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NCC 2006 News Service Archives

Look here for links to NCC 2006 news releases that are no longer among the most recent. JANUARY 2006

January 4, 2006, New York Lobbyist Jack Abramoff's decision to cooperate with federal investigators in what is being called Washington's biggest ethics scandal in recent memory has sent tremors throughout the capital. None of this is surprising, said the General Secretary of the National Council of Churches USA, but it could have been avoided if Congress had adopted "a universally accepted and enforceable code of ethics."

January 6, 2005,Washington The Faith and Order Commission of the National Council of Churches USA will celebrate its fiftieth anniversary July 19-23, 2007, by returning to Oberlin, Ohio, for a conference entitled, “On Being Christian Together: The Faith and Order Experience in the United States.”

January 10, 2006, New YorkThe Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, a bellwether of the ecumenical movement since 1908, will be celebrated across the globe January 18-25, 2006.

January 19, 2006, New York – The January 7 kidnapping in Iraq of American reporter Jill Carroll is chilling, and raises questions about the fate of four Christian Peacemakers who have been missing since November 29.

January 23, 2006, New York – In what may be the first of its kind, the Faith and Order Commission of the National Council of Churches USA has launched an electronic journal for ecumenical professionals and other interested observers.

January 25, 2006, New York The General Secretary of the National Council of Churches USA, the Rev. Dr. Bob Edgar, will be a guest this evening on CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight from 6-7 p.m. EST.

January 26, 2006, New York – Transcripts of General Secretary Bob Edgar's appearances on CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight and MSNBC's Live&Direct with Rita Cosby.

January 26, 2006, New York Committees of the Canadian Council of Churches and the National Council of Churches USA met in Niagara, Ont., earlier this month to lay plans for an international biotechnology conference in Fall 2007.

January 27, 2006, Washington FaithfulAmerica.org, a Washington D.C. interfaith advocacy organization, today released its "Faithful State Of The Union Address" in anticipation of President Bush's address to be delivered next week.

January 31, 2006, New York – Coretta Scott King's life is honored by NCC President Michael E. Livingston: she was 'a beacon of light and defender of truth.'

January 31, 2006, Washington, D.C. – As President Bush prepares to address the nation this evening with his administration's plans for restoring the Gulf Coast region, the National Council of Churches’ Special Commission for the Just Rebuilding of the Gulf Coast is calling for radical changes in U.S. emergency relief efforts.

FEBRUARY 2006

February 1, 2006, New York – President Bush’s State of the Union message Tuesday, followed by Virginia Governor Tim Kaine’s Democratic response, were remarkable in several ways, according to the General Secretary of the National Council of Churches USA, but both missed the point.

February 2, 2006, New York – Eradicating Global Poverty, A Christian Study Guide on the Millennium Development Goals, was released today by the National Council of Churches.

February 3, 2006, New York -- The General Secretary of the National Council of Churches expressed “deep forebodings” about the next round of budget cuts.  “It’s as if the President wasn’t listening to his own State of the Union Message,” said the Rev. Dr. Bob Edgar.

February 3, 2006, New York -- Middle East Council of Churches condemns attacks on Christian churches in Iraq as "a continuation of an evil attempt to spread separation between the Iraqi Muslims and Christians." 

February 6, 2006, New York -- Commonweal, a California-based nonprofit health and environmental research institute, stressing the protection of children's health and removal of toxic chemicals, suggested support for the National Council of Churches' EcoJustice program as one means of accomplishing those goals.

February 6, 2006, New York – The dramatic story of Germany's most famous anti-Nazi heroine is told in Sophie Scholl: the Final Days, distributed by Zeitgeist Films. Directed by Marc Rothemund and starring German actress Julia Jentsch, the film has been nominated for an Oscar in the category of Best Foreign Film.

February 6, 2006, New York – The 2005 Christmas Eve special broadcast on CBS is available on DVD from the Fourth Episcopal District of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church.

February 13, 2006, New York – The General Secretary of the National Council of Churches USA will host a workshop and breakfast promoting the work of Habitat for Humanity Brazil at the World Council of Churches ninth assembly this month in Puerto Alegre, Brazil.

