With just five months and change until Election Day, 2020 – and with many virus-leery North Carolinians wondering how they’ll manage to vote safely – efforts to update the state’s […]
In light of recent protests and rallies from some pastors and politicians in North Carolina calling for reopening our places of worship, the North Carolina Council of Churches states unequivocally […]
![A small roadway memorial marks the area where jogger Ahmaud Arbery was shot and killed in Brunswick, Georgia [Erik S Lesser/EPA]](https://ncchurches.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/NCCC_Ahmaud.jpg)
This piece was written by Jennifer Copeland, Executive Director, in conjunction with Jessica Stokes, Associate Director of Partners in Health and Wholeness. For 85 years the North Carolina Council of […]
Members of the N.C. House and Senate, resolutely confronting the deadly and disastrous coronavirus pandemic, have offered up shining examples of just what friends are for. Friends are there to […]
The North Carolina Council of Churches is offering a modification to the typical National Day of Prayer, celebrated each year on the first Thursday of May. Borrowing an idea from […]
When and if members of the N.C. General Assembly reconvene as scheduled on April 28 – presumably wearing masks and taking all the other recommended precautions to stay safe and […]
Excerpted from Power Made Perfect in Weakness, a Lenten Guide for Lectionary Year A from the North Carolina Council of Churches. Easter Sunday – Colossians 3:1-4 So if you have been […]
Excerpted from Power Made Perfect in Weakness, a Lenten Guide for Lectionary Year A from the North Carolina Council of Churches. Good Friday – Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9 Since, then, we have […]
This “new normal” of social distancing has been weighing on our minds, hearts, and souls. We are living through a challenging time constantly consumed by distressing news updates. Many face […]
Excerpted from Power Made Perfect in Weakness, a Lenten Guide for Lectionary Year A from the North Carolina Council of Churches. Maundy Thursday – John 13: 31b-35 Jesus said, ‘Now the […]
Excerpted from Power Made Perfect in Weakness, a Lenten Guide for Lectionary Year A from the North Carolina Council of Churches. Palm Sunday – Matthew 21:1-11 When they had come near […]
In keeping with the familiar rhythms of American politics, this is a year when many of our elected leaders, including the president, and their would-be successors will stand for inspection […]
Excerpted from Power Made Perfect in Weakness, a Lenten Guide for Lectionary Year A from the North Carolina Council of Churches. Psalm 130 Out of the depths I cry to you, […]
Excerpted from Power Made Perfect in Weakness, a Lenten Guide for Lectionary Year A from the North Carolina Council of Churches. Psalm 23 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not […]
The work of faith-based climate action is important to us because we know that we cannot Iove our neighbors without addressing climate change and environmental injustice. The same can be […]
Handwashing, covering sneezes, and social distancing techniques abound. We recommend the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services’ guidelines. Meanwhile, our friends in Seattle and Italy tell us we […]
Excerpted from Power Made Perfect in Weakness, a Lenten Guide for Lectionary Year A from the North Carolina Council of Churches. John 4:5-42 So he came to a Samaritan city called […]
Excerpted from Power Made Perfect in Weakness, a Lenten Guide for Lectionary Year A from the North Carolina Council of Churches. Psalm 121 I lift up my eyes to the hills— […]
Excerpted from Power Made Perfect in Weakness, a Lenten Guide for Lectionary Year A from the North Carolina Council of Churches. Matthew 4:1-11 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit […]
Excerpted from Power Made Perfect in Weakness, a Lenten Guide for Lectionary Year A from the North Carolina Council of Churches. Isaiah 58:1-12 Shout out, do not hold back!Lift up […]
God does not look for perfection in God’s disciples. Instead, God only looks for openness to God’s grace, which is all God needs to turn weakness into something great. This […]
The following remarks were delivered by Executive Director, Jennifer Copeland, on Sunday, February 23 at St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York focusing on Matthew 17: 1-9. From the Gospel […]
The North Carolina General Assembly’s Republican majority is down to what looks to be its last-ditch defense of the voter ID law it rammed through at the tail end of […]
