Introduction

The Communication Commission is one of the five program commissions of the National Council of Churches USA, the leading organization for ecumenical cooperation among Christian faith groups in the United States. The 35 member communions of the NCC encompass 100,000 local congregations with more than 45 million adherents.

The Commission seeks to serve as

• a professional development resource, providing its  members with fellowship, learning and public service opportunities; 
• a channel of collaboration among faith groups doing parallel tasks in communication;
• a moral and educational force in the communication field, emphasizing democratic access to mass media and fairness in programming and news coverage of all public issues, including those dealing with religion.

The Commission's participants are professional communicators who work -- primarily at the national level -- in print, broadcast, film, web, news, media relations and other communication tasks for a wide variety of Christian faith groups in the U.S. and Canada -- both member churches and non-members of the NCC itself.  The officers and the committee chairs listed below, make up the Commission's Executive Committee for the current 2004-2008 NCC quadrennium.

Communication Commission Officers

Chair: Ann Gillies, Presbyterian Church (USA)
Vice Chair: Bob Chase, United Church of Christ
Secretary: Nikki Stephanopoulos, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese
Treasurer: Kermit Netteburg, Seventh-Day Adventist Church
Commission Representative to the NCC Board: Larry Hollon, United Methodist Communications

Committee Chairs

Electronic Programming:  Burton Buller, Mennonite Media
Media Advocacy: Bob Chase, United Church of Christ
News/Media Relations/Worldwide Faith News:  John Brooks, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Web Managers:  Ed Cimafonte, The Episcopal Church, and Paul Edison-Swift, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Communication Department Staff

The staff of the Commission assist the members in carrying out the Commission's efforts in network broadcast production, media advocacy, professional development, and the  administration of service projects that benefit the church and society at large.  They also serve as the communication staff for the NCC, providing media relations, interpretation, promotion and public affairs support to all the departments and programs of the Council.  In 2005, the following served on the communication staff: 

Wesley M. “Pat” Pattillo, Associate General Secretary for Communication

Carol Fouke-Mpoyo, Director of Media Relations (through March 2005)

Philip E. Jenks, Interim Director of Media Relations (began April 2005)

Doris Glover, Administrative Assistant to the Communication Staff

Vince Isner, Director of FaithfulAmerica.org

Leslie Tune, Washington Communication Officer

Sarah Vilankulu, Director of Interpretation (retired on December 31)

Shirley W. Struchen, Coordinator of Electronic Programming

George Conklin, Project Coordinator, Worldwide Faith News

Two long-term communication staffers concluded their work with the Council in 2005.  In April, Carol Fouke, a 17-year veteran in media relations, joined the staff of Church World Service to pursue a growing personal and professional interest in immigration and refugee ministry.  And on December 31, interpretation director Sarah Vilankulu retired from a 30-year career with the NCC Communication Department.  She had served not only as editor of EcuLink, but as official keeper of minutes from board meetings and the General Assembly, as author, editor and fact-checker on thousands of public statements issued by the Council across the years, and as a keen researcher and "institutional memory" of the NCC's work.  Carol and Sarah conducted their daily work with a consecrated professionalism which will be missed by all of us.  In the last quarter of 2005, we began the search for their successors, aware that this seasoned duo cannot truly be replaced.
 

Commission Activities for 2005

The NCC Communication Commission, with its workgroups and committees, usually meets twice a year, in spring and fall. These gatherings are often scheduled to coincide with other professional meetings that interest the NCC's communicators, allowing expanded networking and reducing travel expenses for all participants. Details of the Commission’s two meetings in 2005 follow.

April 2005 in Nashville, TN:  The Commission met for its spring meeting at the Doubletree Hotel in tandem with the Religion Communicators Council and the North American Region of the World Association of Christian Communication.  The Media Advocacy Committee held its first meeting during the April 5-7 sessions, and an exploration of a national ecumenical radio project was launched by the Commission.  Keynote speaker for the RCC convention was Tex Sample, left, former Rogers Professor of Church and Society at Saint Paul School of Theology, and now an active researcher and consultant in contemporary lifestyles, based near Phoenix, AZ.  The Wilbur Awards, coordinated by former Communication Commission chair Eric Shafer of the ELCA, concluded the week's events in a gala evening at the Country Music Hall of Fame.

