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The
passage by the House of Representative of a weakened and
"dangerous" bill on violence against women has been deplored
by the National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic
violence Against Women. The passage of the bill, which the
Task Force said "weakens or deletes entirely some of the
vital improvements ... passed by the Senate last month by a
resounding bipartisan vote," would have the effect of
endangering vulnerable victims, according to the Rev. Ann
Tiemeyer, program director of the National Council of
Churches Women's Ministries Program. The member communions
of the National Council of Churches and other faith groups
have actively supported the renewal and strengthening of the
Violence Against Women Act of 1994, Tiemeyer said. The Act,
which creates an office within the Department of Justice to
develop federal policies around issues relating to domestic
violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, has
been scheduled for reauthorization since 2011.
Read More.
U.S. Churches condemn attacks on
Christians in Sudan
The
NCC has issued strong words of support
for a condemnation by international
ecumenical councils of attacks on
Christians and churches in Sudan. "Our
member communions stand in solidarity
with sisters and brothers whose lives
and property are threatened, especially
in countries where Christians are a
minority faith group," said Clare J.
Chapman, NCC Interim General Secretary.
Read More.
Kinnamon heads for familiar turf: a
theological classroom
The
Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, former
National Council of Churches general
secretary, has accepted a three-year
academic post at Seattle University.
Kinnamon, who left the NCC last year
for health reasons, will be the
Spehar-Halligan Visiting Professor
in Ecumenical Collaboration and
Interreligious Dialogue at the
university's School of Theology and
Religious Studies.
Read More.
How would you 're-envision' the NCC?
Take this survey
The
National Council of Churches has
undertaken a significant process
toward transformational change. God
is calling us anew to be signs of
the visible unity in diversity we
have received in Christ. The Task
Force on Re-envisioning and
Restructuring the NCC seeks your
views and ideas for moving toward
this future. Please take a few
moments to
complete this survey before
April 20.
Easter meditation: Why Christians
put their hope in Christ
The
NCC’s Dr. Antonios Kireopoulos
reflects that in our secular
society, the Easter message seems
over-the-top. In some societies,
marked by inter-communal violence,
it seems unnecessarily dangerous.
In other societies, burdened with
extreme poverty, it seems quite
inconsequential. And yet, our Faith
is based on this one event, on this
man’s resurrection from the dead.
Read More.
Resurrection Service and Divine
Pascha Liturgy on NBC
The
NCC, the
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of
America, and the Interfaith
Broadcasting Commission invite
Easter worshippers to witness the
Orthodox Christian Resurrection
Service and Divine Liturgy of Pascha.
The service will be broadcast on
many NBC stations on April 8 and on April
15, when Pascha is celebrated in
most Orthodox Christian churches.
Read more.
Uniform
Series curriculum
celebrates 140 years of service
Each Sunday, thousands of church
schools open their bibles to the
same passage to study the word of
God.
That's more than a coincidence: it's
called the "uniform principle."
Common bible lessons have been
prepared by the National Council of
Churches' Committee on the Uniform
Series for 140 years next month.
"It's the ultimate form of
ecumenical cooperation," said the
Rev. Dr. Roderick Lewis of the CME
Church.
Read More.
NCC moves to eliminate racial
disparity in maternal health
The
NCC is moving forward in the
development of a project to
eliminate racial disparities in
maternal health. The project, "Due
Season: A Faith-Filled Roadmap
Toward Eliminating Racial
Disparities in Maternal Health,"
will develop congregational
materials exploring the intersection
of maternal health and race within
the U.S. and moving people to
advocate for change.
Read More.
Yearbook: churches struggling with
finances, membership
Churches
continue to feel the effects of "the
Great Recession" as contributions
dropped $1.2 billion, according to
the NCC's
2012 Yearbook of American and
Canadian Churches.
Membership trends in denominations
remain stable, with growing churches
still growing and declining churches
still declining, reports Editor
Eileen Lindner.
Read More.
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