Tuesday, May 15, 2012
8:30-10:00am
First Baptist Church
300 N. Chestnut Street
Mount Olive, NC 28365
“My heart is moved by all that I cannot save.” Fifty-three enthralled participants at the Earth Sabbath Celebration at Asheville’s St. Mary’s Church sang those words in February. Our hearts […]
With too many North Carolinians jobless, the North Carolina Council of Churches is releasing a newly revised version of its popular “Job Loss: A Guidebook for Pastors” eight years after the original was published. The revised version is available for free download on the Council’s website.
The NC Council of Churches, working in conjunction with the Coalition to Protect ALL NC Families, has developed a toolkit to help people of faith working against Amendment One. If […]
Neville Callam is the General Secretary of the Baptist World Alliance. (For you non-Baptists out there, the BWA is the international collaboration of most of the world’s Baptist conventions and […]
The Washington Post
WILMINGTON, N.C. — As the only Southern state without a constitutional amendment barring same-sex marriage, North Carolina is the next battleground, with religious groups on both sides bracing for a high-stakes fight on May 8.Against a recent string of gay-marriage victories in California, Washington state and Maryland, North Carolinians will be asked to vote on a constitutional amendment on May 8, the same day as the state Republican primary.
Same-sex marriage has been illegal in the Tar Heel State since 1996; Minnesota also has a marriage amendment planned for a vote in November.
The NC Council of Churches’ Partners in Health and Wholeness Initiative has created three new fact sheets to help clergy and congregants improve their health. Do you want to know […]
Charlotte Observer
Even in February, there’s a lot happening in the community garden at Central United Methodist church in east Charlotte.A few of the 24 plots still have winter vegetables to harvest. Gardeners are building pea trellises and clearing the ground to start planting early crops.
Langston Denny, a prayer leader at the church, is building a new compost bin. He’s arranged for a local restaurant to give him its lettuce, coffee grounds and eggshells that would otherwise go to waste.
Central United is part of a growing movement among faith groups – in Charlotte and around the nation – that embrace environmental conservation as a way to care for God’s creation and for neighbors in need.
On January 21, 2012, sixty people gathered in the fellowship hall of the United Church of Chapel Hill to experience the first ever workshop on Transition Congregations. Drawing together the […]
The winter edition of the Church Council Bulletin is posted. It includes an overview of the Council’s work in 2011 along with a listing of those individuals who helped make […]
Partners in Health and Wholeness is proud to promote the 33rd Annual Minority Health Conference, presented by the Minority Student Caucus at UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. PHW […]
As Lent quickly approaches, you may be thinking about a fast or discipline on which you will focus. Oftentimes Lenten practices revolve around food – giving up chocolate or alcohol […]
Raleigh News & Observer
We would not have chosen to be a part of an issue like this, but we are. The world is watching North Carolina to see what we will do. There is compelling evidence that conspiracy to commit kidnapping and torture were committed by Johnston County’s Aero Contractors. The state should investigate these claims and determine their validity.