September 2005 in Washington DC:  The fall Communication Commission meeting was held at the Washington Plaza Hotel Sept. 11-14 as part of the third annual Faith Communicators Forum, co-sponsored by NCC with Religion Communicators Council, United Church of Christ, Faith & Values Media, and Associated Church Press.  Among the highlights of the meeting: The annual  Legislative Issues Breakfast, sponsored by UCC, featured Rep. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, left, a prominent leader in policymaking on media issues, member of the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, and a founding member of the Future of American Media Caucus.  The annual UCC Everett C. Parker Luncheon on Ethics in Communication, featured an address by Juan Gonzalez, NY Daily News Columnist and former President, National Association of Hispanic Journalists, right. The Forum's keynote address was by Jim Wallis, author and convenor Call to Renewal, left, on "Ending the Monologue on Moral Values".  The Winston Taylor Awards Luncheon at the National Press Club, sponsored by the DC chapter of Religion Communicators Council, featured Mariane Pearl, right, journalist and filmmaker, sharing her experience of the terrorist kidnapping of her husband Daniel, a Wall Street Journal reporter.

Office of Interpretation Resources

Reports to: Communication Commission
Sarah Vilankulu, Director
Dee Glover, Administrative Assistant to the Communication Department (Shared) 

In 2005—five years after the National Council of Churches launched its multi-year Poverty Mobilization, and after decades of ongoing work on poverty issues—the Council’s message on behalf of society’s poorest, most vulnerable members gained a new hearing in our nation. Sadly, it took a number of tragic developments in 2005 to underscore the importance of the biblically based message on economic injustice that the Council and its member communions long have lifted up.

These developments included the stranding of poor, mostly African American, citizens after New Orleans was flooded; widening awareness of the dangerous and growing gap between rich and poor in our nation and worldwide; increased uneasiness with a federal budget that funds war at the cost of critically needed social programs; attention to pressing minimum wage issues at the state level and many related issues.

Toward the goal of eradicating poverty in our rich nation, the Council spoke out again in 2005 and was met with greater recognition in the halls of government and greater media attention to its statements. It also welcomed important Evangelical voices that have emerged during the year and that claimed poverty as a religious and public policy issue.  

Interpretation Resources supported the Council’s anti-poverty efforts in a variety of ways, including articles in the NCC’s newsletter, EcuLink (a publication that in 2005 won a DeRose/Hinkhouse Award of Excellence from the national organization, the Religion Communicators Council). Published in the spring and in the fall, with a circulation of approximately 100,000, the 2005 issues of EcuLink featured poverty-related articles on the interfaith Living Wage Campaign, the Benefit Bank, support for farm workers who seek better wages and working conditions, education about the Millennium Development Goals, a faith-based campaign to protect Social Security, and a new NCC publication, Love for the Poor—a theological exploration concluding that love for the poor is essential to genuine faith. The fall issue of EcuLink also highlighted the need for principles for a just rebuilding of the Gulf Coast and reported the formation of an ecumenical commission that will work toward the realization of such principles.

Other work related to poverty included the editing of an online curriculum to help congregations study current issues around the nation’s Social Security program, and a focus on poverty concerns in the report “The Bond of Peace: Lifeline in the Storm,” a piece written and designed by the office that gives an overview of NCC activities for the 2004-2005 fiscal year.

NCC Vision for Unity and Reconciliation Inspires a Diverse Range of Programs

The NCC, its member communions and other ecumenical organizations persevere in their work for unity, wholeness and healing in a fragmented and conflict-ridden world.  In contrast to the proliferation of special-interest organizations in our country, each pulling in its own direction, the Council is concerned for the common good and for the unity of the church and the whole human family—and these wide concerns are reflected in broad-ranging programs. In addition to the focus on poverty issues, NCC interpretation vehicles provided a balanced view of the varied work of the Council, reporting on such projects and programs as: 

• Response to the Asian tsunami.
• Promotion of For the Peace of the World, the NCC’s new curriculum to help congregations study international relations from a Christian perspective.
• Eco-justice events and resources that reflect and encourage the growing awareness that our faith calls us to protect God’s creation.
• The NCC’s Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches.
• Projects related to the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, to which the NCC holds the copyright.
• Network television specials presented by the NCC.
• Efforts to improve interfaith relations through education and dialogue.
• Joint ventures of the churches in a wide range of educational and leadership development ministries.  
• The ongoing work of the Faith and Order Commission to strengthen Christian unity by focusing on issues that divide churches and those that unite them.
• Highlights from the work of Church World Service, the global humanitarian agency of the NCC’s Protestant and Orthodox member communions. 

