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Join NCC's 24-Hour Prayer Vigil |
The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA (NCC) invites people of goodwill to join in a 24-hour prayer vigil rooted in the words of Jesus in Matthew 18:19–20:
“Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” (NSRVue)
These words are not merely a promise, but also a call to communion and collective strength. There is power in our visible unity and in our shared longing for the redemptive love of God intertwined with justice to be revealed and fulfilled in our lives and in the world.
Register in advance for the 24-hour vigil below. |
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NCC Joins Ecumenical Partners to Support Lawsuit Prayer Vigil |
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On Thursday, April 3, NCC Senior Associate General Secretary and Advocacy Director, Rev. Dr. Leslie Copeland-Tune joined other faith leaders offering prayer during the Sensitive Locations, Sacred Spaces Interfaith Prayer Vigil on April 3, on the eve of the first hearing of a historic lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security's rescission of the sensitive locations memo, filed by more than two-dozen Christian and Jewish groups representing millions of Americans — ranging from the Episcopal Church and the Union for Reform Judaism to the Mennonites and Unitarian Universalists.
Other NCC staffers in attendance included Matthew Markay, Dr. Neosho Ponder, and Keith Swartzendruber. |
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NCC Staffer Attends HANDS OFF DC Rally |
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Across the country, people of faith united to march against this administration’s unprecedented power grab, cuts to lifesaving programs such as SNAP and Medicaid, and dismantling government agencies.
On Saturday, April 5, Dr. Neosho Ponder, NCC's newly hired marketing and communications officer, joined millions of Americans across the country and around the world to rally against the Trump Administration's executive orders, mass layoffs, and tariffs. The day was filled with passionate but angry Americans exercising their First Amendment rights of freedom of speech and the right to assemble lawfully.
During the event, people of all backgrounds and ages raised their voices in unison to tell the administration, HANDS OFF! Among the rally attendees participating were Howard University students, where Dr. Ponder is an adjunct professor. With their handmade signs in tow, the students participated in the nationwide demonstration to say HANDS OFF! their education. |
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Strength for the Journey
A Lenten Toolkit for Drawing Closer to God in Uncertain Times |
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Strength for the Journey, the much-awaited NCC Lenten Toolkit for Drawing Closer to God in Uncertain Times, is now available for download. This colorful resource includes prayers offered by representatives from many of NCC's ecumenical partners, Scripture passages for renewal and reflection, and a collection of traditional and contemporary songs born out of life's trials and uncertainties. Click the image to download. |
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'In Prayerful Solidarity'
Lutheran Bishops to Hold Conversation from the Holy Land, April 12 |
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You are invited to join in an important conversation with ELCIC National Bishop Susan Johnson, Bishop Sani Ibrahim Azar from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL) and Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) on Saturday, April 12 at 10:00 a.m. (CST). Together these bishops will discuss the ongoing situation on the ground in the Holy Land, and what prayerful solidarity looks like as North American Lutherans.
To join this webinar via Zoom, please click the button below. You may also visit the Facebook page of ELCA Sumud for more information or to join the webinar from there. |
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Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew Awarded Templeton Prize |
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Click above to view “A Sacred World,” a one-minute video featuring Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew discussing creation stewardship. |
His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of 300 million Eastern Orthodox Christians, has been awarded the 2025 Templeton Prize for his pioneering efforts to bridge scientific and spiritual understandings of humanity’s relationship with the natural world, bringing together people of different faiths to heed a call for stewardship of creation.
Using the stature of his office—the highest spiritual authority within the Eastern Orthodox Church—he has convened groups of scientists, scholars, political leaders, and clerics from the Catholic, Jewish, and Muslim worlds. His “ecumenical imperative” to care for creation recognizes that science plays a critical role in helping religious leaders accept their responsibility to be good stewards of the Earth.
In 1997, he made history by declaring that acts harming the environment—such as pollution, deforestation, and climate change—are not just practical missteps but moral failings. This pastoral teaching introduced a new category of sin—“ecological sin”—which has since influenced both religious and secular discourse on environmental ethics.
“We are not owners of this planet. It belongs to the coming generations as well. We are simply stewards and priests of the environment and not proprietors of it,” said Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.
Learn more here. |
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Federal Judge Upholds Immigration Enforcement in Houses of Worship |
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A sign that prohibits the entrance of ICE or Homeland Security is posted on a door at St. Paul and St. Andrew United Methodist Church in New York, January 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File) |
By LINDSAY WHITEHURST and MICHAEL KUNZELMAN
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Friday sided with the Trump administration in allowing immigration agents to conduct enforcement operations at houses of worship for now, despite a lawsuit filed by religious groups over the new policy.
