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The Climate Sunday initiative is inviting local churches across Great Britain, Ireland and across the world to hold a climate-focused service on any Sunday before the United Nations climate change conference (COP26) begins in Glasgow on 31 October-12 November.

The World Council of Churches is publishing a series of interviews that portray insights and re-flections from the leaders of faith-based global and regional humanitarian and development or-ganizations. Amanda Khozi Mukwashi is CEO of Christian Aid, which is based in the UK.

In the ten months leading to the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP26), faith-based organisations, including Christian Aid, ACT Alliance, and Lutheran World Federation are inviting people to a period of intense prayer for the climate.

Christian Aid has commissioned composers and musicians from around the world to create a new orchestral theme inspired by the climate crisis.

The 12-minute piece, Song of the Prophets: A Requiem for the Climate, is being composed by Chineke! — said to be the first majority-black and minority ethnic orchestra in Europe. It will have its première in St Paul’s Cathedral during Christian Aid Week (12-18 May).

Bridging the gap between faith and investments with cooperation between different groups was the focus of recent a two-day conference in Geneva. It was a rare meeting of the likes of asset managers and clergy, and the solution at the heart of success was how to collaborate for success based on Christian principles.

WCC News met with the Very Reverend Archimandrite Dr Alexi Chehadeh, who leads the Department of Ecumenical Relations and Development for the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and all the East in Damascus, Syria. He is an impressive role model and peacemaker in Syria.

A worship service at the Glasgow University Chapel on 25 November featured recorded contributions by World Council of Churches (WCC) deputy general secretary Dr Isabel Apawo Phiri as well as two other women who have dedicated their lives to promoting gender justice.

Christian leaders visited the House of Lords in the UK on 17 April to challenge government inactivity on tax justice reforms and to demand action. Beginning the initiative “Church Action for Tax Justice” (CAT), president-designate of the UK Methodist Conference, Rev. Michaela Youngson, joined Lords Rowan Williams and Richard Harries, Dame Margaret Hodge and Quaker leader Paul Parker to demand an end to corporate tax evasion, greater transparency and a change to the negative narrative around tax.

An exhibit entitled “Faith in Gender Justice” will open in the Scottish Parliament on 8 March in conjunction with International Women’s Day.

Not nearly enough is being done to save the lives of the 20 million people who face famine in Yemen, Somalia, South Sudan and Nigeria. Among them are 1.4 million children, who are at imminent risk of death unless aid reaches them immediately.

Almost forty years after the advent of HIV and AIDS, people around the world living with HIV still endure assaults on their dignity and basic human rights—from stigma and discrimination to denial of legal protection and even medical care.

“We are not speaking of people leaving one less-than-affluent suburb to go to a more affluent one because they seek a better quality of life; these are people leaving war-torn, poverty-stricken and conflict-filled near-anarchic states to find protection and safety for themselves and for their families.”

Azad is a refugee from the north of Aleppo, Syria and is currently in The Jungle camp in Calais, France. “It’s hard here” says Azad, and then falls quiet. “People are hungry, cold, afraid and we can’t do anything”. He’s sitting cross-legged on the floor of a small shelter.

A WCC delegation visited Ireland from 28 November to 1 December to explore how the international ecumenical community may best support churches in the global fellowship and work together on the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace.

As head of policy at Christian Aid, a key member of the ACT Alliance, Alison Kelly has an eye on sustainable development in what is seen as the prophetic voice of the church, which has a busy year in 2015.

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity has been globally celebrated this year with prayers, reflections, ecumenical services and events focusing on Paul’s question in Corinthians 1 “Has Christ been divided?” a theme for this year’s prayer materials, prepared by the Canadian churches.