At the beginning of December, a new law expanded allowing people to carry concealed guns in North Carolina. State law now allows people to conceal carry in churches that share […]
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Sol Train Connects Climate and Faith with Solar Power
Many people want to take meaningful action on climate change but don’t know where to start. Taking a big step, like switching to solar, doesn’t have to be hard. Any […]
The NRA Takes Aim at Latinos
In a recent column for the Daily Caller, Wayne LaPierre – the official spokesman for the NRA and a recent witness in Congress – urges his readers to buy more […]
Public Education Advocacy Day Schools Closing
School districts around the triangle may close on May 16. Perhaps you also know that the school district in your own county is likely to close. (This will happen if […]
1 in 6 North Carolina counties have more gun dealers than mental health providers
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (WTVD) — While the country recovers from two mass shootings in 10 days, the national conversation is turning to two topics: gun access and mental health. In a […]
Faith-Based Links
This page features links to numerous organizations and resources, all from a faith-based perspective. Please contact us if you feel something is missing from this page. North Carolina Organizations American Friends Service […]
Council Provides Toolkit for Amendment One Opponents
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 […]
Screening of “Making a Killing — Guns, Greed, and the NRA”
This movie tells the stories of how guns, and the billions in profit they provide affect the lives of everyday Americans. The film shows how gun companies and the NRA resist legislation […]
JR x TIME: Guns in America Screening and Discussion
Join us at 21c Durham for an open discussion about gun ownership in America. Award-winning artist JR and TIME Magazine have created a video mural with interviews from people with […]
Corporations Model Taking Steps Toward Health
There are some exciting advances happening in the world of public health, and these are in the form of policies created by major corporations. Although it is right to hold […]
America’s Role in Torture — Beginning the Path to Forgiveness
With so many issues confronting us, our nation’s involvement in acts of torture is fading from the public’s priorities for concern. Five years and $40 million in the making, the […]
Immigration & Arizona: Making a Problem Worse
NC Policy Watch
In a hyper-partisan era characterized by failures of leadership across the board, perhaps no single issue illustrates government gridlock better than immigration. Everyone knows that our current immigration system is broken. Year after year, proposals to help fix the system have been introduced in Washington, only to die without ever taking effect. Understandably, many states feel they have been left no choice but to take action themselves.
Second Annual Advocacy Training: Public Schools Our Students Deserve
The NC Public Education Working Group is a grassroots collaboration of citizens (including teachers) that support Pre-K-12 public education in NC. We work to educate, inform, engage and train citizens […]
Public Education Advocacy Day Event Details
This page will be updated as new details emerge about plans for the day. Watch for information from the NC Council of Churches and our partners. Teach-in: Advocating for Public […]
Urgent Action Alert: Please Call Congress about Health Care
Our allies at the NC Justice Center have put out the following action alert about efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act. As people of faith, we believe that we […]
Voices of Moral Mondays: No Longer Alone by Rebecca Cary
By Rebecca Cary, St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, Durham
During the past winter and spring, as I followed the news, I grew increasingly dispirited. Our state government was taking more and more actions that I believed, as a Christian, to be fundamentally unjust. Christ healed the sick and fed the hungry. The legislature was blocking access to Medicaid and taking benefits away from those who had little, and claiming to be helping our state by doing so.
Welcome Sandra Pardo
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 […]
Program List – App
Christian Unity Farmworkers Food Gun Violence Prevention Health Care Reform Immigrant Rights NC Interfaith Power & Light Legislative Advocacy – Raleigh Report Partners in Health & Wholeness
PHW Featured in June Magazine Article
Earlier this summer, Partners in Health and Wholeness was featured in an Atlanta-based magazine article on faith and health. The June feature appeared in “Upscale” magazine and shared information about PHW’s work […]
President’s Climate Action Plan Could Increase Air Quality and Business for NC
ncchurches.org/2013/07/presidents-climate-action-plan-could-increase-air-quality-and-business-for-nc
The President’s newly announced climate action plan calls for more funding for clean energy and limiting carbon emissions for new and existing power plants. This is good news for us […]
Calvary Baptist Takes Part in Cardiac Arrest Rescue Program
The Sylva Herald
“Our congregation is committed to protecting the health of our members, and Strive to Revive helps us take this commitment to the next level,” said the Rev. Avery Brown, church pastor. “With more than 50-75 people attending our church each week, we have the potential to save lives and make a real difference in our community.”
