Are the holidays over already? Well, yes. But what remains for many of us are the extra pounds packed on from Thanksgiving to the New Year holiday. Darn. I came […]
Click here for a recording of the Jan 9, 2013 webinar: Help – How Do I Talk with My Congregation about Immigration? with Lori Fernald Khamala of American Friends Service Committee.
There are few things I love more than setting out on a grand adventure. I know there are folks out there who prefer the safety, security, and dependability of home. But…there […]
It’s been an exciting week as President Obama and a bipartisan group of key senators have started the real work of getting comprehensive immigration reform (CIR) passed this year. On Monday, the “Gang of Eight” released a framework for the new legislation. On Tuesday, the President gave a speech outlining his vision for CIR. You can watch his speech here.
Gun violence has long been an issue of concern for the North Carolina Council of Churches. Every injury endured and life lost, whether on a downtown street corner or in […]
The NC Council of Churches has been engaged with issues related to child poverty for decades. We were one of the founders of the Covenant with NC’s Children, a leading […]
You probably already know that the General Assembly goes into session on Wednesday, January 30. They’ve already had a one-day organizational meeting. You probably also already know that this will […]
Register for the 2013 Conference on the Common Good set for Monday, February 18 at Wake Forest Divinity School.
In an incredibly short-sighted move, the state Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) stopped issuing driver’s licenses several months ago to young immigrants who had been granted a two-year work permit […]
I was thrilled to attend the Raleigh City Council meeting on January 15 where Council members passed a Bring the War Dollars Home proclamation to send to our North Carolina […]
The NCCC’s annual staff Christmas lunch is a time of good cheer for the old and new staff. I was warmly surrounded by spiritual leaders who strive to do as […]
The 2013 National Preach-In on Global Warming is less than a month away! On the weekend of February 8-10, join with other people of faith across America to ask President Obama to address […]
Over the holidays, North Carolina State Health Director, Dr. Laura Gerald, put out a press release urging all North Carolinians over the age of 6 months to get their annual […]
For decades, we’ve been working toward equal pay and equal treatment for women in the workplace. Sadly, there is still much progress to be made – illustrated by this powerful graphic below created by Kayla Evans.
The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation and The Rensselaerville Institute are looking for individuals with project ideas for creating a healthier Wilson County. Projects will be implemented over the next 6 months and must focus on increasing physical activity and/or access to and consumption of fresh produce.
Selected Community Sparkplugs and their teams will receive the following: a $3,000 grant (simple application process), individualized help to create an action plan and set project results, support and coaching over the next 6 months, and an opportunity to become part of a growing network of Community Sparkplugs across North Carolina.
This Prayer for Unity and monthly ecumenical prayer calendar include by name the judicatories and congregations that are members of the North Carolina Council of Churches and the names of […]
No, I’m not talking about the attire worn by a group of women deeply committed to God. I’m referring to tobacco cessation. Many people resolve to quit smoking or otherwise […]
The Graymoor Ecumenical & Interreligious Institute has prepared material for the celebration of this year’s Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which runs from January 18-25, 2013. You will find prayer services, prayers of the faithful and musical suggestions at their website. The theme for 2013 is “What Does God Require of Us?” (cf. Micah 6:6-8). In North Carolina, there will be several observances of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
Public News Service – NC
Weight loss is the most popular New Year’s resolution being made by North Carolinians and people around the country, according to new data from the University of Scranton. The goal of being healthier is even making its way into churches around the state, through a program sponsored by the North Carolina Council of Churches.
I recently watched the trailer for the new movie, The Hungry Tide. The film documents history in the making, as the Pacific Island of Kiritiba prepares to be perhaps the […]
When I found out that the current issue of Unbound focuses on “Hope for Eco-Activists: Discovering an Environmental Faith,” I joyfully, yet naively thought, “of course, another article on faith […]
Executive Director George Reed wrote an article recently about the importance of dental care for children. His link to Kathy Higgins’ remarks brought our attention to the contradiction of spending hundreds […]
Grist’s recent article A Million and One Ways (at Least!) to Simplify the Holidays makes it clear that low-carbon holidays are perhaps becoming more of a trend than any recent […]
We join in the shared grief of our nation and especially offer words of comfort to all of those who have had loved ones torn from them.