Fulfilling Requests for Information from Constituents and the General Public

In 2005, as in previous years, Interpretation Resources received approximately 2,000 questions and messages from constituents and the general public on a wide array of topics, and attempted to respond to these contacts in a timely way. Topics that generated constituent and public interest included the NCC’s efforts to press for a federal budget that reflects our moral values, the General Secretary’s statements on universal access to health care, and the Council’s efforts toward greater interfaith understanding. And, as in previous years, the office fulfilled requests related to religion-related statistics and trends, NCC policy statements and resolutions on diverse issues, referrals to local ecumenical agencies, historical information about the NCC and much more.

These exchanges continued to provide service to constituents and the general public on a one-to-one basis—complementing the mass outreach provided by colleagues who staff the NCC’s Web site and its e-advocacy service, FaithfulAmerica.org.

And in Other Work . . .

 In 2005, Interpretation Resources also: 

• Fulfilled frequent request to draft or edit NCC-related articles, letters, reports, book blurbs, statements, ads, official greetings to faith groups at assemblies and on anniversaries, etc.
• Edited a new curriculum in support of the UN’s Millennium Development Goals.
• Made contributions toward NCC news stories on a variety of topics, including ecumenical support for the Taco Bell consumer boycott; the 90^th annual commemoration of the Armenian Genocide; the death of Pope John Paul II; the June Interfaith Convocation on Hunger, held at Washington, D.C.’s National Cathedral; Earth Day Sunday and other topics.
• Assisted in preparation and follow-up to the NCC’s tsunami-relief concert held in St. Louis in April.
• Hosted visitors who wished to learn more about the NCC.  
• Prepared for shipment to the Council’s archives nearly three decades worth of materials related to the Office of Interpretation Resources, and worked with others to promote a renewed effort to process all the NCC’s archival holdings from the 1970s to the present time.
• Completed staff work on a two-year effort to catalog and clarify the NCC’s extensive partner relationships—resulting in a unanimous General Assembly vote to make changes to the NCC Bylaws to codify such relationships.
• Drafted a staff contribution to the work of the NCC’s Strategic Planning Committee, capturing the thrust of a day-long staff retreat in October on this topic.
• Represented the NCC on the Ecumenical Activities Committee of New York’s Interchurch Center.
• Provided minutes for meetings of the NCC Governing Board and General Assembly.
   

Office of Electronic Programming

Reports to: Electronic Programming Committee,
Burton Buller, Mennonite Media, Chair

Shirley W. Struchen, Coordinator, Part-time
Dee Glover, Administrative Assistant to the Communication Department (Shared)

Interfaith Broadcasting Commission (IBC)

The coordinator for the Office of Electronic Programming serves as the Council’s production liaison to the IBC, helping to shape the  partnership that provides religious programming to the three major broadcast networks. Other partners during 2005 were the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Broadcast Group of the Southern Baptist Convention, and the Jewish Theological Seminary of America.

Productions Aired on the National Networks in 2005

The networks air documentaries and provide time for seasonal worship services for the four IBC partner groups.  The 2005 network programs offered through the Interfaith Broadcasting Commission by the NCC Communication Commission’s member denominations were:

ABC-TV Vision and Values Series

December 4, 2005, “Shadow Voices: Finding Hope in Mental Illness” This NCC documentary, produced by Mennonite Media, gave an inside look at living with a mental illness and how individuals and their families find their way through medical, governmental, societal and spiritual issues – to hope. Interviews included:  Rosalynn Carter, former First Lady and Dr. David Satcher, former US Surgeon General.  Personal stories came from people representing many NCC communions, including Reformed Church in America, United Methodist, Episcopal and American Baptist. The program was carried by more than 150 ABC affiliates.

ABC-TV Liturgical Special, Christmas 2005

December 25, 2005, “Joy to the World” Evangelical Lutheran Church in America produced a program with a joyful mix of music and praise spanning the diversity of the ELCA.  It included liturgy in word and song from American Indian and Alaskan natives to Pacific Islanders and beyond.  More than 149 ABC stations played the program.

CBS-TV Religion and Culture Series

April 17, 2005…Interfaith Youth: Doing God’s Work. A youth group in Chicago is the source of interfaith service to a needy community. Students of the three monotheistic faiths, in response to the spiritual calling of Islam, Judaism or Christianity volunteer to help others.  Produced by CBS.