Strive to Revive kicked off in Charlotte in 2010 by awarding 20 organizations with AEDs and CPR training. BCBSNC, the North Carolina Council of Churches, the American Red Cross and Carney are committed to expanding the program statewide by distributing AEDs and providing CPR training to places of worship across North Carolina with the goal of reaching all 100 counties.
National Day of Action #PutSolarOnIt
On June 21, the longest day of the year, Interfaith Power & Light is joining a coalition of groups to come together for a National Day of Action to show support for switching […]
Hours after Michigan shooting, North Carolina Republicans advance bills to loosen state gun laws
GOP lawmakers have passed similar legislation expanding gun access in past legislative sessions. This time, they might have the votes to override the governor’s veto. Hours after three students at […]
Job Opening: Program Coordinator for Sanctuary Sites and Immigration Advocacy
Update: This position has now been filled. The Council is hiring a part-time program coordinator for Sanctuary sites and Immigration Advocacy. The full job description is posted below and at […]
Emergency Call to Action from Rev. William Barber
Rev. William Barber, president of the NC NAACP, organizer of the HKonJ movement (of which the NC Council of Churches is a partner), and pastor of the Greenleaf Christian Church in […]
Week of Action to End Immigration Detention Quotas
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 […]
Lawmakers, faith leaders stress gun safety as permitless concealed carry bills advance
Gun control advocates and faith leaders held a press conference at the state Legislative Building Wednesday urging lawmakers to oppose bills that would allow carrying concealed firearms without a permit. […]
Medicaid Expansion Advocacy Day
Several organization including the Council, Health Care for All NC, NC Child, the Justice Center, and the League of Women Voters will come together for a Medicaid Expansion Advocacy Day. […]
Faith Voices for Creation Justice Advocacy Day
Join NC Interfaith Power & Light and Sierra Club for a joint advocacy day at the North Carolina General Assembly. Meet with elected officials to hear their visions for NC’s […]
Religious leaders talk possible legal action against the Wake school board
News 14 Carolina
Outside a closed door meeting with fellow clergy and attorneys at Pullen Memorial Baptist Church in Raleigh, N.C. NAACP President Rev. Dr. William Barber, a representative from the North Carolina Council of Churches and fellow Wake school board protest arrestees talked future tactics on how they plan to take on the changing policies of the board.
Caring for God’s Creation through Climate Action
The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE) is sponsoring the Southeast Coastal Climate Network’s (SECCN) webinar series with a presentation on faith-based climate action in the Southeast.Join this webinar to […]
2016 Faith Voices for Clean Energy Advocacy Day
On May 11, NCIPL hosted the Second Annual Faith Voices for Clean Energy Advocacy Day. Members of faith communities from across the state met with representatives of the NC General […]
🌎 You Are Invited! 🌿 Eco-Justice Monthly Advocacy Forum via Zoom 🌟
Beginning on Tuesday, Feb. 24th 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM Each month, we will hear from a Special Guest Speaker on key advocacy issues for North Carolina. Click here […]
Sacred Series Toolkit: Becoming a Trauma-Informed Faith Community
Please use the Sacred Conversations Toolkit: Becoming a Trauma-Informed Faith Community alongside our Part I and Part II recordings found below, which offer an overview of helpful strategies in becoming a trauma-informed faith community.
Advent Worship Resources on Peace
Date: Advent 1 - Dec. 1, 2013
Topic: Peace
Focus Text: Isaiah 2:1-5
To take Isaiah’s words to heart is to envision a world without hunger, poverty, war, violence, or fear. The prophet’s oracle challenges our endless pursuit for bigger and better weapons, the perpetuation of hatred and violence, the ever-widening gap between the rich and poor, and our insatiable appetite for more resources and power.
Topic: Peace
Focus Text: Isaiah 2:1-5
To take Isaiah’s words to heart is to envision a world without hunger, poverty, war, violence, or fear. The prophet’s oracle challenges our endless pursuit for bigger and better weapons, the perpetuation of hatred and violence, the ever-widening gap between the rich and poor, and our insatiable appetite for more resources and power.
