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Ecumenical family prepares for Christmas

During the second week of Advent, staff members of the World Council of Churches and other organizations at the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva gathered with their families for the prayer service and celebration of the upcoming Christmas.

WCC Executive Committee addresses global concerns, sets vision for “one human family”

The World Council of Churches (WCC) Executive Committee met from 20-26 November at the Bossey Ecumenical Institute, to approve the 2020 programme plans and budget, follow up and decide on a variety of assembly matters, discuss world affairs and issue seven statements in response to current situations. The Executive Committee also discerned the way forward for the WCC’s Youth Communication Strategy.

Racism, sexism and the pyramid of discrimination

On 24th December 2018 I was on a long queue to the pay point in a supermarket in Malawi. It was a hot day. The lights went off. Everything was now processed manually. Being a day before Christmas holiday, the shop was full of people. I had been on the queue for 20 minutes. In front of me was a black Malawian man. The teller was also a black Malawian man. After the person in front of me was served, I put my items on the counter for payment. In a flash a young Indian girl cut the line in front of me and the teller served her.

Russian Orthodox Christmas message

Orthodox Christians in central and eastern Europe and other parts of the world celebrated Christmas on 6-7 January. The WCC General Secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, Deputy General Secretary Fr Ioan Sauca and H E Archbishop Ivan Jurkovic from the Holy See attended the Holy Feast of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ at the Russian Orthodox church in Geneva on 7th January. The Orthodox liturgy was led by Fr. Mikhail Goundiaev, Representative of the Moscow Patriarchate at the World Council of Churches and International organizations in Geneva.

South Sudan Council of Churches sends Christmas message

The South Sudan Council of Churches, on 21 December, released a Christmas Message of Hope. The Republic of South Sudan is experiencing a new era of peace, the message reads. “We bring it before God to bless it, to purify it, to reformulate it according to his will,” the message reads. “Peace is the gift from on high.”

Fr Alexi - a peacemaker in Syria

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.

Christmas: A time for inclusive celebration

“Let us promote inclusion from the family to society level.” This was the clarion call made by Rachna Singh, National Council of Churches in India (NCCI) executive committee member and Sanjay Singh, director of the Church of North India stewardship ambassadors’ ministry during the Christmas celebrations of people with disabilities on 1 December at the NCCI Campus in Nagpur.

Church leaders present Christmas statement on refugees and migrants to the European Parliament

Church leaders in Europe stand together for an approach on refugees and migrants “based on dignity, respect, and where possible compassion”. This is the conclusion of a festive ceremony in which the leaders of the Churches Commission for Migrants in Europe (CCME) and the Conference of European Churches (CEC) handed over on 4th December a European Church leaders Christmas statement to the European Parliament’s 1st Vice President Mairead McGuinness.