| | | NCC Freedom Summer Upcoming Events | | NCC Freedom Academy Session to Highlight Economic Justice | | Join us for the third session of NCC Freedom Academy, "Proclaim Release of the Captives — End Mass Incarceration/Criminal Justice," with Rev. Dr. Willie D. Francois III, Senior Pastor, Fountain Baptist Church, Summit, NJ, this Sunday, July 21 at 6 p.m. ET! This enlightening session will continue the engaging NCC Freedom Summer "Sunday School" series unpacking Luke 4. Participants can download the curriculum series developed by NCC’s Christian Education Department, highlighting civic engagement, social justice, and the importance of voting rights from a faith-based perspective. Invite a friend and participate in this upcoming session! You don't want to miss it! | | | NCC Freedom Ride: Stop #2 — Atlanta, Ga., July 26 | | The NCC Freedom Ride will move into its second week with an ecumenical worship service on July 26 at 7 p.m. at Beulah Baptist Church, 170 Griffin Street, NW, Atlanta, Ga. 30314, where Rev. Winford Kenny Rice is Senior Pastor. Join NCC for a time of worship and edification! The guest speaker will be Rev. Dr. Jamal Bryant, Senior Pastor of the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, Stonecrest, Ga. Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie, NCC President and General Secretary, and Rev. Dr. Russell Meyer, Executive Director of the Florida Council of Churches and Pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church, will be among the notable guests at this event. The second stop of the Freedom Ride will also focus on registering and mobilizing voters, with special training on civic engagement and canvassing on July 27 at 10 a.m. at Beulah Baptist Church. Help NCC spread the news and join us as we engage, educate, and empower voters this election season. | | | NCC Remembers Congressman John Lewis | | | | NCC Represented at John Lewis Day of Action Faith Meet Up | | Faithful Democracy, a coalition of faith-based nonprofit organizations in Washington, DC, and across the country mobilized to commemorate the life and legacy of Congressman John Lewis on the fourth anniversary of his passing.
NCC's Project Coordinator Matthew Markay (top left) joined Faithful Democracy partners for the John Lewis Day of Action meet up on July 17. Faithful Democracy's pre-vigil gathering was held to affirm their commitment to the shared principles that undergird the movement.
The John Lewis National Day of Commemoration and Action aims to educate, motivate, and activate communities to work toward passage of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, the Freedom to Vote Act, the Native American Voting Rights Act, and DC Statehood. | | Coalition on Human Needs (CHN) Urges Action on the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement ActFour years ago on July 17, America lost a great statesman and civil rights hero in Congressman John Lewis.
Rep. John Lewis was the personification of the American Dream: born to Alabama sharecroppers during Jim Crow, he became a leader in the sit-in and Nashville Student Movement while attending Fisk University, and participated in the Freedom Rides of the Civil Rights Movement.
Through his activism and belief in a future where America would live up to its promise for all people, he became a Representative for Georgia’s 5th Congressional District in Atlanta, where he took his fight for voting rights from the Edmund Pettus Bridge all the way to the halls of the U.S. Congress.
For almost 50 years, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 received bipartisan support to guarantee access to the ballot box and combat discrimination in voter access. In 2013, the Supreme Court―under the leadership of Chief Justice John Roberts―gutted critical parts of the Voting Rights Act and opened the floodgates for states to implement severe voter suppression laws that disproportionately impact communities of color, low-income communities, LGBTQ+ communities, and rural communities.
The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act would require jurisdictions with a history of voting discrimination to receive preclearance from the Department of Justice or a federal court before changing any voting laws and would allow voters to sue over gerrymandered maps that dilute the political power of communities of color―restorations from the Voting Rights Act.[1] | | | NCC Represented at National Summit on Mass Violence Victims and Survivors | | The Rev. Dr. Tammy Wiens with Rev. Eric Manning, Pastor of Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, SC. | NCC Director of Christian Education and Faith Formation, the Rev. Dr. Tammy Wiens, represented the NCC at this week’s inaugural summit, co-sponsored by the National Center for Victims of Crime and the National Mass Violence Center.
