Follow NCC on Social Media! | | | | | NCC Observes Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Jan 18–Jan 25) | | The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is a special time for Christians worldwide to pray for visible unity, rooted in Jesus' prayer that "they all may be one" (John 17:21).
NCC invites all to join us in daily prayer in observance of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Sunday, January 18–Sunday, January 25, 2026. Throughout this week, we will share prayers for unity offered by members of our 37 communions as we seek deeper fellowship, reconciliation, and shared witness in Christ. May these prayers inspire us to walk faithfully in the call to be one body, united in love and purpose.
Visit NCC's YouTube channel for a new prayer each day! While you're there, please subscribe to our channel! | | Friendship Press to Host Webinar Celebrating Launch of NCC Commemorative Bible | | Celebrate the launch of the NCC New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition Commemorative Bible with Bishop McKenzie and a panel of voices from across NCC member communions, sharing the traditions and histories that have shaped our faith.
Scripture and the Church Today: How We Continue the Biblical Story February 17, 6:00 p.m. ET | | | Bishop Budde Leads Clergy
Protests in Minneapolis | | Bishop Mariann Budde, the Episcopal bishop of Washington, speaks during a press conference by clergy about immigration actions, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026, in Minneapolis. (RNS photo/Jack Jenkins) | "I don't think a year ago we could have fathomed how quickly and how dramatically this country would change," Budde told Religion News Service in Minneapolis.
MINNEAPOLIS (RNS) — Almost exactly a year ago, the Rt. Rev. Mariann Budde, the Episcopal bishop of Washington, stood in a pulpit in front of the newly inaugurated President Donald Trump and preached a sermon that called on the commander in chief to have “mercy” on immigrants and other communities.
The sermon quickly drew backlash from the president himself, who called her “a Radical Left hard line Trump hater,” and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, who called her message “radical.”
But if Budde’s message was radical, it’s one that has resonated nonetheless. A year later, she stood in another church in Minneapolis, this time surrounded by an array of clergy who represented the hundreds of faith leaders who flocked to the city this week to protest the administration’s mass deportation campaign.
“In our varied and united faith traditions, love of neighbor is not optional,” Budde declared.
The bishop sat down with Religion News Service shortly after that appearance on Thursday (January 22) to reflect on the year that has passed since her barn-burning sermon and on what she expects will be even more faith-based activism on behalf of immigrants.
Read the full story here. | | Hundreds of Clergy on Lookout for
ICE in Minneapolis | | Clergy observe and document the actions of immigration enforcement agents, Jan. 22, 2026, in Minneapolis. (RNS photo/Jack Jenkins) | The faith leaders, who hail from across the country and represent a range of religious traditions, deployed to neighborhoods with significant immigrant populations, where DHS agents have been most active.
MINNEAPOLIS (RNS) — Around 200 faith leaders fanned out across the city on Thursday (Jan. 22) to observe and document the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, with some clergy confronting Department of Homeland Security agents, adding a visible religious presence to widespread efforts to counter the president’s mass deportation campaign in the region.
The faith leaders, who are in Minneapolis as part of a larger convening focused on religious pushback to ICE, deployed to neighborhoods with significant immigrant populations, where DHS agents have been most active during an ongoing campaign known as Operation Metro Surge. The clergy, who hail from a range of traditions and worship communities across the country, sang on the buses as they ventured out into the street. They belted out hymns and songs popular during the Civil Rights Movement, such as “Woke Up This Morning.” For the Rev. James Galasinski, who leads a Unitarian Universalist congregation in Canton, New York, it was only a few minutes after he arrived at his designated neighborhood before he and two of his clergy colleagues encountered ICE agents. The ministers — all wearing clerical stoles — began blowing whistles, attempting to alert the nearby community. ICE agents surrounded one of the women from the minivan and instructed the pastors to get back. Brockway, standing behind the other faith leaders, began livestreaming the encounter to his church’s Facebook page.
Read full story here. | | Abp. Elpidophoros Visits The Bahamas Annunciation Greek Orthodox Community | | | By Fr. Dionysios Papiris
His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America visited the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Community in the Bahamas on the Sunday after Theophany, on January 11.
