HKonJ, People of Color Justice and Unity Legislative Day is Wednesday, May 23. The opening session will be at Raleigh’s First Baptist Church on Wilmington Street at 9:00. The group will then march to the General Assembly Building, where there will be a press conference at 11:00, followed by legislative visitations. For more info, contact HKonJ at 919-682-4700.

The Duke Center for Child and Family Policy has scheduled the NC Family Impact Seminar 2012 on Thursday, May 24, from 8:00 until 11:00 at the Legislative Auditorium in the General Assembly Building. For more information or to register, click here.

The NC Center for Voter Education and NC Coalition for Lobbying and Government Reform have scheduled Redistricting Reform Lobby Day for Tuesday, May 29 at the General Assembly starting at 9:15. More information will be available soon by clicking here.

Also, Together NC, a coalition of more than 120 groups, including the NC Council of Churches, today announced North Carolina’s Worth It, a revenue plan for the legislative session starting this week. For details of the plan, click here. For a report from NC Policy Watch, complete with photographic evidence that I was at the press conference, click here.

– George Reed, Executive Director

First, the fine work of a committed group of people has resulted in alliances and coalitions that hadn’t existed before. People with very different political beliefs spoke together against Amendment One. Secular and religious groups worked side by side to defeat it. Individuals who may not believe in gay marriage have come to realize that they also do not believe that the state’s foundational document, its bedrock of freedom, should be used to discriminate. These are not the results we sought, but they are ones we value.

It was just 1991, 21 years ago, when the North Carolina Council of Churches voiced its opposition to harassment, violence, and discrimination against people who are gay or lesbian. While that statement seems rather bland now, it was issued when some religious leaders in our country were proclaiming AIDS to be God’s punishment on gay men. It was a prophetic and controversial step for the Council at that time.

To come from that point to an election in which about 40% of a huge primary turnout voted against Amendment One is a clear reminder of how rapidly our society is changing. I suspect that Speaker of the House Thom Tillis, one of the architects of Amendment One, was correct when he said recently that this is a generational issue and that the amendment would be repealed within twenty years.

Sadly, we will live for those decades with discrimination written into our constitution, and we will have years of court cases to determine exactly what the manifestations of that amendment will be.

Christians sometimes talk about being citizens of two realms: the secular state and the realm of God. So I am a citizen of North Carolina, but I am also a citizen of God’s realm. Yesterday’s vote determines where the state of North Carolina is, at least for now, but it does not change my beliefs that God loves all of God’s children equally and that all of us are welcomed as full and beloved members of God’s family. Most Christian denominations profess those beliefs in their official statements. The task for all of us, during these interim years, will be to practice what we preach, to live in ways that manifest that we believe what we say we do.

Twenty years is a long time if you are one of the people being discriminated against, but it’s only a brief period in the arc of the moral universe about which Dr. King spoke. And we know that the arc is bending towards justice.

–George Reed, Executive Director

Day Three was our day for doing Hill visits to our senators’ and representatives’ offices. Our mission was to encourage support for bipartisan energy efficiency legislation that is pending in both the House (HR 4017) and the Senate (S 1000), and solicit support for the long-awaited carbon regulations on new power plants that were issued in April by the EPA. The Congress was in recess, so we knew we would only see staff, but that didn’t make us any less anxious to present a good argument and develop those all-important relationships that help us with access to our elected officials. Susannah and I had six visits on the Hill. What we heard from each of the six staffers was a very consistent two-part theme. First, the highly polarized political environment that is today’s reality will, for the foreseeable future, make even “no brainer,” bipartisan, job-creating, energy-saving bills like the ones we were talking about very unlikely to pass. Second, if anyone can be heard above the special interests and K Street lobbyists, it is us – the faith community.

Each staffer let us know that the language we use and the motivation from which we speak is unique and highly credible. Our legislators take their faiths seriously and, when a message comes from the perspective of faith, they take note. We were encouraged to speak up loudly and often on matters that our faith, values, moral responsibility require us to care about. By digging down to the source of our motivations grounded in our love of God and gratitude for the great gift of life in all forms, we can speak about the need to change how we live in and of this Earth-home in language that transcends money, partisan politics and special interests. We were told again and again that this message rings true and needs to be heard.

