Keith Swartzendruber

The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA (NCC) is appalled by Members of Congress who have taken extreme measures and reneged on an agreement reached in June to raise the debt ceiling in return for spending caps. They are escalating political gamesmanship to even higher levels, much to the dismay of the American people who expect their duly elected members of Congress to lead in times of crisis.   

Amidst the political point scoring and increasing rancor of those disconnected from the realities of everyday Americans, the NCC hears the cries of the millions of families who are already suffering from a lack of basic human needs and would be further harmed by a government shutdown. We lament along with those who are suffering and call on Congress to pass legislation to keep the government open after current funding expires on September 30.   

NCC’s Governing Board Chair Bishop Teresa Snorton states that, “We must urge Congress now to prioritize passing legislation that ensures uninterrupted government functioning. Otherwise, the country fails to provide essential services to citizens, and weakens our nation’s stability.”     

The effects of a government shutdown are far-reaching—preventing families living in poverty, including many military families, from accessing critical programs such as the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) which provides food and nutrition for mothers and young children, and Head Start, an early learning and development program that supports children from birth to 5 years old. A shutdown would also impact workers who are deemed “essential”— active-duty military personnel, air traffic controllers, and TSA agents, for example—who would be forced to work without pay. The added stress on these families threatens public safety by making recruiting and retention of staff more difficult and exacerbating staffing shortages.  

In addition, hundreds of thousands of government workers—including those in cafeterias, clerical staff, civilian Pentagon staff, and training staff—will be furloughed. These workers form the backbone of our government, ensuring service delivery and supporting Members of Congress, the Judiciary, and the White House. Turning their backs on these people is a betrayal that gnaws at the commitment to public service of the American people.   

“We call on Congress to pass adequate funding for the U.S. Government to function effectively. Without proper funding, critical services may be understaffed or unable to meet growing demands, leading to a decline in public welfare, public safety, and societal well-being. We cannot afford to play the “my way or the highway” games with the lives and livelihood of millions of Americans.” said Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie, NCC President and General Secretary.  

NCC urges people of faith to take a stand and voice their concerns by calling their elected representatives and writing letters of support for a clean Continuing Resolution (CR) to keep the government open until a budget can be negotiated and passed. Those in Congress who have embraced extremist viewpoints and abandoned the bipartisan budget agreement to keep the government funded leaving millions of Americans—especially the most vulnerable in our society—at risk of becoming destitute cannot go unchecked.   

This is an opportunity for us to strive together to make a difference and emphasize the importance of effective legislative action now for the betterment of our nation. With effective governance, we can safeguard against the negative consequences of political gridlock and provide a more secure future for all Americans.  

The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA (NCC) condemns the heinous act of pure hatred that took the lives of three innocent people in Jacksonville, Fla., on Saturday, August 26, 2023. Our prayers are with the families of Anolt “AJ” Laguerre Jr., Jerrald De’Shaun Gallion, and Angela Michelle Carr, as they mourn their loved ones.

Unfortunately, the murder of innocent people while they are conducting simple daily routines — grocery shopping, going to the movies, attending worship services, sitting in a classroom, and other normal activities — is now commonplace in America. Nevertheless, the normalization of hate fueled acts is abhorrent.

We must never underestimate or ignore the threat posed to all Americans, especially Black Americans and other people of color, by the prevalence of white supremacy and the ease with which supremacists and other perpetrators of hate can access weapons designed to kill as quickly, efficiently, and destructively as possible.

“Racism is not just an issue for black and brown people,” says NCC President and General Secretary Bishop Vashti McKenzie. “We need to enact and enforce legislation that targets systemic racism. Change happens when we become allies working together for change instead of working on each other.”

At its May 2023 meeting, the NCC Governing Board adopted a resolution calling for a “ban on all assault weapons and other weapons of war that have infiltrated our communities.” NCC maintains its demand that Congress take action to protect lives, especially those in marginalized communities that are most at risk from the volatile combination of racially motivated violent extremism and easily accessible, military grade tools of death.

“We are in a state of emergency,” says Bishop Teresa Snorton, Chair of NCC’s Governing Board. “We call on all elected officials at the highest levels to do what is necessary to protect all citizens from these acts of domestic terrorism.”

NCC calls on all people of good will to become more aware of how racist acts against humanity and the suffering they cause show up in neighborhoods and communities across our nation, and then work assiduously towards the equality and dignity of all people.

Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie among National Faith Leaders Speaking

The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA (NCC) is thrilled to announce that Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie, President/General Secretary of the ecumenical body, will be speaking at the upcoming 60th Commemoration of the March on Washington this Saturday, August 26, 2023, between 9-9:15 a.m. The program is from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at the Lincoln Memorial and the March to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial begins at 1:00 p.m.

“NCC’s presence and participation in this momentous occasion reflects our unwavering commitment to the pursuit of equality, justice, and dignity for all,” said Bishop Teresa Snorton, Chair of NCC’s Governing Board. “For the past 73 years NCC communions have played a vital role in advancing the cause of civil rights and promoting healing, reconciliation, and unity among diverse communities.”

NCC played a major role in organizing and participating in the original historic march on August 28, 1963. Many of NCC’s communion leaders marched that day with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. including Jon Regier, head of the Division of Christian Life and Mission.

Anna Arnold Hedgeman, a civil rights leader and NCC commission member, was the only woman on the original organizing committee for the March. She strategized to get at least one woman speaking on the podium that day and it turned out to be the NAACP’s Daisy Bates. 