After the completion of the annual Archiepiscopal visit in Tarpon Springs, this year marking the 120th consecutive celebration of the Great Feast of Theophany in Florida, this year the Archbishop instituted visiting The Bahamas to celebrate the afterfeast with the Greek Orthodox Community of the Annunciation.
Archbishop Elpidophoros congratulated the entire Community for being a beacon of the Orthodox faith in this proud Caribbean nation and wished them much progress in their future endeavors for the glory of God.
Read the full story here. | | Bishop Craig Anderson, Former NCC President, Passes | | NCC acknowledges with sadness the passing of former NCC President (1998-1999) Bishop Craig Anderson on January 17.
Beginning in 1978, Anderson served on the faculty of the University of the South School of Theology as the C.K. Benedict Chair of Pastoral Theology. After stepping down as diocesan bishop in 1993, Bishop Anderson continued to serve the Episcopal Church, including as dean of General Seminary (1993-1997); headmaster of St. Paul’s School in Concord, New Hampshire (1997-2005); assistant bishop in the Diocese of Idaho; interim rector of St. Thomas Church in Sun Valley, Idaho; non-stipendiary rector of Emmanuel Episcopal Parish on Orcas Island, Washington; and as assistant bishop in the Diocese of Olympia from 2007 to 2014.
Bishop Anderson was known for his work in conservation, environmental stewardship, human rights, Indigenous ministries, and ecumenism. | | Global Faith Voices Unite for Debt Justice During World Economic Forum | | Kenyan group gathered for the online prayer during the World Economic Forum. Photo: World Council of Churches | Faith leaders and activists from across the globe united on January 21 to demand systemic change, as crushing debts and climate crisis trap 3.4 billion people in countries that spend more on debt repayments than on climate response and essential public services. The interfaith liturgy on global inequality, held in-person in Nairobi and online as the World Economic Forum opened, brought together voices from Kenya, South Africa, Zimbabwe, the Philippines, Pakistan, Nepal, and other countries calling for debt cancellation and climate justice.
The liturgy took place during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity and the season commemorating Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s legacy.
Speaking from Atlanta, World Council of Churches (WCC) president from North America-Turtle Island, Rev. Dr. Angelique Walker-Smith, delivered the reflection. She proclaimed Jubilee for people and planet, linking debt relief directly to climate action and food security.
"The climate emergency, together with widening inequalities, demands such a reset. The socio-economic and ecological costs of the global debt crisis can no longer be ignored," Dr. Walker-Smith said.
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development figures show 3.4 billion people live in countries spending more on debt repayments than on the climate emergency and essential public services. Those crushing obligations prevent governments from investing in healthcare, education, food security, or climate adaptation, Walker-Smith noted.
Frequent climate disasters now drive up loss and damage, she warned, forcing climate-vulnerable countries to borrow even more for recovery and reconstruction. "This creates a vicious cycle of debt and dependency that undermines climate resilience and sustainable development."
Read full story here. | | Ecumenical Partners Sponsor
'Faithful Resistance"
Public Witness Event, Feb 25 | | Join ecumenical and interfaith leaders and communities in Washington, DC, for a public witness grounded in worship, moral courage, and solidarity with neighbors.
The day will begin with worship, followed by a prayerful procession to the U.S. Capitol and afternoon congressional visits. Stay tuned for livestream information.
February 25, 2026 | Washington, D.C.
10 AM | Worship at Capitol Hill UMC
11 AM | Process to the U.S. Capitol
Click here for more information. | | ABC Church Hosts 'The Power of Sisterhood Luncheon' Feb 24 | | This is an open invitation to lunch at the historic Baptist Building, home of the D.C. Baptist Convention, as they gather to celebrate, strengthen, and support women in ministry. Featuring a keynote address from Rev. Dr. Zina Jacque, interim pastor at Broadneck Baptist Church, this event will celebrate the gifts and elevate the voices of women in ministry across our Baptist family.
Together, these gifted leaders will inspire, encourage, and remind us of the vital role women play in ministry and the connections that sustain it.
