Encounters at the Well Archives - United Church of Christ https://www.ucc.org/category/column/encounters-at-the-well/ Wed, 24 Jan 2024 15:45:45 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.2.2 https://www.ucc.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/cropped-favicon-32x32.png Encounters at the Well Archives - United Church of Christ https://www.ucc.org/category/column/encounters-at-the-well/ 32 32 Access to Period Products https://www.ucc.org/access-to-period-products/ Wed, 12 Jul 2023 16:47:11 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=212546 When I walked into the room at the Indiana Convention Center, where supplies were being set up for the assembly of the kits, I not only saw adults and teenagers working diligently, but I also noticed those who were masculine were not phased in the least as they sorted tampons and pads.

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]]> Red Tents and Red Flags https://www.ucc.org/red-tents-and-red-flags/ Wed, 14 Jun 2023 18:22:00 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=210748 Please drop by our period pack project at General Synod on Sunday, July 2, 4:30-7:30 p.m. to assist in assembling period packs. Together we can normalize menstruation and assure no one is held back because of not having access to menstrual hygiene supplies.

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]]> Wow, Just WOW https://www.ucc.org/wow-just-wow/ Thu, 27 Apr 2023 13:00:00 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=207784 Wow! Just WOW! I’m awed by my experience of the last two weeks, still holding a sense of overwhelming really. Overwhelming not just specific to the very full agenda but overwhelming for all that women all over the world are…

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]]> Women as Change Makers https://www.ucc.org/women-as-change-makers/ Thu, 20 Apr 2023 13:00:00 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=207782 What an honor it was to serve as a UCC delegate at NGO CSW67 this year. This was a new experience for me and the women I encountered in the virtual webinars were smart, grounded in their beliefs, and extremely…

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]]> Isolation is not a problem of the past https://www.ucc.org/isolation-is-not-a-problem-of-the-past/ Thu, 13 Apr 2023 13:00:00 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=207780 The 67th UN Convention on the Status of Women began last week in New York. As I watched the live events via zoom, I was struck by the activists’ energy and joy. The hybrid live/remote events created a window into…

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]]> Empowering women through cross cultural education and leadership https://www.ucc.org/empowering-women-through-cross-cultural-education-and-leadership/ Thu, 06 Apr 2023 12:54:12 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=207777 What a wonderful opportunity to be able to peek into the workings of so many amazing programs, partners and supporters of women and women’s work around the world. Who would have thought 67 years ago when the commission began that…

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]]> We are Present https://www.ucc.org/we-are-present/ Wed, 08 Mar 2023 20:29:56 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=205738 The United Church of Christ’s vision of a just world for all is being lived into this month as we have a delegation attending the 67th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) at the United Nations. This year we…

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]]> February Sisters Keep Inspiring Action https://www.ucc.org/february-sisters-keep-inspiring-action%ef%bf%bc/ Mon, 30 Jan 2023 15:41:34 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=203372 Having started their protest on February 4, 1972, they became known as the February Sisters and they have since inspired many women and girls across Kansas and beyond

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]]> Recognition, Resistance, and Hope https://www.ucc.org/recognition-resistance-and-hope%ef%bf%bc/ Tue, 10 Jan 2023 23:42:04 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=202095 I remember traveling to Eastern Congo and sitting in a dimly lit tent and listening to a group of women telling the stories of sexual violence that they had experienced in the context of war.

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]]> FAITH IN ACTION https://www.ucc.org/faith-in-action%ef%bf%bc/ Tue, 06 Dec 2022 17:51:25 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=199514 In the United States, these menstrual hygiene items are not covered by government assistance programs. Realizing this need, we added this project to our Faith in Action list…

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]]> Let’s Talk Openly about Menstrual Cycles https://www.ucc.org/lets-talk-openly-about-menstrual-cycles%ef%bf%bc/ Sat, 12 Nov 2022 20:01:28 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=199177 I was lucky. My mother did not want me to be frightened as she had been in her youth.  Well before my first menstrual period, she took time to sit in my bedroom and talk with me about becoming a…

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]]> Today I Am Wise https://www.ucc.org/today-i-am-wise%ef%bf%bc/ Tue, 04 Oct 2022 14:20:54 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=196171 It is Thursday. I consciously scan my closet for something black. Slipping into my black dress feels like putting on a cloak of solidarity. A connection point that runs between me, those experiencing gender-based violence, and other supportive siblings.      

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]]> A Global Pandemic of Gender-Based Violence https://www.ucc.org/a-global-pandemic-of-gender-based-violence/ Fri, 23 Sep 2022 14:44:46 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=194956 On average, nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States. For one year, this equates to more than 10 million women and men. These numbers indicate what has always been acknowledged – gender-based violence is at pandemic proportions around the globe.