You Shall Not Make an Idol
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 […]
Guns, Medicaid, Gridlock
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 […]
Guns, Medicaid, Gridlock
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 […]
Raleigh Report – February 25, 2013
Attacks on Struggling North Carolinians Advance Medicaid Coverage Unemployment Insurance Earned Income Tax Credit Fracking Moratorium Gun Violence Raise the Age Refusing to Extend Medicaid Coverage SB 4, which would […]
Guns on Campus Are a Bad Idea
Two of the most volatile elements on a college campus are alcohol and hormones. These ingredients contribute to sexual assault (23.1 percent of female and 5.4 percent of male undergraduates), […]
Press Conference in Response to Raleigh Mass Shooting
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. […]
More Than Two Dozen Christian and Jewish Denominations and Associations Sue to Protect Religious Freedoms
The North Carolina Council of Churches is proud to stand as a plaintiff to affirm the sacred obligation to welcome and care for our immigrant neighbors. Read more in the […]
Advocacy
The work of “Advocating with Compassion” is the faithful work of justice. This work is grounded in our values, faith traditions, spiritualities, and the work of countless colleagues who have […]
NC Council of Churches Supports National Groups to Assist the Less Fortunate
In keeping with its mission of supporting peace, unity and social justice, the Council recently has signed on to three letters involving issues being addressed at the federal level. We […]
The Threat is not from Immigrants and Refugees
The Council has had a busy weekend. Much of the staff was helping with the Beyond Gun Violence Conference at United Church of Chapel Hill, but we also had folks […]
A glimpse into the abyss
By: Jennifer Roberts, Co-Chair of N.C. Network for Fair, Safe, and Secure Elections With the November 2024 elections drawing closer, many people have been discussing the specter of political violence. […]
No to SB 43
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 […]
Post-Charlottesville: What Trump Said, and When
When President Trump stepped to a White House lectern on Monday and rebuked the instigators of the deadly violence in Charlottesville, Va., that had erupted two days before, he was […]
2019 Legislative Seminar
Click here to register. Please register by Monday, March 25 to guarantee lunch. Whether you are new to grassroots advocacy or have been engaged in this critical work for some […]
The Fierce Urgency of Now
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 […]
Believing in Goodness and Mercy After a Very Hard Week
It has been a difficult week for anyone who lives from a place of compassion. For people of faith who believe in a kind and loving God and who may […]
Moral Mondays Continue in June
Moral Mondays continue (though they will take the day off on Memorial Day). This week’s protest had the largest number of participants (around 600) and of people taking part in […]
Affirm Teacher Advocacy
Teachers in your community need to hear that faith communities support their efforts to advocate on behalf of the children whom they serve. NOW! We ask you to do these […]
Farmworkers Address Reynolds American: Do More to Protect Workers
Last week, members of the Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC) joined allies and activists from across the state in protesting Reynolds American Inc.'s treatment of farmworkers. Last year, Reynolds earned $1.3 billion in profits, but the company has hesitated to take proactive steps in guaranteeing good housing and fair pay to the workers at the very heart of its supply chain. Here at the NC Council of Churches, we have long supported farmworkers' rights to living wages and dignity on the job. No one should have to work in slave-like conditions to provide for their family. Corporations should take responsibility for their supply chains, and the people whose labor makes possible their profits.
Join the Fast for Family Unity
More than 10,000 people of faith committed to the FAST Action, 40 days Prayer and Fasting for Immigration Reform. As we closed the 40 days on October 18th, we recognize the need for action and escalation is only growing as we approach a shrinking timeline for legislation.We must continue to lift up the moral imperative of immigrants' rights and immigration reform with a pathway to citizenship.
Now many people of faith from all traditions are joining labor, immigrant and community leaders in setting the moral compass and raising our voices. Many faith organizations are joining the Fast for Family Unity beginning November 12th.
Update: Save Our Health Care Rallies Statewide on January 15
On Friday, the House of Representatives voted to continue the process that could ultimately repeal the Affordable Care Act. Activists across the nation were already planning Day of Action events […]
PHW Book Club Discussion: Eating Well Week 7 (Reflection)
Thank you for joining the Partners in Health and Wholeness Book Club. You can officially sign-up here. Through it, we hope to engage people of faith in discussions over why […]
White Water, Black Gold: We Can’t Have Both
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.
