When the news broke about the North Carolina Council of Churches billboard suggesting a connection between guns and idolatry, responses ran from, “Thank you for naming the truth,” to “How dare you claim owning a gun means worshiping an idol.” And everything in between, not always in language you would print where children might see it… I read the 2nd Commandment to mean there are a lot of distractions that keep us from focusing on the God who promises us abundant life. Clearly, God recognized this potential when Commanding us…
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 next four weeks, another crucial message for all of us while gun violence continues to erupt all around. While amendments and policies related to gun control dominate the airwaves, the North Carolina Council of Churches is pointing to a different directive to guide the conversation about guns and safety in our country—The Second Commandment. Right after God commands God’s people…
It’s Only 40 Days
Sermon delivered by Jennifer Copeland yesterday, Sunday, February 18 at Millford Hills United Methodist Church in Salisbury, NC. The lectionary texts were Genesis 9:8-17 and Mark 1:9-15. 40 days–rain! 40 days–wilderness! Noah and rainbows; Jesus and temptation. 40 is an important number in our faith tradition. There were 40 years in the wilderness for Moses and the Hebrew slaves who fled Egypt and 40 years of exile in Babylon for the people of Judah. Today, of course, we’re talking days and not years. What can happen in only 40 days?…
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, the stories are told with images and words that sear into our brains: limp bodies, the cries of parents, eulogies, and an NRA Valentine’s advertisement in which a target was substituted for the “o” in “love.” There are so many words. What more can be said? Arguments about exactly what is protected by the Second Amendment’s protection of the right…
Vigil to End Gun Violence
Come together with others to remember the half a million Americans killed or injured by guns since the Sandy Hook shooting tragedy. Hundreds of events are being held at locations nationwide to give voice to all victims and survivors of gun violence. Click here for more information. Vigil to End Gun Violence Flyer
Vigil to End Gun Violence
This is my favorite time of the year. I’m a sap about all of it. I love decorating the house, seeing the lights downtown, the music, getting cozy with a blanket and a good book, and spending extra time with the people I care about the most. As the old Christmas song goes, “it’s the most wonderful time of the year.” Except in Newtown, Connecticut. Five years ago a man burst into Sandy Hook Elementary School with a semi-automatic weapon and fired 156 shots in less than five minutes. Six…
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 Gun Violence. Effie Steele was a tireless advocate for gun violence prevention after her daughter and unborn grandson were murdered in a domestic violence dispute. She served on the NCGV Board of Directors for 6 years. She died earlier this year and the President’s Award and Director’s Award were both renamed for her. Copeland was chosen for this honor because…
North Carolinians Against Gun Violence
Creating Peace
If we are not angry today, we have no faith. If we are not frustrated today, we have no hope. If we are not bereaved today, we have no love. As Christians, we claim faith, hope, and love as foundational elements for our identity (I Corinthians 13:13). Our faith in God’s good gifts should cause us to be angry when the gift of life is stolen from 26 people through an act of violence. Our hope in God’s peace-filled future should cause us to be frustrated when peace is shattered…
Lament for Las Vegas
There are no words… and so my words come from the Psalms where laments make up the largest category. This lament from a portion of Psalm 142: With my voice I cry out to the LORD; with my voice I plead for mercy to the LORD. I pour out my complaint before him; I tell my trouble before him. When my spirit is faint, you know my way. I cannot imagine the cries of those mourning the death of a loved one, and so I cry to the…
Our Unceasing Prayer Must Be for Peace
The tragedy of gun violence in this country seems unending. We pray for those impacted, whether in a South Carolina church two years ago, a Florida club one year ago, or on a Virginia baseball field today, and in all of the other times and places where lives have been shattered. The Council of Churches encourages congregations to recognize all those impacted by gun violence during Stand Up Sabbath services this weekend. Beyond that, may we prayerfully and faithfully work toward a peaceful path where our sisters and brothers are no longer…
Update — GA Takes Up Dangerous Gun Law, June 7
Representatives in the General Assembly are scheduled to take up H.B. 746 this afternoon. Calls are still needed against this bill. As our friends at NC Policy Watch reported, the North Carolina Association of Police Chiefs and others in law enforcement have come out again H.B. 746 because of their concerns for public safety. Their article reads in part: House Bill 746 would, with a few exceptions, remove the state’s requirement for a concealed carry permit, allowing anyone 18 or older who legally owns a handgun to carry to conceal…
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 there with a billboard vilifying Muslims displayed during Ramadan. Both are disturbing enough on their own, but the timing somehow makes them feel even worse. H.B. 746 in its current iteration would allow concealed or open carry of a pistol by anyone 18 or older without first qualifying for a permit, according to The News & Observer. The paper notes…
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 is scheduled to be heard in the House Judiciary IV committee on Wednesday. A new version of the bill would likely eliminate North Carolina’s pistol permitting system, among other things. Calls to members of the NC House are urgently needed. This from North Carolinians Against Gun Violence: NCGV has learned that a bill being considered in committee tomorrow would eliminate…
2017 Stand Up Sabbath — June 16-18
About this time two years ago, I accepted the offer to become the next Executive Director of the NC Council of Churches. We agreed that I would spend two weeks with the outgoing ED in June learning the ropes, and then I would really get to work in August. My first day in the office was June 18, 2015. I had heard the news from Charleston that morning when I woke and I knew that event would forever define my first day at the office. The NC Council of Churches…