This year marks the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment which granted many women in the US the right to vote. However, 1920 was not the end of the fight […]
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 […]
The Wild Goose Festival is a 4-day art, music, and story-driven transformational experience grounded in faith-inspired social justice. Come to not only learn from incredible speakers, but also to engage […]
The Wild Goose Festival is a 4-day art, music, and story-driven transformational experience grounded in faith-inspired social justice. Come to not only learn from incredible speakers, but also to engage […]
Psalm 100 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come into his presence with singing. Know that the Lord is God. It […]
Join the LGBTQ Center of Durham, Alamance County Community Partners, and the North Carolina Council of Churches for a community conversation about how we can work together to resist hate and oppression in […]
Join the LGBTQ Center of Durham, Sampson County Community Partners, and the North Carolina Council of Churches for a community conversation about how we can work together to resist hate and oppression in […]
Join the LGBTQ Center of Durham, Orange County Community Partners, and the North Carolina Council of Churches for a community conversation about how we can work together to resist hate and oppression in […]
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” – John 8:12 […]
We were already living in a time of profound consequence. President Trump’s decision to pull the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Agreement means that while the needs of our endangered climate are increasing, […]
As followers of the Prince of Peace, Christians are not always particularly peaceful people, which is what makes North Carolina’s return to the national stage as a foothold for intolerance […]
Thank you to those who have registered for the 2017 Legislative Seminar. We are looking forward to having you join us this Monday, March 27, at St. Mark’s United Methodist […]
If you think organized religion has lost its appeal (25% of Americans do; most of them under 40), then it might be time to look again. Look at the Wild […]
Despite evidence that the Affordable Care Act is more popular and more needed than ever, some Republicans in Congress have proceeded with partisan plans to repeal Obamacare while dismantling Medicaid […]
Yesterday morning, the Sandra P. Lerner Jewish Community Day School in Durham received a bomb threat. This was the most recent in recurring waves of bomb threats against Jewish centers […]
By George Reed, Retired Executive Director I came to North Carolina in 1978 to work with the Baptist State Convention after completing a law degree and becoming a member of […]
Sometimes God whispers. Whether through hymns or homilies or kids dancing their way down the aisle to children’s chapel. Sometimes God shouts. Through the amplified suffering of others, known or […]
Last in a series of three blogs. Above all, these strangers bring to us the Christ. When we welcome a stranger we welcome Jesus, and when we welcome Jesus we […]
For more than 80 years the NC Council of Churches has stood for essential human rights and common decency grounded in the Gospel imperative to “love God and love neighbor.” […]
This Sunday’s Gospel reading was the Beatitudes, Matthew 5:1-12. Jesus says blessed nine times, but he never says blocked or banned. When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the […]
Our friend Rob Schofield over at Policy Watch wrote a column on Tuesday that was as vitally important in its truth-telling as it was hard to read for the future […]
At another time in my life, I would not have spent most of Saturday occupying my tiny square of personal space in the heart of Washington DC, literally shoulder to […]
St. Philip’s Episcopal Church in Durham and the NC Council of Churches invite you to join us for a brief service to pray for justice and reconciliation in our nation […]
We could not begin the new year without acknowledging the volunteers, grassroots advocates, donors, organizational partners, and all others who helped the Council continue to be a faithful, prophetic voice for justice, […]
The amount of grassroots, efficient, and sustainable Kingdom work happening in North Carolina is astounding. People across our state are working together in various communities to promote health and wholeness. […]
Looking ahead to 2017, there is much more work for the Council to do than we ever imagined. Please join us. Your financial support helps us continue what began in […]
We are living in unsettling times. Progress we once thought inviolable now feels threatened. One constant is the NC Council of Churches and our commitment to a more just, united, […]
I recently heard the song, “Sweet Little Jesus Boy” for the first time in a beautiful recording by Straight No Chaser. For days the lines, “We didn’t know who you […]
A full-page ad in Sunday’s Raleigh News & Observer will include the signatures of more than 300 clergy who have added their name to a statement speaking to our shared faithful call […]
In September, I had an opportunity to travel to Cuba with Witness for Peace as part of a delegation focused on “Faith, Politics, Economics, and Changing U.S.-Cuban Relations.” There I […]
