NCC Newsletter – January 6, 2024

A Case for Love Movie Premieres January 23 “There is surely a future hope for you and your hope will not be cutoff.”  Proverbs 23:18, NRSVue   From the beginning to the end of the year, thou art God!  In Jesus’ name, I pray God's will for us today! Today, may we look back at another year gone by and praise the Lord for His goodness and faithfulness in our lives. I thank Him for all He has given us this year — provisions, protection, healing, and success. I pray for new breakthroughs from the Lord for the coming year.  May new ideas, new things, and new relationships be revealed to us in the days to come.  May God continue to mold and prepare us for the great things He has in store. I pray for an excitement to rise within us, as God unfolds things we have not yet seen.  May an abundance that we cannot contain come to us, our work, our ministries, the NCC family, and our individual families. I ask that God make every good seed that we sow in good ground throughout the year grow and bear fruit.  In Jesus' Name, Amen.   Happy New Year! I’ve entered 2024 praising the Lord for the impactful ministry that we witnessed last year. I look forward to continuing to make an impact in the public square while amplifying our collective and collaborative goals.  I am writing today to encourage and rally your support for the upcoming movie premiere of A Case for Love on January 23, 2024, in theaters across the United States. The film is a documentary that embodies a message promoting unity and love amidst our current times of national chaos. Check your local movie listings for times.  Based on the consistent theology and preaching of Episcopal Church trailblazer and NCC member Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, the film highlights the transformative power of love. The producers behind this project have expressed hope that with substantial attendance at this special one-day event, A Case for Love will be picked up for wider distribution in theaters. A Case for Love follows a dedicated team as they travel across the United States, seeking individuals who live selflessly and share their stories. The interviews featured in the movie include ordinary people and well-known figures, including U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, NBC Today show personality Al Roker, Rev. Becca Stevens, founder of Thistle Farms and social entrepreneur, and many others. I highly encourage everyone who can to attend the movie premiere on January 23, and appeal to others to do the same! Wouldn’t be a powerful statement if congregations, ministry auxiliaries, and other groups showed up en masse to support this documentary? We can do this together!  Let’s show our support for this important film. Your presence would undergird NCC’s commitment to spreading messages of love, selflessness, and unity to a broader audience. Let us come together and embrace the opportunity to support a movie that delves into the essence of what it means to advocate for and practice unselfish love. By attending and/or at least purchasing a ticket, we can contribute to the success of A Case for Love and increase its potential for wider release. Thank you for your considerate and consistent support.  By the Grace of God,  Vashti Murphy McKenzie President/General Secretary

President Biden to Visit Charleston's Mother Emmanuel AME Church

The men of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. lead a crowd of people in prayer outside the Mother Emanuel AME Church on June 19, 2015, after a memorial in Charleston, South Carolina. (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton)

President Joe Biden plans to give an address at Mother Emanuel African Methodist Church in Charleston, South Carolina, on Monday (Jan. 8) as he prepares for the Democratic Party’s first primary of the 2024 presidential cycle. The Rev. Eric S.C. Manning said the president also will meet with families of “the Emanuel Nine,” the people who were killed in the 2015 massacre at the church by a white supremacist who attended a Bible study there before opening fire. Biden is also expected to address concerns about hatred, democracy, and freedom, themes he raised in a speech Friday, the day before the third anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. “Today we are here to answer the most important of questions: Is democracy still America’s sacred cause?” Biden said, according to excerpts of his prepared remarks provided by his campaign ahead of his speech in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. “This isn’t rhetorical, academic, or hypothetical. Whether democracy is still America’s sacred cause is the most urgent question of our time. It is what the 2024 election is all about.” Manning told Religion News Service in an interview that he hopes Biden will address similar themes at his church, which is one of the oldest African-American congregations in the South. On Saturday, Vice President Kamala Harris is also scheduled to be in the state, where she will speak to the annual retreat of the AME Church’s Seventh Episcopal District Women’s Missionary Society in Myrtle Beach. As Biden did earlier, Harris is expected to discuss the attacks on the Capitol. “Regarding January 6, the Vice President will address the full-on assault on hard-fought, hard-won freedoms we are seeing across our nation — and will call the members of the AME Church to continue to stand in defense of our most sacred principles,” a White House official said. Read the complete story here.

Holiday Celebrations Around the World

People use their umbrellas to catch candies during the “Cabalgata de Reyes” Epiphany parade in Barcelona, Spain, Friday, Jan. 5, 2024. Christians around the world will mark Epiphany on Jan. 6 with a series of celebrations that go from parades and gift-giving for children to the blessing of water. The holiday is also called the Feast of Epiphany, Three Kings Day and Theophany. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Participants of the Cabalgata Los Reyes Magos (Cavalcade of the Three Kings) stand together ahead of the cavalcade, the day before Epiphany, in Pamplona, northern Spain, Friday, Jan. 5, 2024. The parade symbolizes the coming of the Magi to Bethlehem following the birth of Jesus, marked in Spain and many Latin American countries. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos)

Indian Christians release balloons to celebrate the New Year after offering prayers at a church in Ahmedabad, India, Monday, Jan. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