Legislative Process and Advocacy: Legislative Seminar Workshop
Tune in as George Reed, our Executive Director here at the NC Council of Churches, explains the legislative process in North Carolina. How can "ordinary citizens" get involved? What strategies can we use to be as effective as possible? Listen as George crams 25 years of experience into one jam-packed hour.
Rights Advocacy At Risk
The optics, as they say, are terrible. But in a state whose motto is “To Be Rather Than to Seem,” it’s even more important to look at the substance. And […]
Our Unceasing Prayer Must Be for Peace
The tragedy of gun violence in this country seems unending. We pray for those impacted, whether in a South Carolina church two years ago, a Florida club one year ago, […]
Statement Condemning Violence Against our Jewish Neighbors
The North Carolina Council of Churches represents 18 denominations statewide among which are congregations large and small, urban and rural, multicultural and multi-ethnic. Today we stand in solidarity with our […]
Courage & Compassion in the Time of Coronavirus
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 […]
More Wind Energy, Not Less
It is becoming a national trend for politicians to “divide and conquer” by attacking the wind industry while supporting other forms of clean energy. This is fracturing the renewable energy community as folks […]
Knowing the Truth
Remarks delivered by Jennifer Copeland at a November 15 press conference in Fayetteville opposing the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. Roughly half the people in this country, give or take six hundred […]
Mental Health Advocacy
Together, we will learn ways that our health, faith, and overall well-being intersect. A foundation of our wholeness is mental health, which includes our individual and community-wide mental health. Our […]
In the Face of Violence
Today, Friday, August 18, 2017, South Main in Durham, NC, is closed to traffic. Civil employees have been sent home. Some banks and many businesses in the downtown area have […]
PHW Book Club Discussion: Eating Well Week 1 (Overview)
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. We will be […]
PHW Book Club Discussion: Eating Well Week 3 (Enough)
Thank you for joining the Partners in Health and Wholeness Book Club. You can officially sign-up here. Through it, we hope to engage people of faith in discussions over why […]
PHW Book Club Discussion: Eating Well Week 4 (Honoring Neighbors)
Thank you for joining the Partners in Health and Wholeness Book Club. You can officially sign-up here. Through it, we hope to engage people of faith in discussions over why […]
PHW Book Club Discussion: Eating Well Week 5 (Diversity)
Thank you for joining the Partners in Health and Wholeness Book Club. You can officially sign-up here. Through it, we hope to engage people of faith in discussions over why […]
PHW Book Club Discussion: Eating Well Week 6 (Peace)
Thank you for joining the Partners in Health and Wholeness Book Club. You can officially sign-up here. Through it, we hope to engage people of faith in discussions over why […]
Join the Fast for Immigrant Families
In these waning days of 2013, when the outlook for winning comprehensive immigration reform looks rather bleak in the short term, many of you have been asking me: what can we do?
While the pace of progress on immigration reform has been appallingly slow, we need to keep speaking up and taking action to show elected officials that this movement isn't going away. I will be participating in the North Carolina Fast for Immigrant Families on December 17.
Here is a detailed invitation by our friends at FaithAction International House.
General Assembly Convenes; Action Needed
The 2011 General Assembly convened Wednesday for its long session. The politics of this session will be unlike any we have ever known because Republicans are now in the majority in both the House and Senate, and the Governor – with a veto – is a Democrat. We’ve not been here before.
Also in this Raleigh Report: Photo ID to Vote, Health Care Reform, State Budget and more.
People of Faith Must Speak Up
We can't speak up for poor people without speaking up to the powerful, writes Rev. Joel Edwards, director of Micah Challenge International. PEOPLE OF FAITH MUST SPEAK UP! Please take action today... and invite you friends and family to join you!
The Second Commandment
When the news broke about the North Carolina Council of Churches billboard suggesting a connection between guns and idolatry, responses ran from, “Thank you for naming the truth,” to “How […]
Faith Voices for Clean Energy Advocacy Day
Join NC Interfaith Power & Light’s congregational lay and faith leaders network on March 21 at the NC General Assembly in Raleigh for the third Annual Faith Voices for Clean […]
Be an Ally: Support the Council
Without the support of individuals, the work of the Council could not continue as it exists today. Your donation helps us be an ally to the “othered” whether that’s immigrants, […]
Standing with the Dreamers
The Raleigh News & Observer recently featured a front-page story about how students are organizing in support of the Dream Act. Here at the Council, we’re excited to see this generation of young people come out of the shadows and stand against unjust immigration policies that separate families and undermine access to education. At the same time, we know these students are taking huge risks in revealing their status.
