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JANUARY 2009
January 6, 2009, Washington ̶
Advocacy Days
A new congress and a new administration will be
grappling with the toughest issues in decades this March 13-16,
2009, when more than 700 persons of faith arrive from around the
country to press their views on peace, justice, the environment and
economic fairness.
January 6, 2009, Philadelphia
Peace Gathering
Three historic peace churches are hosting an ecumenical
gathering here next week to stress the urgent need to work for
peace in the world.
January 9, 2009
Gaza Prayer Leaders of three faiths that trace their origins back
to a common ancestor -- the Patriarch Abraham -- joined their hearts and pens
today to form a common prayer for peace between Israel, Gaza and among all
nations.
January 11, 2009, Washington
Obama Preacher
President-Elect
Obama has invited the Rev. Dr. Sharon Watkins to preach at the
National Prayer Service in the National Cathedral on January 21.
January 13, 2009, New York
Kaboth Named
Kurt Kaboth, who has been serving as Interim Director
of Development for the National Council of Churches USA since April 2008, has
been named to the full-time position by the Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, NCC
General Secretary.
January 13, 2009, Philadelphia
Kinnamon Peace Greeting
NCC
General Secretary told the opening session of an ecumenical
peace conference here that peace is the message of the church
ecumenical.
January 14, 2009,
Philadelphia
Kinnamon and Forbes
NCC
General Secretary Michael Kinnamon and the Rev. Dr. James Forbes
were opening speakers at the ecumenical peace conference here.
January 15, 2009, New York
Advice to Obama
Two
of the architects of
"A Social Creed for the 21st Century" have recognized
that the 44th President of the United States shares a
common church tradition with them, and they have crafted
a message promising
"to
help you achieve great deeds that will bring positive
change for the people of America and the world."
January 20, 2009, Philadelphia
Gun Protest
An ecumenical peace conference concluded here Jan. 17 with a
declaration of Gods vision of peace for the world, and direct
action calling for an end to gun violence on the streets of
Philadelphia.
January 20, 2009, Washington
Congress protects land
The newly convened 111th Congress moved quickly
to protect millions of acres of Gods Creation, backed by messages
from thousands of people of faith.
January 22, 2009, New York
Ecumenical Work Week
The
National Council of Churches Special Commission for the Just
Rebuilding of the Gulf Coast has scheduled the third annual
Ecumenical Work Week in Gulfport and New Orleans this August
2-8.
January 27, 2009, Washington
Fuel Guidelines The
director of eco-justice
programs for the National Council of Churches was in the White
House Monday to watch President Obama sign an executive order to
develop new fuel-efficiency guidelines for the auto industry.
January 27, 2009, Washington
Greener Camps The
National Council of Churches Eco-Justice Program and the
Committee on Outdoor Ministries are inviting camp and conference
centers across the country to sign a Green Camp and Conference
Center Covenant.
January 27, 2009, Washington
Cleanliness and Godliness Two
National Council of Churches Eco-Justice resources, Cleanliness and
Godliness: A Gathering Guide for Green Cleaning and the
Cleanliness and Godliness Toolkit, are available as free
downloads.
FEBRUARY 2009
February 5, 2009, Washington
SCHIP signing Religious
leaders watched in a spirit of celebration Wednesday as President Obama
signed legislation to expand the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).
February 16, 2009, New York
Sri Lanka Violence
As
the government of Sri Lanka presses its advantage against the
insurgent Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE),
U.S. religious leaders have expressed alarm that tens of thousands of
innocent civilians are trapped in the cross fire.
February 23, 2009, New York
2009 Yearbook The
77th annual edition of the Yearbook of American & Canadian
Churches, long a highly regarded chronicler of growth and
financial trends of religious institutions, records a slight but
startling decline in membership of the nation's largest
Christian communions.
February 23, 2009, New York
How do we count thee?
How
many church members are there in the world? Well, no one knows, as
your Sunday school teacher may already have told you. God is keeping
track of the roll in the Lamb's book of life (see Revelation 21 for
technical details), but those pages aren't open to demographers.
February 25, 2009, New York
Fat Tuesday New
York's First African Methodist Episcopal Church: Bethel,
observed a "Fat Tuesday" event with a combination of New Orleans
style feasting, jazz, prayer, fellowship, and an offering to
support the still-suffering residents of the hurricane-stricken
Gulf Coast.
MARCH 2009
March 5, 2009, Shanghai
Officers in
China
The
President and General Secretary of the National
Council of Churches, in a historic first, have traveled to China to affirm
with Chinese Christian leaders a mutual desire to engage in an "even deeper
working relationship that allows us to consult regularly with one another
and to speak and act together in response to contemporary issues."
