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After being postponed twice because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 15^th General Assembly of the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) finally got underway in late September and early October 2023 in Kottayam, India. Under the theme "God, renew us in your spirit and restore the creation,” CCA member churches across Asia gathered to stake out the direction forward and evaluate accomplishments and challenges since the last assembly in 2015 in Jakarta. 

Scholars, including colleagues and students of the Anglican theologian Rowan Williams, gathered in Cambridge to honour the contribution of the former Archbishop of Canterbury as a theologian, scholar and church leader, following his retirement in 2020 as Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge.

During the World Council of Churches (WCC) 11th Assembly—and at other meetings of the WCC’s governing bodies—decisions are made via a consensus process. For the WCC, that means seeking a common mind about the wisest way forward while being open to fresh insights and the Holy Spirit’s guidance.

From the clashing of an Asian gong to soft strumming of a Hawaiian ukulele, from reggae to jazz, from a contemporary praise song in Mandarin to a gospel response in Arabic and a liturgical chant in Syriac, from a Scottish prophetic refrain to a sprightly Colombian recessional march, the beauty and diversity of world Christianity were celebrated in the Tuesday morning prayer at the 11^th Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC) in Karlsruhe, Germany. The theme for the service was “Christ’s love moves us to be faithful”.

On a glorious Friday morning, the prayer tent at the World Council of Churches (WCC) 11^th Assembly in Karlsruhe burst with enthusiastic singing of hymns, liturgical responses and praise songs in German, English, Spanish, Arabic, Maohi, Estonian, and Xhosa.

“Lord, who may abide in your tent?” asked a reading from Psalm 15 at the start of morning prayers on Saturday 3 September during the World Council of Churches (WCC) 11^th Assembly in Karlsruhe, Germany.

Recalling believers’ mandate to act as stewards and beneficiaries of God’s creation, the World Council of Churches (WCC) Assembly gathered in morning prayer on the first day of September, the Orthodox Day of Prayer for Creation and the start of an ecumenically observed Season of Creation. At the heart of the liturgical action was a combining of vessels of water from each inhabited region of the earth, a “gathering of the waters” reflecting the earliest act of creation in Genesis 1:9.

September 1 marks the beginning of the Season of Creation, five weeks in the liturgical calendar recognized by the fellowship of the World Council of Churches (WCC) and, since 2015, by the Catholic Church. It is an especially religious demonstration of concern for the planet and for threats to the survival of Earth as we know it.

As the bells of Karlsruhe, Germany rang out across the city, thousands of Christians gathered on Wednesday, 31 August in the prayer tent at the heart of the 11th Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC). Representatives from each of the eight geographical regions in which the WCC is active brought gifts and concerns reflecting their own cultural and historical contexts. The international congregation prayed in thanksgiving to God, adding their expectation for the coming nine days of the Assembly, “We share the hope of meeting each other in the warm embrace of Christ’s love that moves us to reconciliation and unity.”

When the Ecumenical Youth Gathering—a pre-assembly of the World Council of Churches 11th Assembly—gets underway in Karlsruhe, Germany on 27 August, Samson Waweru will be seeking to ensure active participation of persons with disabilities.