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Words of steadfastness ring from the rubble

We won’t leave Gaza as long as there is a standing church.” 

We will not be the last Christians living in Gaza.” “

We lost everything, but we can’t lose our mission and our belonging to this place dear to our hearts.”

Christianity started here and will continue to be here.”  

These are the words people are uttering as Nader Abu Amsha, executive director of Department of Services to Palestinian Refugees of the Middle East Council of Churches (DSPR-MECC), tries to help them simply survive the next day. 

In conversation with Christiane Ehrengruber: unveiling the power of prayer and identity

Meet Christiane Ehrengruber, a 27-year-old professional working in digital communication and social media for Evangelische Mission Weltweit in Germany. With a background in Protestant theology and a history of volunteering in university politics and international ecumenism, Ehrengrubers insights into the significance of prayer, the theme of Christian unity, and the challenges faced by churches provide a unique perspective on navigating faith in today's world.

Women and children in Gaza bearing brunt of ongoing war

Women and children in Gaza are bearing the heavy brunt of the ongoing war, according to reports from the United Nations, with close to a million women and girls displaced and 12,882 women and children already perished in a war that has now raged for more than 100 days.

Violence against Palestinians is rising in the West Bank

Despite the war, security concerns, and travel restrictions, the World Council of Churches (WCC) Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme for Palestine and Israel and the WCC Jerusalem Office continue to operate. Ecumenical accompaniers have observed increasing violence against Palestinians in the West Bank since October 7. 

A Guide for Churches on the Prevention of Obstetric Fistula

WCC Human Rights programme

This guide aims to raise awareness in churches and church communities of the catastrophic condition of obstetric fistula—a childbirth injury usually caused by prolonged, obstructed labour without timely medical intervention. Obstetric fistula can have devastating physical, emotional, and economic consequences for women and can even result in permanent disability.

It introduces readers to obstetric fistula and explains why churches need to be concerned. It discusses how churches can help prevent the condition from occurring in the women in their congregations and local communities. It also offers practical and emotional support and encouragement to those who are suffering with obstetric fistula. Finally, this guide outlines the advocacy work being done and suggests some actions churches can take.

Available for download in English, Portuguese, and Malagasy.

Looking for light at the end of the tunnel

My experience with Israel’s Interior Ministry began more than 25 years ago, whereby I have been seeking an ID card for my wife who hails from the West Bank. I am a Palestinian from East Jerusalem and I have an Israeli ID card—which gives me the status of a foreign resident in the city of my ancestors and where I was born. 

Give me my life, let me live

Christine, 23, is from the West Bank. She met a young man from Jerusalem when she was studying at one of the Palestinian universities in the West Bank. As their emotions towards each other grew by time and a sincere love flourished into their hearts, they decided to get engaged. At this point, they didn’t think of any barriers that might stand in front of them. 

Ecumenical delegation visits Armenia

As the humanitarian crisis continues to escalate in the blockaded enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh), a World Council of Churches (WCC) delegation visited Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, headquarters of the Armenian Apostolic Church.