Sacramental Service of Ordination + Covenanting of Rev. Candace Woods

Minister of Gender + Sexuality Liberation at Juniper Formation

Saturday, December 9, 2023 @ 2 pm MST

Taylor Memorial Chapel at La Foret
6145 Shoup Rd.
Black Forest, CO 80908

We invite you to join us for this celebratory occasion either in person or via Zoom.

Candace Woods has been a Member-in-Discernment (UCC ordination process) with Juniper Formation over the past year plus, she has been approved for ordination by the Rocky Mountain Conference of the United Church of Christ, and Juniper Formation is calling her as our Minister of Gender + Sexuality Liberation. This service is both an ordination and covenanting (covenant between Candace, Juniper Formation, and the Rocky Mountain Conference UCC).

A Note from Candace

As I'm set to be ordained in exactly a month, I wonder if you'd dream with me. Dream with me about the beauty of the Church embracing the gifts and callings of queer people + women + gender expansive people. Dream with me about the possibilities of what goodness could happen if we felt safe and secure in our bodies and relationships. Dream with me about what could be real if faith communities didn't shy away from hard conversations about belonging and sex and gender, but rather created spaces where we had the security in ourselves and in our relationships to dig into the messy places.

These are all things that are possible and have been begun by queer people of faith and sexuality educators and so many incredible communities before me. And its the work and the lineage to which I feel called to continue. I'm overjoyed to have been called as the Minister of Gender + Sexuality Liberation at Juniper Formation, an entrepreneurial, online community of faith in the United Church of Christ. My work with them will be focused on expanding the depths of the Our Whole Lives: Sexuality and Our Faith program in the region and helping congregations and communities work through the Open and Affirming process as well as adding greater understanding of gender expansiveness and belonging as a part of their ONA covenants.

This work, as with the work that I've been doing with Woods + the Wild, is new and entrepreneurial and in need of community support. Here's the ask - would you consider giving a one-time or recurring gift to help us build the brand new Gender + Sexuality Ministry at Juniper Formation? This giving will enable me to spend more time networking, helping congregations build new OWL + ONA programs, and providing pastoral care to people in community.

You can give online here and in the "purpose" category, choose "Gender + Sexuality Ministry." I hope you'll join me in this new endeavor!

(Oh, and if you're looking for a faith community where you are SO WELCOME, join our online portal juniperformation.church where we build community and share with one another. We meet via Zoom twice a month for storytelling, conversation, and communion. We'd love to see you there.)