June 19, 2005…Sacred Spaces: More than Just Steel and Stone.  We often think of Churches, Temples, and Mosques and places of worship without any sense of the range and depth of their interior life. The program reveals how such religious sites are used not only for the sacred rituals of their faith, but for serving the many basic human needs.  Produced by CBS.

September 25, 2005…Grief and Faith Community Responses: At Major Tragedies or Personal loss.  When a tragedy strikes, whether a Sept. 11 event, a plane crash, or a singular death, each leaves one or many families without a mother, father, spouse or friend – and clergy are among the first responders. This broadcast gives witness to such persons of faith, and seeks to understand what sustains their work.  Produced by CBS.

December 11, 2005…Tsunami Relief: A year later.  This natural event, of unimaginable magnitude, struck last December and stunned the world. Nations and individuals responded as quickly as possible. But what happened after the story moved off the front pages is the core of this program. We listen to those who were there, and witness work that continues through faith communities to rebuild broken communities.  Produced by CBS.

CBS-TV Liturgical Special on Christmas Eve, 2004

December 24, 2005, “No Room in the Inn”  The Rev. Thomas L. Hoyt Jr., Christian Methodist Episcopal Bishop for Louisiana and Mississippi and the current president of the National Council of Churches, gave a message of hope to 1,500 worshippers gathered in Jackson, Miss., in a Christmas Eve service at 11:35 p.m. EST.  The service, with a special focus on the humanitarian crisis on the Gulf Coast, included scriptures, carols, spirituals and a praise dance, plus the awarding of gifts to 100 hurricane survivors.  CME churches opened their doors to victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita as part of the rebuilding of devastated communities. Produced by the CME Church.  Carried by 165 CBS stations, representing 88+% of the available television audience.

NBC-TV Horizons of the Spirit Series

May 22, 2005 “Fierce Goodbye: Living in the Shadow of Suicide” This NCC documentary, produced by Mennonite Media, looked at faith perspectives on suicide and how families find hope and healing.  It was hosted by folksinger Judy Collins and brought stories of families and friends facing difficult, often  unanswerable questions following suicide.  Theologians from Greek Orthodox, Catholic, Jewish and Protestant faiths shared their views.  The program was carried by 32 NBC stations.

Office of Media Relations

Reports to: News/Media Relations/Worldwide Faith News Committee,
John Brooks, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Chair

Carol J. Fouke-Mpoyo, Director (through March 2005)
Philip E. Jenks, Acting Director (from April 2005)
Dee Glover, Administrative Assistant to the Communication Department (Shared) 

The Office of Media Relations in 2005 carried responsibility for:

• Managing NCC relations with news and other media.
• Offering support to all of the Council's work in the form of the NCC News Service. Click here - http://www.ncccusa.org/news/05archives.html - for a record of all the 2005 news releases of the National Council of Churches USA, which are prepared and distributed under the auspices of the Office of News Services. Photos were made available with most stories.
• Staffing Worldwide Faith News administration, budget and planning.
• Taking a key role in developing and maintaining the NCC’s Web Site, www.ncccusa.org (see the related report on the Web Site).

Top Stories, Prevailing Themes and Major Activities

In 2005, the National Council of Churches USA continued to focus on the themes of ending poverty and fostering peace, environmental justice and human rights.  In collaboration with Leslie Tune, media liaison in the NCC’s Washington, D.C., office, the Director of News Services managed the media relations and Web work for a series of related projects, including the Council’s: 

• Responses (with Church World Service) to natural disasters, including the December 2004 tsunami, the devastating hurricanes on the Gulf Coast of the U.S., and the earthquake in Pakistan.
• Creation of the Special Commission on the Just Rebuilding of the Gulf Coast following the hurricanes.
• Pastoral and moral support for Cindy Sheehan, Celeste Zappala and other Gold Star mothers who worked for peace in Iraq.
• Continued witness for the protection of God’s creation through the activities of the Eco-Justice office.
• Advocacy of the needs of the poor through opposition to billions of dollars in cuts in programs that help low-income people in the 2006 federal budget, and advocacy through Let Justice Roll.
• Partnership with FaithfulAmerica to give socially active persons of faith a chance to make their voices heard by government, business and religious leaders through a growing e-mail registry.
• Ministries of publication, including the New Revised Standard Version and Revised Standard Version of the bible, the Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches, curricula on international peace and poverty, and the publications of Friendship Press.
   

