UCC General Synod
Rev. Briget Nicholson, Cathy Hammer, and Barbara Eiswerth represented First UCC as visitors at the 25th UCC General Synod July 1-5 in Atlanta, Georgia. See photos below!
The three thousand registered participants included 884 voting delegates. Some two dozen resolutions were passed. Making national headlines, on July 4 the Equal Marriage Rights for All resolution passed by an overwhelming vote. Web traffic on UCC.org that week set a new record, with many of the 169,000+ visitors clicking on the " find a church" link.
The Rev. Cally Rogers-Witte, our longtime Southwest Conference Minister, was elected Executive Minister of Wider Church Ministries in the national setting.
Heather! Iriye, who has been a student leader in the Faith Beyond Boundaries campus ministry at the University of Arizona, and part of our community at First UCC, was a voting Southwest Conference delegate. She chaired one of the committees deliberating on resolutions.
Read a summary of all actions taken by General Synod...
Read the Equal Marriage Rights for All resolution...
Read a UCC press release on the marriage resolution...
Read Rev. Cally's goodbye letter to the SW Conference...
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| The stage backdrop at synod | Olympic Square in Atlanta |
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Cathy Hammer carried the sign for Marshallese Ministry in the new church parade |
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| The Revs. Julie Jennings and Susan Drake at the UCC Coalition for LGBT Concerns gathering. Julie and Susan gave a concert at Rev. Briget's Installation service! | Rev. Briget talks with Mark Clark of Rincon Congregational UCC in Tucson |
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| Rev. Callie's acceptance speech | Rev. Callie joins Rev. Raul Blanco, pastor of Iglesia Sin Fronteras, a new church on the border of El Paso, Tx and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua |
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Heather! Iriye, recent University of Arizona graduate, campus ministry leader, and First UCC community member, moderates her committee's debate on the two resolution which she later presented to the full General Synod: "Call for truth-telling and standards of ethics in public life" and " For the International Criminal Court ." |
Rev. Callie addresses the entire General Synod |
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Cathy hangs out with the Rev. James Lumsden, pastor of Rincon Congregational UCC in Tucson, and the Rev. Theresa Herwynen, pastor of North Sioux City UCC in South Dakota. |
Delegates wave their light pens as they sing |
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Southwest Conference delegation poses with the two bouncers from the Stillspeaking TV ad . Cathy Hammerwas the instigator of this photo op. |
Rev. Briget and Cathy practice their bouncer attitudes. |
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| Barbara Eiswerth poses with the bouncers. | |