Remember the words of Mordecai to Esther: “For if you keep silent at such a time as this…you and your father’s family will perish.” (NRSV-Esther 4:14) It is unbelievable and […]
To register for the 2012 Critical Issues Seminar and to choose your workshops, complete the form below. The Seminar is taking place April 19 in Winston-Salem. This exciting day-long event […]
The North Carolina Council of Churches advocates for just and compassionate public policy in North Carolina, and North Carolina Interfaith Power & Light, a program of the Council, brings that […]
The newly formed House Select Committee on the State’s Role in Immigration Policy met for the second time in as many months on Wednesday, January 25, 2012. The focus of […]
The 2012 Historic Thousands on Jones Street (HKonJ) People’s Assembly is this Saturday, February 11. We’ll gather at Shaw University in Raleigh starting at 9:30 and march to the Legislative […]
I’m pleased to announce the North Carolina Council of Churches has a new curriculum in the works! “Eating Well: For Ourselves, For Our Neighbors, For Our Planet” is an introduction to […]
Back in November, I told you about the political battle that was ensuing over school lunches in our country. More specifically, the Obama Administration was calling for healthier meals made […]
Francis Jones is organizing a district wide health conference to be held on February 25 from 10am-12:30pm at St. Marks AME Zion Church in Durham (531 S. Roxboro Street). Representatives […]
On January 21, during the 196th Annual Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina, the delegation resolved to receive with thanks the “Teaching of the House of Bishops on Environment” […]
Anyone who has attended an Earth Sabbath Celebration knows how special they are. Over the past year, Earth Sabbath Celebrations have occurred monthly at Community United Church of Christ in […]
I am very excited to share with you an online storytelling initiative that has just launched, called Inspired. A program of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina […]
The NC Council of Churches is co-sponsor of a town hall meeting, Bring Our War Dollars Home and Restore Our Communities, which takes place Feb. 20 at 11 a.m. in […]
By denying a federal permit to the Keystone XL pipeline, the Obama administration has taken a vital step in the ongoing effort to protect the environment. NC Interfaith Power and […]
Since 2004, the NC Council of Churches has officially opposed a constitutional amendment defining marriage. Put simply, the Council’s board does not believe discrimination has a place in our state […]
Thanks to Mary McKeithan for being a key instrumental player in uniting churches in Bladen County on Monday November 28, 2011 at Elizabethtown Presbyterian Church on 800 Broad St. Ms. […]
Governor Perdue has called on the General Assembly to restore three-quarters of a cent of sales tax which the General Assembly allowed to expire last year and to use the […]
IndyWeek.Com
Governor Bev Perdue kicked off the 2012 budget debate today — and (unofficially) kicked off her 2012 re-electon campaign — with a call for increased school funding. Specifically, she wants 3/4ths of that temporary 1-cent sales tax for education back temporarily.Raleigh News & Observer
A gathering on a hillside outside a church in West Raleigh late Sunday marked the one-year anniversary since a shooting in Tucson, Ariz., left a federal judge and five other people dead and 13 injured, including U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.Organizers used the occasion to highlight a shifting focus in what has been a decades-long effort to promote legislation aimed at limiting people’s access to guns.
Instead, there is a growing focus on using churches and other faith-based efforts to promote a change in how the American culture views guns, they said. It’s also an acknowledgement that work in legislatures across the country have been met with resistance to many anti-gun measures.
There’s still time to get FREE hard copies of the 2012 Preach-In on Global Warming materials sent to you, but the deadline is close of business on January 17, 2012. […]
Richmond County has answered the call to Being Healthy, Being Faithful 2012. Mary Swann and Yvonne McGraw of the Pee Dee Baptist Association have both been instrumental in rallying Baptist […]
Carrying excess weight poses a number of health and other problems, but who knew such problems could extend past death? According to a recent report by MSNBC, many donation programs […]
Everyone eats. How and from where we get that food, how much is available to us, how it is grown, and what happens when there isn’t enough all have implications […]
As 2012 begins to unfold, I am called to reflect on the amazing world wide pro-democracy movements that were birthed to everyone’s surprise in 2011. Three of the legislative advocacy […]
From Acts of Faith: Lectionary Resources for Prophetic Worship
While the world may value persons differently based on income, earning capacity, education, experience, race, physical ability, appearance, or socioeconomic background, there are none of these distinctions in Christ. All flesh and bones, all bodies, are God’s creation. We have all been gifted by God for God’s work in the world. The person who happens to be insured or who can afford the cost of medical care is no more or less important to God than the person who is uninsured or underinsured, no more or less important than the barren woman, the dying king, the wandering and hungry Israelites, the suffering Job, the blind and leprous men, the bleeding woman, the child on her deathbed.
Our friends at the NC Division of Public Health would like to help current tobacco users quit by offering NC residents, 18 years of age or older, free nicotine replacement […]
In April 1967, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke at New York’s Riverside Church about the war being fought by the U.S. in Asia at that time, in Vietnam. His words remind us of the choices we now face about war and peace at home and abroad. Click here to download the bulletin insert celebrating Dr. King’s life and work.