March 5, 2009, New York
Plea for Immigration
Reform Forty-five
days into the Obama Administration, the General Secretary of the
National Council of Churches is asking for signs that the
promised new day in immigrations policy is here.
March 5, 2009, New York
Condemn Sri Lanka
violence The
General Secretary of the National Council of Churches has
condemned the Tuesday morning attack on the Sri Lanka cricket
team in Lahore, Pakistan.
March 11, 2009, Washington
Limit climate change Thousands
of Christians sent President Obama a letter today expressing
their commitment to limiting the future impacts of climate
change.
March 12, 2009, Washington
Justice staff appointed In
a joint appointment by the National Council of Churches and the
United Church of Christ, an experienced attorney and minister
has been named the NCC's Advocacy Officer with a focus on racial
justice and human rights.
March 12, 2009, Washington
Advocacy Days More
than 700 Ecumenical Advocacy Days delegates are here this
weekend to plan strategies to end global warming and enlist the
support of congressional leaders.
March 14, 2009, Washington
Advocacy Days Keynote The
Rev. Janet Parker didn't have to remind more than 700 delegates
to the annual Ecumenical Advocacy Days conference Saturday that
projections of the
Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC) are scary, but she said fear is not the answer.
March 20, 2009,
Washington No Child Left Behind Nearly 100 faith leaders gathered here March 12 to discuss
the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act.
March 23, 2009,
Washington
Mindful Living Guide The National Council of Churches' Eco-Justice Programs
have released the Mindful Living Gathering Guide, a
step-by-step process for facilitating adult Christian education on the
issues of health, pollution and toxic substances.
March 25, 2009, New York
Philippine Rights
The
National Council of Churches today urged Congress to require
assurances that the Philippines is living up to human rights
standards before providing its government with additional
military financing.
March 26, 2009,
Washington
Protect Creation Faith
groups and individuals from around the country have sent
messages to Congress this week, encouraging action to protect
millions of acres of Gods Creation.
APRIL 2009
April 1, 2009,
New York
Protect Creation POVERTY: A TIME FOR SHARING, an interfaith religion special, will be
broadcast Sunday, April 26 on the CBS Television Network.
April
6, 2009, Washington
Chemberlin Named
The President Elect of the National Council of Churches and
the head of one of the NCC's 35 member communions were named today to the
President's Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.
April 7, 2009 , New York
NCC Easter Message
The President and General Secretary of the National Council of
Churches have issued an Easter message of hope in troubled
times.
April 7, 2009,
New York
NCC Pascha Special
The
National Council of Churches
will present its Easter special, Pascha: The Resurrection of Christ,
a program highlighting the Orthodox Christian observance of Easter,
on ABC affiliates nationwide this month.
April 9, 2009,
Washington
Green Bibles Given
In honor of Earth Day, more than 50 free copies of The Green Bible are being sent to seminary professors and
administrators by the National Council of Churches Eco-Justice Programs and
the bibles publisher, HarperOne.
April 20, 2009,
Washington
King Abdullah Meeting
Four U.S. religious leaders -- two Christian and two Muslim --
met with King Abdullah II of Jordan here to discuss specific
topics about the Middle East.
April 27, 2009, New York
Dean Kelley Opus
The First Amendment Center
has made the Rev. Dean M. Kelley's
once-abandoned five-volume
The Law of Church and State in America
available on line.
April 27, 2009, New York
Dean Kelley Bio
The Rev. Dean M. Kelley, whose five-volume
The Law of Church and State in America has been put online by the
First Amendment Center, was one of the National Council of Churches' premier
staff persons in First Amendment issues of church-state separation and
religious liberty.
April 28, 2009, New York
Swine Flu
As deaths attributed to the swine flu outbreak in Mexico passed 150,
churches are posting links to helpful information for dealing
with potential pandemics.
MAY 2009
May 14, 2009, New York
Armenian Genocide
The U.S. government's reluctance to classify the 1915 massacre
of 1.5 million Armenians as "genocide" leaves the matter
festering in historical limbo, and the staff head of the
National Council of Churches has urged the U.S. House of
Representatives to set the matter straight.
May 18, 2009, Arlington, Va.
EPA Hearing
Members of the faith community are stepping up and speaking out today at an
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) public hearing to determine if
greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide that are contributing to global
climate change, are a threat to public health and welfare.
May 21, 2009, Seattle EPA Hearing
Christians spoke out again today at an Environmental Protection Agency
hearing in Seattle.
