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Bible studies
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Seven Weeks for Water 2024, week 1: Water for peace in the Middle East region

The first reflection of the Seven Weeks for Water 2024 series of the WCC Ecumenical Water Network is written by Dr Munib Younan,* bishop emeritus of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land and former president of the Lutheran World Federation. In this reflection, the author, as a Palestinian, in line with this year's theme of "leveraging water for peace,” reflects on Isaiah's promise of free water for the thirsty in the context of the ongoing Israeli war in Gaza that has worsened the water situation in Gaza to catastrophic levels.

14 February 2024
Event
World Social Forum 2001

WCC at the World Social Forum 2024

15 - 19 February 2024

The World Social Forum (WSF) 2024 is scheduled to take place from February 15-19 in Nepal. The WSF serves as an open space and platform for the convergence of a diverse range of participants, including social movements, laborers, farmers, civil society groups, marginalized communities, and those affected by the impacts of neoliberal capitalism and privatization. 

Kathmandu, Nepal
News
Bedford-Strohm

WCC leads workshop on Blue Communities at Lutheran World Federation Assembly

Speaking at a workshop on “Churches becoming Blue Communities” during the ongoing Lutheran World Federation Assembly on 16 September, World Council of Churches (WCC) moderator Bishop Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm introduced the concept of Blue Communities, emphasizing the importance of respecting the human right to water, resisting water privatization, and reducing the reliance on bottled water.

22 September 2023
News
Water pours from a faucet into a person's hands

Human rights advocates celebrate democratic control of water in Nigeria

After a years-long battle against proposed water-related legislation in Nigeria that had high potential for privatizing water, the World Council of Churches (WCC) Ecumenical Water Network in Nigeria celebrated the defeat of the proposed law, and pledged to continue to protect water as a human right.

07 June 2023
Feature story
The church grounds of the Community United Church of Christ in Fresno, USA,

Beyond gravel: designing water-wise church grounds

Becoming better stewards of Creation by killing off your church lawn? It sounds odd, but it is exactly what the Community United Church of Christ (UCC) in Fresno, USA, did. Facing increasing drought and water scarcity in their home state California, the congregation embarked on a project to drastically reduce their water use. Thanks to the massive support of volunteers, an entirely new, water-wise landscape was created that offers a lot to discover.

29 May 2023
News
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Water and sanitation prominent on COP27 agenda

The second week of the COP27 conference in Egypt focused on the link between global warming and water. This is the first time that water has been included on the agenda of a major global environmental event.

28 November 2022
Feature story
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Water as a divine gift, and justice issue

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.

08 September 2022
Feature story
Asian plenary, WCC 10th Assembly

Water and justice at the WCC 11th Assembly

“The global water crisis is not simply about dealing with scarcity, it’s about fighting inequality and discrimination, about addressing blatant mismanagement and often also corruption.” For Bishop Arnold Temple, chair of the WCC Ecumenical Water Network, this is why it is so important for churches to keep raising awareness and speaking up about water being a matter of justice and rights. "It's great to see that the importance of water and the churches' commitment to water justice are going to be reflected in the programme of the upcoming WCC 11th Assembly", Temple notes. 

20 July 2022
Bible studies
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Seven Weeks for Water 2022, week 7: “Pilgrimage of water justice in Europe,” by Prof. Dr Isabel Apawo Phiri

The seventh and final reflection of the Seven Weeks for Water 2022 of the WCC’s Ecumenical Water Network is written by Prof. Dr Isabel Apawo Phiri*. In the following reflection she, being the staff focal point of WCC’s Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace, makes a compelling analysis of how the WCC pilgrimage and the pilgrimage of water justice inter-relate, complement, and strengthen each other, with a particular reference to Europe.

11 April 2022
Bible studies
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Seven Weeks for Water 2022, week 6 “Water is a gift of God, a common good and a human right” by Dinesh Suna

The sixth reflection of the Seven Weeks for Water 2022 of the WCC’s Ecumenical Water Network is written by Dinesh Suna.* In the following reflection ,  he gives a historical background of the WCC's water justice ministry and reaffirms that water is a gift of God, a common good and human right. Taking the inspiration from Isaiah, he calls the churches to become blue communities and say no to privatisation of water and to bottled water.

04 April 2022
News
river in Sao Paulo state Brazil

Brazilian ecumenical water network launched

An online event held on 22 July marked the launch of the Ecumenical Water Network Brazil, an initiative that intends to articulate several ecumenical organizations and interfaith voices with the purpose of raising awareness about the life cycle of water.

29 July 2021