August 22, 2025

20th Anniversary - Illinois Conference's Role in the Response and Recovery from Hurricane Katrina 

Shared by Rev. Roger Dart, Conference Disaster Coordinator, IL UCC

Just ten days after Hurricane Katrina had blown out its destructive energies, I received a phone call from my pastor who asked if I'd be interested in joining a group of volunteers on a mission trip. Two days later, our small team was on our way. We gathered seventy people as our 'convoy' of twelve vehicles headed south to our destination, a Methodist church in Laurel, Mississippi. 

The damage was everywhere and severe. I began by making pastoral care calls to the homes of Methodist church members. Meanwhile, two doctors in our group determined the need for a free clinic to provide at least some medical care. In my secular life, I was a practicing licensed podiatrist and provided a screening for storm-victim patients with diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis. 

I looked for a response from our United Church of Christ, but seeing none, I was determined to bring the UCC to New Orleans when I returned home. As chair of the Church in Society ministry of the Chicago Metropolitan Association, I began planning a one-week mission with our UCC "Hope Shall Bloom" ministry in New Orleans. We scheduled our first team trip for May 2007 with a small team, none of whom had ever done such a trip before! 

This turned out to be the first of eleven trips involving 100 volunteers for five and one-half years. By the time "Hope Shall Bloom" closed, our Illinois Conference volunteers had worked on as many as ten private homes and two of the five UCC churches.   Not one of the volunteers returned home unaffected by their experience. 

Almost to a person, I heard "I want to do this again". 

L to R: Robert Tracy, Tyron Smith, Marjorie Addison Flowers, Carl Ekins, Magalie Marisca-Johnson, and Rev. Roger Dart, the small team who started from Chicago on the trip to New Orleans in 2007

Link to article: The UCC remembers Hurricane Katrina with a special litany: Prayers and a look back to 2005 - United Church of Christ

UCC Climate Action Events & Resources

Register Your Church to Participate in National Day of Climate Action

On September 21st, faith communities across the country will be joining a grassroots day of climate action to celebrate Sun Day! This will be a day to celebrate the gift and power of clean energy while standing up to the profiteers, polluters, and potentates who threaten our health and future. Register Your Church to Bring Climate Hope to Sun Day - United Church of Christ

September Climate Action Assembly

The next Climate Action Assembly will be on Wednesday, September 3rd at 112 pm CT. We will hear from the Rev. Jim Antal about the upcoming national day of action on September 21st called Sun Day. We will also hear from Rebecca Perera, the Chief Credit Officer for the Cornerstone Fund, on the present and future outlook for churches going solar after the reconciliation bill. Register to join us!

Register Your Church to Participate in National Day of Climate Action

On September 21st, faith communities across the country will be joining a grassroots day of climate action to celebrate Sun Day! This will be a day to celebrate the gift and power of clean energy while standing up to the profiteers, polluters, and potentates who threaten our health and future. Register your congregation to receive advocacy cards for members to write messages to congress members on Sun Day.

August Climate Hope Action Sheet

This month, Climate Hope Affiliate chapters are writing to members of Congress, urging them to protect funding for a clean and just energy system in the United States as the Appropriations Committees and Subcommittees deliberate over the fiscal year budget for 2026. Get the latest action sheet!

Christian Climate Training

Blessed Tomorrow is partnering with the UCC and eight other denominations to offer a free, live, virtual Christian climate training on September 27th from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm CT. It will include breakouts by denomination. The training equips you with the knowledge and resources to speak and take action on climate change from a Christian perspective. Sign-up to join!

 Pastoring Can Be a Lonely Road

Starts on September 12, 2025, at 10 am and continues every 2nd & 4th Friday

Persons with ministerial standing in the Illinois Conference are invited to join our Clergy Community of Practice (CCOP), which provides ongoing peer

support for our pastors. Clergy Communities of Practice: offer opportunities to gather online in small groups for learning, reflection, and conversation

“Human conversation is the most ancient and the easiest way to cultivate the conditions for change – personal change, community and organizational change, planetary change. If we can sit together and talk about what’s important to us, we can begin to come alive.”

