The North Carolina Council of Churches is the primary convener of the N.C. Gun Violence Prevention Coalition. With our partners at North Carolinians Against Gun Violence (NCAGV), MomsRising, Moms Demand […]
Children and Gun Violence
Several times in the past decade, we have spoken out about the proliferation of guns and gun violence. In 1994, we noted why this is of concern to people of faith.
Gun violence, especially handgun violence, has increasingly become a cause for alarm in our nation and state. As Christians, we especially are disturbed. The way of Christ is a way of peace, reconciliation, forgiveness, and love for enemies. The spirit of Christ is sharply opposed to the spirit of violence and the instruments of violence. It is also opposed to the law of retaliation or responding to injury with injury. Christ rejected the use of violence in the pursuit of his mission, and when one of the disciples drew his sword in defense of Jesus, the Lord said, "Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword" (Matthew 26:51-53).
Grassroots Advocacy Toolkit
Table of Contents Note: Because the NC Council of Churches is made up of Christian denominations, this toolkit has been prepared specifically with Christians in mind. However, most of its […]
Legislative Advocacy
Legislative advocacy is an important part of the Council’s work because we recognize that much of our state’s legislation has been rooted in a legacy of racism. By centering the […]
Raleigh Report – March 11, 2019
INTRODUCED BILLS GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION With the passing last month of the first anniversary of the shooting deaths of 17 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL, the […]
Gun Violence Prevention: The Work Goes On
The North Carolina Council of Churches has long cared about gun violence prevention — you would expect that from an organization that devotes much of its energy toward PEACE. A […]
Gun Bill Advances in GA; National Gun Violence Awareness Day is June 2
Consider the shame of the North Carolina General Assembly working to rush through a bill that weakens gun laws as National Gun Violence Awareness Day approaches. It is right up […]
Standing Together Against Gun Violence
Remarks from a June 2 press conference recognizing Wear Orange Against Gun Violence Day. Last fall, we at the NC Council of Churches, invited all the organizations we know who […]
Gun Control Advocates hold Memorial to Mark One-Year Anniversary of Ariz. Shooting
Raleigh News & Observer
A gathering on a hillside outside a church in West Raleigh late Sunday marked the one-year anniversary since a shooting in Tucson, Ariz., left a federal judge and five other people dead and 13 injured, including U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.
Organizers used the occasion to highlight a shifting focus in what has been a decades-long effort to promote legislation aimed at limiting people's access to guns.
Instead, there is a growing focus on using churches and other faith-based efforts to promote a change in how the American culture views guns, they said. It's also an acknowledgement that work in legislatures across the country have been met with resistance to many anti-gun measures.
Executive Director Jennifer Copeland Receives Award from North Carolinians Against Gun Violence
Jennifer Copeland, Executive Director of the North Carolina Council of Churches, and Beth Messersmith, North Carolina Campaign Director for MomsRising, received the 2017 Effie Steele Award from North Carolinians Against […]
Staying Sane: Gun Laws that Work
The Mother Emanuel, Charleston, SC, shooting was four years ago today, June 17. The N.C. General Assembly Senate Judiciary Committee will consider Senate Bill 90 tomorrow, June 18. A favorable […]
2021 Legislative Seminar Resources
Recordings We hope you enjoyed the many informative conversations on so many vital topics last week. For those of you who could not make it to each one, we have […]
Action Alert: May 31, 2017 — GA May Act on Guns
As was feared, some members of the General Assembly may be bringing back legislation that would roll back existing gun safety laws. A version of the previously introduced H.B. 746 […]
Scrutiny for Gun Laws, Post-Charleston
Their timing, as it turned out, was less than impeccable. The gun-rights boosters who are pushing N.C. House Bill 562 ran up against some common-sense objections that resulted in two main […]
What More Can Be Said?
Powerful voices have long narrated the story of guns in America. The media. The NRA. Outraged, livid, grief-stricken mothers and fathers. When it comes to the horror of mass shootings, […]
Raleigh Report — April 21, 2017
By George Reed, Retired Executive Director [For the latest committee referrals and re-referrals, go to the General Assembly website www.ncleg.net. There you can also find the texts of bills, procedural […]
Raleigh Report – May 20, 2011
The focus of this issue is a handful of the most important items currently under consideration at the General Assembly. These are issues that are under challenge by the current majorities in both houses.
