Faith and Health Summit 2022 Mindful Together
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

NC Council of Churches

Strength in Unity, Peace through Justice

  • Voices
  • About
    • Overview
    • Staff
    • Members
    • Covenant Partners
    • Issue Statements
    • Governing Board
    • Careers
  • Programs
    • NC Interfaith Power & Light
      • NCIPL Overview
      • Faith in Action NCIPL
      • NCIPL Articles
      • NCIPL Resources
      • Upcoming Events for NCIPL
      • Contact NCIPL
    • Partners in Health & Wholeness
      • PHW Staff
      • Mini-Grants
      • PHW Collaborative Pledge
      • Faith and Health Summit 2022 Mindful Together
      • The Overdose Crisis: The Faith Community Responds
      • Mental Health Advocacy
      • BIPOC Mental Health Grant
      • Growing Communities of Inclusion: A Faithful Response to HIV
      • Healthy Aging
      • Citizen Science
      • PHW Articles
      • FAQs
  • Priorities
    • Racial Justice
    • The Overdose Crisis: The Faith Community Responds
    • Gun Violence Prevention
    • Criminal Justice
    • Immigrant Rights
    • Public Education
    • Farmworkers
    • Legislative Advocacy
    • Christian Unity
    • Peace
  • Events
  • Resources
    • COVID-19 Resources
    • Publications & Reports
    • Raleigh Report
    • Lectionary
    • Sermons
  • Donate
  • Council Store
  • Show Search

Search NC Council of Churches

Hide Search

Support the Council on Giving Tuesday

The Rev. Dr. Jennifer Copeland, Executive Director · November 27, 2017 · Leave a Comment

Dear Friends,

Last year when we sent out our fall appeal requesting financial support for the work of the North Carolina Council of Churches we were only days past the presidential election and could only hypothesize about what lay ahead. In that letter I predicted “constrictions on health care coverage and access to affordable health care, increased discrimination against LGBTQ citizens, restrictions on reproductive rights, antagonism towards immigrants, and on-going wage depreciation that will most severely impact the working poor.” Too bad, I can’t pick lottery numbers with the same level of accuracy, but then since the Council is on record opposing the lottery, I wouldn’t be picking lottery numbers anyway!

To the point, nearly all our predictions for this past year have come true, along with a few more we didn’t anticipate. Still, as promised, through it all we have maintained a consistent call for justice with tangible reminders of the truth for which we stand and the faith that informs it.

  • In the face of what turned out to be the first overt white supremacist gathering last December, we gathered nearly a thousand faith leaders across North Carolina to sign a full page ad in The News and Observation reiterating our intention to meet fear with love.
  • Responding to increasing hostility toward immigrants from local, state, and national leaders, we paid to erect a billboard on I-40 West affirming the scriptural mandate: “Welcome the immigrants… (Leviticus 19:34).
  • We presented our Faith Active in Public Life award jointly to David and Lisa Price, David for his stalwart stand for “justice for all” in the U.S. House of Representatives and Lisa for her work as the founder and director emerita of NC Against Gun Violence.
  • As pressure mounted against immigrants, we hosted Sanctuary Training events to empower local churches to provide shelter for those at risk for deportation.
  • After a protest and counter-protest swelled in the days following the felling of a confederate monument in Durham, we organized a training event for all those who want to provide a nonviolent presence in places of strife. We call it: Presence is Power.
  • Even now as new tax policies wind their way through congressional halls, we are preparing a host of resources to help Christians navigate the nuances through the lens of faith. We would never let it be said that tax reform is not a matter of faith! “Oppressing the poor in order to enrich oneself, and giving it to the rich, will lead only to loss” (Proverbs 22:16).

In partnership with you and the eighteen denominational bodies that comprise the NC Council of Churches, we will continue to weave the work of Spirit into the workings of the world. Thank you for all you do to make this work possible.

Please click here if you’d like to donate online. Or your gifts are always welcome to: NCCC, 27 HORNE Street, Raleigh, 27607. The NC Council of Churches is a 501(c)(3) organization. Contributions are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law.

Filed Under: Blog, Homepage Featured Tagged With: Immigration, News, Taxes

About The Rev. Dr. Jennifer Copeland, Executive Director

Jennifer is a native of South Carolina and an ordained minister in The United Methodist Church. She loves South Carolina, but has managed to spend all but ten years of her adult life in North Carolina. Those ten years were spent pastoring United Methodist churches across the Upstate. She attended Duke University several times and in the process earned a BA, double majoring in English and Religion, a Master of Divinity, a PhD in religion, and a Graduate Certificate in Women’s Studies. Prior to coming to the Council, she spent 16 years as the United Methodist Chaplain at Duke University, where she also taught undergraduate and divinity school classes, served on committees and task forces, and attended lots of basketball games. Jennifer has two children, Nathan, a software developer who lives in Durham, and Hannah, a student at the University of Tampa.

