UCC Reaches Out with Disaster Relief Following Earthquakes in Puerto Rico

by Connie Larkman, United Church of Christ

The United Church of Christ is reaching out to partners in Puerto Rico after a series of earthquakes, the largest of which struck the island on early Tuesday morning, Jan. 7. The magnitude-6.4 earthquake, nine miles from the southwestern town of Guayanilla, has killed one person, taken down homes and other structures and caused an island-wide blackout.

Tuesday’s quake, one of the strongest yet to hit Puerto Rico, is the latest in a series of temblors shaking the island. One on Monday, which hit just before dawn in the waters just south of the island, registered 5.8 on the Richter scale. Read more

For God's Creation by Brooks Berndt, United Church of Christ Never before has the climate movement faced a more critical moment or a more critical election year. We cannot wait any longer for a government that will take aggressive action to address the twin crises of climate and inequality. Our faith has a rich theological tradition of understanding such crisis moments as being paradoxically charged with divine possibility. It is a tradition rooted in scripture that has found articulation in the crises of World War I, South African apartheid, Jim Crow in the U.S., and diverse places throughout the world. The UCC Council for Climate Justice has drawn upon this tradition to issue "A Kairos Call to Action." In recognition of the need for our government to undertake an all-out mobilization to address climate and inequality over the next ten years, the Council is calling for churches to embody and model what is so desperately needed by developing 10-year mobilization plans to address these crises. To generate thought and conversation, the Council is offering ten ways churches and institutions can mobilize. Read about the first suggested action: Enter a Period of Study and Immersion. Confronting Climate Change  Facing down the emotional and psychological costs of environmental chaos This article by Steve Pfarrer of Daily Hampshire Gazette includes an interview with Margaret Bullitt-Jonas, Missioner for Creation Care for the SNEUCC (shown above) about her book, Rooted and Rising, co-edited with Leah Schade.   As the digital revolution has sped up the pace of life, with cell phones, Twitter, Facebook and 24/7 news coverage seeming to leave no “off” switch, so does the news of climate change seem to come at an ever-increasing clip. Glaciers in Greenland melting faster than had been predicted? Check. Worldwide carbon dioxide levels reaching record new levels? Check. Animal species going extinct faster than had been expected? Check. July 2019 determined to be the hottest month ever since record-keeping began more than a century ago? Check. If you’re experiencing anxiety — or something worse, like hopelessness or despair — about the future of the planet, you’re not alone. Read more

Activist Theology

Intellectual activist and theologian Robyn Henderson-Espinoza has been named one of 10 Faith Leaders to Watch by the Center for American Progress. With a new book entitled "Activist Theology," Henderson-Espinoza bridges the gap between academia and activism, bringing the wisdom of the streets to the work of scholarship, all for the sake of political liberation and social change for marginalized communities. This webinar will connect the struggle for creation justice to the kind of theological reflection needed to take collective action and build movements. Currently, Henderson-Espinoza resides in Nashville and is a visiting scholar at Vanderbilt University Divinity School.

This webinar is co-hosted by the Rev. Dr. Brooks Berndt of the United Church of Christ Environmental Justice Ministry and the Rev. Michael Malcom of Alabama Interfaith Power & Light and the People's Justice Council. Sign up now to join the webinar! Even if you can't make its scheduled time, still sign-up, and we will send you a recording of it. Register 

Environmental Activist Opportunities: Massachusetts

January 14, 1 PM hearing on the Benson Carbon Pricing Bill before the Mass Legislature TUE committee. Testimony via emails to the committee would be desirable. Send to Ted Wade, Environmental Ministry Team in MA.

January 27 interfaith event at the Weymouth Compressor site. Save the date - more info in the next Ever Flowing Streams!

 Breaking the Silence

by Trayce Potter, United Church of Christ
Minister for Youth and Young Adult Engagement

I grew up in what many would call the traditional black church. Worship lasted hours, children were relegated to speaking only during the holiday pageants, men were in places of leadership, and the women wore big hats.

Looking back at those early years of formation, I am grateful for the foundations. At the same time, I now realize there were many things the church and my faith did not prepare me to deal with in the real world. You see, I can think theologically, I have preached to the masses, I have planned worship for thousands, but I wasn’t fully prepared for the depth of pain that so many colleagues, Christians, and neighbors live with chronically.  Read more

Racial Justice Awareness Confirmation Event Jan. 26, 2020 ~ 1-5 PM ~ Seekonk Congregational, Seekonk, MA  Confirmation youth and leaders are invited to an afternoon retreat (free) with presentations from trained facilitators, using video and discussion opportunities to inform and engage youth about social justice issues and to develop their strong young voice into the future of change. Download a flyer for more information here Human Trafficking Awareness Day  The 2009 UCC Synod Resolution against human trafficking urges congregations to recognize January 11 as Human Trafficking Awareness Day. Use the Sunday closest to the date to learn about trafficking in persons and discuss how to become advocates for those victimized by such human rights abuses. Find resources from Global Ministries here.

Resist Anti-Semitism in Any and Every Form

From the Massachusetts Council of Churches

To our Jewish siblings and neighbors, and to our fellow Christians,

As Christian faith leaders, we reach out to share our sense of horror and disgust at the terrifying rise in violence against Jews and increasing public expressions of antisemitism. Our hearts, prayers, and tears join yours as we bear witness to tragic events in Monsey, New York, here in Massachusetts, and elsewhere. 

As Christians whose tradition has been and continues to be the source of so much antisemitic terror in history, we carry a particular responsibility to identify, condemn, and resist antisemitism in any and every form.  Read more and sign   

SNEUCC International Partnerships 

Our new Conference has a new website! While creating and moving content onto the new site will be a gradual process, one page to visit now is International Partnerships. The historic conferences of Southern New England each came into the new conference with existing international partnerships: Haiti, Korea, Chile, and Colombia. Visit the site to find out more!