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“Let us overcome inequalities with justice and love”

The following message was delivered by Rev. Canon Gideon B. Byamugisha during an ecumenical service on 1 December, World AIDS Day. He reflected on the theme ““Let us overcome inequalities with justice and love.”

01 December 2021

Reverend Canon Gideon Byamugisha

People sit in line at a table in a conference room.

African church conference tackles misleading theologies in faith and healing

A symposium exploring the complex question of misleading theologies in Africa ended here on 24 November, amid concerns that the phenomenon was harming the efforts to combat coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and other diseases.

25 November 2021

Health and healing consultation Berlin, October 2021

WCC consultation reflects on future of health ministry

As the journey continues towards the WCC 11^th Assembly in Karlsruhe in 2022, a World Council of Churches consultation is now taking place in Berlin, Germany, to reflect and strategize on the future of the churches’ health ministry.

15 October 2021

African church leader hopes COVID-19 disruptions will spring new positive fellowship

Rev. Dr Fidon Mwombeki, general secretary of the All Africa Conference of Churches, has expressed hope that the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic will lead to new types of fellowship, where churches can build back better.

30 September 2021

woman wearing face mask and gloves offers a portion of food

Let the food systems nourish people and the planet rather than feed the profits of the privileged

The food system is a complex web of activities involving production, processing, transport, and consumption. Key issues concerning the food system include how food production affects the natural environment, the impact of food on individual and population health, the governance and economics of food production, its sustainability, and the degree to which we waste food.

22 September 2021

Manoj Kurian

Pastor Godson Lawson Kpavuvu, president of the Methodist Church of Togo, Photo: Methodist Church of Togo

Pastor Godson Lawson Kpavuvu: “God heals, but people must also be treated”

Pastor Godson Lawson Kpavuvu, president of the Methodist Church of Togo, is also chair of the International Reference Group of the World Council of Churches Ecumenical HIV and AIDS Initiatives and Advocacy programme (WCC-EHAIA). Involved with WCC-EHAIA from the beginning, he reflects below on what it’s like to be, as he describes, “one of the veterans of the struggle.”

02 September 2021

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organization

Faith communities vital in COVID fight because they are trusted, WHO chief says

Faith communities, governments, international organizations, foundations, the private sector, and civil society organizations are essential in every response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organization, told an interfaith gathering.

31 August 2021

WCC Vaccine Champions encourage churches’ leadership in promoting public health

The World Council of Churches Vaccine Champions shared their reflections on the status of vaccines in their home contexts, as well as the important role churches are playing in moving toward vaccine equity.

30 August 2021

Media advisory

COVID-19 vaccination in Porto Alegre, Brazil, June 2021.

Dialogue on COVID-19 and Consequences for Global Multilateral Cooperation

On Monday, 30 August, from 17:00 to 18:30 CEST, all media are invited to learn more about urgent efforts by leading NGOs and other organizations to sustain a global, multinational dialogue and cooperation in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

18 August 2021

Rev. Dr Kenneth Mtata reflects on COVID-19 impact in Zimbabwe—and what gives him hope

Rev. Dr Kenneth Mtata is general secretary of the Zimbabwe Council of Churches. Below, he reflects on the negative impacts of a third wave of a COVID-19 in the nation, and what people most need.

04 August 2021

Bishop Teresa Jefferson-Snorton reflects on how churches can head off vaccine hesitancy

Bishop Teresa Jefferson-Snorton is ecumenical officer for the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church and presiding bishop of the Fifth Episcopal District. Below, she shares her reflections on the vital role of churches in reducing vaccine hesitancy and increasing vaccine equity.

08 July 2021

Reflections on International Day for Biological Diversity

As we commemorate 22 May as the International Day for Biological Diversity (Biodiversity Day), we celebrate the beauty and diversity of creation. We acknowledge the glory of God manifested in the whole creation (Palm 104), and the entire creation praises God (Psalm 65).

22 May 2021

Manoj Kurian

WCC materials educate—and advocate—for vaccine awareness and equality

As part of World Immunization Week, the World Council of Churches (WCC) is offering a range of resources designed to share accurate information about vaccines and help churches to advocate for vaccine equality across the world.

28 April 2021

Publication

Health-Promoting Churches Volume II:

A handbook to accompany churches in establishing and running sustainable health promotion ministries

Based on the premise that the local congregation is the primary agent for healing, and each individual member has a unique gift to contribute to this healing ministry, this book provides guidelines, resources and tools to equip and support local Christian congregations in starting a sustainable health ministry.

It provides a theological and public health basis of the Health Promoting Churches (HPC) model and a guide on organizing the HPC programme sustainably.

28 April 2021

WCC answers your questions about vaccines

On World Immunization Week, the World Council of Churches is joining UNICEF and other organizations across the world in encouraging vaccinations for global health. Below, Dr Mwai Makoka, WCC programme executive for Health and Healing, answers often-asked questions about vaccines. He provides some history of vaccines, reflections on the role of faith-based groups, and why children and others are so vulnerable if they don’t receive vaccines.

26 April 2021

Vaccination hesitance poses yet another challenge

As vaccination programmes are being rolled out in more and more countries, there is hope for an end of a pandemic which has brought fear and anxiety around the globe since early 2020. A return to an everyday life, where people can socialize with family and friends, go to work as they used to and worship God together in church on Sundays, is eagerly awaited.

18 March 2021

Publication

Voices of Lament, Hope, and Courage

A Week of Prayer in the Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic

To commemorate a year since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the spread of COVID-19 a pandemic, the World Council of Churches provides this resource for a week of prayer.

This book was designed as a resource for use in prayer groups, congregational services, personal prayer, and in the pastoral accompaniment of those directly affected in different ways by the pandemic. The prayers, messages, reflections, statistics and WCC resources have roots in faith challenged by mourning, fear and uncertainty in different contexts worldwide.

18 March 2021

World Cancer Day

“He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Col. 1:17)

Many verses in scripture accurately portray some of the emotions around cancer: pain and suffering, mortality and loss, comfort and redemption, faith and eternity.

04 February 2021

Mwai Makoka