Faith leaders in Asheville are adding their voices to those outraged by the actions of NC legislators. Rev. Joe Hoffman, pastor of First Congregational United Church of Christ and an NC Council of Churches board member, is joining his colleagues as well as those from the non-profit community there for a press conference on Monday, May 20. Anyone interested in participating can contact him at revjoehof@uccasheville.org or on his cell at 828-777-8729.
In addition, he [...]
Continue reading Faith Leaders for a Just Society in Asheville
Pediatrician and author Perri Klass has written a powerful essay on childhood poverty as a disease. She writes in part:
Toxic stress is the heavy hand of early poverty, scripting a child’s life not in the Horatio Alger scenario of determination and drive, but in the patterns of disappointment and deprivation that shape a life of limitations.
What Klass emphasizes, what many of us know, is that investing in our children is vital to their [...]
Continue reading Childhood Poverty is a Disease
As many of you already know, Rev. William Barber and the state NAACP are organizing weekly protests at the General Assembly, voicing opposition to the direction our state is being taken during this legislative session (that direction being backwards). These protests include, for those who choose to take part, nonviolent civil disobedience and arrest. In the last three weeks, nearly a hundred people have been arrested. The call has also been for supporters, people [...]
Continue reading Moral Mondays – Clergy Issued Special Invitation for May 20
Last week, members of the Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC) joined allies and activists from across the state in protesting Reynolds American Inc.’s treatment of farmworkers. Last year, Reynolds earned $1.3 billion in profits, but the company has hesitated to take proactive steps in guaranteeing good housing and fair pay to the workers at the very heart of its supply chain. Here at the NC Council of Churches, we have long supported farmworkers’ rights to living wages and dignity on the job. No one should have to work in slave-like conditions to provide for their family. Corporations should take responsibility for their supply chains, and the people whose labor makes possible their profits. [...]
Continue reading Farmworkers Address Reynolds American: Do More to Protect Workers
Gun bills that extend the availability and use of guns flood the General Assembly. [...]
Continue reading Raleigh Report-Gun Bills Flood In
For decades, we’ve been working toward equal pay and equal treatment for women in the workplace. Sadly, there is still much progress to be made – illustrated by this powerful graphic below created by Kayla Evans. [...]
Continue reading Equal Education, Unequal Pay
Congress is overwhelmed with lobbyists for corporations, Chambers of Commerce, AARP, the Department of Defense, etc. But those living in poverty are short on lobbyist as the so-called ‘fiscal cliff’ is debated and cuts as well as revenue sources are considered.
People of faith and compassion are being called to serve as lobbyists for the voiceless and the vulnerable. The faith community must lift a voice. If our senators hear from 100 faithful constituents each [...]
Continue reading Needed: Lobbyists for the Voiceless
Kim Bobo, a religious and workers’ rights activist and executive director of Interfaith Worker Justice, will meet with other faith and worker rights activists in the Triangle this week to highlight worker-justice issues. She is a highly regarded expert in her area of work and is the author of “Wage Theft in America.” In his review of the book, “New York Times” reporter Steven Greenhouse said, “Kim Bobo shines a bright light on this often invisible, alarming [...]
Continue reading Worker Justice Leader in the Triangle This Week
Farmworkers are some of our nation’s most vital workers, as their labor enables us to enjoy high quality, low-cost, fresh fruits and vegetables all year round. Despite farmworkers’ economic and cultural contributions to the communities where they live and work, they continue to be the some of the lowest paid, least protected, and unhealthiest workers in the United States. [...]
Continue reading United States Farmworker Factsheet
Recently, I heard a powerful message from the Rev. William Barber. Many Council folks know him. He’s the President of the NC NAACP and pastor of the Greenleaf Christian Church (Disciple of Christ) in Goldsboro. The power of his message was not in fiery delivery. It was a low-key conversation with a group of fifty or so progressive leaders, sitting in a circle in the chapel of University United Methodist Church in Chapel Hill. The power was in the profound thoughts he expressed and in the clear rightness of his words. [...]
Continue reading Reclaiming the Bible’s Prophetic Voice
From Acts of Faith: Free Lectionary Resources for Prophetic Worship
Date: 2nd Sunday after Easter, April 15, 2012
Topic: Living Wages
Focus Text: Acts 4:32-35
From the pastoral reflection: “As Christians, we attempt to recapture the vision of work as related to the creating, sustaining, and transforming work of God. Our vocation is not defined simply by our paid employment. What we do at home, in churches, in our volunteer and political activities, all contribute to the “work” that embraces the whole of our lives.” [...]
Continue reading 2nd Sunday after Easter – Living Wages
Lynice Williams died this weekend. Too soon by any measure.
She was one of this state’s great advocates for and organizers of people of low income and low wealth. Among other things, she was executive director of North Carolina Fair Share for 24 years and was a member of the Governing Board of the North Carolina Council of Churches at the time of her passing. These words about her on Progressive Pulse reflect the depth [...]
Continue reading In Thanksgiving for the Life of Lynice Williams
With too many North Carolinians jobless, the North Carolina Council of Churches is releasing a newly revised version of its popular “Job Loss: A Guidebook for Pastors” eight years after the original was published. The revised version is available for free download on the Council’s website. [...]
Continue reading New Edition: Job Loss – A Guidebook for Pastors
The 2012 Historic Thousands on Jones Street (HKonJ) People’s Assembly is this Saturday, February 11. We’ll gather at Shaw University in Raleigh starting at 9:30 and march to the Legislative Building.
Other than voting, there’s probably nothing more important for you to do in the interim between legislative sessions. By our presence, we show policy makers the strength of support for HKonJ’s agenda for social justice. And we encourage one another by reminding ourselves that [...]
Continue reading Join Us at HKonJ This Saturday
Table of Contents
Overview Focus Text Commentary Reflection Worship Aids Hymns Quotes Vignette Contacts Key Facts Tools
Print PDF Share on Facebook:
Related Content
Sermon Library Blog Posts Council Resources Policy Statements Legislative Updates NC News Stories
Overview – Sabbath Economics
Focus Text: Matthew 20:1-16
When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then [...]
Continue reading Sabbath Economics – Proper 20
|
|
Topics: 
Category: 
