| | | | Join us... NCC IMPACT WEEK 2025 | Join us for NCC Impact Week, June 10-12, in New York City. We will be exploring important international work with the theme, "Re-Building Bridges: The Role of Religious Communities During a Time of Crisis in Multilateralism." Speakers will include representatives from our denomination and ecumenical partners as well as UN officials.
Events will be held at St. Nicholas National Shrine as well as at the Church Center for the United Nations.
You can register now and find more information online HERE.
Hope to see you there!! | | | | NCC ISSUES STATEMENTSThis week has been difficult for our faith communities and ecumenical partners. In addition to the statements below, NCC is praying for those impacted by the storms and extreme heat across the country. | | | | | | NCC's Spring Governing Board Meeting & Theological Symposium (cont.) | After moderating the Biblical Scholars Panel, Brian Sigmon, CEO of Friendship Press, presented a history of the Press, highlighting important milestones, publications, and people since 1935. With its early slogan, "Widen your world with Friendship Press books," Friendship Press published works that educated for mission, advocated for justice, and supported the well-being of children. Sigmon also spoke about new opportunities to reach people through publishing today and how the new iteration of Friendship Press is publishing Christian resources that create a better future for all.
Sigmon said, "We are supported by the National Council of Churches. Our mission is advancing your mission. You are our community, and we are honored to be your partner and your friends." | | Photo credit: Charles Matthews Photography | | The CUS panel, moderated by NCC's Director of Christian Education and Faith Formation, Rev. Dr. Tammy Wiens, discussed the theme "A Transforming Witness from Generation to Generation" through CUS's four core values: Scriptural Foundation and Faith Formation, Ecumenical Engagement, Theological Integrity, and Educational Relevance.
Committee on the Unified Series (CUS) is a collaboration of publishers and Christian educators from diverse Protestant traditions who are committed to developing faith formation materials for all ages that support churches around the world as they study Scripture together and equip disciples of Jesus Christ. | | Photo credit: Charles Matthews Photography | | The Opening Worship Service included powerful praise and worship. Bishop W. Darrin Moore brought greetings and introduced the guest preacher, Bishop Brian Thompson, Sr., Presiding Prelate Mid-Atlantic Episcopal District.
Then, Bishop Thompson preached people out of their seats and incited laughter with his "eau de toilette vs eau de parfum" analogy to illustrate his sermon topic "We're Chosen to Change the Atmosphere". | | | Photo credit: Charles Matthews Photography | | STATEMENTS FROM NCC MEMBER DENOMINATIONS
Statements have been abbreviated but links to full statements are provided | | | May 12, 2025
Dear People of God in The Episcopal Church:
I am writing today with some significant news about Episcopal Migration Ministries, the organization that leads The Episcopal Church’s refugee resettlement ministry.
Since January, the previously bipartisan U.S. Refugee Admissions Program in which we participate has essentially shut down. Virtually no new refugees have arrived, hundreds of staff in resettlement agencies around the country have been laid off, and funding for resettling refugees who have already arrived has been uncertain. Then, just over two weeks ago, the federal government informed Episcopal Migration Ministries that under the terms of our federal grant, we are expected to resettle white Afrikaners from South Africa whom the U.S. government has classified as refugees.
In light of our church’s steadfast commitment to racial justice and reconciliation and our historic ties with the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, we are not able to take this step. Accordingly, we have determined that, by the end of the federal fiscal year, we will conclude our refugee resettlement grant agreements with the U.S. federal government.
I want to be very clear about why we made this decision—and what we believe lies ahead for Episcopal Migration Ministries’ vital work. It has been painful to watch one group of refugees, selected in a highly unusual manner, receive preferential treatment over many others who have been waiting in refugee camps or dangerous conditions for years. I am saddened and ashamed that many of the refugees who are being denied entrance to the United States are brave people who worked alongside our military in Iraq and Afghanistan and now face danger at home because of their service to our country. I also grieve that victims of religious persecution, including Christians, have not been granted refuge in recent months.
