| Protecting Houses of Worship, HR 40, Booster Shots, and Will They Come Back? NCC Newsletter February 4, 2022 |
| | | Last Month's Jewish-Christian Dialogue: Will They Come Back? |
| | | The National Jewish-Christian Dialogue, co-convened by the National Council of Churches and the National Council of Synagogues, meets regularly throughout the year.
Its most recent session, on January 25, 2022, was held on the theme: “Will They Come Back: What Can Religion Offer our Divided, Post-Covid World?” Presentations were offered by Rev. Cameron Trimble, CEO of Convergence; Rev. Michael Livingston, Interim Senior Minister of The Riverside Church; and Rev. Jim Keat, both the Digital Minister of The Riverside Church and a technology colleague at Convergence.
Their presentations offered both challenges and opportunities in the current environment. Congregations will truly benefit from this shared knowledge about the need for a new collective story during a time when hybrid church is the new normal. Visit NCC's YouTube channel to view the presentations and learn about successful virtual coffee hours and what digital campfires have to do with church. We hope you find them, and the included resources, helpful as you continue to carry out your ministries during these difficult and uncertain times. |
| | | Letter to the House Leadership Urging the Immediate Passage of H.R. 40 |
| | Today, at the start of Black History Month and as a member of the Why We Can’t Wait Coalition, the NCC joined over 360 groups to urge the U.S. House of Representatives leadership to make the Commission to Study and Develop Reparations Proposals for African Americans Act (H.R.40) a priority and immediately bring the bill to the floor for a vote.
Those signing the letter include the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America (N’COBRA), the National African American Reparations Commission (NAARC), Human Rights Watch (HRW), the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and 365 national, international, state, and local organizations along with over 40 leaders, activists, and celebrities.
In April of 2021 H.R.40 received a favorable vote from the House Judiciary Committee. This is the first time a House committee has considered the bill for recommendation to the House floor since it was first introduced in 1989 by Congressman John Conyers (D-MI).
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| | | | Resources for Preventing Violence Against Places of Worship |
| | | The NCC has gathered the resources developed by federal agencies on how to protect houses of worship into one list. Below are links to resources to assist faith groups in keeping safe.
When planning, the agency recommends three steps:
1. Establish roles and responsibilities to create a security plan and team which should include a wide-range of members from the faith community such as a janitor, a clergy leader, current or former military or security advisers, school teachers, cybersecurity experts, and mental health professionals.
2. Conduct a self assessment using these team members to answer a series of questions by analyzing the facility and the gaps it might have.
3. Develop the appropriate security plans such as the business plan, communications plan, and active shooter plan.
If the house of worship decides to apply for a security grant, these assessment questions are the first step in applying.
Additional resources:
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| | | COVID-19 Pandemic Response: |
| | | This week, the Health and Human Services (HHS) Covid Community Corps is asking all organizations to share information that will encourage their communities to receive the booster shot for COVID-19.
Faith communities and leaders are asked to share the messaging and graphics in their social media feeds. Appropriately-sized graphics can be found on the We Can Do This website.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) site has complete information about the COVID-19 booster shots on this page.
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| | | | | Alliance of Baptists Celebrates 35 Years |
| | With the theme, "We’re 35 and it’s Our Time to Thrive!" the Alliance for Baptists will celebrate 35 years on February 25, 2022 by offering a time to reflect, celebrate, and envision who they are becoming "as a people, a body, and a movement." May this milestone celebration be blessed! |
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| | Florida Churches Protest State Legislation that Would Prevent Caring for Children |
| In a letter termed, "Let the Children Come" our partners in Florida have joined Evangelical Latinx and other Christian leaders in beseeching the Florida Senate to allow Christians in the state to practice their faith by caring for children.
The Florida Council of Churches; Florida‐Bahamas Synod, ELCA; Synod of the South Atlantic, PC(USA); Central Florida District, CME; and 11th Episcopal District, AME wrote with "grave concern that the State of Florida is taking up a public policy that makes children unwelcome." The group stated that, "Such a thought makes us shudder, and yet that seems the plain meaning of the recent executive order banning federally protected unaccompanied children and pending legislation on 'unauthorized aliens.'"
The letter explains, "Our churches focus on children for good reason. The morality of our society is judged by how we care for children. One of the most famous stories of Jesus speaks directly to this point: Some people were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them. When Jesus saw this, he became furious and told them, “Let the little children come to me, and stop keeping them away, because the kingdom of God belongs to people like these. I tell you with certainty, whoever doesn’t receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” Then after he had hugged the children, he tenderly blessed them as he laid his hands on them. (Mark 10:13‐16 ISV)" |
| | | | Episcopal Team to Launch Virtual Reality Church Services |
| | Episcopal News Service reported that a team led by Episcopal clergy is developing a church space in virtual reality (VR) and they plan to welcome the first worshipers to their avatar-friendly liturgy on February 28, 2022. In the VR metaverse users wear internet-connected headsets and hand controllers to enter and navigate an entirely digital world.
The team has chosen the name, Web3 Abbey, to host the virtual liturgies on the platform AltSpaceVR, which they have been advised offers "security measures to help minimize the threat of online trolls crashing the services."
The service will appear as an event on the AltSpaceVR platform, which can be accessed through Facebook in the Oculus headsets. The services will be held every Monday evening for five weeks, then the team will "assess what worked, what didn’t work and what comes next." |
| | | | Job Listings
Director of Development for the Center on Conscience and War - to help support their ninth decade of work to extend and defend the rights of conscientious objectors to war. Learn more.
Racial Equity Justice and Peace Specialist for Chesapeake Bay Mission Center of Community of Christ - to work with individuals, small groups, and existing congregations to support racial diversity and inclusion of all persons. Learn more. |
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