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 […]
Sizzling pans and laughing children will fill the Troy Farmers Market on July 19. Tomato Day at the market will feature local tomato-recipe tastings. And Partners in Health and Wholeness will co-sponsor […]
What do you think of when I say ‘faith and health’? Maybe a congregation exercising together or changing their diet? How about members of a faith community visiting a Farmers […]
The General Assembly on Monday overrode Governor Perdue’s vetoes of three bills. By doing so they gutted the Racial Justice Act, revised the budget for 2012-13, and moved ahead with fracking. The outcome was not in doubt in the Senate. In fact, several Senate Democrats had excused absences and didn’t even show up for the votes. The drama was in the House.
We applaud Governor Beverly Perdue for her veto of a rewritten Racial Justice Act that had been gutted of key provisions. The Council has long worked for fairness in our […]
The NC Council of Churches rejoices in today’s ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court upholding the Affordable Care Act (ACA) which affirms the decades-long work and concerns of the NCCC […]
At a farmworker camp this past week, sitting on the ground with a plate of rice and tortillas in my lap, I glanced around at the faces of my dinner […]
Please join a broad coalition of concerned citizens, business leaders, local elected officials and people of faith Wednesday, June 27, at 6:15 pm, across the street from the Governor’s Mansion, 200 North […]
The following is from the NC Coalition for a Moratorium and the Carolina Justice Policy Center. The fate of the Racial Justice Act probably rests with the three representatives listed […]
The General Assembly has passed S 820 and sent it to the Governor. This is the bill that would move North Carolina farther down the road toward extraction of natural […]
Today’s ruling by the Supreme Court should put to rest any notion of North Carolina trying to enact an Arizona- or Alabama-style immigration bill. While we remain concerned that the ruling could leave the door open for legalized racial profiling, the Court has made clear that immigration policy and enforcement should be left up to the federal government.
Here at the NC Council of Churches we see how faith communities are putting their faith into action every day, ministering at the front lines of the immigration debate by offering English courses, meals, job training, and pastoral care to people facing very challenging situations.
Young people from Charlotte had the opportunity to pack meals with Stop Hunger Now thanks to Council supporters. A meal-packaging event originally scheduled after the Council’s April Critical Issues Seminar […]
Did you know that cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for Americans? In fact, more than 800,000 people die a year (one in three overall deaths). The American Heart Association (AHA) lists […]
One of my friends just posted this amazing YouTube video of Severn Suzuki who, at age 12, addressed the United Nations at the first Earth Summit in Rio twenty years […]
The House of Representatives has voted 73-47 to gut the Racial Justice Act. The vote was on S 416, a bill originally about using tire retreads on school buses. The […]
Thank you. Since last month, more than 400 of you have signed onto a statement rejecting toxic and offensive words being preached against gays and lesbians. You said that that pastors […]
Last week, while senators in Washington indicated their overwhelming support for the Farm Bill through a preliminary floor vote, farmworker families throughout the Southeastern U.S. toiled long hours in the summer heat. After 14-hour days in the fields, many farmworkers return home pesticide-ridden, underpaid and empty-handed — financially unable to provide adequate food for themselves and the hungry mouths that await them.
Once again this summer, the Council will benefit from the talents of outstanding young people who come to us as interns. In prior years, interns have made a lasting contribution […]
Mary Swann and Yvonne McGraw have taken an active leadership role in forming the Pee Dee Baptist Association Health Coalition. They have been gathering at least once a month since […]
George Reed, Editor Robert L. Mason, Intern Associate Fracking Clean Energy and Economic Security Act Domestic Energy Policy Underground Injection Ban Fracking Contracts/Against Public Policy Sale of Children Senate’s Budget […]
When our three-year-old runs off to another part of the house to play and suddenly becomes quiet, you know that she is either very focused on whatever she is playing […]
Two time-sensitive issues for advocates: 1) A vote to override the Governor’s veto of the Racial Justice Act could come up any time. 2) There is a lobby day tomorrow […]
Intern and Duke Divinity School student Lisa Talbott learned a lot in her year working on social justice issues with the Council. It was a physical journey, from Alaska to […]
The General Assembly leadership is committed to having this short session truly be short, and there’s talk of adjourning by early July. In fact, an adjournment resolution was introduced yesterday with a target date of June 19. This session, which starts in May of even-numbered years, is primarily to tweak the second year of the budget adopted the year before. In addition, certain bills which were introduced last year (mostly ones which passed in one house) can be considered. For a new bill to be introduced this year, it must fit into one of a few specific categories, with most new bills having to do with budgetary matters or coming from a study commission which met during the interim. Finally, pending veto overrides are also thought by the House and Senate leadership to be eligible for consideration.
