Inspirations Blog

A multimedia collection of stories, learnings, reflections, and resources from the people and ministries of Juniper Formation.

2025 Ministry Highlights
Jenny Whitcher (she/her) Jenny Whitcher (she/her)

2025 Ministry Highlights

As we approach the end of 2025, we find ourselves reflecting on what it means to live boldly in our faith during times of uncertainty, and we are feeling deeply grateful for you.

Fascism, white supremacy, and christian nationalism threaten the values we hold sacred. Peaceful immigrant families face separation, deportation, and being disappeared. Our LGBTQ+ siblings and families live in fear and under threat. Those seeking reproductive healthcare are criminalized. Entire cities are being ambushed by masked, militarized Immigration and Customs Enforcement and National Guard troops. And we know that Denver will be one of the cities targeted next, to which Juniper Formation’s Mutual Aid Sanctuary ministry will respond.

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Public Liturgy to Honor Jax Gratton
Terra Greer (she/he/they) Terra Greer (she/he/they)

Public Liturgy to Honor Jax Gratton

The liturgies that we create and celebrate can change who we are as a faith community. Our liturgies also help us to remember our own histories and the important events that might otherwise be lost to time. 

During a workshop at the Rocky Mountain Annual Celebration led by Rev. Tracy Howe, members of Juniper Formation and other participants wrote a litany, a Psalm, and a Song memorializing our transgender sister, Jax Gratton. 

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Bad Faith: The Way of the Cross in Our Time
Jenny Whitcher (she/her) Jenny Whitcher (she/her)

Bad Faith: The Way of the Cross in Our Time

Last weekend, our community gathered for a difficult and necessary screening of the documentary Bad Faith followed by a facilitated conversation about Christian nationalism and our call as people of faith in this moment. After the film, we had a vulnerable discussion where we discussed and discerned how we could move forward together.

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Bad Faith Screenings
Amanda Creek Amanda Creek

Bad Faith Screenings

🎬Join us for a hybrid screening and discussion of "Bad Faith" - a powerful feature-length documentary that explores the dangerous rise of Christian Nationalism in the United States.

Part archival chronicle, part exposé, this film reveals the secretive political machinery that has relentlessly sought to weaken and destroy American democracy in order to promote its authoritarian vision.

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Cocreate the World as It Could Be
Jenny Whitcher (she/her) Jenny Whitcher (she/her)

Cocreate the World as It Could Be

We are as committed as ever to live out our faith even as it is being threatened by the powers that be in this country. We need your help to continue our collective work to cocreate the world as it could be as we follow the disruptive peacemaking ways of Jesus.

It would be amazing if our Juniper Formation friends could help us raise $10,000 in the next month.

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Red flag rules: A different kind of identity theft prevention
Jenny Whitcher (she/her) Jenny Whitcher (she/her)

Red flag rules: A different kind of identity theft prevention

This post challenges us to examine the harmful beliefs rooted in whiteness, heteronormativity, and gender binaries that erase diverse identities. It explores how flags — from the Mexican flag to the Pride and Juneteenth flags — serve as symbols of existence, resistance, and liberation in contrast to the rising threat of white supremacy, fascism, and Christian nationalism.

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Congregational Legal Talk: Sheltering Vulnerable People
Jenny Whitcher (she/her) Jenny Whitcher (she/her)

Congregational Legal Talk: Sheltering Vulnerable People

Faith leaders, clergy, and congregational decision makers are invited to learn about legal frameworks for sheltering vulnerable people. This talk and Q&A will include topics of:

  • Harboring - do's and don'ts, risks, risk mitigation, public presence, etc

  • Public vs private spaces in faith communities

  • The Trump immigration registration process, which went into effect on April 11th

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This is a Coup
Jenny Whitcher (she/her) Jenny Whitcher (she/her)

This is a Coup

Information and data are power in today’s economy and culture. What we are experiencing right now is a coup. A small group of greedy, racist…[insert every other “...ist”]…billionaires are illegally taking over the lawful, democratic government of the United States of America. Their access to and control over money and sensitive data related to private citizens, government employees, and government payments gives them the power to illegally implement their personal agenda without controls or democratic process. Their dismissal and pushout of broad swaths of government career professionals (non-political appointed positions) is regime change. People's lives are at stake.