Thursday, Jan. 31 | 9:00am | Free registration required
This free 45-minute webinar will take a look at innovative ways to communicate about immigration issues with your congregation or community group, helping to transform the conversation from a political context to a religious and values-based context. In particular, we’ll highlight the new “Stranger to Neighbor” program by FaithAction International House, which is engaging a diverse group of congregations in Greensboro.
Details:
Monday February 4th, 2013
8:30am – 4:30pm
Kinston Community Council for the Arts
Kinston, NC
The conference includes plenaries, topical breakout sessions, lunch, and networking opportunities. Registration Fee: $0-15 (sliding scale fee structure).
Details:
8:30 – 5:00pm
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
UNC-Greensboro
Greensboro, NC
The conference includes plenaries, topical breakout sessions, lunch, and networking opportunities. Registration Fee: $0-15 (sliding scale fee structure).
Details:
Friday, March 15, 2013
8:30am-4:30pm
Southwestern Community College
Sylva, NC
Agriculture serves as the economic backbone for North Carolina, and farmworkers’ hand labor is needed to produce crops that bring in billions of dollars to the state’s economy each year. Despite this fact, farmworkers remain one of the state’s most economically disadvantaged and unprotected group of laborers.
The horror of what has occurred in Connecticut is unimaginable, and the days ahead will be a test for all of us. The Council’s resources include a lectionary on gun […]
The staff and volunteer program associates of the North Carolina Council of Churches wish you a blessed and peaceful holiday with words by Sr. Evelyn Mattern.
In the spring of this year, the NC Council of Churches and our partners, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of NC and the American Red Cross, awarded 34 free Automated […]
Wednesday, Jan. 9 | 11:00am | Free registration required
Immigration continues to be a hot topic on the news and in the pews. As North Carolina continues to experience demographic changes, one of the main questions facing our ministries is how to respond to our new neighbors.This free 45-minute webinar will take a look at innovative ways to communicate about immigration issues with your congregation or community group, helping to transform the conversation from a political context to a religious and values-based context.
Sunshine, wind and waves are all free gifts from God and expressions of God’s amazing power and love. North Carolina is blessed with all three in abundance. That puts our […]
Partners in Health and Wholeness is trying to reach you in every way possible. Why are we trying to reach you? Because we have some truths that could help change […]
NCIPL is so happy to announce that two Regional Partner Groups have been formalized. Regional Partner Groups are self-organizing, local, interfaith affiliates of NCIPL. They work to address climate change […]
A recent article in the Baptist Peacemaker focuses on what churches are doing to address creation care and global climate change. In addition to mentioning our NC Interfaith Power & […]
With this report, the Committee is in effect conceding that it cannot push for Arizona or Alabama-style legislation. While there is no doubt that some members of the General Assembly will cynically attempt to pass new measures that target immigrants, the immigrant rights community in North Carolina can stand proud. There are many battles that lay ahead, but at least for now disaster has been averted thanks to the courage of undocumented protesters and the strong immigrant rights partnerships that are being forged across the state.
Congress is overwhelmed with lobbyists for corporations, Chambers of Commerce, AARP, the Department of Defense, etc. But those living in poverty are short on lobbyist as the so-called ‘fiscal cliff’ […]
For the first time in the modern era, no one was sentenced to death in North Carolina during 2012. The milestone marks a victory for people throughout the state and […]
I have to admit that the Eat Smart, Move More’s Holiday Challenge to maintain and not gain has been weighing on me…no pun intended. I sometimes emotionally eat during the […]
Baptist Peacemaker
Google “care for creation” and you’ll find it’s a panreligious movement. If nothing else, this demonstrates that all major religions—Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Catholic, Protestant, Evangelical and Baptist—all agree on at least one thing. Can I get an “amen” to that?It’s good that this is the case. Reconciliation between a planet needing stewardship and inhabitants who often refuse to see that need will require everything from global to grassroots activity.