U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich in Washington refused to grant a preliminary injunction to the plaintiffs, more than two dozen Christian and Jewish groups representing millions of Americans.
She found that the plaintiffs lack standing, or the legal right to sue, since only a handful of immigration enforcement actions have been conducted in or around churches or other houses of worship and that the evidence at this point doesn’t show “that places of worship are being singled out as special targets.”
The plaintiffs are reviewing the decision and assessing their options, said their lead counsel, Kelsi Corkran.
Continue reading here. |
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Join the Chorus of Freedom Bells on
Good Friday |
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On Good Friday, April 18, churches across the country are invited join faith communions across the nation in ringing their church bells, beginning their Tenebrae services in solidarity with a profound and historic event happening simultaneously—the Lantern Service at Old North Church in Boston. This event, marking the 250th anniversary of the “two if by sea” signal that sparked the American Revolution, will be commemorated with an inspiring keynote by Dr. Heather Cox Richardson, a renowned historian and author of Democracy Awakening. How to Participate Begin your Tenebrae service by ringing bells as people gather, recalling the historic call for freedom. Invite your congregation to step outside, reflect, and join in this moment of unity. Encourage other churches in your community to take part! Ring bells with your fellow parishioners on your church steps, with your friends in a park, on a street corner, or online!
Join the Movement Complete the participation form available in this. Information collected will only be used for this event. As you gather for your Tenebrae service, know that your church bells are joining a national movement uniting faith communities for justice and liberty. Just as bells rang for freedom two centuries ago, this moment will inspire prayer and action. Simultaneously, Old North Church will be ringing their bells at 6:00 p.m. ET as the community gathers for their 250th anniversary service with music, reflections on Paul Revere’s ride, and the lighting of historic lanterns—honoring past courage and reflecting on faith and freedom today. Click here for more information. |
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Join "One Moral Vision, 1,000 Moral Voices" Initiative |
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Repairers of the Breach invites all denominations and partners to join their nationwide moral witness campaign, "We Must Stand," addressing pressing injustices and advocating against oppressive federal budget cuts outlined in our latest report, "The High Moral Stakes."
Denominations are invited to participate in two powerful actions:
Moral Witness Wednesdays Join them every first Wednesday at the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., for national moral witness gatherings that proclaim justice, love, and truth. Register your participation here
One Moral Vision, 1,000 Moral Voices Weekends Starting the weekends immediately following each Moral Witness Wednesday (April 5–6 through September 6–7, 2025), Repairers of the Breach asks denominational leaders to encourage their congregations to dedicate sermons, worship services, and educational sessions to discussing the moral urgency of these issues. Sign up to join this broader initiative here.
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BWA to Host Ecumenical Worship Service April 15 |
The Baptist World Alliance (BWA) will hold an ecumenical worship service on Tuesday, April 15, at 6:00 p.m. ET at the Church Center for the United Nations, New York campus. Please feel free to share this flyer around with your colleagues and community.
For more information, click here. |
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Forma and VTS Certificate in Lifelong Christian Formation Application Deadline Extended to April 15 |
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Above: Two and one-half-minute video about the 2025-2026 cohort.
The Certificate in Lifelong Christian Formation program is offered over the course of an academic year, with modules taught by both Virginia Theological Seminary professors and practitioners in the field.
Course content reflects formation across the whole lifespan, flexibility to tailor learning to your specific ministry context and growth areas.
The modules are academically rigorous and focus on theory and best practice as applied to an individual’s ministry context.
Learning happens in community. Courses, therefore, are a combination of online asynchronous and synchronous work as well as an onsite residency at VTS. The asynchronous content is self-paced to meet the needs of individual learner schedules.
Visit HERE for more information.
Application deadline extended to April 15. |
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Join Faithful Advocacy: A Pathway to a Stronger Democracy, April 17 |
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Please join Jeanné Lewis as she talks about the importance of faith leaders using the resources they have to protect their communities by not complying in advance with the authoritarian demands of the current US administration. Thursday, April 17, 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET.
Join live via Zoom or Facebook.
Zoom registration is required but complimentary. You can click here to register. |
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Congressional Black Caucus Foundation
Don't Miss a Vital Conversation on Black Mental Health— Reserve Your Spot! |
Mental health is a critical issue in Black communities, yet access to culturally competent care remains limited. Join us for our Policy for the People Virtual Summit Series, Beyond the Stigma: Barriers and Breakthroughs in Black Mental Health, as we explore real solutions to address these challenges. This powerful two-part webinar will feature policy experts, industry leaders, community activists, and Members of the Congressional Black Caucus discussing how we can expand access to mental health care and create a healthier future for Black communities. |
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Executive Order Trackers Available Online |
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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. |
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Lenten Journal Available
from Friendship Press |
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