Christian Education Justice and Witness Leadership DevelopmentOn Friday, August 7, 2015, Vermont state employees left work and made their way to the parking lot together. There, a former client confronted and killed Lara Sobel, a ...
05/31/2017 - Call the Police
By: John Allen - Justice and WitnessA few months ago I scheduled a meeting with the Chief of Police in my community. We had run into each other around town in the past, and he was kind enough to come over ...
05/25/2017 - NOW is the Time to Call Your Legislator
- Justice and WitnessURGENT: Now is the time! Ask Your State Representative to vote NO on all Casino Expansion Bills AND to support two Amendments to the Bills: to allow a referendum in East ...
05/18/2017 - Calls Needed Now on Minimum Wage Bill
By: David Biklen - Justice and WitnessAlthough the proposal has over 40 legislator cosponsors, there is still considerable disinterest or outright opposition.
04/27/2017 - 4 Days of Advocacy: Learning, Networking, and Lobbying
By: Emily McKenna - Justice and Witness"The nature of any ecumenical gathering comes with a free side of noticing our similarities and differences with other faith traditions." —Emily McKenna
04/05/2017 - Zambia And The $15 Minimum Wage in Connecticut
By: Kari Nicewander - Justice and Witness"Our low minimum wage is an issue of deep concern for people of faith, as well as for anyone who cares for basic human rights." —Rev. Kari Nicewander
03/22/2017 - Earth Day Resources and the April 29 People's Climate March
By: James Antal - Environment Justice and WitnessPreserving God’s creation is perhaps the greatest theological madate of our time. As climate change worsens – as creation offers chaos in place of continuity - ...
03/22/2017 - No More Deaths
By: John Allen - Justice and WitnessIn 2012, I spent the month of June working with an organization called No Mas Muertes, No More Deaths. This ministry of the Unitarian Church of Tucson operates ...
03/06/2017 - Time to Support $15 Minimum Wage Bill Is Here
By: David Biklen - Justice and WitnessA $15/hour wage bill is on the floor of the CT House of Representatives for consideration.
02/27/2017 - Reformative Justice
By: Gordon Bates - Justice and WitnessRev. Gordon Bates shares some of the research from his recent book on CT prisons and criminal justice reforms.
02/10/2017 - Sanctuary: It's More Than a Room
By: John Allen - Justice and WitnessMost of our churches have Sanctuaries already. They house our worship, our meetings, our choir rehearsals. They are places where some sit alone to find a space for...
02/08/2017 - The Importance of an Extravagant Welcome
By: Cecile Gilson - Church Growth and Vitality Justice and WitnessIt is more important than ever for us as people of God to welcome all into the safety and embrace of our church communities. Our LGBTQ friends are hungry for a place to ...
01/27/2017 - Be The Church in a Time Such As This - Message 2
By: James Antal - Justice and WitnessYour MACUCC leaders have received scores of requests for "help" as our pastors lead their congregations and step into their pulpits in a time such as this. The following ...
01/24/2017 - Women's March on Washington
By: Kelly Jane Caesar - Justice and WitnessRev. Kelly Jane Forbush shares a multi-congregation journey to Washington D.C. in support of women's rights.
01/18/2017 - A Call to Preach...and to Hear
By: Kelly Gallagher - Justice and WitnessThe Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King wrote: “The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state. It must...
01/18/2017 - A New Era in the Climate Justice Movement Begins on January 20th at Noon
By: James Antal - Justice and WitnessInterfaith prayer vigils focusing on climate justice will be held all across the nation over the course of 100 hours beginning on noon January 20th. This is a prayerful ...
01/18/2017 - Following the Lead of Immigrants
By: Lindsay Popper - Justice and WitnessOne day this winter, I got a message from an old friend. Can we stay with you tonight? She’s a community organizer working with the Alliance for Fair Food and the ...
01/18/2017 - Why I Am Marching
By: Jamie Green Klopotoski - Justice and WitnessPart of me was afraid. Afraid of a shooting, a bombing, a rogue truck driving through the crowd. Afraid of being stampeded, getting lost, ending up hurt and alone. But ...
01/18/2017 - Why I March
By: Susan Cartmell - Justice and WitnessThe decision to go almost came as a relief, because I was ready to do more than fret or fume on Facebook.
01/17/2017 - Be The Church in a Time Such As This - Message 1
By: James Antal - Justice and WitnessYour MACUCC leaders have received scores of requests for "help" as our pastors lead their congregations and step into their pulpits in a time such as this. The following ...
01/16/2017 - Why I Am Marching
By: Nancy Taylor - Justice and WitnessWhen Jesus had something to say to the powers and principalities he staged a march upon a capital city. Admittedly, it was a wobbly thing. A donkey. No stomping, snorting...
01/16/2017 - Why I Am Standing to be Counted With Women Around Our Country
By: Marisa Brown-Ludwig - Justice and WitnessI will be at the Women Standing Our Ground Rally next Saturday, January 21, 2017 in Greenfield, MA – in solidarity with the women who will be marching in Washington, ...
