It was just one little comment, perhaps ventured with the flicker of a wry smile. But we can doubt that Tom Farr saw the humor in being ribbed by a […]
The ongoing legal challenge to North Carolina’s voter ID rule, now playing out before a federal judge in Winston-Salem, could end up reminding us that it’s not the job of […]
Join us for an opening reception to see the work of Pulitzer Prize winning photographer José Galvez on Friday, February 5 from 6 – 9 p.m. at the City Gallery, 118 […]
Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane. –Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., in a speech to the Medical Committee for Human […]
To see this message in Spanish click here. Para ver este mensaje en español haga un clic aquí). At the North Carolina Council of Churches, we believe that access to […]
Preached at the Christian Unity Service of Holy Cross Catholic Church, Durham Matthew 5:1-16 The sermon you have just heard is only one-seventh of the real thing. You heard 16 verses, […]
Were you watching? This week President Obama gave his final State of the Union speech. He touted the success of the Paris conference in bringing 195 countries together to agree […]
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 […]
Few of the decisions made by the men and women of our General Assembly are so prone to self-serving, partisan abuse as the setting of boundaries for voting districts. When […]
By Nicole Johnson, Strive to Revive Assistant The Strive to Revive (STR) Maintenance Grant Program is now open. This program is focused on providing resources, technical support, and financial assistance to congregations […]
A lot of times in the work that we do at the Council we preface our comments, blogs or presentations with the words, “it’s complicated”. The Syrian refugee crisis is […]
For those of us who want to see North Carolina governed with the interests of all its residents in mind – not mainly the interests of the well-off and privileged […]
I just found out that I was pre-diabetic. This has never shown up in my blood draws before and I was stunned. “Really?” I say laughing, not sure how exactly […]
As we close out our 80th year, your donation helps in our shared advocacy for justice, peace, and unity. Our donors help us keep the lights on, provide print and online […]
Excerpted from In Those Days and In These, an Advent Devotional Guide from the NC Council of Churches In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all […]
Flight Into Egypt Mary speaks: fear tracks our passage as we flee from royal decrees, make our way with the boy who began in wonder at birth: the star, the […]
Waking up at 4:30 in the morning, oven alerting the baker to the first batch of fresh bread coming out of the oven — that is what I most remember […]
By Nicole Johnson, Strive to Revive Assistant The Council is excited to announce our upcoming Strive to Revive Maintenance Grant Program. This program is focused on providing resources, financial assistance, and technical […]
Every year, I have the wonderful task of arranging a series of clergy breakfasts across the state with the goal of educating faith leaders about immigrants in their communities and […]
The Council is hiring two full-time Partners in Health and Wholeness Regional Coordinators, one to serve in Western North Carolina and one to serve in Eastern North Carolina. Each will serve […]
Earlier this month, more than 170 friends and allies gathered at Durham’s St. Philip’s Episcopal Church in support of our refugee sisters and brothers. We prayed and sang and then broke […]
The world has witnessed a breakthrough with the release of the proposed final text of the Paris Agreement at COP 21. All participating countries have acknowledged that climate change is […]
In the game of bridge, when a trump card is played to win a trick, that’s known as a ruff. In the game of politics, when Donald Trump uses tricks […]
Dozens of people gathered at Durham’s Judea Reform Congregation on the evening of December 10 to mark lives lost or forever changed by gun violence. Speakers shared personal stories and held […]
On November 6, the latest photovoltaic array on a North Carolina house of worship went online. The 84.76 kW, 326-panel system will generate 60% of the annual electricity needs at United […]
We are working for Medicaid expansion and a state that welcomes immigrants and refugees. More importantly, we’re working for people to be healthier and for a more peaceful planet where […]
December 10, 7 p.m. Judea Reform Congregation 1933 West Cornwallis Road, Durham The NC Council of Churches, partnering with North Carolinians Against Gun Violence and the League of Women Voters, […]
As I sat down to Thanksgiving dinner with my family last week, I was reminded, as I am every year, of the contributions of immigrants to our communities. I always […]
Take three minutes to watch NCIPL Director Susannah Tuttle explain the climate conversation in Paris.