Have you ever been in church when someone suffered a heart attack? If so, you know that helpless feeling of having to wait for help to arrive as critical seconds, […]
As part of the national “Too Many Victims” campaign, there will be a vigil in Raleigh on Sunday, January 8. That day is the one-year anniversary of the Tucson shootings, which […]
This Prayer for Unity and monthly prayer calendar include by name the judicatories and congregations that are members of the North Carolina Council of Churches and the names of their […]
Many in the environmental movement are aware of Transition Towns. This brilliant construct recognizes that two major juggernauts are going to change our world no matter what we do – […]
Lowe’s home improvement stores confirmed last week that, in response to agitation from an anti-Muslim group, they had pulled their advertising from TLC’s All American Muslim, a reality TV show […]
The Durban climate talks are now over and were marked by a striking failure to act. At the same time that we are seeing irrefutable evidence of climate change and […]
Late this morning, Governor Bev Perdue vetoed the bill which would have gutted the Racial Justice Act (RJA). The RJA is a two-year-old law which allows defendants in death penalty […]
Join us for the 2012 Conference on the Common Good sponsored by the Council’s Christian Unity Committee. The title of this year’s gathering is Catholic Social Teaching: A Vision for the Common Good. It takes place Monday, February 20 at Raleigh’s Highland United Methodist Church from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The standard and guide for Roman Catholic approaches to social justice for the last hundred years was set by a Papal Encyclical near the turn of the 20th Century. Centesimus Annus celebrates the 100th anniversary of that document and restates its teachings for our generation. It is a comprehensive summary of social and economic justice perspectives that resonate with Christians of every denomination. Rev. Dr. Brian Johnstone, Professor of Moral Theology at Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, will be our guest speaker and leader.
Blessings of the Holiday Season from the staff, program volunteers and interns of the North Carolina Council of Churches:
George, Willona, Tyler, Susannah, Sandy, Rose, Rollin, Richard, Megan, Lisa, Leslie, Kathy, Joy, Donna, David, Collins, Chris, Allison, and Aleta.
While the Great Recession technically ended in mid-2009, its effects on North Carolina’s workers and families have dragged on. High unemployment and underemployment have led to increases in numerous measures of economic hardship, including hunger. More than two million North Carolinians faced food hardship in 2010.
For more than a million individuals in North Carolina facing hunger, the state’s food stamps program provided a vital lifeline. Participation in the program has surged since the start of the recession, with the equivalent of the population of Charlotte being added to the program.
According to a recent report released by top public health organizations, NC spends just 16.2% of the $106.8 million recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on programs […]
In this season of Advent, we remember how the Holy Family walked this earth as refugees. As they followed the Roman decree — as they fled across the border to escape Herod’s law of the land–even up to the day he testified to Pilate, “My Kingdom is not of this world,” they walked as strangers among us.
This is the scandal of Bethlehem: If God invaded our world once unawares, God could do it again. Today. Anywhere. Among any people. Anytime.
The debate over whether to place morbidly obese children in foster care or to leave them in an unhealthy home environment resurfaced a few days ago when a 200-pound eight-year-old […]
In his recent Washington Post op-ed article entitled “The Values Debate We’re Not Having,” Richard Cizik highlights the disconnect between an individualist market-first ideology and the Christian calling to love our neighbors. Cizik represented the National Association of Evangelicals in the corridors of power in Washington DC for 10 years. I think he’s raising some crucial questions for all people of faith, across the political spectrum.
Each year in North Carolina, thousands of people die of preventable diseases and almost 1.5 million North Carolinians currently lack health insurance. As Christians, we follow Christ, The Great Physician; […]
The General Assembly has returned for another mini-session, this one scheduled to last a couple of days. (The one in early November concerned itself with revising the newly re-drawn districts […]
Raleigh News & Observer
As we enter this holiday season of feasting, we need to be honest about how our food is produced. America has always relied on cheap labor to make agriculture work. The source of much of that labor used to be slave ships making the Middle Passage. Today it’s no longer slaves but immigrant workers, primarily undocumented people from Mexico and Latin America, whose cheap labor makes possible both low prices at the grocery store and high profits for agribusinesses.
Do not get tired of doing what is good. Don’t get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time. Galatians 6:9
As the U.S. grapples with falling home prices, rising unemployment and poverty, members of Congress can’t even agree on what to serve our school-aged children for lunch! The Obama administration […]
Thanks to all of those who supported Abraham Jam and the wonderful performers who made it happen. We hope to have links to additional video from the concert soon, but for now, here’s a sneak peek provided by the Duke Chronicle.
