| Visit to Liberia, Reparatory Justice 101, and the Jesus Prayer
NCC Newsletter February 18, 2022 |
| | | Presidential Delegation Visit to Liberia |
| | (Photo credit: U.S. Embassy in Liberia)
On Monday, February 14, 2022, as part of President Biden’s Presidential Delegation to Attend the Bicentennial Celebration of the Arrival of the First Free Black Americans to the Republic of Liberia, NCC Governing Board Chair, Bishop Teresa Jefferson-Snorton of the Fifth Episcopal District of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, visited Monrovia.
The delegation was led by Ms. Dana Banks, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Africa at the National Security Council, and also included U.S. Ambassador to Liberia Michael McCarthy and Mr. Lonnie Bunch, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution.
The U.S. Embassy in Liberia has released the details of the delegation’s visit, noting that they attended the Government of Liberia’s Bicentennial Celebration at SKD Stadium, signed a bilateral agreement of approximately $55 million to improve the health of Liberians over the next five years, and met with the Elections Coordinating Committee to reiterate the United States’ commitment to free and fair elections.
The delegation was described as commemorating the longstanding partnership between the United States Government and the Government of Liberia by meeting with Liberian President Weah and Ministers of Health and Foreign Affairs as they marked the launch of a bilateral agreement.
When the delegation met with the Elections Coordinating Committee Steering Committee, the US Embassy reports that the “leaders discussed the work they are doing to advocate for electoral reform, observe elections, and provide nonpartisan assessments on elections and electoral violence. They also shared their perspectives on the 2023 presidential election.” Also, it was reported that “the U.S. Government plans, through USAID funding, to support the ECC to independently observe the full electoral cycle in 2023 and to report their findings and recommendations to the people of Liberia.”
Bishop Jefferson-Snorton was also able to meet with Bishop Kortu Brown, President of the Liberia Council of Churches to discuss ways in which the two councils might work together in the future.
In reflection of her time in Liberia, Bishop Jefferson-Snorton affirmed the significance of this event: "The history of these two nations - the USA and Liberia - are intertwined. In this moment it is key for us to lift up this connection, but to also create sustainable pathways for partnerships that will enhance the lives of our Liberian sisters and brothers."
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| | | | This Month's Spiritual Practice: Jesus Prayer |
| | | Jeff Eddings reimagines the "Jesus Prayer" as part of the Spiritual Practice Series to Sustain Our Work for Justice, presented by the Christian Education, Faith Formation, and Leadership Development (CEFFLD) Convening Table of the National Council of Churches.
Eddings works for the Presbyterian Mission Agency as the Spiritual Formation and Coaching Associate for the 1001 New Worshiping Communities initiative. He is one of the founding pastors of the Hot Metal Bridge Faith Community in Pittsburgh where he ministered from 2004 to 2019. Jeff leads contemplative prayer retreats and is a guide for those interested in going through the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. He has a passion for coaching and is currently becoming a certified coach through the International Coaching Federation. You can learn more about Jeff and his work at jeffeddings.com.
What are the spiritual practices that strengthen you for the long haul in your work for justice? In this monthly series, the CEFFLD Convening Table of the NCC shares personal stories of practices that have nourished them for the long haul of justice ministries. Faithful action in our communities, regions, countries, and the world, is sustainable when we are spiritually fed by the same Spirit that prompts us to bring Christ's love and justice to bear in our world. Each monthly segment shares a testimony of how a specific practice has been helpful for the faith formation or leadership development of an individual or congregation. The series will share resources (e.g., books, website, articles, videos) that give readers/viewers a chance to learn more about the practice and to use these tools to move forward in faithful efforts toward justice. |
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| Watch Reparatory Justice 101 |
| | | The third webinar in the Reparatory Justice Series, “Reparatory Justice 101,” held on Wednesday, February 16, 2022, provides an explanation of the difference between equity and equality and an overview of the faith community’s US and global engagement in the reparatory justice movement.
