The Gifts of God: February, 2025

“But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.” (Luke 15:22-24)

To our beloved friends of UCC – Greetings, and God’s peace to each of you:

On the final Sunday of December, during our annual open mic service, we couldn’t help but notice a theme: gifts. Many of you named the sometimes surprising, always timely, consistently compassionate blessings you received from God this past year.

Gifts in the form of people.
Gifts through a sermon, a passage of scripture, or time of prayer.
Gifts of comfort in times of duress.
Gifts of joy and laughter on the other side of weeping.
Clarity.
Generosity.
Friendship.

Indeed, our God continues to show himself as the Giver of all good and perfect gifts, lavish in his offering, swift in his pouring out. As we begin another calendar year, we want to take this opportunity to illuminate some of the blessings we see across our collective ministry—gifts that are helping us remember that God is with us—a Constant Companion, a very Good Shepherd, an ever-present help at all times.

Strengthening the Call to Campus

Over the course of 2024, we’ve continued to see more and more university students and faculty fold into our life together as a church. Praise God! Answered prayer. Many from amongst the UCC body have taken part in our ongoing call to faithful presence by participating in our welcome week and exam week activities; providing food for student lunches and dinners; joining prayer walks and other times of focused prayer for the campus; volunteering with Rohs Street Cafe or The 86; and/or coming alongside a student as a regular friend or mentor. It’s been a joy to see students continually step-up into roles of service amongst the church, be that by volunteering with our children in the atrium/nursery; being part of the Sunday morning worship team; or helping with communications/graphic design needs. 

In 2025, we hope to continue to strengthen our partnerships with campus ministry organizations who are reaching students where they are in very relational ways (ex: Impact Campus Ministries, International Friendships Inc., and Pop-Up Praise); stay faithful to prompts we’re sensing to “be on campus more;” and remain open to additional ways the Spirit might be nudging us to share more of Christ’s love throughout our university neighborhood.

Forming and Transforming Leaders

In July, Jeffrey Wyckoff stepped down from his role as our Worship Director, “officially” passing the ball to Rob Girvin, who has assumed the post with joy, creativity, and enthusiasm! We remain incredibly grateful for Jeffrey’s 2.5 years of weekly service, and the great care he took to make this transition go so smoothly. We look forward to continuing to see what God wants to do in/through Rob, as he guides our Sunday morning musical worship; encourages growth in younger leaders; and continues to shape a culture of worship across the church more broadly.

As part of his seminary requirements, Daniel Hickman undertook a semester of fieldwork study alongside Jeremiah last year, preaching two Sunday morning sermons (during Lent and on Pentecost), and shaping two Taizé nights at UCC. We’re eager to keep watching Daniel develop as a minister of the Gospel, and grateful to be able to come alongside him during this formative time of his vocational discernment. 

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Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his field.” (Matthew 9:35–38)

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In 2025, we invite you to stay open to the Holy Spirit’s whispers with regard to how/where you might be called to serve the church and be part of advancing God’s Kingdom. UCC has always been a community that desires to nurture, support, and develop resilient disciples, and we look forward to stepping into this work together as the year unfolds.

Clarifying our Practices and Postures

Walking a process of communal discernment—designed to help us seek clarity around how members of the LGBTQ+ community shall be included into our fellowship of faith—claimed a large portion of time, prayer, and care amongst our Lead Team and Staff Team last year. Over the course of 2024, more than two-dozen members of the UCC community joined Lead/Staff Team in this process by participating in learning-Zoom-calls; engaging in multi-week bible studies; entering into thoughtful dialogue and listening; and faithfully answering the call to prayer and fasting. In September, the Lead Team announced a clarified posture, sharing that UCC will be a community who makes room for a spectrum of views and practices concerning Christian marriage, inviting individuals and couples to seek God’s voice on the matter, then move forward according to their own conscience. In a similar way, pastors and other ordained individuals within UCC’s body shall have the freedom to choose whom they will marry (including same-sex and opposite-sex) and perform those weddings. Gender, sexual orientation, sexual attraction, and/or marital status are not factors or criteria that will be used to evaluate whether or not God is calling a person to serve the church in leadership at any level.

