The body is one, even though it has many parts; all the parts comprise a single body. And so it is with Christ… [so that] all the members may be concerned for one another. If one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members share its joy. ~ 1 Corinthians 12:12, 25b-26 (read the full text)
We are the body of Christ …
connected in love and committed to collective liberation!
Union’s 2026 theme is a play on the semiquincentennial (250th anniversary) of the Declaration of Independence (1776).
As the nation celebrates its founding and freedom from British colonial rule, we will deepen our engagement with Liberation Theology with an emphasis on post-colonial theory.
While “rugged individualism” is central to the American narrative, this year we give special attention to connectionalism as a central aspect of our Wesleyan-Methodist theology.
We anticipate extraordinary patriotic fervor during this semiquincentennial year, inflected through the violence of Trumpism.
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The myth of American exceptionalism will locate 1776 as its commencement. Our counter-narrative leans on 1619 Project: A New Origin Story (2019), curated by Nikole Hannah-Jones, who we intentionally selected as the keynote of the 2026 MLK Memorial Breakfast.
This year — building on our 2025 emphasis on Belonging — we will intentionally draw closer to God, neighbor, and self as the Body of Christ, resolving:
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No one suffers alone
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Everyone has a place and a purpose
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Together, we will thrive interdependently as a healthy body in 2026!