The 60^th Commemoration of the march holds great significance for Bishop McKenzie as she marched in the historic 1963 march as a teenager. “My parents retrieved me from summer camp in southern Maryland to attend the march with other cousins and family members,” said Bishop McKenzie. “The significance of the long hot day of speeches wasn’t fully realized until later in life as a student activist in college.”

In 2013, along with former Chairman of NCC’s Governing Board, Bishop W. Darin Moore, Bishop McKenzie prayed one of the opening prayers of the 50^th Anniversary of the March on Washington.

“At the heart of our Christian faith and the mission of the NCC is a love-compelling commitment to justice that won’t allow us to be silent in the face of poverty, inequality, oppression, and systems that devalue our divine image. Ours is a legacy of prophetic witness that continues to cry out for liberation, reparation, and equality,” said Bishop W. Darin Moore, the Presiding Prelate for the Mid-Atlantic Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, and a member of NCC’s Governing Board.

NCC calls upon it’s constituency of 100,000 congregations and the nation to come together, united in purpose, to honor the past, engage with the present challenges, and actively work towards a future where justice and equality prevail. Register! March! Move forward!

For more information about the 60^th anniversary of the March on Washington, “Not a Commemoration, A Continuation,” and how to register, click here.

For I, the Lord, love justice, 
    I hate robbery and wrongdoing; [a] 
I will faithfully give them their recompense, 
    and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.

Isaiah 61:8, NRSVUE 

The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA vehemently opposes the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Students for Fair Admissions v President and Fellows of Harvard College to eliminate the consideration of race and ethnicity from the college admissions process. The decision reverses decades of legal precedent and progress in providing equitable access to higher education for Black Americans and other racial groups who have endured the shackles of structural and systemic discrimination for centuries. 

Affirmative action is a reparative attempt to undo the lasting effects of slavery, segregation, and systemic discrimination against Black people in education and other aspects of American society. Since the 1960s, colleges and universities have developed programs to improve access to higher education for racial minority groups to reflect the full strength and diversity of the United States. Affirmative action considers an applicant’s racial background, including financial and other hardships due to systemic racism, as one of several factors in the college admissions process when evaluating a qualified pool of applicants. 

It is short-sighted, shameful, and downright immoral for American institutions to deny the history and impact of racism and discrimination. Opposition to affirmative action programs in higher education is evidence of how deeply entrenched white supremacy is in our society and how much more work is needed to undo and end racial injustice.

“Refusing to remedy the wrongs of the past does not erase them. It only exacerbates and magnifies the negative effects they have had. Unfortunately, the nation and some of our most vulnerable citizens will pay the price for this egregious ruling,” said Bishop Teresa Jefferson-Snorton, Chair of NCC’s Governing Board. 

While progress has been made to close the racial gap in education, disparities remain in many institutions of higher education. It is tone deaf to act as though racism is not still a factor in American life, despite the realities of ongoing structural and systemic racial barriers that plague our society. All God’s people, regardless of their race, should have not only equal but equitable opportunity to thrive and realize their full potential.  

“Race has been a factor in making employment, housing, banking, health care and education decisions for centuries in America. The decision by the Supreme Court adds to the pain of marginalized people and pits one group against the other, vying for a few spaces in certain institutions of higher learning. When our colleges, corporations, communities, and country make space for people of diverse backgrounds and experiences to participate fully, it enriches all our lives. This decision undermines ‘liberty and justice for all’ in the face of historical discrimination and rising racism,” said NCC President and General Secretary Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie.

Today, we reaffirm the commitment made by the National Council of Churches in 1997 to encourage our member denominations and ecumenical agencies to continue support of and advocacy for effective affirmative action programs, statutes, policies, and practices; to speak out against retrogressive legislative and other attempts to rescind or weaken affirmative action statutes on municipal, state, or federal levels; to align themselves with others of good will to defeat anti-affirmative action initiatives constructed to turn back the clock; and to encourage members to exercise their constitutional and civil responsibilities fully in helping to defeat these and other assaults on productive affirmative action programs. 

We must remain steadfast about the realities of racism and be willing to make changes to overcome new challenges that emerge as we strive to become the Beloved Community. 

The House has passed and the Senate  is preparing to vote on an agreement between President Biden and House leadership to raise the debt ceiling to pay America’s bills to avert a global financial crisis by June 5, 2023. The agreement is a considerable improvement from the previous threats to cut support from those who need it the most. However, it still falls short of the legislation that the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA had hoped for, one that reflects the full potential of America, and upholds the obligation that we as Christians have to care for the most vulnerable in society—those whom Jesus had in mind when he emphatically said, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me (Matthew 25:40 NRSVUE).”  

The proposed compromise denies the IRS vital funding it needs to improve its ability to hold wealthy people who defraud the system accountable while weakening support systems of those who need help. NCC maintains that any legislation to raise the debt ceiling should not have extra conditions or cuts. We must honor the Imago Dei in each human being and preserve the integrity of safety net programs designed to help those in need. 

In the weeks leading to this critical moment in our nation’s history, we bore witness to the worst aspects of partisan politics. Inundated by the disgraceful rhetoric that cast blame on the poor and defenseless, America was exposed to political gamesmanship that brought us to the brink of financial catastrophe not seen in 247 years. Congress must not hold the American people hostage in future debt ceiling debates. There should be no cuts to safety-net programs that provide food, health care, and housing for those in need to raise the debt ceiling, nor should burdensome eligibility requirements, such as time limits, be considered in debt ceiling legislation. 

Congress jeopardized the lives of hundreds of millions of people—including families, children, seniors, and veterans—at risk of going hungry, losing access to healthcare, and foreclosing on their homes. The American people deserve better than this display of political maneuvering and toxic polarization.  

NCC is committed to continue to hold Congress accountable for any future cuts to these essential programs.