Pastor Eunbee Ham spoke on Thursday evening at a local gun violence vigil in Central Park. The vigil was organized by Students Demand Action at UC Davis, Yolo County Moms Demand Action and the Davis Phoenix Coalition in response to recent shootings in Monterey Park, Half Moon Bay and Oakland.

KCRA covered the event and their report is here.  
Her remarks are here (pdf) along with a list of  resources.

Following anti-trans comments at the December 15 DJUSD school board meeting, students, parents and community members rallied to support trans youth on January 19. There were flags, buttons, home-made signs, and music. Community Chambers were packed with supporters - standing room only!  Public comment opened with an 8-year-old trans student, and closed with a 17-year-old trans student. With unanimous support from DCC's Session, Pastor Derek spoke to affirm our church's support of the LGBTQ+ community, and our support of trans youth and their families. Huge thanks to Pastor Derek for taking time in the midst of his "first week whirlwind" to stand up for equity, justice, and the rights of our trans youth.  The meeting was recorded and is available here. Pastor Derek's comments begin at 1.07.05.

The Interim Pastor Nominating Committee is pleased to announce that the Rev. Dr. Derek Austin will be joining us as our Interim Senior Pastor starting in January 2023.

Rev. Dr. Derek Austin, a certified transitional specialist in the United Church of Christ, has served churches in New England as an intentional interim minister for the past 18 years, and currently serves as Interim Senior Pastor at Pilgrim Congregational Church in Leominster, MA.

Raised in upstate NY, Derek earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees in San Diego, CA, and his Doctoral degree from San Francisco Theological Seminary; and engaged in post-doctoral study in organizational psychology and family systems theory. While living in San Diego, he also served as Artistic Director and Conductor of the San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus, until he relocated to New England.

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Our session members wrote an article to explain the thinking and the research behind the new initiative to provide Sacred Space, a contemplative gathering on the second Sunday of each month at 9 a.m.  Sacred Space provides a meditative space that offers greater intimacy and freedom in our spiritual lives. It is an open, meditative space with a variety of practices to choose from, such as candle lighting, meditation, contemplative reading, coloring, ritual, and hospitality. This service is especially geared to those who need space to breathe, listen, and rearrange their inner lives in a busy and frenzied world.

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We, the Session Elders of Davis Community Church, oppose the Supreme Court’s draft opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which would remove the Constitutional right to abortion established by Roe v. Wade in 1973. We are deeply concerned about the negative impacts this draft opinion, once formalized, would have on the well-being of countless individuals. We recognize the fear, frustration, anger, and hopelessness this draft has stirred in ourselves, our congregation, and the public. Christ calls us to love all people. To love another person includes respecting their bodily autonomy and moral agency. This draft decision does neither. Instead, it contradicts our understanding of God’s call for us to love. 

Therefore: 

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Pastor Eunbee spoke at a vigil in Central Park following the murders of eight people, six of them Asian women, in the Atlanta, GA area. Drawing on Christian values of love, inclusion, and sacred worth, Pastor Eunbee called the community to cherish and honor the divinity of the slain women and to stand in solidarity with our AAPI community in this painful time.
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Davis Community Church has been certified for the seventh year as an Earth Care Congregation by the Presbyterian Church (USA)’s Presbyterian Hunger Program, a testament to the commitment that the church has made to care for the earth.

Under the leadership of the congregation’s Compassion, Peace and Justice Ministry, Davis Community Church affirmed an Earth Care pledge to integrate environmental practices and thinking into all aspects of congregational life. Earth Care is a frequent theme of worship services, educational opportunities, children’s curriculum, and boy and girl scouting programs.

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