Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 1 […]
By: The Rev. Beth Crissman, Uwharrie District Superintendent and Director of Peace Building Ministries of the Western North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church “sac-ra-men-tal: (adj) exhibiting visible signs […]
There’s the civics-class version of how laws are enacted in North Carolina – rooted in the state constitution and rules of the General Assembly, and embodying ideals of orderly, even-handed […]
RALEIGH, NC – The North Carolina Council of Churches proudly announces the release of the Faithful Voter Reflection Guide. This vital resource is designed to help people of faith integrate […]
Excerpted from 2024 Lenten Guide: Terror and Amazement, a Lenten Guide for Lectionary Year B from the North Carolina Council of Churches. Isaiah 25:6-9 On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for […]
Excerpted from 2024 Lenten Guide: Terror and Amazement, a Lenten Guide for Lectionary Year B from the North Carolina Council of Churches. Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19 I love the Lord because he has heard my voice […]
Excerpted from 2024 Lenten Guide: Terror and Amazement, a Lenten Guide for Lectionary Year B from the North Carolina Council of Churches. Hebrews 10:16-25 “This is the covenant that I will make […]
Excerpted from 2024 Lenten Guide: Terror and Amazement, a Lenten Guide for Lectionary Year B from the North Carolina Council of Churches. Mark 1:1-11 The beginning of the good news of Jesus […]
Excerpted from 2024 Lenten Guide: Terror and Amazement, a Lenten Guide for Lectionary Year B from the North Carolina Council of Churches. John 12:20-33 Now among those who went up to worship […]
Excerpted from 2024 Lenten Guide: Terror and Amazement, a Lenten Guide for Lectionary Year B from the North Carolina Council of Churches. Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22 O give thanks to the Lord, for he […]
Excerpted from 2024 Lenten Guide: Terror and Amazement, a Lenten Guide for Lectionary Year B from the North Carolina Council of Churches. Psalm 19 The heavens are telling the glory of God, and […]
Excerpted from 2024 Lenten Guide: Terror and Amazement, a Lenten Guide for Lectionary Year B from the North Carolina Council of Churches. Psalm 25:1-10 To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.O […]
Most of us are responsible, productive people. We head off at the start of the day to do what is expected of us. At the start of a new school […]
The following remarks were delivered by Executive Director, Jennifer Copeland during a Faith Leaders Rally for Abortion Access on January 22, 2024. Click here to view the recording of the full rally. When […]
Excerpted from 2023 Advent Guide: A Season of Renewal, an Advent Guide for Lectionary Year B from the North Carolina Council of Churches. Isaiah 60:1-6 Arise, shine, for your light has come, and […]
Excerpted from 2023 Advent Guide: A Season of Renewal, an Advent Guide for Lectionary Year B from the North Carolina Council of Churches. Psalm 148 Praise the Lord!Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in […]
Excerpted from 2023 Advent Guide: A Season of Renewal, an Advent Guide for Lectionary Year B from the North Carolina Council of Churches. Isaiah 9:2-7 The people who walked in darkness have seen […]
Excerpted from 2023 Advent Guide: A Season of Renewal, an Advent Guide for Lectionary Year B from the North Carolina Council of Churches. Luke 1:26-38 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel […]
Excerpted from 2023 Advent Guide: A Season of Renewal, an Advent Guide for Lectionary Year B from the North Carolina Council of Churches. Luke 1:46b-55 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and […]
Excerpted from 2023 Advent Guide: A Season of Renewal, an Advent Guide for Lectionary Year B from the North Carolina Council of Churches. Isaiah 40:1-11 Comfort, O comfort my people, says your […]
North Carolina’s new voting district maps were hatched in a way that brings to mind Macbeth’s calculation as he ponders murder: “If it were done when ’tis done, then ’twere […]
Excerpted from 2023 Advent Guide: A Season of Renewal, an Advent Guide for Lectionary Year B from the North Carolina Council of Churches. Corinthians 1:3-9 Grace to you and peace from […]
Advent offers the double purpose of waiting for two things while preparing for both—waiting for Christmas and waiting for the in-breaking of God’s kin-dom. The preparation for Christmas is obvious: […]
The Council is excited to introduce you to one of our newest staff members, Sandra Pardo. Sandra joined us in October as the Farmworker Advocacy Network Coalition Coordinator. Read more […]