May 21, 2009, Elgin, Ill.
Governing
Board
The National Council of Churches Governing Board, meeting here in the
national offices of the Church of the Brethren, approved a balanced budget
for the 2009-2010 fiscal year and adopted a resolution on environmental
health.
May 31, 2009, San Antonio, Tex.
First Woman Chief
The Rev. Lorraine K. Potter went from being the first woman to be ordained
by American Baptists in Rhode Island to the first woman Chief of Air Force
Chaplains.
JUNE 2009
June 3, 2009, New York
Tiller
Murder
NCC General Secretary Michael Kinnamon has condemned the murder of Dr.
George Tiller as "a cruel, evil act."
June 4, 2009, New York
Praise Obama
Address
Senior staff of the National Council of Churches praised
President Obama's address to the Muslim world today, and renewed the
Council's commitment to friendship and dialogue with Muslim people of faith.
June 4, 2009, New York
Dispose of
Nukes
The general secretary of the
National Council of Churches today affirmed President Obama's promise in
Cairo "to seek a world in which no nations hold nuclear weapons."
June 9, 2009, Washington
Protect
Against Climate Change
A church public policy advocate today urged a House
committee to increase funding for international adaptation assistance in
the recently introduced American Clean Energy and Security Act.
June 12, 2009, New York
Bruno Kroker
Bruno Kroker, 93, who fled
his native Germany during the Third Reich and worked as a journalist in
China before becoming a communicator for the NCC
USA, the World Council of Churches and the United Presbyterian Church, died
early Thursday.
June 11, 2009, Washington Call
for Torture Commission
More than 150 religious leaders representing the National Religious Campaign
Against Torture (NRCAT)
gathered in front of the White House Thursday to urge the Obama
Administration to form a commission of inquiry to investigate the
government's past use of torture.
June 17, 2009,
Washington
Health Care Reform
Religious leaders from across the religious spectrum have
joined in a strongly worded declaration that current economic conditions
have made health care reform an urgent priority.
June 17, 2009,
Washington
Tobacco
Regulation
Faith leaders have applauded Congress for its action approving landmark
legislation authorizing the Food and Drug Administration to regulate tobacco
products
June 18, 2009, New York
Faith Forum
The National Council of Churches'
Faith and Order Commission is introducing an online "Faith Forum" to
stimulate local ecumenical dialogue and bring Christians of various
traditions closer together for conversations about their faith.
June 24, 2009, Havana, Cuba
Cuban Five
The NCC General Secretary joined in solidarity with Latin American
Christians meeting here last week, and called for justice for the "Cuban
Five" who have been languishing in a Miami jail since 1998.
June 29, 2009 ,
New York
Church Meetings The
General Secretary of the National Council of Churches has been on the road
since June 11, attending church council and communion meetings in Havana,
Pasadena, Grand Rapids and San Diego.
JULY 2009
July 7, 2009,
Washington
Health Care Reform
Religious leaders from across the religious spectrum have
joined in a strongly worded declaration that current economic conditions
have made health care reform an urgent priority.
July 7, 2009, New York
Nuclear Arms Agreement
Nearly 46 years after the United States and the Soviet Union signed the
first limited nuclear test ban treaty, a new generation has agreed to
continue the agonizingly slow process of reducing the number of nuclear
weapons in the world.
July 7, 2009, New Orleans
Hurricane Prayers
As a new hurricane season develops ominously, the NCC's Special Commission
for the Just Rebuilding of the Gulf Coast has developed a "Seven Day Prayer
Resource for the 2009 Hurricane Season."
July 8. 2009, Washington
ISNA Convention
The NCC's Dr. Antonios Kireopoulos was among Christian, Jewish and political
leaders to address the annual convention of the Islamic Society of North
America.
July 15, 2009, New York
Climate
Control The
NCC has praised a resolution by the National Association for the Advancement
of Colored People (NAACP) reaffirming its commitment to stem the effects of
climate change while seeking new opportunities for communities of color.
July 15, 2009, New York
Beijing
Interviews
Were you among the 30,000 who attended the 4th World Conference on Women in
Beijing in 1995? The NCC wants to hear from you.
July 15, 2009, Cleveland, Ohio
Betty
Broadband
Leading off its "Bring Betty Broadband"
campaign to promote equal high-speed-internet access for all, a
diverse gathering of religious groups has launched So We Might
See, a national interfaith coalition for media justice.
July 27, 2009, New York
Congo
Rapes
WCC feature reports churches worldwide are supporting victims of rape in
Democratic Republic of Congo.
