jerad's blog

Hope in the face of horror // Guidance from Respectful Conversations

This weekend's shooting at a campaign rally was horrifying and our nation is at an inflection point. Over 12 years of MCC Respectful Conversations there are elements of our design and practice that can inform how we act which are highlighted by some specifics of this moment, including remembering that there can be potentially toxic division in any group, that slowing ourselves and our responses down is healthy, and that having a goal when you go into an interaction will help you know what you want to get out of it. The best news is that hundreds of thousands of Americans are working for a hopeful future and fighting toxic polarization. Through MCC and our partners you can be part of that movement.

Reduce the Rancor

MN DFL head Ken Martin and MN GOP head David Hann sit being interviewed by Braver Angels' Bill Doherty

Would you believe that neither the head of Minnesota’s GOP nor its DFL party think of their counterparts as “enemies?” The word – and the existential threat, the need to eliminate that it implies – is one both leaders actively avoid using when referring to people with whom they disagree.

Tell Congress: Extend Ukrainian Humanitarian Parolees Law to those still fleeing

More than eight million Ukrainians have been forced to leave their homes since the Russian invasion. According to the Minnesota Department of Human Services, about 300 people have been admitted as humanitarian parolees to Minnesota. Most Ukrainians who come to Minnesota do so through the Humanitarian Parole program. 

 

Ukrainian Humanitarian Parolees who entered the United States on or after February 24, 2022, and before September 30, 2023, and their immediate relatives, are eligible for the following public benefits to the same extent as refugees.

MCC CEO to retire. National search launched for new CEO.

*** UPDATE: APPLICATION DEADLINE EXTENDED TO APRIL 15 ***

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 13, 2024

 

CONTACT
Rev. Jerad Morey, Director of Strategic Relationships
Minnesota Council of Churches
(507) 403-0070

 

Rev. Dr. Curtiss Paul DeYoung to retire as Co-CEO of Minnesota Council of Churches

National search for new CEO led by Ballinger Leafblad

Co-CEO Statement on Holy Land

I have been to Palestine and Israel five times since 2006. During the first days after the shocking and horrific attack by Hamas on civilians in Israel, I paused from making a statement out of respect for Jewish-led processes of grief. Soon civilians in Gaza and the West Bank were also under attack. I keep thinking about the PEOPLE of the Holy Land.

 

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