It is our prayer that 2025 brings more opportunity for each of us to renew our commitment (our “yes”) to journeying with Jesus alongside people different from ourselves. At the same time, we recognize that staying unified amongst differences is incredibly challenging. Still, we believe much growth is possible when we place ourselves amongst people who follow Jesus in ways unfamiliar to us, see the world through different eyes, or read the Bible with a lens we’ve not personally explored before. And, we believe that seeking this kind of unity in the midst of our ever-dividing, increasingly-divisive world, is a powerful witness to the transformative, upside down ways of Jesus.

Lord, hear our prayer. 

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Five Ways to Pray in 2025:

Speaking of prayer, here’ how we want to be praying together this year:

For the campus: For an awakening of both Christians and those who do not know Christ—that they will encounter Jesus, be set free from sin, (re)turn to faith in God, and give their lives over to the Lordship of Christ. 

For our city: For those in our neighborhoods who suffer; for those who are afraid; for those lacking shelter; for those afflicted by addiction—that our Lord will be merciful, bringing comfort, peace, and healing; that we would be part of God’s restorative and redemptive plans, hearing Jesus’ call to “love neighbor” in new ways.  

For world leaders: For those who hold positions of public office in cities, states, and countries —that our Sovereign God will reveal himself and guide these individuals to do their work in a spirit of wisdom, kindness, and justice, using their authority to promote the dignity of all peoples. 

For the Church: For a fresh vision of ministry across the global Church—that believers worldwide would be dissatisfied with managing the status quo, filled with a fresh work of the Spirit, and be shaken awake (and away) from the forces and values of empire. 

For UCC: For each of us, that our roots would sink deeper and deeper into Christ—through time together in worship, meditating on the scriptures, and in prayer—yielding fruit that leads to more flourishing and an abundant life for ourselves and all those we encounter. 

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Lead us, Good Shepherd,
to go forth in mission to our neighbors,
caring for the sick, lonely, and confused; 
feeding the hungry, doubting, and depressed;
and welcoming the stranger into your mercy, your grace, your love.

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Grace and peace,
Megan and Jeremiah

Tacking into the Wind: January, 2024

The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it,
but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.
(John 3:8)

During Lent last year, I (Megan) had lunch with a friend who shepherds a congregation on the east side of the city. Over fried chicken sandwiches, my friend shared a longing to see her church released from “relentless boat-rowing,”—a tireless effort to sustain and maintain—and instead, learn to “tack in the wind”—to trust more freely and fully that Christ is at the helm of the Church and has lovingly given us the Holy Spirit to provide day-by-day direction. I went home and promptly sketched a sailboat. That same week, during a group prayer exercise called Visio Divina (a contemplative practice that invites meditation upon an image), I unconsciously selected a photograph of sailboats from a pile of random pictures (pictured above). A week after that, a friend shared a verse (also above) from John’s Gospel during a prayer call.

“Okay, God,” I thought. “I’m listening…”

What does it look like to be a church that depends upon
(and waits for) the Spirit to move us, just as a sailor depends upon
(and waits for) the wind to move her?

As we begin another calendar year, we want to take this opportunity to share some of the ways we’re seeing God move across our body and across the surrounding university community—ways that encourage us to keep trusting the Spirit’s lead day-by-day.

Becoming a Praying Community

One of our hopes for 2023, was to open ourselves to more regular times of communal prayer. With that in mind, we kicked off the year with a Sunday morning prayer journey throughout the church building and Rohs Street Cafe. In partnership with Impact Campus Ministries, we came together in prayer to invite God to dwell deeper in/around the university. On Ash Wednesday, we formed a 6-station prayer journey in the sanctuary, inviting members of our fellowship and the surrounding campus neighborhood to encounter God in different modes of reflection and contemplation throughout the day. What a joy to have nearly 50 seekers pass through! Our prayer walking continued across campus, as students returned to the neighborhood in August. Then, in October, we hosted Jon Davis with Fresh Expressions, who lead a two-day prayer workshop, that sent us out of the building and onto campus once more. Pray with us that the ground of campus continues to be good soil for God’s Kingdom to grow.

