A Call for Prophetic Witness to Abolish Torture

All practices of injustice impel us as people of faith to give vigorous witness to oppose them. Torture, as one of those practices, is so egregious, that if we fail to raise our voices and to act, the very stones will cry out. As Conference Ministers in New England we are jointly issuing this pastoral epistle, A Call for Prophetic Witness To Abolish Torture, as a way of raising our voices. We are calling on you, clergy and members of United Church of Christ congregations in our six New England Conferences, to join with us in this witness to abolish US-sponsored torture.

Click here to download or view "A Call for Prophetic Witness to Abolish Torture"

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A Church for All People: Becoming a Multiracial and Multicultural Church

A Bible study curriculum from the United Church of Christ.

Click here to download or view "A Church for All People: Becoming a Multiracial and Multicultural Church"

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A New Church/A New World

An anti-racism study group curriculum from the United Church of Christ.

Click here to download or view "A New Church/A New World"

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Action Suggestions for Congregations and Members of Congregations from the Campa

A selection of ideas and resources for church leaders and members to use in the effort to end torture.

Click here to download or view "Action Suggestions for Congregations and Members of Congregations from the Campa"

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Against the Death Penalty

A letter from Interim Conference Minister the Rev. Charles L. Wildman on why he opposes the death penalty.

Click here to download or view "Against the Death Penalty"

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Amistad Video Resources

A page of resources that can be used in conjunction with the film "Amistad."

Click here to download or view "Amistad Video Resources"

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Bibliography on Non-Violence

A one page bibliography on non-violence, developed by the Rev. Alice Perry.

Click here to download or view "Bibliography on Non-Violence"

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Capital Punishment Fact Sheet

From CNADP, facts about the death penalty in Connecticut and the nation: the law, how it is applied, and how effective it is in preventing crime.

Click here to download or view "Capital Punishment Fact Sheet"

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CNADP Speakers Bureau Flyer

Information about obtaining a speaker from the Connecticut Network to Abolish the Death Penalty.

Click here to download or view "CNADP Speakers Bureau Flyer"

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Conscious Giving

This brochure from Interfaith Worker Justice offers concrete suggestions for purchasing holiday gifts that support economic justice for workers and encourage ethical companies.

Click here to download or view "Conscious Giving"

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Constitutional Convention: Yes or No?

This November voters will be asked: "Shall there be a Constitutional Convention to amend or revise the Constitution of the State." It is an important question for the state of Connecticut. The Board of Directors and staff of the Connecticut Conference want to ensure that the members of our churches understand exactly what that vote will mean, and have provided some resources to aid them.

Click here to download or view "Constitutional Convention: Yes or No?"

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Death Penalty Abolition Resources

Since 1973, the Connecticut Conference has publicly opposed the death penalty in the state and in the nation. The resources on this page are tools in the effort to end the death penalty in Connecticut, in the United States, and eventually throughout the world.

Click here to download or view "Death Penalty Abolition Resources"

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Death Penalty Abolition Sign-On Letter for Religious Leaders

A form to permit religious leaders to express their endorsement of the end of capital punishment in Connecticut.

Click here to download or view "Death Penalty Abolition Sign-On Letter for Religious Leaders"

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Death Penalty Bibliography

A list of resources on the death penalty issue prepared by Ruth Dudley Resource Center Director Amy Beveridge. All resources listed are available in the RDRC. Also available in PDF format.

Click here to download or view "Death Penalty Bibliography"

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Death Penalty Bibliography

A list of resources on the death penalty issue prepared by Ruth Dudley Resource Center Director Amy Beveridge. All resources listed are available in the RDRC. Also available to view in a web browser.

Click here to download or view "Death Penalty Bibliography"

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Decades of Concern for Lesbian/Gay Issues

A list of actions taken by the United Church of Christ in the national, conference, and local church settings to demonstrate concern for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered persons.

Click here to download or view "Decades of Concern for Lesbian/Gay Issues"

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Handbook for a Conversation on Race

A resource developed by the Massachusetts Conference UCC in conjunction with the visit of the Freedom Schooner Amistad to Boston in 2003.

Click here to download or view "Handbook for a Conversation on Race"

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Health Care Cuts = Vulnerable Families

This document, prepared by Connecticut Voices for Children during the 2009 debate on the state budget, makes the case for maintaining funding for health insurance programs for low-income families and children. Links to a PDF flyer suitable for distribution and posting.

Click here to download or view "Health Care Cuts = Vulnerable Families"

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Health Care for All: A Curriculum for Churches

This page describes in more detail the 2008 resource "Health Care for All: A Curriculum for Churches," and provides a link to download the PDF version of the curriculum.

Click here to download or view "Health Care for All: A Curriculum for Churches"

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Legislative Agenda 2006

This page describes the particular issues of concern for the Conference's Public Policy Advocacy ministry for the current year.

Click here to download or view "Legislative Agenda 2006"

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Legislative Agenda 2007

This page describes the particular issues of concern for the Conference's Public Policy Advocacy ministry for the current year.

Click here to download or view "Legislative Agenda 2007"

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Legislative Directory 2005

This publication lists the names and contact information for Connecticut's state and federal elected officials.

Click here to download or view "Legislative Directory 2005"

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Letter to Connecticut Conference Clergy on the Death Penalty

A letter from Conference Minister Davida Foy Crabtree and CNADP Executive Director Ben Jones asking for support in ending the death penalty in Connecticut, sent in the spring of 2010.

Click here to download or view "Letter to Connecticut Conference Clergy on the Death Penalty"

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LGBT Perons and Church, Bible, Religion, Families and our Culture: An Extensive

A 2001 bibliography of resources.

