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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Excerpted from the NC Council of Churches Lenten Guide, “Journey to Justice” When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that […]
Excerpted from the NC Council of Churches Lenten Guide, “Journey to Justice” My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, from the […]
Excerpted from the NC Council of Churches Lenten Guide, “Journey to Justice.” Reflection written by Sabrina Rosario, NC Interfaith Power & Light intern. Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus […]
Excerpted from the NC Council of Churches Lenten Guide, “Journey to Justice” Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; my eye wastes away from grief, my soul and […]
2018 is shaping up to the be the Year of the Woman. From the halls of government to stages and theaters from coast to coast, from marches and protest to […]
Excerpted from the NC Council of Churches Lenten Guide, “Journey to Justice” Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. They came to Philip, who […]
Excerpted from the NC Council of Churches Lenten Guide, “Journey to Justice” You were dead through the trespasses and sins in which you once lived, following the course of this world, […]
Excerpted from the NC Council of Churches Lenten Guide, “Journey to Justice” Then God spoke all these words: I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of […]
Excerpted from the NC Council of Churches Lenten Guide, “Journey to Justice” You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him; stand in awe of him, […]
Excerpted from the NC Council of Churches Lenten Guide, “Journey to Justice” Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, “As for me, I am establishing my covenant […]
Excerpted from the NC Council of Churches Lenten Guide, “Journey to Justice” We entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to […]
Excerpted from A Season of Hope. An Advent Guide for Lectionary Year B from the North Carolina Council of Churches. And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching […]
Excerpted from A Season of Hope. An Advent Guide for Lectionary Year B from the North Carolina Council of Churches. After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the […]
Excerpted from A Season of Hope. An Advent Guide for Lectionary Year B from the North Carolina Council of Churches. Praise the LORD. Praise the LORD from the heavens; praise […]
It has been a rough year for creche sets at our house. For our family, as for many, the Holiday Season is cluttered by rehearsals, recitals, school performances, pageants, holiday […]
Excerpted from A Season of Hope. An Advent Guide for Lectionary Year B from the North Carolina Council of Churches. For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation […]
Excerpted from A Season of Hope. An Advent Guide for Lectionary Year B from the North Carolina Council of Churches. In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the […]
Excerpted from A Season of Hope. An Advent Guide for Lectionary Year B from the North Carolina Council of Churches. When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were […]
Excerpted from A Season of Hope. An Advent Guide for Lectionary Year B from the North Carolina Council of Churches. Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to […]
Excerpted from A Season of Hope. An Advent Guide for Lectionary Year B from the North Carolina Council of Churches. “But in those days, following that distress, the sun will […]
The theme for our Advent Guide this year is hope. After considering various themes, we chose hope for the reminder of eternal Hope rather than the spurts of an optimistic […]
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 […]
By Andrew Hudgins, NCCC Program Associate for Operations, for The Resistance Prays News: In a speech delivered to law enforcement officers last week, President Trump seemed to endorse police brutality […]
The Council is partnering with Raise the Wage NC to encourage faith communities to hold a Labor Sabbath this Labor Day weekend, September 1-3. Faith leaders can adapt their holy […]
We were delighted to meet many of you at the Wild Goose Festival last week. Council staff members enjoyed spending time with friends from across the country, hearing your stories, […]
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, […]
The Council is a sponsor of the Wild Goose Festival in Hot Springs this July. Members of the staff will be leading workshops and sharing resources. We hope to see […]
About this time two years ago, I accepted the offer to become the next Executive Director of the NC Council of Churches. We agreed that I would spend two weeks […]
By now, most of us have read “Dark Money” or heard enough about the subject it explores to recognize that money is suffocating our democracy. Add to this styptic environment […]
Sermon preached on May 7, 2017 at Church of the Nativity, Raleigh. When I was in kindergarten, we memorized the 23rd Psalm. Of course, it was the King James Version, […]
We often struggle to address mental health in our communities of faith. This Mother’s Day, as we honor those who bring forth life and contribute so much to our communities, […]
The Council is excited to announce the release of our free app for iOS and Android mobile devices. The current political climate has proven to be chaotic at times and […]
Confession: I didn’t give anything up for Lent this year and I don’t feel bad about it. Instead, I baked loaves of sourdough bread every Sunday for communion at my […]
Preached on April 12 at St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church, Chapel Hill Holy Week, this week, is the most intense week of the Christian year. The secular world might […]
Sermon preached by the Rev. Jennifer Copeland on April 1, 2017 at First United Methodist Church, Mocksville for the Western North Carolina Conference United Methodist Women’s Legislative Day. For God’s […]
For those who could not be with us at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church in Raleigh, video from portions of the day is available on our Facebook page. The morning […]
Our friends at North Carolinians Against Gun Violence have issued the alert below. Please note that it requires action before this evening, Monday, March 27. _________________________________________________________________________ We are continuing to […]
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 […]
For this year’s Lenten Guide, each member of the Council staff chose a verse from a favorite hymn to write about. We will post their reflections throughout Lent, for Ash […]
For this year’s Lenten Guide, each member of the Council staff chose a verse from a favorite hymn to write about. We will post their reflections throughout Lent, for Ash […]
Excerpted from How Will We Welcome the Prince of Peace? An Advent Guide for Lectionary Year A from the NC Council of Churches. Then Jesus came from Galilee to John […]
