| | | | | NCC Freedom Academy Final Session to be Facilitated by Fr. Samuel Davis | | Join us for the final session of NCC Freedom Academy, "To Proclaim the Year of the Lord's Favor—Beloved Community and Democracy," facilitated by Fr. Samuel Davis, Assistant Priest at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine World Trade Center, Sunday, August 11, 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! | | | Join NCC and SPLC in Jackson, MS Aug. 15–17 for "The Road to 60" | | NCC is partnering with the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) for The Road to 60 "From the Pulpit to the Public Interfaith Breakfast" at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 15. The three days of events sponsored by SPLC will also close out NCC’s Freedom Ride stops. The Interfaith Prayer Breakfast, one of many events that weekend, 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 breakfast keynote speaker.
More than 40 organizational partners have committed to a joint effort to register 60,000 new or inactive voters throughout Mississippi similar to what was done during Freedom Summer 60 years ago. The mission of The Road to 60 is to help build political power among the most vulnerable communities in Mississippi.
The Road to 60: Organize, Mobilize, Defend, and Win Training Summit is the convening space for Mississippi-focused organizers and community-based change agents. The summit is bringing together key stakeholders and community members for a weekend of organizing, strategizing, and mobilizing in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of Mississippi Freedom Summer 1964. The summit will pay homage to the Mississippi Veterans of the Civil Rights Movement and Mississippi’s legacy of civil rights. All events are free and open to all ages, but you must register to attend. | | | Pictorial Highlights: NCC Freedom Summer, Durham, N.C. | The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA (NCC) continued its Freedom Ride in Durham, N.C., August 9–10. An ecumenical worship service was held at St. Joseph AME Church on Friday, August 9, Rev. Dr. Jonathan C. Augustine is Senior Pastor. Voter engagement training was hosted on Saturday morning, August 10, at First Calvary Baptist Church, where the Rev. Dr. Marc A. Lavarin is senior pastor. Also partnering in the event was Down Home North Carolina, an organization dedicated to building multi-racial power for working people in North Carolina's small towns and rural places.
Participants included Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie, NCC President and General Secretary; Rev. Dr. Jennifer Copeland, Executive Director of the North Carolina Council of Churches, Rev. Bob Stephens, Repairers of the Breach North Carolina Organizing Committee Coordinator and Member of the NC Poor People's Campaign, Rev. Dr. Leslie Copeland Tune, NCC Senior Associate General Secretary and Director of Advocacy, Rev. Dr. Marc A Lavarin, Rev. Dr. Jonathan C. Augustine, and other clergy and community leaders.
| | Photo Credit: St. Joseph AME Church | | | | Photo Credit: NCC | | Photo Credit: NCC | | Photo Credit: NCC | | Photo Credit: NCC | | | | NCC Statement on the Child Tax Credit
and Senate Vote | | The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA (NCC) expresses profound disappointment over the Senate's failure to advance the bipartisan Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024. The expansion of the child tax credit (CTC) is one of the most effective means of reducing child poverty in the United States, particularly at a time when rising costs are burdening families struggling to make ends meet.
During the height of the pandemic, the expanded child tax credit significantly alleviated poverty and hunger, providing critical support to families in need. However, the expiration of these expanded benefits in 2021 has led to a troubling increase in child poverty and hunger, reversing the progress made in recent years.
The bipartisan legislation, which passed the House 357-70 in February, unfortunately did not advance in the Senate due to a failed attempt to invoke cloture on a vote of 48 to 44. The proposed CTC expansion had the potential to lift as many as 400,000 children above the poverty line. It would have provided essential relief to more than 80 percent of the roughly 19 million children under age 17 in low-income families, benefiting nearly 16 million children in the first year alone. Additionally, nearly three million children under age three would have been included in this expansion.
The NCC stands on the belief that it is a moral imperative to support policies that uplift the most vulnerable among us, particularly our children. The child tax credit is a proven tool in the fight against poverty, and its expansion is critical to ensuring that all children have the opportunity to thrive.
"We call on our elected officials to prioritize the well-being of children and families by swiftly reintroducing and passing legislation that expands the child tax credit. Our faith compels us to advocate for justice and compassion, and we urge the Senate to act with urgency and moral clarity on this crucial issue," said Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie, NCC President and General Secretary.
Proverbs 31:8-9 (NRSVue) reads, "Speak out for those who cannot speak, for the rights of all the destitute. Speak out, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy." We are called to defend the rights of the poor and needy, and it is our duty to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.
| | Joint Prayer for Peace and Reunification on the Korean Peninsula from the South Korea NCCK | The Reconciliation and Unification Committee of the National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK) has prepared a worship service for the 'Joint Prayer Sunday for Peaceful Reunification of the Korean Peninsula and hopes that churches around the world will use it according to their own circumstance.
Use the link below to access the worship service, the South-North Joint Prayer Service South Korean Draft, and English materials. Note: the website is in Korean and you may need to use your browser's translation feature.
Also, NCCK is asking for churches and individuals to participate in the 2024 Joint South-North Prayer for Peace and Reunification on the Korean Peninsula on August 15. | | | | | | | The Episcopal Church's Office of Government Relations and the Episcopal Public Policy Network will host an online workshop on
Aug 27, at 3:00 PM CT that will serve as a primer on our civil discourse curriculum, helping you understand the opportunities and limits of civil discourse as a critical tool for bridging partisan divides, learning from one another, and creating better solutions for our communities.
Election season is a time to emphasize not only voting, but also how voting is part of a year-round practice of civic engagement. This engagement is where individuals can invest in communities by paying attention and speaking out constructively through the powers and rights at our disposal. But election season, perhaps more so this year, is also a time of heightened division that also impacts church communities.
How can Episcopalians equip themselves to build and maintain relationships that are fundamental to our common life? What roles do healthy conflict and dialogue play in humanizing one another?
The full curriculum will not be reviewed on this program but rather hold an informal space to explore what civil discourse means in an election, in advocacy, and in caring for our neighbor. If you are curious about this curriculum, have or are planning to use another similar program in your community, join this call to help learn how to get the most out of such learning opportunities.
With the right framing, some disciplined practice, and self-reflection on what each of us needs to learn in this process, we can grow our individual and communal capacity for necessary conversations that leverage our diversity and help us solve problems together, even across disagreements. | | | | White House Hosts Summit on Environmental Justice in Action | | Last week, the White House Council on Environmental Quality hosted the first-ever White House Summit on Environmental Justice in Action, showcasing the Biden-Harris Administration’s progress on advancing environmental justice (watch the recording here!). The historic event brought together senior Biden-Harris Administration officials and environmental justice leaders from across the country to highlight progress, celebrate local efforts to create healthier communities, and catalyze further action to promote environmental justice for all. During the Summit, the Biden-Harris Administration made key announcements to build on the most ambitious environmental justice agenda in history, including releasing: 1. The Second Annual Environmental Justice Scorecard 2. EnvironmentalJustice.gov 3. The Environmental Justice Science, Data, and Research Plan 4. A Memorandum of Understanding for the White House Environmental Justice Interagency Council ICYMI, please see below for a White House Fact Sheet that provides greater details on the Administration’s announcements and actions. We encourage you to share broadly with family, friends, and colleagues. | |
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