North Carolina needs a budget. With half the fiscal year gone (the year began July 1, 2019) we are operating with a budget that is more than a year old. […]
UpdateOn Jan. 21, Superior Court Judge David Lee, who oversees compliance in the Leandro school-quality case, issued an order endorsing the WestEd report’s findings and setting forth steps to address its recommendations […]
The following remarks were delivered by Executive Director, Jennifer Copeland, on Sunday, January 12 at Binkley Baptist Church in Chapel Hill focusing on Isaiah 42:1-9. What are the images that […]
A long road remains to be traveled before North Carolinians find out whether they’ll have to show an identification card, with photo, in order to vote in next fall’s pivotal […]
Excerpted from Cultivating Care for Creation, an Advent Guide for Lectionary Year A from the North Carolina Council of Churches. Matthew 2:1-12 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus […]
Excerpted from Cultivating Care for Creation, an Advent Guide for Lectionary Year A from the North Carolina Council of Churches. Psalm 148 Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him […]
Excerpted from Cultivating Care for Creation, an Advent Guide for Lectionary Year A from the North Carolina Council of Churches. John 1:1-14a In the beginning was the Word, and the […]
Remarks from Jennifer Copeland at the Vigil to End Gun Violence in Durham on December 13, 2019 About two years ago, the North Carolina Council of Churches paid for a […]
Excerpted from Cultivating Care for Creation, an Advent Guide for Lectionary Year A from the North Carolina Council of Churches. Psalm 80: 1-7; 17-19 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, […]
When leaders of the N.C. Council of Churches two years ago adopted a policy statement entitled “Confederate-themed monuments: Time to reassess,” the statue known as Silent Sam still faced north […]
Excerpted from Cultivating Care for Creation, an Advent Guide for Lectionary Year A from the North Carolina Council of Churches. Isaiah 35:1-10 The wilderness and the dry land shall be […]
Excerpted from Cultivating Care for Creation, an Advent Guide for Lectionary Year A from the North Carolina Council of Churches. Isaiah 11:1-10 A shoot shall come out from the stump […]
Excerpted from Cultivating Care for Creation, an Advent Guide for Lectionary Year A from the North Carolina Council of Churches. Psalm 122 I was glad when they said to me, […]
This advent season, the Council decided our theme would be focused on Climate Change. As people of faith, we proclaim our belief that our world is God’s creation, that God […]
The North Carolina Council of Churches has long cared about gun violence prevention — you would expect that from an organization that devotes much of its energy toward PEACE. A […]
Just testing the header here….
Perhaps the Republicans who control North Carolina’s General Assembly have finally gotten the message: their decade-long efforts to rig the state’s congressional voting district boundaries in their party’s favor simply […]
When N.C. House Speaker Tim Moore called the House to order for its scheduled 8:30 a.m. session on Sept. 11, he made a fateful decision bearing not only on a […]
When N.C. House Speaker Tim Moore called the House to order for its scheduled 8:30 a.m. session on Sept. 11, he made a fateful decision bearing not only on a […]
If politics can be described as a contact sport, it’s perhaps fitting to say that when the Republicans who control North Carolina’s General Assembly went to court to defend the […]
If politics can be described as a contact sport, it’s perhaps fitting to say that when the Republicans who control North Carolina’s General Assembly went to court to defend the […]
If politics can be described as a contact sport, it’s perhaps fitting to say that when the Republicans who control North Carolina’s General Assembly went to court to defend the […]
Partners in Health and Wholeness (PHW), an initiative of the North Carolina Council of Churches, is designed to bridge issues of faith, health, and justice. We partner with faith communities […]
My name is Sarah Ogletree and I am the new Program Coordinator of NC Interfaith Power & Light (NCIPL). I am grateful to work for an organization so committed to […]
It can’t have escaped many folks’ notice – even those, bless their hearts, for whom the really big news involves the onset of football season – that our political systems […]
It can’t have escaped many folks’ notice – even those, bless their hearts, for whom the really big news involves the onset of football season – that our political systems […]
