COMMITTEES & MINISTRIES

If you would like to learn more about the following ministries, please see the Pastor or a Deacon:

Deacon Board

Trustee Board

Pastoral Relations

Board of Christian Education

“Sounds of Faith” Sound System Ministry

Music Committee

Music Ministry (includes Faith Choir, Faith Little Angels and Men of Valor)

Nominating Committee

Men’s Ministry

Women’s Ministry

Scholarship Committee

Stewardship Committee

Usher Board

Third Agers Senior Ministry

The Sandwich Ministry

The Sanctuary Guild

Ministers All of Us

Pastor Rev. Cleo Graham

Deacon Interim Lead Pamela Walters

Moderator Earl Gardner

Minister of Music Wayne Dixon

Office Manager Patricia Gray

Admin. Assistant Regina Waters

Tech Consultant Bruce MacCullagh

Treasurer Gail Martin

Sexton Thomas Best

Holy Dysfunction
God enters the world in infinite ways. For Christians, the most important way was through a blended, non-traditional family with very imperfect ancestors.
Turn on the Lamps
We want a glimpse of the face of God, reassuring us that we are not alone, that the cycle of death and rebirth has not stalled but will continue.
With or From?
Invasive species tend to take over and cause all kinds of problems, and there’s no species more invasive than humans. We’ve left no corner of the planet untouched.
Delights of Discipline
‘Discipline’ can be overused when it comes from a disciplinarian with an axe to grind. But discipline – the steady practices of disciples – can lead to wonders, too.
Advent’s Thirst
A week before Christmas, we may know the psalmist’s thirst. We may feel their loneliness. If that’s true for you, take time to drink and drink and drink in the river of God’s love.

Wider church invited into ‘play space’ with the GMP – interactive, creative sessions on future issues
When you get some new technology — a new phone, a computer upgrade or this year’s automobile — don’t you want to play with it to see what it can do? That’s the idea behind a series of one-hour sessions… The post Wider church invited into ‘play space’ with the GMP – interactive, creative sessions […]
Weekly ‘Thursdays for the Soul’ on hiatus until after Easter
The United Church of Christ’s popular webinar series, “Thursdays for the Soul,” is taking a break. The weekly online gatherings — available live via Zoom or post-recording as videos on the UCC’s YouTube channel — will return April 13, according… The post Weekly ‘Thursdays for the Soul’ on hiatus until after Easter appeared first on […]
‘Becoming Freedom Schools’: Black History Month resources invite all ages toward racial justice
As Black History Month approaches, Join the Movement Toward Racial Justice is encouraging folks to take a lesson from the 1960s Freedom Schools. Developed by the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in the summer of 1964, Freedom Schools created summer education… The post ‘Becoming Freedom Schools’: Black History Month resources invite all ages toward racial justice […]
UCC leaders lament death of Tyre Nichols with release of fatal police beating video
The United Church of Christ National Officers and the Conference Minister of the Missouri Mid-South Conference UCC offer public condolences and prayer as the City of Memphis releases video footage of the fatal Jan. 7 beating of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols… The post UCC leaders lament death of Tyre Nichols with release of fatal police beating […]
UCC delegation heads to Europe to track Ukraine response
The United Church of Christ has collected almost $3 million through an emergency appeal for the people of Ukraine. On Jan. 27, almost a year after the Russian invasion displaced 13 million, church executives are traveling to the region to see… The post UCC delegation heads to Europe to track Ukraine response appeared first on United […]

Congress takes up COVID origins: A primer on the debate so far
Republicans say they’re trying to get answers on how the pandemic started, but others worry a partisan probe will muddy the waters.
Memphis’ question: Can we have tough policing without brutality?
Tyre Nichols’ death highlighted how one Memphis police unit spiraled out of control, turning from an attempt at tough policing into inhumanity.
‘Mutual aid’ is a radical ideal. Some live its communal spirit.
The pandemic saw neighborly care expand in varied ways. For mutual aid societies, the effort reflected visions of society based on communal solidarity.
Build, expand, or repair? States compete for infrastructure funding.
A new U.S. federal infrastructure law has led to competition for grant money among state and local officials. The Biden administration has been favoring repair projects over expansion or construction, leaving many wondering what the priority should be.
As Memphis mourns Tyre Nichols, city seeks police accountability
Officials’ response to the Memphis police killing of Tyre Nichols suggests that calls for accountability might be taking hold.

