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What's New

What's New

Faith Leaders Arrested in Protest to Protect the Poor

Jon Barton - Thursday, July 28, 2011
LivingstonWashington, July 28, 2011 – Frustrated that their pleas to the Administration and Congress to protect funding for the nation’s most vulnerable are being ignored, nearly a dozen leaders from the faith community were arrested inside the U.S. Capitol Building on Thursday.

Despite repeated warnings from the U.S. Capitol Police, the leaders refused to end their public prayers asking the Administration and Congress not to balance the budget on the backs of the poor.

Among those who were arrested were the Rev. Michael Livingston, former president of the National Council of Churches, now director of the NCC’s poverty initiative; and Jordan Blevins, director of peace witness for the Church of the Brethren and the NCC.
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Dr. Tony Richie to Lead Fall Retreat

Jon Barton - Monday, July 18, 2011

Dr. Tony Richie will serve as this year's Ecumenical Retreat Leader, October 11 & 12 at the Roslyn Conference Center, Richmond. Dr. Richie will assist us in bridging the growing gap between Christians, who seem unable to even talk with each other.

April 12, 2010 Tony Richie (BA, Carson-Newman College, M Div Pentecostal Theological Seminary, and D Min, Asbury Theological Seminary) successfully defended his PhD thesis in Systematic Theology at London School of Theology.Tony is a participant in an innovative collaborative research degree program with Asbury Theological Seminary in connection with London School of Theology through Middlesex University. His thesis is titled, Speaking by the Spirit: Exploring the Classical Pentecostal Tradition of Testimony in Developing a Pneumatological Theology as a Model for Interreligious Encounter and Dialogue. Richie says, “This program was just tailor-made for my needs. It is solid academically but suited to individual lifestyle settings. I couldn’t have been happier with it.”

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World Refugee Day 2011

Jon Barton - Thursday, June 09, 2011
The Virginia Council of Churches Refugee Resettlement Program is pleased to announce upcoming events for World Refugee Day on June 20th, 2011! We are hosting a movie screening in two locations and a potluck to promote relationships among various cultural, religious, and ethnic groups, and welcome new refugees into the Harrisonburg Community.   Read More...
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MLK Day of Service

Jon Barton - Wednesday, January 12, 2011

About Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service
January 17, 2011 will mark the 25th anniversary of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. federal holiday. This milestone is a perfect opportunity for Americans to honor Dr. King’s legacy through service. The MLK Day of Service empowers individuals, strengthens communities, bridges barriers, creates solutions to social problems, and moves us closer to Dr. King’s vision of a beloved community. 

What is the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service?

After a long struggle, legislation was signed in 1983 creating a federal holiday marking the birthday of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The federal holiday was first observed in 19MLK86, making 2011 the 25th anniversary of the King federal holiday.

In 1994, Congress designated the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday as a national day of service and charged the Corporation for National and Community Service with leading this effort. Taking place each year on the third Monday in January, the MLK Day of Service is the only federal holiday observed as a national day of service – a "day on, not a day off." The MLK Day of Service is a part of United We Serve, the President's national call to service initiative. It calls for Americans from all walks of life to work together to provide solutions to our most pressing national problems. The MLK Day of Service empowers individuals, strengthens communities, bridges barriers, creates solutions to social problems, and moves us closer to Dr. King's vision of a "Beloved Community."

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Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

Jon Barton - Friday, January 07, 2011

The Church Unity Octave, a forerunner of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, was developed by Father Paul Wattson, SA, at Graymoor in Garrison, New York, and was first observed at Graymoor from January 18-25, 1908. Today, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity invites the whole Christian community throughout the world to pray in communion with the prayer of Jesus “that they all may be one” (John 17:21).

In 1966, the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches and the Vatican Secretariat (now Council) for Promoting Christian Unity began collaborating as a common international text for worldwide usage. Since 1968 these international texts, which are based on themes proposed by ecumenical groups around the world, have been developed, adapted and published for use in the United States by the Graymoor Ecumenical and Interreligious Institute.

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2011
Chosen Theme: One in the Apostles’ Teaching, Fellowship, Breaking of Bread and Prayer
(cf. Acts 2:42)
The theme for the annual celebration of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2011 has been announced by the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the Commission on Faith and Order of the World Council of Churches.

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