Reader Interactions

More Like This

Democracy, Values & the 2020 Election: A Reflection Guide for Faith Communities
Closing Doors and Closing Borders
Sanctuary Leaders Threatened by Impossible Fines

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Footer

Contact

NC Council of Churches
27 Horne St.
Raleigh, NC 27607
(919) 828-6501
info@ncchurches.org

Facebook

Partners in Health and Wholeness

Featured

Support the Council on Giving Tuesday

Latest Tweets

Like it or not – and there are plenty of reasons to worry amid the familiar end-of-summer bursts of excitement – another school year will soon get underway. Read more at ncchurches.org/2022/…

Yesterday

Using our voices to fulfill our civic duty and vote in every election makes a difference in our communities. This reflection guide with suggested questions to guide your conversations and spark ideas for questions to ask political candidates. ncchurches.org/2022/…

About 4 days ago

Join us for our @healthandfaith Faith and Health Summit! Our theme for this year’s summit is Mindful Together. We want to acknowledge the need for mindful moments that hold our minds, bodies, & spirits. Join us and a well-rounded list of expert speakers: ncchurches.ourpowerb… pic.twitter.com/WSnA…

About 5 days ago

RT @NCCADP We have so much planned to mark the anniversary of NC's last execution. Read all about it on our blog and make a plan to join us as we say: Never again! #deathpenalty bit.ly/3C0lZkf

Last week

With the growing threat of the climate crisis, NC is looking toward new ways to get to zero carbon emissions. Last week, @NCIPL staff members Susannah Tuttle & Ren Martin attended a public hearing in Charlotte. wfae.org/energy-envi…

Last week

Follow @ncchurches

Latest Tweets

RT @ncchurches Join us for our @healthandfaith Faith and Health Summit! Our theme for this year’s summit is Mindful Together. We want to acknowledge the need for mindful moments that hold our minds, bodies, & spirits. Join us and a well-rounded list of expert speakers: ncchurches.ourpowerb… pic.twitter.com/WSnA…

About 5 days ago

Do you know what grant is right for your faith community? Check out the graphic below to learn about the differences between grants. Click here to learn more informationhttps://www.ncchurches.org/programs/phw/phw-mini-grants/ pic.twitter.com/umXb…

Last week

RT @FaithCompassWFU If we look at the HIV epidemic as an opportunity to bring healing, justice, and equity to those who have been marginalized and impacted by the health industry and society at large, we can generate more good in our communities. #breakthestigma #faithcompassWFU pic.twitter.com/FPIB…

About 3 weeks ago

RT @ncchurches This month we are excited to announce our @healthandfaith Interim Co-Directors: Jessica Stokes & Nicole Johnson. Jessica & Nicole have dedicated their hard work to supporting faith communities across NC. They will continue to do this work while overseeing the PHW program. pic.twitter.com/SU8Q…

About 3 weeks ago

RT @ncchurches This July, during BIPOC Mental Health Month, we invite faith communities of color to think about programs, initiatives, and ideas that will lift up BIPOC Mental Health and use the grant money @healthandfaith will offer to make that idea come to light! ncchurches.org/bipoc… pic.twitter.com/DMwT…

About 3 weeks ago

Follow @healthandfaith

Latest Tweets

RT @interfaithpower 🧵1/The Senate voted to pass the single biggest climate & clean energy investment in our nation’s history! Read statements on the passage from the IPL network: interfaithpowerandli… #Faiths4Climate #GetClimateDone

About 5 days ago

RT @interfaithpower Join us tomorrow for a discussion about encouraging our #faith communities to #vote by offering sermons, divrei Torah, and khutbahs on the importance of #voting. Register at ow.ly/W6so50K5kqI #FaithClimateJusticeVoter #Vote2022 #VoteReady #Faiths4Climate #interfaith pic.twitter.com/6Ecw…

About 5 days ago

Press Conference happening now #CLT #NCCarbonPlan #FossilFreeNC pic.twitter.com/Rizq…

About 2 weeks ago

RT @ClimateNexus Faith-based organizations, including @CreationJustice and @NCIPL, are hosting an evening of discussions and workshops on building climate resilience on August 18 from 5 pm to 8 pm ET. Register here: bit.ly/resiliencesum… pic.twitter.com/fuz8…

About 2 weeks ago

RT @averydavislamb Preachers and pastors! This weekend when you pray for and preach on the heat waves, wildfires, and other disasters, try mentioning that these are intensified by climate change. Here's what I've been praying...

About 3 weeks ago

Follow @ncipl

Latest Tweets

Copyright © 2022 NC Council of Churches · All Rights Reserved · Website by Tomatillo Design · Hosted by WP Engine