July 28, 2009, Washington
Kireopoulos
The NCC's Dr. Antonios Kireopoulos has been elected chair of the Save Darfur
Coalition.
AUGUST 2009
August 3, 2009, Washington
Mountaintop mining
People of faith speak out against mountaintop removal mining.
August 5, 2009,
Chicago
Eck to address RCC2010
Diana Eck, director and founder of Harvard's
Pluralism Project, will address Religion Communication Congress 2010
here in April.
August 12, 2009, New York
William Schmidt
Ecumenical historian and biographer William J. Schmidt dies.
August 12, 2009, New York
̶
Robert Campbell
The Rev. Dr. Robert C. Campbell, 85, the longest
serving general secretary in American Baptist history, died July 27.
August 24, 2009, New York
ELCA-UMC
The General Secretary of the National Council of Churches has
welcomed the decision of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)
to enter into full communion with the United Methodist Church.
August 26, 2009, New York
Edwin Tuller
The Rev. Dr. Edwin Tuller, who presided over
American Baptist Churches during the turbulent sixties and was a unyielding
advocate for human rights and peace, died yesterday in Pittsburgh.
August 27, 2009, Geneva
New WCC
leader
Norwegian theologian and pastor Rev. Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit,
48, was elected 7th general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC)
today during its Central Committee meeting.
August 31, 2009, New York
Prayer of the Environment
On
the 20th anniversary of the Orthodox Prayer of the Environment, National
Council of Churches General Secretary Michael Kinnamon urged people of faith
to keep praying.
SEPTEMBER 2009
September 8, 2009, New York
Bishop Malik
The Episcopal Bishop of Lahore, Pakistan, says tensions continue in
relations between Christians and Muslims.
September 10, 2009, New York
CBS Special "Religion,
Politics & Advocacy, a half-hour television documentary produced by CBS in
collaboration with the Interfaith Broadcasting Commission, will be aired
nationwide on local CBS affiliates on Sunday, Sept. 27, in most areas.
September 15, 2009, New York
Carbon Footprints
Two congregations have made significant strides in reducing their "carbon
footprint" -- their energy consumption -- and each have been awarded twenty
copies of the Green Bible by the National Council of Churches Eco-Justice
program.
September 15, 2009, New York
Fistula
Womens Ministries at the National Council of Churches has announced a pilot
program for young women exploring the connections between faith and action,
through the lens of obstetric fistula, a birth injury affecting more than 2
million women worldwide.
September 16, 2009, Louisville, Ky.
Lew Mudge
The Rev. Dr. Lewis S. Mudge, a scholar and theologian whose breadth of
interests and expertise enriched virtually every corner of the Presbyterian
Church (U.S.A.) and the global ecumenical movement, died September 11 in his
sleep at his home in Berkeley, Calif.
September 21, 2009, New York ̶ DeWinter
The Rev. Deborah DeWinter has been named Donor
Relations Director of the National Council of Churches.
September 22, 2009, New York
No Nukes
The National Council of Churches, which has been relatively silent about
nuclear disarmament since the end of the Cold War, has firmly renewed its
opposition to proliferation with a ringing resolution.
September 22, 2009, New York
Mid East Peace
The National Council of Churches, along with Churches for Middle East Peace
(CMEP)
and other individuals and groups, has supported unilateral commitments being
urged upon Israeli, Palestinian and Arab leaders to rekindle the peace
process in the Middle East.
September 24, 2009, New York
All About God
A member of the
NCC Interfaith Relations Commission -- a convert from Islam to Christianity --
has written a book, It's All About God, to describe his encounter with God
that he believes
transcends all faith traditions.
September 25, 2009, New York
Civil Discourse
Alarmed by the intensity of angry and sometimes violent language coming out
of public meetings on healthcare and other issues, the National Council of
Churches Governing Board has called for "civility in public discourse."
OCTOBER 2009
October 1, 2009, New York
Serene Jones
Emerging media will have a dramatic and disorienting effect on the church
every bit as profound as the impact of the printing press in the 15th
century, President Serene Jones of
Union Theological Seminary told the National Council of Churches
Communications Commission this week.
October 2, 2009, New York
Parker
Lecture
Michael Kinnamon, addressing the 27th annual Everett C. Parker Ethics in
Telecommunications Lecture at Riverside Church, said this week that
ecumenical and media leaders share a "common cause" to "promote a genuine
sense of community" in today's fragmented society.
