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The WCC Central Committee on Wednesday, 2 September adopted a minute on the responsibility of churches for communities enduring anti-Christian violence. Numerous central committee members brought the concern to the body's public issues committee.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) Central Committee called on the Israeli government to freeze and begin to dismantle settlements in occupied Palestinian territories. It also encouraged a commitment to non-violence and peace negotiations, and reiterated the need for an international boycott of products and services from settlements.

The WCC Central Committee on Wednesday, 2 September adopted a statement on just finance and the economy of life. The statement notes that the global financial system has "enriched some people but has harmed many more, creating poverty, unemployment, hunger and death" and "widening the gap between rich and poor".

The World Council of Churches Central Committee urged the Methodist Church in Fiji to engage in dialogue with the interim government of the Pacific island.

As the World Council of Churches (WCC) prepares for a new general secretary in January 2010 and its 10th Assembly in 2013, it also faces some financial challenges because of reduced income from donors, member churches and fluctuations in exchange rates.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) Central Committee adopted a "Statement on eco-justice and ecological debt" on Wednesday, 2 Sept. The statement proposes that Christians have a deep moral obligation to promote ecological justice by addressing our debts to peoples most affected by ecological destruction and to the earth itself. The statement addresses ecological debt and includes hard economic calculations as well as biblical, spiritual, cultural and social dimensions of indebtedness.

A beachfront location, an opportunity to be a witness for peace and reconciliation, and a commitment to engage the breadth of the region’s church community as widely as possible: these are among the features those attending the World Council of Churches’ 10th Assembly in Busan, South Korea can expect.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) Central Committee adopted a “Statement of hope in a year of opportunity: seeking a nuclear weapon free world” on Tuesday 1 September.

The WCC Central Committee called on the government of Pakistan to “guarantee the rights of all religious minorities in the country”.

by Walt Wiltschek (*)

The World Council of Churches Central Committee on Tuesday, 1 September, adopted a minute on the right of conscientious objection to military service. It cites a recent WCC study showing "that in many places churches face challenges of conscientious objection", which allows those whose conscience prohibits them from military service to engage in alternate means of service.

The World Council of Churches Central Committee again took up the issue of Sudan at meetings in Geneva this week, issuing a “Statement on the Darfur crisis in the context of Sudan”. Since early 2003, the statement says, “the conflict in Darfur has unleashed an overwhelming wave of violence resulting in the death of hundreds of thousands of civilians and an immense humanitarian crisis”.

How does the church interact with a rapidly changing society? On 31 August, members of the World Council of Churches Central Committee spent much of the morning discussing this question in a pair of plenary sessions in Geneva.

“Nature is our home,” said Dr. Maria Sumire Conde from the Quecha community of Peru. She says some of those who have come there, however, have not been good guests.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) Central Committee voted today to hold the 10th WCC Assembly in Busan, Republic of Korea in 2013. The decision was taken by secret ballot and decided in one round.

With prayers, singing, gifts and speeches of thanks, the World Council of Churches (WCC) Central Committee offered its farewell to outgoing general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia on Sunday 30 August.

“Tears are not enough.” Fernando Enns spoke that phrase in introductory remarks to the World Council of Churches central committee on 28 August. It was repeated several times during a morning plenary session on the WCC’s upcoming International Ecumenical Peace Convocation (IEPC).

World Council of Churches general secretary-elect Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit was asked on Friday to outline his vision for the organization. He didn’t have to look far for inspiration.

Norwegian theologian and pastor Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, 48, was elected 7th general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Thursday 27 August during its Central Committee meeting. Tveit will be the youngest general secretary since Willem A. Visser 't Hooft who had led the WCC while it was in process of formation and following its founding assembly 61 years ago.

Central committee members will choose between three potential sites for the 10th Assembly of the World Council of Churches, to be held in 2013: Busan, South Korea; Damascus, Syria; and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.