The challenge of faith communities is not to deduct a set of moral principles from scripture that houses a model for a fair tax system. There are no formulas or bureaucratic maps that arise out of biblical texts that we might apply to our current context and tax system that will magically make the system fair. Rather, the biblical texts provide a framework to understand the Christian witness towards the common good and a Christian ethic of love and care for the vulnerable and exploited.
Partners in Health and Wholeness will host a dinner to connect Latino pastors with free resources and grants for churches. It takes place Thursday, Dec. 6 from 7 to 9 p.m. at Goodwin Heights Baptist Church, 704 Godwin Avenue in Lumberton. Please note this is a change in date from a prior announcement.
The meeting will be conducted in Spanish and is free. Please e-mail Joy Williams, for more information.
Recently, I have been reading about the controversies surrounding factory farms and companies that generate genetically modified seeds capable of mass producing and surviving under any conditions. In this debate […]
In the weeks just before November’s general election, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association paid to place full-page ads in newspapers including the [Raleigh] News & Observer to The New York […]
Last week, North Carolina lost a religious leader we hardly knew. Bishop James McCoy had been named back during the summer to be the Presiding Prelate of the Eastern North […]
Since 2010, NCIPL has encouraged individuals and faith communities to participate in the national Preach-In on Global Warming. The Preach-In allows faith communities across the nation to coordinate their message […]
From the laws and histories of ancient Israel to the life of Jesus and the letters of Paul, themes related to the treatment of farmworkers emerge consistently throughout the Judeo-Christian scriptures. Many of these passages suggest that a community’s relationship with God is in fact defined at least in part by its treatment of foreigners, laborers, the poor, and the marginalized. Below is a brief selection of Bible verses that support the idea that farmworkers should be treated fairly.
From farmworkers to food; climate change to personal health; immigration to rural life; good government to peace. The North Carolina Council of Churches continues to work toward a time when […]
Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Thank you for your decision to conquer evil with good. You have decided to defeat opposition and resistance with diligence and perseverance. But above all, thank you for allowing love and hospitality to prevail over hate and hostility. When I arrived to this country it was precisely people like you, women and men of faith that practiced hospitably and your Christian love, who left an impression and transformed my life forever. Please don’t have any doubt that God uses every gesture of Christian love and radical hospitality that you make towards an immigrant in order to transform lives.
Experiencing Food Day across the nation was a big success. Many people came together to celebrate healthy, sustainable, affordable, and fair food. The real success, that we can have a […]
Thankfully the election is over and the American people can look forward to their leaders governing for a season before returning to full-scale re-election mode. While the economy continues to dominate headlines in both the Business and Politics sections of the paper, one of the most pressing issues facing the 113th Congress is comprehensive immigration reform. Election night demonstrated the growing power of Latino voters and the renewed demand for results on immigration policy.
WFMY News 2HD
Ramsuer, NC – What if your chances of surviving a heart attack, or sudden cardiac arrest, depended on the neighborhood you lived in? According to a new study, it just may. The New England Journal of Medicine suggests CPR by a bystander is less likely in low-income areas. They go on to say there is a direct relationship between household income and the racial makeup of a neighborhood.
There is a wide variety of resources available to aid you and your congregation in exploring how your faith relates to your relationship with farmworkers.
Willona Stallings, PHW Program Coordinator, co-authored a section on working with faith communities to improve population health in the September/October issue of the NC Medical Journal (NCMJ). Stallings highlighted the […]
Practicing Hospitality, Building Bridges, Making Friends The debate about immigration policy continues to divide people of good will across our nation and our state. Immigration divides us, in part, because […]
Our prayers are with our sisters and brothers who continue to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Sandy and also with those who are working tirelessly to provide relief. The […]
Partners in Health and Wholeness (PHW), the Council’s faith-based health initiative, is now offering mini-grants to support congregations in your efforts to promote healthy, active lifestyles. In order to qualify, […]
Sabrina Morris, a nurse at Cape Fear Valley Health, is helping to connect health as a faith issue within Fayetteville’s Mt. Calvary Missionary Baptist Church with the support of her pastor, David C. Camps […]
Our middle son and I went to early vote on Saturday, taking advantage of his visit home for fall break. He is 18, and this is his first general election. […]
The Center for Climate Change Communication, a joint project of Yale and George Mason Universities, released last month its most recent national survey of American’s beliefs about climate change. It […]
I’ve got critical issue overload. How about you? So probably the last thing you want to hear about is one more issue that really needs to be on our radar […]
This year, the NC Council of Churches is continuing its successful statewide series of “Clergy Breakfasts” on immigration. These events are geared towards busy religious professionals and faith leaders, and they […]
Perhaps the greatest challenge is helping a congregation begin to see farmworkers as created in God’s image and thus full members of our community. In theological terms, we might use the language of “strangers no longer” and “brothers and sisters in Christ.” We’ve found that most of the controversial conversations about farmworkers are based on myths or misunderstandings. Many of these myths can fracture communities and pit one group against another. You may want to explore these in your congregational discussions as a way of moving members to a better understanding of our farmworker neighbors.