That the University of Pittsburgh Law School hosted the event was especially poignant given its geographic proximity to last week’s assassination attempt on a former president. The purpose of the summit was to address key issues in preparing for and responding to mass violence.
The national conversation drew professionals from a broad range of agencies, organizations, and disciplines, including law enforcement, government offices, behavioral health agencies, and clergy. The ambitious agenda sought not only to educate the audience on available resources but also to offer opportunities for meaningful engagement with people who have personally suffered an incident of mass violence.
Several victims and relatives of victims of mass violence shared their stories and healing journeys. There were opportunities for information sharing from representatives of agencies that participate in setting up resiliency centers in affected communities. “What was especially striking,” reflected Wiens, “is that every tragic, violent act requires a tailor-made healing process because of the nuances of every perpetrator’s motivation and the unique setting of the attack.” She went on to elaborate on the various forms of hate and prejudice that characterize the victimized communities, including targeting groups of a particular race, sexual orientation, disability, or religious affiliation.
More than 28 countries were represented, emphasizing the international need to expand the pool of resources to address mass violence preparedness, response, recovery, and resiliency.
Pittsburgh’s Mayor Ed Gainey was first to address the 100+ people who gathered in person along with 1,555 virtual participants from across the globe. Gainey described at least three personal experiences of losing someone close to him through violent death and shared a commitment to use his office to change the narrative of violence that pervades social media so that children can grow up in hope rather than perpetuating further violence. He called out the hateful rhetoric that defines the current political landscape and did not mince words in challenging those who described the shots fired on former President Trump as a “wake-up call.” Gainey said, “If that was a wake-up call, then how asleep has American been?”
One of the most meaningful sessions for Wiens, in terms of what faith leaders might contribute to the conversation, was led by Rev. Eric S.C. Manning of Mother Emanuel Church in Charleston, SC, and Rabbi Hazzan Jeffrey Myers of the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pa. Both congregations lost parishioners when gunmen entered their places of worship and opened fire. (Mother Emmanuel in 2015 and Tree of Life in 2018).
The depth of the personal friendship that Manning and Myers have forged out of their mutual need to address trauma in their communities was palpable throughout the session. Myers said he was resistant when Manning first offered to visit him in Pittsburgh in the aftermath of the 2018 shooting, but God knew better. Over the ensuing years, Myers has come to think of Manning as his pastor and likewise, Myers thinks of Myers as his rabbi.
While this session was crucial in highlighting to participants the spiritual element that is essential to any healing process, Wiens noted that the most visible presence of faith leaders came solely from those representing traumatized communities. She noted, “It is critical that we see faith leaders standing alongside those who are leading the conversation on the mission and scope of services offered in the wake of violence and trauma — not merely as victims of such — and I hope hat we can improve our showing at a future event. We need religious leaders engaged in public conversations before a traumatic event to increase the trust and credibility we have if and when tragedy strikes.”
For more information on how faith leaders can join the conversation, visit https://nmvvrc.org. | | You Can Vote to Release NC Voter Guide and Voter Education Toolkit by August 7 | | You Can Vote's North Carolina Voter Guide and Voter Education Toolkit will be available by August 7. Additionally, YCV will launch a nonpartisan candidate guide (Ballot Builder) and week-by-week messages that other entities can use in their communications as they see fit. With so many changes and confusion about voting, YCV is excited to offer more nonpartisan resources for our partners and communities. To access these resources, click here: Voting Guide — You Can Vote
You Can Vote (YCV) was founded in 2014 following Shelby County v. Holder, 133 S. Ct. 2612, the Supreme Court decision rolling back key protections of the Voting Rights Act. YCV envisions a representative democracy that reflects the diversity of our state, includes all voices, and serves all North Carolinians. Our organization develops community leaders who educate, register, and empower NC citizens to cast their ballots successfully.
YCV began in 2014 as an all-volunteer effort that quickly grew due to the need for quality, fact-based education. Our focus is to increase civic participation of historically marginalized populations, including young people, people of color, low-income people, people who are currently and formerly incarcerated, individuals with disabilities, and new citizens. | | Reflection on NCC's Co-convened
Buddhist-Christian Dialogue | | Photo: Participants in the National Buddhist-Christian Dialogue at University of the West in Rosemead, Calif. (Photo via National Council of Churches) | At the Buddhist-Christian dialogue: finding solidarity amid a shifting religious landscape in a polarized country renegotiating the role of religion in civic life, interfaith partnerships are critical.
