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 Germany.
Forty retired World Council of Churches (WCC) staff gathered at the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey on 22 August to celebrate the WCC’s 75th anniversary and to receive greetings and reflections from WCC general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay.
An ecumenical team from Burkina Faso facilitated by the local Chemin Neuf Community has been the convener for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2024 drafting group. The World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Vatican have now published the material in several languages.
The World Council of Churches (WCC) is calling on Azerbaijan for the immediate lifting of the blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh, as more than 120,000 people—including 30,000 children—are suffering under an increasingly dire humanitarian crisis.
In pastoral letters to His All-Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew, His Beatitude Hieronymos II, Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, and the Evangelical Church of Greece, World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay conveyed sincere sympathies as wildfires raged across the land.
The World Council of Churches (WCC) will be represented at the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES) World Assembly on 2-10 August in Jakarta, Indonesia.
A World Council of Churches (WCC) delegation led by WCC general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Pillay visited New York City and Washington, DC this week, meeting with United Nations representatives, the Papal Nuncio, the National Council of Churches in North America, other church leaders, and ecumenical organizations and state officials.
A World Council of Churches (WCC) delegation, led by WCC general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay, is visiting the USA this week, traveling to New York City as well as Washington, D.C. to bring together ecumenical leadership.
The stories that imprint and accompany us the most are not necessarily the ones spoken most eloquently or from an orator’s elaborate formulations, but every so often those emanating out of the mouths of babes.
The life and ministry of Dr. Sylvia Ross Talbot, a church leader whose ecumenical dedication included service as the WCC’s vice-moderator in the 1980s and president of Church Women United, was celebrated last weekend in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
A World Council of Churches (WCC) delegation will visit New York City and Washington, D.C. 18-21 July with the goal of strengthening collaboration and partnerships.
World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay sent joyful greetings from the global fellowship to Cardinal-elect Pierrbattista Pizzaballa’s nomination by His Holiness Pope Francis.
The World Council of Churches (WCC) joined Caritas Internationalis, ACT Alliance, World Evangelical Alliance, and Lutheran World Federation in signing a joint letter to USAID administrator Samantha Power expressing concern over the suspension of food aid in Ethiopia.
In a historic vote, Rev. Dr Karen Georgia Thompson, a Black woman born in Jamaica, was elected as general minister and president by the United Church of Christ's 34th General Synod on 3 July.
The World Council of Churches (WCC) joins the Methodist family and people across the world who are mourning the death of Rev. Edgar Avitia Legarda, a passionate ecumenical bridge builder.
When Rev. Rita Famos became involved in the youth programmes of her local congregation in Bern, Switzerland, back in the early 1980s, a lifelong commitment to the Reformed Church and the ecumenical movement started to evolve.
Rev. Matthew Ross, who served as WCC programme executive for Diakonia and Capacity Building from 2018-2023, reflects on how the document “Called to Transformation – Ecumenical Diakonia,” which he edited, is being received in ways that affirm the importance of diaconal service and mission.
“Hospitality is one of our main values,” said president of the Protestant Church in Switzerland Rev. Rita Famos as she welcomed members of the World Council of Churches (WCC) central committee to a reception at the Ecumenical Centre on 23 June.
World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay shared greetings to the Conference of European Churches 16th General Assembly, taking place in Tallinn, Estonia under the theme “Under God’s blessing – shaping the future.”
With the topics of the war in Ukraine and climate protection as the focal points, the 38th German Protestant Kirchentag takes place in Nuremberg, Germany from 7 to 11 June. The World Council of Churches’ presence in the Kirchentag’s exhibition space “Market of Opportunities” (hall 9, stand 9-C32) enables lively encounters and an opportunity to learn more about the ecumenical movement.
