Prayer during the 30th anniversary commemoration of the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organisations on 16 July 2026 in Kyiv, Ukraine, attended by the ecumenical delegation from the World Council of Churches.
In a message of greetings to the Ecumenical International Youth Day event on 13 August, World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay reflected on the day’s theme, “Creating Healing Spaces: R.E.S.T. – Restore, Empower, Strengthen, Thrive.”
The World Council of Churches (WCC) will host a webinar series, starting in September, exploring the Theology of Companionship: a way of walking together with mutuality, shared vulnerability, and accountable relationships—even across unequal power.
The Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations is appealing for churches everywhere to join a Worldwide Prayer for Ukraine on 24 August, which also marks the 35th anniversary of Ukraine’s Independence.
World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay extended congratulations to Rev. Janet Anstead, who has been appointed as the new general secretary of the Canadian Council of Churches.
Nanu Martin, a climate journalist and ecumenist, shared the news that the World Council of Churches (WCC) Thursdays in Black campaign was introduced and promoted during a Climate Education and Capacity Building Programme held at Odisha Christian Theological College, Gopalpur, Odisha, India.
From 3-8 August, the South African Council of Churches, in partnership with the Fellowship of Christian Councils in Southern Africa, welcomed church leaders from Malawi, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Lesotho, Namibia, Tanzania, and Eswatini for a regional solidarity visit to South Africa.
The editorial team of Ralf Becker, Rev. Karen Hinrichs, Prof. Dr Heinrich Schäfer, and Dr Theodor Ziegler are presenting “If you want peace, go and talk to your enemy: An Ecumenical Peace Treatise–2026.”
Taybeh, the only remaining Christian village in the West Bank, includes Christian archaeology dating back to the Roman era and early Christianity. Located in the Ramallah area of the West Bank, the village’s population has dwindled to 1,200 people, all of them Christians. During the 1980s, the population was around 3,000 people.
Each year, August 6-9 is set aside as Nuclear Week, a time of remembrance that marks the anniversaries of the 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. By the end of 1945, the bombing had killed an estimated 140,000 people in Hiroshima, and a further 74,000 in Nagasaki. It is estimated that of those killed, 38,000 were children.
As the global climate crisis accelerates faster than collective response and new conflicts slice attention, African church leaders are highlighting the need to increase action, as the emergency hurts their congregations.
Dr. Ramon Tallaj is chairman of the board and founder of SOMOS Community Care. “SOMOS,” which means “we are” in Spanish, is a physician-led network of 2,600 healthcare providers serving over 850,000 Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries in New York City’s immigrant communities. Tallaj reflects on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of the family doctor, and how faith has played a large role in his life and work.
Five young researchers joined the World Council of Churches (WCC) in 2026: four through the Climate Curve Constellations Fellowship, a programme placing early-career researchers with organizations working on climate change, and one returning for a second internship in the WCC’s work on children’s rights. They came from Nigeria, Uganda, Sierra Leone, and the United States. Ask any of them why climate justice, and the answer starts somewhere specific. A farm, a marsh, an audit desk.