This is a coup; it’s not over yet. 

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Empires always fall, and by the grace of God so shall we
Jenny Whitcher (she/her) Jenny Whitcher (she/her)

Empires always fall, and by the grace of God so shall we

The Bible is filled with stories of empire. God is described in stark contrast to these empires, which were oligarchies that ruthlessly maintained deep disparities between the wealthy elite and everyone else. Whether it is the Egyptian Empire of the Hebrew Text or the Roman Empire that took Jesus’ life in the Gospel, the empires of the Bible were largely run by oligarchs, a small group of corrupt, selfish, wealthy people—kings who believed that gods served their will, rather than kings serving God’s will.

We find ourselves with such a wannabe king today in the United States.

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Resourcing the Work of Collective Gender + Sexuality Liberation
Rev. Candace Woods (she/her) Rev. Candace Woods (she/her)

Resourcing the Work of Collective Gender + Sexuality Liberation

A year ago, I had the great honor of being ordained to the work of Gender and Sexuality Liberation on behalf of and in ministry with the community of Juniper Formation UCC. The congregation and I had been dreaming into the possibilities of what it would mean to house a ministry team that was focused on creating inclusive and equitable spaces for LGBTQ+ people in communities of faith, as well as programming that would encourage and build gender and sexuality liberation for all people. We envisioned this work challenging oppressive systems like heteronormativity, patriarchy, and cultures of violence and control. We wanted to do this by teaching, preaching, and practicing cultures of care, consent, equity, and inclusion in the way of Jesus.

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Love-Filled Joy
Jenny Whitcher (she/her) Jenny Whitcher (she/her)

Love-Filled Joy

Have you ever been convicted by scripture?

I can’t remember the last time I “leaped for joy.” Joy feels distant in the depths of winter, in the weeks preceding the next administration, after the years of Covid, in the grief for loved ones who have died, all interwoven with the struggles of my own pregnancies and childbirths over the past three years. There is still joy interwoven into seasons of struggle and even laughter and dancing to “Baby Shark” with my three-year-old, but leaping for joy? Not so much. Too tired for that.

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Advent's Call to Love
Theo Isoz (they/them) Theo Isoz (they/them)

Advent's Call to Love

The word “home” always feels so tender for me at Advent. I am home because I have made it for myself. My community has built a home alongside me, we have made our own family, we keep each other loved and safe. While I celebrate our strength, ingenuity, and resilience, there is a part of me that always mourns for the loss of a home of origin. It is just true. We make love happen for ourselves, by God, but there is such tenderness there for love that is hard won.

The queer community is not alone in this, many (perhaps, if we’re honest, even most?) people have complex feelings during holidays. We want to be saved, to be gathered, to be brought home, to be unashamed.

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The Way of Peace
Rev. Candace Woods (she/her) Rev. Candace Woods (she/her)

The Way of Peace

Writing about peace in this moment in the world feels like an incomprehensible task. There’s so much happening around us that is earth-shattering, terror-inducing, and…just…so much. I know many of our personal lives feel similarly peace-less as we grapple with illness or breakups or family conflict or or or

Sigh.

Maybe that’s why we need to make ready the way for God. I think on individual levels, there’s work that we get to do in our own hearts and souls and minds to make way for God’s peace to come.

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2024 Ministry Highlights
Jenny Whitcher (she/her) Jenny Whitcher (she/her)

2024 Ministry Highlights

Sustainability has been one of our top goals this past year, and closing out the year, we can say that we are making it with your support!

The Spirit of God has moved through us and provided for us for five years and we expect for many more to come. We have loads of gifts and talents, and more people joining us who want to be a part of our church in active ministry who are bringing new gifts and talents and ideas for ministries.

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Finding Hope as We Journey Through Advent
Amanda Creek Amanda Creek

Finding Hope as We Journey Through Advent

Join Amanda, Storyteller at Juniper Formation, for a week of reflections exploring hope during Advent. Amanda examines how hope intersects with despair, vulnerability, and love. The series delves into personal hope, community support, and faith, while exploring the parallel rhythms of receiving and practicing with hope. These reflections are part of a larger collection from Juniper Formation's leadership team, available through the Daily Ripple app and community.

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