01/13/2017 - From Despair to Hope in the New Year
By: Dennis Knight - Justice and WitnessWe are called as faithful people to commit ourselves to the notion that there shall be no more victims born of violence perpetrated by one human being against another.
01/12/2017 - A Journey into History
By: Charlene Corbett - Justice and WitnessRev. Char Corbett is using her sabbatical to travel from Acadia to Zion and researching how history impacts our faith.
01/09/2017 - The Church Marches
By: Wendy Vander Hart - Justice and WitnessOur holy texts are full of prophets railing against the unjust practices of kings, rulers and governors.
01/05/2017 - First 100 Hours Interfaith Climate Justice Vigils
By: Pam Arifian - Justice and WitnessProclaim the moral urgency to act for climate justice by joining a movement of interfaith vigils across the nation in the first 100 hours of the new administration.
12/21/2016 - Guest Blog: 35 Gather for First Anti-Casino Coalition Meeting
By: Anne Hughes - Justice and WitnessWhile many clergy and faith leaders were ‘wrapping up’ Advent and Christmas preparations this week, a lively group of 35 interfaith lay and clergy leaders showed up, ...
12/19/2016 - GUEST BLOG: Transformed by the Power of Love
By: Kari Nicewander - Justice and WitnessThis ring on my finger, that shines in the light, was once part of a bomb in Cambodia. The most ugly things in our world can be transformed by the power of love. God is ...
12/15/2016 - Hartford Area Churches Petition for $15/Hour Minimum Wage
By: Guest Blogger - Justice and WitnessGuest Blogger David Biklen shares information on a petition in Hartford for an increase in the minimum wage.
12/07/2016 - Why We Must Raise CT's Minimum Wage To $15
By: Kent Siladi - Justice and Witness"The practical and moral imperative is clear. A person working full time should not remain in poverty. An American society with integrity cannot justify paying people a ...
11/30/2016 - Pressing Climate Justice Work
By: Pam Arifian - Justice and Witness"Regardless of your political leanings, it can’t be disputed that the environment lost in the recent election." - Pam Arifian
11/29/2016 - Transforming the Attitude of Gratitude into an Action of Welcome for Refugees
- Justice and WitnessThese days after Thanksgiving, let’s move from giving thanks to offering acts of thanks ...
11/28/2016 - Post-Election Vigil Spurs Increased Worship Attendance
By: Todd Weir - Church Growth and Vitality Justice and WitnessWe discovered that many who attended our post-election vigil were looking for a safe place in the midst of uncertainty.
11/17/2016 - Guest Blog: Community Listening Sparks Hope and Healing
By: Laura Fitzpatrick-Nager - Justice and Witness"Offering a space for folks to come together, mourn, and speak their own truths is an act of resistance in itself." - Rev. Laura Fitzpatrick-Nager
11/10/2016 - Help Make UCC Voices Heard at the State Capitol
- Justice and WitnessNow, more than ever, we need our voices heard. The good news is that here in Connecticut, we can make that happen.
11/08/2016 - Reflection from Standing Rock
By: Lise Sparrow - Justice and WitnessThe Oceti Sakawin Camp at Standing Rock could, upon first sight, appear to be an ancient indigenous harvest gathering, with its smoke rising at dawn from the frosty ...
11/08/2016 - UCC Stands in Support of Standing Rock
- Justice and WitnessSamuel answered the Lord, saying, ‘Speak, for your servant is listening.’ Then the Lord said to Samuel, ‘See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make both ...
10/18/2016 - Dismantling Racism: Begin With These Resources
By: TJ Harper - Justice and WitnessCheck out the revamped MACUCC Racial Justice Website: macucc.org/racejustice! Most importantly, we have a Racial Justice Rubric that helps congregations discern what ...
10/07/2016 - Letter from Alex
By: John Allen - Justice and WitnessDear President Obama, Remember the boy who was picked up by the ambulance in Syria? Can you please go get him and bring him to [my home]? Park in the driveway or on the ...
09/14/2016 - Love and Partnership has Knit us All into One Family
By: John Castricum - Justice and WitnessBedford and Plymouth churches partner together to supply fresh, clean water to thousands of people in Pomerini.
07/07/2016 - I'm tired of being asked to write statements
By: Kent Siladi - Justice and WitnessI'm tired. I'm sick and tired of being asked if I am going to make a statement about the latest killing of a black man by police.
07/03/2016 - What roles can faith communities take on in a time of crisis?
By: Margaret Bullitt-Jonas - Justice and WitnessImagine there is a fire in your house. What do you do? What do you think about? You do whatever you can to try to put out the fire or exit the house. You make a plan ...
06/12/2016 - Sacred Earth, Sacred Trust
By: Margaret Bullitt-Jonas - Justice and WitnessSermon for the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost, June 12, 2016. Delivered by the Rev. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas at St. John’s Episcopal Church, Ashfield, MA. 1 Kings 21:1-21a ...