Media News Placements Log

In 2005, we logged hundreds of placements in print, radio, television and Web formats of both “secular” and “religious” media, and responded to hundreds of requests for assistance from reporters.  Here’s a typical month's sampling, from December 2005: 

Ekklesia, UK (Bishop Talbert and the Special Commission for the just rebuilding of the Gulf);  Cleveland Plain Dealer (NCC network TV ministry); Religion News Service (NCC participates in federal budget protests);  Knight Ridder newspapers (statement by Bob Edgar on faith and justice);  Boston Globe (Bob Edgar quote of the day);  Ethics Daily (Bob Edgar quoted on budget protest);  St. Louis Post Dispatch (on budget protests);  San Antonio Express News (liberal Christians left behind);  First Things (Richard John Neuhaus on the NCC and other topics);  Miami Herald (Bob Edgar’s comment on White House un-Christmas Card);  Clarion-Ledger, Jackson, Miss. (Bishop Hoyt);  United Methodist Newscope (on NCC-produced Christmas Eve programs);  Washington Post (Bob Edgar’s comment on White House Christmas Card);  Spero News (Faithful Americans urge release of Christian Peacemakers);  Religion News Service (Christian Peacemakers);  Ekklesia, UK (Christian Peacemakers);  Mainchi Newspapers, Japan (NCC farm labor right efforts).

Broadcast Interview Placements Log

Throughout 2005, NCC General Secretary Bob Edgar, Deputy General Secretary Eileen Lindner, and Associate General Secretaries Tony Kireopoulos, Brenda Girton-Mitchell and Shanta Premawardhana, all consented to be interviewed on national and regional television and radio news programs. The most frequent placements were on Hannity & Colmes, Keith Olberman, Scarborough Country, PBS Religion & Ethics, Arnie Arnesan Talk Radio, Ben Gums radio talk show, Sky News, US News, and the Diane Rehm Show. Bob Edgar also did pre-broadcast interviews with 60-Minutes.

Broadcast Media Training for Program Staff

To prepare key NCC program staff for effective broadcast interviews, the Communication office arranged for a full-day training session conducted by a former ABC-TV producer under the auspices of Auburn Media, a division of Auburn Theological Seminary.

News Conferences

The Media Relations Office also arranged news conferences – on site, at the National Press Club or U.S. Capitol in Washington, or teleconferences via telephone – to enable the NCC to go on record on such topics as “Justice Sunday,” Social Security reform, and the 2006 federal budget. Frequent partners in these news conferences were the Religious Action Center and Sojourners.

Other major Office of News Services projects in 2005 included:

• Communication by Web, news release and feature story of the NCC’s new biotechnologies policy.
• Continued support of FaithfulAmerica.org and LetJusticeRoll.org, including cooperative efforts on topics related to the Iraq War, Justice Sunday, torture, Social Security reform and minimum wage.
• Celebration of the tenth anniversary of Worldwide Faith News.
• Expansion of the Lyris Listserve for news release distribution, increasing its capacity to over a million names and addresses.
• News coverage of the November General Assembly in a suburb of Baltimore.
   

The Director of News Services also …
 

• Staffed and participated in spring and fall meetings of the News/Media Relations/Worldwide Faith News Committee, and participated in spring and fall meetings of the NCC Communication Commission and Web Managers Committee.
• Collaborated with partner organizations on multiple news projects (Cover the Uninsured Week, Children’s Defense Fund, Habitat for Humanity, Church World Service) 
• Organized a press conference in New York for the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., the Rev. Al Sharpton, the Rev. James Forbes and New York city politicos and mayoral candidates to announce their support for the extension of key elements of the Voters Rights Act of 1965.
   

The NCC Web Site

Reports to:  Communication Commission
Carol Fouke-Mpoyo, Philip E. Jenks and Pat Pattillo, Web Site Managers

The NCC Web site -- www.ncccusa.org -- is an “always-on" presence for the Council and its member churches, available to a worldwide audience at the click of a mouse.   It serves as a conduit for wide distribution of NCC news releases, special web-specific features, and ready-reference documents which provide an electronic "filing cabinet" for internal and external researchers.  It is often a first stop for reporters who subsequently call the NCC communication office for more information on a given story idea.

