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COMMAntary

The newsletter of the Minnesota Conference UCC

Volume 23, No. 7 | April 2, 2026

Equipping a courageous Church alive with Christ's transforming love

The Rest of the Story is Ours

Most years during Holy Week, I spend time revisiting the Tenebrae narrative and portions of the Easter readings from Seasons of Hope: Readings for the Liturgical Year by David E. Butler, a playwright, actor, and long-time UCC minister. Though written nearly 30 years ago, most of the readings in this collection remain both resonant and relevant. This year especially, one of the Easter readings, “The Rest of the Story Is Ours,” captured my attention anew…

Resurrection means that the story that began with a life lived for others, 

a passion for a God of love and justice, and a death on a cross,

isn’t over but lives on.

Resurrection means that the story was carried on

    in lives that made sacrifices for faith

    in people who endured suffering and conflict for love

    in visionaries who sought to change the world and make justice real.

Resurrection means that even generations of defeat haven’t ended the tale.

All the forces of greed and ambition and lust for power 

haven’t stopped the flow of this story of love.

It has survived even the narrowness and divisions and incompetence of the church.

All the power and death and prejudice of this world have never blocked its path...

Over the past many months, communities across Minnesota and throughout the United States have endured as the forces of greed and lust for power have rampaged. Our federal government has terrorized, threatened, and detained thousands of our neighbors. And we have witnessed the tragic murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by agents of the state – modern day crucifixions. 

The collective trauma of these experiences is compounded by the daily onslaught of news stories about global instability, existential crises, and impending cataclysm. I wonder, at least on some days, if living through these days feels like being part of one of the “generations of defeat” that David Butler writes about. 

But he reminds us, “Resurrection means that the story…isn’t over but lives on. Our scriptures are filled with stories of the early followers of Jesus who were transformed by and carried forward their experiences of resurrection – real experiences of love transcending death, of the seeds of justice taking root amid ruin and decay, and of frail and fragile people finding the courage to stand against empire and trying change the world."

Many of you from across the Minnesota Conference UCC have embodied these stories of resurrection during this incredibly difficult time. In ways big and small, you have sought to change the world by organizing, advocating, protesting, singing, resisting, training, feeding, transporting, fundraising, mutual aiding, and befriending on behalf of your neighbors.

As we prepare to celebrate Easter and enter the long season of Eastertide, may we help one another remember that we are indeed the ones called to carry forward the still unfolding story of resurrection once again.

…The rest of the story is ours,

    it will be the story of our response, our courage, our faith,

    the bearing of our crosses.

The resurrected Spirit of Christ comes, here, now, to us.  

Grace and peace for the journey ahead,

Rev. Kevin Brown

Associate Conference Minister

Conference News & Events

Emergency Grants Still Available: Deadline to Apply is April 20

We want to make sure the generosity we received during ICE surge in Minnesota finds usefulness in our communities. Half the money we have received is still available.

Therefore, we have extended the deadline to April 20 to apply for a grant. Previous grantees may reapply for additional funds. Read more and apply here.

Registration Now Open for Annual Meeting

June 12-23 | College of St. Benedict
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LEARN MORE

We invite you to join us in person or via Zoom as we explore "Into the Deep" – defying division and celebrating our strength, unity, and resolve as Minnesotans and children of God. Jessica Vazquez Torres is our guest speaker. Worship will once again be led by The Many.

Registration Deadline Extended to April 8 for Youth Voices: Bold Faith

REGISTER. Registration now closes April 8. 

When: July 12-17, 2026

Who: Students currently enrolled in grades 9-12

Cost: $550 (with significant subsidy from the Ashley Endowment of the MN Conference (total cost is ~$1,100); cost includes airfare from MSP, lodging, meals, ground transportation, and program. Final payments are due by June 12. Balance payment requests will be sent by June 1. Cancellations: To receive a full refund, cancellations must be made by May 11. Please note: $60 of the Initial deposit is NOT refundable.

Are you ready to make your voice heard? Join other high school students from the Minnesota & Wisconsin Conferences of the United Church of Christ in Washington, D.C. for Youth Voices: Bold Faith, a week-long immersion in faith-based advocacy, justice, and community. Together, we’ll explore how our faith calls us to speak truth to power, stand up for what’s right, and work toward a world where all can thrive.

