CRCC out and about! Richard Flory with Bruce Phillips at SSSR. Najuma Smith presenting at the Exponential Conference. Soraya Ahyuadin attended the Islamic Scholarship Fund Film Awards Gala, pictured with Somayeh Nikooei, Executive Director and an American Muslim Civic Leadership Institute fellow.

CRCC's Soraya Ahyaudin recently attended a celebration dinner where the Omar Ibn Al Khattab Foundation awarded Interim President Beong-Soo Kim, the first Asian American to lead USC, the Distinguishing Pathfinder Award.

Join us at 1 pm TODAY on Zoom for our Economic Empowerment session on SNAP/CalFresh benefits and changes in Medi-Cal eligibility that will take effect in 2026. Zoom Link: usc.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

TOMORROW, November 4 @ 1 pm PT Join CRCC's Najuma Smith and LA County staff providing important updates about CalFresh/SNAP benefits and changes in Medi-Cal eligibility that will take effect in 2026. Zoom registration: usc.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Invest in Your Leadership Skills - Apply for NewGround Facilitation Skills Training. Learn more and apply here by Nov. 3rd! If you came to our Compelling Preaching Across Divides conference last fall, you had a preview of their methods. Go deeper… mjnewground.org/facilitation...

How will the government shutdown affect your communities? Join us for a rapid response Economic Empowerment session led by Najuma Smith, Assistant Director for Community and Public Engagement Tuesday, November 4 @ 1 pm PT on Zoom mailchi.mp/usc/crcc-new...

For Filipino American History Month, looking back at how a Filipino American artist connected with her Indigenous heritage through a Day of the Dead altar. Read her story, and learn about culture bearer Sapi Bawer. crcc.usc.edu/nica-aquino-...

Another oped from Compelling Preaching initiative participant Michael Christensen: religionunplugged.com/news/faith-i...

The Window on Death Row presents a personal look at the death penalty from the point of view of an exoneree and his chaplain. We got to watch this Oscar qualifying doc — and its producer Linda Freund, who worked on our engaged spirituality project — on the big screen last week.

If you will be at the @sssreligion.bsky.social next week, look me up and let’s connect. If you’re ready to hibernate, we are celebrating several recent publications from CRCC affiliates and friends. Read on and stay tuned! — Richard Flory, Executive Director mailchi.mp/usc/crcc-new...

Thu, Oct. 23rd at 11am PST on Zoom Scams: How They Affect Seniors, Teens, and How to Protect Your Loved Ones We encourage faith leaders to watch/share with their communities, as this is a critical issue for economic empowerment: Register for Zoom link: usc.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Proud of @revjuju.bsky.social for co-leading the D.Min cohort at @fullerseminary.bsky.social! ✌️

For decades, Sisters JoAnna Persch & Pat Murphy showed up at Chicago's Broadview Detention Center to protest inhumane immigration policies and provide spiritual care to migrants, whom they saw first and foremost as children of God. We profiled these 2 as part of our Spiritual Exemplars Project.

To our friends celebrating, #HappyDiwali!

@usc.edu declined an offer by the Trump administration to join a compact that would potentially give preferential funding in exchange for a list of changes to school policy. From our friends, USC sociologists Manuel Pastor and Jody Agius Vallejo: www.latimes.com/opinion/stor...

Be Prepared… #GreatShakeOut #ShakeOut #shakeout2025

@bloomsburybooksuk.bsky.social highlights its partnership with CRCC on a new book series.We are so excited to be a part of this initiative. We will be releasing our book next February. www.bloomsbury.com/uk/discover/...

Congratulations to Ken Chitwood on his new book, Borícua Muslims: Everyday Cosmopolitanism among Puerto Rican Converts to Islam! utpress.utexas.edu/9781477332443/

@rns.org tracks the ups and downs of the influential megachurch Willow Creek: "Religion sociologists Don Miller and Wade Clark Roof had started to describe Americans as a generation of seekers — which made Willow’s seeker-friendly approach to ministry appealing." religionnews.com/2025/10/08/w...

CNN features American Muslim Civic Leadership Institute fellow, Dr. Hussein Rashid's challenges working at Harvard Divinity School in the aftermath of Oct. 7, 2023. www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRw-...

Originally a church, today the Peace Cathedral hosts a synagogue, mosque, church, temple and oratory housed under one roof. More than a spiritual home for members of multiple faith communities, it is a place for homegrown political activism as well. therevealer.org/the-spiritua...

Congratulations to Febe Armanios on her new book, which was supported in part by CRCC's Pentecostal and Charismatic Research Initiative! global.oup.com/academic/pro...

CRCC is at The Lilly Endowment this week to talk about Thriving Congregations. Check out our toolkit on Reimagining Church crcc.usc.edu/reimagining-...

Affiliate Maureen Day presented about her research on “Catholicism at a Crossroads” with @iacsusc.bsky.social and many other campus partners.

Welcome to the Preaching with the Sciences homily outline library featuring the first fruits of an extraordinary initiative. This free online resource featuring 110+ homily outlines and growing, provides ideas for key Sundays and feast days across the 3-year lectionary cycle. ctu.edu/preaching-wi...

