Support Prophetic, Transformative Ministry
I have cried so much this year. How about you?
Not all my tears have been of frustration and grief. Some tears bear joyful witness to the movement of the Holy Spirit.
Most recently, tears rolled down my cheek during our last monthly Leadership Team meeting as staff and leadership team members offered end-of-year blessings to one another and our ministry together in Juniper Formation. Warm tears of gratitude for the miraculous movement of the Holy Spirit as people shared their blessings of:
- Being in a faith community that continues to be prophetically expansive and inclusive when the world around us is increasingly restrictive;
- Being invited into a church where their voice and contributions are valued not just because of their marginalized identities but for their humanity, and also, that their identities, gifts, and community contexts are affirmed;
- Powerfulness of relationships that bring us back into communion with one another and God when we’ve been harmed by the Church and walked away;
- Experiential learning that we don’t have to be stuck in the same old limiting role within the church, but can grow in sharing our gifts and talents in ministry; and
- Joy in being in ministry with a bunch of ministers—lay and ordained folx who are discerning their call and supported in living out their prophetic call to ministry in the world together.
This is being church together. I hope you will continue your commitment to prophetically reimagining the Church with us by making a generous gift to Juniper Formation.
You may make a tax deductible donation:
- Online at: juniperformation.org/offering, where you can make a one-time or a monthly/quarterly pledge donation; or
- Write a check payable to “Sixth Avenue UCC,” with memo line “Juniper Formation,” and mail to: Juniper Formation, PO Box 19541, Denver, CO 80219. 100% of all donations go directly to Juniper Formation.
Because of faithful supporters like you, here is what we’ve accomplished in 2020, and some of where we are heading in 2021 and beyond:
- Articulated a vision and plan for our future. While living into this plan, we’ve grown our capacity from 1 to 5 staff members in 2020! Most of these are project-based part-time staff. With your financial support, in 2021, we can increase their time and capacities working with congregations, developing resources for the wider Church, supporting the development of new ministries, and building a strong administrative foundation for Juniper Formation.
- Discerned to incorporate Juniper Formation as a local church of the United Church of Christ. We are building a community of Christian faith to live our mission of prophetically reimagining the Church through Spirit-led, justice-centered, relational, and worshipful congregational accompaniment, incubation of new ministries, and one-to-one and small group discernment and coaching.
- Begun building a congregation that centers the margins of the church—we celebrate and affirm our diversities in ethnicities, genders, sexualities, abilities, ages, and Christian traditions.
- Co-created and released “Speak Boldly,” a progressive sacred music album by singer songwriter Jenny LaJoye, and shared lead sheets and worship music videos so that you can play and sing this music in your spiritual and worship life. We’d love to share more music and liturgical resources with the wider Church with your support in 2021!
- Led our first year-long Spirit-Led Accompaniment Circle (SLAC) small group ministry for individuals discerning their call to lay and ordained ministry. We hope to expand these discernment and ministry formation opportunities in 2021.
- Continued to prophetically accompany congregations through rebirth. In 2020, we worked with Park Hill UCC to co-create a Spirit-led relational culture and congregational fabric. As a result, they have discerned to rebirth their traditional church as both fully virtual and in-person ministry long-term, expanding their relationships to include members within and beyond Colorado. We will begin congregational accompaniment with a Presbyterian church in January, and look forward to working with more churches in 2021.
- Launched a new ministry called the Spiritual Well to integrate spiritual and mental health and wellness within congregations and their communities. In 2021, we’re looking to begin working with congregations to co-create new cultures of spiritual and mental health.
- Organized congregations for immediate pandemic response action to advocate for the safety and health of those experiencing homelessness.
- Collaborated with the Interfaith Immigration Network in developing the new “Vecinos” (“neighbors” in Spanish) program to educate, challenge, train, and inspire people of faith and congregations to become allies of our undocumented immigrant neighbors.
- Engaged in anti-racism efforts and advocacy in our church, criminal justice system, and with other congregations. Anti-racism is an ongoing part of co-creating a multi-ethnic congregation and our wider ministry with other congregations, which we hope to expand in 2021.
- Shared a progressive theological framework on issue-based initiatives like women’s reproductive rights and electoral ballot choices in battleground states where conservative theologies dominate during the 2020 election.
- Built an “office shed” and started developing a backyard house church, including a community greenhouse and sacred space to grow plants for ritual and physical food for diverse local communities and spiritual traditions. We look forward to gathering people in this space when it is safe to do so in 2021.
With your generous financial support we can continue to grow capacity in co-creating prophetic and progressive ministries within current congregations, birthing new ministries and churches, offering discernment for lay and ordained ministers, and building a multiethnic Juniper Formation congregation of movement leaders and people in ministry.
As a 2020 donor, you will receive our 2nd Annual New Ministry Gift, a copy of the “Speak Boldly” album—your choice of a digital download or physical CD with original album artwork. We hope this sacred music will inspire your ministry and be a reminder that the Spirit of God is still speaking and moving in our lives, world, and yes, the Church.
We are deeply grateful for your continued support and wish you and your loved ones a healthy and Spirit-filled Christmas. May your heart also be filled with tears of joy and hope, amidst the grief of this past year.
In Christ,
Rev. Dr. Jenny Whitcher, Ph.D. (she/her)
Minister of Prophetic Formation
Founder, Juniper Formation
Juniper Formation is grateful for your support. Our church and its ministries depends on generous donors like you. Please consider making a donation to prophetically reimagining the Church with us.
All 2020 donors will receive our 2nd Annual Ministry Gift of “Speak Boldly,” Jenny LaJoye’s first sacred music album written in partnership with Juniper Formation.
