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WCC general secretary at University of Havana: “Christians, cry out for peace!”

World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay offered a lecture at University of Havana in Cuba on 19 December entitled “Christians, cry out for peace! The perils and promise of peace today.”

19 December 2023

News

March on Washington: “We must reset the moral compass of the nations”

A continuation, not a commemoration: at the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., religious and civic leaders spoke before thousands of demonstrators who turned out despite intense summertime heat on 26 August.

28 August 2023

News

WCC general secretary, with USA churches, explores how to strengthen relationships

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.

22 July 2023

News

As WCC delegation visits US, focus goes to prayer, reflection, and action

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.

20 July 2023

News

WCC mourns the passing of Edgar Avitia Legarda

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.

07 July 2023

News

protrait photo of Rev. Dr Mikie Roberts, WCC programme executive for Spiritual Life

Barbados Gospelfest will express churches’ affirmation and celebration of persons with disabilities

The upcoming Barbados Gospelfest, set for 21-28 May, will express churches’ affirmation and celebration of persons with disabilities in musical and other creative ways.

17 May 2023

Interview

Calling for Christian Unity requires “both a prophetic and pastoral approach”

Rev. Dr Curtiss Paul DeYoung, co-chief executive officer of the Minnesota Council of Churches, helped convene the team of authors for this year’s Week of Prayer for Christian Unity materials. Below, he reflects on the challenges and hopes the team brought to the table as they composed the text.

18 January 2023

News

Winnie Byanyima, executive director of UNAIDS

For children with HIV, inequality must be addressed, urge faith-based leaders

An interfaith breakfast held in conjunction with the 77th session of the UN General Assembly brought into focus the urgent need for policymakers to better address key gaps to end inequalities in HIV services for children.

26 September 2022

Interview

Rev. Dr Jeffrey Carter expresses sense of hope in “centre that seeks unity above all else”

Rev. Dr Jeffrey Carter, Church of the Brethren, is president of Bethany Theological Seminary. His reflections below were drawn from an interview after the confessional meeting with historic peace churches and the Moravians that occurred during the recent World Council of Churches (WCC) central committee meeting. Carter is a member of the central committee.

21 June 2022

News

On Juneteenth, WCC calls for serving those most affected by sins of racism, capitalism and militarism

On the anniversary of Juneteenth, remembering the enslavement of African peoples in the United States and their emancipation announced in 1865, leaders from the World Council of Churches (WCC) urged an end to hate speech and to the sin of racism.

19 June 2022

News

WCC celebrates life of Sarah Newland Martin, courageous change-maker

The World Council of Churches (WCC) is mourning the death of Sarah Newland Martin, known for her lifetime of advocacy for persons with disabilities, for her leadership with the YMCA and Jamaica Baptist Union, and her ecumenical bridge-building.

12 June 2022

Feature story

Vigil outside the McKendree United Methodist Church in Nashville, USA

Wrestling with the racial pandemic

How are churches in North America dealing with issues of race, recently so conspicuous and contested in US and Canadian society?

15 February 2022

Feature story

With boldness of faith, joy and peace, Pan African women hold “Ubuntu” gathering

Women of faith who are African or of African descent held a powerful recent gathering, “Ubuntu: Remembrance, Diversity, and Advocacy in Unity Now!” in which they shared their call to action with a sense of Sankofa, or a season of now while looking back and forward. The event was organized by the Pan African Women’s Ecumenical Empowerment Network (PAWEEN) and Pan African Women of Faith (PAW).

17 December 2021

Blog post

Week of Prayer brings fruits of the Spirit despite COVID-19

Prayer is a powerful way to be united as Christians from all over the world. Every year my church community in Cuba joins the celebration of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity with daily devotions and a special worship service, usually on Sundays. Being connected in the same prayerful spirit around a common text that turns into so many testimonies of faith is truly a gift of the Spirit and an ecumenical commitment.

31 May 2021

Dianet de la C. Martínez Valdés

Feature story

In Minnesota, sacred stories of racial justice are being created: will the world listen?

How does a group of Christian leaders from Minnesota (USA) focus on writing reflections for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in 2023 while, at the same time, addressing the urgent racism, violence and white supremacy surrounding them?

06 May 2021

Interview

Portrait photo of Rev. Fr Dr Alkiviadis Calivas

Rev. Fr Dr Alkiviadis Calivas: “the message of the Resurrection is always there”

As Rev. Fr Dr Alkiviadis Calivas celebrated Easter with his children and grandchildren near Boston, Massachusetts (USA) he reflected with joy on the differences between this year and last year, on the everlasting message of the Resurrection, and how we free ourselves from fear in order to find hope.

03 May 2021

Photo essay

Collage of some of the Week of Prayer pictures shared by Christians in different places

In pictures: Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

Prayers for unity took on a different look and feel this year, but they weren’t stopped by widespread restrictions on face-to-face gatherings. From prayer cards to personal reflections, online gatherings to new connections, the images worldwide convey the spiritual richness of an ecumenical family that came together in prayer.

01 February 2021

News

US National Prayer Service: “the only way to ensure domestic tranquility is to establish justice”

As the 2021 Biden-Harris National Prayer Service unfolded at the Washington National Cathedral on 21 January, dozens of prayers and a message from Rev. Dr William Barber II together gave a clarion call for repairing the breach in America.

22 January 2021

News

As US churches gather in Christian unity, “I kept listening for the voice of God”

As the National Council of Churches (USA) held an online Christian Unity Gathering on 12-13 October, Rev. James A. Forbes reflected to a tired nation: “Does anybody question whether we’ve seen some plagues?”

16 October 2020

News

Dr Jurjen A. Zeilstra: Visser 't Hooft’s life “a fascinating adventure”

Dr Jurjen Zeilstra is a historian and theologian. His biography “Visser 't Hooft, 1900-1985 Living for the Unity of the Church” served as a dissertation in the humanities at the Amsterdam Free University in order to receive the degree of Ph.D. in 2018. Willem Visser 't Hooft led the World Council of Churches (WCC) during its formative stages. Below, Dr Zeilstra reflects on what it was like to study the life of Visser 't Hooft.

14 May 2020