We, the members of communities including social thinkers, clergy, theologians, activists, and community leaders representing social organizations, ecumenical institutions, and religious traditions, gathered under the aegis of the New International Financial Economic Architecture (NIFEA). We met at a time when leaders of the G20 were also gathering to deliberate on the future of this planet.
Meeting at the same time as the G20 summit in Delhi, India, a group of social thinkers, community activists, theologians, and religious leaders has called for “radical alternatives” to be reimagined “as an alternative to capitalism, state domination, patriarchy, ableism, cis-heteronormativity, and all forms of racism and casteism.”
Graduates of the 2023 Certificate of Advanced Studies in Interreligious Studies at the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey sent a message to the world as they completed their academic pursuits and prepared to return to their diverse homes and faith traditions.
The first edition of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Ecumenical Disabilities Advocates Network newsletter is available, with a theme of "DigitALL: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality.”
As a parent of an autistic child, it is important for me not only to embrace and accept that my child has autism but also to raise awareness on autism. We are all called upon to champion acceptance, embrace, appreciate, and accept autistic people as valued members of the community.
Technology has impacted our lives in a big way but this is just as well because it has given us a window into the future where we are told that technology and humans will continue to shape and influence each other in a symbiotic relationship. This therefore calls on us to create a more inclusive and equitable cyber environment for all, recognising the significant opportunities and risks that the digital space poses especially for persons with disabilities.
Coming from countries and churches across the Caribbean region, people gathered during the June World Council of Churches (WCC) central committee meeting to celebrate their uniqueness, address serious challenges, and pray together.
In April 2023, at Birkenhead, UK which is near Liverpool town, home to one of the world’s best football team (Liverpool) and where the best-ever pop group (Beatles) came from, Rev. John Naude, EDAN Europe coordinator was licensed as vicar to St Peter’s, Rock Ferry.
For the first time in history, women pastors in the Maluku Protestant Church outnumber their male counterparts. “We have 1,444 pastors in the Maluku Protestant Church, and about 55% are women,” said Maluku Protestant Church moderator Rev. Elifas Tomix Maspaitella.
At a WCC central committee meeting, members spend hours in plenary dealing with dozens of reports, developing documents, deliberating, discussing, and sometimes differing from each other. But there are also moments during breaks and on their way through the foyer where they enter another part of the life of the WCC.
Address of Bishop Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, moderator of the World Council of Churches central committee, at the WCC central committee meeting on 21-27 June 2023.
Burundi recently witnessed a significant event aimed at fostering inclusivity and addressing the impact of climate change on persons with disabilities. During the National Dialogue on Disability-Inclusive Climate Change Policies and Programs last week, the Friends Church in Burundi embarked on a mission to support and uplift women and girls with disabilities in Nyabihanga, Gitega Province.
The Ecumenical Disability Advocates Network of the World Council of Churches (WCC-EDAN) is hosting a dynamic two-day national dialogue in Burundi from 5-7 June.
As part of the Barbados Gospelfest, Caribbean co-coordinator of the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Disability Advocates Network Rev. Dr Gordon Cowans offered a public lecture on 22 May, exploring the theme “Touching Lives of Persons With Disability: Freed to Simply Be.”