Subject: NCC Newsletter – May 12, 2023

May 12, 2023

NCC 75th Anniversary Launch and
Governing Board Spring Events Begin Monday!

Spring Governing Board Meeting

Schedule of Events

 

Monday, May 15, 2023

9:00a–11:00a Christian Education and Faith Formation

Convening Table (Members Only)

10:00a–11:15a Health and Wellness Task Force Meeting (Members Only)

11:00a–12:45a Sponsored Luncheon for  Governing Board & Health and Wellness Taskforce (Members Only)

1:00a–5:00p Governing Board Business Session (Members Only)

5:30p–6:45p Dinner (Members Only)

7:00p–Anniversary Launch Worship Service (Open to the Public)

 

Tuesday, May 16, 2023 

8:00a–12:00p Governing Board Business Session (Members Only) 

12:30p  Box Lunch (Members Only)

1:00p–3:00p Policy Roundtable (Members Only)

NCC Opposes the Secure Border Act

On Thursday, the House of Representatives passed the Secure the Border Act of 2023 (H.R. 2) in a vote of 219 to 213. The legislation, which contains several border security provisions, passed hours before the expiration of Title 42, a policy instituted under former President Donald Trump that gave the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) the authority to expel migrants immediately without a legal process due to concerns of exacerbating the COVID-19 global pandemic. H.R. 2, dubbed the "Children's Deportation Act" by opponents of the bill, expands the Customs and Border Protection workforce, increases salaries for border agents, funds security technology upgrades, and restarts border wall construction. The legislation disregards the dignity of immigrants, expedites the deportation of children, and detains minors in deplorable conditions. NCC strongly opposes H.R. 2 and calls for a comprehensive solution to our immigration challenges that respects the “Imago Dei” in all people, keeps our borders safe, and honors the diversity that makes our nation a great tapestry.

World Council of Churches Leadership Meets in Ukraine

The WCC delegation met representatives of the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations on May11 in Kyiv. Photo: WCC

From the World Council of Churches


Against the background of the Russian invasion and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, a high-level WCC leadership delegation visiting Ukraine undertook an intensive series of consultations in Kyiv on May 11, 2023, with church leaders, Ukrainian government officials, and others.


The delegation included Archbishop Vicken Aykazian of the Eastern Diocese of America of The Armenian Church, who serves on the WCC central committee as vice-moderator and also as a member of the NCC Governing Board and Executive Committee. Also in the delegation were Bishop Dr. Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, WCC moderator of the central committee and Rev. Prof. Dr. Jerry Pillay, WCC general secretary as well as WCC staff.


The WCC delegation met with senior leaders of both the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), two churches whose longstanding dispute has intensified since the Russian invasion. The UOC has declared its independence from the Moscow Patriarchate to which it was formerly affiliated, while the OCU – granted autocephaly by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople – has applied for WCC membership. The visiting delegation confirmed the WCC’s readiness to host discussions among the two churches for the resolution of the issues between them. 


Read More

Reparative Justice Bible Study

Harvard Kennedy School’s Partnership with the National Council of Churches has produced an effective resource to aid congregations in learning about reparative justice.


Download the Reparative Justice Bible Study toolkit to use in your congregation.


Also, join the National Council of Churches in Washington, DC on June 19, 2023, to support Justice on Juneteenth.


Toolkit

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1G5vPMPuGOE2jQ0kd-aedcm8aqtj5_D40/view?usp=drivesdk

Friendship Press Reissues Classic Titles

Friendship Press has reissued several previously published books that are now available for pre-order, including:

  • Seeking to Be Christian in Race Relations, by Benjamin E. Mays

  • The Indian Affair, by Vine Deloria, Jr.

  • Born of the Sun: A Namibian Novel, by Joseph Diescho

  • Ethics in the Present Tense, Leon Howell and Vivian Lindermayer, Eds.

  • Hope and Justice for All in the Americas, Oscar L. Bolioli, Ed.

Register for March on Washington 60th Anniversary Event

Rev. Al Sharpton, Founder and President of National Action Network; Arndrea Waters King, President, Drum Major Institute; and Martin Luther King, III, Chairman, Drum Major Institute enlist your participation in the 60th Anniversary of the March on Washington to be held August 26, 2023 in Washington, DC to mobilize the faith community across America, for "March on Washington Not a Commemoration, a Continuation!"


Please use the link to register for the march and to confirm your participation and that of your congregation, peers, and colleagues. The link has information you can use to share with your contacts. 

 

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1tifxmvjzaIENMrdrgjyYjK03_9wsyRdCJjF9lutR8_Q/edit?usp=sharing_eil_m&ts=6458f9df


For more information please contact Ms. Trudy Grant at tgrant@nationalactionnetwork.net or (843) 830-7118 or Rev. Nelson B. Rivers at (843) 412-2249 or via email at nriversiii@gmail.com.

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