Quilt panels have been on display at the Siuntio parish in Finland, with colorful drawings and thought provoking and inspiring words. "'No' does not mean 'convince me'", reads one panel. Another reads, simply, “Courage. Dignity. Hope. Trust.”
Thursdays in Black ambassadors are adding to their group as the World Council of Churches fellowship increases its momentum with initiatives and advocacy for a world free from rape and violence.
Rev. Dr Antti Laine is senior advisor for Theology and Ecumenical Relations with Finn Church Aid. He reflects below on how, while the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated gender-based violence, faith-based and humanitarian groups, can provide hope—especially when they work together.
Thursdays in Black ambassadors play a vital role in increasing the impact of our collective call for a world without rape and violence. Rev. Dr Tapio Luoma is the archbishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland.
Our series of interviews with Thursdays in Black ambassadors highlights those who are playing a vital role in increasing the impact of our collective call for a world without rape and violence. Jouni Hemberg is executive director of Finn Church Aid.
The Helsinki Orthodox Parish Council has endorsed the Thursdays in Black global campaign for a world free from rape and violence.
Maria Mountraki, a member of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission of the Churches on International Affairs, also serves as the second vice president of the Helsinki Orthodox Parish Council.
At WCC’s ecumenical workcamps in the late 1950s, a young Govaert Chr.Kok of the Netherlands would learn lessons for life – and encounter a very special person.
With aspirations to learn and contribute to the work of the WCC inter-religious dialogue and cooperation department, Matias Ikkala from the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland has commenced working this week as a WCC intern.