| | | Register Today for NCC CUG 2024 | | | | Pictorial Highlights: NCC Freedom Ride, Jackson, Miss. | The NCC Freedom Ride headed to Jackson, Mississippi, from Aug. 15-17 for the Southern Poverty Law Center’s (SPLC) Road to 60 Summit. This gathering included community stakeholders, civic engagement partners, and other leaders committed to voter education, empowerment, and building a sustainable electoral ecosystem in Mississippi.
The summit began with a prayer vigil to commemorate the 1964 Mississippi Summer at the Council of Federated Organizations (COFO). Several participants of the original movement were in attendance alongside community leaders, students, and partners. The day continued with an interfaith prayer breakfast where Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie, NCC president and general secretary, was the keynote speaker.
The summit included sessions, featured speakers, and panel discussions that highlighted the legacy of Freedom Summer, the impact of voting in communities throughout Mississippi, research and activism in action, engaging newer generations, and more. Dr. Leslie Copeland-Tune, NCC senior associate general secretary and director of advocacy, facilitated a Voting Matters workshop, unpacking the work of NCC’s Delta Ministry and the most recent Voting Matters 2024 Empowerment Guide.
Attendees were also invited to a prayer vigil at Tougaloo College in honor of Mississippi Summer. Student leaders and Tougaloo College’s Women’s Ensemble participated in this poignant event, along with Dr. Charles Neblett, an activist and founding member of the Freedom Singers. He was also a field secretary for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Charles McLaurin, SNCC field secretary and Fannie Lou Hamer’s campaign manager when she ran for Congress with the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party in 1964, was the keynote speaker.
The summit concluded with a time of training and canvassing in the neighboring areas. Attendees were introduced to the app MiniVAN, which is dedicated to canvassing. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America Delivers Prayer at 2024 Democratic National Convention | | A video still of His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, delivering the benediction on night two of the 2024 Democratic National Convention on Aug. 21, 2024. Source: C-SPAN | His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, Vice-Chair of National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA (NCC) Governing Board, delivered a benediction prayer at the 2024 Democratic National Convention held Aug. 19–22, in Chicago. His participation there comes after offering prayer at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on July 15, 2024.Several other clergy of NCC member communions participated in the DNC and delivered benedictions, including Bishop Samuel L. Green, Sr., African Methodist Episcopal Church, 7th Episcopal District; Rev. Cindy Carr Rudolph, pastor of Oak Grove AME Church in Detroit; and Rev. Dr. Amos C. Brown, senior pastor of Third Baptist Church in San Francisco. | | | | Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine at the World Trade Center to Hold Sept. 11 Memorial Service | | | | | | CMEP Joins Aid Agencies and Medical Professionals in Warning of Mass Polio Outbreak Without Urgent Action, Endangering Children in Gaza | | RAMALLAH, 20 August — Aid agencies and medical professionals have joined forces to call urgently for a ceasefire to allow life-saving polio vaccinations to be administered to about 640,000 children under age 10, following confirmation of the first polio case in Gaza in 25 years, with reports of additional suspected cases emerging.
At least 50,000 children born during the past 10 months of hostilities are highly unlikely to have received immunizations due to the collapsed health system, while older children among the one million children in Gaza will have had their regular vaccine schedules disrupted or halted due to violence and displacement. | | | Reach Newer Generations: 2024 National Student Conference | | The World Student Christian Federation–U.S. (WSCF USA) invites students, young adults, campus ministers, and ecumenical partners to join them in Washington, D.C., October 3–6, for the 2024 national student conference, “Embodied Faith: Christian Students Organizing for a New World.” This year's conference seeks to equip students and young adults with the tools and confidence to participate in movements for social change. Christians have a particular responsibility to work for liberation, justice, and peace as we remain grounded in our prophetic biblical and theological traditions. From the WSFC website: "Join WSCF USA for a time of community building, learning, and worship under the guidance of 1 Corinthians 12:12–27. As we are each a part of Christ’s one body; we each have a role to play in creating a new world for all people. Empire desires division and isolation. We believe God has other plans. Let us resist together, as one body." | | | | 2024 Fishing Differently National Conference to be Held in September | | The Oikos Institute for Social Impact's 2024 Fishing Differently National Conference will be held at Friendship-West Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas. Registration for the second annual conference will open Sept. 5 at 11:30 a.m. CST and close at 1:00 p.m. CST on Sept. 7.
Secure your spot at this gathering dedicated to connecting faith-inspired leaders with investors to relieve communities in distress and help faith communities and BIPOC organizations. For more information, visit oikosinstitute.org/fishing. | | | Register for Hope, Help & Healing Through the Ballot Training Session Hosted by NAACP and FUSD | | |
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