Explaining what the NC Council of Churches does is both exceedingly simple and exceptionally complex. I should know – it’s a big part of what I do for a living. In simple terms, we are a faith-based organization working on issues of social justice, peace and Christian unity. How we do that is where things start to get complicated, but in a deep, rich, Beatitudes kind of way.
The Council’s work ranges from advocating for immigrants to caring for creation to helping people in the pews and pulpit live healthier lives. We work for better understanding among Christians and people of other faiths and toward a world where diversity of skin color, gender, and sexual orientation is respected and valued. Our paid and volunteer program staff, bolstered by interns and grassroots activists, advocate for fair budgets and policies that protect the needy and underrepresented, regulations to insure farmworkers are not exploited or endangered, and a system of economic justice where everyone has enough.
We keep you updated on the work of the Council in a variety of ways, but to give you a comprehensive look at what is being done, we are posting our most recent report of activities. It is a lot of information that still does not list everything the Council staff has in the works. From speaking on panels to serving on committees to offering a faith voice for progressive social justice in the news media, Council staff fulfills a unique role in the state of North Carolina.
This report of activities is just one way to begin answering the complex part of what we do.
–Aleta Payne, Development and Communications
