James E. Winkler elected NCC General Secretary/President
James E. Winkler, general secretary of the United Methodist General Board of Church and Society, has been elected General Secretary/President of the National Council of Churches by the NCC Governing Board meeting in Chicago.
Winkler will succeed Peg Birk, who has served as Transitional General Secretary of the Council since July 2012. Birk was named to lead the Council through a transitional period of reorganization following the resignation of General Secretary Michael Kinnamon in 2011 for health reasons.
The office of General Secretary/President, formerly General Secretary, is the leading staff position in the NCC.
National Council of Churches joins the push to end solitary confinement in prisons
The National Council of Churches is joining with other member groups of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT) to push for an end to solitary confinement in prisons.
Jim Winkler, General Secretary/President of the NCC, led the opening prayer today at a gathering of religious leaders, human rights advocates, and persons who have been subjected to solitary confinement.
Churches mourn the passing of Lois McCullough Dauway
Religious and political leaders around the world are mourning the death of Lois McCullough Dauway, a Methodist executive and ecumenical leader who died Feb. 4 following a long illness.
Countless church and interreligious leaders paused to remember Dauway’s profound influence on their lives and careers.
“I mourn the loss of Lois Dauway, my sister in Christ,” said Jim Winkler, general secretary and president of the National Council of Churches.
National Council of Churches joins Lutherans in concern and prayers for East Jerusalem hospital
The National Council of Churches USA is joining its Lutheran partners in concern and prayers for the financially beleaguered Augusta Victoria Hospital (AVH) in East Jerusalem.
The NCC response follows a declaration by the Lutheran World Federation that it “remains steadfast in its commitment to the ongoing management” of the hospital “and the life-saving services AVH provides.”
But the financial crisis facing the hospital is a matter of deep concern, according to an LWF press release.
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Mission Statement of the NCC
The NCC is a community of communions called by Christ to visible unity and sent forth in the Spirit to promote God’s justice, peace, and the healing of the world.
Christian Unity Gathering 2014
May 18-20, 2014 - Registration for the inaugural Christian Unity Gathering is now open! Click on the image below for more information.
Ecumenical Advocacy Days 2014
March 21-24, 2014 - Washington, D.C. - Come to the 12th annual Ecumenical Advocacy Days and join hundreds of other Christians in “Resisting Violence, Building Peace." Click on the image below for more information.
March 4, 2014 15:21
"The NCC commits itself to continue to work... to alleviate suffering and end the horrible abuse wreaked by solitary confinement. In difficult struggles such as this, we continue to be inspired by Christ’s call to show compassion to those who are in prison. We are our sisters and brothers keepers. May we have the grace to recognize the face of Christ and the presence of God even in some of the darkest corners humankind can construct, the solitary confinement cells of our nation’s prisons."
Visit http://www.nationalcouncilofchurches.us/docs/NCCTestimony2-25-14.pdf to read the full text of the NCC's written testimony on Solitary Confinement, submitted to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Human Rights on February 25, 2014.
February 28, 2014 13:30
Reflecting on Rwanda, 20 Years After the Genocide: Have We Learned Anything?
Click below to read a reflection on the 20th anniversary of the Rwandan Genocide by Dr. Antonios Kireopoulos, Associate General Secretary of the National Council of Churches.
National Council of Churches
This April marks the 20th anniversary of the Rwandan Genocide. The horrors of that terrible chapter in history are not easily forgotten. One of the last genocides of the 20th century, it was the first to burst into our living rooms, and into our consciousness, through graphic television coverage whi...
February 27, 2014 10:45
The National Council of Churches supports rights for the disabled.
Read this op-ed on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to learn more: "My faith teaches that each person is created in the image of God and therefore, regardless of physical or mental disability, has the same inherent dignity and rights. The teachings of many religious traditions encourage us to seek justice for all and that includes people with disabilities."
COMMENTARY: US Senate should ratify disabilities treaty - Religion News Service
(RNS) More than 40 religious organizations have voiced support for the disability treaty. They join more than 700 U.S. disability, civil rights, business, and veteran organizations. It's time for the U.S. Senate to do the same.