The NC Council of Churches is happy to announce a new partnership with the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of NC Foundation to increase access to healthy, local food through […]
Thank you for joining the Partners in Health and Wholeness Book Club. Through it, we hope to engage people of faith in discussions over why our health matters. Our first […]
From Chapter 1 of Preparing the Way: A Social Justice Study for Lent. We’re offering this free resource to you and your congregation as we walk through the season of Lent […]
If you are following the actions of the 2013 NC legislature, you know that the idea of accepting federal funds that will cover health insurance for hundreds of thousands of […]
On the eve of the National Preach-In on Climate Change, I just watched an amazing movie called White Water, Black Gold. It’s a beautifully crafted and accurate exploration of one of the hidden costs of continued development of tar sands oil in Canada’s North Country. That cost is clean water. This Canadian production is available for free viewing until February 18th and is well worth the 57 minutes it takes to watch it. Elegantly juxtaposing video of pristine examples of God’s glorious creation with shocking shots of lands and waters defiled by human industry, this movie calls us to action and to change.
From the Introduction of Preparing the Way: A Social Justice Study for Lent. We’re offering this free resource to you and your congregation as we walk through the season of […]
As I watched the Super Bowl with my family on Sunday night, one ad stood out. It was the beautiful slideshow of farmers, accompanied by the eloquent words of the late Paul’s Harvey’s speech entitled “God Made a Farmer.” The ad was a moving tribute, evoking powerful emotions while praising the often unrewarding daily labor of farming.
But why were all the farmers white? Why didn’t the ad depict the reality of farmworkers, the millions of men and women whose hard labor makes possible the abundance on our plates?
Tuition Equality: Good For Our Students, Good For Our State Today marks the launch of a new campaign seeking tuition equality for all North Carolina students. Let’s Learn NC is […]
The 40 days of Lent are a wonderful time for Christians to explore deeply our relationship with God and God’s creation. Everything we need to survive and thrive is on […]
Click here for a free download of our new 2013 social justice study for Lent: Preparing the Way. This simple 10-page document combines traditional Lenten themes and Bible passages with contemporary issues including hunger, care of creation, and immigration. We invite you to join us in this season of reflection and preparation.
One of the most insidious proposals coming up in the General Assembly session is the one to require people to show photo IDs in order to vote. It has the […]
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 […]
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.
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.
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.
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 […]
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 […]
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 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.
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.
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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.
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 […]
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.
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.
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.
Please help us evaluate the 2012 Faith & Immigration Statewide Summit. Your feedback will help make future events even better. Thank you.
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.
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. […]
You probably know how the phrase “canary in the coal mine” came into being, but it doesn’t hurt to repeat it. Before there were other ways of monitoring for dangerous […]
NCIPL is all about helping faith communities find positive responses to climate change. It’s a big mission dealing with an extremely complex and rapidly changing problem. Science tells us that the […]
While the July 26 article “N.C. wary of possible farm labor shortage,” in the Raleigh News & Observer, included statistics and testimonies detailing our allegedly pending shortage of farm laborers, it left unstated the obvious conclusion: we can’t have our cake and eat it too. Or in this case, we can’t have our fresh produce and eat it too.
You may have seen news yesterday about a just-released report from the Natural Resources Defense Council on food waste. I read the full report – only 26 pages, and eminently […]
Laypeople, clergy and organizational leaders can urge Congress to protect programs vital to vulnerable people as well as to protect the country’s economic security by e-mailing their elected leaders or signing […]
This piece in National Geographic Daily News is a wake-up call from local mountain dwellers in Europe. The Aletsch glacier is the source of the Rhone River system, and it […]
The following are some of Executive Director George Reed’s remarks at the statewide launch of the Strive to Revive campaign on August 7: We see preserving health as an issue […]
Most people don’t think of flying basketballs, high rebounds, and tough competition when you say “I’m meeting with the pastor.” But Dave Halloway, pastor at Godwin Heights Baptist Church in […]
Places of worship across North Carolina are invited to apply for a free Automated External Defibrillator (AED) and CPR training through a program called Strive to Revive (STR). STR is […]
Friday, October 10, 2014; 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Registration starts at 8:30 a.m. Ardmore Baptist Church 501 Miller Street, Winston-Salem Please use the scroll bar to complete entire form and click […]
I had a scare last month. My husband and I returned home on our 31st anniversary date to a telephone message from my older sister – my father had been […]
The North Carolina Council of Churches joins with our sisters and brothers in Wisconsin to mourn Sunday’s horrific actions against a Sikh faith community peacefully gathered in their house of […]
Are you following the Olympics? I am just amazed at the beauty and grace of the swimmers, the gymnasts, the volleyball players and so many others. I dreamily imagine myself […]
“So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them…God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it […]
Cindy Taylor and Sheila Menendez of Troy, NC planned a spectacular day of taste testing and health pledge signing. Their respective organizations, Bodies for Christ United and Montgomery County Farmers […]
Every day, about 243 agricultural workers suffer injuries that cost them work time; about five percent of these injuries result in permanent impairment. Agriculture consistently ranks among the three most […]