A Legislative Advocacy Toolkit is now available from the Council. The toolkit provides a wealth of information for people of faith who want to be effective as grass-roots lobbyists, especially […]
The Spring 2012 Church Council Bulletin includes photographs from the Council’s recent Critical Issues Seminar, an update on items of interest in the General Assembly’s short session, a statement on the passage of Amendment One, the Council’s spring appeal, and more.
A couple of weeks ago, Steve Ford, editor of the editorial page of the Raleigh News & Observer, wrote an excellent piece about Amendment One. As I commented to him, […]
In light of this week’s news of a North Carolina pastor calling for people who are gay or lesbian to be rounded up and fenced in – concentration-camp-like – along […]
The General Assembly convened this past Wednesday for its regular “short session.” As always, the primary purpose of the short session is to tweak the budget for the fiscal year […]
Farmworkers feed the world, but too often their contributions to our society go unnoticed. How much do you know about the people behind the food we eat? Take our interactive quiz and see how you score!
Martin Luther King Jr.’s phrase “the fierce urgency of now,” articulated in his 1967 sermon, “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence”, is more relevant now than ever. Although the […]
Several additional legislative days have been announced. Among them are: HKonJ, People of Color Justice and Unity Legislative Day is Wednesday, May 23. The opening session will be at Raleigh’s […]
In light of yesterday’s vote to add a discriminatory amendment about marriage to our state’s constitution, it is important to consider what was accomplished through this campaign and what it […]
Susannah Tuttle and I had the privilege of representing NCIPL at the annual meeting of Interfaith Power & Light last week in Washington, DC. We spent two days immersed in […]
Executive Director George Reed’s full interview with NC Policy Watch from Sunday is now available here. In it, Reed explains the Council’s opposition to Amendment One. People of faith who […]
Hear George Reed explain the Council’s opposition to Amendment One on Sunday morning’s News & Views hosted by Chris Fitzsimon of NC Policy Watch. The program airs at 7 a.m. […]
We are happy to announce that the North Carolina Council of Churches’ Partners in Health and Wholeness (PHW) Initiative has received continued support from the Blue Cross and Blue Shield […]
I have helped to make the arrangements for the food served at Council meetings for ten years. But the 2012 Critical Issues Seminar was different. In staff meetings leading up […]
It was a beautiful day spent at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Winston-Salem on April 19. I was there for the annual NC Council of Churches Critical Issues Seminar; this […]
The Critical Issues Seminar has come and gone, and with it goes the end of my internship with the NC Council of Churches. The Council was not the sort of […]
On April 19, Father Joe Vetter received the Council’s Distinguished Service Award during lunchtime ceremonies at the 2012 Critical Issues Seminar. After Council President Stan Kimer offered the following remarks in […]
Early voting is now under way for North Carolina’s May 8 primary. Between now and May 5, you can vote if you are already registered, and you can register and […]
The lead case applying the historic and ground-breaking NC Racial Justice Act (RJA) concluded today with a judicial finding of race discrimination in the operation of the death penalty in […]
In 2008, Big Tobacco spent $9.94 billion to market cigarettes, and sadly, that amount corresponds to ‘new customers’ despite public health efforts to stop the destruction caused by tobacco. Part of the harm […]
It’s funny when strangers strike you as family. That is what happens, for me at least, each time I attend another Earth Sabbath Celebration. After a few months of travelling […]
The 2012 County Health Rankings report, recently released by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, points to major disparities in health by geographic […]
For the first time since its creation, a special committee reviewing North Carolina’s immigration policy heard from the public on Wednesday, March 28th. To a hearing room packed with advocates on both sides of the immigration debate, speakers told their stories to North Carolina lawmakers charged with considering the state’s role in immigration. Reverend Villegas presented the co-chairs of the committee with over 175 written comments from clergy and people of faith from across the State urging the committee to carefully consider the negative impact that new tough, anti-immigration laws would have on North Carolina.
