Artie Ryvendale

Image of a book open in beach sand, with the middle pages curved into a heart shape, and a sunrise in the background. Prayer by Rev. Cassidy Hall: Sacred Love, Give us tenderness, may we know our own vulnerability. Give us ease, may we rest for revolution. Give us love, may we fill and be filled by each other. Amen.

🙏🏾 Sacred Love,

Give us tenderness, may we know our own vulnerability.
Give us ease, may we rest for revolution.
Give us love, may we fill and be filled by each other.

Amen.

-Rev. Cassidy Hall

👉🏾 Add your prayer to the People's Prayers for Peace:
https://ow.ly/xo0H50Yr7cF

Background image is of hands up in a "no more" posture. Prayer by Reed McKinney: God of mercy, God of justice, break our hearts for Gaza. Let our compassion roar & move us to action. Weep with grieving parents. Stand with the displaced. Forgive our silence and strip us of shallow peace. Help us stop saying “peace” when there is no peace. Because every child, mother and father -- Israeli, Palestinian, Jewish, Muslim, Christian -- is beloved by you. May we be the generation that says, “No more.” Give your church courage to name the violence and love boldly. We pray for justice. Let our faith become fire. And let our love be loud enough to shatter every wall. Amen

🙏🏾 God of mercy, God of justice, break our hearts for Gaza.
Let our compassion roar & move us to action.
May we be the generation that says, “No more.”

-Reed Kirkman

❤️ Do you have a prayer on your heart? Share it with us: https://ow.ly/8i1H50XVEio

2025 in review: Ten hope-filled stories from UCC News - United Church of Christ While 2025 was a year with many challenges and set-backs, there was also great hope to be found in the way that communities and individuals showed up to

💙 As the year comes to a close, UCC News has compiled ten stories from throughout this year that resonated widely and shined a light on how congregations, ministries, and individuals have meaningfully and creatively lived into the practice of hope.

📰 Top 10 News Stories: https://ow.ly/JuMH50XQhUf

#blacksky

Photo of a group of people with their arms around each other. Prayer: I pray that we, who are divided by things such as stance on Biblical interpretations, political party, race, gender, creed, difference of faith or how we see faith, financial life, can come together and help each other. To love our neighbors as ourselves and to love God. We love God first and then we love each other including others who are different than us or who make themselves our enemies. Please and Amen.

🙏🏾 I pray that we, who are divided by stance on Biblical interpretations, political party, race, gender, creed, difference of faith or how we see faith, financial life, can come together through it all & help each other. Amen.
-Jenna

👉🏾 Share your prayer: https://ow.ly/HnvM50XQhJF

🎉 Happy New Year! May the blessings of Advent--Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love--continue with you into this new year. May we all continue to Be The Church and work toward a Just World For All

🎉 Happy New Year!

May the blessings of Advent--Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love--continue with you into this new year.

May we all continue to #BeTheChurch and work toward a #JustWorldForAll

FREE WEBINAR: Faith-Rooted Anti-Authoritarianism In this webinar, we will hear from three panelists about how people of faith can play a vital role in pro-democracy movements that challenge authoritarianism. Maria Stephan, who co-authored "Why Civil Resistance Works: The Strategic Logic of Nonviolent Conflict" with Erica Chenoweth, will provide an overview of international resistance movements. Brother Rodrigo Peret from Franciscans International will speak out of his experience under the Bolsonaro regime in Brazil as well as his arrest for anti-mining protests in Zimbabwe. The Rev. Jorge Bautista will speak about his practice of faithful...

🌍 Churches have played a vital role in pro-democracy movements that have challenged authoritarianism.

🙌🏾 We are joined by Maria Stephan, co-author of "Why Civil Resistance Works," & Brother Rodrigo Peret, from Franciscans International, sharing their experiences with faith-based resistance!

👇🏾

Bright shining star in a night sky. Prayer by Liz Miller: When the noise of the season overwhelms me, may I tune into John’s assurance that Christ is coming anyway. Amen.

🙏🏾When the noise of the season overwhelms me, may I tune into John’s assurance that Christ is coming anyway. Amen.