Campus Presence

We are learning that one of the primary ways we can “show up” for the campus is by being generous with the use of our building. Last year, we played host to several organized groups and one-off gatherings. Young Life Collegiate, Edge House, IFI, Impact Campus Ministries, and student leaders from CCM, the UC Opera Club, and the Bearcat Media Club all utilized our building at various times throughout the semester. During finals week—both spring and fall semesters—we came together as a fellowship to provide home-cooked meals for students studying for their exams. Last fall, we explored sidewalk pancakes again, this time finding the 10pm–midnight hour to be a most exciting time to be slinging hotcakes! And mindful that multiple, 1-on-1 touch-points matter, we were also able to engage students in more conversational settings over Valentine’s card-making, Christmas cookie-decorating, and by handing out fresh fruit on the sidewalk and winter welcome bags in the cafe. In addition, both Shannon and Jeffrey have continued to invite UC students to volunteer on Sunday mornings, in the atria/nursery and on-stage leading worship. Pray with us that relationships with the campus will continue to grow strong into 2024, and that God will continue to water the many small, relational seeds that have already been been planted.

One Body, Many Parts

We continue to bear witness to the reconciling love of God by pursuing relationships with worshippers across the city and across the globe. In 2023, we continued to develop relationships with brothers and sisters of Calvary Missionary Baptist Church, coming together for a potluck meal in January, city park outreach in October, and sharing together in worship twice during the fall semester. Following Jesus’ teaching to be in proximity to the poor, several from our fellowship regularly gave their time last year to prepare a meal for men in the shelter of City Gospel Mission. And heeding the call to “love our neighbor,” a group of us spent a morning in May at Hughes High School, serving breakfast and coffee to hard-working teachers and faculty. In June, we sought to cultivate an “on earth as it is in heaven” encounter, during OneNight, a worship event that brought more than 100 Jesus-seekers together for an evening of song and praise. That same month, we welcomed back our sister, Leslie Hall, who shared stories of God’s power and movement from her vantage point in London. We also were able to bless and pray for our brother, Randy B., as he returned to his work in Kazakhstan. Pray with us that God will continue to open doors for cultivating cross-cultural, cross-racial, cross-generational relationships to form amongst his body in 2024.

One Building, Many Uses

Because our beloved building is so active throughout the week, UCC leadership decided it was finally time to move forward with the installation of an air-conditioning system on the cafe side of the building. We are hopeful that this new addition—now completely installed—will aid in our ability to provide a welcome and hospitable environment to many. Let us come together in gratitude for the faithful giving of our community, which makes projects like this possible. Pray with us in thanksgiving for God’s ongoing provision, and join us in asking the Father for good wisdom and discernment as our leaders work together to steward financial resources in 2024.

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There is so much more to celebrate, and many more ways we’re seeing God move throughout our life together as UCC. We’ll close by sharing some prayer points for our fellowship in 2024:

• Lord, we praise you for the renewing work you’ve continued to lead amongst our fellowship. This year ahead, will you deepen our abiding, O God. Will you help us surrender our wills more fully and freely over to you, O God. Will you give us persistence and endurance to keep walking your ancient paths, O God.

• Lord, we ask you to continue strengthening our discipleship to Christ. Lord, be  working through Sunday teaching, through CARE groups, through bible-discussion groups, through prayer groups, through EQUIP groups, and through the spontaneous and unplanned encounters we have with one another. Lord, continue to form us into a Jesus-shaped church. 

• Lord, we ask that you continue to reveal how you are calling us to join your Kingdom work in the world. Make clear the paths that allow us to lead and share from our gifts and passions. Lord, give us clarity in our vocations. 

• Lord, we lift up our Lead Team. We ask for wisdom, clarity, and unity amongst this team of leaders, especially as they continue to guide our fellowship in discernment.

• Lord, we ask that you would fill every gap, fill our every need according to your perfect will and perfect timing. We join together in prayer, fully trusting your goodness and grace. Amen. 

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Thank you for continuing to be a faithful, regular part of the UCC community. It is a true joy to serve alongside each of you for the sake of the Kingdom.

