| | | | | | | | | ARE YOU FOLLOWING NCC ON SOCIAL MEDIA? Check out our social media accounts for NCC updates! | | NCC: A Pastoral Letter on the Urgency of Climate Action | | | “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world,
and all who live in it.” – Psalm 24:1, NRSVue Dear Beloved Community,
As stewards of God’s creation, we are called to care for the earth and all who inhabit it. Today, we write to you with a deep sense of urgency and concern for the escalating impacts of climate change and extreme weather on our communities, our nation, and our world.
The evidence is undeniable, and the statistics are alarming. According to the American Climate Perspectives Survey 2025, Vol. III by EcoAmerica, this year alone, we have witnessed: A doubling of July floods compared to the average year-to-date, devastating communities across the nation. 15,000 warm-weather records broken in March 2025, with human-caused climate change making extreme heat at least three times more likely for nearly half of the U.S. population. A heat wave season that is now 46 days longer than it was in the 1960s across 50 major U.S. cities. 33,552 wildfires burning over 1.7 million acres as of June 27, 2025—double the number of fires during the same period in 2024.
These numbers are not just statistics. They represent lives disrupted, homes destroyed, and futures imperiled. The impacts of extreme heat, flooding, and wildfires are felt most acutely by the vulnerable among us: the sick, the elderly, the poor, and the marginalized.
Yet, amidst this crisis, there is hope. Recent research from EcoAmerica shows that over 80 percent of Americans are more concerned about climate change due to extreme heat, and nearly 90 percent recognize its impact on health. This growing awareness spans political divides, with significant increases in climate concern among Republicans, Independents, and Democrats alike.
As people of faith, we must seize this moment to act. We urge you to: Pray for our leaders to have the courage and wisdom to enact policies that protect our planet and its people. Contact your elected officials and demand immediate action to address climate change, including restoring funding to FEMA and NOAA to safeguard our communities. Engage your congregations and communities in climate education and advocacy, using resources like those provided by EcoAmerica to inspire collective action.
Let us remember the words of the Apostle Paul: “The creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed.” (Romans 8:19). Creation is groaning under the weight of our inaction, and it is time for us to rise as faithful stewards of God’s earth.
Together, we can turn the tide. Together, we can honor God’s call to care for creation and ensure a livable future for generations to come.
In faith and solidarity,
The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA | | | NCC Staffer Joins in Protect Medicaid 60-Hour Vigil | | Caring Across Generations, and its many partners brought together a wide coalition of care advocates to fight for the care all human beings deserve by hosting a 60-hour vigil. The vigil is being held at the National Mall, directly across from the U.S. Capitol building. From July 23, at 9:00 pm until July 26, at 9:00 am ET, participants shared stories and take action to hold elected leaders accountable for their decision to cut healthcare. Matthew Markay, NCC project coordinator, participated in portions of the vigil. Caring Across Generations is a national organization of family caregivers, care workers, disabled people, and aging adults working to transform the way we care in this country. Families across the country — especially older adults and disabled people — will suffer the consequences of the disastrous decision from Congress. Congress has just cut nearly $1 trillion from Medicaid to pay for tax giveaways for the wealthiest and big corporations. Medicaid isn’t a line item in a budget, but a lifeline for millions of families across the U.S. For more information on the vigil, sign up or email info@caringacross.org.
On Saturday, July 26, a larger rally was held as part of the national day of distributed actions hosted by Families First. | | | | West Texas Prepares for Long-Term Response Almost Two Weeks After Deadly Floods | | By Shireen Korkzan
[Episcopal News Service] The San Antonio-based Diocese of West Texas is assessing how best to assist with immediate and long-term recovery efforts after July 4 floodwaters killed at least 134 people and left at least 101 still missing in the Texas Hill Country.
“There’s going to be a lot of rebuilding to do. There’s going to be a lot of counseling to do. There’s going to be a lot of need in the long haul financially,” West Texas Bishop David G. Read told Episcopal News Service in a July 15 phone interview. “Right now, we’re focusing on financial support and then we’ll partner with other agencies.”
Episcopalians are encouraged to continue to pray for the victims and rescue workers and to donate to one of several relief funds. The Diocese of West Texas has launched a donation webpage, as has St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Kerrville and Episcopal Relief & Development. Sharing donation information on social media and elsewhere is “much appreciated,” Read said.
