Southwest Conference United

Open and Affirming "Because we believe all people are beloved children of God, we welcome them into the full life, ministry, fellowship and leadership of this congregation. We do this without regard to age, race, ethnicity, or national origin; physical, mental, emotional ability or disability; gender, marital status, gender identity, or sexual orientation; socio-economic background or circumstance, or political affiliation. "We, the First Congregational United Church of Christ, Phoenix, Arizona, declare ourselves to be an Open and Affirming congregation. We offer ourselves as an inclusive community in which the Gospel of God's love for all people is honored and practiced. We affirm this church as a place of hope and a community of welcome to all in Christ's name. "Our Prayer is that the variety of the gifts of the Holy Spirit given to those present and those God is yet to call into our midst will make us ever more useful servants of God to our brothers and sisters within our church, our many kinds of families, our neighborhoods and our world."

Based in Phoenix, Ariz., The Arizona Ecumenical Council works with its member churches to educate and spread peace in the world. The council is a collaborative organization of Christian churches and religious organizations. It specializes in helping the vulnerable children, elderly, poor and the hungry people in the society. The Arizona Ecumenical Council has partnered with variousr organizations to assist victims of trauma. Some of the organization s partners include the American Mother s Group, American Red Cross, Arizona Center for Theological Studies, Central United Methodist Church, Maricopa Department of Emergency Management and Trinity Episcopal Cathedral. It works on a variety of issues, such as Armenian genocide, economic issues, environmental imbalance, health care, hunger eradication, immigration and wars.