Previous main events

As Poland prepares to host the European Football Championship in 2012, Christians in the country have put the meaning of "victory" and "defeat" at the centre of their reflections for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity that will be celebrated earlier in the year. Preparatory resources based on these reflections are already available in five languages on the website of the World Council of Churches (WCC).

According to UNHCR more than 12 million people are stateless, and not considered a national by any government. To advocate for their rights, the WCC Commission of the Churches on International Affairs (CCIA) is holding a consultation with focus on stateless people in Asia.

A group of some 50 theologians from Asia's Indigenous Peoples as well as Dalit communities will gather in Kolkata, from 13 to 16 December 2011 in order to explore more interactive partnerships and processes towards alternate visions of church, society and the ecumenical movement.

“Migration and the Ecclesial Landscape: Who is my Neighbour?” is the theme of a regional conference of the WCC's Global Ecumenical Network on Migration to be held in Beirut, Lebanon, 5-7 December.

“Youth for Eco-Justice” is a transformational training programme for young Christians aged 18-30 years. Addressing the links between environmental and socio-economic justice, it is jointly organized by the WCC and the Lutheran World Federation in the context of UN climate negotiations in the latter part of 2011.

This consultation is part of a WCC study project on Poverty, wealth and ecological debt. It continues a process which was started at the WCC 8th Assembly in Harare in 1998 and became known as Alternative Globalization Addressing People and Earth (AGAPE) since the 9th Assembly in Porto Alegre. Today, the issue of socio-economic justice is no less pressing.

November is that time of year just before Advent when we prepare for our Saviour coming into the world. A time for reflection and preparation as we invite God into our lives. A time for healing and transformation.

In an effort to reach out to Christian migrant communities in the region of Geneva, the WCC is organizing a conference on "Migration and the Ecclesial Landscape, an Ecumenical Response to Migration" in partnership with "Witnessing Together in Geneva".

On 21 September, churches and communities throughout the world are committing to the International Day of Peace through prayer, meditation and other forms of spiritual observance. This year the WCC is calling particularly on the participants of the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation to share prayers for peace with people within their own communities and beyond, including those they may have got to know through the peace convocation.

From 1 September - the first day of the Orthodox church year - to 4 October - the feast of Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals and the environment, in the Catholic tradition - churches are called to become involved in the Time for Creation. As 2011 is the International Year of Forests, the WCC especially encourages prayers and celebrations around this theme.