Public Education Advocacy Resources
NCFLPE Resources: Let’s Get this Advocacy Started Let’s Get this Partnership Started Organizations: North Carolina Association of Educators Public Schools First NC EdNC Save Our Schools NC Justice Center Education […]
Council Posts Billboard about Gun Violence
On your drive along I-85/40 outside of Mebane, look for our billboard on the side of the road. It will go up this week and stay in place for the […]
‘Grins and Glocks’: Wake Forest orthodontist offers free gun with Invisalign treatment
As part of a promotion, Gladwell Orthodontics and Youngsville Gun Club & Range are giving certain customers their pick between a Silver membership at the Youngsville Gun Club & Range […]
Legislative Advocacy Toolkit Now Available
A Legislative Advocacy Toolkit is now available from the Council. The toolkit provides a wealth of information for people of faith who want to be effective as grass-roots lobbyists, especially […]
Tragic Combination: Guns and Mental Illness
Let’s hope this isn’t the case, but recent history suggests that President Obama is not done with a duty that surely is among the most difficult and heart-wrenching aspects of […]
Vetting the Vote: Gun Sanity
As if we need to be reminded of the preponderance of guns and gun-related violence on our streets, we’ve had served up for us in the closing days before the […]
Guns, Medicaid, Gridlock
It can’t have escaped many folks’ notice – even those, bless their hearts, for whom the really big news involves the onset of football season – that our political systems […]
Guns, Medicaid, Gridlock
It can’t have escaped many folks’ notice – even those, bless their hearts, for whom the really big news involves the onset of football season – that our political systems […]
Gun Violence Prevention: New Web Page, Stand Up Sabbath
NC advocates in orange at the General Assembly last year. Photo provided by Beth Messersmith, NC Campaign Director, MomsRising. Less than a month ago, our middle son sat with his classmates under […]
Raleigh Report – February 25, 2013
Attacks on Struggling North Carolinians Advance Medicaid Coverage Unemployment Insurance Earned Income Tax Credit Fracking Moratorium Gun Violence Raise the Age Refusing to Extend Medicaid Coverage SB 4, which would […]
U.S. Senate Expected to Take Up Gun Legislation
Next week, the United States Senate is expected to take up legislation intended to curb gun violence. Given recent mass atrocities at the hands of gunmen along with the daily loss […]
The Path Beyond Gun Violence
For those of us who believe in a merciful God, days like this are particularly hard. The unimaginable violence in Oregon follows similar tragedies in South Carolina, Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, […]
Take Action
Sign-Ons from Other Organizations The petitions and other sign-on statements on this page have been submitted to the NC Council of Churches for circulation to people of faith. While the […]
Violence and Guns
Remarks delivered at the Community Conversation on Gun Violence on May 15, 2018 at Wake Forest Presbyterian Church. God knows that we are a violent people. It’s been this way […]
Advocacy
The work of “Advocating with Compassion” is the faithful work of justice. This work is grounded in our values, faith traditions, spiritualities, and the work of countless colleagues who have […]
Raleigh Report: June 17, 2013
Tax Reform: Not So Simple A funny thing happened to House Bill 998, the Tax Simplification and Reduction Act, on its way through the state Senate. It got simplified. House […]
Grassroots Advocacy Toolkit
The Grassroots Advocacy Toolkit is a way to bring about change and transformation in people, policies, structures, and systems. Note: Because the NC Council of Churches is made up of […]
And May We Be Changed
What will change because of May 16? Because of the Day of Advocacy for Public Education in North Carolina? It was a day born of heart’s work, and bearing […]
Let’s Get this Partnership Started: Partnership Toolkit
THANK YOU for signing on to NCFLPE. We have two goals: to encourage partnerships with schools in your community, and to encourage advocacy on behalf of public schools in your […]
Sacred Series Toolkit: Becoming a Trauma-Informed Faith Community
By the Rev. Jessica Stokes, Associate Director of Partners in Health and Wholeness, Statewide Mental Health Advocacy Thank you for viewing our toolkit! Please use the Sacred Conversations Toolkit: Becoming […]
Raleigh Report – February 12, 2019
The 2019 Long Session of the General Assembly is now in full swing. As a result of last November’s elections, Republicans maintained majorities in both Senate and House but lost […]
Farmworker Advocacy Network Coordinator (Bilingual – Spanish/English)
FARMWORKER ADVOCACY NETWORK DESCRIPTION The Farmworker Advocacy Network (FAN) is a statewide network of organizations that works to improve the living and working conditions of agricultural workers in North Carolina. […]
Moving Beyond Gun Violence
Two weeks ago I flew to Florida for a national gathering of state ecumenical leaders and a few days later I flew home. In between my landing and leaving, in […]
Raleigh Report-Gun Bills Flood In
Gun bills that extend the availability and use of guns flood the General Assembly.
