Feature stories 
17. April 08
"Ignored by the whole world" - a visit to Yambio, Sudan
Metropolitan Dr Zacharias Mar Theophilus, from the Mar Thoma Syrian Church of Malabar, India, was a member of an ecumenical team that recently visited Sudan's Yambio region. The capital city of West Equatoria state, close to the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Yambio is green and fertile. "But the people we met there feel ignored," says Metropolitan Theophilus, "ignored by Khartoum, ignored by Juba, ignored by...
1. April 08
Sales park for second hand cars on Christian cemetery illustrates difficulties of Sudanese Christians
In Khartoum, the capital city of Sudan, it is hard for Christians to have their own place - even after they have died. The city's Christian cemetery, which has been turned into a sales park for second hand cars, illustrates well the challenges faced by the minority Christian community in the northern, predominantly Muslim part of the country.
19. February 08
Church statements should have roots in scripture
Rev. Kjell Magne Bondevik, former prime minister of Norway and now moderator of the World Council of Churches' Commission of the Churches on International Affairs (CCIA), wants to see the WCC's public statements carry a distinctly religious tone.
18. February 08
Welcoming the Lao Evangelical Church
Early in these Central Committee meetings (13-20 February), Central Committee members officially welcomed the Lao Evangelical Church into full fellowship as one of the newest member churches of the WCC. In an interview, the president of that body shared about his church - the first from Laos to join the WCC.
11. February 08
Kenya: Living Letters allow churches to affirm peace, grasp a complex conflict
With peace seemingly returning to the country, churches within and outside Kenya take stock of the experiences made during a month of unrest and violence. Ecumenical visitors recall moving encounters and seek to understand.
4. February 08
Eminent Ecumenical Persons on solidarity visit to Burundi
An ecumenical solidarity visit to Burundi, led by the former Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano, under the Eminent Persons Ecumenical Programme for Peace in Africa (EPEPPA), started in the country's capital, Bujumbura, on 29 January.
4. February 08
In Burundi fear of guns drives insecurity
An abundance of illegal guns in the hands of civilians and ex-combatants is threatening to stall peace efforts in the central African nation of Burundi and undermine security once more.
28. January 08
WCC fellowship's 60th anniversary - Making a difference together then and now
Celebrating a 60th birthday for some is a milestone marked by visions of retirement - celebrating achievements and dreaming of new endeavours. The World Council of Churches (WCC), however, on its 60th "birthday" in 2008 does not want to rest on past feats as it looks ahead to the challenges of the 21st century. The largest, most inclusive fellowship of churches in the world, and the pre-eminent face of 20th century ecumenism, is...
14. January 08
Praying together for Christian unity throughout a century of changes
Although prayer is certainly at the heart of Christian life, praying together is not an easy exercise for churches within worldwide Christendom. Even today, common prayers are exceptional events rather than part of the daily life of the churches. But at least once a year it has become "normal" for many churches and congregations to pray together during the annual celebration of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. In 2008, the 100th...
29. November 07
Amid raging violence, Philippine churches build peace
Face to face with violence and death, Philippine churches help building peace in their Southeast Asian nation where an armed conflict continues to rage, especially in the countryside. Fuelling an intensified militarization, the fight often takes a heavy toll on innocent civilians, including women and children.