The webinar features a welcome by Rev. Aundreia Alexander, Esq., NCC Associate General Secretary, Action and Advocacy for Justice and Peace (Moderator); an equality/equity explanation by Christian Brooks, Representative for Domestic Issues, PC (USA) Office of Public Witness; the Jewish perspective that supports reparations by Israel Harris, Legislative Assistant at the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism; the Christian biblical perspective from Jennifer De Leon, Director, Racial Justice in the Office of the Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA); worker justice by Rev. Sekinah Hamlin, Minister for Economic Justice at the United Church of Christ, National Ministries; the main presentation on reparations in relation to the US and the United Nations given by Dr. Iva E. Carruthers, General Secretary of the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference (SDPC); and a Q & A with Andrew Fuller, Program Director, ELCA.
This series is produced in coalition with the Center for Reparatory Justice, Transformation, and Remediation at the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference; Church World Service; The Episcopal Church; the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; Religious Action Center for Jewish Reform; Network Lobby for Catholic Social Justice; National Council of Churches; the Presbyterian Church (USA); Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference, Inc.; and the United Church of Christ. |
| | | Stopping Voter Suppression |
| | This week as part of a series calling attention to Black History Month, Good Faith Media published an article written by Rev. Dr. Leslie Copeland-Tune, NCC's Chief Operating Officer, entitled, "Until Someday Is Today: Continuing the Fight to Protect Voting Rights."
"I will probably never forget the pain in my mother’s voice in 2013 after the U.S. Supreme Court decision in the Shelby County v. Holder case," she begins. "Their ruling gutted two significant provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, legislation which she had fought hard for and put her body on the line to get passed during the civil rights movement."
Later in the piece while describing the laws that have passed in 19 states to restrict voters from being able to participate in democracy, especially African Americans, people with disabilities and other vulnerable communities, she emphasizes, "To be clear, this is about power – both real and perceived. A significant part of the electorate, and those from one political party in particular, are afraid that if people are allowed to vote unhindered, especially African Americans, they will no longer be able to win elections and will lose power."
Declaring it a "moral imperative for us to fight these renewed efforts at voter suppression," she concludes, "we must intensify our efforts until someday is today and voter suppression is a past memory rather than a present-day reality."
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| | | Registration Open for Ecumenical Advocacy Days |
| | This year, Ecumenical Advocacy Days (EAD) 2022, to be held virtually on April 25-27, 2022 with the theme "Fierce Urgency: Advancing Civil & Human Rights," will call us "into solidarity to restore, protect, and expand voting rights in the United States and to realize human rights around the world. As people of faith, we know each person to be created in God’s image, imbued with dignity and having a voice that demands to be heard, heeded, and treated justly. We arise in unity, holding up a mirror to leaders of nations, putting injustice on display and tearing down the veil of oppression that obscures the beautiful, God-born light shining from within us all."
Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III from Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago will be preaching and Rev. Liz Theoharis from the Poor People’s Campaign will be one of the plenary speakers. Early Bird tickets are $50 until April 1st.
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| | | Black History Month: The Woman Behind the March on Washington |
| | Ignite, an organization working to ignite political power in young women, has a story on Anna Arnold Hedgeman, an activist, educator, and writer with ties to the NCC during her sixty-year career. In 1963 she joined the staff of the Commission on Religion and Race of the NCC as the Coordinator of Special Events. Through this position, she recruited more than 40,000 people to join the March on Washington.
The article explains, "That day in Washington, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his 'I Have a Dream' speech. Along with civil rights organizers, including the Big Six, Hedgeman was one of the lead organizers in the monumental 1963 March in the nation’s capital. She was the only woman on the planning committee for the March. A firm believer in the power of empathy and compassion, Anna Arnold Hedgeman wrote, 'Perhaps it is our mission to make clear that hate destroys and that love can bring wholeness to mankind,' in her memoir, The Trumpet Sounds: A Memoir of Negro Leadership, published in 1964."
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| | | | With only one Wordle available each day, people just can't seem to get enough of this new, simple word game! To fill the need for more Wordle and have a little fun, the NCC will include a faith-related Wordle in our newsletter each week.
If you are unaware of the Wordle craze, it was started by a programmer who wanted to give a gift to his partner. Their friends and family played it privately but after appearing in a New York Times newsletter, the game has become quite popular.
We've customized the game solutions to be religion-based each Friday. Click on the link to play. Instructions on how to play can be found by clicking the "i" for information.
Please share this newsletter with your friends, family, and faith community members who may enjoy completing these special Wordles!