Extremism & Gun Violence: What are the Connections
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER. Join us and coalition partners as we continue the conversation on gun violence safety and prevention. This event will open with a presentation describing the connections […]
Faith in Action NCIPL
We are committed to helping you put your faith in action in North Carolina with the greatest possible impact. We currently offer programs and resources in the areas of energy, […]
Guns on Campus Are a Bad Idea
Two of the most volatile elements on a college campus are alcohol and hormones. These ingredients contribute to sexual assault (23.1 percent of female and 5.4 percent of male undergraduates), […]
Peace
The Peace Committee of the NC Council of Churches hopes to leverage the reputation of the NC Council of Churches to actively support Black-led movements for justice, to connect activism […]
2013 Legislative Seminar
We are grateful to all who attended the 2013 Legislative Seminar. It was a wonderful day, graciously hosted by St. Mark’s United Methodist Church in Raleigh. From the powerful and […]
Interfaith Gun Violence Prevention Sabbath Weekend, December 10-14
Faiths United Against Gun Violence and Washington National Cathedral are working together to have congregations and faith communities across the U.S. recognize December 10 through 14 as Gun Violence Prevention […]
Interfaith Call-In Day to Prevent Gun Violence Feb. 4
Gun violence has long been an issue of concern for the North Carolina Council of Churches. Every injury endured and life lost, whether on a downtown street corner or in […]
Gun Violence and Public Health
New York City’s Health Commissioner, Dr. Mary Bassett, recently published a blog on the Huffington Post about Gun Violence as a public health issue. It is essential that we pay […]
Gun Violence Prevention Summit
According to the American Public Health Association, gun violence has become a major public health issues in the United States. More than 85,000 people are affected by gun-related injuries per […]
Vigil to End Gun Violence
This peaceful event organized by North Carolinians Against Gun Violence will be a great opportunity to reflect on the progress and losses of 2016, and reconnect with others who are […]
Farmworker Advocacy Network Coordinator
Farmworker Advocacy Network Coordinator (Bilingual – Spanish/English) The Coalition Coordinator will be an employee of the North Carolina Council of Churches, which is a member of FAN and the fiscal […]
No More of This
Remarks from Jennifer Copeland at the Vigil to End Gun Violence in Durham on December 13, 2019 About two years ago, the North Carolina Council of Churches paid for a […]
Raleigh Report – April 19, 2011
New Bills Edition: Attack on Workers Comp by New Bill H 709/S 544 misnamed Protect and Put NC Back to Work.
