We Tell a Different Story

May 23

This is the first of our weekly series preparing for the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The series will include liturgy, music, and resistance for congregations of conscience. Check back for the other posts as we journey together toward July 4th, 2026.

On July 4th of 2026, the United States marks 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It is an occasion that calls forth both gratitude and grief, celebration and lament — and, above all, the courage to tell the whole truth about who we have been and who we are still, imperfectly, becoming.

The current regime in Washington is turning this anniversary into a spectacle of narrow, exclusionary patriotism — "America First" pageantry rooted in white supremacy and christian nationalism, actively erasing the histories of enslaved people, indigenous nations, immigrants, women, LGBTQ+ communities, and the living Earth itself.

The official story being told this July 4th is a lie of omission on a vast scale.

Progressive, justice-seeking congregations are called to something different. We’ve collaborated with Rev. Allyson Sawtell (she/her) and Dr. Amanda Udis-Kessler (she/her) to offer We Tell a Different Story, a resource of liturgy, prophetic rants, and music that you can use as you prepare for worship in the season leading to July 4, 2026.

All resources are free for your use. We ask that you give attribution to the creators Rev. Allyson Sawtell and Dr. Amanda Udis-Kessler, respectively. If you are so inclined, we would be grateful for any donation you can make to support the ministries of Juniper Formation UCC at juniperformation.org/donate.

We offer this invitation to tell a fuller, truer, harder, more beautiful story.

"Joy, gratitude, and wonder, in and of themselves, are holy. They are also acts of resistance in these times."

— Rev. Allyson Sawtell

Jenny Whitcher (she/her)

Rev. Dr. Jenny Whitcher is the Minister of Prophetic Formation and founder of Juniper Formation, an entrepreneurial and ecumenical faith community of the United Church of Christ (UCC), with the mission of "prophetically reimagining the Church from the margins."

She is a pastor, entrepreneur, community organizer, artist, public scholar, and theologian committed to liberation and social justice.

Her areas of expertise include: professional, personal, spiritual, and organizational formation and leadership; religion and public life; democratic culture, leadership, and pedagogy; community organizing; and social change theory and practice.

Whitcher previously served as the faculty Director of the Office of Professional Formation and Term Assistant Professor of Religion & Public Life at Iliff School of Theology, after serving as Iliff's Director of the Master of Arts in Social change (now M.A. in Social Justice & Ethics) and Director of Service Learning.

As an interdisciplinary public scholar committed to social justice and human rights, Whitcher bridges fields of religious, theological, and civic studies within local, national, and international contexts. Prior to working at Iliff, Whitcher served as Associate Director of the Center for Community Engagement & Service Learning (CCESL), where she taught Community Organizing and Denver Urban Issues and Policy courses; created and led student civic development curricula; trained faculty in public scholarship and pedagogy; led local and international Immersion Programs; and was the creator, editor, and contributing writer of the "Public Good Newsletter" at the University of Denver for five years.

Her career in higher education started in 2004 at the University of Denver's Office of Internationalization Study Abroad Program. Whitcher transitioned into higher education from the nonprofit sector where she worked locally in Denver with populations experiencing homelessness and globally on affordable housing with Habitat for Humanity International where she was also the "Advocacy Alert" columnist for Frameworks Magazine.

Whitcher's publications include book chapters, articles, and public resources on civic and spiritual development and formation, relational community organizing, experiences of organizers and public life, and democratic education. She is co-author and co-editor of the first and second editions of the Community Organizing Handbook (2009, 2010).

Whitcher's public scholarship, teaching, leadership, and ministry have included work with various local congregations and denominational leaders across the U.S. and across denominational, faith, and spiritual identities. In addition, she has worked with various nonprofits and foundations, including, but not limited to: WorldDenver, La Academia at Denver Inner City Parish, Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF), Interfaith Alliance of Colorado, Diyar Consortium, Everyday Democracy, Colorado Progressive Coalition, Puksta Foundation, the Kettering Foundation, El Centro Humanitario, Denver Public Schools, American Commonwealth Project, Urban Peak, and Habitat for Humanity International.

Internationally, Whitcher has travelled and partnered with local leaders and communities in Palestine, Israel, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Haiti, India, Hungary, Italy, and Spain.

She is the recipient of the Peacemaker Award from the Rocky Mountain Conference of the United Church of Christ (2006) and the Young Philanthropist Award by Women in Development of Greater Boston (2004).

Ordination: Metro Denver Association of the Rocky Mountain Conference of the United Church of Christ (UCC).

Education:

B.A., New York University
M.A., University of Denver
Ph.D. Iliff School of Theology & University of Denver

https://www.jennywhitcher.com

We Tell a Different Story

The Prophetic Voice: Two Rants for These Times

Imago Dei