You can also listen to Frank Stasio’s interview with musicians David LaMotte, Dan Nichols, and Dawud Wharnsby from the Nov. 16 edition of WUNC’s The State of Things.
North Carolina has scored another victory! About a week ago, you joined me in celebrating our record low infant mortality rates; now there’s evidence that since the enactment of smoke-free […]
This Sunday, November 20, at 3 p.m., please take part in a teleconference Prayer Vigil for a Faith-Filled Budget. Join people of faith from all over our country as religious […]
The church of which I’m a member, Pullen Memorial Baptist in Raleigh, has had a partnership for many years with First Baptist Church in Tbilisi, the capital of the Republic of Georgia (formerly part of the Soviet Union). The pastor with whom we’ve had the closest contact, Malkhaz Songulashvili, has now become the Archbishop for Baptists in Georgia. (You did not read that wrong. Baptists in the Republic of Georgia have bishops and an archbishop!) Malkhaz was at Pullen on November 13 to preach and lead in the celebration of Eucharist.
Malkhaz has been courageous in his advocacy and practice of nonviolent action as Georgia has gone through its “Rose Revolution,” which moved Georgia away from authoritarian government and toward democratic reform. The Church of England honored his leadership in September 2005 when he was awarded the Lambeth Cross by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
BladenJournal.com
Joy Williams of Partners in Health and Wholeness, a Christian-based organization, will collaborate with churches and the parish nurse on Monday, Nov. 28, at 5:30 p.m. in the fellowship hall of Elizabethtown Presbyterian Church at 800 W. Broad St. (across from the Municipal Building), to make local churches healthier for the glory of God.
Interfaith Dialogue is a crucial endeavor in light of the increasing religious diversity in our nation and our own communities. Globalization is a wondrous, yet in some ways perplexing reality, and it brings us into ever more frequent contact with persons of other faiths. While at one time the dialogue between Christians and Jews was common and we often spoke of our Judeo-Christian heritage, that conversation has necessarily expanded to include our increasingly numerous Muslim neighbors and we now speak of the Abrahamic Faiths. We are becoming increasingly aware of Buddhist, Hindu and Native American neighbors as well as persons of other religious traditions. It is imperative that we acknowledge, understand, and appreciate each other for the sake not only of civility, but because all our religious traditions require hospitality of us.
When a distinguished group of Muslim Imams published their historic “A Common Word Between Us and You” it was met with resounding expressions of appreciation by religious and secular leaders alike. It was an effort to initiate a broad dialogue across the United States between Muslims and Christians. It focused on two central themes which these two historic faiths hold in common: Love of God, and Love of Neighbor, and it sites the many texts of the Hebrew Scriptures which are venerated by both religious traditions. It seemed inappropriate to engage in such a dialogue without including our Jewish colleagues from whose faith tradition these texts originated. Hence, a three way dialogue was seen as the best approach.
Last week, Council Program Associate Chris Liu-Beers was invited to Shaw Divinity School in Raleigh to preach during their weekly chapel service. Chris preached on immigration issues, with a focus on the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37).
A new report by the Trust for America’s Health examines how the health of a community affects its ability to attract new businesses and to ultimately stimulate economic growth. Businesses […]
North Carolina Interfaith Power and Light, a program of the Council, is proud to announce that this year has been a banner year for faith communities in North Carolina to go solar. Three faith communities have successfully installed solar projects on their property in the past few months, Myers Park Baptist Church in Charlotte (picture above), Temple Emmanuel in Greensboro, and the Montreat Conference Center in Montreat. First Congregational United Church of Christ installed their solar panels in February.
The temperatures are dropping. The leaves are changing. Holidays are speeding by. We’ve already passed Halloween, Dia de los Muertos, All Hallow’s Eve, Reformation Day, All Saints’ Day, All Soul’s […]
Joy Williams of Partners in Health and Wholeness, an initiative of the NC Council of Churches, will collaborate with Bladen churches and the Parish Nurse on Monday, November 28th at 5:30pm […]
The Abraham Jam, a concert and poetry event, will be happening on Nov. 16 at Duke’s Page Auditorium. The line-up of nationally and internationally known poets has just been announced.