Resources for the Opioid Crisis: The Faith Community Responds
These are resources for the Opioid Crisis: The Faith Community Responds. Click the tabs below to be directed to a list of our Partners, a collection of Handouts and Guides, or […]
Raleigh Report — March 7, 2017
By George Reed, Retired Executive Director Newly Introduced Bills BUDGET AND TAXES S 147, Reenact School Sales Tax Holiday. The school sales tax holiday was a three-day weekend shortly before […]
Faithful Activism — Part 1
I had two conversations recently with members of a congregation which was voting on whether or not to join the HKonJ Coalition. Those conversations have reminded me that it’s helpful […]
Congress is on Recess but You Can Still Take Action
Congressional leaders are still in their home states for their spring recess, but your voices are still important. Please attend town halls held by our elected leaders, and please request […]
Peacemaking Summit to Prevent Gun Violence
Gun Violence Prevention What You Can Do to Advocate for Change Join us for a Peacemaking Summit to raise awareness on what can be done to prevent gun violence and […]
Call Legislative Leaders About Gun Measures
We will never know if George Zimmerman would ever have gotten out of his car if he hadn’t had a gun. We do know that countless children of God have […]
NCIPL’s Spring into Action Kickoff Week has Wrapped Up
By Reuben Gelblum, NCIPL Intern Thank you to everyone who helped make our Spring Into Action kickoff week a success! You all participated from all over the state, listening in […]
2016 Gun Violence Awareness Day — Wear Orange
Join the Council, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, and others for a Wear Orange event on the lawn at Bull McCabe’s on National Gun Violence Awareness Day. There […]
Gun Violence Prevention and its Impact on Faith and Business Communities
ncchurches.org/event-single/gun-violence-prevention-and-its-impact-on-faith-and-business-communities
Join us, MomsRising, Action NC, and North Carolinians Against Gun Violence (NCGV) for a virtual town hall on gun violence prevention and the impact it has on faith and business […]
Beyond Gun Violence: A Conference for People of Faith and Conscience About Ending America’s Deadly Epidemic
Join us one month from today for a weekend of preaching and teaching about the cost of gun violence to our nation and how we can bring about change. Speakers […]
Gun Violence Prevention Summit
According to the American Public Health Association, gun violence has become a major public health issue in the United States. More than 85,000 people are affected by gun-related injuries per […]
Candlelight Vigil Marks Losses to Gun Violence
Dozens of people gathered at Durham’s Judea Reform Congregation on the evening of December 10 to mark lives lost or forever changed by gun violence. Speakers shared personal stories and held […]
Public Education Advocacy Day Schools Closing
School districts around the triangle may close on May 16. Perhaps you also know that the school district in your own county is likely to close. (This will happen if […]
Stand-Up Sabbath Against Gun Violence, June 17-19
According to the news reports, it all started over a place on a pew. One parishioner sat in someone else’s spot and then objected to moving. Another flashed his legally […]
Affirm Teacher Advocacy
Teachers in your community need to hear that faith communities support their efforts to advocate on behalf of the children whom they serve. NOW! We ask you to do these […]
You Shall Not Make an Idol
The following remarks were delivered by Executive Director, Jennifer Copeland, during one of the four gun violence prevention vigils that occurred across North Carolina on April 24, 2022. The following […]
Press Conference in Response to Raleigh Mass Shooting
The following remarks were delivered by Eco-Justice Connection Director, Susannah Tuttle, during a gun violence prevention press conference on October 14, 2022, in response to the recent Raleigh mass shooting. […]
NC Council of Churches Supports National Groups to Assist the Less Fortunate
In keeping with its mission of supporting peace, unity and social justice, the Council recently has signed on to three letters involving issues being addressed at the federal level. We […]
Vaccine Inequity Threatens to Derail Meaningful Climate Talks
Via our NC Interfaith Power & Light campaign, the NC Council of Churches is a part of the US Climate Action Network, a vital network of nearly 200 climate organizations […]
Resources on Faith and Farmworkers
There is a wide variety of resources available to aid you and your congregation in exploring how your faith relates to your relationship with farmworkers.
Gun Violence Prevention Consortium
In response to the recent uptick in gun violence in Durham, Moms Demand Action is holding a community meeting to explore how we, as a community, can end gun violence. […]
EPA Takes Moral Action to Cut Carbon Pollution from Power Plants
On June 2, the EPA acted on our moral obligation to address unlimited carbon pollution coming from the nation’s power plants, the single largest source of global warming pollution in the country. The […]
Candlelight Vigil Against Gun Violence
In commemoration of the second anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy, as well as the 60,000 American victims of gun violence since December 2012, North Carolinians Against Gun […]
Sol Train Connects Climate and Faith with Solar Power
Many people want to take meaningful action on climate change but don’t know where to start. Taking a big step, like switching to solar, doesn’t have to be hard. Any […]
Justice Center Crucial Conversation: Gun Violence
A year after the Charleston tragedy: Growing hope for saner anti-gun violence policies N.C. Policy Watch presents a special Crucial Conversation luncheon: Register here It’s been nearly a year since […]
2019 Legislative Seminar
Click here to register. Please register by Monday, March 25 to guarantee lunch. Whether you are new to grassroots advocacy or have been engaged in this critical work for some […]
Raleigh Report – February 1, 2013
After a one-day organizational meeting in early January, the 2013 General Assembly convened in earnest last Wednesday. Bills introduced and advanced during these first two days give a taste of things to come. Note especially the bills affecting the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, weakening the benefits of unemployment insurance, and extending the presence of guns.
