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 Chris Liu-Beers, Former Program Associate for the North Carolina Council of Churches
From 2006-2014, I had the honor of working at the NC Council of Churches. I began my work there as an intern while studying at Duke Divinity School. My assignment that first summer was to help create and edit Lectionary-based worship resources that focused on different issues affecting our state: hunger, inequality, racism, lack of healthcare access, affordable housing, ecological justice, and so much more. I found such amazing mentors to help me navigate this new-to-me terrain: George Reed, Barbara Zelter, Denise Cumbee Long, and many others. I learned about the life of Sister Evelyn Mattern, who had recently passed away. This cloud of witnesses taught me about the legacy of the Council itself, a boldly ecumenical organization forged in the Jim Crow south to oppose oppression and foster community across the lines that would divide us, like race, class, gender, economic status, and denomination.
I went on to graduate and began work as a Program Associate focused on immigrant rights, farmworker justice, rural communities, and worship resources. Immigrant rights work was somewhat new to the Council, and I was fortunate to be able to collaborate with many committed people and organizations to help make our churches, and our state, a more welcoming place. Even when state and federal politicians were recalcitrant, faith leaders, community activists, and ordinary people-in-the-pews kept showing up to say that “God’s love knows no borders” and “Jesus was a refugee.”
With help from folks across the state, we organized clergy breakfasts, prayer vigils, listening sessions, community workshops, press conferences, and Bible studies. We visited farmworker labor camps down East, and we visited United States Senators’ offices in Washington, D.C. We worked with the Council’s board to adopt policy statements that remain terribly relevant today, like this 2008 statement on “Local Immigration Enforcement.”
I’m so grateful for my years serving at the Council. The work was hard, but fulfilling. I wouldn’t trade it. As the Council celebrates 90 years, its clear, prophetic voice for justice is needed now more than ever.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chris Liu-Beers
Chris Liu-Beers is the founder of Tomatillo Design, a custom website design and development agency that works with nonprofit organizations. From 2006 to 2014, he served at the North Carolina Council of Churches, where he focused on issues including immigrant rights, farmworker justice, sustainability, worship resources, and digital engagement through the Council’s website. In 2014, Chris left the Council to launch Tomatillo Design, dedicating his work to helping nonprofits expand their impact online. He lives in Durham, North Carolina with his family.
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