| | | | | | & THEOLOGICAL SYMPOSIUM SPEAKERS | | | Bishops Eaton and McKenzie, and Other Faith Leaders Meet Egyptian Delegation in NYC | | NCC Governing Board Chair Bishop Elizabeth Eaton and President and General Secretary Bishop Vashti McKenzie joined other Protestant faith leaders in the Egyptian-US Dialogue Initiative, which seeks to build bridges of common interest —cultural, social, logistical, and religious — between the nations of Egypt and the United States.
This initiative began in 2014 and has convened for such a dialogue every couple of years. Global partner CEOSS (the Coptic Evangelical Organization for Social Services), a leading civil society and development NGO in Egypt, extended the invitation to the UCC to participate. The April 29 event was hosted by the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), as part of a roundtable on “Countering Extremism and Radical Ideologies: A Multistakeholder Approach,” featuring the Egyptian-US Dialogue initiative.
The delegation that convened in New York at the United Nations headquarters included seven Egyptian religious, political, media, and diplomatic leaders. Six mainline denominations were represented in the US delegation: the United Church of Christ (UCC), the Presbyterian Church, USA (PCUSA), the United Methodist Church (UMC), the Episcopal Church, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Bishop Eaton is presiding bishop of the ECLA.
Rev. Dr. Andrea Zaki, Head of the Egyptian-US Dialogue delegation and president of the Protestant Churches of Egypt and the Coptic Evangelical Organization for Social Services (CEOSS), presented the initiative. He was followed by distinguished panelists, H.E. Dr. Amb. Mahmoud Karem, secretary general of the Human Rights Council and vice president of the Egyptian National Council for Human Rights, and Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia Thompson, general minister and president of the United Church of Christ. A general discussion followed, focusing on best practices for countering extremism and radical ideologies, as well as UN engagement with non-state stakeholders, including faith actors, civil society organizations, and parliamentarians. After the meeting in New York City, the Egyptian delegation met other faith leaders in Washington, D.C., at the United Methodist Building. There, they were greeted by NCC staffers, Rev. Dr. Leslie Copeland-Tune and Keith Swartzendruber, and others. Appreciation is extended to UNAOC and Rev. Shari Prestemon, UCC associate general minister and co-executive, Global Ministries for Love of Neighbor Ministries, for the photos and a summation of the New York gathering! | | | | Delegation of Ukrainian Faith Leaders Visit U.S., Meet with NCC Staff | |
An interfaith delegation of Ukrainian faith leaders, visiting the nation’s capital this week, met with Rev. Dr. Leslie Copeland-Tune, NCC’s Senior Associate General Secretary & Advocacy Director, and Rev. Adam Taylor, President of Sojourners, on Thursday, May 1, as well as other U.S. faith leaders to discuss religious developments in both countries, with the Ukrainian delegation sharing some updates about the situation in Ukraine.
The dialogue and fellowship were grounded in a shared belief that God is present, even when facing challenging, tragic, and devastating circumstances. There was also conversation about the important role of religious leaders to have a prophetic voice in times of war and national upheaval.
The delegation, which also visited the United Nations, St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine, and other sites in New York, was accompanied by Dirk Hegen, Senior Policy Advisor for the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, USA, and Dr. Richard Ottinger, Social Cohesion, Religion for KAS Berlin. Participating in the delegation were:
Igor Bandura, Bishop, deputy head of the All-Ukrainian Union of Evangelical Christian Baptist Churches Yaakov Dov Bleich, Chief Rabbi of Kyiv and Ukraine, President of the Union of Jewish Religious Organizations of Ukraine Vitalii Kryvytskyi, Bishop, Ordinary of Kyiv-Zhytomyr, Roman Catholic Church in Ukraine Anatoliy Kozachok, Senior Bishop, Ukrainian Pentecostal Church Yevstratiy (Zoria), Metropolitan of Bila Tserkva, Orthodox Church of Ukraine Paul Patrick Chomnycky, Fourth Eparch of Stamford, Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church Oleksandr Zaiets, Board Chairman, Institute for Religious Freedom
The faith leaders met the day after the U.S. and Ukraine signed an “economic partnership agreement” giving the U.S. access to mineral resources in Kyiv in exchange for establishing an investment fund in Ukraine. | | Faithful Witness Wednesdays NCC General Secretary, Bishop Vashti McKenzie Speaks at April 30 Faithful Wednesdays Gathering | On April 30, Sojourners and the Washington Interreligious Staff Community (WISC) held their final Faithful Witness Wednesday vigil, a weekly series that began during Lent. Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie, NCC president and general secretary, gave the last word to the crowd of attendees, rallying around a cry for moral courage. In response to the increasing overreach from the executive branch and seeming lack of moral courage from the legislative branch, Bishop McKenzie proclaimed, "This is not about partisanship. This is about people. This is about seniors, about students, about veterans, who deserve more than scrapes from a table that they helped build."
