News & Stories
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Week of Prayer for Christian Unity – Day 4
Roderic L. Mullen, Day 4: The words of the wonderful Christmas hymn, “Once in Royal David’s City,” echo in my mind as I write this meditation. What does it mean to say with the hymn, “he came down to earth from heaven?” When we picture the babe in a manger, “little, weak and helpless,” it is… Continue Reading→
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Week of Prayer for Christian Unity – Day 3
Shawn Blackwelder, Day 3: As the Council of Nicaea sought to bring about unity in the Church, the primary obstacle was the existence of differing beliefs about the nature of Christ. Was it homoiousios, as Arius argued, that the Father and the Son were of a similar nature and essence, or was it the belief… Continue Reading→
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Week of Prayer for Christian Unity – Day 2
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… Continue Reading→
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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… Continue Reading→
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Project AGAPE: Vocational School Construction Completed
Project AGAPE is “dedicated to supporting displaced families from Artsakh, meeting both their immediate needs and fostering long-term, sustainable development.” In 2022, Nara Melkonyan, the Director of Project AGAPE, launched a vocational training program for recently displaced families, establishing a one-room school in Vayk, Armenia. The North Carolina Conference, the Western North Carolina Conference, and… Continue Reading→
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Lent and Easter Resources for 2025
Lent will begin on Ash Wednesday, March 5, 2025, and Easter is on Sunday, April 20. Now is the time to request resources that your church or small group would like to use during the Lenten season. On this page, we have highlighted new and popular resources used during Lent and Easter, but the NC… Continue Reading→
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Bishop Shelton: Gun Violence Prevention Lenten Study
Bishop Connie Shelton invites all local churches and small groups to participate in a Lenten study on gun violence prevention. The Bishop’s Gun Violence Prevention Task Force and the Board of Church and Society want to equip you for this upcoming Lenten season with a resource called Kingdom Dreams, Violent Realities, created by the General… Continue Reading→
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An Encouragement for January
While I love the initial glimpses of fall, I am more grateful for a world where there are Januarys. A new year begins with blank paper, new pens, and a crisp sense of possibility. Well-trodden paths of challenging habits are smoothed, and repeated reflections on negative experiences are lifted and left behind. Continue Reading→
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Strengthening Disaster Response in Western North Carolina
Brian Mateer, the Director of Missional Engagement and Disaster Response Coordinator, and Al Miller, Director of Disaster Ministries for Hurricane Helene for the Western NC Conference expressed gratitude for the partnership between the NC Conference and the Western NC Conference in assisting the people of Western NC in their recovery from Hurricane Helene. Over the… Continue Reading→