The following are remarks offered by Executive Director Jennifer Copeland at a press conference announcing a collaborative voter registration drive that will extend into February. Eighty years ago, faith leaders of […]
By George Reed, Retired Executive Director Last week brought the welcome news that Wake County’s commissioners had voted unanimously to raise the county’s lowest-paid workers up to what commissioners calculate […]
For the wonder of each hour of the day and of the night, hill and vale and tree and flower, sun and moon and stars of light, Christ, our Lord, […]
Pope Francis has offered us a message encouraging us to actions that reflects a commitment to dignity and respect for all workers. As the Advent season approaches, gift giving becomes […]
Faiths United Against Gun Violence and Washington National Cathedral are working together to have congregations and faith communities across the U.S. recognize December 10 through 14 as Gun Violence Prevention […]
Photo by I. Prickett, UNHCR Against the toxic brew of fear and political opportunism that has enveloped America’s response to the Syrian refugee crisis stand principles of compassion and common […]
The garden at Conetoe Family Life Center in Conetoe, NC is more than just about growing food; it’s about changing mindsets, bodies, and redefining food equity power structures. In response […]
At the Council, we are adding to the ways we connect with you. And so today, we offer the short video below on the Christian response to both terrorism and refugees. As […]
The Council is hiring a full-time position for our Partners in Health and Wholeness program. Responsibilities for the Project Manager role include:| Administrative oversight for the Certification Programs and Mini-Grant Program. Specifically: disseminate […]
How desperate would your life need to be for you to leave everyone and everything you knew in pursuit of a better one? To venture into a new place where […]
As the Council’s 2015 fall appeal gets underway, we recognize the importance of individual giving to our work for compassion, justice, and peace. Our donors help us keep the lights on, provide […]
Jesus does not care about your latte. Your frappuccino, cappuccino, or mocha, either. At least, he doesn’t care about the cup it is served in and whether it’s branded to […]
Two of North Carolina’s Ten Thousand Villages stores are offering shoppers the chance to give twice this holiday season. The stores in Greensboro and Cary are holding Shop for a […]
By George Reed, Retired Executive Director Here we go again. The intersection between faith and politics has been a complicated one all the way back to the passage of the […]
The notably dapper Thom Goolsby, member of the University of North Carolina Board of Governors, made a mark of sorts with his put-down of the NAACP-led Moral Monday protest movement […]
Health Care for All NC and the NC Council of Churches have received a grant from the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust. The $25,000 grant from the Trust will allow […]
The open enrollment period for the Healthcare Marketplace will open on November 1, and the Council’s Affordable Care Act resource page has been updated to provide helpful information. It is important to […]
Wednesday-Friday, November 4-6 Hilton Charlotte University Place 8629 Jim Keynes Drive, Charlotte Experience a world-class faculty convened to provide tools for sustainable health interventions. If you are a pastor or […]
The following was originally presented as part of an NAACP panel discussion on October 8. The givens in the title are: We are pursuing justice. We want to pursue justice […]
By Hana Suckstorff, Duke Divinity School Intern Our brothers and sisters in South Carolina are dealing with the aftermath of what meteorologists are calling a 1,000-year rainfall event. As of […]
The senators and representatives who make up North Carolina’s General Assembly let their 2015 session run on far longer than it should have. Let’s be glad that the curtain has […]
In the final hours of the 2015 legislative session, the NC House of Representatives passed House Bill 318, a measure that would prohibit communities from being so-called “sanctuaries” for people living […]
For those of us who believe in a merciful God, days like this are particularly hard. The unimaginable violence in Oregon follows similar tragedies in South Carolina, Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, […]
For faith-based environmental activists, Pope Francis’s visit to the United States had a major effect even before he set foot on American soil. Now they hope his trip’s influence on […]
Smoking is the most preventable cause of disease, disability, and death. One out of every five North Carolinians is a smoker and may be unaware of the support that exists […]
Pope Francis has been an outspoken leader about the need to welcome immigrants and refugees in our communities. This past Thursday, he continued his positive track record of expressing compassion […]
These closing weeks, or days, of the General Assembly’s session are sometimes known as the silly season, when weirdness is the watchword at the maze-like Legislative Building on Raleigh’s Jones […]
The following, based on Psalm 148, was offered by Rev. Jennifer Copeland at Raleigh’s Church of the Nativity on September 23 as part of an ecumenical prayer service on the […]
By George Reed, Retired Executive Director, NC Council of Churches Olin T. Binkley Memorial Baptist Church in Chapel Hill, one of the Council’s eight member congregations, has become the first […]
This fall, the Council is continuing its successful annual Clergy Breakfast series on immigration with events as far east as Wrightsville Beach and as far west as Weaverville. As we continue […]
The proverbial elephant labored and, against all hopeful expectations, brought forth a mouse. The “elephants” who run the Republican-controlled General Assembly labored and now have brought forth, if not a […]
Last week, the European refugee crisis reached a tragic peak. More than 11 million Syrians have been forced to flee their homes due to violence and persecution. Many of these people […]
When North Carolina legislators by the narrowest of margins 10 years ago approved a state lottery, capping a long debate over the wisdom of state-sponsored gaming, they set aside warnings […]
Monday, September 7 is Labor Day when we should honor the workers in our community with dignity and respect. The Social Creed for the 21st century, a document endorsed by […]
I was talking with colleagues, friends, and co-laborers who strive for better health on a population level and discovered that many of us had the same problem within our faith […]