The Most Rev. Sean W. Rowe
Presiding Bishop
The Episcopal Church | | | | Dear Disciples,
The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada is a movement for wholeness with care and concern for fragmented and broken systems, and people displaced by disaster and persecution. We know that many of you have been following the news about the radical shifts in refugee policy in the US over the past four months. Many of you have reached out with deep concern because so many of our churches have been involved in supporting refugee resettlement locally as well as our collective work through Week of Compassion’s ministry partners.
You may have heard that after shutting down the US refugee program–and stranding 10,000 pre-approved refugees, many of whom already had airplane tickets, in the refugee camps that had held them for months or years–the current administration made the decision to classify white South Africans, specifically Afrikaners, as refugees who could skip the rigorous process to qualify. In recent weeks, our refugee ministry partners were told to resettle Afrikaners, while millions facing true persecution remain stranded between worlds.
The Christian Church takes seriously the messages in the Bible that remind us of God’s call to care for foreigners as for our own. We have, as a church, dedicated decades of work in Reconciliation Ministry. We know the value of racial equity is critical in how we welcome refugees, and the value of systems that prioritize and support persons in greatest need. South Africa’s own Truth and Reconciliation Commission inspired our Reconciliation Ministry, with our vision of a church “where brothers and sisters of all races, languages, and cultures will grow towards God’s glorious realm, where all have a place at the table and none shall be turned away.” That means we have to pay particular attention when the cause of reconciliation is being subverted to prioritize racial favoritism as it is now.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu once said “God places us in the world as his fellow workers-agents of transfiguration. We work with God so that injustice is transfigured into justice, so there will be more compassion and caring, that there will be more laughter and joy, that there will be more togetherness in God’s world.”
Moving towards wholeness together,
Rev. Terri Hord Owens,
General Minister and President | | | This Memorial Day weekend marks the 5th anniversary of the death of George Floyd and the 2020 summer of racial uprisings around the world.
Past NCC Chair Bishop W. Darin Moore (AME Zion) was interviewed by Religion News Service during the Spring Governing Board Meeting and Theological Symposium. | | Bishop W. Darrin Moore at NCC's Spring GBM & Theological Symposium Worship Service.
Photo Credit: Charles Matthews Photography | Five Years after George Floyd’s Murder, Church Leaders Say Race Relations Face Retrenchment By: Adelle M. Banks, Religion News Service May 22, 2025 | (RNS) — Bishop W. Darin Moore of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church remembers what it was like in the days after the 2020 murder of George Floyd. “You saw initiatives being taken by churches, by governmental entities or by corporations to acknowledge first, and then to confront and then to improve racial relations,” he recalled.
Now, said Bishop Moore, the leader of the eastern North Carolina churches of his historically Black denomination, most of the work to ensure Black history is taught appears to be happening in Black churches. That’s in part due to backlash against what he termed the “bogeyman” critics created as they opposed diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts and Critical Race Theory — two concepts that have become politically polarizing terms in recent years.
Bishop Moore, the AME Zion leader who spoke at the 2018 rally as the NCC’s chair, said the regression now seen after advancements in race relations and calls for improvements for Black Americans is not new. It also happened, he noted, when Jim Crow laws followed the post-slavery Reconstruction period, and when Donald Trump was elected president after Barack Obama was voted in as the first Black president.
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| | | SAVE-THE-DATE | Tuesday, June 10
PENTECOST WITNESS For a Moral Budget | From Fear to Courage,
From the Upper Room to the Streets Before Pentecost, Jesus' disciples hid in fear. After Pentecost, filled with the Holy Spirit, they boldly stepped into the streets for public witness. Today, people of faith are called to do the same.