Turning to One Another: Simple Conversations to Restore Hope to the Future by Margaret Wheatley

Facilitator: Rev. Michelle Hughes, ACM (CMA, Fox Valley)

Please email me for the Zoom link

170th Anniversary Celebration

Chicago Theological Seminary

Thursday, October 9, 2025

Chicago Theological Seminary is proud to mark a historic milestone—our 170th Annual Celebration—culminating in the highly anticipated C. Shelby Rooks Lecture on "Daring Faith In Dangerous Times" on Thursday, October 9, 2025.

Now, as we celebrate this milestone, we want to hear from you.

Submit a short video (under 1 minute, shot vertically):

• Tell us how CTS has impacted your life, work, or calling.
• What does CTS mean to you?

Prefer to write instead?

• You can submit a written reflection (200 words or fewer) in place of a video.

Your story may be featured in our 170th anniversary videos, publications, and digital tributes—as we honor CTS’s legacy and look toward our future.

Submit your video or written reflection here.

Thank you for helping us celebrate 170 years of courageous, justice-centered theological education.

Pastoring in an Era of

Christian Nationalism

Presented by the Association of Interim Ministers       

October 14 – 15, 2025

Pilgrim Park Camp and Conference Center

26449 1340 N. Ave, Princeton, IL 61356-8790

Christian Nationalism is an ideology that threatens both church and state. This retreat will explore this dangerous doctrine and how pastors might navigate, confront, and refocus its presence in their congregations and broader society. 

Leave with an in-depth understanding of what Christian Nationalism is, the problems it poses, and practical pastoral responses to it. This event is intended to enrich the lives of all clergy, as well as lay leaders and anyone involved with church ministry.

Keynote Speaker, Beau Underwood, is the co-author of Baptizing America: How Mainline Protestants Helped Build Christian Nationalism (Chalice Press, 2024). The book has received several notable awards, including the 2024 top award for non-fiction from both the Religion Communicators Council and the Associated Church Press.

He serves as the senior minister of Allisonville Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Indianapolis, Indiana, and is also a contributing editor to Word&Way. He completed his undergraduate studies at Eureka College, earned graduate degrees in both religion and public policy at the University of Chicago, and is currently a doctoral candidate in public affairs at the University of Missouri.

Tentative Conference Program

Session 1: What Exactly is Christian Nationalism?

Session 2: The Heresy of Christian Nationalism

Session 3: Christian Nationalism - Past, Present, and Future

Complete your Registration and Fees by September 23, 2025.

Register online

End Solitary Confinement Act

The National Religious Campaign Against Torture has updated materials in support of the now reintroduced End Solitary Confinement Act.

NRCAT Action Alert Page: You are welcome to share the link to NRCAT’s action alert, or copy and customize the wording.

Please write to your U.S. Senators & Representative to ask them to cosponsor the End Solitary Confinement Act (ESCA). If one or more of your Members of Congress are already cosponsors, the system will prompt you to send a thank-you message.

NRCAT and our allies in the Federal Anti-Solitary Taskforce (FAST) are working in support of this legislation toward our ultimate goal of ending the torture of isolated confinement once and for all. Your support is needed today to build strong co-sponsorship for this important bill. You can help by writing to your Members of Congress today.

NRCAT’s Toolkit on ESCA: The toolkit includes social media graphics, including the graphic/statement by Bishop Vashti McKenzie

Book of Worship Update Survey

Who is the UCC - today and tomorrow?

Pilgrim Press

The UCC's identity—our history, our ways of being, our sense of community—is expressed uniquely through the Book of Worship.

So who are we as the UCC today?

What kind of community do we want to be tomorrow?

And how should our Book of Worship reflect our evolving identity?

We seek your input!

1. Surveys are available now on bookofworship.org for all users of the Book of Worship and will remain open for feedback through December.
2. Information is also available on bookofworship.org about the submission of new content for potential publication in the updated Book of Worship.
3. We look forward to your input, with great appreciation!

Spirit of Harm Reduction:

An Abridged Toolkit for Faith Leaders

Reducing Harm for Those Facing

Substance Use Addiction

Advocate Health Care

Taken from an interview with Fanya Burford-Berry,

Director - Heroin/Opioid Task Force

Harm reduction is a practical, compassionate approach that meets people where they are.

