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The World Council of Churches (WCC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) are celebrating 50 years of collaboration. Their work together includes strategizing, publications, seminars, webinars, and responding to crises such as HIV, the Ebola outbreak, and COVID-19 pandemic. 

The moment religious leaders from around 40 faith-based organisations worldwide agreed to keep defending the individual right to seek asylum during a gathering in Geneva marked a high point on the eve of the Global Refugee Forum, the world's biggest such international gathering.They met at a one-day event on 12 December at the World Council of Churches (WCC), chaired by an Armenian archbishop and a UN diplomat who was once a Turkish legislator.

Children who gathered prior and during  the New Global Financial Pact, held 22-23 June in Paris, delivered a clear message to President Macron and world leaders: the existing colonial economic model must be replaced with one that prioritizes humanity over profits.

The importance of water for Christians around the world cannot be overemphasized.  From Genesis 1:1, where we read that “a wind from God swept over the face of the waters” to its sacramental role in baptism and the Eucharist, water is integral to the faith.

When the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, 2022, churches had already been responding to humanitarian need in the country for eight years, since the annexation of Crimea in 2014.  The work being undertaken by churches in meeting the needs of those displaced by the war is not new, but the scale is staggering as 14 million people have been displaced in the six months since the invasion began.

Is a successful dialogue between churches and politicians possible and what should it be based on? Can the European Green Deal inspire similar actions in other regions? What Christian values can contribute to the universal aspiration for a sustainable future?

The groaning of a Creation awaiting renewal provided context for ecumenical common prayer at the 11^th Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC) in Karlsruhe, Germany on the morning of Monday 5 September. The theme for morning prayers was “Christ’s love means compassion for life”.

The signs are on the wall. The last decade was the warmest on record. Of the 20 warmest years, 19 occurred since 2000. And evidence indicates that this is due to the rise of greenhouse gas emissions produced by human activity. World’s scientists have warned that, at the current rate, the world could cross 1.5˚C hotter as soon as 2030. That’s less than a decade from now, well within the lifespan of most people alive today

“If you’re for climate justice, say ‘AMEN!’” was the chant as young people led a protest marching through the Brunnen exhibition zone at the 11^th Assembly of the World Council of Churches in Karlsruhe, Germany on September 2, 2022.

Recalling believers’ mandate to act as stewards and beneficiaries of God’s creation, the World Council of Churches (WCC) Assembly gathered in morning prayer on the first day of September, the Orthodox Day of Prayer for Creation and the start of an ecumenically observed Season of Creation. At the heart of the liturgical action was a combining of vessels of water from each inhabited region of the earth, a “gathering of the waters” reflecting the earliest act of creation in Genesis 1:9.

September 1 marks the beginning of the Season of Creation, five weeks in the liturgical calendar recognized by the fellowship of the World Council of Churches (WCC) and, since 2015, by the Catholic Church. It is an especially religious demonstration of concern for the planet and for threats to the survival of Earth as we know it.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) had a pivotal place at a conference organized by the Foundation Dialogue for Peace in Geneva, drawing international speakers that would gladden the organizers of any world gathering as they interlinked trying to feed and heal people and get peace during war.

As the COVID-19 pandemic slowly fades, its severe impact on people’s lives lingers on throughout Asia and the rest of the world. In addition to the sufferings and tragic losses of lives caused by the virus, hopes for a brighter future have been dimmed by social isolation, economic recession, increased unemployment and poverty.

Over 23-29 October, a Global Conference of Africa and Africans in the Diaspora (AAD) revisited the historical 1945 Manchester Pan-African Conference and critically reviewed progress made since then. Speakers and participants also worked to determine and develop effective global strategies to radically change the lot of Africans and people of African descent globally—and thereby defeat the scourge of racism in the world.

As the journey continues towards the WCC 11^th Assembly in Karlsruhe in 2022, a World Council of Churches consultation is now taking place in Berlin, Germany, to reflect and strategize on the future of the churches’ health ministry.