Worship This Sunday

June 4, 2023

9:30 AM - Downtown (see below)

10:30 AM - On Campus

PRIDE SUNDAY


Genesis 1:1-5, 31 NRSV

God Bless Our Ordinary Days

Sermon by Rev. Matt Broadbent

For those unable to join us in person, there will be a live videocast 

of the worship service at 10:30 a.m. on Sundays.

Go to the church's website, or use one of the links below.


If you miss the live service, you can find it archived on YouTube.

Watch on YouTube
Sunday Bulletin
Watch on Facebook
Visit our website for more information about what's happening at PUCC

PRIDE

Worship & Parade

June 4th


Sunday, June 4, Peace UCC will be part of an interfaith Pride worship service organized by Out In Our Faith, 9:30 am downtown, on Plaza Lane. (see map)


Also, for the Santa Cruz Pride festival that day, we’ll have a table with literature and tchotchkes in the display area staffed by people from our church, and there’ll be a PUCC delegation marching in the parade at 11am. We have a new banner and new t-shirts (or wear one you already have). We will walk together, sing, and share our fellowship with other Pride folks.


On our campus at 900 High St., Matt Broadbent will lead a worship service, beginning at 10:30am

The Council of Peace United Church of Christ

invites you to the

Annual Congregational Meeting



To be held on June 25, 2023 at Noon

in the Fellowship Hall

(Zoom link to follow)


Members will be voting on:

Budget for 2023 to 2024

By-laws revision

Slate of Nominations


Annual reports, information on our proposed budget, proposed By-laws change, Slate of Nominations and zoom link to follow. Stay tuned. 


Fellowship Groups &

Outreach Ministries

at Peace UCC


Download our new brochure HERE

WE DID IT!

COPA 20th Anniversary Convention


The 20 year anniversary convention of COPA was a success! More than 600 people from the region attended the May 20 convention in Monterey. Thanks to COPA for helping to strengthen our church within and the community beyond Peace.


Elected officials committed on stage to working with COPA to get county health workers to visit each house effected by the recent Pajaro flood, and asked for our advice and support in shaping affordable housing bond measures for Santa Cruz and for teachers in Monterey County.


In all Peace had 23 people attend the convention, but almost better than this turnout were the 100+ personal invitations our COPA leaders conducted in the weeks leading up to the event. “It was a chance to talk to many folks I haven’t talked to for a long time,” said Elizabeth Schilling. “I feel more connected to the church and even made a new friend!”


Thanks to those who attended, and to all of Peace for supporting this important social justice work.


(Photo by Kerry Skyles)

Peace Pledge Drive

July 2023 - June 2024


Pledge Season is still underway! You have received a letter from the Stewardship Committee along with a Pledge form for the upcoming 2023-2024 Fiscal Year. Several people have testified during Sunday services regarding their own understanding of stewardship. Pledge Sunday was April 30, 2023, when we consecrated our financial commitments for the coming year. Our goal was to receive 100 Pledges by that date, totaling $300,000. So far, we have received 78 Pledge forms totaling $231,556 - about ¾ of our goal.


Please remember that in order to budget for all our mission and ministry – programs, maintenance, and staffing – we need to estimate (accurately) our income from all sources. Your Pledge helps us to prepare a responsible budget and plan our work for next year. If you have been giving regularly but not Pledging, please know that we appreciate your gifts - but we still need your Pledge, in any amount you can afford. If you have already sent in your Pledge, we thank you! If not, please do so ASAP. 😁


The Stewardship committee (and a few other church leaders) are in the process of calling members who have not yet pledged during this season. If you have not yet submitted your pledge (or if it’s “in the mail”), don’t be too surprised if you get a call. 😉


With appreciation, your Stewardship Committee:

Bill Walton, Bob Lange, Jane Heyse, Karen Cozza and Lisa Johnson

Vera Taylor Scholarship 2023-24


The Vera Taylor Scholarship Committee is accepting applications from church members for scholarships for 2023-2024.


Who can apply?

