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Rev. Dr Kenneth Mtata, World Council of Churches director of Public Witness and Diakonia, returned from Sudan with what he described as “a broken heart” after witnessing the plight of the people. Yet he also shared signs of hope that a pact for peace can end the suffering. 

Dr Masiiwa Ragies Gunda, World Council of Churches (WCC) programme executive on Overcoming Racism, Racial Discrimination, and Xenophobia, recently attended and spoke at a Church and Peace Conference in the Netherlands. Exploring the theme “Overcoming Racism in the Church,” the conference drew nearly 100 people from 15 European and non-European countries. 

Thursdays in Black ambassadors play a vital role in increasing the impact of our collective call for a world without rape and violence. Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay is general secretary of the World Council of Churches.

Prof. Dr Fabien Revol, chair of the Ecumenical and Francophone Society on the Theology of Ecology and professor of theology at the Catholic University of Lyon, reflects below on the launch of the book "Penser les relations écologiques en théologie à l'ère de l'Anthropocène" ("Reflecting on Ecological Relations in Theology in the Anthropocene Era”), which is the fruit of a 2021 Theology of Ecology seminar organized by the World Council of Churches (WCC) in partnership with the Francophone Society.

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.

The World Council of Churches welcomes new Thursdays in Black ambassadors! 

Our ongoing series of interviews with Thursdays in Black ambassadors highlights those who are playing a vital role in increasing the impact of our collective call for a world without rape and violence. Tomi Jarvinen is executive director of Finn Church Aid.

 

Rev. Dr Fidon Mwombeki, general secretary of the All Africa Conference of Churches, reflects below on the biggest challenges facing churches in Africa, and hopes for the future.

Gertrude Oforiwa Fefoame was elected to chair the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. She is also a commissioner for the World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission on World Mission and Evangelism, as well as an active member of the Ecumenical Disability Advocates Network.

At the St Andrew’s Presbyterian of Church East Africa in Nairobi, Judy Kihumba is the voice between the hearing and the deaf worlds in one of Kenya’s oldest churches.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) 11th Assembly elected eight new presidents. Below, His Holiness, The Most Rev. Dr Rufus Okikiola Ositelu, WCC president for Africa, reflects on the new role, and a vision for how insights gained at the assembly will carry his task forward.

A youth congress organized by the All Africa Conference of Churches on 31 October-5 November at the Pentecost Convention Center in Ghana will draw about 2,000 young people between the ages of 15-35.

With the theme “Africa: My Home. My Future,” the congress will endeavor to increase awareness of the tremendous potentials of young people—and the opportunities that await.

Below, Rev Dr. Lesmore Gibson Ezekiel, All Africa Conference of Churches director of programmes, reflects on the planning, vision, and prayers for the congress.

When the next World Council of Churches (WCC) executive committee meeting convenes, among the members will be a deaf Presbyterian clergy from Kenya.

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.

Prof. Dr Sarojini Nadar is director of the Desmond Tutu Centre for Religion and Social Justice, University of Western Cape, South Africa. Below, she reflects on outcomes from the inaugural “Ecumenical Women’s Initiative for Leadership and Learning” held in May. 

Mathilda Johnson is world vice president of the World Federation of Methodist and Uniting Church Women. She also serves as lay president for the Methodist Church in The Gambia. Below, she reflects on her childhood, her top women’s issues, and her hope for her sisters in Africa.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) central committee elected Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay as the ninth general secretary at its 17 June meeting. Below, Pillay reflects on his longstanding passion for ecumenism and his expectations for the WCC 11th Assembly in Karlsruhe.