Since 1965, my first year of medical school, I knew that coal kills (see Alan Lockwood’s The Silent Epidemic: Coal and the Hidden Threat to Health). Since 1989, when I […]
Ramón Zepeda of Student Action with Farmworkers offers an in-depth workshop about one of the critical issues facing immigrant youth today: access to education. He covers everything from pending legislation to the struggle for in-state tuition to DACA.
Mauricio Castro of the NC Latino Coalition offers an in-depth workshop about state-level immigration legislation and the ways that we can make a difference on the ground, here in North Carolina.
Jen Smyers of Church World Service in Washington DC offers an in-depth workshop about the world of federal immigration legislation and the ways that we can make a difference on the ground, here in North Carolina.
We are delighted to welcome Justin Hubbard and Scott Schomburg, the Council’s interns from Duke Divinity School for 2012-2013.
Justin received a Bachelor’s of Individualized Studies in Psychology, Sociology, and International Politics from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. After working for a few years at the Department of Veterans Affairs Benefits Administration, he moved to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Completing a Certificate of Participation for North Carolina Interfaith Power & Light just got easier. The certificate, which has been offered since 2006, allows congregations to pledge support for the […]
Before the room could come into focus, I found myself in conversation with pastors, organizers, and advocacy groups, recognizing both a patience and an urgency that seems to come with this work. Our day together unfolded a compelling narrative of faith leaders in North Carolina moving forward in solidarity to make communities better for immigrants. This story of challenge and hope, of conflicting conceptions of justice, and of faith leaders forming a public voice, captured my attention early.
Because the season of Advent is a time of awaiting the Christ child and the risen Christ, it is a perfect time to think about social justice issues. Christ’s ministry, […]
Order free hard copies | Download the PDF Farmworkers play a vital role in cultivating the food we eat every day, and North carolina has one of the largest farmworker populations in […]
Ed: This post is part of a new series called “Reclaiming the Bible’s Prophetic Voice,” in which Council staff consider the biblical and theological roots of their work. You can […]
This is really a unique event for North Carolina, bringing together people across the state who are connected to both faith communities and immigrant communities. While the immigration debate rages, congregations are really on the front lines – offering English courses, meals, job training, and pastoral care to people facing very challenging situations. The Summit will help equip faith leaders to both deal with these difficult realities and to mobilize support for immigrants in their own contexts.
Event Details: Thursday, October 11 6:30-8:30 p.m. Temple Emanuel 1129 Jefferson Road Greensboro Come and learn about NCIPL’s new energy-related resources and programs, all offered at no charge to […]
Our friend Carolyn King passed on Tuesday evening after a long “medical adventure” (to use Sr. Evelyn Mattern’s term) with cancer. She and her husband Cy have been leaders […]
Entering into fall, notions of harvests and feasts abound. As people of faith, we are called to make our eating decisions, our “foodscapes,” as sacred as possible. We must ask […]
Farm labor ranks as one of the top three most dangerous occupations in the United States. In addition to hazards in the fields, farmworkers and their families face unique burdens on their physical and mental health. North Carolina’s leading industry is agriculture, yet farmworkers are among the most underserved residents in the state.