February 13, 2006, New York – The National Council of Churches USA said Monday it stood in solidarity with North American Islamic organizations who “exercised disciplined restraint and advocated diplomacy and education” over cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammad

February 16, 2006, New York -- The National Council of Churches has "emphatically supported" a United Nations report released yesterday that calls upon the United States to close its Guantanamo Bay detention facility "without further delay."  In a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, NCC General Secretary, the Rev. Dr. Bob Edgar, also renewed a request to allow the NCC to send "a small interfaith delegation" to Guantanamo "to monitor the physical, mental and spiritual condition of the detainees."

February 16, 2006, New York -- Dr. Dorothy I. Height, civil rights icon, mentor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and chair-emerita of the National Council of Negro Women, is 93 and not about to slow down.  Now the redoubtable Height gives inspiration to a new venue: "If This Hat Could Talk," a rousing, toe-tapping musical "of passion, power and triumph."

February 20, 2006 -- Since last Friday, February 17, almost 13,000 persons of faith have endorsed a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice asking the government to shut down its detention facility at Guantanamo Bay.

February 20, 2006 -- Churches in the northeast are invited to pilot programs of the "God is One" project sponsored by the NCC and Islamic Society of North America in Hartford and New York March 11 and 25. The goal is to improve understanding and relationships between Christians and Muslims.

MARCH 2006

March 1, 2006, New York – March is Women's History Month, and the National Council of Churches Web page celebrates with special features coordinated by Dr. Helen LaKelly Hunt.

March 1, 2006, Washington   The world has "no higher priority, no greater imperative" than to end the genocide in Darfur, National Council of Churches USA General Secretary Bob Edgar said today at a press conference organized by House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).

March 1, 2006, Washington As Congress prepares to debate changing immigration laws, prominent religious leaders, including National Council of Churches' General Secretary Rev. Dr. Bob Edgar, gathered Wednesday in Simmons Chapel at the United Methodist Building on Capitol Hill to call for comprehensive immigration reform.

March 9, 2006, New York The Rev. James E. Andrews, retired Stated Clerk of the Presbyterian Church (USA), was remembered by NCC officials as "the virtual exemplar of church unity."

March 9, 2006, New York – The general secretary of the National Council of Churches USA urged the U.S. government to use the closing of Iraq's notorious Abu Ghraib Prison as an opportunity "to renew our resolve as a nation that torture and abuse must never be weapons for our defense."

March 9, 2006, Washington What is really going on in Iraq? This is one of the most pressing questions facing the nation and the answer is mired in controversy. But this weekend, more than 900 Christian activists from across the country will try to find answers to this and other critical issues during the fourth annual Ecumenical Advocacy Days.

March 14, 2006, Washington Through tears, prayers and song, hundreds of people of faith from Jewish, Catholic, Protestant, Muslim and Sikh traditions gathered Monday on the west front lawn of the U.S. Capitol to pray for peace and justice in Iraq.

March 16, 2006, Washington The National Council of Churches' Special Commission for the Just Rebuilding of the Gulf Coast said it was "deeply troubled" by the Federal Emergency Management Administration's decision to end temporary housing for hurricane victims.

March 21, 2006, Washington – As the national debate heats up on America’s over-consumption of the world’s energy resources, more than 70 faith leaders from across the nation have endorsed a statement expressing concern to land managers and governing bodies about the current state of oil and gas development on public lands in the U.S.

March 22, 2006, Washington Rebuilding hurricane-ravaged communities is the focus of this year’s Earth Day Sunday resource materials from the National Council of Churches.

March 28, 2006, New York National Council of Churches President Michael Livingston, addressing members of the Communication Commission, challenged communicators to "tell our story" despite the "media machine of a false religion."

March 28, 2006, New York The National Council of Churches is facilitating a September trip to Armenia to visit historic sites, clergy and heirarchs, and build houses with Habitat for Humanity International.

March 30, 2006, New York The National Council of Churches's 2006 Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches reflects the "robust immigrant history" of American churches.

March 30, 2006, New York A National Council of Churches USA committee has released a resource on the teaching of evolution in public school science classes. 

