Occasional reflections, opinions and commentary from the Rev. Dr. Russell L. Meyer, Executive Director. While deeply informed on the teachings and positions of the church members of the Florida Council of Churches, Dr. Meyer’s blog does not communicate the official positions of any member churches or the Council itself unless expressed stated as such.
Download PDF Version O LORD, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not listen? Or cry to you “Violence!” and you will not save? Habakkuk 1:2 NRSV Our hearts are broken, and we grieve as one with the families of the victims in Parkland, Florida. As the school day was drawing to a close on Ash Wednesday 2018, a lone student turned the freshman halls of Marjory […]
The Rev. Dr. Russell L. Meyer, Executive Director, delivered the keynote address at the 39 annual Interfaith MLK Memorial Services on Sunday, January 14, 2018, at St. Jude the Apostle Catholic Cathedral. Here is a link to the text of his remarks: Walking Together with Compassion
In the first week of the 2018 Florida Legislative Session, the House Judiciary Committee sent HB 9 directly to the floor and it passed. Last year, hundreds of faith leaders opposed withdrawing from refugee resettlement because faith values embrace the immigrant and the refugee. Now comes the call to oppose HB 9 / SB 308. Please sign the letter below immediately. You can also click here to find the letter […]
Statement on Charlottesville Events: Naming and Repenting Evil Executive Committee of the Florida Council of Churches In every generation the face of evil appears, bringing death and confusion. We speak against this evil. On the weekend of August 11-12, 2017, white supremacists committed acts of terrorism in Charlottesville, Virginia, including intimidating the church at prayer Friday night and causing the death of innocent persons on Saturday. The life of Heather […]
Florida leads the nation in exoneration of innocent persons sentenced to death at 27 since 1973. More than half of them are Black – an indisputable sign of racism working in the state criminal justice system. We’ll spend close to a billion dollars trying to execute the nearly 350 on death row, while the courts reduce or set aside many of death sentences because of legal irregularities or mental impairment of […]
Recent Research Reports in the Field of Criminal Justice Compiled December 2016 for The Florida Council of Churches Civil Citations 1. “Stepping Up: Florida’s Top Civil Citation Efforts: 2016 Study.” ACLU of Florida. a. Publication Date: Sept. 2016. b. Type: State-specific study c. Florida is mentioned 142 times. 2. “Stepping Up: Florida’s Top Civil Citation Efforts: 2016 County Report.” ACLU of Florida. a. Publication Date: Sept. 2016. b. […]
Orlando Massacre Statement On Friday, June 17, 2016, we commemorate the first anniversary of the Charleston Martyrs. In response to that unimaginable attack on the very sanctuary of God in order to incite a race war, we drafted the statement for the national network of state councils of churches. The Christian Action Council of South Carolina adopted the statement as their own. It is published here for remembrance. Download Charleston […]
After USF Dr. Erin Kimmerle and team released the initial report on the victims that were found at the Dozier School for Boys, Dale Landry of the Florida NAACP contacted the Florida Council of Churches. The Council was invited to bring together faith representatives statewide to assist in advising state authorities in the appropriate manner for the victims of Dozier to be re-interred and memoralized. The Interfaith Commission for Florida […]
These are my remarks at Moral Monday Florida, March 3, 2014, sponsored by the NAACP and 18 partner organizations. The Rev. Dr. Russell L. Meyer, Executive Director.
Greetings to my interfaith colleagues, to Rev. Barber, to Sister Adora and the NAACP leadership, and to all of you gathered here today on Moral Monday in Tallahassee. This is the Day that the Lord has made. Let us be glad and rejoice in it!