For faith leaders, harm reduction doesn’t mean endorsing unhealthy behaviors. It means walking alongside people as they make positive changes, offering care without judgment and inviting them into authentic relationships and community.

What Can Faith Leaders Do?

1. Meet those facing substance use disorder where they are - Connect with the person first, and their challenge second. Recognize the humanity in these individuals and validate their authentic selves.
2. Educate yourself about available resources - Seeking resources for substance use disorder will not only help you support those who need them, but will also connect you with resources for other social and emotional needs as well.
3. Don't try to fix it, but connect people to resources - Share resources with those who need them. Just as you would connect someone with a medical need with the appropriate doctor, connect people facing substance use disorders with resources for healing.

Click here to download Spirit of Harm Reduction: An Abridged Toolkit for Faith Leaders

UCC Toolkit For Faithful Advocacy



The UCC Office of Public Policy & Advocacy is excited to share our new Advocacy Toolkit—a free resource designed to equip individuals and congregations with the tools to build a just world for all.

Download the toolkit today and take the next faithful step in speaking truth to power.

Get Early Bird Pricing for “Partners in Building”

UCC Building & Loan Fund

September 25 and 26 via Zoom

Registration for Partners in Building 2025 is open for church leaders like you looking to think “Beyond Sundays” to inspire new possibilities for your church’s mission and vision. Get ready to dive deep into innovative strategies for community engagement, sustainable growth, and transformative digital outreach as you hear from subject matter experts.

Partners in Building is on September 25 and 26 online via Zoom—register today to secure our special early bird price. One-day and two-day registration options are both available.

• Early Bird Pricing (through August 22): $85 Two-Day | $47 One-Day
• Standard Pricing (through September 22): $100 Two-Day | $55 One-Day
• Register Now

Supervised Ministry 3 (SM3) begins September 3, 2025

Pathways

The Supervised Ministry Series is designed to provide a practical internship in pastoral ministry over an eighteen-month progression.

The arc of this series begins with entering a new place of ministry and concludes with leaving a place of ministry. Along this arc, as part of six asynchronous online courses, participants will explore issues of pastoral role, identity, leadership, ministry functions, organizational dynamics, and theological reflection. The core nine-week courses for this series are:

SM 1 Entering a Place of Ministry

SM 2 The Transformative Context of Pastoral Care

SM 3 The Practice of Worship Leadership

SM 4 Faith Formation in the Parish

SM 5 Leadership in the Midst of Change

SM 6 Leaving a Place of Ministry

• To be enrolled in Supervised Ministry courses, a participant is required to be engaged in pastoral ministry about 6 to 8 hours each week under the guidance of a site supervisor.
• There will be a required three-week Supervised Ministry Orientation course for all participants and site supervisors before the first course.

Go to the PATHWAYS to learn more and apply for this and other courses.

Our Whole Lives (OWL) Facilitator Training

In Oak Park, IL

In-person Trainings

UCC OWL

September 12-14, 2025 Levels: 7-9/10-12

130 S. Oak Park Ave, Oak Park, IL 60302

Wheelchair accessible Registration

Registrar: Amelia Bee, registrar@opowl.org, (224) 601-5261

Register here on line, DEADLINE Wednesday, August 5, 2025

Interested in Hosting an Our Whole Lives Training? Download the OWL Training Planning Guide!

Why get trained? Learn more about Our Whole Lives/Sexuality and Our Faith Facilitator Training.

For additional offerings, check the UUA OWL training calendar.

If you are taking a training and need the Our Whole Lives material for Grades 10-12, please check UCC Resources, where it should be available to pre-order by Dec 31. In the meantime, your trainers will be able to provide you with the necessary materials for your training sessions.

Limited Online OWL Trainings Now Available

September Eastern Time (ET)

Application for registration will be open July 21 – August 5, 2025

Levels: All Adult Levels

Location: online via Zoom and asynchronous learning in between Zoom sessions

Dates/Times: 6:00-8:30 pm ET Mondays September 8, 15, 22

And Thursdays September 11, 18, 25

And Saturday September 27 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Registration application opens six weeks before the first synchronous session of the training. Cost is $350. Potential OWL facilitators submit an application form, which generates an email to their endorser with a link to complete a recommendation. The endorser is a person in the facilitator’s faith community or organization who agrees to provide oversight for the facilitator and vouches for the qualifications of the facilitator.

