Adoption case takes Indian Child Welfare Act to U.S. Supreme Court - Albuquerque Journal PUBLISHED: TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8TH, 2022

SOCIAL JUSTICE AND OUTREACH

We express God’s peace and love by working for peace with justice in our personal lives, in our church, in our community, and in the world. We are Open and Affirming, a Peace with Justice, Sanctuary, Green Justice, Racial Justice, WISE Congregation for Mental Health Church and Congregation.

RACIAL JUSTICE

Please read the FCC Racial Justice Statement

On May 22, 2022, the Church adopted its Resolution to Become a Racial Justice Church, with this Covenant:

            We, the members of the First Congregational United Church of Christ of Albuquerque, New Mexico, covenant to become a Racial Justice Church and to engage in an ongoing process of remaining 

·       learners, in a community of mutual accountability, about slavery, white privilege, white supremacy, implicit bias, and all aspects of racism in our midst; 

·       witnesses, interrupters, and transformers away from the continued cycle of racism and embedded systems of white supremacy; and

·       allies and accomplices with Black, Indigenous, Asian/Pacific Island, Hispanic, and other minoritized groups in challenging race-based injustice in all its manifestations.

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Please read the FCC Land Acknowledgement

OPEN AND AFFIRMING

FCC boldly states at the beginning of each worship service that “No matter who you are or where you are on your faith and life journey, you are welcome here!” and we mean it. We are a congregation of heterosexual, binary, non-binary, cis-gender, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning people.

peace with justice

We believe we are called to express God’s peace and love by working for peace with justice in our personal lives, in our church, in our community and in the world. We commit to work persistently for non-violence and the peaceful resolution of conflict. We advocate for human dignity, defending and respecting the basic human needs and rights of every individual.

As a Peace with Justice Church, First Congregational responds to the present conflict in Israel and Palestine: FCUCC Israel-Palestine Statement. 

SANCTUARY/IMMIGRATION

Brayan and David currently live in our church’s basement apartment as they seek asylum in the United States. David and Brayan came to us in June 2021 from Honduras. Our church family and the ABQ FaithWorks Collaborative Asylum Seekers program are supporting them during their time with us. In 2018-2019, Kadhim Albumohammed, a refugee from Iraq, lived in our apartment as a sanctuary from threatened deportation. He was able to return to his wife and family in 2019.

GREEN JUSTICE

The three goals of our Green Justice team are to educate our congregation about issues of environmental justice and climate change, to advocate for public policies that improve the health of our planet and our communities, and to make climate justice a regular part of our worship. Click HERE for a list of actions you can take to care for Mother Earth.

WISE CONGREGATION FOR MENTAL HEALTH

In 2021 FCC officially became a UCC WISE Congregation for Mental Health. The objective of the WISE designation is to encourage our congregation to be intentional about welcoming those living with mental health challenges and to expand our inclusion and support of all who are affected by mental health challenges; but it is also to support the general health and emotional well-being of our community.

FEEDING THE HUNGRY

First Congregation participates in two programs to help provide food for those who are in need. The first supports HopeWorks and is on the third Thursday of each month. Volunteers from our church get together to prepare and deliver a meal to feed 150-200 for dinner. The second is Sandwiches for The Hungry. Sundays before in-person worship, a dedicated team of volunteers meets in the church kitchen to prepare peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, supplemented by a few snacks to become complete sack lunches. These lunches are then sent to a local Catholic church to be served to the hungry of Albuquerque.

WALKING WITH THE HOMELESS

When several congregations in Albuquerque agreed to work together to do more than pass out bus passes and granola bars to the unhoused, ABQ FaithWorks Collaborative was born. FCC was a founding member of this non-profit and housed the program for its first two years. The mission of the ABQ FaithWorks Collaborative has expanded to include supporting asylum seekers. Our members are active supporters of helping those who are unhoused and asylum seekers.