  1. Full-time students or soon-to-be students who have been members of Peace United Church of Christ for at least one year.
  2. Qualification
  • Attend a college or university or accredited vocational school; e.g. culinary arts, dental hygiene, and the like in an undergraduate or graduate level program.
  • For mini-grants to learn or enhance skills and strategies for church or community outreach activities by taking training in a program that leads to a certificate or degree for such things but not limited to Hospice, elder care, child care, working with homeless persons or prisoners, crisis hotlines and counseling, English as a second language, and immigration support. 


Where can I find an application? (All questions are accepted.)

Please contact Chris Wellens for a link to the application (chris@wellens.com)

Garden Plot Available


If your gardening space is limited or maybe you live in an apartment, and would like to have a place to grow vegetables or flowers.  


We have an opportunity for you. The fenced and irrigated garden space at Peace United is available. If you are interested, contact the office with your name, email, and phone number. office@peaceunited.org


We can provide information and guidelines to follow.

House Hunting


Our church’s faithful audio/video technician, Kevin Rothwell, is looking for a new place to live. If you or someone you know has a studio apartment or large room that he could rent, please call or text him at 831-588-9488, or send an email to kevin.rothwell@yahoo.com



Update on Pajaro Recovery Team! 


About 20 Peace United members signed up to provide assistance to Pajaro flood victims. Over the past month, several of us have volunteered at the donation sorting and distribution centers in Watsonville. The Santa Cruz Volunteers Organization has received lots of bags of used clothing, toys, and supplies. It is a huge job sorting all those donations into boy’s, girl’s, men’s, and women’s clothing items by size. As this is done, we put the requested clothing and household items in bags for each family. When a family’s order is filled and bagged, other volunteers deliver these bags to the families still living at the fairgrounds or hotels.


We learned that the Santa Cruz Volunteers sorting and distribution centers will shut down on May 16 and this effort will transfer to Monterey County. Since there is an abundance of used items, they are accepting only new items on their list, as well as gift cards and money to purchase blankets and household items.  


In Pajaro, the mud and debris are cleaned up now, and people are beginning to repair homes and move back. I hope to have more information about how we can help these families as I make contact with resource centers that are coordinating this effort.


If you are available and interested, please contact Karen

at kacozza@gmail.com.

We Want to Hear Your Voice

Sign Up to Be A Liturgist!


We would love to have you as a liturgist (reader) in one of our Sunday morning worship services. It's a wonderful way of serving!


Sign up for a Sunday to read live and in person and we'll connect with you by e-mail on the Tuesday prior, sending all the information you'll need for getting ready.


If you'd like to give it a try, click on this link to choose a date.

Watch Out For Scammers


Peace United staff and leaders will never solicit you by e-mail, asking you to purchase or send gift cards or electronic funds for any purpose. Contact the church office if you have any concerns about emails you may receive.


Read More

Office Hours!


Some days we're on campus, some days we're remote, but 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday, staff are attending to the business of our church office: monitoring e-mail, answering telephones and/or responding to messages, working on the dozens of different projects and connections that keep our ministry moving forward. As on-campus activities increase in the months ahead, so will our in-person presence in the church office, Monday through Thursday.


If you plan to come into the office, please call ahead to schedule a time when we know someone will be in to assist you. You can reach us by e-mail using the list below or by phone, 831-426-2010.


Pastor Dave works from the church office, Monday through Thursday, and most weeks will have office hours on Saturday too, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Friday is his day off. In case of emergency, the pastor is available by cell phone, 773-255-8095. If you would like to schedule a meeting or would like to "drop by", please contact us via email using this link to make an arrangement.

Small Groups and Ministries of Outreach

Use this link to find information about our various small groups and

ministries here at PUCC.

Peace UCC Facilities Calendar
To view our availability or request space on our campus click here!
Support Peace UCC
Donate securely to Peace UCC through our website! Learn more or donate at: www.peaceunited.org/giving.

Our conference staff and the offices have
moved to a new address. The new address is
1320 Willow Pass Rd., Suite 600, Concord, CA 94520

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Find out more about global ministries here.

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