At a Boston Church, Haitian Migrants Put Hope in Hard Work and Helping Hands

Jimene Admettre, center, sits next to her husband Ernseau, right, and holds her daughter Gabyana while learning computer skills, Friday, Dec. 22, 2023, in a rectory building where they are staying at the Bethel AME Church in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston. Demand for shelter has increased as Massachusetts struggles to find newly arriving migrants places to stay after hitting a state-imposed limit of 7,500 families in its emergency homeless shelter system last month. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer) AP

By STEVE LeBLANC, Associated Press BOSTON (AP) — When Ernseau Admettre decided to leave Haiti and head north with his young family in tow, very little was guaranteed. But the situation in his homeland, beset by poverty and gang violence, had grown so dire that a risky passage to and then across the United States’ southern border offered a kind of hope he said he could never find by staying put. Admettre discovered Boston through the internet and set his sights on Massachusetts, and the trip took the family through several countries, including the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and Mexico. “We’re going through a very tragic moment in our country. We have no safety. We cannot definitely have all our needs met in Haiti,” Admettre said through a translator Friday. “Leaving Haiti was the best solution to survive.” The Admettres — Ernseau, 43; his wife, Jimene, 36: and their children Elionai, 6, and Gabyana, 2 months — eventually arrived at the Boston International Airport right as winter temperatures were settling in. Ernseau Admettre said he was lucky to be discovered by volunteers working to fill gaps in the shelter system as his family was being kicked out of the airport. He viewed those volunteers as angels sent by God. “I don’t have any family who lives in the United States,” he said. “We didn’t expect to receive this welcome or experience because we have no family ties here.” The family is now one of eight that has found shelter at a rectory building at the Bethel AME Church in Boston’s Jamaica Plain neighborhood. The families — which include 13 children ranging from infants to a 15-year-old — total 28 individuals, according to Geralde Gabeau, executive director of the Immigrant Family Services Institute in Boston, which is helping provide services. Read the complete story here.

Save the Date

Look for information in future issues of NCC's newsletter about the following events sponsored by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health for the Health Opportunities for Policy Equity (HOPE) Challenge, in cooperation with The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation and other partners. February 2024 — The Heart of the Matter: Closing Disparities in Hypertension, Cardiovascular Disease & Stroke March 2024 — Holding Mommy Dear: A National Action Strategy to Eliminate Maternal Mortality June 2024 — A Fair Shot for Health: Collaborating to Close Race, Gender, and Age Disparities in Gun Violence

Faiths United to Save Democracy Hosts MLK Voter Registration Event

Faiths United to Save Democracy is hosting a virtual Call to Action Voter Registration Launch on January 15, 2024, 4:00 – 5:15 pm/EST. Please help them get the word out about the launch and the powerful January 15 messengers addressing the 2024 election question, "Why Vote?"   Feel free to post the above flyer to your social media accounts and encourage attendance by clergy and voting rights advocates in your network before Christmas. Click here for more information.

Employment Opportunities

NCC Position Openings Marketing and Communication Officer The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA (NCC) seeks a talented professional to drive the external and internal engagement of our ecumenical, advocacy, and activist agenda. This position offers an exciting opportunity to lead and implement strategic communications initiatives, from concept to reality, aimed at promoting NCC's vision, mission, and values. The Marketing and Communication Officer will manage the organization's overall communication and marketing strategy, including written and verbal communications, media relations, social media presence, and relationship building with key contacts in Washington D.C. Joining NCC's team as a Marketing and Communication Officer offers a unique opportunity for a motivated and passionate individual to drive impactful external and internal communications strategies that advance our organization’s goals. If you are dedicated to utilizing your skills and experience to make a difference toward positive social change, NCC would love to hear from you. Job Classification Full-time exempt. Work is generally conducted Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. This is a hybrid position with at least one to two days in the office each week. Occasional evening and weekend availability may be required. Eligible for paid time off and retirement benefits. Salary range: $65,000 – $75,000. To apply, click here. Receptionist (Part Time) The National Council of Churches is seeking a part-time Secretary/Receptionist to join our office team. This position requires working at least two in office, and up to three days a week, providing essential support in various administrative tasks. The ideal candidate will be highly organized, detail-oriented, and possess excellent communication skills.   Executive Asst. to the President/General Secretary  The NCC is seeking a highly organized, multifaceted, and motivated individual for the position of Executive Assistant to the President/General Secretary with human resourcing responsibilities. This role will provide essential administrative support and act as a trusted liaison for the President/General Secretary. This position requires the ability to handle sensitive information and maintain confidentiality, as well as exceptional organizational and communication skills.  The Executive Assistant will have the flexibility to work remotely with only 1-2 days per week in the office, though living in the Washington, DC metropolitan area is preferred. The ideal candidate will also possess knowledge of the Washington, DC area and be capable of assisting with human resourcing responsibilities, communications, and marketing strategies.  Office Location  The Methodist Building, 110 Maryland Avenue, NE, Washington, D. C. 20002  Application Process:  To apply for this position, please submit a resume, cover letter, and a list of three professional references. In your cover letter, please highlight your relevant experience, interest in ecumenical/ advocacy work, and knowledge of the DMV area.  How to Apply: Submit a cover letter and resume to jobs@nationalcouncilofchurches.us  • • • • • • Faith in Public Life Position Openings Faith in Public Life is hiring for a few positions and is looking for candidates who would be a good fit. Click on the links below for more information: Ohio Organizing Manager (OH only) Senior Director of Development