Faith in the Public Square

Because of the expected snow storm, this event has been re-scheduled to March 20-21. The New York State Council of Churches will have its annual Ecumenical and Interfaith Advocacy Days in Albany on February 27 and 28. This year’s focus is on immigration and the housing crisis in New York.   According to promotional material, the Council expects that the Governor and the Legislature will focus on addressing the affordable housing crisis in 2023. In addition, they believe, the issue of immigration will be front and center on the political stage because of the lifting of Title 42 and the influx of immigrants across the state.   The evening begins at 6:00 p.m. on Monday with a gathering at Westminster Presbyterian Church , 262 State Street in Albany. The program begins at 6:30 p.m. The guest preacher is Reverend Reginald Bacchus, Senior Pastor at Mt. Ollie Baptist Church in Brownsville, Brooklyn. A reception will follow at 8:00 p.m.   Participants will gather again at the ch...

Rev. Sam Trumbore has announced his retirement from  First Unitarian Universalist Society of Albany   as of July 1. He shared the letter announcing his retirement on Facebook.   Among the factors that impacted his decision were health issues of family members and projects he would like to undertake but which he could do not pursue while in full-time ministry.   Factors that did not impact his decision were health and other job opportunities.   He wrote, in part:   If I could sum all this up, I’d say this: My first act was being a computer test engineer in Silicon Valley. My second act has been my call to ministry. I sense there is yet a third act for my life. Time is short and the freedom to make that move is within reach.   I also realize there is never a perfect time to end a ministry, especially when things are going well. Yet my sense is this is just the right time for me to step aside to make room for a new, younger minister to come and bring in t...

A diverse group of religious leaders is calling on  President Joseph Biden and members of Congress to expand the Federal Child Tax Credit (CTC)  before the 117th Congress completes its work on December 31.  In a letter sent last month , they noted that  they support full refundability for the poorest families and monthly payments - two provisions that they say are especially important to the CTC’s impact among children.    From the letter :   The temporary expansion of the CTC that Congress approved last spring reduced child poverty and food insecurity among families with children to lower levels than ever before in our nation’s history. Evaluative studies from Columbia University and Washington University show that the families who benefited used the money for food, rent, and other basic household expenses. They also show that employment among adults in these families did not decline. How can we not build on these wonderful results?    Yet ...

City & State magazine , which describes itself as “the premier media organization dedicated to covering New York’s local and state politics and policy,” offers a regular feature called The Power List. In its inaugural Faith Power 100 , which is tilted heavily toward the New York City region, there are three individuals might be familiar to people in the Capital District who are involved in the connection between religion and politics. Their ranking and description are as follows:  48. Rev. Peter Cook Executive Director, New York State Council of Churches The Rev. Peter Cook, who represents 7,000 congregations across the state, has pushed Gov. Kathy Hochul to transfer incarcerated people out of Rikers and rallied with home care workers to boost their wages in the state budget. Cook rose to national prominence by using his platform to drive a wedge between gun ownership and Christianity after a gunman killed 10 Black people in a Buffalo supermarket in May. Cook argued for stricte...

The Episcopal Church Office of Government Relations is hosting an Election Day Prayers gathering online tonight as election polls begin to close around the nation. Anyone can tune in from 8 p.m. to midnight EST via  The Episcopal Public Policy Network Facebook page  or  The Episcopal Church Facebook page . Viewers do not need a Facebook profile to participate. From the announcement: At the top of each hour, special guests from around the church will offer 10-15 minutes of reflection and prayer. Participants are encouraged to engage in prayerful conversation in the comments. The gathering will also feature simple video feeds from parishes throughout the U.S. Scheduled guests include Presiding Bishop Michael Curry; House of Deputies President Julia Ayala Harris; the Rev. Charles Graves IV, missioner for Houston Canterbury; the Rev. Donna Gleaves, an Episcopal Public Policy Network ambassador; and Willis H.A. Moore, an Episcopal Election Activator. “We welcome everyone as we...

A Kristallnacht Interfaith Commemoration will be helped at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 10 at Page Hall on the University at Albany downtown campus, 135 Western Avenue.  The evening will include a presentation of The Rescuers, the inspiring documentary about non-Jewish diplomats who helped save thousands of Jews during the Holocaust.   From the flyer:  The Rescuers joins Holocaust historian Sir Martin Gilbert and Rwandan anti-genocide activist Stephanie Nyombayire with Emmy winning director Michael King. They travel to 15 countries and three continents to explore the “mystery of goodness”-- that characteristic in people who make morally correct decisions when facing genocide, despite the risk to themselves and their families. Stephanie Nyombayire, who lost 100 members of her family in the Rwandan genocide, and Sir Martin Gilbert, who, as a child, was evacuated during the Battle of Britain and lost many of his family in the Holocaust, provide a unique cou...

The Seventh Annual Awards and Fundraising Dinner of the New York State Council of Churches will take place on Friday, December 9 at the Desmond Hotel in Albany. The list of award recipients is below. A reception will take place from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and the dinner will begin at 6:30 p.m. Information about tickets, sponsorships and program advertisements is here .  The awardees are:  EXCELLENCE IN ECUMENICAL AND INTERFAITH RELATIONS AWARD   The Right Reverend Mary D. Glasspool, Bishop Assistant, Episcopal Diocese of New York  EXCELLENCE IN CHAPLAINCY AWARDS   The Reverend Dr. Gideon Jebamani, Chaplain, Sing Sing and Taconic Correctional Facilities  The Reverend James E Steward II Lead Pastor, South Bushwick Reformed Church, Brooklyn, New York Director of Pastoral Care & Education, Mount Sinai South Nassau  EXCELLENCE IN SOCIAL JUSTICE AWARDS   Union Organizing 32 BJ SEIU   President Kyle Bragg and Secretary/Treasurer ...