Upon acceptance, the facilitator will receive a payment link. Full payment is due 30 days before the first synchronous session, and $100 of that is non-refundable within 7 days before the first session.

Time Commitment. Online training is more time intensive than in-person training, requiring up to 35 hours of your time over three weeks. Do not register unless you can commit to attend every synchronous session and complete the assignments. Attendance is mandatory for every synchronous session; they are not recorded, and make-up sessions are not available.

Training Schedule. Synchronous sessions for all online trainings will vary in the Central Time Zone and will depend on which training you register for.

Decolonizing Mental Health and Empowering Holistic Wellness

UCC Webinar

Aug 28, 2025 | 2:30 PM in Central Time (US and Canada)

Join us for an introductory conversation that invites faith leaders into a transformative and lifelong process of letting go of supremacist theologies and monocultural care paradigms of mental wellness.

This 90-minute webinar will explore the intersections of mental wellness, spiritual formation, and liberative care that affirms the dignity of each being. By integrating cultural humility, prophetic theology, and trauma-informed practices, faith leaders can reshape spiritual care praxis and co-create communities grounded in justice, belonging, and sacred restoration. 

Register here online

Both Six-week Courses begin September 17, 2025

What is the Bible?

This is the first course in the Dickinson series of three Bible courses. People log in at different times and different days but work on the same weeks assignments and participate in discussion questions.

Exploring the Bible, Rev. Anne Robertson, author, as the foundation, this course introduces participants to the Bible in its many contexts: as sacred story and as literature, as moral guide and historical guide.

Participants who complete this course will be prepared to continue their Biblical journey with the Old Testament and New Testament courses based on the other volumes in the series. This introductory Level 1 Bible Course is based on the Exploring the Bible Dickinson Series by Rev. Anne Robertson, published by the Massachusetts Bible Society

With questions and/or to register, contact the Registrar, Melissa Ashmore, registrar@pathwaystheological.org.

Professional Boundaries and

Ministerial Self-Care

A Level 3 Synthesizing Course

Ethics are a set of principles for appropriate conduct. While often based on morals, which is the understanding of what is right and wrong, ethics differs from morality.

In this course, we will explore ethics and their application for professional pastoral ministers. We will consider the boundaries that define the relationships between professional pastoral ministers and congregants. We will also consider how the professional minister’s right to privacy helps to maintain appropriate boundaries and serves as an essential aspect for self-care.

Go to the PATHWAYS to learn more.

Become a Faith & Health Companion

Advocate Health

Virtual classes start in September 2025

This is a three-part virtual education series designed to equip faith leaders to walk alongside others during times of stress. Please read more about eligibility and expectations before applying.

Fall Cohort Classes & Dates (all times are CDT)

• Mental Health First Aid - September 10 - 9 am - 3 pm
• Companionship - October 8 - 9 am - 12 noon
• Trauma, Faith, & Healing - November 12 - 9 am - 11:30 am
• New Beginnings - May 7 - 11:45 am - 1:00 pm

Inquiry Deadline: September 3, 2025

Inquire about applying here

Healthy Conflict Workshop for Leaders

Enkei Resolutions

September 17, 2025, 10am to 2pm CT

Churches want to avoid conflict, but the truth is that healthy conflict is what makes growth possible.

If you are interested in learning and practicing tools for addressing conflict in your faith community, sign-up for this Zoom workshop on September 17, 2025, from 10 am to 2pm, Central Time. The cost is $50/person. A fifty percent discount is available for churches signing up two or more leaders —please email for more information.

Click here to learn more and register

Questions? Email dweible@enkei-resolutions.com.

Houses of Worship!

Air Aware: Empowering Communities Through In-Home Air Quality Data

Faith in Place

Office Hours for Technical Assistance:

August 27, 1:30 pm CT or September 3, 10 am CT

Faith in Place is seeking proposals from qualified Houses of Worship to collaborate on a comprehensive in-home air quality monitoring program for households within the Peoples Gas Light (PGL) service territory.

The goal of this initiative is to assess indoor air quality across a diverse range of homes and neighborhoods, generate actionable data, and raise public awareness through a publicly released report in early 2026.

