Imagine what it would take to replace all of your belongings if you lost everything. In some parts of the world, it takes surprisingly little to restore, or even improve, living conditions. For the last nine years, the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa (UCCSA) – Mozambique Synod in partnership with Global Ministries, has administered a livestock-raising project to help alleviate the financial difficulties of church members. Sixteen cattle are distributed among church members to provide financial assistance to families living in extreme poverty. Some of the funds for this program designated for development opportunities had to be used for veterinary care because many of the animals were ill or dying from lack of medical care. Now the cattle thrive and the families benefiting grows each season.

When: Tue Sep 14, 2010 10am to 11am  EDT

Event Status: confirmed

When: Sun Sep 12, 2010 11:30am to 12:30pm  EDT

Event Status: confirmed

When: Sun Sep 12, 2010 9:30am to 10:30am  EDT

Event Status: confirmed

When: Sun Sep 19, 2010 12pm to 1pm  EDT

Event Status: confirmed

When: Tue Sep 21, 2010 1:30pm to 2:30pm  EDT

Event Status: confirmed

The UCC’s five-person Collegium of Officers issued a statement today urging members and churches to “affirm and support the processes by which we order our common life” in response to information that the Rev. John H. Thomas, former general minister and president, and wife Lynda Thomas have separated and that he is now in a committed relationship with a woman with whom he worked while he was general minister and president.

Although this prayer is from a Liturgy for Australian Bushfire victims in 2009, the words speak across time, distance and circumstance to all who pray for restoration and comfort. Hold our hands, Lord. / Walk us through the pain / and the valley of our sorrows. / Hold on to us when we are too afraid / to think about the future. / Let us lean on you, Lord, / when we’re too weary to continue. / Hold our hands, Lord, through the night / until we see the light of dawn. / We ask this through Jesus Your Son, / the one who knows what it is to suffer. The gospel reflection from Michael Hansen, of Lavalla Catholic College in Traralgon, Victoria reminds us that God does have a special love for poor, the marginalized and the most vulnerable. Our faith moves us, he says, to demonstrate God’s love for those pushed to the brink through our generous giving and our deep solidarity with their pain.

How does your congregation announce that it’s ready to welcome everyone? Generosity: Best Practices A“practice” is often something you do every day—getting better and better at it. Is it possible to become a more generous person by “practicing”? Of course! In fact, there’s really no other way… Generous giving goes along with generous living. If you’re interested in exploring generous living, consider ordering “The Big Secret of Giving: Hidden Treasures in Life and Church,” a 30-day devotional with reflections, prayers, and quotes. (Order from UC Resources by calling 800-537-3394; cost is $3). Written especially for church members, you’ll find “The Big Secret of Giving,” by William C. Green, former UCC Executive for Faith and Giving, original and thought-provoking. And . . . it will help you “practice”!

(Continued from August 13, 2010) Befitting Bisrampur Church’s place of honor in the history of Christianity in India, the church is being restored rather than replaced. An engineer’s report has identified the crucial issues and problem areas for implementing the restoration. The church’s many arches and windows require special attention and will be addressed individually with repairs estimated at $200 per window and $600 for each doorway arch. Total repairs, without labor costs, are estimated at below $11,000. The more immediate work on the church to ensure its stability has begun. The less crucial but no less necessary repairs will be addressed as funds become available. Although India’s first exposure to Christianity came via the preaching of St. Thomas, there is no doubt that, with your help, the Bisrampur Church will be restored and the legacy of the Reverend Oscar Lohr will continue.

UCC leaders are joining an ecumenical call for greater respect for the Muslim community after “voices of intolerance and fear” have challenged the building of a mosque and learning center near the site of the former World Trade Center in New York City.

The Church of Northern India (CNI), the main Protestant denomination in Northern India and partner to Global Ministries, was established in 1970 and has 26 dioceses, operates 65 hospitals, nine nursing homes, three technical schools and 250 educational institutions. Despite those fairly impressive numbers, Christians represent only about 2 percent of the population in India. During the late 1800s and early 1900s, missionaries came to India to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Reverend Oscar Lohr was one of those missionaries, sent by the German Evangelical Mission from the United States in 1863. He journeyed first by boat, from New York to Mumbai, then by train to Nagpur and last by bullock cart – for 260 miles! – to Bisrampur. It was in Bisrampur that Rev. Lohr built the first church, and now, nearly 150 years later; it is in great need of repair. (continued on August 14, 2010)

A modern-day David-meets-Goliath is playing out in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia and, to date, David – in the form of a UCC church known for its compassionate outreach among poor and homeless persons – is holding his own.

(Continued from August 11) The Leadership Institute will offer two tracks: one for new church leadership and one for renewal of existing congregations. Workshops will include: Church Planting 101; Transformational Worship; Social Networking and Web Design; Fundraising and Stewardship; Spiritual Discernment and Decision-Making; 21st-Century Faith Formation; Turning Your Church Inside Out; and Rediscovering Your Community. The Center's mission statement defines "progressive Christianity" as "a faith that believes God’s family includes all people; God’s people are responsible for caring for the environment, the poor, sick and vulnerable; that education, health care and civil liberties are vital to abundant life and therefore the desire of God for all people; and that truth is found more often in honest grappling with the questions than in absolute hierarchical pronouncement of the answers." "We believe that this is the type of faith for which millions of Americans hunger," Trimble says.

(Continued from August 10) "Church multiplication" – the founding of new churches by existing congregations – is one of CPR's key strategies. Working in partnership with seminaries and the UCC's regional conferences, the Center will recruit, train, mentor and coach pastors and lay leaders with a particular vocation for new church development. The Center will also support existing churches with a commitment to renewal. "We’ll be drawing on the skills of the best ecumenical practitioners in church development and renewal who can serve as a pool of consultants and coaches for the denomination,” says Trimble. “At present, there is no ecumenical center serving the development of new congregations in progressive denominations. This is a vacuum we aim to fill." (Continued on August 12)

The Rev. Dr. George W. "Bill" Webber, 90, one of the vanguard of 20th-century Protestant advocates of social justice that included Martin Luther King Jr. and William Sloan Coffin Jr., died July 10 in Maplewood, N.J. He was 90.

UCC leaders continue to lift up last week’s decision by a federal judge in California to overturn Proposition 8, passed by state voters in November 2008 to ban same-sex marriage. U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker ruled that the ban amounts to unconstitutional discrimination and should be immediately struck down.

From Boston to Billings, nearly 1,500 UCC youth, staff, advisors and volunteers convened this summer at six regional youth events geared toward exploring faith formation and expanding leadership horizons.

With the monsoon season only half over, more heavy rains are expected to affect Pakistan’s already water-logged lands. The worst natural disaster in the nation’s recent history has killed more than 1,400 people and displaced more than 1.5 million.

The Center for Progressive Renewal has launched an ambitious project to plant new congregations and renew existing churches. In its first four months, the Center lined up more than 15 webinars and workshops on church planting; renewal through spiritual direction; evangelism in communities; and a broad range of other topics keyed to church growth. The Center is funded by Local Church Ministries, the UCC's Southeast Conference and "Hope for Peace and Justice." Its leadership includes the Rev. Cameron Trimble, CEO and executive director, and the Rev. Michael Piazza, executive director for church multiplication. "CPR aims to train leaders – both ordained and lay – in the skills they need for church planting and congregational renewal," says the Rev. David Schoen, leader of the UCC's Congregational Vitality and Discipleship Team. (Continued on August 11, 2010)