Observations by Steve Ford
Steve Ford has lived in North Carolina since 1981, when he moved here to join The News & Observer of Raleigh. He retired in late 2012 as the paper’s editorial page […]
Affirming NC’s Public Investments — An Opportunity for Action
The North Carolina Council of Churches is a member of the Together NC Coalition. In light of the current state budget crisis, the coalition is offering concerned citizens one way […]
Anti-Muslim Bigotry is Wrong
Lowe’s home improvement stores confirmed last week that, in response to agitation from an anti-Muslim group, they had pulled their advertising from TLC’s All American Muslim, a reality TV show […]
North Carolina UCC Receives Heart Defibrillator Through Health and Wellness Program
UCC News
Parkway United Church of Christ is now ready to take action if someone in the building shows signs of a heart attack. Through the North Carolina Council of Churches' Strive to Revive program, the Winston-Salem congregation qualified for a free automated external defibrillator (AED) and CPR training, and the Rev. Craig Schaub made sure his church took advantage of the opportunity.
Upcoming Webinar- Congregational Energy Savings Analyses
If you are interested in reducing your congregation’s utility bills, increasing your congregation’s efforts to care for creation, and taking a positive action in response to climate change, we invite […]
Discriminatory Bill Won’t Deliver on Driving Permits for Undocumented Immigrants
North Carolina’s own Arizona-style, anti-immigrant bill is still alive in the House, but your voices can help defeat this bill. Click here to take action now. Recently, House Bill 786 was amended […]
National Farmworker Awareness Week
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 […]
Gospel Power vs Institutional Sin: Exploring Approaches to Challenge Corporate Injustice and Poverty
Join the Methodist Federation for Social Action of the North Carolina Conference for this conference exploring some of the strategies institutions use to take from the poor to enrich the […]
NC Churches Highlight Solar Panels During Faith Climate Action Week
Duke Energy’s solar panel rebate program expires this year, and faith groups such as the North Carolina Council of Churches and Interfaith Power and Light are urging churches across the state to […]
Ni Un Vida Mas/Not Another Life: Farmworker Vigil
Join us for a vigil and press conference that aims to bring attention to recent developments and losses in the farmworker community. These losses have a significant impact and highlight […]
Food Day Flash Mob a Success
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 […]
Time to Take a Knee
It has been nearly fourteen months since Colin Kaepernick first knelt during the playing of the Star Spangled Banner prior to the start of his team’s games. The decision not […]
“You don’t have to take my word for it.”
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 […]
Faith Voices for Clean Energy Advocacy Day
Join NC Interfaith Power & Light’s lay and faith leader network for our Advocating with Compassion Day at the North Carolina General Assembly. Meet with your elected officials to hear their visions for […]
Careers
With more than eight decades of progressive activism, the North Carolina Council of Churches remains the leading faith voice for justice advocacy in North Carolina. We are particularly concerned about […]
Unity in Action against Islamophobia in the Wake of the Orlando Murders
By Fady Hanna, Duke Divinity School Intern The tragic mass murder in Orlando this past weekend is yet another reminder of the challenges that we as Americans must rise to […]
Legislative Bulletin: Torture and North Carolina
Governor Roy Cooper faces many important challenges in making North Carolina a just, prosperous state. We commend his support for expanding health coverage, ending gun violence, and preserving voting rights. One challenge […]
North Carolina Council of Churches Releases Faithful Voter Reflection Guide: Empowering Faith Communities to Vote Their Values
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 […]
Legislative Seminar Page Features Podcasts, Pictures and More
Many of you who attended the 2013 Legislative Seminar expressed an interest in having portions of the day available online, and we have started that process. Audio from the Rev. […]
Public Education Advocacy and Faith: Why The Church Should Care
The United Methodist Advocates for Public Schools (UMAPS) team from Saint Francis United Methodist Church and the NC Conference and Pastors for NC Children invite you to join us for […]