Participants will:

• engage with leaders making change on Capitol Hill and beyond;

• learn practical tools for organizing, advocacy, and public witness;

• engage in Youth Leadership Development;

• build deep connections with peers who share their passion for justice and hope for the world

Registration is limited to the first 30 youth who register, and we will have space for 10 adults (or 1 per congregation). All adults will need to complete a comprehensive criminal background screening and complete online training by June 12, 2026.

Good Friday Walk Through Sites of Crucifixion in South Minneapolis

April 3, noon to 3 pm

Led by Lyndale UCC pastors Rev. T. Michael Rock and Rev. Rebecca Voelkel

The walk will begin at Say Their Names Cemetery at George Floyd Square. We will pause and hold space at George Floyd Square, at the Renee Good Memorial, at the Karmel Mall, at an abduction site at 29th and Pillsbury, and end at the Alex Pretti memorial. We will hear from a storyteller, a theological reflector, have some simple ritual and song.

People are free to walk, drive, or bike – the distance is about two miles one way. We welcome all to be present in this powerful witness in whatever way you can join. There will be poetry, prayer and singing at each site as well as time for quietness and honoring the tears on this land.

A part of our community has died. We are called to remember and honor this journey. This will help us prepare for Easter. Questions? Contact T. Michael Rock or Rebecca Voelkel.

Building a More Just Church Through Our Words and Our Work

—The Committee to Dismantle White Supremacy

The Committee to Dismantle White Supremacy (CDWS) was born from the understanding that systemic racism exists. Whether conscious of its presence or not, we are all inheritors of institutional systems that implicitly or explicitly favor straight, cis-gendered, educated, able-bodied, white men, while making others less welcome, less supported, less resourced, less empowered. And while the MN Conference has undertaken to become an anti-racist institution, we - including the CDWS - have work to do. 

And so one of the things the CDWS does is to hold space for messy conversations. We ask, where are our relationships misshapen by values rooted in power? Where are our relationships transformed and liberative?

Recognizing that finances are both a primary tool for systems to work towards either domination or liberation, and that our financial decisions reflect our covenantal relationships, this year the CDWS formed a Finances Working Group to participate as thought partners with the Board of Directors, Conference staff, and the Development and Finance Committees. Through regular contact with these groups, we hope that we can imagine a hoped-for future together that uses the Conference’s finances for reparative actions.

We enter this work in humility, not as experts with the answers, but as community members tasked with looking at our collective work through a critical lens of how white supremacy culture can permeate institutions. In our limited time as a permanent committee, it is clear that values embedded in white supremacy show up in many church spaces, whether those spaces contain a range of racial identities or not, and that those distorted values affect how we all feel a sense of covenant within the Minnesota Conference. 

Congregational Boundary Training with Rev. Diane Weible Offered

Tuesdays, April 21 and 28, 6:30-8:30 pm via Zoom

REGISTER

Congregational boundary training is an opportunity for communities of faith to explore ethics in ministry. This training will define boundaries and define what a healthy boundary looks like. It will include topics that lay leaders encounter in their ministry as well as offer an understanding of boundary concerns specific to ministers, such as when a minister leaves a church and expectations for ordained ministers who are members of a local church.

The training will include opportunities for small group discussion and questions. Participants are encouraged to bring questions related to their own experience.

New Freshwater Faithworks Summer Program Explores the Intersection of Water and Faith

Freshwater Faithworks is a new summer program focusing on the intersection of freshwater ecology and faith. Two experiences are offered. Both will provide a combination of hands-on service-learning, education, exploration, and reflection to help participants experience freshwater sources in a wholistic way, inviting them to fall in love with water and empowering them to fight back against climate anxiety with tangible action. Freshwater Faithworks is a collaboration between the Minnesota and Wisconsin Conferences of the United Church of Christ.

A two-night intergenerational camp (June 28-July 1) will explore the importance and sanctity of our water sources and how human activity affects the health of our waterways for better or worse. Held at Daycholah Center in Ripon, WI. Learn more and register.

A four-night middle school adventure will explore the importance and sanctity of our water sources and how human activity affects the health of our waterways for better or worse. Held at Creekside UCC in Minneapolis and First United Church of Little Falls. Learn more and register.

