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Jesus and the ladder to peacemaking: an Easter meditation

Originally published by The Canadian Council of Churches.*

04 April 2024

Pastor Peter Noteboom

A meeting of the WCC delegation with the National Nuclear Commission of the Marshall Islands, November 2023, Photo: Chewy C.Lin/WCC

Pilgrimage to Marshall Islands brings new urgency for justice in wake of nuclear testing

With a focus on the legacy of nuclear testing and climate change, the World Council of Churches (WCC) completed a pilgrimage visit to the Marshall Islands on 16-24 November.

30 November 2023

A journey through advocacy, women's leadership, and the Korea peace appeal

The call for peace in Korea has resonated for decades, echoing across international borders and faith communities. Patti Talbot, who has served The United Church of Canada for nearly 30 years, sheds light on the enduring relevance of ecumenical advocacy efforts for peace in the Korean Peninsula. She shared insights into the importance of these efforts and their potential to change the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

25 September 2023

Ecumenism in the Philippines means hope and resilience

As the World Council of Churches celebrates its 75th anniversary, a series of feature stories from different regions of the world will portray ecumenism at the local level—within churches, communities, and individuals who embody the spirit of ecumenism in unique ways. The feature story below offers a glimpse of some facets of ecumenism present in the Philippines.

22 August 2023

WCC Central Committee 2023: sharing from North America group

North American region of WCC challenges regional racism

Racism has been identified as one of the most significant challenges facing the North American region in the United States and Canada, a World Council of Churches (WCC) meeting has heard.

06 July 2023

Churches must talk about issues even if they are not comfortable with them, says Disciples' leader

Rev. Terri Hord Owens, the general minister and president of the Christian Church, the Disciples of Christ (USA and Canada), says the World Council of Churches (WCC) must offer an environment where people can talk on all issues, even if it is uncomfortable or "messy" to do so.

27 June 2023

Memorial service marking the 50th anniversary of martial law in the Philippines

Church leaders remember martyrs in Philippines, call for end to current campaign of repression

Church leaders in the Philippines gathered in an ecumenical memorial service in Manila on 21 September, the 50^th anniversary of the imposition of martial law, to solemnly recall people of faith who were tortured and killed during the brutal regime of president Ferdinand Marcos.

06 October 2022

Entrance to the WCC 11th Assembly venue in Karlsruhe

Under the canopy of yellow leaves

Ushered into the venue of the World Council of Churches (WCC) 11th Assembly in Karlsruhe, Germany, one finds a sanctuary, a safe space under the canopy of yellow leaves. Under the shade of trees with leaves slowly going through the withering process is the springing of hope for a better world engaged in conversations and dialogues that promote life at its fullness.

04 September 2022

Klein Fausto Emperado

My experience in Fiji

My name is Tobias Nissen, I am an 18-year-old UK / Danish dual national who has lived in France my whole life. I attended school in Geneva, Switzerland and during my final years of education, I wrote an essay about the effects that climate change is having on low-lying Pacific countries. From this point on my interest in the Pacific region grew, and when I received the opportunity to work as an intern for the Pacific Conference of Churches, in Fiji for 2 months, I knew that it would be an experience that I couldn’t miss.

22 June 2022

Tobias Nissen

A woman prays in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Thousands of Christians march the Via Dolorosa on Good Friday, marking the stations of the cross in the Jerusalem Old City, in memory of the path Jesus walked carrying his cross towards his crucifixion.

How do churches address racism, really?

Although America’s Historic Black Churches were on the vanguard of racial change a generation ago, black church leaders today confront a more complex, variegated and frustrating situation.

15 February 2022

Vigil outside the McKendree United Methodist Church in Nashville, USA

Wrestling with the racial pandemic

How are churches in North America dealing with issues of race, recently so conspicuous and contested in US and Canadian society?

15 February 2022

COP26: historic moment into what really matters to sustain life

The highly anticipated, long awaited COP26 began 31 October. It has now been six years since the adoption of the Paris Agreement at COP21 and much remains to be implemented in order to fulfil the promises agreed to at that historic moment by the member states. We knew then that the road ahead would be challenging and that changing our systems would require a radical shift in policies and behaviours—but we were hopeful.

01 November 2021

Joy Kennedy

Pacific islands in peril, local churches' leader stresses before COP26

The Pacific islands are in grave danger and at the frontline of global climate change, so that is why the United Nations Conference on Climate Change, known as COP26, in Glasgow is so important for islanders, says Rev. James Bhagwan. He is general secretary of the Pacific Conference of Churches, a Methodist minister based in Fiji, and visited Geneva on his way to COP26, in Scotland's biggest city, Glasgow, from 31 October to 12 November.

26 October 2021

Canadian First Nations politician Bernadette Smith

In Winnipeg, WCC Pilgrim Team Visit explores how “out of sorrow comes action”

Classified as one of the most violent cities in Canada, Winnipeg is also the location with the highest concentration of indigenous population, formed in the country by about 1.5 million people from 634 indigenous nations.

01 June 2021

Arctic communities to WCC pilgrims: “We need your voice”

Lorraine Netro, who was raised in the Gwich’in First Nation of Old Crow, Yukon (Canada), is part of an indigenous community—but she’s also a global citizen.

“Today’s Arctic peoples are important members of global society,” Netro said. “The survival of Arctic cultures and communities remains tied to the wildlife and landscape of the Arctic Refuge.”

11 May 2021

Photo essay

Collage of some of the Week of Prayer pictures shared by Christians in different places

In pictures: Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

Prayers for unity took on a different look and feel this year, but they weren’t stopped by widespread restrictions on face-to-face gatherings. From prayer cards to personal reflections, online gatherings to new connections, the images worldwide convey the spiritual richness of an ecumenical family that came together in prayer.

01 February 2021