This luncheon is not simply about sharing a meal—it is about lifting one another up, celebrating sisterhood, and ensuring that women’s voices, gifts, and stories are seen, heard, and valued.
This luncheon is hosted by American Baptist Churches USA, Office of the General Secretary, and the District of Columbia Baptist Convention.
Click here for more information. | | 2026 WSCF-US National Student Conference Registration Open | | The 2026 WSCF-US National Student Conference embraces Isaiah 2:3-4 and Micah 4:3-4 as guides to "Study War No More." Inspired by the long tradition of Christian peacemakers and following the way of Jesus, WSCF-US aligns with students and young people across the U.S. and the world, courageously resisting violent injustices and the systems that perpetuate them.
Throughout the conference, students will be encouraged to take up the biblical charge to learn war no more in fellowship with young Christians from around the US and the world.
Conversation facilitated through panels, action-oriented workshops, worship, and small groups will aim to deepen commitments to active resistance against violence, fear, and oppression. Students will leave more deeply rooted in their faith and ready to live prophetically to transform churches and the world. The conference will be hosted at Columbia Theological Seminary in metro Atlanta, April 9–12. | | NEWorks Productions Announces 'Just Like Selma'
Hymn-sing Project! | | In February 2026, NEWorks is inviting congregations and choirs nationwide to join the ‘Just Like Selma’ Hymn-sing Project in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of Black History Month, founded in 1926 by Dr. Carter G. Woodson.
Imagine 100+ congregations and choirs across the nation uniting in worship through the singing of a new social justice hymn.
A National PSA & Hymn-sing Project As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary in 2026, NEWorks Productions is launching phase two of its Freedom Advances campaign, an expansive civic initiative that confronts the unfinished promise of American democracy. Central to this phase is a new work that spotlights the Civil Rights Movement’s power to reshape the nation: Just Like Selma.
On “Bloody Sunday,” March 7, 1965, the nation recoiled in horror as state troopers brutally attacked peaceful protestors on Selma’s Edmund Pettus Bridge.
This history will be illumined anew through Just Like Selma, a stirring new social justice hymn inspired by King's ‘How Long, Not Long’ speech delivered on the steps of the Alabama State Capitol 60 years ago. Composed by Nolan Williams, Jr, the hymn echoes the sounds of Black church devotional songs and Civil Rights anthems. It will be released in time for the MLK national holiday in January 2026.
That release will be followed by the "Just Like Selma" Hymn-sing Project, engaging more than 100 churches, chapels, and choirs across the nation to program the hymn as part of their Black History Month observances. Just Like Selma is a call to remembrance and an urgent reminder that the work of perfecting our democracy is unfinished.
As new generations face renewed battles over democracy, access, and equality, Just Like Selma is a reminder that the courage and strategy of those who marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge remain urgently relevant.
Click HERE for more information and to register.
Listen to a sound clip HERE. | | STATE/REGIONAL COUNCIL NEWS | NCCC Offers Congregations Immigration Support Toolkit | | With recent increases in immigration enforcement activities, many in our communities are feeling heightened fear and uncertainty. As people of faith, we are called to respond with compassion, courage, and care. Our Congregational Immigration Response Toolkit offers practical, ready-to-use resources to help your congregation show up for immigrant neighbors. Inside, you’ll find: Talking points for faith leaders Worship and liturgical materials Scripture references rooted in justice and welcome Concrete steps your community can take right now
This toolkit is designed to support you in worship, study, advocacy, and community action—anytime, and especially now. | | | | | Newest Friendship Press Release! | | Roots of Resilience: Black History Through the Eyes of Faith $19.99 Roots of Resilience: Black History Through the Eyes of Faith is a transformative guide designed to empower churches and communities to teach Black History with confidence and conviction. At a time when public education faces challenges in preserving these vital narratives, this resource places the stories of Black Americans within the context of faith, resilience, and justice.
Grounded in biblical principles, Roots of Resilience connects historical struggles and triumphs to the ongoing call for equity and love in action. Readers, congregations, and small groups alike will discover how understanding the past can illuminate the path toward a better future. | | More Releases from Friendship Press… |
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