North Carolina has cause to celebrate – our 2010 infant mortality rate is the lowest ever, down 11.4 percent from 2009. According to the NC State Center for Health Statistics, […]
Interested in healthy and affordable foods? Well, then you are interested in the Farm Bill. Check out the forum that Harvard School of Public Health Held on October 20th regarding […]
Dr. Eloise Kaeck, Green Mountain Presbyterian Church (Green Mountain, NC)
The story told here in Acts 10 could be turned into a dramatic presentation in several acts, with its angel visitations, a Roman from the occupying army wanting to talk with a rough fisherman from Galilee and the surprise reversal Peter goes through. Peter thought of himself as Jewish, very Jewish. Peter lived in the cosmopolitan world of Joppa, a seaport on the Judean coast. Ships from the seven seas and caravan routes up the coastal plain made for all kinds of languages on the streets of Joppa, strange sights and sounds, colorful dress, exotic smells of food from Africa, Asia and Europe being sold in the bazaar. The world in which Peter lived and our world have much in common. North Carolina is a global village today just as Peter’s world was in the first century A.D. We think of ourselves as homogeneous, Euro-Americans. However, now North Carolina has people from Pakistan, Lebanon, India, China, not to mention Native-Americans, African-Americans and Latinos. The world in which Peter lived and our world have much in common.More than 125 people of faith in North Carolina, including the heads of 10 denominations, are calling on the state’s leaders in Congress to protect vulnerable people in the midst […]
If we were to write a modern-day fairy tale about sleep, the storyline would be how the princess was robbed of going to sleep. She would be a reflection of […]
The Sanford Herald
Giang said N.C. MedAssist representatives wanted to travel to each county to meet with eligible residents and explain the enrollment process. The organization contacted the North Carolina Council of Churches and expressed interest in partnering with faith-based organizations willing to host one-day enrollment programs. The Rev. Mechelle Myers of Sanford’s New Endland AME Zion Church received an e-mail from the Council about the initiative and was the first person to respond.
People nationwide celebrated National Food Day on October 24th. The mission of National Food Day is “…to bring together Americans from all walks of life–parents, teachers, and students; health professionals, […]
The American Diabetes Association has launched a new faith-based program called “Live Empowered” which is designed to assist churches with integrating diabetes awareness messages and life application principles into worship services. Also, in observance of American Diabetes Month, the American Diabetes Association is sponsoring “Super Diabetes Sunday” on November 13th. Super Diabetes Sundays will include materials and giveaways to help your congregation join the fight against diabetes.
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Harvard School of Public Health has put out a new plate—different from the USDA’s revamp of the Food Guide Pyramid. Among the differences, the USDA’s MyPlate does not talk about nutrient […]
Raleigh News & Observer
The N.C. Council of Churches has been working for decades to improve conditions for farm workers in our state. Sadly, too much remains unchanged over that time. Field and poultry workers do backbreaking work, but they don’t have the same protections on the job that everyone else has. Now with the recent filing of a complaint against the N.C. Department of Labor, it appears that even the few laws on the books designed to protect farm workers have been systematically ignored (“Dirty jobs,” Oct. 15 editorial).
This might strike you as surprising, as it did me, but radiation has been in cigarettes for more than forty years! We all have heard just how bad cigarettes are, but to know that they contain alpha particles on top of the other harmful substances is alarming, to say the least. And it is appalling to know that tobacco companies knew this and covered up the truth.
NC Policy Watch
It’s no wonder why our political leaders are scrambling to find solutions, even while bumping heads in the process. Both sides want what’s best for America, but the process through which we work to achieve that has become increasingly contentious and politically charged. And I can’t help but believe that our own personal experiences and beliefs, not the persuasive views of political pundits, ultimately determine on which side of an issue we fall and what we deem worth fighting for.Let me share a story.
