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The long-awaited World Council of Churches (WCC) 11th Assembly, and the arrival of more than 3,500 participants from around the globe, has had a huge impact on the city of Karlsruhe.

On 8 September, the World Council of Churches (WCC) central committee elected Bishop Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria as its new moderator. Below, Bishop Bedford-Strohm reflects on the path ahead.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) 11th Assembly elected eight new presidents on 5 September.  Below. Rev. Francois Pihaatae, WCC president for the Pacific, reflects on the new role, and a vision for how insights gained at the assembly will carry forward.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) 11th Assembly elected eight new presidents on 5 September. Below, Rev. Dr Angelique Walker-Smith, WCC president from North America, reflects on the new role, and a vision for how insights gained at the assembly will carry forward.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) 11th Assembly elected eight new presidents on 5 September. Below, Rev. Dr Susan Durber, WCC president from Europe, reflects on the new role, and a vision for how insights gained at the assembly will carry forward.

“Affirming justice and human dignity”  was the theme of the fourth thematic plenary of the World Council of Churches(WCC) 11th assembly on 6 September. The presentation featured a wheelchair dance performance by Fadi El Halabi, a wheelchair user and Ms. Karen Abi Nader, an international artist. In the freestyle dance, Halabi effortlessly spinned around his wheelchair and,  with slow coordinated moves together with his dance partner, threw hands in the air symbolizing the joy that can only be felt when all exclusionary and disempowerment practices in church and society are addressed.

Dr Andrés Valencia is international president of the International Ecumenical Fellowship. Below, Dr Valencia reflects on the fellowship’s recent congress in Liverpool, and preparations for the World Council of Churches 11th Assembly.

Rev. Prof. Dr Heike Springhart is bishop of Landeskirche in Baden. Below, she offers reflections on her hopes for the World Council of Churches 11th Assembly and, more broadly, how ecumenical relationships can help us all sustain a sense of hope during these challenging times.

Dr Elizabeth Joy was the first woman ever to be shortlisted as a nominee for the general secretary of the World Council of Churches. A director at Churches Together in England, she is from the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church. She grew up in both India and the United Kingdom. Below, during an interview held the day after the WCC elections, she reflects on her roots in the ecumenical movement, and on her message to the WCC.