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| | | | COVID-19 Pandemic Response: |
| | Faiths4Vaccines Launches International Year of Action |
| On February 14, 2022, Faiths4Vaccines signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to start a Year of Action on COVID-19 response efforts that will involve faith and community partners joining secular partners on the local level around the globe.
The press release for the event at the White House explained, "By working together, USAID, Faiths4Vaccines and other faith partners will build upon decades of successful partnerships between governments and religious communities on global health crises to combat misinformation on COVID-19, increase vaccine demand, and save lives."
The NCC has been part of the Core Group guiding Faiths4Vaccines efforts since its founding. |
| | | | | WCC Central Committee Meeting Concludes |
| | The World Council of Churches (WCC) Central Committee convened via video conference from February 9-15, 2022 to prepare for the 11th WCC Assembly to be held in Karlsruhe, Germany. All the information from the meeting is now available on the WCC website.
A historic decision was made to present a document to the WCC Assembly that reports the results of a symposium on “Communication for Social Justice in a Digital Age” held in September 2021. This is only the third time in WCC history, after Uppsala in 1968 and Vancouver in 1983, that a major communications document will be presented to the Assembly. This decision underscores the importance of churches addressing critical issues related to social justice raised by digital transformation.
The WCC article states that "the digital transformation of society raises profound issues that the ecumenical fellowship has wrestled with for many decades: power, justice, equity, participation, promoting sustainable communities, care for creation, how voices from the margins are heard, as well as human dignity, and what it means to be human, made in the image of God."
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| | | | Wrestling with the Racial Pandemic |
| | The World Council of Churches (WCC) recently communicated about how churches in North America are dealing with issues of race, which they describe as "conspicuous and contested in US and Canadian society." The article states that "Church leaders are keenly aware of struggles over race and racism not just in society at large but also within and among Christian congregations, in Christian institutions, and in the long entangled history of Christian churches on the North American continent. Race is front and centre."
The article quotes NCC Associate General Secretary, Dr. Tony Kireopoulos, as saying, “The priority for the current period, and for the foreseeable future, is working to end racism. The horrific extent of this problem is painfully obvious to any and all global observers, and thus it commands the attention of the churches called to be co-instruments of societal healing, reconciliation, and peace.”
NCC's A.C.T. Now to End Racism initiative is described along with upcoming opportunities including the Women’s Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace at the end of this month and beginning of March, and the International Day for the Elimination of Racism on March 21st.
“Anti-racism work is hard,” said Bishop Teresa Jefferson-Snorton, NCC Governing Board Chair, in the article. “It is time-consuming. It requires commitment beyond one seminar or workshop, or even one program or one department devoted to diversity issues. Racism is so engrained in the fabric of the USA, that we often just accept it (both blacks and whites). Giving up ‘white privilege’ is a starting point, but I see few people willing to do so.”
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| | | | Share about the Youth & Young Adult Virtual Summit on Addressing Religious Discrimination |
| | On Sunday, February 27, 2022 from 3:00 - 5:00 pm ET, Shoulder to Shoulder, Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC), and Seeds of Peace are coming together to host a Youth & Young Adult Virtual Summit on addressing religious discrimination in our classrooms and communities.
While this event is led in consultation with and for youth and young adults, people who work in schools (or with youth and young adults) are also welcome to attend.
Worshops include: - My Role in the Social Justice Ecosystem
- Bystander Intervention Training in Public Spaces
- Racial Trauma is Real: Strategies for Self-Care
- How to use photographs to build relationships and instigate change
- Stimulating conversation and action with opinion writing.
Shoulder to Shoulder is the national coalition-based campaign of religious denominations and faith-based organizations and communities committed to ending discrimination and violence against Muslims. The NCC is a founding member and serves on its Executive Committee.
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| | | | UCC Continues to Pay off Medical Debt |
| | On February, 14, 2022, the United Church of Christ (UCC) announced that it used $200,000 from one of its annual Giving Tuesday campaigns to purchase and pay off $33 million in medical debt for residents of Ohio. Religion News Service wrote about the announcement and reported that since 2019, the UCC has paid off more than $104 million. |
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| | Job Listings
Program Assistants for the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL)- This full-time, paid fellowship cohort allows for young adults to work directly with FCNL lobbyists and senior staff to learn about the policy process and contribute to the organizing and communications work necessary for lasting change. Deadline today 2/18 Learn more.
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