APRIL 2006

April 6, 2006, New York – A Fair Harvest: Religions Response to Immigration Issues, an interfaith religion special featuring an interview with NCC General Secretary Bob Edgar, will be released to CBS affiliates nationwide on Sunday, April 23 (at 8-8:30 AM, ET; 5-5:30 PT) by the CBS Television Network.  Local times will vary. 

April 6, 2006, Atlanta – Dr. Ann K. Riggs, Associate General Secretary of the National Council of Churches USA for Faith and Order, has been inducted into the Morehouse College Martin Luther King Jr. Board of Preachers, Sponsors, and Collegium Scholars.

April 7, 2006, Washington – The minimum wage has become a poverty wage instead of an anti-poverty wage, with damaging ripple effects throughout our economy, according to A Just Minimum Wage: Good for Workers, Business and Our Future, a new report by Holly Sklar and Rev. Dr. Paul Sherry that was released in support of the Let Justice Roll Living Wage Campaign.

April 7, 2006, New York The NCC's "Ten Moral Concerns" about the No Child Left Behind Act continue to attract national attention.

April 10, 2006, Little Rock, Ark. – A $1.10 increase in the Arkansas Minimum Wage that was urged by the National Council of Churches’ “Let Justice Roll” coalition led by a United Methodist pastor has been signed into law by Gov. Mike Huckabee.

April 12, 2006, New York – The Rev. William Sloan Coffin, Jr., who died today at 81, "was no ordinary man and he leaves no ordinary hole," said the general secretary of the National Council of Churches USA. "To my generation, he was a hero," said the Rev. Dr. Bob Edgar tonight.

April 19, 2006, Washington —Earth Day Sunday is being celebrated across the nation in more than two thousand congregations this weekend.  Nearly 2,500 worship resource materials, entitled Through the Eye of a Hurricane: Rebuilding Just Communities, were downloaded or mailed by the Eco-Justice Program of the National Council of Churches USA. [www.nccecojustice.org]

April 26, 2006, Washington  —The Faith and Order Commission of the National Council of Churches USA has approved an exciting program for its 50th anniversary celebration, which will be held in Oberlin, Ohio, July 19-23, 2007. Dr. Martin Marty, a distinguished theologian, church scholar and Lutheran pastor; and, Rev. Dr. James Forbes, pastor of New York's Riverside Church.

April 27, 2006, Louisville — William P. Thompson, 87, a towering figure in Presbyterian and ecumenical circles in the last half of the 20th century, died on April 27 at Plymouth Place, a Christian retirement community in suburban Chicago. He had been in declining health for several years.

MAY 2006

May 5, 2006, Washington – A Congressional move to renew expiring provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 has been warmly endorsed by the National Council of Churches USA. 

May 13, 2006, New York – Religious leaders from a wide spectrum of faith communities across America are calling on their congregations to speak up against the torture of prisoners in U.S. custody. 

May 17, 2006, Nashville – More than 200 signatures are on a Baptist Center for Ethics pastoral letter supporting public education issued three weeks ago.

May 17, 2006, New York The Rev. Dr. Eileen W. Lindner, Deputy General Secretary for Research and Planning at the National Council of Churches USA, has been named as the first Dean of the Riggio Lynch Interfaith Chapel at the Children’s Defense Fund’s Alex Haley Farm, beginning May 17.

May 18, 2006, New York – The National Council of Churches called upon Christian leaders to use the film, The Da Vinci Code as "an opportunity to teach about and bear witness to true biblical teachings – many of which have been distorted in Hollywood as well as in our daily lives."

May 19, 2006, New Orleans — With the official start of the 2006 hurricane season just two weeks away, the National Council of Churches (NCC) is planning back-to-back delegations to put a faith-based spotlight on rebuilding and recovery efforts in the New Orleans area ranging from housing and the environment to economic and racial justice.

May 19, 2006, Portland, Ore. —Nearly 150 young people and youth leaders from the U.S. and Canada will gather here next week for the NCC's "Come to the Feast," an opportunity to learn from one another, live out their faith and experience people of other beliefs. 

May 22, 2006, New Orleans – The Rev. Garland F. Pierce, an African Methodist Episcopal clergyman with years of experience in the ecumenical movement, has been named Associate General Secretary of the National Council of Churches USA for the Education and Leadership Ministries Commission.

