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The Epiphany of Climate Justice
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by Patrick Cage
MACUCC Climate Justice Intern
 The time has come for our denomination to show that UCC can stand for "Unifying for Climate Compassion," an acronym that is certainly hokey, but is also something like my job description. I have just begun a position at the Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ as Climate Justice Intern. For the first half of 2015, it will be my role to empower Massachusetts congregations to act on climate change.
The stark nature of climate change is probably not news. The science has spoken, and what it has to say is quite alarming. (See Science of Global Warming Impacts Guide.) But between conflicting messages and the complexity of climate change, most people are lost on how to effectively act. I believe it is the church that has the moral voice (and organizational backbone) necessary to shepherd people towards the UCC's mission as it "serves God in the co-creation of a just and sustainable world." Like a lamp upon its stand, we can shine to the wider community through our example.
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'Black Lives Matter' Banners Hung at Conference Center Stir Upset
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by Tiffany Vail
Associate for Communication
 Two "Black Lives Matter" banners hung at the Massachusetts Conference's Framingham office have caused some controversy in town - prompting the Conference staff to invite the public into a conversation. Just before Christmas, the leadership staff hung two "Black Lives Matter" banners at the Badger Road office, one on each of the center's signs. The banners came via the New York Conference, which was inspired by the efforts of a local church to order them in bulk. (UCC ministers in New York are proclaiming justice and paying it forward. ucc.org, Dec. 10, 2014) Earlier in December, members of the Massachusetts Conference staff had similarly posed for photos with signs that read "Black Lives Matter" at a denominational meeting going on during the days following the death of Eric Garner in New York, a photo that was shared via social media and posted on the Conference website. But on Monday, Dec. 29, when staff returned to the Framingham office after the holiday closing, they discovered that someone had used white spray paint on one of the banners to cover over the word "Black," and then used blue spray paint to change the message to "All Lives Matter."
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Recommended Reading: Advice for Today's Leaders
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by Jim Antal
Minister and President
In the coming days, we will have many opportunities to be reminded of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s prophetic leadership, preaching and witness. Many of us will watch the new, award winning movie Selma. As inspiring as it is to recall his words and listen to his voice, the most important way we can honor Dr. King is to ask God to provide us with the moral courage we need to speak truth to power today.
 My friend, Macky Alston, Vice President for Strategy, Engagement and Media at Auburn Seminary and award-winning documentary director, has some advice for today's leaders who, like Dr. King, experience God's call to lift their voices as advocates for justice, protectors of creation and promoters of peace. I encourage you to draw on his advice as you discern with God how you will follow our common call build the beloved community. |
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Post Traumatic Slavery Syndrome
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 by Pedro Silva
Pedro Silva is a member in discernment with the Central Association and has been a facilitator for the conversations on race offered by the Conference. He offers these thoughts from an old blog post of his as they are relevant to conversations we are having now.
Recently, I heard that another childhood acquaintance, who we called "Professor", died from a gunshot wound. When my mom told me, I felt this wave of feelings pass through me and for a brief moment I felt like I might be next. It was a familiar feeling that I had grown up with-the persistent consciousness that everyday could be my last.
For a long time I prized that sense of impending death because I had found that living with the expectancy of death was a good way for me to overcome any threats people put toward me. "You can only kill me once", I thought. "And since I am not afraid of death, anything else you try to say or do to threaten me is meaningless to me." It was my super-power that served me well in my different neighborhoods and other areas of life, where for years I attracted the aggression of others.
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Ecumenical Advocacy Days 2015
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Breaking the Chains: Mass Incarceration & Systems of Exploitation ~ April 17-20, 2015
Doubletree Hotel, Crystal City, Washington D.C.
Ecumenical Advocacy Days is designed to educate and empower grassroots religious advocates to speak out to political leaders on policies that impact our world. More information and registration info is available here.
This year's EAD has again prioritized bringing young adult (ages 18-35), scholars and activists together to strengthen the progressive religious movement. There will be special times in the schedule for education, advocacy training, theological reflection, ecumenical engagement, and young adult fellowship and networking. M ore information for young adults planning to attend EAD, including scholarship information, is available here.
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Legislative Action Day
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Save the Date: Thursday, March 5
 Please mark your calendar and plan to participate in Legislative Action Day at the Massachusetts State House, 24 Beacon St. in Boston (directions here).
This is an opportunity to speak with legislators about issues of homelessness in the Commonwealth.
Endorsed by the Task Team to End Homelessness.
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Disaster Resource Training for Pastors
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by Don Remick for the Disaster Resource Team
 Early in my last church ministry I began working with the town's fire department as chaplain. I quickly became involved in a county-wide team that provided Critical Incident Stress Management resources to emergency response personnel who had been working in unusually traumatic incidents. As part of these ministries I was able to get some training in aspects of critical incident care and trauma response. It's something I had touched upon tangentially in my seminary training, but not at this level of depth. I quickly realized how valuable this information and methodology was in dealing with crises that arose in the life of the church and in the lives of church members. It also gave me new insights into my own history and experiences.
Read more here. Learn about an upcoming disaster training workshop for pastors here.
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Homeless Youth Bill Signed into Law
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Before leaving office, Gov. Deval Patrick signed the
Unaccompanied Youth Homelessness Bill into law. Following is a news release from the MA Coalition for the Homeless, which championed this bill.
 Dear advocates of unaccompanied homeless youth:
Good news! Governor Patrick has signed into law the landmark unaccompanied youth homelessness bill, House Bill 4517! Today, we celebrate and also look ahead to the advocacy needed to ensure that this law has real meaning for youth without homes.
Thank you for your continued support and years of advocacy that have brought us to this milestone. We look forward to keeping up the work until all young people - and all people in Massachusetts -have a safe and permanent place to call home.
With gratitude and hope,
Kelly Turley
Director of Legislative Advocacy
MA Coalition for the Homeless
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A Look Back at 2014: A First in Pursuit of Marriage Equality
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by Anthony Moujaes, United Church of Christ
The church celebrated an historic victory on Oct. 9, when a federal judge ruled in favor of the UCC and its co-plaintiffs and struck down North Carolina's same-sex marriage ban.
"I am so proud of the United Church of Christ and our many plaintiff partners for our bold, courageous witness for religious freedom in UCC v. Cooper," said the Rev. J. Bennett Guess, a UCC national officer. "That is a great day for North Carolina, but also for the interfaith religious coalition that brought this case forward."
The General Synod of the UCC, along with other plaintiffs, filed the lawsuit on April 28 against the state of North Carolina. It was a landmark case, the first time a church challenged a state's marriage laws on the basis of religious freedom.
Read more
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| (Inclusive) Voices Rising in Concert | | |
 Voices Rising, the well-known women's chorus of Greater Boston, will return to Needham for a concert on Saturday, February 7, 2014, at 3:30 p.m. at the Congregational Church of Needham, United Church of Christ. The chorus will present "Seasons of Life," a musical tribute to some of the lesser celebrated passages in life, along with the monumental events. The songs cover a breadth of styles, with folk tunes and show tunes, Hawaiian chant and a cappella jazz. With music from Joni Mitchell, Pat Humphries and Ysaye Barnwell and words from Khalil Gibran and Ecclesiastes, the chorus will sing about the many phases of our time here on earth and the transition to the other side.
Voices Rising is founded upon feminist principles of community, inclusivity, activism and education. They sing together to give voice to their lives, identities and beliefs, and to celebrate the diverse lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and women's communities in and around Boston.
Tickets are available online at www.voicesrising.org. Endorsed by the ONA Ministry Team
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