The 40-day Lenten period begins on 5 March with the observance of Ash Wednesday. On this day, the World Council of Churches (WCC) Ecumenical Water Network will launch the Seven Weeks for Water campaign with a prayer service at the WCC Ecumenical Center in Geneva.
This year’s campaign aligns with the 2025 World Water Day theme: “Glacier Preservation.” Due to climate change, glaciers are melting at an unprecedented rate. For billions of people, changing meltwater flows are disrupting water availability, triggering floods, droughts, landslides, and rising sea levels. Entire communities and ecosystems are at risk. In response, the Seven Weeks for Water campaign urges action—both globally and locally—to reduce emissions and slow the rapid loss of glaciers, which are vital sources of freshwater and essential for sustaining life.
In recognition of the urgency of this crisis, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization and the World Meteorological Organization have declared 2025–2034 the Decade of Action on Cryospheric Science. On 22 March, World Water Day, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization will release the United Nations World Water Development Report 2025: Mountains and Glaciers – Water Towers, underscoring the critical need for glacier preservation.
As part of the Lenten campaign, the WCC Ecumenical Water Network will offer biblical-theological reflections and resources on water and climate justice. Written by theologians and church leaders from around the world, these reflections will be available in multiple languages on the WCC Ecumenical Water Network webpage and shared across WCC platforms. Member churches are encouraged to use these materials throughout Lent, engaging in prayer, reflection, and action to uphold the sacred responsibility of caring for God’s creation.
Visit this page throughout the Lenten season to access new reflections, published weekly. Together, we can stand in faith and solidarity to protect the world’s water resources.
Topics of reflections, authors, and publication dates:
5 March 2025
"Sacred Waters: Honoring God’s Gifts in a Changing World" - Hella Tangu, Uganda
11 March 2025
"Feminization of water poverty in Africa” - Dr Agnes Abuom, Kenya
17 March 2025
"Symbiotic Guardianship: The Bond Between Humans and the Achachilas" - Jocabed Reina Solano Miselis, Panama
Below, you find links to the reflections from previous editions of the campaign.