In addition to frequent updating of the front page of the site with current news, special web feature sections developed in 2005 included:

• Resources guiding churches in supporting tsunami relief efforts in South Asia.
• Resources for Addressing the Sudan Crisis
• Let Justice Roll: Faith and Community Voices Against Poverty
• Resources and curriculum for Peace, Social Security reform, minimum wage, love for the poor, Faith and Order dialogues
• A “Hall of NCC Presidents” to put the ecumenical movement in the context of history and popular culture – soon to be supplemented with biographical sketches of each NCC President.

Ready-reference sections were updated for the NCC’s General Assembly and Governing Board, and several NCC Commissions.

• Education and Leadership Ministries Commission (including Outdoor Ministries, Family Week, Public Education, Equal Access Guide from the Committee on Disabilities …)
• Resources for Welfare (TANF) Reform Advocates
• Faith & Order Commission

At the end of 2005, the homepage was redesigned to include dropdown boxes that provide easy access to the informative materials inside, freeing up space that formerly was used to carry a list of links to that information. The front page was also streamlined to provide shorter, more colorful previews of key stories, with links to more detailed coverage of topics inside, offering this new index in a smaller amount of screen space.

The Web page is generally revised each day, sometimes more often, to keep it fresh and interesting. Nearly every week, we send a promotional message, “Today on the NCC Web Site,” highlighting the current contents, to a comprehensive list of 100,000+ persons identified as friends (or loyal critics) of the NCC.

Visits Increase by 20% over 2004's Record High

In 2004 we experienced a 59% increase in website visitors over 2003, thanks in part to a new program of periodic e-mail promotion targeted to a wide variety of constituents.  In the second year of that effort, unduplicated visitors went up another 20% in 2005 -- from 212,848  in 2003, to 338,906 in 2004, to 407,444 in 2005.  Length of the average visit jumped by 36%, and international visitors increased 140% from 2004.  Here are graphs showing the monthly ebb and flow of hits to the web site, and the annual comparative data:

During calendar year 2005, the NCC website hit an all-time high for page views, 958,940
-- just short of its 1 million goal, but 50% higher than the 639,866 hits in 2003. 
 

Washington Communication Office

Reports to: News Committee,
John Brooks, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Chair

Leslie C. Tune, Washington Communication Officer 

In 2005 the Washington Communication office supported NCC’s advocacy efforts on Capitol Hill and in cities and states across the country. NCC continued to give a voice to the voiceless as well as to advocate for justice, mercy and kindness for those most in need in America and around the world. Following are highlights from 2005:  