May 23, 2006, New Orleans —A Special Commission of the National Council of Churches promises to “speak truth to power” throughout the long and arduous rebuilding effort of this city and the entire Gulf Coast region.  

May 25, 2006, New Orleans — Wrap-up of the meetings of the NCC Governing Board and Special Commission on the Just Rebuilding of the Gulf Coast.

May 26, 2006, Washington, D.C. The National Council of Churches and Church World Service joined with other organizations to renew objections to new government travel restrictions to Cuba in a news conference at the National Press Club here Thursday.

May 26, 2006, New Orleans  Wednesday, May 24, was hot and sunny in New Orleans, and as the official start of hurricane season loomed, board members and staff of the National Council of Churches boarded a yellow school bus to tour the still devastated areas of the city. Some filed personal reflections.

May 30, 2006, New York  – The rousing musical tribute to Civil Rights icon Dorothy I. Height, featuring award-winning performers Stephanie Mills and Melba Moore, is opening June 13 in Philadelphia's Merriam Theater.

May 30, 2006, New York The first nationwide, in-depth, systematic study of health services provided by religious communities is being undertaken by the National Council of Churches USA.

May 31, 2006, New York — People of faith around the country will join in prayer Thursday (June 1) with religious leaders along the Gulf Coast as residents brace themselves for another hurricane season.

JUNE 2006

June 6, 2006, New York – Religious congregations across the nation are joining forces to mourn an anticipated tragic milestone – the death of the 2,500th soldier in Iraq. 

June 6, 2006, New York – “The lightning-like spread of AIDS and HIV infection has been more than a tragedy.  It has been a catastrophe,” said the Rev. Dr. Bob Edgar, general secretary, National Council of Churches USA. 

June 6, 2006, Omaha, Neb.The newest wave of immigrants to the United States is “encountering racism masquerading as ‘national security’ or ‘those who are taking our jobs’,” said the Rev. Dr. Bob Edgar in an opinion column in today’s Omaha World-Herald newspaper. 

June 9, 2006, Moscow, Russia The NCC joined representatives of six major religious traditions here to plan the World Summit of Religious Leaders that will take place in Moscow July 3-5 – two weeks prior to the St. Petersburg G8 summit.

June 9, 2006, New York – The NCC Faith and Order Commission is holding its first ever Oikumene Film Festival to promote further exploration of visual media as a form of ecumenical expression.

June 11, 2006, New York – The suicides of three prisoners at the Guantanamo Bay detention center in Cuba have prompted a renewed call by the National Council of Churches USA that the facility be closed.

June 12, 2006. Washington – The general secretary of the National Council of Churches USA is one of 27 national religious leaders who have signed a statement calling for the elimination of torture as a part of U.S. policy

June 15, 2006, New York Next week-end, June 24-25, 2006, thousands of people of faith plan to ring bells, especially the bells of their houses of worship, to honor the 2,500 American dead in the Iraq war, and the thousands of innocents who have lost their lives.

June 15, 2006, Washington – More than 10,500 persons have signed a FaithfulAmerica.org online petition calling for the close of the U.S. prison facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

June 18, 2006, Columbus, Ohio – The Episcopal Church, 30 years after it allowed women to become priests and bishops, has elected a woman as its Presiding Bishop.

June 19, 2006, New York  – Leora E. Landmesser, 57, who for three years guided National Council of Churches administration and finance with an eye to detail and a dedication to ministry, died today after a long battle with cancer.

June 20, 2006, Washington The Let Justice Roll Living Wage Campaign, a fast-growing program of more than 70 faith and community groups, is strongly urging members of Congress to value workers and their families by raising the minimum wage to $7.25

June 20, 2006, Washington – The Men and Boys Cathedral Choir at the National Cathedral is featured Sunday in a CBS religion special, Sacred Arts, Ancient Sounds.

June 22, 2006, Washington – The Let Justice Roll Living Wage Campaign is calling on the House of Representatives to represent the people by voting to raise the minimum wage from $5.15 to at least $7.25 an hour.

