Rob Licht, Day 2:
According to the Book of Genesis, the creation of heaven and earth begins in darkness, the kind of darkness that defies being named. It is the darkness before darkness, a darkness without form or substance, a fathomless deep, a cavernous void that doesn’t know whether it is or it isn’t. The historic doctrines of the Church insist that God created the universe out of nothing.
Stories
Week of Prayer for Christian Unity – Day 1
Shawn Blackwelder, Day 1: The Shema, a daily prayer and affirmation of faith for our Jewish siblings that has been shared with us, gives an important reminder in a polytheistic world. Depending on the translation you read, it may say, “The LORD is our God, the LORD alone,” or “Our God is the LORD! Only the LORD!” or as it reads above, “The LORD our God, the LORD is one.” Read one way, it seems to call for loyalty and obedience only to God. Read another way, it is a statement about God’s unique nature, God’s one-ness.
2024 Jack and Kay Crum Award Recipients
Three NC Conference ministries received the 2024 Jack and Kay Crum Award administered by the NC Conference Board of Church and Society. In 1990, Jack and Kay Crum established The […]
A Pilgrimage of Pain and Hope
Duke Memorial UMC shares their journey on a Pilgrimage through Durham, NC, focused on the history of racism in the area. The church received a Peace with Justice grant to […]
What Does the UMC Say? Militarization at the Border
In November 2022, Hope 4 Humanity (H4H) participated in a direct action at the Washington DC headquarters of the Department of Homeland Security/Customs Border Patrol and in legislative advocacy urging our legislators to defund federal support of Operation Lone Star, a program that escalates militarization of the border and is fueled by white supremist rhetoric.
What does the UMC Say? Public Education
In the current climate of intense public education scrutiny in North Carolina, church volunteers and other education advocates are working overtime to serve as charitable organizations and vehicles for social justice. Our NC General Assembly refused to comply with the 1997 Leandro decision to fully fund our public schools in a manner that ensures that all children receive a “free, appropriate public education.” Inadequate funding causes our schools to struggle to educate children. Our General Assembly withholds millions of available dollars while increasing the amount earmarked for vouchers that allow public tax dollars to be used for private school tuition. Per pupil expenditure is among the lowest in the country, the teacher shortage is at an all-time high, and educators’ salaries are the lowest in the Southeast.