Have you seen the trending #Every1KnowsSome1 for domestic violence awareness? It may surprise you to think you know someone. Or maybe you think you are the only one? In truth, […]
The 2023 Legislative Seminar proved to be a platform for education, discussion, and inspiration, made possible by all of you who participated. Participants and organizers left feeling energized and motivated. […]
Excerpted from 2023 Lenten Guide: A Season of Renewal, a Lenten Guide for Lectionary Year A from the North Carolina Council of Churches. Matthew 28:1-10 After the Sabbath, as the first […]
Excerpted from 2023 Lenten Guide: A Season of Renewal, a Lenten Guide for Lectionary Year A from the North Carolina Council of Churches. Psalm 22 My God, my God, why have […]
Excerpted from 2023 Lenten Guide: A Season of Renewal, a Lenten Guide for Lectionary Year A from the North Carolina Council of Churches. John 13:1-17, 31b-35 Now before the festival of […]
Excerpted from 2023 Lenten Guide: A Season of Renewal, a Lenten Guide for Lectionary Year A from the North Carolina Council of Churches. Matthew 21:1-11 When they had come near Jerusalem […]
Excerpted from 2023 Lenten Guide: A Season of Renewal, a Lenten Guide for Lectionary Year A from the North Carolina Council of Churches. Psalm 130 Out of the depths I cry […]
Excerpted from 2023 Lenten Guide: A Season of Renewal, a Lenten Guide for Lectionary Year A from the North Carolina Council of Churches. Ephesians 5:8-14 For once you were darkness, but […]
Excerpted from 2023 Lenten Guide: A Season of Renewal, a Lenten Guide for Lectionary Year A from the North Carolina Council of Churches. Psalm 95 O come, let us sing to […]
Excerpted from 2023 Lenten Guide: A Season of Renewal, a Lenten Guide for Lectionary Year A from the North Carolina Council of Churches. Genesis 12:1-4a Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from […]
We weren’t expecting it to be pretty – “it” being the launch of the N.C. General Assembly’s new session, with freshly emboldened conservatives eager to flex their muscles. The reality, […]
Excerpted from 2023 Lenten Guide: A Season of Renewal, a Lenten Guide for Lectionary Year A from the North Carolina Council of Churches. Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-7 The Lord God took the man and […]
Excerpted from 2023 Lenten Guide: A Season of Renewal, a Lenten Guide for Lectionary Year A from the North Carolina Council of Churches. Matthew 6:1-6 Beware of practicing your righteousness before […]
The N.C. General Assembly gathered on Jan. 11 amid trappings of ceremony and good cheer to kick off its 2023 session. Then reality reared its head: At least in the […]
Excerpted from Keep Awake, an Advent Guide for Lectionary Year A from the North Carolina Council of Churches. Isaiah 60:1-6 Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has […]
Excerpted from Keep Awake, 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 in the heights!Praise him, all […]
Excerpted from Keep Awake, an Advent Guide for Lectionary Year A from the North Carolina Council of Churches. Psalm 96 O sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth.Sing […]
Excerpted from Keep Awake, an Advent Guide for Lectionary Year A from the North Carolina Council of Churches. Matthew 1:18-25 Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. […]
Excerpted from Keep Awake, 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 glad; the desert shall […]
Excerpted from Keep Awake, an Advent Guide for Lectionary Year A from the North Carolina Council of Churches. Psalm 71: 1-17 Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to […]
Excerpted from Keep Awake, an Advent Guide for Lectionary Year A from the North Carolina Council of Churches. Isaiah 2:1-5 The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and […]
The N.C. Supreme Court – or at least a slim majority of its members – invoked its solemn duty to uphold constitutional rights when it agreed in a Nov. 4 […]
The central calling of an Advent ethic is waiting. But this waiting is not a passive or idle activity. The root word for wait is the same root word for […]
The following remarks were delivered by Eco-Justice Connection Director, Susannah Tuttle, during a gun violence prevention press conference on October 14, 2022, in response to the recent Raleigh mass shooting. […]
RALEIGH, NC – On September 13, 2022, the Governing Board of the North Carolina Council of Churches approved an updated resolution on Reproductive Health. The resolution references a 1970 Council […]