June 23, 2006, Atlanta  We are the leaders we have been waiting for,” Bob Edgar, general secretary of the National Council of Churches, told more than 400 moderate Baptists

June 28, 2006, Washington Senator Barack Obama's keynote address to Call to Renewal's Pentecost 2006 is attracting nationwide attention.

June 29, 2006, New York – The National Council of Churches USA described today’s Supreme Court’s 5-3 ruling preventing the Bush administration from using military tribunals to prosecute prisoners in the Guantánamo Bay detention center as “a reasoned affirmation of what people of faith have been trying to communicate to the White House for years.” 

June 29, 2006, Washington Demonstrating that moral issues can overcome partisan politics, Senators Frist (R-Tenn.) and Clinton (D-N.Y.) today signed the one millionth postcard from Americans to President Bush through the Save Darfur Coalition's "Million Voices for Darfur" campaign.

June 30, 2006, New York When FoxNews.com linked its readers to a speech by Bob Edgar, several Fox fans discovered that the National Council of Churches is making sense.

June 30, 2006, Washington – The National Council of Churches sees hopeful signs in the rebuilding of the hurricane-ravaged gulf coast, but is also concerned about lethargy in the face of so much that remains to be done.

June 30, 2006, Washington – A Faithful Voice for Children offers "A Season of Prayer and Action" that launches next Saturday (July 8). 

JULY 2006

July 7, 2006, Washington The National Council of Churches USA has joined Church World Service, its sister humanitarian organization, in opposing a recommendation in a draft report by the Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba.

July 11, 2006, Washington Hundreds of Christians came to Washington this week to discuss a progressive political agenda based on Christ and the Bible.

July 11, 2006, Washington The National Council of Churches USA and the Progressive National Baptist Convention Women's Department are sponsoring an ecumenical leadership conference focused on the role of African American congregations in promoting strong families and healthy marriages.

July 13, 2006, New York – The Let Justice Roll coalition is celebrating hikes in the minimum wage in two states.

July 14, 2006, Washington NCC applauds House action and urges Senate to pass Voting Rights bill.

July 14, 2006, New York – Recalling when Jesus wept, the NCC and Church World Service call for an end to violence in the Middle East.

July 19, 2006, Washington —African American clergy and church leaders will “break the silence” about the dismal statistics affecting African American families in an all-day conference on Monday, August 7, 2006 in Cincinnati's Duke Energy Convention Center.  

July 20, 2006, Washington Christian leaders representing millions of Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and Roman Catholic faithful are joining the National Council of Churches USA in calling for an end to the violence in Lebanon and Israel.

July 21, 2006, Washington  – The NCC and its partner humanitarian ministry, Church World Service, are among 16 religious organizations calling for President Bush to “work with other world leaders to secure an immediate cease-fire in the violent conflict raging now between Hezbollah and Israel.” 

July 25, 2006, New York – The Very Rev. Leonid Kishkovsky, former NCC president, calls upon churches to look upon 'the other' in the Middle East as fellow human beings.

July 27, 2006, New York As rockets soar between Hezbollah and Israel, the National Council of Churches USA and Religions for Peace-USA are encouraging religious communities to go online to engage in prayers for peace.

July 28, 2006, New York Metropolitan Herman of the Orthodox Church in America has added his voice to a growing number of worldwide Christian leaders calling for the violence to stop immediately in the Holy Land. 

AUGUST 2006

August 1, 2006, New York  The violence in the Middle East is escalating into heartbreaking futility, and spokespersons for the National Council of Churches USA have called upon Israel and Hezbollah to immediately cease hostilities.

August 1, 2006, New York  Former President Jimmy Carter calls upon President Bush to halt the "band-aid" approach to solutions in the Middle East.

August 1, 2006, New York
 
His Beatitude, Metropolitan Philip, primate of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, has written movingly of the shelling of Cana, the site of Jesus' first miracle.

August 2, 2006, New York – The Greek Orthodox Archbishop of America has called upon President Bush and the U.S. to seek a Middle East solution based on "dialogue and diplomacy."

August 3, 2006, New York Rev. Leslie Copeland Tune named NCC's assistant director for justice and advocacy.

August 8, 2006, New York – Worldwide ecumenical leaders call on Hezbollah and Israel to stop the fighting.