Daniel Perrin has been interning with North Carolina Interfaith Power and Light this summer. He describes below what led him to this work and how he got connected to NCIPL. […]
Hundreds of thousands of migrants are seeking refuge and asylum in the United States. Many factors contribute to migration and cause people to knock on our country’s door. Political corruption, […]
Hundreds of thousands of migrants are seeking refuge and asylum in the United States. Many factors contribute to migration and cause people to knock on our country’s door. Political corruption, […]
Sermon on II Kings 6:8-23 delivered Sunday, July 28 at First Presbyterian Church in Durham. Who would pass up the chance to preach on this marvelous little story in Second […]
Sermon on II Kings 6:8-23 delivered Sunday, July 28 at First Presbyterian Church in Durham.Audio from Jennifer’s sermon Who would pass up the chance to preach on this marvelous little […]
It has been 10 years since Congress raised the minimum wage. Some states have raised their minimum without a federal mandate, but not North Carolina. This 10-year span follows on […]
It has been 10 years since Congress raised the minimum wage. Some states have raised their minimum without a federal mandate, but not North Carolina. This 10-year span follows on […]
The same week as our nation’s Independence Day holiday, several undocumented immigrants were fined for remaining in “the land of the free and the home of the brave.” Immigration & […]
Written by Vivian Taylor, Public Policy Intern with Jennifer Copeland, Executive Director The United States of America is on the verge of war with Iran. Long-standing tensions have been exacerbated […]
Thus says the Lord:For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment;because they sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of […]
You have to wonder: What would U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. tell that proud North Carolina gerrymanderer David Lewis if they ever came face to face, just the two […]
Not to belabor the obvious, but when North Carolina’s elected leaders craft a spending plan for state government, they take positions on many issues that have a moral dimension. And […]
Artistic Rendering of the 85-Year History of the North Carolina Council of Churches Statement of Purpose The North Carolina Council of Churches will celebrate its 85th Anniversary in 2020. Founded […]
The Mother Emanuel, Charleston, SC, shooting was four years ago today, June 17. The N.C. General Assembly Senate Judiciary Committee will consider Senate Bill 90 tomorrow, June 18. A favorable […]
While the headlines tell us about very real instances of violence against faith communities (a synagogue in Pittsburgh, a mosque in New Zealand, a sikh temple in Wisconsin, a church […]
NC No Torture has launched its Christian study addressing North Carolina’s involvement in the CIA’s Rendition, Detention, and Interrogation program. The study offers a guide for how to prepare, organize, […]
The following remarks were delivered by Executive Director Jennifer Copeland at a press conference introducing House Bill 740 to end North Carolina’s role in torture. All the people who spoke […]
Introduced Bills CRIMINAL JUSTICE HB 834 – Ban the Box would prohibit the state from asking a job applicant about his/her criminal history until that applicant had been selected for […]
Remarks delivered by the Rev. Dr. Jennifer Copeland, Executive Director of the NC Council of Churches, at the Workers’ Memorial in Raleigh on April 26, 2019. Genesis 5:1-5 This is […]
INTRODUCED BILLS CRIMINAL JUSTICEHB 781 – Limitations on Use of Solitary Confinementactually contains several items related to prisons: Solitary confinement couldn’t be used for inmates with serious mental illness unless […]
Excerpted from the Council’s 2019 Lenten Reflection Guide for Lectionary Year C. Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and […]
The people of North Carolina pay federal taxes. Our tax dollars help fund the 90 percent federal match on Medicaid expansion enrollees for states that have expanded Medicaid under the […]
Excerpted from the Council’s 2019 Lenten Reflection Guide for Lectionary Year C. “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put my […]
Remarks delivered at the Witness for Peace footwashing ceremony at the gates of Aero Contractors earlier today. Every year, all over the world, millions of Christians spend six intense weeks […]
Excerpted from the Council’s 2019 Lenten Reflection Guide for Lectionary Year C. Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and […]