Excerpted from How Will We Welcome the Prince of Peace? An Advent Guide for Lectionary Year A from the NC Council of Churches. In the time of King Herod, after […]
Excerpted from How Will We Welcome the Prince of Peace? An Advent Guide for Lectionary Year A from the NC Council of Churches. Now after they had left, an angel […]
Excerpted from How Will We Welcome the Prince of Peace? An Advent Guide for Lectionary Year A from the NC Council of Churches. The people who walked in darkness have […]
Promise of a New Day Brown Baby Born to Unwed Parents Immigrant, Refugee, Religious Outsider Radical Organizer for the Oppressed Prince of Peace, Emmanuel Savior We know you as all […]
Excerpted from How Will We Welcome the Prince of Peace? An Advent Guide for Lectionary Year A from the NC Council of Churches. Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, saying, […]
Excerpted from How Will We Welcome the Prince of Peace? An Advent Guide for Lectionary Year A from the NC Council of Churches. The wilderness and the dry land shall […]
Today when I logged onto Facebook, among all the heartbreaking news in our world (some from credible sources, others questionable), I was taken with a graphic shared by Hacking Christianity, a blog […]
Excerpted from How Will We Welcome the Prince of Peace? An Advent Guide for Lectionary Year A from the NC Council of Churches. The word that Isaiah son of Amoz […]
Earlier this month, the North Carolina Conference hosted its annual Pilgrimage event, a time when several thousand middle and high school students come together for a weekend to hear from […]
In the absence of kindness and consideration, we have become less civil and more mean-spirited with one another. Lord have mercy. In the presence of fears and hurts, we have […]
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 […]
Faith in Public Life, the Skinner Leadership Institute, and Values Partnership will offer a prayer for the nation this evening, November 9, from 7 to 7:40 p.m. As the Rev. Jennifer Butler […]
NC advocates in orange at the General Assembly last year. Photo provided by Beth Messersmith, NC Campaign Director, MomsRising. Less than a month ago, our middle son sat with his classmates under […]
According to the news reports, it all started over a place on a pew. One parishioner sat in someone else’s spot and then objected to moving. Another flashed his legally […]
Baccalaureate sermon delivered by Jennifer Copeland on May 5 at Louisburg College. Isaiah 2:2-4; Revelation 21:1-7; Luke 4:16-21 You are the most watched generation in history. Of course, it’s easy […]
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, […]
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 […]
Excerpted from In Those Days and In These, an Advent Devotional Guide from the NC Council of Churches In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a […]
Excerpted from In Those Days and In These, an Advent Devotional Guide from the NC Council of Churches John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by […]
Excerpted from In Those Days and In These, an Advent Devotional Guide from the NC Council of Churches In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius […]
Excerpted from In Those Days and In These, an Advent Devotional Guide from the NC Council of Churches Jesus said, “There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and […]
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 […]
“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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Ash Wednesday is the first day of the season of Lent. In liturgical churches, it begins with a vivid reminder of death. As the words “for dust you are and […]
January 6, the Feast of the Epiphany, is a time when Christians celebrate the arrival of the Magi from the East. The word Epiphany comes from the Greek word meaning […]
During the holiday season, we celebrate the love of friends and family, and this week of Advent we anticipate the love of the coming Christ. As we seek to live […]
Advent is here. If you look around, it may seem like Christmas showed up weeks ago, at least in stores and on the radio. But it isn’t Christmas yet. It is Advent. The […]
The Council’s 2014 Advent Devotional Guide is now available as a free download. Each year, Council staff take a social justice theme as a focus for these guides to be used during […]
If you haven’t had a chance to take a look at the Council’s curriculum, “Eating Well: For Ourselves, For Our Neighbors, For Our Planet,” I urge you to do so. You […]
As Labor Day weekend quickly approaches, many people are thinking about beaches and barbeques. Amy Laura Hall, however, wants people to be thinking about something different: labor unions. Hall, a professor […]
The People’s Climate March is bringing together people with the urgency and power needed to address the climate crisis. Read more here. It is happening in New York and simultaneously in […]
Please join the North Carolina Council of Churches at the 2014 Faith and Health Summit, which will be held on Friday, October 10, 2014 at Ardmore Baptist Church in Winston-Salem (501 […]
I am admittedly a person who does not care about sports. However, the World Cup is one event that can even make a sports observer as apathetic as myself tune […]
Program Associate Jennie Wilburn has created a worship resource for Pentecost as an opportunity to break down linguistic and cultural barriers through the Holy Spirit. Jennie writes: This collection of […]
I was baptized a Baptist as a child, confirmed an Episcopalian as an adult. I stood by as three of my own dozed through being “marked as Christ’s own forever” […]
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 our […]
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 our […]
In recognition of our faithful call and of this time in history, the Council’s annual Lenten guide focuses on poverty and the ways we can respond to our sisters and […]
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 our […]
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, which is explored in other seasons of the Christian year, focuses on lifting up those whom society regarded as worthless or weak, including the poor, the ill, the foreigner, women, and children. Social justice was at the core of Jesus’ ministry. Based on the Advent readings for Lectionary Year A, this guide will assist you in slowing down this season by taking 20-30 minutes one night a week to focus on social justice.
As summer heads our way, consider hosting an Earth Sabbath Celebration. NCIPL has recently added several new services to the Celebration Resource Page and encourages you to check them out. […]
The Rev. Joseph Brown, Sr. is Presiding Elder, African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. He is a former Council president and a past recipient of the Council’s Distinguished Service Award. Rev. […]
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 […]
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.