05/29/2016 - Singing For Our Lives
By: Margaret Bullitt-Jonas - Justice and WitnessThe day before I got arrested, I woke up singing. “Ain’t gonna let nobody turn me around, turn me around, turn me around. Ain’t gonna let nobody turn me around." ...
05/13/2016 - Faith Leaders Communicating on Climate - New Video from Jim Antal
By: James Antal - Justice and WitnessDear UCC Colleagues and Friends, On this series of wonderful spring days, I’m reminded of the beauty and inestimable worth of God’s great gift of creation. As an ...
04/13/2016 - Pray the Bird
By: Margaret Bullitt-Jonas - Justice and WitnessPhoto by Robert Jonas Sometimes I am perfectly capable of scanning large swathes of bad news with aplomb, keeping my feelings at bay. I know how to brace myself ...
03/22/2016 - Protesting Pipelines and Palm Sunday
By: Margaret Bullitt-Jonas - Justice and WitnessOn Day #3 of a four-day, 46-mile walk to stop the construction of the Kinder Morgan NED pipeline, scores of activists gathered in the sanctuary of St. James Episcopal ...
03/14/2016 - Thanks, Wow, Help - 3 Basic Prayers
By: Margaret Bullitt-Jonas - Justice and WitnessA presentation to clergy and lay leaders in the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts that was given on Parish Leadership Day, March 5, 2016. A handout of suggested ...
11/20/2015 - Reflecting on the Attacks in Paris, Beirut, Baghdad and Russia
By: Marisa Brown-Ludwig - Justice and Witness8 Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let us go out to the field.”[a] And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel, and killed him. 9 Then the Lord...
11/18/2015 - Learning Adult Lessons from a Youth Mission Trip
By: Jenny Healey - Justice and WitnessAfter receiving a generous grant from the Pilgrim Association, I led a local youth mission trip. But the youth and I received more than just a donation; we received God’s...
09/10/2015 - My Prison Outreach Transformed Me
By: Noelle Dattilo - Justice and WitnessSometimes when we reach out to help transform others, we are transformed ourselves. This happened to me while doing prison ministry.
05/01/2015 - People make choices. Choices make history.
- Justice and WitnessThe following sermon was offered by The Rev. Dr. Andrea Ayvazian of Haydenville Congregation Church, in recognition of the 100th anniversary of Armenian genocide by the ...
03/18/2015 - The Shaving Cream on Top
By: Patrick Cage - Justice and WitnessRoughly a fortnight into my time with the MACUCC, Conference Minister & President Jim Antal and I struck a deal. Should ten Massachusetts UCC churches take up new ...
01/12/2015 - Bringing the Homeless and the Housed of the Community into Community
By: Kate Layzer - Justice and WitnessOffering a homey atmosphere to the homeless is part of the outreach ministry at First Church of Cambridge. Their Friday Café offers warmth and food, clothing and ...
12/08/2014 - Roots in the Ruins: A Shalom Center program in Chile
By: Elena Huegel - Justice and WitnessThe following is a letter from Elena Huegel, Global Ministries missionary to Chile. Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ: As we say in the Pentecostal Church of Chile ...
12/08/2014 - The Slaughter of the Innocents - First Sunday after Christmas
By: Elizabeth Magill - Justice and WitnessMatthew 2:16-18 (NIV): 16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its ...
11/25/2014 - Ferguson Verdict and Sacred Conversations on Race
By: Kelly Gallagher - Justice and WitnessRead a pastoral letter from Allen Fluent, Acting Conference Minister, Missouri Mid-South Conference, UCC Read the statement by The Rev. Geoffrey A. Black, General ...
11/21/2014 - Preparing for the grand jury announcement from Ferguson
By: James Antal - Justice and WitnessEven as we give thanks, we are all aware that soon, the grand jury will announce whether the police officer who fired on Michael Brown will be indicted on criminal ...
09/23/2014 - Youth Without Homes Can't Wait...Get the Picture?
By: Sister Linda Bessom - Justice and WitnessNew initiative seeks to personalize the fight for homeless youth.
08/25/2014 - Massachusetts UCC churches rally to help Iraqi Christian and other refugees
By: Kazimierz Bem - Justice and WitnessThe Rev. Kazimierz (Kaz) Bem talks about the efforts churches are making on behalf of ...
08/11/2014 - A UCCer's Perspective on the Casino Repeal Ballot Question
By: Melissa Wylie - Justice and WitnessIn less than 100 days, citizens of our state will vote on casino gambling legislation. Here are some points to consider.
07/21/2014 - Unaccompanied Immigrant Children May Be Headed Our Way. Can You Help?
By: Kelly Gallagher - Justice and WitnessVolunteer coordination underway for possible arrival of unaccompanied immigrant children from Central America.
07/09/2014 - Visit from a Chile Delegation
By: Christopher Ney - Justice and WitnessFrom March 26 until April15, the Chile Partnership Committee of the Massachusetts Conference was pleased to host a delegation of three members of the Pentecostal Church ...