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One year later: remembering a historical moment

A year has now passed since the World Council of Churches (WCC) received Pope Francis in Geneva, to celebrate together 70 years of ecumenical work since the WCC’s founding. Yet the impact of the historic day continues to be felt.

#WCC70: Children in the Ecumenical Movement

Many ecumenical pioneers, including former WCC general secretary Philip Potter, were in a sense a product of the Sunday School movement. Ulrich Becker tells a story that seems to be in danger of being forgotten.

WCC Executive Committee envisions future for one ecumenical movement

The WCC Executive Committee met in Uppsala, Sweden from 1-8 November to approve the 2019 programme plans and budget, follow up and decide on a variety of assembly matters, review the WCC strategic plan, discuss world affairs and issue seven statements in response to current situations. The Executive Committee also discerned the way forward for the WCC’s Communication Strategy.

Unity, solidarity and hope at core of Ecumenical Weekend

Unity and solidarity in Christ against populist trends was at the core of the opening message for an Ecumenical Weekend in Uppsala, Sweden on 3-4 November. Under the theme ”Behold, I make everything new!”, 150 guests gathered to reflect on current challenges for ecumenism.

Looking back and ahead

In 1968, the ecumenical movement took an important step forward when its commitment to global justice and peace was manifested at the WCC general assembly in Uppsala, Sweden. Half a century later, the Ecumenical Weekend, which kicks off on Saturday in the very same Swedish city, will not only celebrate 50 years of global ecumenism, it also raises urgent issues and new challenges facing the ecumenical movement.

#WCC70: At the end of an assembly

The date: 20 February 1991. The last day of the WCC 7th Assembly. The hours were packed with remaining agenda items, the assembly had acquired a second unofficial theme. As moderator, how was Bishop Heinz Joachim Held supposed to bring this incomplete, basically unfinished assembly to a close?

#WCC70 hymns resonate in Ecumenical Centre Chapel

Celebrating the 70th anniversary of the World Council of Churches, the board of the Anders-Frostenson Foundation led a sing-along concert at the Ecumenical Centre Chapel on 28 September, offering participants a unique experience full of emotion.

Pilgrims gather from far and wide to celebrate 70 years of WCC

Hundreds of people gathered from across the world for an ecumenical prayer service at the Nieuwe Kerk, a 15th-century church in Amsterdam, to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the World Council of Churches (WCC) at the very spot in which the organization was founded.

#WCC70 Amsterdam, 1948 (1): Covenanting in prayer

Dam Square, Amsterdam, 22 August, 03:00 PM. A considerable crowd is gathered outside the New Church, which unlike its name may suggest was built at the end of the 14th century and dedicated in 1409. The weather has improved after a grey morning of low clouds and light rain.

90 faces of WCC: 1948-2018

Move through the lobby of the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, and you will “walk” with some 90 faces, the people who tell, at least in part, the story of the World Council of Churches (WCC) over 70 years. On large panels, an exhibition of photos and phrases features people who have, in diverse ways, helped form the many facets of the WCC and the ecumenical movement.

#WCC70: Prayers and songs to commemorate WCC’s 70th anniversary

Prayers and songs are available for use during the WCC anniversary, whether on 23 August – which marked the opening of the 1st Assembly in Amsterdam and the formal constitution of the WCC – or on another day during this anniversary year. Praying together is a powerful source of unity, says WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit.