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A meeting place, a zone for exchange, and a second home: The Networking Zone from the perspective of the Protestant Church in Switzerland

Nomen est omen – the big white hall right next to the entrance really lived up to its name as a Networking Zone during the assembly. Here, there were times of colorful confusion, laughter, concentrated listening, and relaxed tranquility on the sidelines of a program that was filled to the brim. The Networking Zone was a source of strength for us at the Protestant Church in Switzerland, which was allowed to occupy a booth here as one of the host churches. This hall came to life only through the efforts of everyone at their booths: after getting their bearings, refueling with the best assembly coffee, some Ricola drops, and candies from the ACK, they were ready to keep going.

Voices on the ground: peace, social justice, and ethics—the way to the end of hunger

Halfway to the sustainable development goals, the latest UN indicators show a record increase in hunger. The World Food Programme and Food and Agriculture Organization report that 828 million people are hungry, an increase of 46 million from the previous year and an increase of 150 million people since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of people worldwide who cannot afford a healthy diet has increased by 112 million, reaching nearly 3.1 billion by 2020, the report said. Millions of people are at risk of falling into a vicious cycle of malnutrition, ill health, and poverty, exacerbating inequalities already visible to current and future generations.

Regional perspectives brought to the 11th Assembly

Participants of the World Council of Churches’(WCC) 11th Assembly had the opportunity to meet and share with others from their regions on Friday, September 2. The format and discussions of the eight regions demonstrated the diversity of cultures from Africa, Asia, Caribbean, Europe, Latin America, Middle East, North America, and Pacific – and ranged from the issues they wished to make visible in the assembly to regional representation on committees and the election of the WCC presidents.

An assembly mood spreads across Asia

As the World Council of Churches (WCC) 11th Assembly nears, Christians across Asia are ready to engage and bring Asian concerns and perspectives to the table. Last Tuesday, a week prior to the opening of the assembly, more than 200 participants from all over the Asian continent gathered online in a pre-assembly meeting to learn more about the assembly and reflect on pertinent issues to highlight in Karlsruhe.

Baptists reflect on how to strengthen their voices and be in closer fellowship for the ecumenical vision

“As Baptists, we are concerned to strengthen our voices closer together and be in closer fellowship for the ecumenical vision. We see our presence in the Baptist World Alliance gathering coming up as a possible forum to do this,” said Rev. Dr Angelique Walker-Smith of the National Baptist Convention USA, Inc. and Bread for the World in Washington, DC, during the Baptist confessional meeting that took place at the recent World Council of Churches (WCC) central committee meeting.