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Seven Weeks for Water 2024, final refection: "Groaning earth needs resurrection through 'water of life'"

The last reflection of the Seven Weeks for Water 2024 series of the WCC Ecumenical Water Network is jointly written by Rev. Audra Hudson Stone and Jacob Stone. They argue that natural disasters are not natural anymore; rather, they are human-induced. These disasters are the groaning of the earth, which is drawing our attention to mend our ways. The Stones are hopeful that, as Jesus rose from the shackles of death, the mother earth, too, will rise from its despair, suffering, and death through the water of life”—Jesus Christ. To that end, we need to facilitate and practice resurrection” of the earth!

Seven Weeks for Water 2024, week 4: "Thirst for justice: a Dalit women’s perspective on water rights"

The  fourth reflection of the Seven Weeks for Water 2024 series of the WCC Ecumenical Water Network is written by Rev. Dr Anupama Hial.  In this reflection, she recalls her struggles in the past as a Dalit woman in India to get access to clean water.  She challenges churches to be a catalyst for fulfilling the promise of Isaiah to provide free water to all who are thirsty, especially to the Dalit women. 

Seven Weeks for Water 2024, week 1: Water for peace in the Middle East region

The first reflection of the Seven Weeks for Water 2024 series of the WCC Ecumenical Water Network is written by Dr Munib Younan,* bishop emeritus of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land and former president of the Lutheran World Federation. In this reflection, the author, as a Palestinian, in line with this year's theme of "leveraging water for peace,” reflects on Isaiah's promise of free water for the thirsty in the context of the ongoing Israeli war in Gaza that has worsened the water situation in Gaza to catastrophic levels.

Seven Weeks for Water 2023, week 5: "Water: a gift of God, a public good and a human right. Should we privatize it?", by Rev. Dr. Donald Bruce Yeates

Originally published in 2020, the fifth reflection of the seven weeks for water 2023 of the WCC’s Ecumenical Water Network is by Rev. Dr. Donald Bruce Yeates, a minister of Saint Andrews Presbyterian Church of Suva, Fiji and a consultant chaplain at The University of the South Pacific. Bruce has been active in the Pacific since 1975 as an academic in social work, community development and social policy having served at the University of Papua New Guinea and The University of the South Pacific. In the following  reflection he underlines the importance of human right to water and the onslaught of privatisation in the backdrop of  world’s most famous bottled water which comes from his home country, the “Fiji waters”.

Seven Weeks for Water 2023, week 4: "Water - Gift and Source of Life", by Ivo Poletto

Originally published in 2018, the fourth Reflection of the “Seven Weeks for Water” 2023 series of World Council of Churches’ Ecumenical Water Network is by Ivo Poletto, a philosopher, theologian and social scientist from Brazil. He is also national advisor to the Climate Change and Social Justice Forum in Brazil. In the following reflection, he analyses the water cycle of Brazil, the “flying rivers” of the Amazon but also laments on fast depleting forests which are breaking the water cycle and making clouds as well as aquifers disappear.  He insists that water is one of the common goods that require special care, as there is no life without water.

Seven Weeks for Water 2023, week 3: "Feminization of water poverty in Africa", by Dr Agnes Abuom

Originally written in 2017, The third of the seven reflections of the Lenten Campaign: Seven Weeks for Water 2023 of the Word Council of Churches’ (WCC) Ecumenical Water Network (EWN) is by Dr Agnes Abuom, former moderator of the WCC’s central committee. 

Dr Abuom was the first woman and first African to hold this important position. She is also the Executive Director of TAABCO Research and Development Consultants, based in Nairobi, Kenya. In her reflection, being an African woman on the eve of International Women’s Day, she explores the linkages between poverty, water scarcity and its impact on women.  It is also contextual in that today Kenya is reeling under a serious drought which is deteriorating the situation for women as they are mostly responsible for fetching water for their families.

Seven Weeks for Water 2022, week 6 “Water is a gift of God, a common good and a human right” by Dinesh Suna

The sixth reflection of the Seven Weeks for Water 2022 of the WCC’s Ecumenical Water Network is written by Dinesh Suna.* In the following reflection ,  he gives a historical background of the WCC's water justice ministry and reaffirms that water is a gift of God, a common good and human right. Taking the inspiration from Isaiah, he calls the churches to become blue communities and say no to privatisation of water and to bottled water.

Seven Weeks for Water 2022, week 1: "Water justice now", by Philip Peacock

The first reflection of the Seven Weeks for Water 2022 of the WCC’s Ecumenical Water Network is written by Philip Vinod Peacock.* In the following reflection, he reflects on the promise of God found in Isaiah, that God will quench the thirst of the poor and will not forsake them. In the current global water crisis, he juxtaposes the poor against the rich in terms of their capacity to access  clean water. He challenges us to be enablers of God’s promise of water for the poor.

11th Assembly Bible study - Pentecost

Part of a series of Bible studies in preparation for the WCC 11th Assembly, this seventh text was written by Karen Durant-McSweeney, from Friendship Methodist Church, Friendship Circuit, Guyana.

Thursdays in Black Bible study series-Looking and Seeing (Luke 13:10–17)

Sister Imelda Poole, MBE, a native of Great Britain, is a sister of the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary (IBVM). After many years in the field of education and grassroots mission in the United Kingdom, her ministry moved to Albania where the Roman Catholic archbishop of Tiranë-Durrës invited the IBVM to work in the mission against human trafficking. This led to her co-founding Mary Ward Loreto, an NGO that addresses the root causes of trafficking, including poverty, and is involved in the rescue and rehabilitation of survivors of trafficking. 