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]]> Toward Period Equity for All https://www.ucc.org/toward-period-equity-for-all/ Fri, 22 Jul 2022 22:06:39 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=190257 “They asked only one thing, that we remember the poor, which was actually what I was eager to do.” Galatians 2:10 NRSV Period poverty affects women and girls in the United States and worldwide who cannot afford menstrual hygiene products…

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]]> The Margin at the Intersection of Race and Gender https://www.ucc.org/the-margin-at-the-intersection-of-race-and-gender%ef%bf%bc/ Sun, 29 May 2022 13:53:10 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=186013 Women, especially women of color, are negatively impacted by discriminatory practices restricting access to basic resources needed to support their families. This struggle affects women globally, and their perpetual cries for justice rise up to God.

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]]> Stay Connected https://www.ucc.org/stay-connected/ Wed, 04 May 2022 17:57:36 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=184559 “I suffered from chronic illness and infertility, which led my spouse and I to adopt our two rambunctious children. We started out as their foster parents when they were only two and three years old.” ― Rev. Dr. Elyse Berry “Mommy,…

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]]> Break the Silence Sunday https://www.ucc.org/break-the-silence-sunday/ Mon, 11 Apr 2022 23:12:03 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=182946 This year, CSW66 will focus on achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls in the context of climate change, environmental and disaster risk reduction policies and programs – the first time it is focusing on the gendered effect of climate change.

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]]> Back to “Normal” Still Won’t Work for Women https://www.ucc.org/back-to-normal-still-wont-work-for-women/ Fri, 08 Apr 2022 15:18:21 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=182790 This year, CSW66 will focus on achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls in the context of climate change, environmental and disaster risk reduction policies and programs – the first time it is focusing on the gendered effect of climate change.

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]]> Global Gender Justice and the UN Commission on the Status of Women https://www.ucc.org/global-gender-justice-and-the-un-commission-on-the-status-of-women/ Tue, 01 Mar 2022 21:23:39 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=180100 This year, CSW66 will focus on achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls in the context of climate change, environmental and disaster risk reduction policies and programs – the first time it is focusing on the gendered effect of climate change.

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]]> Black History In the Making https://www.ucc.org/black-history-in-the-making/ Wed, 16 Feb 2022 23:05:24 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=179487 February is National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month (TDVAM).  Teen dating violence is a common occurrence in the United States, and we must do something to stop it. 

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]]> February is National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month https://www.ucc.org/february-is-national-teen-dating-violence-awareness-and-prevention-month-tdvam-teen-dating-violence-is-a-common-occurrence-in-the-united-states-and-we-must-do-something-to-stop-it/ Thu, 03 Feb 2022 17:03:16 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=178908 February is National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month (TDVAM).  Teen dating violence is a common occurrence in the United States, and we must do something to stop it. 

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]]> The Wholeness of Reproductive Justice: Affirming https://www.ucc.org/the-wholeness-of-reproductive-justice-affirming/ Mon, 24 Jan 2022 20:36:15 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=178066 January 11, 2022, is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day in the United States. Read Encounters at the Well by Rev. Dr. Monica Dawkins-Smith.

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]]> It Could Happen To Any One of Us https://www.ucc.org/it-could-happen-to-any-one-of-us/ Fri, 07 Jan 2022 16:52:35 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=176882 January 11, 2022, is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day in the United States. Read Encounters at the Well by Rev. Dr. Monica Dawkins-Smith.

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]]> Celebrating Intersectionality https://www.ucc.org/celebrating-intersectionality/ Mon, 13 Dec 2021 18:58:35 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=175941 “A very basic example of intersectionality would be to con- sider the experiences of a Black man, a White woman, and a Black woman. The Black man may be oppressed by racism because he is Black, but he enjoys the…

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]]> Worship resources support making change https://www.ucc.org/worship-resources-support-making-change/ Tue, 09 Nov 2021 18:05:00 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=175077 The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women urges us to acknowledge the various types of violence that is being inflicted upon women and girls around the world. The United Church of Christ is offering liturgical resources for the International Day of Elimination of Violence Against Women. For more on why the UCC is taking this stand…

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]]> Breaking the Silence https://www.ucc.org/encounters-breaking-the-silence/ Wed, 03 Nov 2021 12:45:50 +0000 https://www.ucc.org/?p=173131 “The church has an important role to play in seeking a just world for all, one in which all have the opportunity to live with freedom, dignity and respect.” Karen Georgia Thompson As a child growing up, we had a…

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