Spring is a favorite time for all of us who love to be in the garden. I cherish this season and plan my weeks so that I can begin and […]
Join us on April 19 at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Winston-Salem as we package meals with Stop Hunger Now, the Raleigh-based non-profit that provides nutritious dehydrated meals which are shipped […]
The deadline to guarantee lunch at the 2012 Critical Issues Seminar has been extended to April 12. This year’s seminar, Eating Well for Ourselves, For Our Neighbors, For Our Planet, takes […]
On April 6, state religious leaders and activists will remember Jesus Christ’s suffering and death and the suffering and death of immigrants coming to this country in an “Economic Justice Way of the Cross.” The North Carolina Council of Churches is a co-sponsor of the event which takes place from noon to 2 p.m. at the N.C. State Capitol.
The Good Friday commemoration of Jesus’ suffering and death will be linked with the need for justice, immigration reform, a change in US trade policies, and an end to US support for the war in Afghanistan and Colombia. Money needs to be spent on food and economic development instead of war, according to Gail Phares, director of Witness for Peace Southeast, the event’s primary organizer.
The Pee Dee Baptist Association Health Coalition, a joint effort of the Association along with Partners in Health and Wholeness, takes place April 3 at 7 p.m at St. Paul’s […]
Alexia Kelley will deliver the keynote address for the North Carolina Council of Churches’ 2012 Critical Issues Seminar, and Father Joe Vetter will receive the Council’s Distinguished Service Award at the […]
Congratulations to two of the Council’s friends and colleagues on being designated Champions of Change by the White House. Linda Walling, Executive Director, of Faithful Reform in Health Care (and soon […]
From Acts of Faith: Free Lectionary Resources for Prophetic Worship
Date: 2nd Sunday after Easter, April 15, 2012
Topic: Living Wages
Focus Text: Acts 4:32-35
From the pastoral reflection: “As Christians, we attempt to recapture the vision of work as related to the creating, sustaining, and transforming work of God. Our vocation is not defined simply by our paid employment. What we do at home, in churches, in our volunteer and political activities, all contribute to the “work” that embraces the whole of our lives.”
Tell NC legislators that we don’t want to follow Arizona and Alabama – say NO to harmful anti-immigrant legislation that could be introduced here in North Carolina.
A special committee of the NC House has been meeting to determine whether to introduce an Arizona-style “Papers, please” bill. This is your chance to hold lawmakers accountable for making NC a welcoming state that is competitive in the global economy instead of enacting costly measures that will separate families and threaten our economy.
The Affordable Care Act was approved two years ago. Join the virtual second-anniversary celebration through a conference call with Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin on Thursday, March 22 at 2 p.m. Hear all […]
A recent report by the U.S. Surgeon General revealed that a large number of America’s youth – 600,000 middle school students and three million high school students – smoke cigarettes. […]
Ending world hunger is a pretty big goal, but the folks at Stop Hunger Now have set it for themselves and have been working toward it for 13 years. With […]
Lynice Williams died this weekend. Too soon by any measure. She was one of this state’s great advocates for and organizers of people of low income and low wealth. Among […]
We hope you’ll join us on April 14 for the Fourth Annual Jack Crum Conference on Prophetic Ministry. This annual ecumenical event takes place at Raleigh’s Fairmont United Methodist Church […]
“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 […]
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 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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