Grace and peace,
Megan and Jeremiah

Journeying into a New Year: January, 2023

They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.
(Jeremiah 17:8 )

Last January, the staff and Lead Team were pondering olive trees. It’s been said that the olive tree is one of the most indestructible trees on the planet because it has a regenerating trunk. That’s to say, if the tree is uprooted, chopped down, or excessively pruned, it can re-root itself and grow strong again so long as a remnant of the core trunk remains. The olive tree has felt like an apt metaphor for UCC, especially during this season marked with so much change. UCC has sustained through the “shaking,” remains stable, and is growing new branches that stretch deep into the heart of the surrounding community. Thanks be to God!

As we begin another calendar year, we want to take this opportunity to share many of the ways we’re seeing God’s goodness in our life together as a community:

The “U” in University Christian Church

We began last year with hopes of reorienting more intentionally towards the university as our primary mission field. We are beginning to see this vision unfold, and can point to several engagements during the Fall semester that serve as example: week-long activities at/around the building during Welcome Week; sidewalk activations on the corner of McMillan and Rohs; partnerships with Impact, Young Life Collegiate, and Edge House; an impromptu prayer vigil when tragedy struck the campus in October; six UC students volunteering weekly in the Atrium. Thanks be to God!   

Rohs Street Cafe

One of the primary ways UCC shares the love of Christ with the campus community is through the ministry of Rohs Street Cafe. A major transition took place last year as leaders came to recognize the need to develop a more sustainable economic model for this critical piece of UCC’s ministry. Last Spring, a partnership was established with The 86 Ministries, placing the daily management of Rohs Street (including UC student volunteer engagement) under the leadership of The 86, thereby releasing UCC from daily operational responsibilities. Our hope in enacting this transition, was to strengthen this vital branch of UCC’s ministry, while freeing present and future leaders from the weight of running a retail business alongside their service to the church. Eight months into the transition, we’re seeing this hope come to bear. Last semester, Rohs Street Cafe engaged 38 UC students in weekly volunteer roles (1,440 hours of service!), and this semester 46 students are volunteering as assistants and cleaning crew members. Thanks be to God!

New Co-Pastor!

In November of 2021, a team made up of congregation and Lead Team members came together to conduct a nationwide search for the role of Community Pastor—a process which unfolded over many months. After a great deal of discernment, Jeremiah Johnson was called to serve in this role, and officially began in early September. With Jeremiah in place, we’re seeing new capacities and cohesion in our staff team culture and sensing momentum in our Sunday worship and teaching team direction. Thanks be to God!

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There are many more wonderful ways we’ve seen God work within and through the UCC and surrounding community this past year: 

•  our first Elementary Atrium Summer Camp last August;
•  a cross-congregational youth group partnership with our teens;
•  engaged participation in the 6-week LivingUNDIVIDED journey;
•  steady participation in our second-service Lectio Divina group;
•  completion of the “raise the roof” project;
•  ongoing and faithful financial giving week after week.

Looking ahead

There’s much to look forward to in the year ahead. We will continue practicing local life together, forming community around the campus and exploring ways to invite UC faculty, students, and other neighbors into relationship with Christ. We will continue practicing reconciliation, discovering the ways in which we’re all called to participate in God’s restorative, peacemaking work in the city and beyond. We will continue remembering, diving deep into the biblical narrative for fresh understanding and wisdom for living as God’s people in our present time and place. And we will continue practicing patient rhythms, abiding deeply in Christ’s love, so we may step forward each day as faithful and bold participants in Kingdom Life. 

•  What new opportunities are you seeing for UCC to live her mission this year? 
•  Are there doors you see opening? Unique ministry opportunities under our noses?
•  Are there neighborhood and/or campus partnerships you see unfolding? 
•  New opportunities you see in our children’s and teen ministry?   
•  What are you passionate about? What are you dreaming about? 
•  How might God be calling you to engage in UCC’s mission this year?

It’s a gift to serve alongside you all for the sake of UCC and for the Kingdom.

Abundant peace upon the year ahead,
Megan and Jeremiah