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Opening an online international seminar commemorating the life of  Dr Paulose Mar Gregorios, World Council of Churches (WCC) deputy general secretary Prof. Dr Isabel Apawo Phiri shared thoughts on his ecumenical contributions.

Order of prayer for the livestreamed public prayer service on  the final day of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2021.

Blessed is our God, now and forever, and to the ages of ages...

This week in the Ecumenical Prayer Cycle, we are praying with the people and churches of Iran, Iraq, and Syria.

The heart’s conversation with God online - A reflection by Marianne Ejdersten, director of Communications for the World Council of Churches, Geneva, Switzerland. The article published in the Norwegian Magazine for pastors in June, 2020.

We live in the time-space of uncreated grace, a gentle urgency that encourages us to live our contingency in view of eternity.

Fr Prof. Ioan Sauca, Bossey Institute director and WCC deputy general secretary, on 13 January 2020 shared the meaning behind the service of “great blessing of waters”, which once a year celebrates the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River according to Orthodox tradition.

The second Reflection of the “Seven Weeks for Water 2019” of World Council of Churches’ Ecumenical Water Network is by Metropolitan Dr. Geevarghese Mor Coorilos, the Bishop of Niranam diocese of the Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church in India. He also serves the World Council of Churches as Moderator of the Commission on World Mission and Evangelism.  In this reflection, he elaborates on the story of Jesus's encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well and relates it to the Indian context of caste untouchability and discrimination.

The first Reflection of the “Seven Weeks for Water” of World Council of Churches’ Ecumenical Water Network is by Renemsongla Ozukum, a theologian and a member of the Baptist Church Council, Nagaland India. She has been engaging with grassroots women in North East India for more than a decade. Married to Pangernungba Kechu, she is enjoying learning child theology from her two adorable sons Lenir and Akumdong Kechu. In this reflection she recalls her childhood in North East India as to how she related to water. She further  goes on to dissect the “gendered waters” where girls and women are subjected to exploitation, losing productivity and discriminated against.

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.

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

The story of the prophet Jonah tells us about a tortuous road of a call to conversion and about God’s infinite mercy both towards the reluctant prophet and towards “the great city in which there are more than a hundred twenty thousand persons … and a large number of animals” (Jonah 4:11).

The PAWEEN seminar 2017 gathered high-profile scholars from leading theological institutions, church leaders, as well as executives of faith-based institutions and ecumenical bodies from and based in Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, North America and Europe, representing the Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and several historic Black Churches, mainline Protestant and Pentecostal church traditions.

(Resources adapted from the Pentecost Prayer in Jerusalem): "Come, Spirit of Peace: A Global Day of Prayer for Just Peace in the Holy Land".
(Music included here reflects the original service in Jerusalem – other choices appropriate to the context could be made. The Pentecost theme need not be lost – we can call on the Spirit to come to our aid at any time, just as we call on the Spirit to bring peace and unity.)

Orthodox Clergy Pocket Book on Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT), gender based violence, and stigma developed by The Ethiopian orthodox Church Development and Inter Church AID Commission (EOC-DICAC), under the WCC-EAA Framework for Dialogue.

Closing remarks by Prof Isabel Apawo Phiri, Deputy General Secretary World Council of Churches. June 13, Geneva, Restaurant Vieux Bois.