by Lillian Daniel

Michigan Conference Minister

Dear Churches and Clergy, 

As you follow Jesus, hear the scriptures, preach the gospel and bravely worship something other than yourselves, you are increasingly going to feel the Holy Spirit rubbing like sandpaper against the culture around you. There are certain moments in history, time and space where it is especially grating and this is one of those times. Be the church of sandpaper. 

The church at its worst simpers behind the culture in the pursuit of prestige, blessing bullies and licking boots. The church at its best calls the culture to conscience and risks getting kicked to the sidelines when it does so. I write to remind you that we follow a savior who lived and died on the sidelines. The current debate in American politics about who gets to speak spiritually and who gets silenced is nothing new, nor is threatening the space and status of one church while elevating that of another with promises of political patronage. Be the church on the sidelines.

Just because his teachings later came to be associated with empires, nation states and governments, they were not born that way and neither was Jesus. It is the responsibility of the church universal to remind the culture in all times and places that Jesus’ life began in a stable, to parents without the protection of citizenship, who fled their home to a foreign land for the first six years of Jesus’ life. You don’t have to use your imagination to see Jesus in the face of an immigrant child. He literally was one. Stand up for Jesus wherever you see him. 

While there have been moments in American religious history where some churches found themselves taking up the best real estate on the richest highways, remember that in those same moments there were always other Christians who cared first for the poor, who stood up for the dignity of workers, who risked their freedom in civil disobedience and their lives in nonviolent protest for the rights and protection of all God’s children. Should some of you find yourselves called to follow in that tradition of Christian protest or civil disobedience, remember that behind the history of individuals, there was also a movement, a legal plan, a training program and a commitment to a shared spiritual discipline, often sparked within churches. Let’s be that for each other. 

In that spirit, the Michigan Conference is committed to getting you the best resources we can find. Below you will find communications on some legal challenges facing local churches. Lord knows, there are legal and financial scenarios coming our way that we have not yet imagined but I am also confident that within our Body of Christ, there are already creative answers being birthed for such a time as this. Let’s share them.

Scratch like sandpaper, stay strong on the sidelines and stand up for Jesus. We got you. 

Peace and Blessings, 

Lillian Daniel

Michigan Conference Minister



“When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong." - Lev 19:33

Michigan Conference UCC

Mission, Vision and Values

from Board President Rev. Liz Larrivee

In January 2025, Rev. Dr. Sarah B. Drummond, Founding Dean, Andover Newton Seminary at Yale Divinity School, led the Board of Directors and Staff in a joint Strategic

Planning retreat in E. Lansing, Michigan.

In live, in-person Holy Spirit time, Sarah did a phenomenal job weaving together draft Mission, Vision, and Values statements. Based on input data from the survey participants (those we serve) and focus groups (BOD/Staff leadership), the emerging leadership consensus in the retreat room created compelling final Mission, Vision, and Values statements reflective of our unique MI Conference UCC organizational identity. 

Spiritual wisdom, robust engagement, and deep discernment are reflected in the outcome.

READ MORE

2025 Winter Youth Retreat

Looking Back to Move Forward is the theme of the Detroit 67 Perspectives exhibit at the Detroit Historical Museum. It is our deepest hope that the 57 youth and 22 adults in attendance Feb 1-2, 2025 will look back on this retreat experience and move forward in ways that bring them closer together and closer to God. Wider church youth events of this size are chaotic, messy, beautiful, and full of laughter and love; the epitome of how we live with one another in a balance of autonomy and covenant. With special thanks to Plymouth UCC, Detroit for hosting us in worship and sharing personal experiences from the summer of 1967 in Detroit.

Conference Staff offers four monthly Caring Clergy Groups

Dreaming of going into ministry?

Financial help is available!

Each year awards are made to multiple seminarians within the Michigan Conference UCC. These awards are significant and can be a factor in making it financially possible for aspiring ministers to attend seminary.

The deadline for submitting applications

(or renewal requests) is May 1st, 2025.

READ MORE

Link to APPLICATION

Funding Opportunities for Pastors and Churches

When the 2025 Budget was approved at the Annual Meeting of the Michigan Conference UCC, it included the creation of four new categories of grants for pastors and churches.

In addition to long standing Vital Growth and Small Town/Rural funding, the Michigan Conference UCC webpage for Scholarships and Grants has been updated to include Emergency Grants for Clergy and Churches, AND there is now specific grant money available for Sabbatical, Technology and Community Outreach support.

All requests for funding require completion of a Unified Grant Form. Non-emergency grant applications will be reviewed twice a year, with deadlines of March 15 and September 15. Funding will be distributed in early April and early October.

Emergency requests will be dealt with as they are received.