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On 23 August 2018, a great ecumenical event took place in Amsterdam, the city where the World Council of Churches was founded 70 years ago. Many international ecumenical guests came to celebrate the birthday of that “privileged instrument” of the ecumenical movement. A symposium was held in the university, a great service was celebrated in the Nieuwe Kerk in the city center, and guests were welcomed by the mayor of Amsterdam and local church representatives. And many Amsterdamers came to join the festivities. Everything was livestreamed and broadcast.

Marie Bassili Assaad, an ecumenical leader who was WCC deputy general secretary1980-86, passed away on 30 August 2018.

The World Council of Churches regrets the decision by the Government of the United States of America to withdraw all funding from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestinian Refugees.

Reflection by Dr Agnes Abuom, Moderator of the WCC central committee, at the WCC 70th anniversary celebration service in Amsterdam, 23 August 2018

Message of Dr Agnes Abuom, moderator of the WCC central committee, to the WCC 70th Anniversary Symposium in Amsterdam

"Love Will Find a Way": Greetings of Olav Fykse Tveit, General Secretary of the World Council of Churches to WCC 70th Anniversary Symposium, Amsterdam, 23 August 2018

A sermon by Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the World Council of Churches, in the Protestant Cathedral, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.

Greetings to the World Council of Churches from Ms Erin Green, communication coordinator for the Conference of European Churches (CEC), on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the WCC

Homily of the Pope Francis during the Ecumenical prayer at the WCC Ecumenical Centre, 21 June 2018

Plenary presentation delivered by Prof. Isabel Apawo Phiri at the 11th All Africa Conference of Churches Assembly Kigali, Rwanda

Biblical reflection at the All Africa Conference of Churches' 11th Assembly in Kigali, Rwanda.

A six-person international ecumenical delegation, comprised of representatives of the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) and led by WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit and WCRC general secretary Rev. Dr Chris Ferguson, visited Pyongyang on 3-7 May, at the invitation of the Korean Christian Federation (KCF) of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).

Steve de Gruchy Memorial Lecture by WCC deputy general secretary Prof. Dr Isabel Apawo Phiri. Rodebosch United Church, Cape Town, South Africa. By Prof. Dr Isabel Apawo Phiri (24 April 2018)

The seventh reflection of the of the "Seven Weeks for Water", of World Council of Churches’ Ecumenical Water Network, is by Raquel de Fátima Colet, a consecrated Catholic member of the Company of the Daughters of Charity of the Province of Curitiba/Paraná/Brasil. She is a member of the Ecumenical Movement of Curitiba (MOVEC).  In the following reflection she relates the beatitudes in the context of respecting and protecting our waters. She says, “The Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12) present us with a path to follow Jesus, in the commitment to his Kingdom of love, justice and peace. From Latin America, from its exuberant nature and the lives of our peoples, today we want to proclaim the beatitudes of caring, translated into our prophetic participation in the promotion of a fair and equal access to water a universal gift and right”.

Participants of the “International Conference in Celebration of the 30th Anniversary of the 88 Declaration” organized by the National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK) issued a communique that welcomes the new steps toward dialogue as an historic opportunity.

Reflection brought to the Ecumenical Centre morning prayer by Bishop Dr Staccato Powell, WCC Central Committee member for the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, during a meeting of the Assembly Planning Committee and on the same day as the new book of former general secretary Rev. Dr Konrad Raiser was presented to the public at the Ecumenical Centre, in the presence of the author. The event is par of a year-long series of events commemorating the WCC’s 70th anniversary.

"Perspectives on Migration: Displacement and Marginalization, Inclusion and Justice.
An Ecumenical Vision" - Speech by Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the World Council of Churches at the reception hosted by UNICEF, in New York, 22 January 2018, as part of as part of the 4th Annual Symposium on the Role of Religion and Faith-Based Organizations in International Affairs.

In a message to the World Economic Forum, World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit said he can think of no greater antithesis to a vision of shared life and responsibility than the continued existence of and political and social support for nuclear weapons.

Address at the opening session by Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, in Cairo, 17 January 2018.