| | | NCC Freedom Academy Session #5 to be Facilitated by Cornell William Brooks | | Join us for the fifth session of NCC Freedom Academy, "To Free the Oppressed—Racial Justice and Reparations," facilitated by Rev. Prof. Cornell William Brooks, JD, former President/CEO, NAACP, and Professor, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Sunday, August 4, at 6 p.m. ET! Join NCC Freedom Summer for the continuation of the "Sunday School" series unpacking Luke 4. Download the curriculum series developed by NCC’s Christian Education Department and learn about the importance of voting rights and social justice from a faith-based perspective. Don't miss out on this critical session! Spread the news with your network and register today! | | | |
| The NCC Freedom Ride Detroit, Mich., virtual voting workshop is postponed. Further details will be released at a later date Share the news and invite your network to join the NCC Freedom Ride as we mobilize and register engage, educate, and empower voters this election season. | | | NCC Freedom Ride Next Stop in Durham, NC, Aug. 9-10 | | The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA (NCC) will continue its Freedom Ride civic engagement tour with its next stop in Durham, N.C., on Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, at 7 p.m. ET at the historic St. Joseph African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, 2521 Fayetteville St., Durham, NC 27707. Several prominent leaders will participate in the service, including Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie, NCC President and General Secretary; Rev. Dr. Jonathan C. Augustine, Senior Pastor of St. Joseph African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church; Rev. Dr. Marc A. Lavarin, Senior Pastor of the First Calvary Baptist Church; Rev. Dr. Jennifer Copeland Executive Director of the North Carolina Council of Churches; Rev. Rob Stephens, Repairers of the Breach North Carolina Organizing Committee Coordinator and member of the NC Poor People's Campaign, and more. | | | On Saturday, Aug. 10, an NCC Freedom Ride Voting Workshop, in the tradition of "mass meetings" during the civil rights movement, will take place at 10 a.m. at First Calvary Baptist Church, 1311 Morehead Ave., Durham, NC 27707. A continental breakfast will be served. Register today. | | | Pictorial Highlights: NCC Freedom Summer, Atlanta, Ga., | The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA (NCC) continued its Freedom Ride in Atlanta on July 26-27 at Beulah Baptist Church, where the Rev. Winford K. Rice is the senior pastor. Prominent leaders participated in an ecumenical worship service to encourage and empower people of faith this election season.
Participants included Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie, NCC President and General Secretary; Rev. Dr. Jamal Bryant, Senior Pastor of Newbirth Missionary Baptist Church; Rev. Dr. Lawrence E. Carter, Sr., Dean of the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel at Morehouse College; Rev. Dr. Leslie Copeland Tune, NCC Senior Associate General Secretary & Advocacy Director; Rev. Dr. Alvin O’Neal Jackson, Poor People’s Campaign; Rev. Amber Love-Woodfork, West Mitchell CME Church; Rhonda Briggins, President of Delta for Women in Action; Atlanta Councilmember Michael Julian Bond; Rev. Dr. Jennifer Butler, Executive Director, Faith Forward; and more.
A voting workshop on Saturday, included numerous representatives from community organizations including Shun Tucker-Allen, Fair Count, Rev. Dr. Monica Spencer, VoteRiders, and Pastor Bo Barber, Operation Voter Turnout. | | | | | | Photo Credit: Loud Films/Beulah Baptist Church | | Photo Credit: Loud Films/Beulah Baptist Church | | Photo Credit: Loud Films/Beulah Baptist Church | | | | | | NCC Joins Faith Leaders Welcome Corps Roundtable Discussion at White House | | Rev. Dr. Leslie Copeland-Tune, NCC Senior Associate General Secretary and Director of Advocacy, and Matt Markay, NCC Project Coordinator, attended the Welcome Corps roundtable discussion at the White House on Thursday, Aug. 1. Welcome Corps is a program created by the U.S. Department of State to help with refugee resettlement. The roundtable discussion focused on how faith-based organizations can help spread the word about the Welcome Corps program. The Bible teaches us to welcome the stranger. The work the Department of State is doing in resettling refugees through Welcome Corps is critical and reflects this Christian principle.
A toolkit outlining how churches can get involved in refugee resettlement through Welcome Corps has been developed. Access the toolkit and additional information about Welcome Corps. | | | | Join NCC in Jackson, Miss. for SPLC Interfaith Breakfast | | NCC is partnering with the Southern Poverty Law Center for the Road to 60 "From the Pulpit to the Public Interfaith Breakfast" at 9 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 15. This will also NCC’s last stop for the Freedom Ride. The Interfaith Prayer Breakfast will be held at Two Mississippi Museum, 222 North Street, Suite 1206, Jackson, MS. Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie, NCC President and General Secretary, will be the keynote speaker.
More than 40 organizational partners have committed to joining the effort to register 60,000 new or inactive voters throughout Mississippi similar to Freedom Summer 60 years ago. The mission of Road to 60 is to help build political power among the most vulnerable communities in the state. Register today for this event!
Join us in Jackson, MS for the conclusion of NCC Freedom Summer! Register today for this event! | | | | Massachusetts Council of Churches Responds to Coordinated Attack on LGBT-Affirming Churches | | Friday August 2, 2024
For more information, contact: council@masscouncilofchurches.org Statement from the Massachusetts Council of Churches Executive Board
Over the weekend of July 27-28, 2024, five different Christian churches in four Massachusetts municipalities were violated in what appears to be a coordinated attack by other Christians on LGBT-affirming churches at:
Christ Lutheran Church, Natick First Congregational Church, Natick First Congregational Church, Norwood First Congregational Church, Sharon St Andrew's Episcopal Church, Framingham
We renounce this violence as we serve the Prince of Peace. All houses of worship should be sanctuaries where people can worship safely, without intimidation or fear.
As Americans, we hold dearly the value of freedom to worship.
As Christians, we hold dearly the value of seeing each and every person as made in the image and likeness of God. | |
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