Today the @lacity.bsky.social City Council remembered our friend and community leader, Umar Hakim-Dey.

@commonweal.bsky.social recaps a conversation on the future of the Catholic Church hosted by the @iacsusc.bsky.social. As Pope Leo XIV shared in his first media interview, synodality is the way the future, even if few churchgoers know what that means! www.commonwealmagazine.org/schlumpf-soc...

TOMORROW: Join us on Tuesday, 4pm at USC Caruso Catholic Center, for a discussion of Maureen K. Day's new book! RSVP not required. Parking is available across the street at the USC Village 3301 S Hoover St, 90007.

"Some Sundays, my congregation needs a word that’s more raw than polished." Julian DeShazier shares some inspiration for those preparing sermons for the weekend ahead. www.christiancentury.org/voices/i-m-l...

"The past weeks have been particularly heavy. As our nation deals with its grief and divisions, locally, we mourn a man who brought so many together: Umar Hakim-Dey. Please see our tribute to him at the bottom of this email." -- Richard Flory, Executive Director mailchi.mp/usc/crcc-new...

Our friend Ken Chitwood shares his thoughts on the martyrdom of Charlie Kirk. Read more below 👇 www.patheos.com/articles/mak...

Religious scholar and TikTok star Dan McClellan examines how some Christian nationalists use—and often abuse—the Bible to gain political power. revealnews.org/podcast/chri...

Next Tuesday -- Join us for a discussion of CRCC affiliate Maureen K. Day's new book, Catholicism at a Crossroads: The Present and Future of America's Largest Church, and its implications for pastoral ministry and the study of American religion more broadly.

Wishing our Jewish friends a meaningful time of reflection and renewal this Rosh Hashanah. Shana Tova!

Loss touches us all. As leaders we often feel its weight in complex ways — for ourselves, our families and our communities. Leadership necessitates tending to the heart. crcc.usc.edu/report/heali...

Join us Tues, 9/30 for a discussion with our affiliate Marueen K. Day on her new book, Catholicism at a Crossroads: The Present and Future of America's Largest Church, and its implications for pastoral ministry and the study of American religion more broadly. mailchi.mp/usc/crcc-new...

LA friends! You can see an Oscar-qualified short documentary from Linda Freund, a journalism fellow in our exemplars project, this week in Glendale! Check out this exploration of death row with an exoneree and his chaplain. Sept 19-25 at 4pm each day at Laemmle: www.laemmle.com/film/flicker...

It’s been particularly jarring to watch Christians take down empathy, said historian Susan Lanzoni, a graduate of Harvard Divinity School. “That’s the whole message of Jesus, right?" apnews.com/article/cons...

Diane Winston questions her understanding of evangelical Christianity as empathetic in the wake of the calls to make Charlie Kirk into a martyr. www.latimes.com/opinion/stor...

The movement Jesus began is about radical belonging. It is not based in politics, power, or exclusion. Anastasia McAteer, a participant in our Compelling Preaching initiative, offers this introspective resource in ProgressiveChristianity.org. progressivechristianity.org/resource/a-c...

It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of the passing of Umar Hakim-Dey, beloved member of our community, AMCLI fellow, speaker, Spiritual Exemplars, conversation partner. Umar was a visionary leader in LA. His dedication to service, justice and faith left a deep imprint on all who knew him.

Seth Pickens, Managing Director of USC’s Homelessness Policy Research Institute and a participant in CRCC programs, led an important conversation on how to encourage a culture of flourishing in homelessness response yesterday.

An informational webinar for those who are interested in applying for a Vital Worship, Vital Preaching Grant will take place on September 30 at 7:00 PM EDT. Registration is required. Click below for more details. Next Application deadline: October 15th worship.calvin.edu/grants/info/...

Rev. Michael J. Christensen, a participant of our Compelling Preaching initiative, writes an intriguing Op-Ed in @rns.org. religionnews.com/2025/09/09/a...

Did you know the average urban historic sacred place generates more than $1.7 million in economic impact every year? @bobjaeger.bsky.social, co-founder of Partners for Sacred Places, highlights the economic impact of places of worship in urban areas. nextcity.org/urbanist-new...

“When you think about it, honestly, who has the most land? Religious institutions and schools...What we’re doing is creating a tool kit to help educate and energize the community to not just think about housing, but to reimagine their space.” religionnews.com/2025/08/14/f...

Hosted by the Multiethnic Collaborative and Exponential NEXT, the Black Church Planting Summit will take place October 28th - 30th, near Oakland, CA. Learn more: churchplanting.fuller.edu/black-church...

“When white people said racial reconciliation, they meant friendship. When Black people said racial reconciliation, we meant justice.” sojo.net/articles/int...

September is National Preparedness Month, and FEMA has released the Nonprofit Security Grant Program. Learn more here: www.fema.gov/grants/prepa...

“We hold in our prayers the countless children killed and injured every day around the world. Let us plead God to stop the pandemic of arms, large and small, which infects our world.” religionnews.com/2025/09/02/p...