2026 Homecoming: Many Voices United
United Days has a new name! Join us in the Twin Cities October 26–27, 2026, for Homecoming. Themed Many Voices United, this event promises to be a wonderful time of connection and reconnection. Reunite with fellow alums and faculty while building relationships with new generations of United students, and be the first to hear a surprise announcement from President Molly T. Marshall.
Throughout our time together, we will be uniting our voices in word and song over our commitment to the planet, cultivating friendships over meals, engaging in conversations over coffee, and visiting sacred sites of resistance and justice in the Twin Cities. Attendees will gain a better understanding of theological education today, justice work and collective action in the Twin Cities, and leave with a deeper awareness of the earth’s spirit and resilience.
CEUs are available for all plenary sessions for interested attendees. Keep scrolling for more information on our speakers and registration.
Meet Plenary Speaker Rev. Dr. Cláudio Carvalhaes
2026 Picard Lecture in Environmental Theology and Ethics 
Rev. Dr. Cláudio Carvalhaes—earth thinker, theologian, liturgist, performer, artist, and playwright, a native Brazilian from São Paulo—is the Marylin Seven Endowed Chair in Religion and the Arts at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. In the Spring of 2023, Carvalhaes received his Full Professorship at Union Seminary. In the Summer of 2023, Carvalhaes received the Honorary Degree Sacrae Theologiae Doctor bestowed by the Board of Trustees of Starr King School for the Ministry.
In the Fall of 2023, Carvalhaes received the award for The Most Creative Play at the New York Theater Festival with his play When Wajcha Meets Pachamama. He is the author of several books including: Spiritual Practices for Ecological Survival: Rituals of Resistance; Liturgies from Below: Prayers from People at the Ends of the World; and Inventory, Metamorphoses and Emergenc(i)es: How Do We Become Green People and Earth Communities.
Take a few moments to familiarize yourself with Carvalhaes and his work by viewing the video below.
Schedule
Monday, October 26, 2026
| 8:30 AM | Registration, Welcome, and Coffee |
| 9:15 AM | Welcome and Opening Worship Join your voices in Singing Resistance, worship, and a time to honor those who have departed since we were last together. |
| 10:15 AM | Break |
| 10:45 AM | Picard Lecture on Environmental Theology and Ethics: “An Earthly Pneumatology—Learning About The Spirit of the Land,” by Rev. Dr. Cláudio Carvalhaes |
| 11:45 AM |
Lunch |
| 1:00 PM |
Faculty Mini-Lectures
|
| 2:00 PM | Break |
| 2:15 PM | Picard Lecture on Environmental Theology and Ethics: “The Work of Perception and Imagination” by Rev. Dr. Cláudio Carvalhaes |
| 3:15 PM | Break |
| 3:30 PM | Meet United’s Students Join President Molly T. Marshall for a Q & A with some of our current students. Learn more about what brought them to United, what they hope to do after they graduate, and how their educational experience is transformational. |
| 4:15 PM | Break |
| 5:00 PM | Social Hour Visit with classmates, current and former faculty, students, and the broader United community. All are welcome, but we particularly invite members of the classes that end in a 1 or in a 6! We will be celebrating you. |
| 5:45 PM | Banquet in the United Campus Atrium (Advanced Reservation Only) Enjoy a meal with friends from your class (especially anniversary classes) or meet someone new. Request a faculty or staff person (current or former) that you and your classmates would like to sit with over dinner. First come, first served. |
| 7:00 PM | Music in the Chapel, Many Voices United |
| 7:30 PM |
Program: Many Voices United |
Tuesday, October 27, 2026
People of faith and conscience were very visible during Operation Metro Surge earlier this year, resisting the federal government’s violent tactics and providing spiritual and material care to those impacted. On Tuesday, you can hear more about how local leaders responded effectively to these challenges and learn about the roots of this resistance—roots that go back more than a hundred years to the time when Dakota/Lakota people fought for their survival against the federal government and Dred and Harriet Scott challenged their enslavement. We’ll begin with a panel presentation by United leaders, have a time of reflection, and then travel to local places of remembrance and resistance, including Bdóte, the Whipple Federal Building, George Floyd Square, and the Renee Good and Alex Pretti memorial sites. You will learn about Minnesota’s practice of “neighboring,” the ongoing struggle to offer pastoral care to detainees, community members providing care and mutual aid, and the outpouring of generosity that continues today. We will end the morning by returning to the seminary for prayer and a closing.
| 9:00 AM | Panel |
| 9:30 AM | Pilgrimage to Sacred Sites |
| 12:00 PM | Return to United for Closing |
| 12:15 PM | Depart |
Registration Details
Space is limited. If you intend to register for the banquet or lunch, we must receive your request by October 16. Onsite registrations (with no food) will close on October 23. We will not be able to accommodate late registrations.
- If you have food allergies, please contact Andrew Fox at afox@unitedseminary.edu.
- We also have limited scholarships available. If you are unable to cover your registration costs, please contact Rev. Dr. Cindi Beth Johnson at cbjohnson@unitedseminary.edu.
| General Attendees | Early Registration by October 1 |
Regular Registration by October 16 |
|
Both Days |
$75 | $120 |
| Banquet Only | $45 | $55 |
|
Distance Only |
$20 | $20 |
| Tuesday Only | $15 | $25 |
If you cannot attend during the day on Monday, join us for the 7:00 PM CT program on Monday! You’ll hear from our Distinguished Alum and Spirit of United Award recipients as well as an exciting update from President Molly T. Marshall.
| United Students must register with United email |
Early Registration by October 1 |
Regular Registration by October 16 |
|
Both Days |
$50 | $70 |
| Plenaries and Lunch no banquet |
$15 | $15 |
| Distance Only not in-person |
Free registration required |
Free registration required |
| Tuesday Only | Free registration required |
Free registration required |
The Picard Lectures on Environmental Theology and Ethics are supported by an endowment made possible through the generosity of United alum, the Rev. Frank Picard, and members of the Picard family. The purpose of the lectureship is to explore questions and issues concerning the state of the creation from theological and ethical perspectives. The lectureship seeks to raise questions such as the relation between our spiritual life and the state of the natural world, and the response of religious leadership to the decline of the planet. In establishing the endowment, the Picard family especially wishes to remember the deep appreciation for God’s creation they shared with the late David and Roland Picard.