On the weekend of December 2-4, the Council has called on NC faith leaders to shape their worship service around the theme “Love One Another.” On the same weekend, we […]
The NC Council of Churches has never taken peace for granted. Indeed, along with our work in opposition to violence, there has long been the recognition that peace manifests itself […]
On December 2, the Council’s Christian Unity Committee will offer a workshop intended to help Christians get to know our Muslim neighbors with tools for interfaith community building and theological […]
The impacts of climate variability and change affect everyone, but they disproportionately affect vulnerable populations with the least resources to prepare and recover from the damage. Understanding where these concerns […]
Early in my tenure as the Executive Director of the NC Council of Churches, I needed a pithy answer to the question: “What do you do?” I honed the response: […]
On September 1 people around the world are coming together to pray for God’s creation, and to observe the Season of Creation between that day and October 4 – the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi. NC Interfaith […]
Immigration is one of the most important issues in the 2016 presidential race, as it has been in previous election cycles. Debates about our response to immigrants and refugees coming […]
This sermon was preached on August 6, 2016 at the Church Women United Leadership Conference. Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let […]
If you were unable to attend the Wild Goose Festival in Hot Springs last week, you missed an amazing four days of fellowship, talks, music, and telling stories. Watch the 3 […]
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 […]
In the coming days, there will be many questions about the who and why of the devastating tragedy in Orlando. What is not in question is how. Another hate-filled rampage […]
The Council is joining EqualityNC and the Equality Federation to bring noted Christian ethicist David Gushee to Durham on April 24 to speak about Christian ethics and the recently passed House […]
Excerpted from the NC Council of Churches Lenten Guide, “Love One Another: Reflections on Race, Power, and Privilege” Deuteronomy 26:1-11 When you have come into the land that the Lord […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 “Islamophobia doesn’t just affect Muslims, it affects a broad range of people,” began Manzoor Cheema, a leader of Muslims for Social Justice and […]
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 […]
I am a millennial. I was also born and raised in the church and have continued to participate in church my entire life. I am soon to be married in […]
Join us on April 14 at Greenwood Forest Baptist Church in Cary for the Council’s 2015 Legislative Seminar. Held every two years, the Seminar equips people of faith with the […]
The deaths of Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, and Deah Shaddy Barakat are an unspeakable tragedy. Whether officials eventually decide that they were murdered because they were Muslim, because […]
In these challenging days in North Carolina, there is nothing more important for people of faith who support progressive and prophetic public policies to do than to take part in […]
We received word last week of the passing of Sydnor Thompson Jr. less than a month shy of his 91st birthday. There are few people who have a longer history […]
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 […]
We have all been touched by news of the growing Ebola crisis in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Nigeria, a crisis that so far has resisted efforts at containment. Those […]
When the line to check in at a church-sponsored conference on a beautiful Saturday morning in April stretches out the door, it’s a sign that the event has generated an […]
The call to people of faith through Moral Mondays continues to be felt. On April 12, a daylong conference takes place at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 7000 Creedmoor Road, Raleigh. […]
The Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina is sponsoring a “Day of Diocesan Story-Telling and Celebration,” focusing on Lex Mathews’ time as Director of Christian Social Ministries from 1975 until 1985. […]
I had two conversations recently with members of a congregation which was voting on whether or not to join the HKonJ Coalition. Those conversations have reminded me that it’s helpful […]
Join the NC NAACP, the North Carolina Council of Churches, and coalition partners for this weekend’s Moral March on Raleigh and HKonJ People’s Assembly. Events include: A Mass Meeting and […]
The Christian Unity Committee of the North Carolina Council of Churches is proud to announce this year’s Conference on the Common Good on the topic “The Church’s Witness to the Common Good […]
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 […]
Date: Epiphany 3 – Jan. 26, 2014
Topic: The Unity of the Church
Focus Text: 1 Corinthians 1:10-18
The list of issues facing the Corinthian church included ethnic diversity, economic disparity, geographical and cultural difference, allegiances to different spiritual leaders, and theological disagreements as well as sinful behavior like idolatry and sexual immorality. Despite the historical gap between Paul’s day and the present, these remain common challenges to church unity.
