1999 NCC News Archives

New Resources Available from the NCC: A Sampling

March 16, 1999, NEW YORK CITY – New resources for strengthening families, fighting hunger and poverty, worshiping God, studying the Bible, combating racism and better understanding the world have joined the National Council of Churches’ vast stock.

Family Week materials on "Strengthening Families for a New Century" …
… including a poster and a resource list in English, Spanish and Korean, along with a four-page discussion guide in English. Many churches will celebrate Family Week May 2-9, 1999 (ending with Mother’s Day). Family Week/Festival of the Christian Home will be celebrated in Canada Oct. 10-17, 1999, in conjunction with Canadian Thanksgiving.

Single copies of the Family Week packet are available for $1; bulk rates are available. Order through denominational distribution offices or contact NCC Family Ministries and Human Sexuality, Room 850, 475 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10115; phone (212) 870-2673, or e-mail joel@ncccusa.org

"Sing Out New Visions: Prayers, Poems and Reflections by Women" …
… a resource for corporate worship and for personal and small group meditation. It includes 225 contributions arranged into seven chapters: birthing, naming, teaching/learning, suffering, healing, celebrating, and witnessing for justice and peace. This wide collection is one way U.S. women participated in the international Ecumenical Decade of the Churches in Solidarity with Women 1988-98. In large part, it came about through the work of members of the NCC Working Group on Justice for Women, who drew on the gifts of women in their denominations.  Cost is $8 plus postage and handling. Order number 69-9791 6-0001-5; call Augsburg Fortress at 1-800-328-4648.

"Principles for Global Corporate Responsibility: Bench Marks for Measuring Business Performance" …
… a guide for consumers and corporate managers interested in shaping ethical and socially responsible investment. This newly revised, 76-page volume is the achievement of several years of several years of work by ecumenical organizations in Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland and the United States, including the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR), which coordinates corporate responsibility work for 275 U.S. churches and faith communities.

Corporations need to address global concerns about human rights, just wages and safe working conditions, child and forced labor, the environment and sustainable community development. The Principles describe in detail positions advocated by the religious community on these issues, along with proposed benchmarks for measuring progress. Company codes of conduct are one mechanism for discussing these questions. Today, a number of global corporations have made strides in formulating and revising their codes of conduct and devising internal auditing programs to measure compliance, but more remains to be done.

"Principles for Global Corporate Responsibility" is available in English in the United States for $10 from ICCR, Room 550, 475 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10115, phone (212) 870-2295, fax (212)870-2023, or e-mail info@iccr.org; and in Canada for $15 from the Taskforce on the Churches and Corporate Responsibility, 129 St. Clair Ave. West, Toronto, Canada M4V 1N5; phone (416) 923-1758, fax (416) 927-7554, e-mail tccr@web.net.  Discounts available on bulk orders.

The publication also is available in French, Spanish, German and Italian; please contact the ICCR or TCCR office for details.

"Welcoming Strangers: The Ministry of Entertaining Angels Unawares" …
… a new 16-minute video about the ministry of Church World Service’s Immigration and Refugee Program. It tells the story of four refugee families and their sponsoring congregations, offering insights into what it is like to welcome uprooted people into one’s community and into one’s life. Cost: $5 plus shipping. Contact CWS/IRP Information Office, Room 658, 475 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10115; phone (212) 870-3153 or e-mail ellen@ncccusa.org

The "Moment to Choose" packet …
… in support of the Ecumenical Year of Churches in Solidarity with the Uprooted, extended by Church World Service’s Immigration and Refugee Program through 1999. The packet’s informational and worship materials include the World Council of Churches’ "Statement on Uprooted People," the "Resource Kit on Uprooted People" and "Liturgy" developed by the National Council of Churches in Australia, and a study guide, "The Bible and the Outsider." Contact CWS/IRP Information Office, Room 658, 475 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10115; (212) 870-3153 or ellen@ncccusa.org

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