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Our church believes it should do more of the ìEî word. We talk about this,
but seldom come up with solutions.

An opportunity to reach out to young adults is looming. Our fair trade store will have an interactive booth at CSUBís
Earth Day Festival, Saturday, April 26th.
We will hand out brochures
about some of our churchís missions and sell gift items that support
the following:

• Peace initiatives in the Middle East
• Programs in India that diminish child labor and fund education
• Poor artisans around the world
• Products that help conserve earthís resources.  

If peace, justice, earth-care, and reaching out to people about our
church interests you, please contact Nancy at 327-1609.  Join the fun!!

A pastoral
letter on the war in Iraq from the president of the UCC and conference
ministers was circulated in church on Sunday, September 16. The letter is a
word of confession for the silence of Christians and a thanksgiving for those
who, in the midst of conflict, find a way to witness, including Iraqís ìfragile
Christian community.î It places many of the issues we have all read and thought
about in the context of Isaiah 5:7: ìGod expected justice, but saw
bloodshed.î  The letter is online at the
UCC web site under ìBig Things,î or if you prefer, go straight here. 

I am arranging
for copies to be available on the table in the narthex. It is not easy reading
and it may not highlight the issues that you feel are most important. Still,
please read and give the pastoral letter your prayerful and thoughtful response.

We will set up a dialogue time in the near future on this
topic.

– David
Campbell

At the 26th General Synod in Hartford, CT, the Collegium of Officers issued a Pastoral Letter on the Iraq War endorsed by all of the Conference Ministers and the Presidents of the Seminaries of the United Church of Christ. The Pastoral Letter calls on the church to “join protest to prayer” in an effort to end the war.

To read the letter go here.
If you would like to add your signature to the petition go here.

If you are a young adult (18-30, mas o menos) and interested in immigration issues, the UCC is arranging a one day mission event, on Thursday, May 31st on the border. We will visit a place that houses youth who have been stranded in the process of crossing the border and a beach area adorned with crosses to witness for those who have died. We will learn more about immigration issues, and the UCC’s resolutions on these issues. There is a cost of $50-80 per person to participate.  This includes 2 meals and transportation from Chula Vista, CA.

If you would like more information, please contact Nancy Bacon or Jill Rodriguez, before May 2.

 
We invite you to join us in folding 1000 cranes to be used for our Peace Pole Dedication Ceremony on December 10th. While the colorful ones are beautiful, we will be making all 1000 out of white paper. There are several people at the church who already know how to fold them and they will teach you - ask when you see them. Folding a crane can be a very meditative act - with the person making it saying a prayer for peace with each crane made.  Whether your prayers are for inner peace, interpersonal harmony, or global ceasefire - imagine all of us putting all of those prayers out into the world. (The Story of Sadako)

 
Leaders of the 1.3-million-member United Church of Christ are reporting
mixed statistical and financial outcomes - both positive and negative
during the six-month period that followed its General Synod’s
controversial decision to affirm support for same-gender marriage
equality.

Since July, about 49 churches - or less than one percent of the UCC’s
5,725 churches - have voted to disaffiliate, according to the
denomination’s research office. Most, but not all, of the departures
appear related to disagreement with the marriage-equality resolution.
The withdrawals, however, also come amid a resurgence of interest in
the UCC by new or existing churches, with 23 congregations affiliating
with the UCC during 2005 and an additional 42 churches expressing a
“firm interest” in joining. The year also ended with some hopeful
financial indicators, including significant increases for some national
offerings and special appeals.

“The number of departing churches is far fewer than some had earlier projected,” said General Minister and President John H. Thomas. “We grieve the loss of any and every congregation that decides to leave,” Thomas said, “not only because of the loss of members but also for the loss of shared history, ministry and fellowship.”

Based on 2004 financial data, the 49 withdrawing churches - with a
combined membership of 10,535 - contributed about $89,000 annually to
support Our Church’s Wider Mission (OCWM), less than three-tenths of 1
percent of the $32 million contributed to OCWM each year.

Church officials also reported a sharp increase in inquiries about UCC
affiliation. The Rev. David Schoen of the UCC’s Evangelism Ministry,
said that, in addition to discussions with 42 existing non-UCC
churches, his office has had conversations with more than 20 pastors or
lay persons interested in starting new congregations where none
currently exists. “We’ve seen great new enthusiasm for new church
development,” Schoen said.

In October, the 4,300-member Cathedral of Hope in Dallas, Texas, voted
overwhelmingly to pursue UCC affiliation and cited the General Synod’s
marriage resolution as a motivating factor behind its decision.At
least two more large-membership churches with an eye toward joining the
UCC have planned congregational votes in 2006.

Save the Date! National Launch Event. This year’s national launch event will be held on April 27, 2005, in Washington, DC. You can watch the National Launch Event from your computer. Visit www.CoverTheUninsuredWeek.org on April 27, 2005 for instructions on how to view the Web cast!



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In an e-mail to subscribers, the UCC Justice and Peace Action Network informs about proposed legislation which would allow churches to participate in partisan politics and retain their tax-exempt status. For the UCCJPAN’s letter go here.
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Witness for Justice, the Oct. 13th column written by Bernice Powell Jackson for the National U.C.C. Justice & Witness Ministries. It addresses a broad spectrum of justice issues that impact our world today and appears in many community newspapers across the country. In this column she explores federal legislation for school vouchers in the District of Columbia.

???when I heard that the U.S. Congress was about to pass legislation enacting school vouchers for the schools of the District of Columbia, despite the fact that most of the D.C. City Council and 85% of the people of the District don’t want them, my blood began to boil. How dare Dianne Feinstein, who lives three thousand miles away???(continued)

Witness for Justice, a weekly column written by Bernice Powell Jackson, addresses a broad spectrum of justice issues that impact our world today. It appears in many community newspapers across the country. In this column she explores violence against the homeless as a rising hate crime.
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