Eligibility Requirements: 

• Applicant must be a self-declared or 501(c)3 designated House of Worship.
• Houses of Worship for testing must be located within the Peoples Gas Light service territory in Chicago, IL.
• Submit an interest form by September 5, 2025 to be considered.

Check out our website with more information about this opportunity, scope of work, and eligibility requirements! View Details Complete the Interest Form

We are offering two office hour sessions to help answer any questions you may have and provide technical assistance for the grants portal. Stop by either August 27 at 1:30 pm CT OR September 3 at 10 am CT for support in submitting an interest form.  Faith in Place, 5416 S Cornell, 4th Floor, Chicago, IL 60615

Questions? Reach out to Climate Change & Energy Coordinator April Parker at april@faithinplace.org. If you have problems logging into the grant portal or have technical questions about the form, email grants@faithinplace.org.

As Illinois Conference Churches, consider celebrating God’s gift of the sun and solar energy with Third Act, an online climate organization.

They are sponsoring Sun Day, a day of action on September 21, 2025, celebrating solar and wind power, and the movement to leave fossil fuels behind. Solar energy is now the cheapest source of power on the planet – and gives us a chance to do something about the climate crisis. We will build, rally, sing, and come together in the communities that we need to get laws changed and work done.” Let’s partner with our Creator to save our planet.

Community House Dedication & Ribbon Cutting 

On Sunday, August 17, 2025, the Little Home Church by the Wayside UCC in Wayne, Illinois, joyfully dedicated our new Community House. The construction was part of a $1.6M capital campaign to renovate the existing church structures and build the new building. 

The Community House is a 2100 square foot building that includes a Gathering Room to accommodate 80 people, a meeting room to accommodate a smaller group of 16, two fully accessible bathrooms, a kitchenette, and plenty of storage. 

The dedication celebrated the past, present, and future of the 154-year-old congregation. The service was based on a quote from Tanisse Blatchford’s “The Plow and the Cross”: “A spark of an idea had been coaxed, fanned, and exhorted into a small blaze. How could they go about establishing an eternal sort of flame?” The quote refers to the meetings of the first founders of the Little Home Church in 1871. 

The flame still burns in the congregation of 2025, which endures as a vibrant, multi-generational group of people, caring for one another and serving the wider community. Two areas of service focus on housing support for refugees, and the immediate needs of those suffering from food insecurity and homelessness.  

We invite anyone in the conference to stop by. We would love to show you our new Community House. 

Illinois Conference

Women’s Retreat 

October 3-4, 2025 

Pilgrim Park Camp and Conference Center Princeton, IL 

• Do you ever have difficulty praying?
• Have you ever felt God is not listening to your prayers?
• Interested in learning different ways to pray?  

Then join us at the Illinois Conference Women’s Retreat where our theme is “When You Pray…An Exploration of Prayer Practices.” 

The overnight retreat begins late afternoon on Friday, October 3, with dinner at 6 pm, and concludes around 3:30 pm on Saturday, October 4, at our beautiful Pilgrim Park where there will also be time for you to relax, refresh and renew yourself.

Gather with old friends, new friends, and even bring some friends with you! Our rooms will be in the Upper Conference Center and Higgins Lodge where linens are provided (bedding and bath). 

Questions? Registration?

Contact Carol Currier-Frighetto - 815-277-6041 or ambsnana@aol.com

Registration closes September 21^st   

Marshall Hall BEFORE

Marshall Hall AFTER

Making Tower Hill Camp Brighter and More Efficient!

During a church retreat in June, Steve Jones of First Congregational UCC of Naperville couldn’t help himself. “I’ve noticed a lot of old T12 fluorescent fixtures around here. Do you need your lights upgraded to LED?” he asked. 

Steve has been relamping his former churches for a number of years as a personal ministry. Tower Hill asked him to relamp the Dining Hall and kitchen, Marshall Hall, and Edwards Lodge.

Fixtures were replaced with brighter more efficient versions, and the remaining fluorescent fixtures were replaced with new electronic ballasts and Type A LED tubes. This is the simplest way to upgrade old fixtures and also considered a “maintenance” activity that doesn’t require an electrical permit. Since the LED tubes are 17 watts they give nice energy savings as well, up to 63% less energy. The globes were upgraded to brighter LED bulbs to increase the light levels.