August 8, 2006, New York – Church leaders decry the "escalating futility" in the Middle East.

August 9, 2006, New York – NCC member communion fined $34,000 for mission activities in Cuba.

August 10, 2006, New York Worldwide Faith News and the NCC lose a young pioneer. Michael de Beer is dead at 33.

August 11, 2006, Elgin, Ill. Church of the Brethren calls upon its congregations to engage in "singular acts" for peace in the Middle East.

August 15, 2006, New York Almost a year after Katrina, the NCC's Special Commission on the Just Rebuilding of the Gulf, conducts a pastoral visit to the region.

August 15, 2006, New York A powerful TV documentary presented by the NCC, "Hunger No More: Faces Behind the Facts," takes an unflinching look at the persistent problem of hunger.

August 22, 2006, New York – NCC 'Season of Prayer' Web site attracts 88,000 viewers in two weeks.

August 24, 2006, New Orleans – NCC Special Commission on the Rebuilding of the Gulf Coast following Hurricane Katrina calls for a resolve to never allow the lack of preparedness to happen again.

August 31, 2006, New York Labor Day 2006 recalls decades of ecumenical involvement in the struggle of laborers for rights and just compensation.

August 31, 2006, New York NCC welcomes U.N. Security Council resolution to send a peacemaking force to Darfur.

SEPTEMBER 2006

September 5, 2006, New York – Middle Church, a new book by Bob Edgar, calls for moderate people of faith to rescue America's true moral values from the religious right.

September 7, 2006, Washington The National Council of Churches USA (NCC), Church World Service (CWS) and the National Catholic Rural Life Conference (NCRLC) have supported the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in legal action against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

September 7, 2006, New York  – The National Council of Churches USA today reaffirmed its abhorrence of secret prisons operated by the United States and called upon the government to bring American prisoners to trial.

September 11, 2006, New York – Five years after the terror attacks of September 11, 2001, the horror of that day still stings the hearts of men and women of goodwill throughout the world, the general secretary of the National Council of Churches said today. 

September 14, 2006, New York  A growing number of Americans are voicing objections, concerns and disappointment in the federal education plan, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).

September 15, 2006, New York – Thousands of Americans will gather in cities across the country this Sunday (Sept. 17) calling on nations to prevent further genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan. 

September 15, 2006, New York – The Rev. Bob Edgar praised former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell for his public declaration that the treatment of prisoners by the U.S. is a moral issue. 

September 18, 2006, New York Thousands of Americans gathered in cities across the U.S. Sunday to give the governments of the world a clear message: Stop the genocide in Darfur.

September 19, 2006, Washington NCC General Secretary joins 26 faith group leaders to oppose the use of torture

September 23, 2006, New York The Let Justice Roll Living Wage Campaign has announced plans for Living Wage Days events in October to lay strategies for raising the minimum wage.

September 27, 2006, New York The National Council of Churches is recommending a new video, “Outlawed: Extraordinary Rendition, Torture and Disappearances in the ‘War on Terror’”.

September 27, 2006, New York As Congress continues to stall on raising the minimum wage, the national Let Justice Roll Campaign will hold hundreds of rallies, workshops, religious services, and prayer breakfasts in October to build support for raising the minimum wage.

September 28, 2006, New York The National Council of Churches Governing Board reviews resolutions on current issues to be sent to the NCC General Assembly

OCTOBER 2006

October 2, 2006, Little Rock, Ark. "God takes no side in war," say the Rev. Bob Edgar and retired United Methodist Bishop Felton May.  "Do not let anyone tell you differently." 

October 3, 2006, New York The Rev. Bob Edgar, general secretary of the National Council of Churches USA, told the governing board and staff of the Council Monday that he will not seek a third four-year term as chief administrative officer of the nation's leading ecumenical body.

October 3, 2006, New York NCC Associate General Secretary Antonios Kireopoulos found himself sparring with one of the nation's conservative talk show hosts on The O'Reilly Factor and concluded that O'Reilly is confused in his interpretation of scripture.

October 5, 2006, New York With election day a month away, the NCC has re-issued its faith guidelines for voting.

