October 3, 2024

Greetings in Christ!

As part of this year's 2024 Faith & Democracy Campaign, we have taken the opportunity to assemble what we call the Prophetic Voices for Justice to spotlight a few of our clergy and lay leaders. These folks have a message for us, their fellow members of the Church Universal, and the Central Atlantic Conference of the United Church of Christ in particular. Ours is a society in crisis, it doesn't seem alarmist to say so. But we are not powerless in the face of these manifest and multitudinous crises! This is what our Prophetic Voices are here for: to offer us a challenging word, to offer us a chance to reflect on who we are, what we stand for, and how we got here, and to offer us, if we might only listen and consider their words, a way forward.

Over the next six weeks between now and Election Day, we'll be sharing one Prophetic Voices piece each week on a pressing issue we face as a people. We'll run the gamut from matters of economic justice and opportunity to the wellbeing of our LGBTQIA+ siblings, and as much as we can manage in-between. This first week's Prophetic Voice (print version available) comes to us from Rev. James deBoer of Tree of Life UCC Faith Community in New Jersey. Rev. deBoer will cover some pressing issues of economic justice and building a more equitable shared life as God's people in the world. May we listen with open ears to hear what God is saying to us in his words!

We invite you to share these Prophetic Voices with your congregation. How you choose to do so we leave up to you. That may be in worship, that may be in your newsletter but please, share them. Even if you think it might ruffle some feathers and cause some huffing. That is, after all, what Prophetic Voices have a tendency to do.

May a sense of blessing and enduring peace be yours this day, and everyday,