My morning devotional was about All Saints’ Day, a time for remembering those who have come before us. There is no doubt that Christians have a great inheritance from those […]
I come with sad news. Bishop Michael Burbidge and Bishop Peter Jugis, bishops of the two Catholic dioceses in North Carolina, communicated to the Council early this year their plan […]
Rev. Cody Sanders, Ph.D. candidate in Pastoral Theology and Pastoral Counseling at Brite Divinity School
There is something in these furious, feverish words that beckons beyond a simple description of what life will be like if you choose to follow a peculiar call from Jesus and your closest friends and family don’t. Beyond description, there is something of a call in this passage trying to work its way inside of us. These words beckon us beyond a recounting of our inevitable losses on the journey, to embrace our sacred calling to disturbers the peace.
Bishop Joseph Gossman, who died yesterday, was a great friend of the North Carolina Council of Churches. He led the Diocese of Raleigh into full membership in the Council in […]
PHW Liaison, Sarah Dean, is a dynamic individual who runs a successful health ministry at her church in Anson County. She applied on behalf of her church, Ebenezer Missionary Baptist […]
A leader against economic injustice and two longtime advocates on the Council’s board have received the North Carolina Council of Churches’ highest honors.
Gene Nichol received the Faith Active in Public Life Award. Barbara Volk and Sydnor Thompson II were recognized with Distinguished Service awards. All three were presented at the Council’s 2013 Legislative Seminar which took place April 11 at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church in Raleigh.
Rev. Michael Kinnamon (School of Theology and Ministry, Seattle University)
Where does this leave us today? How can the ecumenical impulse be revitalized in such an era as ours? The answer to this may be suggested in the distinction between optimism and hope. Optimism involves the expectation of a better future based on a reading of present circumstances; hope involves the trustful anticipation of genuine newness, perhaps beyond our imagining, based on the promises of God.
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 […]
In 2008, the Council co-sponsored an event called Jesus for President, which took place at First Baptist Church on Wilmington Street in downtown Raleigh. About 500 twenty-somethings came together to […]
Sojo.net
Jesus was a peacemaking, blessed child of God, but he also was an “other.” Reviled and persecuted, he was the paperless son of displaced immigrant parents. The prophetic iconoclast. That guy who hung out with those people, the type most modern leaders would not associate with, except for a photo opportunity at a Thanksgiving Day soup kitchen. Let us remember on Sunday when we celebrate his resurrection, that Jesus was crucified because he was an outsider whose way of doing things scared and angered the powers-that-be.
If ending gun violence were easy, nightmares like Sandy Hook would never happen. Young lives would not end on urban streets in a hail of bullets. We wouldn’t need to parse the […]
From the Introduction of Preparing the Way: A Social Justice Study for Lent. We’re offering this free resource to you and your congregation as we walk through the season of […]
The 40 days of Lent are a wonderful time for Christians to explore deeply our relationship with God and God’s creation. Everything we need to survive and thrive is on […]
You probably already know that the General Assembly goes into session on Wednesday, January 30. They’ve already had a one-day organizational meeting. You probably also already know that this will […]
Register for the 2013 Conference on the Common Good set for Monday, February 18 at Wake Forest Divinity School.
