“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.
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)
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