• Helped coordinate and facilitate NCC’s role in opposition to the proposed 2006 fiscal year federal budget. Numerous letters were sent to Members of Congress and President Bush asking for changes in proposed cuts to programs for children, the elderly, veterans and students. The budget finally passed but by a very small margin, including Vice President Cheney breaking a tie in the Senate).
• Organized NCC’s participation in several press events opposing the fiscal year 2006 budget including a press conference in the Capitol in November followed by prayer in the rotunda. Participants in the event, including Rev. Dr. Bob Edgar, Jim Wallis, Rev. Elenora Giddings Ivory and Rabbi David Saperstein unexpectedly ran into Congressman Dennis Hastert, the House Speaker, and were able to have an impromptu meeting asking him to vote against the proposed budget.
• Senator Frank Lautenberg introduced an amendment renaming the Republican reconciliation bill on the budget, the “Moral Disaster of Monumental Proportion Reconciliation Act” based on NCC’s Oct. 26 letter denouncing the budget cuts.
• Sent out a press release on a “Pray-In” on the federal budget for the “Let Justice Roll” campaign. A group of religious leaders visited the offices of key Senators and prayed that they would change course of the federal budget.
• Promoted Theological Statement on the Environment in February, which was released following a gathering of theologians (organized by NCC) in September 2004. The “open letter to churches” was met with some controversy and the Washington Communication office responded to an erroneous opinion piece in The Washington Post. Our response was published in May.
• Provided public relations support for 2005 Ecumenical Advocacy Days. Press releases were sent out promoting the event, which was sponsored by NCC along with about 30 other faith groups. In addition, wrote a “hometown news release” for the more than 800 participants to send to their local newspapers promoting their involvement in Advocacy Days.
• Wrote a follow-up story on Ecumenical Advocacy Days that was disseminated to denominational and secular media and posted on NCC’s website.
• Organized logistics and media coverage for the March 14 rally opposing the 2006 federal budget. NCC sponsored the rally with The Interfaith Alliance. Having heard about the rally, three Members of Congress (Reps. Lois Capps, Lynn Woolsey and Donna Christiansen) attended the demonstration and offered remarks. Press coverage included: Associated Press, Fox News, Cox News Service, Medill News Service, Syracuse Post-Standard, and the Christian Post
• Worked with members of the Washington Interreligious Staff Community, member denominations, AARP and others to oppose privatization of Social Security.
• Participated in events, wrote statements and follow-up stories to advocate for U.S. intervention to stop the genocide in Darfur, Sudan.
• Helped coordinate audio press conference in June calling Iraq war a tragic mistake and advocating for an exit strategy.
• Supported NCC’s eco-justice program by disseminating information about 2005 Earth Day resources, NCC’s statement opposing drilling in the arctic and other eco-justice issues.
• Attended meeting and wrote follow-up story about historic Faith & Order meeting at the Martin Luther King Jr. Center at Morehouse College in Atlanta.
• Sent out press releases about our Western Public Lands Initiative. Media coverage has included the following: Wilderness--Religion News Service, The Washington Post, Public Opinion (Chambersburg, PA)—online, The Indianapolis Star, The Christian Post—online; Colorado Conference--The Denver Post--print and online versions, Public News Service—radio; National Public Lands Day—Ethics Daily—online and MAC Messenger (published by the MT Association of Churches); New Mexico Speaking Tour—Los Alamos Monitor--print and online, Santa Fe New Mexican, and the San Juan Peace Net (Four Corners Area)—online; Lands Resource Announcement--Disciples News Service—online, The Vision (NY Annual Conference of the UMC newsletter) and Out and About (Presbytery of East IA--PCUSA newsletter).
• Coordinated NCC’s strong opposition to “Just-Us Sunday” events. NCC responded to the claim that those opposing President Bush’s nominees for the U.S. Supreme Court are “against people of faith.”
• Reviewed and edited “A Just Minimum Wage: Good for Workers, Business and Our Future” report by Holly Sklar and Rev. Dr. Paul Sherry. Release of the report was a part of the official Living Wage Campaign launch in November.
• Wrote and disseminated story on the June Interfaith Convocation to End Hunger, which was held at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. NCC General Secretary Bob Edgar was one of the church leaders to address the more than 1,000 people of faith who attended the event.
• Organized and coordinated logistics for Let Justice Roll/Living Wage Campaign launch in November. Press conference, which was attended by Senator Edward Kennedy, members of ACORN and clergy, generated media attention from CNN, Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Cox News), Fox News, The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, Catholic News Service, BNA, CNBC News, The Hill newspaper, Human Events Online, WIS-TV (Columbia, S.C.) and Liz Lane’s radio program on KGNU in Denver.
• Sent out press release and a media advisory to generate media attention for the Let Justice Roll “Living Wage Days” events in January 2006.
• Wrote and disseminated press release for “Love for the Poor: God’s Love for the Poor and the Church’s Witness to It,” a 40-page booklet that was prepared by the Faith & Order Commission and seeks to help churches engage more fully in prayer, reflection and shared action on behalf of the poor.
• Edited, designed and disseminated Justice & Advocacy Commission 2004-05 Annual Report at NCC’s General Assembly. Wrote and distributed JAC report in January.
• Provided staff and communication support for NCC’s Special Commission for a Just Rebuilding of the Gulf Coast, including taking three trips to the region in October and November. Wrote stories about the Special Commission that were disseminated to the media. In addition, work began in 2005 on a web page on efforts to rebuild in the Gulf Coast. 
• Spoke on a panel at the Media Reform Conference in April on the importance of faith groups doing media advocacy; also participated in the Minority Media and Telecommunications Council's Annual Access to Capital Conference, representing NCC; and continued to support the UCC’s Everett Parker Lecture Series on Telecommunication Ethics, an annual Washington event.
   

FaithfulAmerica.org

Reports to: Communication Commission
Vince Isner, Director of Faithful America.org

Introduction

“Give me a place to stand, and I will move the world.”  Archimedes

For FaithfulAmerica, 2005 has been a year of creating a place where citizens of every faith and creed can stand together to move the world toward a vision guided by mercy, justice, and love.  In one year FaithfulAmerica has grown from one very brilliant idea with a powerful beginning to an established, visible and respected ministry.  Its identity has evolved as both the medium and the message have taken shape.   