The upgraded lights are brighter and more environmentally friendly – gone are the old magnetic ballasts filled with insulating oil, which may have PCBs depending on their age. An additional benefit is eliminating our reliance on fluorescent lamps. In 2024, Illinois became the 10th state to ban the purchase of fluorescent bulbs and tubes, starting in 2026 for bulbs, and 2027 for tubes.

Next time you visit Tower Hill, look up and see if the spaces look a bit brighter to you. I think you’ll be pleased.

Rev. Tracy Heilman, Camp Director, tracyheilman@ilucc.org &

Steve Jones, stephan.c.jones@gmail.com

Ordinations, Installations, and Ecclesiastical Councils

Aug 24: Service of Ordination for Becky Emerson. 4:00 pm at Salem UCC in Quincy. Western Association.

Sept 13: Service of Ordination for Marian McKinney. 11:00 am at Trinity UCC in Chicago. Chicago Metropolitan Association.

Sep 14: Service of Installation for Rev. Paulo Gustavo Franca. 3:00 pm at Winnetka Congregational Church. Chicago Metropolitan Association.

Sep 21: Service of Installation for Rev. Barbara Lohrbach. 10:00 am at Zion UCC in Gilman. Eastern Association.

Sep 28: Service of Installation for Rev. Abigail Lutz. 3:00 pm at Glenview Community Church. Chicago Metropolitan Association.

Meetings

Aug 25: FVA Council Meeting. 6:30 pm via Zoom.

Sept 4: Annual Celebration Planning Committee. 5:00 pm via Zoom.

Sept 4: PA Committee on Ministry Meeting. 1:00 p.m. via Zoom.

Sept 6: Personnel Committee Meeting. 9:30 am via Zoom.

Sept 8: Stewardship Committee Meeting. 6:00 p.m. via Zoom. 

Sept 9: LEEAP Committee Meeting. 6:00 p.m. via Zoom. 

Sept 10: Outdoor Ministries Committee Meeting. 9:30 a.m. via Zoom. 

Sept 11: FVA Committee on Ministry Meeting. 9:00 a.m. via Zoom.

Sept 11: CMA Committee on Ministry Meeting. 12:00 p.m. via Zoom.

Sept 13: Conference Council Meeting. 9:00 a.m. via Zoom.

Sept 15: EA Committee on Ministry Meeting. 9:30 am via Zoom.

Sept 16: FAB Meeting. 9:00 am via Zoom.

Sept 16: WA Committee on Ministry Meeting. 9:00 am via Zoom.

Sept 16: CMA Council Meeting, 6:30 p.m. via Zoom.

Sept 18: EA Council Meeting, 6:30 p.m. via Zoom.

Sept 21: WA Council Meeting, 3:30 p.m. via Zoom.

SAVE THE DATES! Fall Meetings & Annual Celebration

Sept 20: Chicago Metropolitan Association Fall Meeting. 

Sept 27: Eastern Association Fall Meeting at Plainfield Congregational Church.

Oct 4: Prairie Association Fall Meeting. 

Oct 11: Fox Valley Association Fall Meeting at First Congregational Church in

Downers Grove.

Oct 18: Western Fall Association Meeting at First Federated Church in Peoria.

Oct 30 - Nov 1: Conference Annual Celebration & TPIRC Education Summit at First Congregational UCC in DeKalb.

More information will be available soon on all events.

Please let us know if you have a job opening you would like to share,

and also update us once the position is filled. Contact Sarah Lohrbach.

You are receiving this message because you are listed on our Conference email list, one of our leadership/committee email lists, or because you previously subscribed to receive our e-newsletters.

This communication is made possible by your contributions to

 Our Church's Wider Mission (OCWM)

This NEWSLETTER is published by the Illinois Conference of the United Church of Christ, 1840 Westchester Blvd, Suite 200, Westchester, IL 60154. The Rev. Dr. Terrill Murff, Interim Conference Minister; the Rev. Sarah Lohrbach, Editor. Copy may be sent to: sarahlohrbach@ilucc.org.