St Peter's United Church of Christ

Join the United Church of Christ for a Juneteenth Commemoration.

Juneteenth Commemoration 2026: In Troubling Times Consult the Ancestors!
Jun 18, 2026 | 3:30pm - 4:30pm

"Juneteenth marks the official end of the enslavement of African descended people in the U.S. The original legal declaration was signed into law by Abraham Lincoln January 1, 1863, which instituted The Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth is also known as Freedom Day nationally, and Emancipation Day in Texas, and became an official holiday in the State of Texas in 1980. President Joe Biden officially signed into Law Juneteenth as a National Day of Remembrance, June 17, 2021.

Racial Justice Ministries of the United Church of Christ invite you to engage in prophetic remembering to confront the challenges of our time. Nurturing a movement toward justice for all is a sacred call for liberators and freedom fighters to seek wisdom from Old and New Testament Prophets who stood up against the empires of their day and to gain inspiration from modern prophets who lead the resistance to oppressive tyrannies, ideologies, and theologies. Racial Justice Ministries and wisdom teachers of the United Church of Christ National Ministries invite you to listen and learn how to thrive during national and global threats from authoritarian leaders."

https://www.ucc.org/event/juneteenth-commemoration-2026-in-troubling-times-consult-the-ancestors/

This summer, we are focusing on our new Mission and Vision statements.

1 Corinthians 13 is a familiar piece of Scripture, often used at weddings. This scripture is a description of love and Pastor Lori took us on an artistic journey with her sermon, encouraging us to look at the passages in new ways.

The end of the Scripture says, "And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love."

And Pastor Lori ended worship with these words, "It is our responsibility to practice love. Do that in the way that makes sense for you and for those that you encounter - at work, around our tables, online, at school, wherever you find yourself. Practice love. It is then that we will be with God and we will be close to one another."

Mission Statement:
St. Peter's UCC is an open & affirming community. Inspired by God, we practice justice, love, and curiosity

Yep. This. This is what we say, too! We even put it on our shirts (check out our post about being at Indy Pride this weekend)! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

I’m excited to share that with your help we raised $1000 today which means that this billboard in Dayton Ohio will not only be up the entire month of June, but will also be up the entire month of July! Shout out to the artist Transpainter and every single person which chipped in reacted to the post and helped us to make this happen!



[Image Description: An outdoor billboard illuminated at night. An Intersex-inclusive Progress Pride flag background with a burst of color-coordinated flowers surround white text that says You are Loved. End ID].

It was a beautiful morning celebrating love, marching for justice, and being part of the community celebrating Pride this morning! We have walked in the Indy Pride parade for over a decade and always experience love, joy, community, compassion.

St. Peter's and First Congregational United Church of Christ walked together. If the group looks small, we can promise that the love each of these people have for you is huge! And they are representing a bigger community of faith that stands up, speaks up, loves loudly, and affirms the LGBTQIA+ community. Fully, completely. 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

Happy Pride! You are loved!
❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

Photo descriptions: Photo one is a group of people of varying ages wearing rainbow colors and many having shirts that say "You Are Loved" and other affirming messages. A sign is displayed that reads "Be the church. Protect the environment. Care for the poor. Forgive often. Reject racism. Fight for the powerless. Share earthly and spiritual resources. Embrace diversity. Love God. Enjoy this life." Photo 2 is of two women. One has a pastoral collar and the other has a pastoral stole. Each wear a black hat that says "REV" (short for Reverend). One holds a progressive pride flag, the other holds a sign that reads "This pastor love & affirms you."

We would love for you to join us for worship on Sunday! You can worship onsite or online at 10:00 a.m. EST. Livestream is on our YouTube channel.

No matter where we gather or how we connect - you are welcome, loved, and affirmed here. 🌈

https://stpeterscarmel.org/home/about-us/

https://www.youtube.com/.PetersUCCCarmel

Happy Pride! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

The Indy Pride Parade is this Saturday, June 13, stepping off at 10:00 a.m. The parade route is along Mass Ave, starting in the Bottleworks district and concluding on N. Delaware St.

St. Peter's will be walking in the parade! When you see us in the parade, we hope you will yell "You are loved" or "Happy Pride" or even "Hello St. Peter's!"

The Indy Pride Festival starts at noon on Saturday - more info here: https://www.indypride.org/festival

This summer, we are focusing on our new Mission and Vision statements.

This week, Pastor Dakota shared a message on Mark 2:1-12 and our congregation's mission to practice justice. This Scripture is the story of Jesus healing the paralyzed man who was lowered through the ceiling on a mat by his friends - who helped him reach Jesus.

As you think about how you practice justice, consider the following:

Some of the people that find St. Peter's are those who are religiously injured and spiritually curious, those who are part of marginalized communities, and people who seek to practice justice.

How will you stand up for someone who needs a voice? How will you make space for those who are pushed to the edges?

How will you "carry part of the mat" to help others reach Jesus?

Mission Statement:
St. Peter's UCC is an open & affirming community. Inspired by God, we practice justice, love, and curiosity.

We would love for you to join us for worship on Sunday! You can worship onsite or online at 10:00 a.m. EST. Livestream is on our YouTube channel.

No matter where we gather or how we connect - you are welcome, loved, and affirmed here. 🌈

https://stpeterscarmel.org/home/about-us/

https://www.youtube.com/.PetersUCCCarmel

We celebrated Pentecost this past Sunday. Pentecost is a time when we honor the movement and playfulness of the Holy Spirit. Pentecost is a time when we appreciate that differences can be celebrated - as many voices spoke in many languages, and all were understood.

The Holy Spirit moves with love.
The Holy Spirit is playful.
The Holy Spirit embraces differences.

The Holy Spirit it Love. Not hate. Period.

Today is the first day of Pride Month.

In her sermon on Sunday, Pastor Lori reminded us that St. Peter's doors have been open to all for a long time. That could mean open to people of other faiths, people with addiction, people who are rejected elsewhere, people who are becoming who they were meant to be.

Our mission at St. Peter's is: We are an open & affirming community. Inspired by God, we practice justice, love, and curiosity.

Open doors. Welcoming all (and really meaning it). The message from St. Peter's this month (and every month) is that YOU ARE LOVED. You are welcomed and affirmed and included. Jesus preached love and acceptance, not hate and exclusion. God teaches us to love one another. The Spirit invites us to play, to love and be loved.

Happy Pride. 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️
You are loved.
🤍🩷🩵🤎🖤
❤️🧡💛💚💙💜