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The Southwest Conference of the United Church of Christ
The Southwest Conference of the United Church of Christ (SWC) is the regional body that provides support and services to local UCC congregations and clergy within Arizona, New Mexico and El Paso, Texas. The SWC office equips congregations and clergy for excellent ministry and to accomplish the shared mission and vision of the Conference. We are proud of our progressive view of the Gospel and our mission statement, “extravagantly welcoming and affirming followers of Christ called to embody God’s unconditional justice and love” is manifested in the ways we live out every day. The Conference and over two thirds of our churches have adopted "Open and Affirming" covenants welcoming all people, without regard to sexual orientation and gender expression, into the life and ministry of their congregation. Although each congregation is autonomous, we are all connected by covenant and are welcoming to all.
Our Mission Statement:
Extravagantly welcoming and affirming followers of Christ called to embody God’s unconditional justice and love.
Whoever you are and where you are on life's journey, you are welcome here.
The United Church of Christ is a just peace, multiracial, multicultural, immigrant welcoming, sanctuary providing, accessible to all, and mental health WISE (Welcoming, Inclusive, Supportive, and Engaged) expression of the Christian faith. Being in the Southwest, many of our congregations have a large number of active, interesting, retired persons. Our churches also are spiritual homes for single people, families with children, single parent families, and unmarried families. Our local congregations welcome your visit. Many of our church buildings offer beautiful settings for weddings and a caring ministry to young couples. Babies are baptized as infants. We're also happy to baptize young people and adults who affirm their faith and who have not previously been baptized; we accept the baptism of other denominations. Children are warmly included in the life of our churches, many of which offer a children's story time during worship as well as educational programs for all ages. In short, whoever you are and wherever you are on life’s journey, you are welcome among us!
Children and Youth Programs
The Southwest Conference does not currently have an active summer camping program for children and youth but offers scholarships to nearby UCC camping programs plus a variety of transformational experiences, General Synod, National Youth Event, trips to the border, and more.
Conference and Church Leadership
We welcome the leadership of both men and women - we've been ordaining women to be pastors since 1853, the first US denomination to do so. The United Church of Christ has voted at its national meeting, the General Synod, to try to become a more truly multi-cultural and multi-racial church.
Open and Affirming
The United Church of Christ welcomes all people whatever their sexual orientation or gender expression.
Who Are We and What Do We Do?
The Conference Minister and staff provide support to local congregations and clergy, and the ministries related to the current mission emphases of the Conference:
Church development and growth.
Youth, young adult programs, camping and outdoor activities.
Connection and communication.
Advocacy for the United Church of Christ as UCC areas of concern.
Programs to strengthen local churches.
Tasks of the Southwest Conference
Ministries to clergy and churches:
Assist congregations to find a new pastor or interim leadership.
Offer crisis response and conflict management to pastors and churches.
Support clergy renewal through continuing education and pastoral care.
Celebrate ordinations, anniversaries, installations, and building dedications.
Offer consultations and workshops on stewardship, Christian education, evangelism, and long-range planning.
Start new churches, nurture them and renew existing congregations with support ministries and leadership subsidies.
Empowerment for ministry and mission:
Work through the Board of Directors and the committees to set policies and develop ministries in mission emphases voted by church delegates to the annual meeting.
Support campus ministries in the three-state area.
Participate in the Arizona Faith Network and the New Mexico Conference of Churches.
Encourage local congregations doing hands-on mission.
Provide for future leadership of the church through support for Pacific School of Religion, our covenant partner in theological education, and our In-Care Students in seminary.
Enable national and world ministries through support for Our Church's Wider Mission.
Youth, young adult, and camping ministries:
Sponsor summer youth camping program and "Sow the Seed" scholarships.
Train camp directors and staff.
Provide leadership and youth advisor training events.
Offer youth and young adult ministry networking and resourcing for local churches.
Send youth and young adults to national and regional youth events.
5 for 5
The success and sustainability of the United Church of Christ’s national ministries is relying on your church’s contribution to basic operating support and mission. Being 5 for 5 means that your church is a leader, providing support to Our Church’s Wider Mission and the Special Mission Offerings: One Great Hour of Sharing, Strengthen The Church, Neighbors In Need and The Christmas Fund.
Be A Leader, Become a 5 for 5 Church Today!
7 for 7 - Southwest Conference Offerings
In addition to OCWM and the Special Mission Offerings, there are two other Southwest Conference Offerings.
Sow the Seed:
Updated 2/25/2023: We are pleased to announce that the Southwest Conference Executive Board has approved the Sow the Seed fund, traditionally used for camp and youth event scholarships, to now be open to award financial GRANTS FOR MINISTRY PROJECTS undertaken by our SWC congregations FOR, TO, AND WITH CHILDREN, YOUTH, YOUNG ADULTS AND FAMILIES.
The Sow the Seed fund is one of our two local conference funds included our “7-for-7” Offerings. Local churches have been faithful in continuing to give to that offering, despite the pandemic interfering with our camp program since 2020.
The SWC Executive Board recognized the need to broaden the use of that fund to encourage our churches to explore new paradigms for children, youth, young adult and family ministries. The difficult truth is that old models of sponsoring conference-wide camp and youth programming in our conference have been subject to increasing challenges in years leading up to the pandemic. Our inability to hold camp due to the pandemic has accentuated those challenges. There are no current plans to reinstate a conference-wide camping program.
Encouraging and supporting our churches to think and act creatively to engage in new ministries for faith formation in children, youth, young adults, and families we hope will accomplish a number of things:
Start creating new vision and energy around ministry to and with folks under 25.
Open new avenues of support and creativity to use our existing Sow the Seed monies.
Revitalize individual and church interest in contributing to our Sow the Seed fund to support important ministries embodying God’s unconditional justice and love in new and relevant ways.
Open opportunities for our churches who may not have people under 25 years old in membership, but still want to find ways to support young lives in their faith formation within their communities.
Continue to have funds that may be used for scholarships as needed. (Scholarship requests for Conference and national UCC events will not be considered as local church grants, but can simply be requested.)
Click here for the new Sow the Seed grant application for your consideration. Once a grant application is received, it will be reviewed and you will be notified of its award. Grants of up to $2000 will be reviewed by Conference staff for approval. Grants written for more than $2000 will need to be reviewed by the SWC Executive Board.
So, I pray that the seeds of possibility and vision for our young people and their faith will be sown and will reap an abundant harvest in their lives, in our beloved communities and our world!
- Rev. Dr. Barb Doerrer-Peacock, Associate Conference Minister