As we celebrate 90 years of faithful work for justice and equity this year, we’re sharing stories of 90 Years Rooted in Faith that reflect the heart of the North Carolina Council of Churches. Each month, you’ll hear from staff and long-time friends of the Council as they highlight the transformative impacts we’ve had on our community and our vision for the future. Stay tuned for these inspiring reflections throughout the year!
by: Sandy Irving, Former Volunteer Program Associate
When I think of the North Carolina Council of Churches, I think of the pride I feel being associated with an organization that stands so openly for Christian values in the political arena in our state and country. The Council gives me courage to stand publicly for justice.
My first recollection of the Council was its mention in a Raleigh News & Observer article, which cited justice from the faith community. As I read the article, I felt a sense of pride that my faith was involved in standing for justice. I mentioned this to a neighbor, Cy King, who sang the Council’s praises because he knew all about it from his good friend Collins Kilburn (then the Council’s Executive Director).
Some time later, the Executive Presbyter for New Hope Presbytery, Barbara Campbell Davis, asked if I would be willing to serve on the Council’s Legislative Advocacy Committee as a New Hope representative. She mentioned the Council’s ability to address contentious issues that individual churches were reluctant to tackle. From that point on, I was an advocate for the Council and was later nominated to serve on the Governing Board. It was here I heard Bishop Michael Curry, then presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina, preach a powerful message while walking up and down the aisle of the sanctuary during one of the Council’s bi-annual events. (Bishop Curry will be back in the Council spotlight as our 90th Anniversary Celebration preacher on Nov. 1, 2025.)
After retiring from my “paying job,” George Reed, by then the Executive Director, asked me to do some volunteer work for the Council on the issue of health care advocacy. This was just as President Obama was launching the campaign for federal legislation giving more people access to affordable health care. After the Affordable Care Act passed, I watched the Council courageously applaud this effort even while some denominational leaders objected by threatening to withdraw their membership from and end their financial support for the Council—reminding me of the cost of discipleship and increasing my pride in the Council.
This pride in the Council continues today as I see it standing with our immigrant families and urging sheriffs not to punish undocumented neighbors simply for being undocumented. The Council supports public schools against the onslaught of private school voucher funding, stands with the LGBTQIA+ community, advocates for gun violence prevention, and works for climate justice–all while empowering local congregations to do the same. Every time I see the Council stand for justice, it gives me the courage to join them. When I hear the Rev. Dr. Jennifer Copeland, current Executive Director, preach on our creative God who transcends the binary and who stands with the most vulnerable among us, it gives me the courage to stand for justice. I am a more courageous person because of the North Carolina Council of Churches.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sandy Irving began her volunteer work with the North Carolina Council of Churches in 2011, on the issue of health care advocacy, and was later nominated to serve on the Governing Board. Sandy also served on the Council’s Legislative Advocacy Committee as a New Hope representative. Activist for justice, grandmother of 6, Presbyterian, and retired research associate from the Biostatistics Dept, School of Public Health, UNC-CH.