The North Carolina Council of Churches has launched its fall appeal. As Executive Director George Reed points out, the Council’s work has never been stronger. But a combination of the […]
To raise the voices of NC’s faith community on behalf of poor and vulnerable people in NC, please sign on to the letter below. We will be releasing this letter to the media and sending it to the NC’s Congressional Delegation.
Last week I visited with a great group of students at Episcopal Campus Ministry (Raleigh) to talk about farmworkers, food and faith. Some students had just visited Episcopal Farmworker Ministry in Newton Grove, NC, where they had volunteered their time to visit with workers, provide clothes and other necessities, and learn about life as a farmworker in North Carolina’s fields. The visit raised many questions about the injustices in our food system and the seeming invisibility of the people who make it possible with their hard labor. Even though 85% of fruits and vegetables are picked by hand, many students remarked that they had never learned anything about farmworkers at all before getting involved with Episcopal Campus Ministry.
In Ezekiel, we hear the cry of God for God’s sheep throughout the land and nations. As a shepherd, God makes connections across lands and regions where we have, time and time again, made divisions. For too long, we have defined health with a too limited view as to who my neighbor is and who my fellow sheep are.
NC Policy Watch
I can certainly understand that the nation is clearly frustrated with Congress’ dysfunction, partisan gridlock, and seeming inability to deal rationally with the many major policy issues facing our communities. I am too. And immigration reform is now seen as one of the most challenging political battlegrounds, thanks in large part to partisan wrangling. Now a handful of conservative legislators are using fear and misinformation to position immigration as a political wedge issue, cashing in on Washington’s inaction and the down economy to pursue a fierce anti-immigrant agenda
I’ve been thinking about Daniel a lot lately. Daniel and his buddies were in the first wave of exiles to Babylon. King Nebuchadnezzar had them brought to the palace and […]
I’m happy to announce that a beautiful new student-designed web site for the Abraham Jam has been launched. Please check it out at www.abrahamjam.com. You can find the updated list […]
As the “Super Committee” begins to negotiate a deal to cut $1.5 trillion from our national budget, the faith community wants to be sure that our North Carolina congressional delegation – Sens. Richard Burr and Kay Hagan as well as our 13 representatives – remember the calling of the God of all creation to provide for the common good. As the Rev. Dr. James Forbes, a native North Carolinian and senior pastor emeritus of New York’s Riverside Church reminds us, budgets are moral documents that determine who eats and who starves.
When the weather starts to cool, I begin thinking more and more about the North Carolina State Fair, which takes place this year Oct. 13-23. The fair has become an important […]
Please take a look at our Partners in Health and Wholeness Informational Webinar. You will have an opportunity to learn more about Partners in Health and Wholeness and hear questions from our […]
I am appalled. I’m disgusted. I’m outraged. And perhaps most of all, I’m ashamed. I have worked at the North Carolina Council of Churches for less than 10 hours, and […]
PHW had our second joint training with YES! On September 17th at Mt. Zion AME Zion Church in Eastover. We had different denominations, adults, and youth, who were gathered together to […]
When it comes to the debate about immigration, one of the most challenging aspects for people of faith is the way that immigrants are so often portrayed very negatively. From mainstream media to radio talk show hosts to political ads, immigrants are depicted over and over as criminals, gang members, and drunk drivers – basically, as people to be feared. These negative stereotypes tend to create fear and hinder progress when it comes to fixing our nation’s broken immigration system. There are several ways that you can stand up against these negative images.
I had the pleasure of gathering with folks at First Baptist (Greensboro) last week for the local premiere of the film. We were lucky enough to hear directly from Robert Parham, executive director the Baptist Center for Ethics, who produced Gospel Without Borders. Dr. Parham spoke powerfully about his experiences in making the film and in seeing how these stories are already connecting with audiences across the U.S. After watching the film together, we heard from three great panelists: Hector Villanueva, pastor of Iglesia Bautista La Roca in Siler City and a featured story in the film; Mike Aiken, executive director of Greensboro Urban Ministries; and Rabbi Fred Guttman, Temple Emanuel (Greensboro). Each connected the messages of the film with their own contexts.
In my non-work life, I have the pleasure of serving on the advisory board for the Raleigh-area Episcopal Campus Ministry. It is a privilege to serve with the other board members […]