Generosity Webinar: Testimony

April 22, 6:30 pm CT

Effective story-telling leads to generosity. Stories put flesh and bones on the ministry of a congregation. Stewardship season may be the only time churches engage in the practice of testimony and miss an opportunity to encourage more storytelling from lay leaders and congregants. Join Rev. Molly Baskette and Rev. Wendy Vander Hart to learn ways to expand story-telling and effective use of testimony to grow engagement and giving in your church. Register here.

Nominating Work Group Seeks Candidates for Conference-wide Positions

The Nominating Work Group asks for your help in identifying folk to serve in Conference-wide, elected positions. Our work rests on finding well qualified persons willing to volunteer and your help is needed in helping us find such folk. We frequently hear from those who have volunteered for an elected position that their volunteer time was rewarding. They met new friends, engaged in important work, and gained greater insight into the Conference’s ministry.  

Currently there are multiple openings including:



• Board of Directors: the governing Board of the Conference (subject to action taken at annual and special meetings of the Conference), providing guidance, oversite and support to staff and committees.
• Committee on Ministry: responsible for the oversite of all authorized ministers in the Conference, including those seeking ordination, Dual Standing, Privilege of Call, Licensure, and other forms of specialized authorization.
• Committee to Dismantle White Supremacy: our newest Conference Committee, working collaboratively with the Board of Directors, committees and work groups to ensure they remain aligned with the Conference’s anti-racism work.
• Finance Committee: prepares and monitors the Conference budget, makes and monitors investments, assesses and monitors risk, obtains insurance, and manages Conference funds.  
• Development Committee: promotes the financial development of the Conference, and reviews and implements the Conference’s fundraising plan.
• Personnel Committee: provides oversight and establishes policies in relation to employment, staffing and other human resource matters.
• Annual Meeting Planning Work Group: oversees all matters related to the annual meeting.
• Nominating Work Group: nominates persons to fill elected positions in the conference.

If you or someone you know is interested in serving in an elected position, please contact Eliot Howard, Chair of the Nominating Work Group at eliothoward930@gmail.com. Your support is greatly appreciated.

News from Churches & Partners

ConNext Summit 2026:
Beyond Belonging - Branching Out - Bringing In - Building Together

October 11-13, Clearwater Forest Camp and Retreat Center

REGISTER (early bird registration until May 31)

Faith leaders strive to create places of deep belonging. We long to branch out beyond belonging to bring into the center children, youth, and adults forced to the margins so that together, we can build a more beautiful community in which all God's beloveds flourish.

How can we develop more emotionally- and systemically-aware mentors – adults and peers –capable of more joyful and meaningful welcome for children and youth whose identities place them on the margins and increasingly in danger? In the face of Christian Nationalism and other radicalizing ideologies, how do we create communities in which vulnerability, compassion, and gracious conversation are norms that shape open, compassionate, gracious children, youth, and families?

Gather Members to Watch the UCC Earth Summit on April 25

April 25, Noon CT

REGISTER

The theme for the fourth annual UCC Earth Summit is "A Future with Hope" (Jeremiah 29:11). To ground and inspire us as people of faith in difficult times, the Jim Antal Keynote Lecture will be delivered by the Rev. Dr. Kenneth Samuel, a renowned advocate and organizer for justice who serves as the pastor of Victory for the World Church in Decatur, Georgia. This two-and half-hour summit will additionally feature a panel discussion entitled “Power to the People: Energy Justice for an Equitable Future.” Panelists will include Dr. Shalanda Baker, who headed the Office of Energy Justice and Equity at the Department of Energy under the Biden Administration, and Chandra Farley, who serves as the Chief Sustainability Officer for the City of Atlanta. Celebrations at the summit will include the announcement of the winners for both the Dollie Burwell Prophetic Action Award and the Climate Hope Art Contest for children and youth. Moreover, we will recognize our newest Creation Justice Churches and our first Climate Hope Affiliates.

Joys & Concerns

Employment Opportunities

The Conference maintains an up-to-date listing of authorized minister, interim minister, and other positions available in Minnesota, as well as positions with the UCC National setting. This site is frequently updated. See the current listings.

More Resources & Opportunities

STORY IDEAS: Have a story or idea to share in COMMAntary? Send an email to communications@uccmn.org. COMMAntary is published every other Thursday. Submissions are due Tuesday prior to publication at noon.

PROGRAMS & SUPPORT: Check out the wealth of resources available on the Conference's website for authorized ministers, local churches, and faith formation leaders.

EMPLOYMENT: Check out the employment opportunities page on the Conference's website for all open positions.