Click here to download or view "LGBT Perons and Church, Bible, Religion, Families and our Culture: An Extensive"

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Open/Affirming Ministry

A collection of resources developed by or related to the Open and Affirming Ministry of the Connecticut Conference.

Click here to download or view "Open/Affirming Ministry"

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Pax/Peace: Resources for Congregations

A page of resources on peace for the use of congregations.

Click here to download or view "Pax/Peace: Resources for Congregations"

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Public Education Bibliography

The Public Education Advocacy Team has prepared this list of resources regarding justice issues in public education.

Click here to download or view "Public Education Bibliography"

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Resisting Hate Resources

This set of links was developed in response to a 1999 Conference resolution declaring our resistance to the ideologies and methods of domestic hate groups.

Click here to download or view "Resisting Hate Resources"

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Resources for a Sacred Conversation on Race

On May 18, 2008, many pastors across the UCC will preach on race in hopes of beginning a sacred conversation. These resources are offered to facilitate those discussions.

Click here to download or view "Resources for a Sacred Conversation on Race"

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Resources for a Time of War

A list of resources on war and peace issues.

Click here to download or view "Resources for a Time of War"

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Resources on Racism at ucc.org

Click here to download or view "Resources on Racism at ucc.org"

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Sacred Conversation on Race Ministry Draft Description

This twenty-one page document describes the mission, goals, rationale, and principal means of the SCRM effort as proposed in 2012-2013. It includes very useful resources for understanding the evaluation models and an extensive projected timeline.

Click here to download or view "Sacred Conversation on Race Ministry Draft Description"

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Sacred Conversation on Race Ministry: Budget Description 2013

This document describes the financial commitments of the Connecticut Conference to the first year of its expanded Sacred Conversation on Race Ministry. It is also provides an "at a glance" sense of the programs possibilities and training model of the ministry.

Click here to download or view "Sacred Conversation on Race Ministry: Budget Description 2013"

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Sacred Conversations on Race Ministry Proposal

This proposal, approved by the Connecticut Conference Board of Directors in November, 2012, provides the history and philosophical basis for the SCRM initiative. Its fifty pages offer the most detailed descriptions of projected program areas and approaches.

Click here to download or view "Sacred Conversations on Race Ministry Proposal"

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Sacred Conversations on Race Summary

The summary describes the Connecticut Conference's Sacred Conversations on Race Ministry as it was being formed in 2013.

Click here to download or view "Sacred Conversations on Race Summary"

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Sacred Conversations on Race: Commitment to Change

"Our goal is to create a beloved community," said the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, "and this will require a qualitative change in our souls as well as a qualitative change in our lives." This brochure offers those interested in engaging in Sacred Conversations on Race with ideas for next steps, which will help make progress toward personal commitment, congregational commitment, and community commitment to a better society.

Click here to download or view "Sacred Conversations on Race: Commitment to Change"

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Same-Gender Marriage Resources

This 2004 document lists resources available at that time on the same-gender marriage issue, viewed from a variety of perspectives.

Click here to download or view "Same-Gender Marriage Resources"

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Social Justice Resolutions of the Connecticut Conference UCC

This document lists and briefly describes the social resolutions passed by the Conference's delegates between 1970 and 2004. A valuable aid in understanding the movement of the Spirit in the Connecticut Conference!

Click here to download or view "Social Justice Resolutions of the Connecticut Conference UCC"

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Summer Reading List on Sacred Conversation

The Fall Session of the 2009 Connecticut Conference Annual Meeting offers a special opportunity to participate in a Sacred Conversation on Race, and to find inspiration and energy to bring the conversation to the local church. To give some further grounding to the conversation, members of the Annual Meeting planning committee have assembled a reading and viewing list of fiction and non-fiction books an films. They hope the creative voices of the authors and filmmakers listed here may spark ideas, sharpen minds, and open hearts in preparation for the discussion in the fall.

Click here to download or view "Summer Reading List on Sacred Conversation"

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The Death Penalty, Christianity, and the Bible

A fact sheet prepared by CNADP surveying references to the death penalty in Christian Scripture.

Click here to download or view "The Death Penalty, Christianity, and the Bible"

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The Occupy Movement: A Prayer of Confession and Commitment

Connecticut Conference staff composed and circulated this prayer in solidarity with the Occupy movement in October, 2011.

Click here to download or view "The Occupy Movement: A Prayer of Confession and Commitment"

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UCC Clergy Willing to Officiate at Civil Unions

This is a current list of UCC clergy in Connecticut who have said they are willing to officiate at Civil Union services for same-gender couples. This list is a duplicate of the one posted at www.civilunionsct.org.

Click here to download or view "UCC Clergy Willing to Officiate at Civil Unions"

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Universal Health Care Resources for Study and Action

Prepared as Health and Welfare Sunday, 2006 approached, this document provides listings and links to print and web resources on the subject of Universal Health Care.

Click here to download or view "Universal Health Care Resources for Study and Action"

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Winners and Losers: Faith Reflections on the President's Proposed Federal Budget

A publication of the UCC's Justice and Witness Ministries.

Click here to download or view "Winners and Losers: Faith Reflections on the President's Proposed Federal Budget"

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Witness for Justice Commentaries

A collection of Justice and Witness related articles, op-eds, and other essays collected by the Justice and Witness Ministry of the United Church of Christ.

Click here to download or view "Witness for Justice Commentaries"

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Worship Resources for a Sacred Conversation on Race

A litany and prayer of confession for worship services, contributed by the East Woodstock Congregational Church UCC.

Click here to download or view "Worship Resources for a Sacred Conversation on Race"

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