Nominations are rolling and open year-round. We strongly encourage applications from people with disabilities, members of BIPOC communities, LGBTQIA+ people, and members of other Historically Underrepresented Groups (HUGS) in the United Church of Christ.
If you have a passion for accessibility, disability theology, working collaboratively within and across ministries, and building relationships, the UCCDM Board could be a good fit for you. We also have a need for individuals with strong administrative and financial skills to help maintain our board infrastructure. If you have these passions and skills, we welcome your application.
We particularly seek applicants with skill or experience in the following areas: accounting/bookkeeping, administration, writing/journalism, art/graphics, event planning, and social media.
If you are interested in our work, but are not sure you have ten hours per month to commit to board activities, please consider applying for a Member at Large position, in order to participate in our work with fewer time commitments. Members at Large have voice but no vote at full board meetings.
If you have questions about or access needs related to the application process, please email us at UCCDisabilitiesMinistries@gmail.com and we will provide you with accommodations.
UCCDM Board Member Requirements:
1. Candidates must be people who live with disabilities, caregivers or family of people with disabilities, or people who work in the disability field.
2. Candidates must be able to affirm the mission of UCCDM, stated below.
3. Candidates must be able to commit approximately ten hours per month to board activities, including monthly Board meetings, which occur on the second Thursday of each month at 6:30 pm Eastern Time.
4. Candidates must be able to attend an annual, in-person or hybrid, two to three day Board meeting each October (at Board expense).
5. Board Directors serve at least one three-year term, and no more than two consecutive three-year terms.
The Mission of the UCCDM
The mission of UCCDM is to support all settings of the United Church of Christ, hereafter UCC, including but not limited to local congregations, associations, conferences, camps, Historically Underrepresented Groups (HUGs), and national settings, as they seek to recognize and provide access to people with disabilities in all aspects of the church’s life and ministry. The scope of this mission will include but not be limited to:
- Affirming and claiming as its own the commitments of the UCC to be a multiracial, multicultural, open and affirming [of LGBTQIA+ people)’, just peace, and accessible to all ministry, recognizing that people with disabilities have a multitude of other identities, and that all justice movements are interconnected.
- Encouraging all settings of the wider church to be physically, socially, and virtually accessible to and welcoming of people with disabilities.
- Encouraging and providing guidance to UCC settings as they work to become Accessible to All (hereafter A2A), and supporting them as they sustain their commitment.
- Participating in denominational and ecumenical conversations related to disabilities and working with the UCC national setting and community partners to promote disability justice through an intersectional framework.
Activities of the UCCDM
The UCCDM is a working Board with several subcommittees, including but not limited to: Advocacy and Education, Accessible to All, Disability Theology, Conference Inclusion Teams, Community and Relationship Building, and Online Presence. Working as a team, we provide resources to churches and other settings of the UCC to improve accessibility and raise awareness about disability. We collaborate with other UCC ministries to provide consultation on accessibility and to advocate for disability justice.
Examples of our recent work include the 2022 Access Sunday resources, the Accessible to All webinar from Thursdays for the Soul, and the 2022 Disability Theology Lenten Devotional on UCC social media.
For more information on our work and programs, please visit our website at UCCDM.org, and follow us on Facebook.
Please complete and submit your application form here: https://forms.gle/PhULSVNvAPvjYWWn9.
We look forward to receiving your application!
The United Church of Christ Disabilities Ministries Board