As we were preparing for our Hill visits as a group, we talked about how each of us can use genuine language to speak truth to power about what we face with climate change and how we must work both to minimize ongoing damage to our planet but also adapt to the changing circumstance we can no longer avoid. One simple phrase that captures why we must stop the pillage of our Earth-home driven by our over-consumptive habits and appetites is this – “as we treat the gift so we treat the Giver.” We were given life and a spectacularly beautify home to sustain that life. Not only is care of creation a matter of physical survival, it is more importantly a reflection of our relationship with God. To do less than cherish and protect our planet is a failure to love God with all our hearts, our souls and our strength. This is the message that we need to take to the elected officials in Washington and in Raleigh and in our municipalities and counties. This is the message the staffers in D.C. said could be heard.  Please join us at NCIPL to develop that message and sing it to the mountaintops and in the halls of Congress and the state legislature and city hall.

Love God, Heal Earth.

– Kathy Shea, Co-Director, NCIPL

– Aleta Payne, Development and Communications

For those who miss it, check the Council website on Monday for an MP3 of the full discussion. And in the meantime, visit the Policy Watch website to hear an excerpt.

–Aleta Payne, Development and Communications

I am writing you with a last-minute appeal to get to the polls for next Tuesday’s election, when voters decide whether to amend the state constitution, defining marriage between a man and a woman as “the only domestic legal union” inNorth Carolina. In addition to inserting discrimination based on sexual orientation into our constitution, the amendment would also have consequences for couples, straight or gay, who have not married, and for their children. No one knows exactly what those consequences will be, and it will take years of court challenges and judicial opinions before we find out. The NC Council of Churches is opposed to the amendment, and we are grateful for the pastors, bishops, and other religious leaders across the state who are speaking out in opposition. We also know there are people of integrity inside the Council’s tent who on the other side of this issue, and we respect their right to disagree.

How will the amendment fare next Tuesday? The outcome really will depend on who cares enough about the issue to vote.

So I am pleading with you: Please vote. The polls will be open next Tuesday, May 8, from 6:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. If you are already registered, you can vote anytime during the day at your local precinct. If you aren’t sure where your polling place is or aren’t sure whether you are properly registered, you can find that information by clicking here.

If you are not already registered, you can still register and vote at a One Stop Voting Location. The last day for one-stop voting is this Saturday, May 6. These One Stop Voting Locations are not the same as your local precinct, and hours of operation vary. So if you still need to register or if you just want to go ahead and vote before Tuesday, click here for a map and county-by-county list of locations and hours. But do it beforemidday Saturday.

In addition to being sure that your vote is cast and counted, please encourage others – your family, your neighbors, friends at church – to vote as well.

Ultimately, this election is about people – people who are gay or lesbian – and whether our constitution is going to discriminate against them. It is decidedly not about whether we favor same-gender marriage. Many people who are voting against the amendment are not in favor of same-gender marriage, but they do recognize discrimination and don’t want it in our constitution. It’s also not about protecting opposite-gender marriage. As last week’s incident involving Speaker Tillis’ chief of staff or the ongoing trial of John Edwards make painfully clear, the challenge to straight marriages is not gay marriage, but the hurtful things straight couples do to each other.

No, it’s about people. People who are created in God’s image and loved by God. People who are our relatives, our neighbors, our co-workers, our fellow church members.  As you decide how to vote, or even whether to vote, I hope you will remember the people you know personally who would be discriminated against by this constitutional amendment. So vote. Please vote.

–George Reed, Executive Director

Governor Bev Perdue is even showing her support by mailing letters to our 2012 PHW-certified congregations thanking them for prioritizing the health of their members and for making North Carolina a healthier place to live. PHW is also partnering with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, the American Red Cross Health and Safety Services of North Carolina, and Representative Becky Carney to reduce the number of deaths from sudden cardiac arrest by providing free Automated External Defibrillators and CPR trainings to places of worship across the state.

Our staff is both humbled and inspired by the outpouring of support we’ve received thus far. And we look forward to establishing new and stronger partnerships with faith and health allies alike, so that, together, we can make North Carolina a healthier place to live, work, play and pray.

Please stay tuned for more.

–Willona Stallings, PHW Program Coordinator

As a self-professed Southern foodie who grew up eating pork at practically every meal, I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to meet the challenge. But with the help of others on the staff, I began to understand what getting the food right meant. We researched all of the caterers in the area, looking for cost efficient, reliable options. But this year, we added more criteria: organic, locally produced food that would be both delicious and healthy; environmentally friendly packaging; options for vegetarian and gluten-free requests; and nutritional information on the food prepared. California Fresh Catering quickly rose to the top of the list. We were impressed that their profits would go to other non-profits. And they did do a fantastic job.