Amid growing fear in our nation—fueled by a political climate that threatens truth-tellers and targets the vulnerable— we are called to proclaim the truth that sets us free. Congress is debating a proposed budget that turns biblical values upside down by rewarding the wealthiest Americans with tax cuts while brutalizing the most vulnerable with massive cuts to clear social needs. The moment demands a visible, moral witness grounded in faith and justice. | | | | NRCAT “How to Shine Your Light” Webinar
June 18 | | NRCAT continues its series of “how to” webinars for faith advocates, and invites participants to save the date for the next training, “How to Shine Your Light,” Wednesday, June 18 from 12 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. ET/11–12:15 p.m. CT/9 a.m.-10:15 a.m. PT. In this webinar, offered during June, Torture Awareness Month, you will learn about how your faith community can partner with NRCAT to lead public witness vigils on the 23rd of each month to draw attention to the estimated 122,00 people who are held for 23 hours a day in solitary confinement in U.S. prisons and jails. The webinar will feature leaders of WISDOM, a Wisconsin network of faith-based organizations, whose members have been leading these vigils as they work for racial and economic justice. To help spread the word about the June 18 webinar with your faith community, here is the public registration link: https://bit.ly/June18-2025Webinar. You can view the full recording from of the April 9 NRCAT “How to Become a Lifeline,” on the NRCAT YouTube channel. Share it with others in your faith community who may also be interested in participating in the Lifelines to Solitary pen pal program. | | NCCC Hosts Legislative Seminar June 4 | | NCCC will explore the intersection of faith and policy at the Legislative Seminar in Charlotte. Whether you're new to advocacy or a seasoned advocate, this event offers insights into key public policy issues shaping the 2025 General Assembly.
Featuring a keynote from Christy Clark, Mayor of Huntersville, and a sermon from Rev. Dr. Rodney Sadler, Associate Professor of Bible & Director of the Center for Social Justice and Reconciliation, the seminar will offer powerful perspectives on faith, justice, and community. We're also proud to present our Faith Active in Public Life Award to Jennifer Watson Roberts, former Mayor of Charlotte and tireless advocate for democracy, equity, and environmental justice.
Through expert-led workshops, the Legislative Seminar will explore pressing topics such as LGBTQ+ rights, democracy, immigrants' rights, and affordable housing. Join NCCC to gain deeper insight into these issues, connect with advocates, and take action for justice in North Carolina. The NCCC Faith Active in Public Life Award will be presented to Jennifer Watson Roberts, former Mayor of Charlotte and tireless advocate for democracy, equity, and environmental justice. Scholarships are available for students. If cost is a barrier to attending, please email info@ncchurches.org for assistance. | | NCOE 50th Anniversary of End of War in Vietnam | | On this Memorial Day, we recall the 50th anniversary of the end of the war in Vietnam and the prophetic words spoken by Dr. King at Riverside Church in 1967 (written by NCOE co-founder, Vincent Harding). | | | | | Ending Racism Sponsors ‘Racism and the Rich’ Webinar, Monday, May 19 Join Ending Racism USA for a conversation with labor historian and author Sam Pizzigati, exploring the deep connections between racial injustice and economic power in America.
Drawing from his acclaimed book “The Rich Don’t Always Win: The Forgotten Triumph Over Plutocracy That Created the American Middle Class, 1900–1970,” Pizzigati will offer insights into how average Americans once overcame the dominance of the ultra-wealthy — and how those same forces have quietly returned.
Facilitators will examine the legacy of America’s “plutocrats,” the rise of the top 0.1%, and how economic inequality and racism are intertwined systems of oppression. This is a must-attend for anyone committed to justice, equity, and reclaiming the American dream.
Learn more about this event and register to attend on ERUSA’s website. | | | | Support One Home One Future Join One Home One Future for access to a FREE Native Species & Healthy Creation resource, along with hundreds of other creation care resources on many topics.
As we celebrate mothers this month, take time to appreciate Mother Earth and her natural ecosystems and species! | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
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