Over the past few months, North Carolina Interfaith Power & Light has been a proud part of a coalition of nonprofits and businesses participating in a statewide ad campaign emphasizing […]
Why a statewide flash mob to celebrate National Food Day? Because I have big dreams, and even if I fail in achieving them, I can be encouraged knowing that I […]
Did you know that the detention of immigrants is big business? Over the last several years we’ve witnessed the disturbing trend of private, for-profit prison corporations benefitting from new anti-immigrant laws. These prisons operate like hotels, where each and every bed that is filled provides profits for the company. Every empty bed, on the other hand, costs money. These companies have a financial incentive to detain as many immigrants as possible, and they have poured millions of dollars into lobbying efforts ensuring maximum profits.
Not all immigrants are farmworkers, and not all farmworkers are immigrants. Yet as the following facts show, our agricultural system has always relied on the labor of displaced people that do not have the benefit of full citizenship in this country—whether indentured servants, slaves, sharecroppers, or undocumented immigrants.
Balancing a congregational budget is difficult. Caring for congregants, paying staff and clergy, funding mission work, and just plain paying the bills all place incredible demands on a congregation. But […]
In Church, when we talk about immigration, the first question isn’t whether immigrants contribute more than they take or how to secure the border. The first question is: “Who is my neighbor?” Are immigrants our neighbors? How do we as Christians treat people who don’t have the “right” status? How do we treat those whom society rejects and treats as invisible? This is a major question throughout the Bible.
Speaker: Bishop Michael Burbidge, Roman Catholic Diocese of Raleigh
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Kim Bobo, a religious and workers’ rights activist and executive director of Interfaith Worker Justice, will meet with other faith and worker rights activists in the Triangle this week to […]
Half in Ten reminds us that one in five children in the US lives in poverty (sadly, it is one in four in North Carolina) yet the presidential candidates are […]
On September 18, the NC Council of Churches hosted a free one-hour webinar focused on immigration at the federal level. Between the recent Supreme Court ruling on Arizona’s SB1070 and the Obama Administration’s announcement of deferred action, Congress has been engaged in a lively debate on many other issues related to immigration – and people’s lives and livelihoods are at stake. Learn about the latest bills and how your congregation can make a difference. Click here to watch a free recording of this webinar.
Farmworkers are some of our nation’s most vital workers, as their labor enables us to enjoy high quality, low-cost, fresh fruits and vegetables all year round. Despite farmworkers’ economic and cultural contributions to the communities where they live and work, they continue to be the some of the lowest paid, least protected, and unhealthiest workers in the United States.
It’s been 50 years since Edward R. Murrow’s landmark documentary Harvest of Shame that examined the lives of farmworkers. How much has changed since then? And how much remains the […]
Winston-Salem Chronicle
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, the North Carolina Council of Churches, the American Red Cross and State Rep. Becky Carney have selected Winston-Salem’s Mt. Zion Baptist Church as one of 150 places of worship across the state to participate in Strive to Revive.Please help us evaluate the 2012 Faith & Immigration Statewide Summit. Your feedback will help make future events even better. Thank you.
UCC News
Parkway United Church of Christ is now ready to take action if someone in the building shows signs of a heart attack. Through the North Carolina Council of Churches’ Strive to Revive program, the Winston-Salem congregation qualified for a free automated external defibrillator (AED) and CPR training, and the Rev. Craig Schaub made sure his church took advantage of the opportunity.
Partners in Health and Wholeness is organizing a statewide Flash Mob on October 24 at 12:05 p.m. There is no single set location for this Flash Mob, which is celebrating Food […]
It may seem premature to state this…but I love my new job: Partners in Health and Wholeness Regional Consultant. I started working with the North Carolina Council of Churches […]
Recently, I heard a powerful message from the Rev. William Barber. Many Council folks know him. He’s the President of the NC NAACP and pastor of the Greenleaf Christian Church (Disciple of Christ) in Goldsboro. The power of his message was not in fiery delivery. It was a low-key conversation with a group of fifty or so progressive leaders, sitting in a circle in the chapel of University United Methodist Church in Chapel Hill. The power was in the profound thoughts he expressed and in the clear rightness of his words.
