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October 24, 2011

We need your help this year. A serious, well-funded effort is intended to push North Carolina back on many progressive issues on which the NC Council of Churches has been involved and on which many of us have worked.

We have leaders at the state and national level who deny climate change is happening and that human beings are causing it, even though an overwhelming majority of scientists disagree with the deniers.
We’ve seen budget cuts produce serious reductions in education, human services, and environmental protection. In a time when creating jobs is the most important political issue, North Carolina’s legislature has made budget cuts resulting in the loss of thousands of jobs, even overriding the Governor’s veto to do so.
We are seeing a concerted effort to ratify a constitutional amendment defining marriage to exclude people who are gay and lesbian. In addition to enshrining discrimination in the constitution, this amendment will discourage companies from adding jobs in our state.
We’ve seen an effort – so far unsuccessful – to repeal the Racial Justice Act.
We’ve seen an effort – so far unsuccessful – to require the use of photo IDs in order to vote, something which will make it harder for the young, the elderly, and those with low-wage hourly jobs to vote. Only the Governor’s veto, so far upheld by the House of Representatives, has blocked this regressive change.
We’ve seen politically motivated redistricting which, if upheld through federal challenge, will change the landscape for many years to come.

This effort is unprecedented in my 30+ years in North Carolina. We at the Council are doing all we can to help people of faith resist this move to take our state back to a more conservative era on social justice, civil rights, gender equality, access to the polls, and care of God’s creation.

At the same time, the Council is facing serious funding cuts from some of our member denominations. Let me hasten to add that this is because of the impact of the economy and other factors on their own incomes, not because of disagreement with the Council’s work. It’s an unfortunate combination, though – a serious assault on progressive values at the same time that the state’s leading faith-based progressive organization is facing cuts in funding. Rounding out this perfect storm, the economic downturn plus budget cuts at federal and state levels mean more people are in need and more nonprofits are seeking financial support.

So, your help is especially important this fall. If we are to maintain our programming and staff at current levels – if we are to continue to do what we have been doing to promote prophetic social justice that is unabashedly faith-based – we have to make up lost funding through the support of individual contributors. That’s you.

If you’ve never given to the Council, but you value our work, now is the time for you to make that first contribution. If you haven’t given for a while, but you don’t want to see our voice diminished, now is the time for you to renew your support. If you are a regular contributor, bless you! Our continuing viability depends on your continuing generosity. Can we count on you to help sustain our work in these challenging times?