The diocese purchased an RV for rescue workers to use for search efforts and to assist people who’ve lost their homes in the floods, the bishop added. St. Peter’s is setting up a satellite site in Hunt, a small town about 12 miles northwest of Kerrville, to do ministry work with rescue workers and assist with search efforts. The church, which is located two blocks from the Guadalupe River, also is recruiting volunteers to assist with rebuilding efforts. The diocese told ENS last week that the flood did not severely damage St. Peter’s property. | | | Legislators Reintroduce ESCA in Congress | | This week, U.S. Representative Sydney Kamlager-Dove and U.S. Senator Edward Markey announced the re-introduction of the End Solitary Confinement Act (ESCA) in the U.S. Congress. The End Solitary Confinement Act represents an important step in the national fight to end federal solitary confinement, especially given the unconscionable policies of the Trump Administration to launch its campaign of mass detention of immigrants by ICE and other federal agencies. The End Solitary Confinement Act (ESCA), first introduced in Congress in 2023, is the most comprehensive and far-reaching legislation ever proposed to end the torture of solitary confinement. Urge your Members of Congress to join as a cosponsor of ESCA. Solitary confinement is a form of torture, and placement in solitary for any period of time can cause self-mutilation, suicide, anxiety, depression, and other forms of mental and physical deterioration. Over 11,000 people are held in solitary confinement on any given day in federal prisons and other facilities. The End Solitary Confinement Act bans solitary in all federal facilities, with limited exceptions, and prevents extended facility lockdowns by including a 4-hour maximum time limit for emergency de-escalation. While allowing for longer-term separation from the general facility population, the legislation also ensures that all people incarcerated in federal facilities would have access to at least 14 hours of meaningful daily group out-of-cell time and 7 hours of programming daily. ESCA also establishes due process protections, guarantees a private right of action and other oversight mechanisms, and incentivizes states and municipalities to adopt similar bans on solitary confinement. NRCAT has prepared a toolkit with resources to inform your faith community about the End Solitary Confinement Act and how to support it. The End Solitary Confinement Act has been endorsed thus far by over 180 national, regional, and local organizations spanning faith, human and civil rights, immigration rights, and criminal legal system reform communities. See the list of organizational endorsers and contact Laura Markle Downton, Director of Faith and Community Engagement, if you would like to add your organization or congregation’s support for the bill. TAKE ACTION: Contact your Members of Congress today and ask them to join as a cosponsor of ESCA. | | NRCAT Resources for Reintroduced Bill | | | | | A Legacy of Faith and Justice:
Pan African Hunger Justice Leaders | | By Dr. Angelique Walker-Smith
Pan African Hunger Justice Leaders led in the seasons of biblical and apostolic life—throughout time and still today. Recently, Bread for the World honored its 50th anniversary of faithful advocacy and this included honoring the legacy of Pan African Justice Leaders.
Sadly, the stories, memories, and advocacy of People of Africa and of African Descent as Hunger Justice Leaders of Faith have had limited attention and regard. Indeed, this legacy has been more of a footnote in the ecumenical and social histories/herstories of Civil Rights and Human Rights. One of the keys ways to addressing the importance of this Pan African Hunger Justice agenda is to explore and excavate this legacy—to provide lessons for future generations.
The 50th Anniversary Advocacy Summit Pan African Consultation offered an inspiring and informative opportunity to share how faith-fueled resilience and advocacy have driven transformational change in the fight against hunger. Pan African leaders imparted their experience at Bread for the World’s 50th anniversary, held at the Museum of the Bible.
In addition, a new book, A Legacy of Faith and Justice: Pan African Advocacy and Leadership for Ending Hunger, illuminates the lessons of this rich history by sharing Biblical illustrations and theological reflections of Pan African Hunger Justice leadership as well as by examining structures, policies, and contexts related to the past, present, and future that have and can further the mission of ending hunger—even in our lifetime.
The key themes of the Consultation, shaped by the book and the book’s contributing writers, included: spiritual and cultural foundations of Pan-African hunger advocacy; profiles of leaders who shaped and continue to shape justice movements; the intersection of faith, public policy, and grassroots mobilization; and lessons in perseverance, unity, and the power of collective action.
Although hunger and poverty continue to disproportionately affect Pan-African communities around the world, A Legacy of Faith and Justice and its contributing writers tell a different story—one of hope, unity, and powerful leadership. Through vivid storytelling, the critical role that Pan-African leaders have played in developing and implementing effective practices and policies to end hunger is highlighted. The book celebrates the passion, leadership, and unwavering faith of often-overlooked Pan African leaders in the Bible and since through faith and social justice narratives.
Both the 50th Anniversary Advocacy Summit Pan African Consultation and the debut of this book provided more than a historical account: “It was and is a call to action from Pan African Justice leaders.”
Dr. Angelique Walker-Smith is senior associate for Pan African and Orthodox Church engagement at Bread for the World and a NCC governing board member. | | | NCC in Korea Sponsors Ecumenical Joint Worship August 10 | | | | New Book Release: We Pray Freedom | | We Pray Freedom
Liturgies and Rituals from the Freedom Church of the Poor
Edited by Liz Theoharis and Charon Hribar
Prayer has long sustained movements for social change. Ritual gives shape to our desire for justice, and liturgy lends power to our work. In We Pray Freedom, we learn from organizers and movement builders the songs, stories, and ritual practices that keep them going for the long haul. The Freedom Church of the Poor, called for by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., has existed in many forms; today it includes laborers, poor folks, pastors, organizers, and others bound together by a conviction: It does not have to be this way.
Edited by Liz Theoharis, theologian, pastor, anti-poverty activist, and editor of We Cry Justice, and Charon Hribar, song leader, cultural organizer, and social ethicist, this book guides readers through a journey of remembering, healing, mourning, action, and celebration. It is a collection of prayers, resources, and stories from the communities in which they arose.
With more than fifty resources from eighty contributors, We Pray Freedom is useful for individual reflection, corporate worship, and protest and action. Through liturgies of liberation, join a movement that bears witness to the justice of God and human faith, suffering, protest, and love. | | | Black Anglicans of Canada Host Virtual Emancipation Day Service July 27 | On July 27, the Black Anglicans of Canada faith community is hosting its virtual Emancipation Day Sunday Service. Five speakers, including Saskatchewan Synod Bishop Rev. Dr. Ali Tote, will present during the evening service. | | | | | | Join OHOF for Plastic-Free July Resources! | | People of faith are called to make mindful decisions about the products they use! Join One Home One Future for access to a free checklist to reduce plastic use in your congregation and home, along with a collection of other Plastic-free July resources! Join One Home One Future today! | | |
|
|
