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Jeffrey Joe Swenson, husband of World Council of Churches (WCC) central committee vice moderator Bishop Mary Ann Swenson, passed away on 22 August. The WCC extends condolences to Bishop Mary Ann, and many fondly remember Jeff, who nearly always accompanied her in WCC gatherings and in all her travels across the world.

"If youth in Africa are united and reconcile with our past, we will be able to confront the stumbling blocks of the continent. If we are patriotic, if we have a passion for Africa, we can transform the continent to be a home and a future for all," said Collins Shava, youth executive secretary for the All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC), as he reflected on the Africa: My Home. My Future. campaign being undertaken by AACC to inspire young people to be patriotic to their countries and Africa at large by utilizing their talents towards building a thriving continent.

“Living Christ’s love as part of His body in Africa is taking responsibility of peacebuilding, addressing injustice and its root causes.” This was the resolve of church leaders in Africa as they reflected on how churches in the continent are living the upcoming World Council of Churches (WCC) assembly theme “Christ’s love moves the world to reconciliation and unity.”

The International Missionary Council, historical predecessor of the World Council of Churches Commission on World Mission and Evangelism, is marking its centenary this year, as it was founded one hundred years ago in October 1921 in New York State.

Originally planned to gather tens of thousands of participants in Frankfurt but reshaped as a “digital and decentralized” event because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Germany’s third Ecumenical Kirchentag (church convention) has opened with a call for a Christians to overcome their divisions.

“We all miss community. But young people miss community a bit more. Our vibrant social lives before the pandemic were replaced by a reality of countless days alone at home.”

Maria Sonnleithner was reflecting on young people whose mental health has been at risk amid COVID-19, even as the strain on the caring adults and churches in their lives has grown exponentially as well.

During a webinar organized through the New International Financial and Economic Architecture initiative (NIFEA), they spoke on the collusion of capitalism, colonialism, and Christianity, and shared how indigenous communities are well-suited to lead the ecumenical movement in seeking alternatives to the world’s death-dealing systems.

“When the music changes, so must the dance,” counselled Prof. Dr Isabel Apawo Phiri, World Council of Churches (WCC) deputy general secretary at the Africa Association of United Methodist Theological Institutions Anglophone Group virtual conference on 9-10 April. Phiri gave a keynote address at the conference organized by Africa University, a Methodist-affiliated university in Zimbabwe.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) is mourning the loss of Bishop Justin Nzoyisaba, who was an inspiring leader within the United Methodist Church of Burundi as well as in ecumenical circles.

After nearly 33 years of serving as a staff reporter, and later an assistant news editor, for United Methodist News, Linda Bloom is moving on. Below, she looks back on how her roles as a journalist changed, as well as some memorable experiences with the World Council of Churches (WCC).