The State and Regional Council of Churches held its annual retreat in Albuquerque, New Mexico recently under the leadership of the Rev. Jack Sullivan, of the Ohio Council of Churches. The group met to discuss common concerns and issues facing the various faith-based organizations from diverse areas including New York, Wyoming, New Mexico, Kentucky, Ohio,…
Download pdf version The murder of Tyre Nichols by five Memphis police officers while being beaten 80 yards from his home is an affront to the entire human family. Not only were Tyre’s human rights violated, so was his humanity. Michelangelo’s masterpiece, “The Creation,” etched upon the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, depicts God touching…
We troubled heaven, worked our faith, and God answered our prayers. All praise to our God! Update on the historic meeting today with the mayor’s office Chief of Staff, Jake Wheatley, three members of the Penguins staff, and two members of the Sports Exhibition Authority staff, myself, and Dorse Carson Williams. All parties agreed to the list…
Download a pdf version A RESOLUTION SUPPORTING REPARATIONS FOR BETHEL AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF PITTSBURGH WHEREAS: Prophetic voices throughout the ages have called upon those in power to show justice to the those who have been “othered” and are the most vulnerable in society: the prophet Amos exhorted the people of Israel to “Hate…
The Pennsylvania Council of Churches is honored that Executive Director Rev. Dr. Larry D. Pickens will be a panelist at a workshop called “Reparations and Racial Justice: A Faith Community’s Experience” on September 6 at the World Council of Churches. This workshop addresses the experience of the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Pittsburgh around…
Once more a racially motivated young man has authored a manifesto and killed ten people and wounded others at a Tops Grocery Store in Buffalo. To quote the NY Post, “A “heavily armed” white teenager clad in military-style tactical gear slaughtered ten people Saturday in a “racially motivated” mass shooting he live-streamed at a Buffalo…
How could we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land? —Psalm 137:4 (NRSV) The Pennsylvania Council of Churches remains in prayer for the people of Minneapolis, Brooklyn Center and the nation following the Derek Chauvin murder conviction for the death of George Floyd, and the death of Daunte Wright at the hands of police. We…
Here are the pictures and biographies of the panelists for Intersectional Realities Around COVID-19: Impacts on Vulnerable Communities and Partnering to Address the Problems (April 19, 2021) Rev. Ralph E. Blanks Rev. Ralph E. Blanks is the Third Pastor of the Vine Memorial Baptist Church. Rev. Blanks previously served as pastor of Harry Hosier, Mother African…
I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. —John 13:34 (NRSV) In June 2020 we issued “A Pastoral Call to Dismantle Racism & End Violence Against People of Color.” This statement: recognized the disproportionate impacts of COVID-19 on…
REPORT ON THE COUNCIL’S WORK IN 2020 For a longer, more detailed version of this report, click here. The Pennsylvania Council of Churches is church bodies and agencies representing Anabaptist, Episcopal, Orthodox, Pentecostal, and Protestant communions in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania working together for Christian unity for the sake of the world. [John 17:23] IMPORTANT…
