Rural Faith Communities

Jun 24, 2020

The Long Haul: Rest for Rural Faith Leaders?

This is the first in a series of blogs about how rural faith leaders across North Carolina are thinking of emerging issues around the coronavirus pandemic in their community.  The… 

Apr 21, 2020

First in Future: NC State Representative Rev. James Gailliard

Summary:This week’s First in Future guest is NC Representative Rev. James Gailliard, and with all that is going on, a message of faith and hope might be welcomed. We hear… 

Apr 14, 2020

What does “the best” look like for faith leaders right now?

Pastors Elizabeth and Jason Villegas are some of the most innovative faith leaders I know. My favorite type of faith leaders are those that try to make the world better,… 

Mar 24, 2020

First in Future: Connecting in Crisis

Summary: The Director of the Institute for Emerging Issues, Leslie Boney, will be hosting a series of virtual conversations discussing the impacts of coronavirus (COVID-19) and some of the ways… 

Mar 20, 2020

Being a Good Neighbor During a Pandemic

Like many people, this is the first week of rapid response efforts in every area of my life.  Professionally, we on the rural faith team at IEI are checking in… 

Dec 31, 2019

First in Future: Founder of the Conetoe Family Life Center Rev. Richard Joyner

Summary: We revisit an inspiring conversation we had with Rev. Richard Joyner, to start our new year of First in Future. Growing up in Pitt County, Rev. Richard Joyner hated… 

Oct 24, 2019

Rural Faith Leaders Consider Economic Opportunity Challenges at Emerging Issues Forum

The Institute for Emerging Issues welcomed over 50 rural faith leaders to our ReCONNECT to Economic Opportunity Forum on October 15. From shout-outs on stage to our faith leader dinner… 

Sep 27, 2019

A Note from Kylie Foley, IEI’s Rural Faith Communities Program Manager

I never cease learning from John Parker. From the beginning of IEI’s work with faith communities, he’s been our “consultant on the ground” in the title but so much more… 

Jun 27, 2019

IEI’s Service Year program teams up with Rural Faith Communities program for peer network webinars

Diversity Drilled Down – What’s Our Lens? IEI’s Service Year NC program has been teaming up with our Rural Faith Communities program more and more over the past year. Many… 

May 30, 2019

2019 RFCAI Conference Recap

Since we’ve started the ReCONNECT series at the end of 2018, I’ve been too excited for our Rural Faith as Anchor Institutions (RFCAI) Conference that we host each spring. Rural…