October 6, 2006, New York The National Council of Churches USA (NCC) is sending representatives to Lebanon and is joining with other faith groups supporting the latest initiative to bring a lasting and just peace in the Middle East.

October 9, 2006, New York The North Korean nuclear test today was condemned by the Rev. Bob Edgar, general secretary of the National Council of Churches USA.

October 10, 2006, New York – The National Council of Churches’ “Christian Principles in an Election Year,” introduced in 2004, inspired a hymn: “In Times of Great Decision,” by the Rev. Carolyn Winfrey Gillette, whose hymns are sung in a wide variety of denominational and ecumenical settings.

October 11, 2006, New York – "When I first heard that nearly two-thirds of a million Iraqis have been killed I was shocked and horribly saddened," said the Rev. Bob Edgar, general secretary of the National Council of Churches USA. "The perpetrators of this war can no longer tell us this is 'collateral damage' as they prosecute this war.

October 11, 2006 – Regional church leaders from three states –Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Texas – tackled global warming and how to reduce overall congregational energy expenses at NCC sponsored gatherings in August and September.

October 19, 2006, New York – A National Council of Churches delegation headed by NCC President Michael Livingston has returned from a journey to Beirut where they brought a message of support to the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC)

October 20, 2006, New York – Frustration, fear and a desire for a more balanced approach to Middle East peace is on the minds of many in Lebanon, finds a delegation of Christian church leaders from the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA. 

October 31, 2006, Cleveland, Ohio – Business owners, executives and venture capitalists around the nation – including the states where minimum wage is on the ballot Nov. 7 – are calling for a higher minimum wage to pay workers fairly,

NOVEMBER 2006

November 2, 2006, Orlando, Fla. – The General Assembly, the highest decision-making body of the National Council of Churches USA and Church World Service will gather here next week (Nov. 7-9). 

November 3, 2006, San Francisco NCC General Secretary Bob Edgar predicts voters will choose honesty. integrity, truth and justice on election day.

November 8, 2006, Orlando The General Assembly of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA and Church World Service today called for "an immediate phased withdrawal of American and coalition forces from Iraq." 

November 8, 2006, Orlando – "Millions of Americans voted for a true compassionate government," NCC General Secretary Bob Edgar said following the November election.

November 9, 2006, Orlando The General Assembly of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA (NCC) and Church World Service took on the issues of the world in the name of the gospel of Jesus Christ at its annual meeting that concluded today in Florida. 

November 15, 2006, New York Five excellent productions fostered by the NCC's Communication Commission are being aired on the three major broadcast networks this fall.

November 15, 2006, New York – Citizens of the Middle East, whether they be Muslims or Christians or Jews, deserve a decent life, a future, and an expectation to be treated with dignity and justice," writes Dr. Antonios Kireopoulos following an NCC delegation visit to Lebanon.

November 20, 2006, Washington –  A new NCC study, worship, and action resource, "At the Lord's Table: Everyday Thanksgiving," gives churches the tools to talk about how faith can and should influence food choices.

November 27, 2006, New York Clare J. Chapman is set to become the new Deputy General Secretary for Administration and Finance at the National Council of Churches USA.  She will assume her duties in January. 

DECEMBER 2006

December 6, 2006, New York – The National Council of Churches USA said the recommendations of the Iraq Study Group "generally resonate" with church leaders' recommendations.

December 14, 2006, New York – The National Council of Churches USA has joined with a broad coalition of Jewish, Christian and Muslim leaders in calling for a renewed initiative toward peace in Israel and Palestine.

December 15, 2006 – New York Iran's recent hosting of a meeting of Holocaust deniers is "regrettable, unfortunate and repugnant," said Dr. Antonios Kireopoulos, NCC's associate general secretary for international affairs and peace

December 22, 2006 – Christmas is not for children, observes NCC Associate General Secretary Antonios Kireopoulos as he assesses God's plan for salvation and conditions in the Holy Land.

December 28, 2006 – NCC General Secretary Bob Edgar appeared on CBS' Early Show this morning to answer Harry Smith's questions on the influence of conservative Christians in U.S. politics, and reminiscing about the late President Gerald R. Ford. The video link is here. The transcript is here.

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