Farmworkers
Farmworkers’ living and working conditions are dangerously inadequate. They face extreme poverty, endure dangerous working conditions, and struggle to enter into an immigration system that has historically targeted immigrants of […]
Raleigh Report – April 5, 2019
INTRODUCED BILLS CRIMINAL JUSTICE/PRISON REFORM HB 460/SB 545 – Fair Chance Hiring would require state agencies to reduce barriers to hiring people with a criminal history. Specific provisions include: Prohibits […]
Louisburg College Baccalaureate: “What’s the Plan?”
Baccalaureate sermon delivered by Jennifer Copeland on May 5 at Louisburg College. Isaiah 2:2-4; Revelation 21:1-7; Luke 4:16-21 You are the most watched generation in history. Of course, it’s easy […]
Growing a Partnership with Environmental Defense Fund
Two weeks ago I was selected as the keynote speaker at the Environmental Defense Fund NC’s Advisory Board dinner to present the collaborative activities and accomplishments of our growing partnership. […]
The NC Sanctuary Coalition
The history of immigration and immigration laws in this country have been rooted in white supremacy built on systemic racism against black, brown, and indigenous people. We have witnessed years […]
Death Penalty Abolition
Several times in the past decades, the North Carolina Council of Churches has spoken about the inhumanity and racial bias of capital punishment. We have been on the forefront of […]
Council Provides Toolkit for Amendment One Opponents
The NC Council of Churches, working in conjunction with the Coalition to Protect ALL NC Families, has developed a toolkit to help people of faith working against Amendment One. If […]
National Gun Violence Prevention Sabbath — March 15-17
If ending gun violence were easy, nightmares like Sandy Hook would never happen. Young lives would not end on urban streets in a hail of bullets. We wouldn’t need to parse the […]
Candlelight Vigil Against Gun Violence
Commemorate the 32,000 lives that are lost every year to gun violence. Roughly once a week this year, on average, a small child has found a gun, pointed it at […]
Beyond Gun Violence
A weekend of preaching and teaching around the cost of gun violence to our nation and how we can bring about change. A schedule for the weekend can be found […]
Gun Violence Prevention Summit
On November 15, 2018, we discussed solutions to gun violence at the state and national level with organizations throughout North Carolina. Join us again on Tuesday, January 15 from 10 […]
Vigil Against Gun Violence, December 10 in Durham
As Rob Schofield at NC Policy Watch pointed out earlier this week, the situation around gun violence in this country may feel hopeless, but it’s not. Rob writes: ….there is reason […]
Second Annual Advocacy Training: Public Schools Our Students Deserve
The NC Public Education Working Group is a grassroots collaboration of citizens (including teachers) that support Pre-K-12 public education in NC. We work to educate, inform, engage and train citizens […]
Let Us Reason Together — Vigil Against Gun Violence 12/10
December 10, 7 p.m. Judea Reform Congregation 1933 West Cornwallis Road, Durham The NC Council of Churches, partnering with North Carolinians Against Gun Violence and the League of Women Voters, […]
Farmworkers Address Reynolds American: Do More to Protect Workers
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.
Update: Save Our Health Care Rallies Statewide on January 15
On Friday, the House of Representatives voted to continue the process that could ultimately repeal the Affordable Care Act. Activists across the nation were already planning Day of Action events […]
Join the Fast for Family Unity
More than 10,000 people of faith committed to the FAST Action, 40 days Prayer and Fasting for Immigration Reform. As we closed the 40 days on October 18th, we recognize the need for action and escalation is only growing as we approach a shrinking timeline for legislation.We must continue to lift up the moral imperative of immigrants' rights and immigration reform with a pathway to citizenship.
Now many people of faith from all traditions are joining labor, immigrant and community leaders in setting the moral compass and raising our voices. Many faith organizations are joining the Fast for Family Unity beginning November 12th.
N.C. Council of Churches advocates for gun violence prevention
After tragedies like the Hedingham mass shooting in Raleigh, people often turn to their faith for answers and healing. Members of the North Carolina Council of Churches have over 6,200 […]