It’s ‘Telehealth vs. No Care’: Doctors Say Congress Risks Leaving Patients Vulnerable
Congress’ $1.7 trillion omnibus spending package included a two-year extension of pandemic-era funding that helped telehealth services grow nationwide. But that cash bridge, embraced by those delivering services to patients in rural areas, doesn’t provide much certainty for the future of remote medicine.
Listen to the Latest ‘KHN Health Minute’
“Health Minute” brings original health care and health policy reporting from the KHN newsroom to the airwaves each week.
California Author Uses Dark Humor — And a Bear — To Highlight Flawed Health System
A new graphic novel by Kathleen Founds follows an angst-ridden bear on his quest for mental health treatment. Founds drew on her own experience with bipolar disorder.
Some Addiction Treatment Centers Turn Big Profits by Scaling Back Care
Private equity groups are cashing in on rising rates of alcohol and drug addiction in the U.S. But they aren’t necessarily investing in centers with the best treatment standards, and they often cut extra services.
Government Lets Health Plans That Ripped Off Medicare Keep the Money
In a surprise decision, U.S. officials yield to insurance industry demands — at least for now.

Marxist Economist Richard Wolff on How the Debt Ceiling Benefits the Rich & Powerful
As House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Biden prepare for their first face-to-face meeting this week to discuss raising the debt ceiling, we speak with Marxist economist Richard Wolff about why the limit on the federal government’s borrowing lets politicians avoid making hard choices about taxing the wealthy. House Republicans are pushing for major spending […]
Rikers Jail Whistleblower Decries Collapse of LGBTQ+ Unit Meant to Protect Trans Detainees
We look at a new investigation into the collapse of an LGBTQ+ unit at the massive Rikers Island jail in New York City that was meant to help protect incarcerated trans women, stranding many in male units where they have been harassed and raped. The changes at Rikers came after Mayor Eric Adams appointed a […]
"Elite" Police Units Face More Scrutiny as Memphis SCORPION Unit Disbanded over Tyre Nichols Death
Memphis police have revealed a sixth and a seventh officer have been placed on administrative leave in addition to the five fired officers over the death of Tyre Nichols, after Nichols was brutally beaten at a traffic stop. On Saturday, Memphis disbanded the police unit responsible for the killing, known as SCORPION, which stood for […]
Asylum Seekers Refuse to Leave Manhattan Hotel, Citing Inhumane Conditions at Brooklyn Shelter
In New York, asylum seekers are continuing to protest outside a Manhattan hotel where they’d been living for weeks, after city officials suddenly evicted them over the weekend to move them to a remote camp in Brooklyn with a thousand cots and no heat. We hear from migrants and activists fighting the eviction.
Headlines for January 31, 2023
Antony Blinken Meets Palestinian Leaders After Reiterating “Ironclad” U.S. Support for Israel, Taliban Offshoot Claims Responsibility for Bombing of Pakistani Police Compound, Amnesty: Iranian Protesters Were Denied Fair Trials and Tortured Before Their Death Sentences, White House Will End COVID-19 Emergency Declarations in May, Memphis Fire Department Terminates 3 Who Responded to Tyre Nichols’ Violent […]

Letters to the Editor (Resurrecting this Historical Section): Redefining Anthropology?
Editor’s Note The lifeblood of science and social science is competition among ideas in healthy debate testing scholarly standards and findings. In recent years, as standards have begun to disappear in social science and as journals begin to advocate for doctrine in place of social science and discipline, the opportunity to challenge colleagues (and editors) […]
Returning Discipline to the Discipline: A Model Procedure for Reviews in Anthropology, Social Sciences, and Other Related Disciplines
This piece uses participant observation of and research into disciplinary procedures to reveal that review policies in anthropology, other ‘social sciences’, and related disciplines have become arbitrary and politicised with little to protect professional standards of a discipline and to avoid conflicts of interest that prejudice scholarship. To address the problem, this piece takes the […]
The Nonsense and Non-Science of Political Science: A Politically Incorrect View of ‘Poly-T(r)ic(k)s’
The purpose of this short essay is to highlight the failures in contemporary Political Science by sketching a small model of what the discipline would look like if it were in fact a “discipline” driven by scientific questions and methods responsive to public benefit rather than to indoctrination and control. Rather than simply accept, on […]
An International Legal Scholar’s View on “Is Economics in Violation of International Law? Remaking Economics as a Social Science”
An Ecological Economist’s View on “Is Economics in Violation of International Law? Remaking Economics as a Social Science”
Introduction Is mainstream economics with its many theories and recommendations compatible with international law, such as the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP, 2007) or the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development of 1992 (UN Rio Declaration, 1992)? Are globally renowned universities teaching economics in ways that violate international law? Can […]