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 […]
The Graymoor Ecumenical & Interreligious Institute has prepared material for the celebration of this year’s Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which runs from January 18-25, 2013. You will find prayer services, prayers of the faithful and musical suggestions at their website. The theme for 2013 is “What Does God Require of Us?” (cf. Micah 6:6-8). In North Carolina, there will be several observances of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
Because the season of Advent is a time of awaiting the Christ child and the risen Christ, it is a perfect time to think about social justice issues. Christ’s ministry, […]
Recently, I heard a powerful message from the Rev. William Barber. Many Council folks know him. He’s the President of the NC NAACP and pastor of the Greenleaf Christian Church (Disciple of Christ) in Goldsboro. The power of his message was not in fiery delivery. It was a low-key conversation with a group of fifty or so progressive leaders, sitting in a circle in the chapel of University United Methodist Church in Chapel Hill. The power was in the profound thoughts he expressed and in the clear rightness of his words.
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 […]
Durham Herald-Sun
The ballot referendum that could cement the definition of marriage as “the only domestic legal union” into the state Constitution has turned a political debate into a religious one — and is mustering people of faith across North Carolina to the polls.
Richmond County Daily Journal
The Pee Dee Baptist Educational Congress, an auxiliary to the Pee Dee Baptist Educational Association, will conduct the Annual Christian Educational Institute from March 19 to 23, 2012, at the Pee Dee Educational Building in Dobbin Heights.There will be classes for church officers and each department in the church.
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 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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
Join us for the 2012 Conference on the Common Good sponsored by the Council’s Christian Unity Committee. The title of this year’s gathering is Catholic Social Teaching: A Vision for the Common Good. It takes place Monday, February 20 at Raleigh’s Highland United Methodist Church from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The standard and guide for Roman Catholic approaches to social justice for the last hundred years was set by a Papal Encyclical near the turn of the 20th Century. Centesimus Annus celebrates the 100th anniversary of that document and restates its teachings for our generation. It is a comprehensive summary of social and economic justice perspectives that resonate with Christians of every denomination. Rev. Dr. Brian Johnstone, Professor of Moral Theology at Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, will be our guest speaker and leader.
The church of which I’m a member, Pullen Memorial Baptist in Raleigh, has had a partnership for many years with First Baptist Church in Tbilisi, the capital of the Republic of Georgia (formerly part of the Soviet Union). The pastor with whom we’ve had the closest contact, Malkhaz Songulashvili, has now become the Archbishop for Baptists in Georgia. (You did not read that wrong. Baptists in the Republic of Georgia have bishops and an archbishop!) Malkhaz was at Pullen on November 13 to preach and lead in the celebration of Eucharist.
Malkhaz has been courageous in his advocacy and practice of nonviolent action as Georgia has gone through its “Rose Revolution,” which moved Georgia away from authoritarian government and toward democratic reform. The Church of England honored his leadership in September 2005 when he was awarded the Lambeth Cross by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Interfaith Dialogue is a crucial endeavor in light of the increasing religious diversity in our nation and our own communities. Globalization is a wondrous, yet in some ways perplexing reality, and it brings us into ever more frequent contact with persons of other faiths. While at one time the dialogue between Christians and Jews was common and we often spoke of our Judeo-Christian heritage, that conversation has necessarily expanded to include our increasingly numerous Muslim neighbors and we now speak of the Abrahamic Faiths. We are becoming increasingly aware of Buddhist, Hindu and Native American neighbors as well as persons of other religious traditions. It is imperative that we acknowledge, understand, and appreciate each other for the sake not only of civility, but because all our religious traditions require hospitality of us.
When a distinguished group of Muslim Imams published their historic “A Common Word Between Us and You” it was met with resounding expressions of appreciation by religious and secular leaders alike. It was an effort to initiate a broad dialogue across the United States between Muslims and Christians. It focused on two central themes which these two historic faiths hold in common: Love of God, and Love of Neighbor, and it sites the many texts of the Hebrew Scriptures which are venerated by both religious traditions. It seemed inappropriate to engage in such a dialogue without including our Jewish colleagues from whose faith tradition these texts originated. Hence, a three way dialogue was seen as the best approach.