The Rev. Michael Lapsley, survivor of a bombing by South African apartheid agents, will visit North Carolina this September to speak with university students, congregations, and members of the general […]
The past few weeks and months have been filled with a lot of hatred. Innocent people have been killed while trying to go about their daily lives, whether that be […]
NC Interfaith Power & Light Director Susannah Tuttle delivered this statement at a press conference held at United Church of Chapel Hill on August 25. Every faith tradition mandates care […]
Even while North Carolina was still in the grips of the Great Recession, with thousands of residents suffering the slings and arrows of joblessness because they were caught in the […]
The offices for the NC Council of Churches sit half a block from Hillsborough Street—the street that automatically conjures up images of NC State, as well it should since the […]
North Carolina has two legislative bodies, the 120-member House of Representatives and the 50-member Senate. They’re set up to be equal in power, although it could be said that the […]
“I wish to inform you that I have decided to institute in the Catholic Church the ‘World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation’ which, beginning this year, is […]
The Sunday of Labor Day weekend is Labor Sunday, a day to celebrate workers and their contributions and to support their struggles. It is also a day to commit ourselves […]
I love being in the North Carolina country. There is nothing better than riding with your windows down, smelling the fresh air (sometimes loaded with smells of farm animals), the […]
With its misguided “Taxpayer Protection Act” scheme, the state Senate looks to put a crowning touch on its efforts to turn North Carolina into a veritable Promised Land for conservatives, […]
Jennifer is pictured on a spring break trip with students to Nome, Alaska. Monday, August 3, was my first day at work. The staff laughed with me when hearing that announcement since […]
New federal safeguards to reduce carbon emissions from existing power plants are necessary not just because they help the environment, but because they are the right and moral thing to […]
Next week, the American Friends Service Committee is coordinating a national week of action to end immigration detention quotas. The United States has the largest detention immigration system in the […]
Last month, I had the opportunity to be one of 50 young leaders from across the country to take part in the 2015 Millennial Leaders Program at Union Theological Seminary in […]
The principle of judicial restraint is a wonderful thing. It helps keep judges – as they go about their business of determining whether laws are constitutional – from horning in […]
National attention has been focused on North Carolina during the federal voting rights trial going on in Winston-Salem. Closing arguments began today. For those who may have missed it, Council […]
A recent article in Raleigh’s News and Observer focused on the F-35 jet. The American Friends Service Committee calls this weapon system the “plane that ate the budget” and puts […]
Don’t be surprised if, during the General Assembly’s closed-door negotiations to craft a new state budget, enterprising reporters manage to pry loose some of the juicy (or gory) details. Keeping […]
A few weeks ago, I, along with the rest of the nation, celebrated our nation’s independence. Last week I, along with thousands of North Carolinians, also attended the Mass Moral […]
Republican legislators can hardly get around the fact that their 2013 overhaul of North Carolina election laws is likely to inconvenience some groups of voters more than others. For example: […]
Regarding the state of affairs within the N.C. General Assembly these days, one little set of numbers tells a big story: 112-0. That was the margin by which the House […]
Summertime has always been considered the best season for reading and this year we are blessed with what arguably could be considered some of the best reading material ever written! […]
Over and over, we heard North Carolina’s stringent voter identification law, enacted by the Republican-controlled legislature in 2013 over the protests of voting rights advocates, described as simply a “commonsense” […]
Photo credit: Episcopal News Service We join with our Episcopal brothers and sisters in celebrating the election of the Rt. Rev. Michael Curry as their 27th Presiding Bishop. Those of us […]
We celebrate today’s Supreme Court ruling with our gay brothers and sisters who wish to marry and have their marriages recognized nationwide, with denominations and congregations that have authorized and […]
By Wayde Marsh, Duke Divinity School Intern “[Pope] Francis almost makes me want to convert to Catholicism.” This is the sentiment generally expressed by many of my colleagues at Duke […]
Raleigh’s Martin Street Baptist Church (historically African-American) and Pullen Memorial Baptist Church (historically white) have a partnership that has extended over more than two decades. It grew out of the […]
The North Carolina Council of Churches celebrates today’s Supreme Court decision upholding the Affordable Care Act. For decades, the Council has supported universal health care, and while the current version […]
Their timing, as it turned out, was less than impeccable. The gun-rights boosters who are pushing N.C. House Bill 562 ran up against some common-sense objections that resulted in two main […]
By Wayde Marsh, Duke Divinity School Intern On my way to work one day last week, I listened to WUNC as I usually do. I heard a lot about the […]
I strongly suspect Sister Evelyn Mattern would have liked Pope Francis. She’d have appreciated his focus on compassion and justice and his unwillingness to be distracted from those issues that […]
With people across the world, the North Carolina Council of Churches grieves with the congregation of Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, SC. This kind of violence against people […]
By Wayde Marsh, Duke Divinity School Intern Storytelling is a central piece of community organizing because through it you offer your listener a way into your life in an organized […]
Gov. Pat McCrory tried to warn his fellow Republicans who call the tunes in the General Assembly. The rule of law was at stake, McCrory said, and the state would […]
The excitement is building: for the first time in history, the Pope is issuing an encyclical on the environment… but wait, why is this important? First, the Pope presides over […]