October 13, 2009, Washington
Green Jobs
Citing a shared tradition of justice and compassion, the faith community, no
stranger to providing personal and communal assistance to the nations most
vulnerable populations, is organizing across the country to call on
government officials to create new, sustainable and green job opportunities
for persons living in poverty.
October 13, 2009, New York
Margaret Flory
Margaret Flory, a visionary Presbyterian leader who created a number of
seminal programs that connected Christians around the world with each other,
died Oct. 1 in Asheville, N.C. She was 95.
October 14, 2009
Mitch Albom
The National
Council of Churches has partnered with Mitch Albom to produce a discussion
guide for his latest bestseller.
October 15, 2009, New York
H1N1
The National Council of Churches Health Task Force has issued flu prevention
guidelines for congregations that includes both standard hygiene activities
and unusual worship practices.
October 15, 2009, Geneva
Emilio Castro Honored
The Rev. Dr. Emilio Castro, World Council of Churches General Secretary from
1985 to 1992, was decorated Wednesday by the government of Chile for his
defense of human rights in Chile during the brutal dictatorship of Augusto
Pinochet.
October 16, 2009
Media Fast
Religious groups will fast from violent media October 19-26.
October 16, 2009, New York
Gulf
Priority
Religious leaders urge Obama to make Gulf coast
recovery a priority.
October 27, 2009, Washington
Healthy Spa
NCC releases a 'Healthy Spa" tool kit in commemoration of Breast Cancer
Awareness Month.
NOVEMBER 2009
November 2, 2009, New York
Nuclear Disarmament
NATO leaders get the support of international, regional and national
ecumenical organizations to pursue nuclear disarmament.
November 5, 2009, Washington
Climate
Justice
With the United Nations climate change negotiations only five weeks away,
more than 14,000 signatures were delivered to President Obama and Congress
today calling for an effective and moral response to the emerging climate
crisis.
November 5, 2009, Minneapolis
General
Assembly
The annual General Assembly of the National Council of Churches USA and
Church World Service will meet here November 10-12 in a spirit of New
Testament optimism and a celebration of the 35 diverse communions that come
together to form the ecumenical bodies.
November 7, 2009, Minneapolis
New Fire
Forty young adults from 17 communions, 15 states,
the District of Columbia, the Philippines and Canada, have gathered here
this week-end with an ambitious aim: to launch a nation-wide movement of
young adults for Christ.
November 9, 2009, Minneapolis
New Fire 2
On the second day of the ecumenical young adult gathering
New Fire 2009, nearly 40 young adult participants from across the country
attended Sunday worship at the Church of All Nations, a multi-cultural
Presbyterian Church (USA) congregation in Minneapolis.
November 9, 2009, Minneapolis
Chemberlin
The Rev. Peg Chemberlin, executive director of the
Minnesota Council of Churches, will be installed as President of the
National Council of Churches at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, November 12, in a public
service at St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral here.
November 10, 2009, Minneapolis --NCC
President Elect
Kathryn M. Lohre, assistant director of the Pluralism
Project at Harvard University and an Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
representative to the World Council of Churches Central Committee, has been
elected the President Elect of the National Council of Churches by the NCC
Governing Board.
November 11, 2009, Minneapolis
Margaret
Aymer
The wisdom of the Bible defies the world's wisdom, Margaret Aymer tells 2009
General Assembly.
November 11, 2009, Minneapolis
GA 2009
opens
General Assembly opens with a sober assessment of world and national
conditions and a call for a united response.
November 11, 2009, Minneapolis
New Fire 3
New Fire Movement dreams dreams but makes concrete plans.
November 16, 2009 ,
Minneapolis
GA wrap
The General Assembly of the National Council of
Churches and Church World Service, celebrating the biblical call to rejoice,
pray and give thanks, also called upon churches and governments to take
additional steps toward worldwide justice and peace.
November 25, 2009,
New York
Circles of Names
Mindful of the historic contributions of women
leaders in its member communions and concerned about recent cutbacks in
gender justice and women's ministries, the National Council
of Churches is taking steps to nurture the work.
DECEMBER 2009
December 6, 2009, New York
Cuban 5
The President and General Secretary of the National
Council of Churches have endorsed and forwarded to President Obama a
message from 37 Cuban church leaders asking for a review of the case of the
"Cuban Five," and for the granting of visas so the Cuban prisoners held in
the U.S. can be visited by their families.
December 18, 2009, New York
Copenhagen
The National Council of Churches today announced its support for Secretary
of State Hillary Clintons declaration at the climate summit in Copenhagen
that the United States will protect persons living in poverty around the
world from the impacts of climate change.
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