After many phone calls and e-mails to work out the menu, we finalized a meal that met all of our criteria. The usual plastic packaging for their sandwich meals was changed to a paper bag.  They provided a gluten-free option that even included a dessert of chocolate meringue kisses that were a special treat for guests who needed the gluten-free meal.  Side dishes of a bean-corn salad and Moravian slaw were healthier alternatives to the usual chips or pasta salad.

Our sandwich choices used eggs from cage-free hens that are fed pure grains with no antibiotics; turkey raised in spacious conditions with fresh air and a healthy vegetarian diet with no hormones or artificial growth promotants; produce that was locally and naturally grown and pesticide free. The chicken salad was made with a low-fat alternative to mayonnaise; the pimiento cheese was made from cheese produced in Ashe County, North Carolina. And finally, each sandwich was served on fresh home-baked bread using all natural ingredients. Even the cookies and brownies in the meal were made with portion-control in mind.

In addition to the lunch, we changed our usual bagels and breakfast pastries to healthy granola bars. We also provided organic apples on each table at lunch. We tried to get each detail right, in keeping with all of the information being shared in the workshops during the day.

The night before the seminar, I was treated to a night out that included a meal from a fine restaurant. My husband and I were celebrating an anniversary and he wanted us to “eat well.” A quick glance at the menu told me this was indeed a fancy place. It featured choices like south Texas antelope, duck, foie gras, escargot and many other delicacies that could not possibly be local food.  I also noticed that my meal was going to cost five times more than my seminar lunch the next day. When my meal arrived, it was so heavily sauced and seasoned that I found it unpalatable and I did not enjoy the food.  In my mind, I was comparing the two examples of ‘eating well.’ I thought about the delicious, healthy, inexpensive, environmentally friendly meal to come that would far exceed what was before me.

Evaluations from attendees tell us that we did indeed ‘get it right.’ Thanks to all of the staff of the Council and California Fresh Catering who successfully illustrated what “eating well” is really all about.

–Rose Gurkin, Program Associate for Administration

This power can move us to do seemingly insane things, such as being counter cultural with our living and eating habits. Who would go so far as to spend hours on the phone, going back and forth with caterers trying to get organic, local foods that are in line with our beliefs, as Rose Gurkin of the Council staff did for the delicious lunch that was served? Who would be crazy enough to tell her patients that “…soon we won’t have an earth to support healthy choices if we don’t start saving our planet now” as Dr. Kathy Shea did once long ago and succeeded in changing a patient’s health within one year? Who would be crazy enough to lead congregations to health through a biblical message as Willona Stallings is doing with Partners in Health and Wholeness? And who would be crazy enough to lead a group of dedicated staff to work toward a just, loving, equitable society as George Reed is doing as the Executive Director of the NC Council of Churches? Bishop Curry’s message was that we need crazy Christians.

For some, Bishop’s Curry’s message is a start. For others, it’s an encouraging word.  And still for others, it’s an awakening that they have companions on the same path. Partners in Health and Wholeness is tracking those who allow Jesus’ love to drive them to crazy acts of counter cultural decisions. Take a look out our PHW-certified churches to get an idea of Christians who are being counter cultural with their health outlook.

I challenge you not only to take a crazy approach with eating, but also loving as Jesus loved. Reading your Bible, praying, meditating, communing with God, there is nothing sweeter than that comfort, and nothing more life changing than those encounters with God.

Be blessed my dear sisters, brothers, mothers, and fathers in Christ, and become biblically crazy!

–Joy Williams, PHW Regional Consultant

Partners in Health and Wholeness is an initiative of the NC Council of Churches. Please visit our website to view more resources on health and faith .

The Critical Issues Seminar has come and gone, and with it goes the end of my internship with the NC Council of Churches.

The Council was not the sort of place I was expecting to end up in a social work internship. I have been researching and writing instead of assessing and treating. Despite this difference, it became apparent to me in the first days of my internship that the Council is one of the most important places for social justice advocacy in our state. This view has only been reinforced in my eight months here, proven time and time again through the Council’s powerful work and programming.

But, in the words of Reading Rainbow’s Levar Burton, “You don’t have to take my word for it.” The video above is a compilation of what the Council has meant to those who are working with and in churches to promote change. I hope it will inspire you and your faith community to do more, and to let the Council help you in that quest, be it through a new curriculum (like “Eating Well” or “Becoming the Church Together“), getting an energy audit or a PHW certification, hosting a clergy breakfast on immigration, or in the countless other ways the Council can support your advocacy efforts.

–Leslie Forrest, NC State MSW Intern