General Synod 2023 online registration opens Jan. 23

Planning on going to General Synod in Indianapolis this summer? Mark your calendars for Jan. 23.

Registration for the United Church of Christ’s 34th Synod will open online on that Monday for all delegates and visitors. The biennial gathering is taking place June 30-July 4 at the Indiana Convention Center.

The cost is $275 for visitors, delegates and exhibitors. The breakdown of other registration fees is as follows:

Youth (12-18 yrs old)	$150.00
Youth (6-12 yrs old)	$50.00
Volunteers	$65.00
Single day	$95.00
Three day	$175.00
Vendors	$125.00
Seminarians	$50.00

In addition to the above fees, approved by the UCC Board, the cost of registration will include a $25 fee for internet availability.

“Each General Synod the UCC pays for Wi-Fi at the convention center to afford all participants the opportunity to use the service and to ensure internet availability during the course of the event. We are adding $25 for Wi-Fi to the cost of attendance for each registrant in Indianapolis because our internet costs have increased exponentially,” said the Rev. Karen Georgia Thompson, associate general minister and Synod administrator. 

The event’s theme, “Making All Things New,” is based on the scripture from Isaiah 43:18-19.

Moderator Robert Sandman and the Assistant Moderator the Rev. A. Rushan Sinnaduray will guide delegates though business sessions, which will get started on Friday afternoon.

Delegates will have much to consider this year. They will be electing a new General Minister and President, voting on the reelection of Associate General Minister Karen Georgia Thompson and considering amendments to the UCC Bylaws that would change the frequency of General Synod from two years to three years.

In addition, there are potentially 19 resolutions that will be up for review. Before the Christmas holiday, 10 resolutions had been formally submitted to the Resolution Review Team, appointed by the UCC Board. David Anderson, who staffs the General Synod committee and resolution process, said others were still in the planning stage, with submitters working toward a Jan. 2 deadline.

The General Synod Planning Team is drafting a schedule for the event. Educational intensives are still in the works, and a call to the wider church for workshops is expected in January. Optional dining events will also be offered and details shared soon.

The event’s keynote speaker and the three preachers for worship have already been announced:

• The Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber, Lutheran minister, best-selling author and the founding pastor of Denver’s House for All Sinners & Saints, will deliver the keynote address at Synod on Saturday, July 1.

• Jamar Doyle, the president and CEO of the UCC Council for Health and Human Service Ministries, will offer the sermon during opening worship on Friday, June 30.

• The Rev. Carmen Lansdowne, moderator of UCC communion partner, The United Church of Canada, will preach during community worship on Sunday, July 2.

• The Rev. JJ Flag, a UCC Disabilities Ministries board member and associate minister for pastoral care and justice at Myers Park Baptist Church in Charlotte, N.C., will deliver the closing sermon on Tuesday, July 4.

And as with all Synod gatherings, there will be time set aside for participants to experience the host city.

Bookmark the General Synod website for additional information. The planning team will be posting updates, so be sure to check back frequently!

---

Content on ucc.org is copyrighted by the National Setting of the United Church of Christ and may be only shared according to the guidelines outlined here.