More than a few people of the United Church of Christ have begun making prayer shawls for General Synod 35, which is in Kansas City at the Convention Center this July 11-15.

Want to send Love Notes for our Wall of Love? There is a special room for presentations and rest and quiet for LGBTQIA+ persons at General Synod.

I invite you to take a closer look at the General Synod logo. In the middle, you’ll find prairie grass moving with the wind and at the bottom we see the deep roots of the grass. This image speaks to us.

This is the first of two opportunities being provided by the Conference to help Authorized Ministers meet this standing requirement. 

This specific covenant outlines the responsibilities between the Conference, your Local Church, and you as an Authorized Minister in the United Church of Christ, even if you are retired or inactive. 

We are living in a terrifying time for trans people and our families, as a virulent anti-trans political movement led by Christian Nationalists is sweeping the United States and threatening trans lives. This webinar, offered by the Transforming Hearts Collective in partnership with Queer Theology, enfleshed, and Soulforce, will equip you to respond.

On February 28, Dianne Reistroffer and Dr. Jamesetta Ferguson announced that the Rev. Dr. Lorraine Ceniceros (Advanced Practice of Ministry Track) successfully defended her Doctor of Ministry Project.

As mentioned in the January newsletter, Three- or Four-Way Covenants will become a standing requirement in the Kansas-Oklahoma Conference beginning in 2026. Various versions of the covenant exist, depending on ministerial standing and ministry setting.

The Small Town and Rural (STAR)* Coalition is a small group of people that have come together to bring voice to churches that fall in small town and rural communities, providing support to churches, congregations, pastors, and laity.

At the time of my writing this, it has been 40 days since the 2025 presidential inauguration. 40 days. In that brief period, our government has been turned upside down.

Lent invites us to pause, reflect, and realign our hearts. This March, join us on a four-week journey exploring the spiritual practice of generosity—not as an obligation but as a way of life rooted in abundance. This is a time for reflection, conversation, and inspiration—no rigid study, just shared wisdom.

The annual Yearbook is here! Churches should have received an email at the beginning of February with instructions for filling out their Yearbook information. The deadline for submission is March 21, 2025.

What are your most important values? Are they rooted in your faith somehow? Are you scared because your values are not being shown in our State Houses? In Washington DC? In the White House? Are you afraid for the people you love? For people you don’t know but love anyway? What can we do about it?

The gospel often calls us to wrestle with hard truths which can stir a range of emotions. That’s okay. But as followers of Christ, our call is not to seek comfort alone—it is to remain faithful. Faithful to Jesus’ charge to love our neighbors, to seek justice, and to walk humbly with God.

Three-Way Covenants will become a standing requirement in the Kansas-Oklahoma Conference beginning in 2026. Various versions of the covenant exist, depending on ministerial standing and ministry setting. This month, we are focusing on Authorized Ministers with Ordained Ministerial Standing serving in a local church.

Last week, CWS was informed by the U.S. Department of State to halt federally funded activities supporting refugees in Egypt, Indonesia, and 4,200 refugees in the U.S., effective immediately.

Let us hold our siblings in Christ who have been, and continue to be, affected by this disaster in our prayers.

As the calendar turns to a new year, we are invited into a season of reflection, renewal, and intentionality. The New Year is more than just a date on the calendar; it is a symbolic threshold, a moment to pause and consider the year behind us and the one that lies ahead. It allows us to ask meaningful questions: What have I learned? Where have I grown? What needs to change? Are there new promises that I need to make? Or old ones that I need to revisit?

The coming few years will be tough for our beloved LGBTQ siblings, open or in the closet. Let us be sure to support our LGBTQ clergy who contribute to the heart of our Conference!

The new year is off to an eventful start. We are on the brink of welcoming a new presidential administration, bringing with it the uncertainties of transition. At the same time, Kansas experienced a powerful ice and snowstorm that shut down multiple sections of the I-70 corridor - a storm some are calling the storm of the century.