She continued, "Democracy does not die all at once; it dies when elected leaders start to run scared. It dies when they choose comfort over courage. It dies when budgets are built on the wins of the few without concern for the many. Democracy dies when budgets are built on callousness instead of compassion. Our democracy dies when prophets are punished, whistleblowers are buried, and truthtellers are forced into exile....We are watching the soul of our democracy being bargained off to the highest bidder." Watch Bishop McKenzie Speak at Witness Wednesday In addition, Bishop McKenzie, other faith leaders led the crowd in prayers, calls for justice, and demands for Congress to govern justly, including: Rev. Abhi Janamanchi, senior minister, Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Congregation, and Hindus for Human Rights
Watch the Witness Wednesday vigil. Sign up for vigil updates HERE, and learn more about Sojourners from their website. | | | Photo Credit: Hannah Santos SCROLL FOR MORE PHOTOS | | | 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! Join One Home One Future today! | | Moms Clean Air Force to Sponsor Virtual Maternal/Child Health Forum May 8 | | Join Moms Clean Air Force and their media partner, The 19th, for a virtual forum, “Maternal and Child Health in a Dangerous Climate: The Impact of Air Pollution, Plastics, and Heat on Women of Color,” on May 8. This forum convenes policy experts, healthcare professionals, environmental advocates, and media voices to establish the current state of maternal health outcomes for women of color, discuss how multiplier threats like air pollution, extreme heat, and toxic chemicals in plastics further negatively affect maternal and child health, and share actions we can take to mobilize community and change policy to better protect mothers and children from air pollution, extreme heat, and toxic chemicals in plastics.
Register for the livestream HERE. | | | Africa Day of Prayer
and the Legacy of Pope Francis By: Rev. Dr. Angelique Walker-Smith | | On July 8, 2013, Pope Francis posed the rhetorical question, “Where is your brother?” He then responded, “This is not a question directed to others; it is a question directed to me, to you, to each of us. These brothers and sisters of ours were trying to escape difficult situations to find some serenity and peace; they were looking for a better place for themselves and their families, but instead they found death.”
The Pope asked this question on his historic visit to the Italian island of Lampedusa to pray for refugees and migrants from Africa, the Middle East, and Asia seeking to enter Europe, but who were lost at sea. Pope Francis—the first non-European pope, the first pope from the global south—prayed for those who had drowned during their journey. He threw a wreath of flowers into the sea as a sign of mourning. He then proceeded with an open-air mass, during which he denounced the “globalization of indifference,” which “makes us think only of ourselves, makes us insensitive to the cries of other people.”
His last post before he died on Easter Monday 2025 reflected a similar sentiment: “Christ is risen! These words capture the entire meaning of our existence, for we were not made for death but for life.” As we celebrate Africa Day this month, we have another moment to celebrate life. While Africa Day has a focus on the celebration of the lives of Africans and people of African descent globally, it is also a day for celebrating the lives of all. With his papal campaign of mercy for all and not just the selected few, Pope Francis recognized the horrors that end life and our call to sustain life.
Pope Francis declared 2025 to be a Jubilee Year of Hope with a focus on debt relief, which disproportionately affects countries in Africa and small island nations populated by people of African descent. Bread is supportive of this focus and its relation to our Nourish Our Future campaign.
This campaign will be our theme for our 50th Anniversary Advocacy Summit, June 9–11, in Washington, D.C. Please go here to learn more about this campaign and act with your Offering of Letters. And visit here for more information on the Summit and to participate. Meanwhile, you are invited to participate in the Call to Prayer on May 25—or at any time in May.
The African Union is the primary host for Africa Day and the African Union Global Interfaith Day of Prayer. The Global Day of Prayer is being convened, not as a symbolic gesture but as a prophetic summons. A call for repentance, realignment, and radical love for the Earth and one another.
Recently, I was honored to be a part of discussions about this call at the recent UN session at the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent Fourth Session that addressed these concerns of life—including through a faith lens.
Angelique Walker-Smith is senior associate for Pan African and Orthodox Church engagement at Bread for the World and a NCC governing board member. | | | | | | 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Greenwood Forest Baptist Church 110 SE Maynard Rd, Cary, NC Whether you’re new to advocacy or a seasoned advocate for justice, this seminar is a chance to engage deeply with key public policy issues shaping the 2025 General Assembly's long session—all through the lens of faith.
This year, NCCC presents its Faith Active in Public Life Award to Leoneda Inge, co-host of Due South on WUNC. Leoneda’s work as a journalist and storyteller exemplifies a deep commitment to justice, truth, and community
This is more than a seminar—it's a time to connect, learn, and act together in faithful pursuit of justice for our communities. Tickets are $25 and cover a light breakfast, snacks, and lunch.
Click HERE for more information. | | | | | | More Images from Faithful Witness Wednesdays, April 30 | | Photo Credit: Hannah Santos and NCC Staff | | More Images from Faithful Witness Wednesdays, April 30 | | Photo Credit: Hannah Santos | | More Images from Faithful Witness Wednesdays, April 30 | | Photo Credit: Hannah Santos and NCC Staff | | | | Executive Order Trackers Available Online | | Two organizations have set up websites to help interested parties keep track of executive orders and administrative executive actions
Congressional Black Caucus The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation has established the CBCF Executive Order Tracker: Understanding What’s at Stake for Black America. CBCF’s Executive Order Tracker provides detailed information on each executive action’s legal status, an in-depth analysis of their impact on Black communities, and highlights responses from Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) members, including statements on the threats these directives pose and actions that maintain crucial checks and balances on presidential power.
Click here for more information about the CBC tracker site.
Network Advocates for Catholic Social Justice Network Advocates for Catholic Social Justice has created a Trump Administration Executive Action Tracker. The charts contain the executive orders and their impacts. Lawsuits that may be in progress are available through NETWORK's Executive Action Tracker on Google Drive. They are organized according to how they undermine NETWORK's An Economy for All agenda areas. The Executive Action Tracker will be updated regularly.
Click here for Network Advocates' online tracker. | | Lenten Journal Available
from Friendship Press | | | | | | | | |
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