Action Alerts – the Heart of FaithfulAmerica’s Ministry 

In 2005 some 45 alerts were issued by FaithfulAmerica to an average of between 92,000 and 100,000 persons per alert.  In the last 15 mailings alone our alerts generated more than a quarter-million letters to the President, members of Congress, and other key targets, and generated nearly 6,000 new signups for FaithfulAmerica.  In an arena in which measuring success is difficult at best, indications are that FaithfulAmerica is making a difference.  Two recent victories were the President’s reversal on the suspension of the Davis-Bacon Act (an issue that generated 40,500 letters from FaithfulAmericans) and the administration’s scrapping of the nuclear bunker buster bill (which had prompted more than 31,000 letters of protest through FaithfulAmerica.)   

A Broad Range of Issues Help Define Our Work 

FaithfulAmerica’s agenda is set by several criteria – sometimes complimentary and sometimes conflicting:  

• World events
• NCC’s policies and programs
• FaithfulAmerica’s need to grow
• Money and staff
• Coalition and partner agendas
• Rapidly changing electronic advocacy environment

With all these in mind, we are proud to have achieved some significant success in engaging people of faith in our key areas:  Peace, Poverty, Planet Earth, and People’s Rights.  Here is a summary of the alerts FaithfulAmerica generated in 2005: 

• Peace -- 14 Alerts

• Poverty -- 10 Alerts

• Planet Earth -- 2 Alerts

• People’s Rights --12 Alerts 

Online Donations

Online donations to FaithfulAmerica have contributed to more than $75,000 in Tsunami relief and, to date, more than $50,000 in relief for Hurricane Katrina.  In addition, some $3,000 has been raised for the Higher Ground Promise Campaign, $9,000 for an ad in NTY supporting the Tent of Abraham, and nearly $15,000 has been given online for FaithfulAmerica’s general operating fund.   

Powerful Web Presence

In 2005 FaithfulAmerica engaged in branding and website redesign.  Our goal was to create an attractive, easy-to-update, and inviting place where subscribers could have quick and easy access to alerts, news, and background information on key issues.In addition, we wanted to create a welcoming site that engendered a sense of belonging and community. Finally, we wanted to create a site that invited people of all faiths to understand the theological framework within which our ministry is done.  We chose to build the site using a content management system in order to simplify writing, formatting, and publishing new material while archiving old stories for easy retrieval. 

A New Brand

FaithfulAmerica had been using a “borrowed” logo and a makeshift website which made recognition and marketing difficult.  Our first task was to create a look for FaithfulAmerica that would be easily recognizable and instantly identified with justice ministry.  The color scheme of Green and blue (representing the earth and the heavens) the dove (representing peace) and the earth (representing the human family) as well as the flame (spirit) in the text all work to create a look and feel that is distinct in the advocacy community. 

Visibility

While much of the work in 2005 was behind the scenes, we managed to obtain some visibility outside our own website.  Notably, we weighed in on the ABC Nightly News, NPR, Atlantic Monthly, several regional newspapers, and denominational magazines.  CBS aired a special, “The Tsunami: One Year Later” – featuring footage shot by our cameras in January.

Cooperative Efforts:

FaithfulAmerica has helped to advance its partner ministries.  Here are a few:

• Let Justice Roll – through logistical support, serving on Living Wage’s Communication committee, which involved creating the LJR website, and Living Wage brochure as well as email support for the campaign.
• Higher Ground Promise.org – Working with the Faith and Public Life Resource Center, Catholic Alliance for the Common Good, and Protestants for the Common Good, FaithfulAmerica established a “Higher Ground” Web presence, produced a radio ad, and an online flash ad encouraging people of faith and conscience to sign the Higher Ground Promise, promoting just policies in rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina.
• General Communications Support – Because FaithfulAmerica is part of the communications ministry of NCC, we are often involved in more than just FaithfulAmerica issues.  The reverse is also true, and we have benefited immeasurably from the communications staff’s expertise in nearly every area of our work, from stories, editing, and shared resources to strategic planning and coordination of message and ministry.
• Tsunami Response – Providing communication support after the tsunami was both a privilege and an opportunity to help establish both NCC’s and FaithfulAmerica’s place in the response effort. 
• Coalitions, Working Groups, Councils, Organizations, Denominations, and Committees – Too numerous to mention here, but on almost every issue, FaithfulAmerica works in tandem with some of Washington’s finest advocacy organizations and considers those alliances critical to the success and growth of our base. 

This concludes the Department’s 2005 Report to the Commission.