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Alumni from the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Institute Bossey who live in Thailand are continuing to foster ecumenical activities and relations. Every year for a decade, they have offered a local orientation for new students from Thailand who are headed to Bossey.

How does one discern the will of God in a time of crisis and danger? Such is the question posed by Pauline Wanjiru Njiru in her new reflection on the Prophet Jeremiah’s counsel to exiles in Babylon.

Stories from Uganda are underscoring the resilience and hope that churches and education can bring in the face of stigma. Programmes developed by the World Council of Churches Ecumenical HIV and AIDS Initiatives and Advocacy have helped people eliminate stigma associated with HIV and AIDS by providing accurate information; safe spaces in which to share; and a faith-based, science-backed approach to health and healing.

A 28 July World Council of Churches (WCC) webinar entitled "Reconnecting in faith with creation, land and water” explored the ways in which we tie our faith to living responsibly on earth. Participants explored together why and how a sustainable future must be based on the interdependency of the whole creation, not an anthropocentric understanding in which human beings are the dominant species.

During a ceremony recognizing how young people in Uganda are true “agents of change” in health and healing, Rev. Pauline Njiru, eastern Africa regional coordinator for the World Council of Churches Ecumenical HIV & AIDS Initiatives and Advocacy programme, said young people are bringing a fresh drive for justice in many local communities.

During a workshop on 29 June-1 July, Pastor Maxwell Kapachawo summed up the inspiration driving the group: “This training has come at the right time! We are facing the challenge of people on antiretroviral therapy defaulting on their medication due to faith healing claims.”

Ayoko Bahun-Wilson is regional coordinator for West Africa for the World Council of Churches (WCC) Ecumenical HIV and AIDS Initiatives and Advocacy programme. She hosted a weekly radio show for churches in Benin called “Zero Rape, Zero Violence.” The show was offered in collaboration by the WCC, Deborah Network, INACES and Hosannah Radio.

Below, Bahun-Wilson reflects on how the radio show, offered every Wednesday for three months, has heightened awareness—but there are many challenges that remain.

During a graduation webcast, students from the World Council of Churches’ Ecumenical Institute Bossey described what it was like to live for ten months or more in an environment like no other. As they receive their post-graduate degrees in ecumenical studies, they look back fondly on their sense of community, professors—and even the food.

When asked on the day of her graduation how she would describe Bossey, former student Quantisha Mason replied, ’Bossey is like a love letter to God.’ Now, the Ecumenical Institute invites prospective students to apply for the study year of 2021-2022.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) Ecumenical HIV and AIDS Initiatives and Advocacy International Reference Group and the WCC Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance HIV Strategy Group conducted their annual meeting via a series of online video conferences from 25-29 May.

The National Council of Churches in India and the World Council of Churches (WCC) cohosted a webinar on 4 June under the theme “Sustainable Environment: Churches in action.”

Hillary Nuwamanya, 24, was born HIV-positive, and has chosen to live his life setting an example for other young people who are struggling to find hope.

As an important part of the World Council of Churches Ecumenical HIV and AIDS Initiatives and Advocacy programme, the Ugandan has trained people in how to lead their communities in gender equality, gender justice and zero tolerance for sexual and gender-based violence. He often participates in or facilitates intergenerational workshops on HIV and gender justice.

Using lessons learned from building health-competent faith communities and responding to the HIV and AIDS epidemic, African church leaders are doing their best to help their communities cope with the novel coronavirus.

Former Bossey student Rev. Jianmei Jing who works at the Jingling Protestant Church in Hongkou near Shanghai in China has shown that masking your intention can be a truly Christian act. At significant sacrifice during the current COVID-19 pandemic when they were in short supply, she managed to get hold of 300 face masks and sent them to the Bossey community who she knew needed them in Switzerland.

A WCC support team is online and ready to help WCC member churches as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve. The team—comprised of experts in different facets of faith-related pandemic response—is here for you, said WCC acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca. “These are people who can serve as a tremendous support to the WCC fellowship,” said Sauca.

It is with deep sadness that the global ecumenical movement marks the passing away of Martin Khor Kok Peng on 1 April. An economist trained at Cambridge University and the University Sains Malaysia, Martin Khor had led the civil society movement in Malaysia and internationally for decades, on issues of economic, ecological and health justice, founding and leading several key organisations and mentoring various leaders around the world.

The WCC is offering member churches some resources with a human face during the COVID-19 pandemic. A team of eight resource people has been made available to consult on how churches can discern their roles during the coronavirus pandemic, how they can adapt as faith communities, and how they can connect and share with each other.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) is urging people to share accurate information, practice prevention, and pray for people suffering from the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) outbreak.

The WCC has welcomed four new programme executives.

The Ecumenical Theological Education programme of the WCC hosted the first meeting of the International Planning Group of the Global Ecumenical Theological Institute 2021 in end-January in Karlsruhe, Germany, the venue of the future 11th WCC Assembly.