By the numbers: Educational Intensives kick off General Synod business June 30

Going to General Synod in June? Now’s the time to start thinking about how to make the most of the United Church of Christ’s biennial gathering.

The agenda at a glance is posted on the General Synod website. Setup time in the Exhibit Hall is slated for Thursday, June 29, so more than 50 vendors and national and affiliated ministries can to move in and get their space organized. Doors open to visitors Friday, June 30 at noon.

Immediately after, the business of Synod begins. The 677 delegates representing the denomination’s 36 Conferences start their work on Friday with Educational Intensives at 12:30 pm.

“All intensives will take place at the same time,” said the Rev. Karen Georgia Thompson, General Synod administrator, noting that the sessions will be in-person and not available for viewing as was the case during the 2021 virtual event. “The resolutions that will have intensives have already been decided by the committee on disposition. Delegates assigned to committees will be required to attend the intensive related to their committee.”

14 intensives for 15 resolutions

Fifteen of the 17 proposed resolutions coming before Synod have the one-hour educational session scheduled. Delegates are randomly pre-assigned to a committee by the registration system.

Here are the corresponding resolutions with educational intensives and their numbered committee assignments:

Committee Assignment	Resolution(s)
Committee No. 1	Denouncing the Dobbs Decision and Proclaiming Abortion as Healthcare
Committee No. 2	A Resolution Calling for a New Study by our Church on our Relationship with the Indian Boarding Schools and the Boarding Schools in Hawai’i
Committee No. 3	Closing the Digital Divide: Calling on the United Church of Christ to Seek Digital Justice and Inclusion
Committee No. 4	A Resolution Urging Planning for and Implementing Electrification
Committee No. 5	Faithful Advocacy for Intersectional and Transformational Healing in Harm Reduction
Committee No. 6	Affirming Guns to Gardens and Other Gun Violence Prevention Ministries
Committee No. 7	A Resolution to Urge All Responsible Entities to Join in Reparations to Fund Christian Hawaiian Language Education Programs to Undo a Century of Extinction. Americanization and Indoctrination Policies Extinguished the Original Christian Hawaiian Alphabet
Committee No. 8	Encouraging a Plant-based Life
Committee No. 9	Free from Plastic Pollution (Two resolutions: Florida Conference and New Hampshire Conference)
Committee No. 10	A Resolution Supporting Public School Educators, Academic Freedom, and Equity Efforts in Schools
Committee No. 11	A Resolution to Study and Develop Reparations Proposals for African Americans
Committee No. 12	A Resolution Condemning Prolonged Solitary Confinement as a Form of Torture
Committee No. 13	Actively Affirming the Human Dignity of Transgender and Nonbinary Persons
Committee No. 14	A Resolution Calling on United Church of Christ Local Churches to Witness “A White Supremacy Free Zone” & Confronting White Supremacy

On the schedule

After educational intensives, opening worship is scheduled for Friday at 2:30 p.m. Jamar Doyle, the president and CEO of the UCC Council for Health and Human Service Ministries, will preach.

The gavel comes down on the Opening Plenary immediately following worship.

Synod organizers note that while worship and plenary sessions will be livestreamed — as in years’ past — General Synod 34 is not a hybrid event. Like educational intensives, 30 workshops will be in-person, available to attendees during two time blocks on the afternoon of Saturday, July 1. Look for a list of topics and presenters in mid-May.

Over the first four days, between committee work and business sessions there are 20 optional dining events scheduled, beginning with the Join the Movement fundraiser, “How to Raise Anti-Racist Children,” featuring esteemed author and activist Ibram Kendi.  The complete list and ways to register can be found here.

Costs, hotels and parking

Speaking of registration: online Synod registration will continue for most of May. The cost for delegates, exhibitors and visitors is $300, which includes a $25 Wi-Fi fee. Fees are reduced for youth, seminarians and volunteers. More information can be found here.

Hotel reservations are available through the Visit Indy Housing Bureau. Once registered, visitors will receive a link to contracted hotels and be able to reserve rooms at a discounted rate through the housing bureau. Organizers urge planning ahead since there will be an overlapping convention of the Church of God in Christ at the Indianapolis Convention Center, starting July 3.

A parking package, offered in Indianapolis by Gate 10 Events, will give UCC visitors nearby parking for $110 for a six-day pass, $128 for the week. The package includes shuttle service and in-and-out privileges. The link to reserve space and prepay is coming soon to the Synod website.

More information on child care, children’s programming and a free concert and festival hosted by the Indiana-Kentucky Conference Sunday evening is coming soon.

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