The Illinois Conference Celebrates Pride Month!

The month of June is designated as LGBTQ+ Pride Month. It is a month filled with parades, drag brunches, concerts, and a variety of other events. But Pride did not start as a joyful celebration. It started as a riot. While the gay rights movement started well before the Stonewall Riots, these riots are what sparked the movement that led to the creation of what we know as Pride today. The year following the Stonewall Riots was the first known "Gay Pride" celebration in New York City - meant to be a stark contrast to the prevalence of shame often found in LGBTQ+ communities. Over several years, Pride expanded beyond NYC to more and more cities across the nation until it became the massive celebration we know today. It is essential that we take time this month to remember and acknowledge: 

• The HISTORY behind these celebrations...
• The SIGNIFICANCE of Pride for LGBTQ+ folk...
• That this was a MOVEMENT started by BLACK and TRANS folk...
• And that the first Pride was not a celebration...but a RIOT.

In the year 2022, more than 50 years from the Stonewall Riots and the first Pride celebration, the world is still a less than safe place for LGBTQ+ people to come out, to share the truth of who they are with pride instead of fear. Anti-LGBTQ+ legislation is popping up all across the country and there is still SO MUCH WORK to be done. On June 8th, Rev. Michael Schuenemeyer, Minister and Team Leader for the UCC Health and Wholeness Advocacy Ministries, will be joining our All Conference Chat to discuss these harmful, discriminatory pieces of legislation, and how WE can respond faithfully as God's children. We hope you will join us for this vital conversation! 

In the meantime, we want to know: 

How are you celebrating and honoring Pride Month in your churches? 

Send an email to Sarah Lohrbach to let us know so we can highlight all the wonderful, faithful ways our IL Conference churches are celebrating Pride Month. 

Click Here to Learn More about the History of Pride

Convergence Digital Ministry Summit

June 27 - July 1

This summit is for you if:

• You want to learn the “how to” and the “why to” of digital ministry.
• You want to hear best practices from digital ministry leaders.
• You want to create a sustainable digital ministry for your congregation.
• You want to improve your online/hybrid worship experience.
• You want to proclaim the good news of love and justice by any media necessary.

Click to Learn More and Sign-Up

The Association of United Church Educators National Event is next week, June 8-9! This is a virtual event and it is not too late to sign-up! You can choose to attend a single workshop, 3 workshops, or all workshops. The theme is A New Turn: Hybrid Faith Formation. All are welcome, regardless of AUCE member status.

Learn More/Register Online Here. 

Join the Poor People's Campaign Moral March on Washington and to the Polls on June 18, 2022. For years UCC members and churches have been participating in Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival. This year the work continues with even greater urgency. 

Click here to learn more.

Remembering the 10 Lives Lost in Buffalo...

We offer our thanks to Trinity UCC in Chicago for their faithful response in the wake of the terrorist attack at a grocery store in Buffalo in the heart of a predominantly Black community. Trinity created a beautiful video tribute in honor and remembrance of the 10 victims. You can watch the video by clicking on the button below.

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FAITHFUL FRIDAYS is published by the Illinois Conference of the United Church of Christ, 1840 Westchester Blvd, Suite 200, Westchester, IL 60154. The Rev. Molly Carlson, Conference Minister; Sarah Lohrbach, Editor. Copy may be sent to: SarahLohrbach@ilucc.org.