-Liz Miller
Pastor of Granby Congregational Church, UCC
Daily Devotional 12/8/24: https://ow.ly/y6zz50XzJYf

👉🏾 Submit your prayer here: https://ow.ly/YLBl50XzJYg

Well, it is a negative impact. He certainly has impacted children by starving them, denying them needed medical procedures, deporting their parents, and giving some snatched children to wealthy pedos. Perhaps he is in a race with Putin to see who can hurt the most children in the world this century.

Zero self respect. Zero.

Image of votive candles. Prayer by Douglas Horner: God, Help us to be the peace we hope to see in the world. Let our hearts and minds join with like-minded souls around the world to live out Jesus' mandate for nonviolent direct action with individuals, neighborhoods and nations. Bless us with compassion, strength and courage for the days ahead. In Jesus' name, Amen.

🙏🏾 God,

Let our hearts & minds join with like-minded souls to live out nonviolent direct action with individuals, neighborhoods and nations.

Bless us with compassionfor the days ahead. Amen.

-Douglas Horner

👉🏾 We need your prayers! Share here: https://ow.ly/251250XzJWE

photo of an empty place setting. Prayer by Reed Kirkman: God of love and justice, Stand with those whose tables are empty. Move through the hands that deliver food, Through the hearts that resist indifference. God, Tear down the halls where greed sits, Shake the rooms where vanity prays, Turn over the tables where apathy reigns, And plant your love in the hearts of all. May we see injustice and resist. Feeding people isn’t political. It’s holy. It’s justice. Amen

🙏🏾 God of love & justice,

Stand with those whose tables are empty.
Move through the hands that deliver food.
May we see hunger & act.
May we see injustice & resist.
Because feeding individuals isn’t political.
It’s holy. It’s justice. Amen

-Reed Kirkman

👉🏾 Share a prayer: https://ow.ly/QCxu50XqCte

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Future of Faith: Resisting Overwhelm in Tumultuous Times. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar. Concerned about clergy burnout, Rev. Nicolette developed a boundary training called "Centered Preaching in Tumultuous Times" that she taught for the first time in May 2025. Many are drawn to the UCC because of our passion for social justice. However, pastors who feel called to address the relevant issues of the day are being overwhelmed by unending waves of newsworthy events. Join us for a conversation with Rev. Nicolette as we talk about the joys and challenges of preaching in this time, the importance of developing sustainable preaching habits, and some of the hard lessons she has learned...

💟 Are you feeling the effects of overwhelm and/or burnout?

💟 Many pastors called to address relevant issues are being overwhelmed by unending waves of newsworthy events.

💟 Join us for a conversation with Rev. Nicolette as we talk about the importance of developing sustainable preaching habits.

👇🏾

✊🏾 “When we protest, we push back against the evil & injustice that destroys God’s vision for the peaceable kin-dom. We boldly gather in beloved community to ‘pray with our feet,’ make our faith visible…Protest is sacrament.”

-Rev. Shari Prestemon

📰 Read the full piece: https://ow.ly/IJqZ50XqSSW

looking up at a spiral staircase. Prayer by Jakob West: Dear God, We thank You for choosing us to be in You before the creation of the world. We ask for Your instruction and guidance in the way we should go. We pray that You guide us to take care of your creation. We pray that You help us to love You with all of our heart. And we pray that You help us to love our neighbors as ourselves. Through Jesus Christ, Your Son, Our Teacher, Amen.

🙏🏾 Dear God,

We pray that You guide us to take care of your creation.
We pray that You help us to love You with all of our heart.
And we pray that You help us to love our neighbors as ourselves.

Through Jesus Christ, Your Son,
Amen.

-Jakob West

👉🏾 Share your prayers: https://ow.ly/O25350XqN3H

Pink and light blue background, with an image of Rev. Dr. Lawrence T. Richardson, guest preacher and The Many, musical guests. Text says Trans Day of Remembrance, November 20th, 7:00 PM Eastern, Virtual Worship.

🏳️‍⚧️ 🕯️Trans Day of Remembrance embodies our belief in the power of naming Trans beloveds we have lost to violence.

🏳️‍⚧️ 🕯️ We'll share space in remembering our trans siblings, celebrating the divine within them, and honoring God's uniqueness & gifts.

