Six New Things – Week of June 1, 2026

Pride and the 4th: Summer is here. Historical honesty, raising kinder kids, and growing spiritually open us to richer celebration.

ONE

It’s Pride Season! And it’s not just a day or a week or a month, anymore: it’s now until whenever (or at least late October).! If you’re flying solo in your solidarity, find a neighbor congregation (or person) of any denomination and organize, join in, and celebrate together!

• 

  The UCC compiled a list of events state-wide. Find that on our Seasonal Offerings page.

• Find allies, neighbors, and support in Prism‘s expanding network. They’ll be at numerous Pride events, primarily in Greater Minnesota, throughout June.  Find locations and dates in our Seasonal Offerings page.
• For Pride online, Illustrated Ministry offers, ‘10 Ways to Digitally Share Love and Pride‘ with ‘reminders on how to share love and pride’ from any device; for church-worthy bling, check out their apparel shop.

Invite all ages into deeper awareness and allyship with LGBTQIA2S+ siblings with:

• Reading Secrets: A Queer Inheritance of Life & Scripture (Flare) – ‘a trans pastor’s fascination with the Scripture inherited from his closeted, fundamentalist father’.
• Play Proud: Fiercely Fabulous Queer Athletes (Beaming) – ‘a rhyming romp’ highlighting ‘sixty historic and modern queer athletes’, offering ‘powerful inspiration for everyone who seeks to live their life authentically’. Download the accompanying crossword puzzle here.
• Glam up worship with Glitter Psalms (Leo Jones-Morton/self published) – ‘a balm, a benediction, and a battle cry’.

TWO

Develop kindness and compassion as normal virtues with:

• Gigantic: The Small Whale with a Big Heart (Doubleday) – ‘a sweet and funny read-aloud with a positive lesson about teamwork, courage, and embracing what makes us unique‘.
• And The After-School Kindness Crew: Pooch on the Loose #1 (Penguin Workshop) – Join a trio of friends as they ‘bring joy to those around them, with laughs, adventures, and brain breaks along the way.’

THREE

Pride is our lead-in to all things semiquincentennial: In case you haven’t heard, the US turns 250 this July 4.

• As America approaches its 250th anniversary, Bookshop.org‘s list of reads, ‘revisit the nation’s founding through voices, conflicts, and possibilities often left outside the traditional narrative‘.
• America, U.S.A.: How Race Shadows the Nation’s Anniversaries (Crown), is ‘a shining meditation on how we must reckon with a grim past in order to strive for the better angels of our future’.
• Illustrated Ministry’s 4th of July Pastoral Care Package offers letters of encouragement to pastors and CYF leaders, RCL lectionary reflections, a liturgy, hymn suggestions, children’s resources, youth activities and, of course coloring pages and graphics

FOUR

Rather than ‘celebrate’ with fanfare on a day that will be filled with hatred, phobias, and -isms, a more honest observance might include looking at the history that got us here.

• The Christian Past That Wasn’t: Debunking the Christian Nationalist Myths that Hijack History (Broadleaf): ‘To understand Christian nationalism, we must know the power of myth. To counter it, we must know the facts.’
• All We Say: The Battle for American Identity: A History in 15 Speeches (Random): ‘a fresh and powerful look at who we really are and who we could still become’.

FIVE

Christian nationalism and other radicalized politics arise in cultures of isolation even as they promulgate division. Counter division and isolation with connection:

• Crisis of the Common Good: The Fight for Meaning and Connection in a Broken America (Farrar, Straus, and Giroux) is Senator Chris Murphy’s offering of, ‘a new politics of the common good that is both deeply rooted in our past and a radical challenge to the status quo’.
• The Power in Your Hands: Liberate Yourself from Attachment to Technology (Broadleaf), ‘guides readers on a journey of reconnection to their inner child’s needs for artistry, self-expression, and real human relationships‘.
• Mattering: The Secret to a Life of Deep Connection and Purpose (Portfolio), is ‘both a call to action and a blueprint for living a meaningful life and creating a world we so urgently need.’

SIX

Reshape concepts of belonging, community, and spiritual growth with Following Jesus Beyond Church Walls (Contemporary Mystics). Yes, I’ve already share this, but now author Chantal Morales McKinney is featured on the Holden Village podcast and an online discussion with the author.

Summer spiritual practices abound. Get inspired with:

• Catching Hope: The Hidden Spiritual Wisdom of Fishing (Broadleaf): ‘Fishing is an exercise in hope… Let’s walk to the edge of the water…, toss out our lines, and wait to see what happens next.’
• Lost & Found in the Cathedral of Cinema: A Spiritual Journey (Broadleaf): ‘Guided by the lights of screens and Scripture’, this book ‘testifies of a God who moves in mysterious ways, calling us into a life of courageous creativity’.

Outside or in – may the summer be a time for spiritual growth and deepening compassion.