The Council is hiring a full-time Fund Development Coordinator. The full job description is posted below and at this link. Position: Fund Development Coordinator COUNCIL DESCRIPTION With more than eight […]
Excerpted from the Council’s 2019 Lenten Reflection Guide for Lectionary Year C. After he had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. When he had come near Bethphage and […]
INTRODUCED BILLS CRIMINAL JUSTICE HB 587 – Repeal Death Penalty would abolish the death penalty, and all prisoners currently on Death Row would be resentenced to life imprisonment without parole. […]
Excerpted from the Council’s 2019 Lenten Reflection Guide for Lectionary Year C. Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. […]
INTRODUCED BILLS CRIMINAL JUSTICE/PRISON REFORM HB 460/SB 545 – Fair Chance Hiring would require state agencies to reduce barriers to hiring people with a criminal history. Specific provisions include: Prohibits […]
What is the NC 100-mile challenge? It’s an initiative launched by North Carolina State Parks to encourage everyone to get outside and explore our trails and waterways. North Carolinians can […]
Excerpted from the Council’s 2019 Lenten Reflection Guide for Lectionary Year C. From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ […]
Today is the kickoff for National Farmworker Awareness Week (NFAW) – a week of action (March 25-31) for members of our community to raise awareness about farmworker issues. Student Actions […]
INTRODUCED BILLS ECONOMIC JUSTICE HB 422/SB 234 – Healthy Families & Workplaces/Paid Sick Days is similar to the paid sick leave provisions of HB 46. (See RR, February 26.) Introduced […]
The following words were delivered by Executive Director Jennifer Copeland on Friday, March 22 as the opening invocation of the North Carolina Association of Educators State Convention. Gracious and loving […]
Excerpted from the Council’s 2019 Lenten Reflection Guide for Lectionary Year C. At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with […]
The following remarks were delivered by Executive Director Jennifer Copeland at a press conference earlier today on Medicaid expansion and raising awareness of the opioid crisis. In 1935 the North […]
Why was the North Carolina Commission of Inquiry 0n Torture convened, and what did it conclude after 18 months of investigation? Have state and local officials looked the other way […]
The following remarks were delivered by Jennifer Copeland as the opening invocation to the Raising Wages press conference held in the press room of the NC General Assembly this morning. […]
Excerpted from the Council’s 2019 Lenten Reflection Guide for Lectionary Year C. After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, “Do not be afraid, Abram, I […]
Update: This position has been filled. The Council is hiring a full-time Director of Finance and Administration. The full job description is posted below and at this link. COUNCIL DESCRIPTION […]
We are a few weeks out from the 2019 Special General Conference of the United Methodist Church, a gathering many of us were anticipating since 2016. In truth, we were […]
Excerpted from the Council’s 2019 Lenten Reflection Guide for Lectionary Year C. Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where […]
Excerpted from the Council’s 2019 Lenten Reflection Guide for Lectionary Year C. Shout out, do not hold back! Lift up your voice like a trumpet! Announce to my people their […]
North Carolina’s role in torture has come in the form of a government-private contract with a jet service located in Johnston County. When people hear about it for the first […]
INTRODUCED BILLS ECONOMIC JUSTICE HB 46 – Economic Security Act of 2019HB 46 is a collection of issues long of concern to workers and worker advocates. Specific provisions would: Increase […]
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to specify that the court ruling does not address the status of the law enacted in December to comply with the state constitution’s […]
Each time the Council holds its bi-annual Legislative Seminar, we honor those whose public lives reflect their faith commitments. The Faith Active in Public Life Award calls attention to someone […]
The 2019 Long Session of the General Assembly is now in full swing. As a result of last November’s elections, Republicans maintained majorities in both Senate and House but lost […]
The Partners in Health and Wholeness Collaborative, Renewal, and Mini-Grant applications are now open! Each year in our state, thousands of people are diagnosed with preventable diseases. By making a […]