Approved unanimously on September 13, 2022 by the Governing Board of the North Carolina Council of Churches Whereas, in 1970, before the Supreme Court ruled in 1973 that the U.S. Constitution protects a pregnant […]
As the proud parent of an Eagle Scout (Occoneechee Council), the announcement that Boy Scout organizers have invited former president George W. Bush to address the Scouts in the Raleigh area next week […]
The following remarks were delivered by the Rev. Dr. Jennifer Copeland at the #MapOurFuture: People Over Politics virtual town hall on Thursday, September 1, 2022. The event focused on Moore […]
The Council is excited to introduce you to one of our newest staff members, Stephenie Sanders. Stephenie joined us earlier this month in the position of Program and Engagement Administrator […]
The Council is excited to introduce you to one of our newest staff members, Arlecia Simmons. Arlecia joined us earlier this month in the position of East Regional Associate Director […]
The N.C. Council of Churches includes 18 denominations with churches large and small, urban and rural, black, brown, and white all across the state. One of the things we all […]
Prior to the 2020 elections, a representative from the Carter Center’s Conflict Resolution team reached out to the North Carolina Council of Churches. For the first time in its 40-year […]
Like it or not – and there are plenty of reasons to worry amid the familiar end-of-summer bursts of excitement – another school year will soon get under way. The […]
A tribute written by Jennifer Copeland, Executive Director, North Carolina Council of Churches, and Isaac Villegas, Governing Board President, North Carolina Council of Churches. By now most of us have […]
What it is, why it happened, and what it means for clean energy. The Supreme Court finished its session by ruling against the EPA in a case against West Virginia, […]
The U.S. Supreme Court, as if rushing to settle old grievances, in recent weeks has thrashed about in a virtual frenzy of “originalism” – never mind the consequences for America’s […]
North Carolina Council of ChurchesPartners in Health and Wholeness ProgramImmediate Position Opening: Regional Associate DirectorJuly 2022 40 hr/wk; 3 weeks paid vacation; paid sick leave, HSA contributionHybrid Position, Travel required […]
North Carolina Council of ChurchesPartners in Health and Wholeness ProgramImmediate Position Opening: Program and Engagement AdministratorJuly 2022 40 hr/wk; 3 weeks paid vacation; paid sick leave, HSA contribution,Hybrid Position: 2-3 […]
Farmworker Advocacy Network Coordinator (Bilingual – Spanish/English) The Coalition Coordinator will be an employee of the North Carolina Council of Churches, which is a member of FAN and the fiscal […]
Today Interfaith Power & Light (IPL) released a faithful voter reflection guide in advance of the upcoming election season. The guide discusses many of the defining moral issues that are […]
Our week-long 2022 Critical Issues Seminar: The Ties that Bind Our Democracy was a huge success! The entire week of presentations has been profoundly impactful as we do our shared work to educate, inspire, […]
by The Rev. Dr. Conrad Pridgen, Governing Board President-elect, Presiding Elder of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, 2nd Episcopal District and The Rev. Dr. Jennifer Copeland, Executive Director, North Carolina […]
The following remarks were delivered by the Executive Director, Jennifer Copeland, during a memorial service and press conference at the North Carolina State Capitol in Raleigh commemorating Workers Memorial Day. Click here to view […]
The following remarks were delivered by Executive Director, Jennifer Copeland, during one of the four gun violence prevention vigils that occurred across North Carolina on April 24, 2022. The following […]
The colossal dispute over the proper financing of North Carolina’s public schools that has played out over 28 years is heading to a showdown before the state Supreme Court – […]
This March, during Women’s History Month, we are highlighting four Community Superstars. These incredible women are local leaders in North Carolina who have been doing amazing work in their communities […]
This March, during Women’s History Month, we are highlighting four Community Superstars. These incredible women are local leaders in North Carolina who have been doing amazing work in their communities […]
This March, during Women’s History Month, we are highlighting four Community Superstars. These incredible women are local leaders in North Carolina who have been doing amazing work in their communities […]