👉🏾 Join us: https://ow.ly/11oB50XqSTS

UCC pastor shot by federal agents with pepper round speaks about ‘standing on the side of love’ - United Church of Christ The Rev. Jorge Bautista has been in national news recently after photos captured the moment when a U.S. immigration officer struck him in the face with a

🙌🏾 “Those of us that showed up as clergy, we believe in always standing on the side of love – knowing that migrants are members of our churches, members of our communities & they deserve to live in peace, with full dignity”

-Rev. Jorge Bautista

📰 Full article & Interview: https://ow.ly/nOyp50XqwM6

2025 11 14 Fall Buggy Maze YouTube video by Artie Arthur

I built this buggy track in the virtual world of There.com for all my friends to enjoy a little game of seeing who can drive the fastest lap. It is a joy to meet new people from all over the world. I joined this community in 2003 and we have plenty of room for more to join us. youtu.be/naHEPzcfpkQ

Dear God, We lift in prayer our siblings in Louisville and all affected by the tragic plane crash. Surround them and their loved ones with your Spirit and hold them in their pain and grief. When hearts break and words fail, we lift them to your care. For chaplains and first responders, we pray strength and endurance. May your love and your care be known through them. And may the burden which they receive be lightened by the blessing of your sustaining Spirit upon their holy work. Amen

🙏🏾 Dear God,

We lift in prayer our siblings in Louisville and all affected by the tragic plane crash, those who are injured or missing, and those whose lives were cut short in this disaster. Surround them and their loved ones with your Spirit and hold them in their pain and grief.

Amen

What I Learned When I Stopped Hoping Christians Would Come Around, Part Sixteen A Pastor’s Testimony of Faith Beyond the Christian Brand

#blacksky
davidnmoorejr.substack.com/p/what-i-lea...

image of a mirror in the woods, reflecting back a road through trees. Prayer by Karl Heilman: God, In all the universe, You chose us! Shooting stars above, but You chose us! Sunshine of warmth, but You chose us! Rain falling from the sky, but You chose us! Oxygen sustaining life, but You chose us! Planets floating afar, but You chose us! Painted skies of wonder, but You chose us! Help us look at ourselves and each other with the same awe. Show us our unique beauty through Your lens.

🙏🏾 God,

In all the universe, You chose us!

Thank You for Your carefully handcrafted masterpieces. Help us to look at ourselves and each other with the same awe You have for us. Show us our unique beauty through Your lens.

-Karl Heilman

👉🏾 Share your prayers with us: https://ow.ly/lxYH50XlKAZ

What I Learned When I Stopped Hoping Christians Would Come Around, Part Fourteen Exploring the search for God beyond dogma—through music, justice, and daily wonders. Drawing inspiration from Lennon, Ono, and the sacred found in every embrace of human and cultural connection.

Lennon grew up in England, heir to one of the world’s most expansive and brutal empires, and within earshot of a U.S. military base. Ono came from the Empire of the East, haunted by its own hierarchies and prejudices. They both stood outside both empires davidnmoorejr.substack.com/p/what-i-lea...

Image of hands up in the light of a refracted rainbow. Prayer by Reed Kirkman: God of many names, I carry so much on my heart right now, When will the hate stop? When will deportations end? When can our LGBTQIA+ siblings live and celebrate without fear? When will we welcome the stranger, feed the poor, and love one another as Christ commanded? Move through our hearts, God. Let justice flow, compassion rise, and remind us: silence is never neutrality. Amen

🙏🏾 God of many names,

Let justice flow, compassion rise & remind us: silence is never neutrality. Teach us to see one another as kin, to protect the vulnerable, to defend the oppressed, to celebrate every life as sacred. Amen

-Reed Kirkman

Share a prayer with us: https://ow.ly/Iewb50XlHkr

Kill Privacy Forever! They Will Mandate an App to Watch You! Client Side Scanning YouTube video by Rob Braxman Tech

This warning needs attention! This may be the sneaky way that the Tech oligarchs are planning to take away our free speech. I've been following this blog and understand his concern about privacy, especially under our current political administration. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Koqi...

Religious protesters say ICE threatens religious freedom in Chicago (RNS) — Despite potential danger, religious leaders and faith activists have been a visible presence at Chicago-area ICE protests, some waving signs with slogans such as ‘Love thy neighbor’ and ‘Who w...

religionnews.com/2025/10/07/i...

Responding to DHS propaganda YouTube video by Dan McClellan

I highly recommend this commentary.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vg2p...