Sr Imelda Poole currently serves as president of Religious in Europe Networking Against Trafficking and Exploitation (RENATE). RENATE has grown from a handful of religious sisters into a leading NGO combatting human trafficking in 31 European countries. It regularly convenes in different European nations to support work across borders in partnership with the many members of RENATE. Presently, Imelda Poole is co-founding the NGOs Mary Ward Loreto UK and Anti Modern Slavery Alliance.

 

Seven Weeks for Water 2021, week 5: "Water on Wall Street: the ultimate abuse of God’s gift", by Susan Smith and Dinesh Suna

The 5th reflection of the Seven Weeks for Water 2021 of the WCC’s Ecumenical Water Network (EWN) is written by Susan Smith and Dinesh Suna.*  In the following reflection, they condemn the recent listing of water on Wall Street as a tradable commodity.  Referring to the biblical assurance that God will quench the thirst of the poor and needy and that water should be made available to all even if they have no money, they proclaim the true value of water as a gift from God, a human right, a spiritual wonder and the source of all life. 

Seven Weeks for Water 2021, week 3: "Water for creation: protecting water for the sacred C’iyaal, C’waam and Koptu", by Jesse Cruz Richards

The 3rd reflection of the Seven Weeks for Water 2021 of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Ecumenical Water Network is written by Jesse Cruz Richards.*  The following reflection draws inspiration from the restoration of the Israelites from Babylonian exile as promised by Ezekiel, and from hopes and prayers for the restoration of the Klamath Tribes and other indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest to their rivers, waters and fishes, namely the C’iyaal, C’waam and Koptu. 

Seven Weeks for Water 2021, week 2: "Water for life: not guaranteed for the indigenous people of the Navajo Nation", by Annika Harley

The 2nd reflection of the Seven Weeks for Water 2021 of the WCC Ecumenical Water Network is written by Annika Harley.*  In the following reflection, Harley highlights the challenges of mining and fracking in the Navajo Nation based on her conversation with Bitahnii Wayne Wilson, who not only challenges these unsustainable practices, but also provides small-scale solutions to indigenous communities in the time of COVID-19.

Seven Weeks for Water 2020, week 5: "Water and Climate Change", by Dinesh Suna

The fifth reflection of the Seven Weeks for Water 2020 is by Dinesh Suna, coordinator of Ecumenical Water Network, World Council of Churches. He is a Lutheran and comes from India. In the following reflection, he explores the importance of “hand-washing” in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic while this basic facility is not available to millions of people, particularly to children. He dedicates this reflection to World Water Day which is being observed on 22 March with the theme “Water and Climate Change.”

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Seven Weeks for Water 2020, week 4: "Water: a gift of God, a public good and a human right. Should we privatize it?", by ev. Dr. Donald Bruce Yeates

The fourth reflection of the seven weeks for water 2020 of the WCC’s Ecumenical Water Network is by Rev. Dr. Donald Bruce Yeates, a minister of Saint Andrews Presbyterian Church of Suva, Fiji and a consultant chaplain at The University of the South Pacific. Bruce has been active in the Pacific since 1975 as an academic in social work, community development and social policy having served at the University of Papua New Guinea and The University of the South Pacific. In the following  reflection he underlines the importance of human right to water and the onslaught of privatisation in the backdrop of  world’s most famous bottled water which comes from his home country, the “Fiji waters”.

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Seven Weeks for Water 2019, week 7: "Privatisation of water: an onslaught to the human right to water in Asia", by Ismael Fisco Jr.

The seventh and last reflection of the “Seven Weeks for Water 2019” of the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Water Network is by Ismael Fisco Jr., a young adult from the United Methodist Church in the Philippines, and former Chairperson of the ecumenical youth movement Kalipunan ng Kristiyanong Kabataan sa Pilipinas (KKKP). He currently works as Director for an international digital publishing company while pursuing his Law degree. He writes for several publications and was part of the communication team of past General Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA). In this reflection, Ismael laments the recent water crisis in Manila, Philippines, which is his home country. Inspired by Isaiah 55:1, he argues that water should not be commodified and therefore must not be privatised. He proposes that the blue community is the way to go to address the water crisis.

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Seven Weeks for Water 2019, week 6: "Leaving no one behind: the crux of water for all in the context of SDG 6", by Dinesh Suna

The sixth reflection of the “Seven Weeks for Water 2019” of the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Water Network is by Dinesh Suna, coordinator of the network. Suna comes from the Jeypore Evangelical Lutheran Church in Odisha, India. In the following reflection, Suna emphasises that "the lost, the least and the last" are at the heart of both the Bible as well as the Sustainable Development Goals. From the gospel according to Luke, Suna identifies parables by Jesus that demonstrate Jesus’s preference for vulnerable communities and challenge us to have that positive bias towards them.

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Seven Weeks for Water 2018, week 5: "Good living: the Road Map to Hope - an Ecuadorian perspective!", by Veronica Flachier

The fifth reflection of the of the "Seven Weeks for Water", of World Council of Churches’ Ecumenical Water Network, is by Veronica Flachier, a journalist and theologian from Ecuador. In the following reflection she turns a leaf from the Ecuadorian Constitution and its national plan for gender equality and poverty eradication, which  puts drinking water and sanitation at its center.  She further adds that Ecuador recognises Good Living or Sumak Kawsay as an alternative to the so-called “development” and promotes living in harmony and in balance with the cycles of Mother Earth and “mother water”.

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