By Michael Woolf
(RNS) — Recently, more than 30 Buddhists and Christians gathered to form relationships and discuss ways to collaborate as part of the National Buddhist-Christian Dialogue. As one of the Christian participants, representing the American Baptist Churches USA, I participated in the dialogue against the backdrop of white Christian nationalism. Recently, Louisiana passed a law mandating the Ten Commandments be posted in classrooms of the state, and Oklahoma issued a directive for all public schools to teach the Bible. Our public spaces ought to be free from religious dogma and such laws represent a growing trend of Christian nationalism. The efforts are part of a slew of new laws that seek to enforce Christian hegemony, as backers eye a sympathetic Supreme Court that has recently supported prayer at school functions. Hosted at University of the West, one of the country’s only Buddhist institutions of higher learning, and co-sponsored by the National Council of Churches, Hsi Lai Temple, University of the West, Claremont School of Theology and the Guibord Center, the May 29 dialogue was one of several the National Council of Churches has co-convened with interfaith partners, including dialogues among Christians, Muslims, Jews, and Hindus. I was struck by how often I have been in Christian spaces for interfaith dialogue and how rarely the dialogues have been hosted by a Buddhist institution. Signs included invitations to a dharma group, and Chinese characters and calligraphy were posted on the walls. It was a joy to be in another faith tradition’s space as a guest. My only hope is that members of other faiths feel so welcomed when they are in Christian spaces, a task made more difficult by the current climate of Christian supremacy. One of the most moving takeaways for me is how much we shared in common as religious leaders in a quickly secularizing society — the struggle to attract and retain new members, the hard work of building youth groups, and the concern over what the future might hold. Moving beyond dogma helped us realize there is a need from both of our traditions to engage young voices in leadership. The data on this is clear in Christianity. According to the Faith Communities Today 2020 study, the median age of those in congregational leadership is 57, up from 50 in 2000. While the statistics are a little harder to come by for Buddhist leadership, anecdotally one Buddhist participant in the dialogues remarked, “It’s hard to convince young men to become monks these days.”
Read the complete story here. | | Moravian Disaster Response Update: Hurricane Beryl | | A resident looks at a beach littered with trash at Bull Bay, Jamaica, in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl on July 4, 2024. (Photo by Ricardo Makyn / AFP) (Photo by RICARDO MAKYN/AFP via Getty Images) | The Board of World Mission is the agency that helps coordinate the North American Moravian response to disasters around the world. We are in communication with our Moravian siblings in Jamaica following Hurricane Beryl’s impact on the island. The Rev. Barrington Daley, President of the Moravian Provincial Board in Jamaica, has reported that while damage from the storm can be seen throughout the country, the greatest damage seems to be in the parishes of Manchester and St. Elizabeth, located along the south-central coast. Significant roof damage has been caused to church buildings and the homes of Moravian Church members, and large sections of Jamaica still lack electrical power or access to phones. The BWM has already sent $10,000 to Jamaica to aid recovery efforts and is awaiting more detailed damage assessments.
You can assist us with our disaster response efforts by going to www.moravianmission.org/give and clicking the green “Give” button. Please designate your gift to “MDR”. If you wish to mail your donation, please make the check payable to “Board of World Mission” and send it to one of the following addresses:
U.S. Donors: Board of World Mission, 1021 Center Street, Bethlehem, PA 18018
Canadian Donors: Moravian Church in Canada, 600 Acadia Drive SE, Calgary, AB T2J 0B8 Interac
E-Transfer donations may be sent to treasurer@moravian.ca. Please include your name and address in the comments section of the transfer to receive tax receipts.
*Please note that for Canadian and other non-U.S.-based donors, the BWM is not able to provide an acknowledgment letter for tax purposes outside of the U.S.
While donations from outside the U.S. can be made via our secure giving platform, they are not able to be acknowledged with a tax receipt. | |
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