This Raleigh Report was written by Jennifer Copeland, Executive Director, in collaboration with Matt Rossi, Duke Divinity School intern. The past two years have revealed not only how vulnerable we […]
This March, during Women’s History Month, we are highlighting four Community Superstars. These incredible women are local leaders in North Carolina who have been doing amazing work in their communities […]
Four months after the N.C. General Assembly enacted a new alignment of the districts in which our state’s congressional representatives are chosen, the gavel has come down: That district map […]
This February, during Black History Month, we are highlighting 4 amazing Community Superstars. These incredible people are local Black leaders in North Carolina who have been doing amazing work in […]
This February, during Black History Month, we are highlighting 4 amazing Community Superstars. These incredible people are local Black leaders in North Carolina who have been doing amazing work in […]
This February, during Black History Month, we are highlighting 4 amazing Community Superstars. These incredible people are local Black leaders in North Carolina who have been doing amazing work in […]
Christians often use the season of Lent to focus on the basics. Some of us practice denial of certain luxuries and others practice the addition of spiritual disciplines. The point […]
This February, during Black History Month, we are highlighting 4 amazing Community Superstars. These incredible people are local Black leaders in North Carolina who have been doing amazing work in […]
Cowards perpetrate fear and sow discord. Such cowards are hard at work this week creating havoc on our nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities. As an organization founded in 1935 […]
Among all the issues and challenges confronting North Carolina as 2022 gets under way – overcoming the pandemic, easing rural poverty, alleviating environmental threats, improving access to health care, on […]
The following remarks were delivered by Executive, Jennifer Copeland, during the public launch of the North Carolina — Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission (NC-TJRC) on January 20, 2022. To watch […]
The following remarks were delivered by the Rev. Dr. Jennifer Copeland, Executive Director, during a vigil on January 11, 2022 calling on the Biden administration to close the Guantanamo Bay […]
Americans this first week of January are recalling how close to the brink of disaster our nation’s democratic system came one year ago, when a violent mob seeking to keep […]
The following remarks were delivered by Executive Director, Jennifer Copeland, on January 5, 2021 at a Gun Violence Prevention press conference. View the live stream here. When individual rights are at […]
Isaiah 43:1-7 But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel:Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called […]
John 1:(1-9), 10-18 He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, […]
1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26 Samuel was ministering before the Lord, a boy wearing a linen ephod. His mother used to make for him a little robe and take it to […]
Isaiah 9:2-7 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness— on them light has shined.You have multiplied the […]
The Rev. Amelia Stinson-Wesley, PastorMemorial United Methodist Church, Charlotte, N.C.Member, N.C. Council of Churches Governing Board In early November, Memorial United Methodist Church in Charlotte, we were asked if we […]
Luke 1:39-45 (46-55) In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted […]
Luke 3:7-18 John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear […]
The following remarks are from Jennifer Copeland, Executive Director, during a candlelight vigil on World AIDs Day to honor, remember, and celebrate the lives of those living with and lost […]
Philippians 1:3-11 I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in […]
Psalm 25:1-10 To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.O my God, in you I trust; do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies […]
How is it with your soul? This was the question asked weekly of those who gathered in the first Methodist societies organized by John and Charles Wesley while they were […]
In the rough and tumble realm of politics, it can be a hard call as to whether someone is standing firm on worthwhile principle or simply obstructing out of plain […]
Here in the last week of October, almost four months after a new state budget was supposed to have been in place and with multiple plot-lines coming to a head, […]
