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Rev. Dr Lydia Mwaniki reflects on deep roots of gender justice—and hope for the future

Rev. Dr Lydia Mwaniki believes her call from God to serve actually began when she was in her mother’s womb. “When my mother was four months pregnant and was splitting firewood, she said to God, ‘if you send me a baby boy, he will serve in your house."

11 August 2022

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Rev. Edna Navaya: “We’ll be able to transform the church”

Rev. Edna Navaya, is moderator of the Presbyterian-Blantyre Synod, Church of Central Africa, Malawi. She was among African women church leaders who gathered in May for an inaugural “Ecumenical Women’s Initiative for Leadership and Learning.” Below, she reflects on the path to becoming ordained, as well as the importance of gathering women leaders together to exchange ideas and share experiences.

04 August 2022

Prof. Dr Sarojini Nadar: “I believe knowledge is power, and critical for justice work”

Prof. Dr Sarojini Nadar is director of the Desmond Tutu Centre for Religion and Social Justice, University of Western Cape, South Africa. Below, she reflects on outcomes from the inaugural “Ecumenical Women’s Initiative for Leadership and Learning” held in May.

28 July 2022

Salt of the Earth group draws young Christians together in West Bank

Osama Sayegh has a heart for numbers: four in Deir Ghazaleh, 35 in Kufr Kad, 50 in Toubas, 35 in Jalameh, 67 in Burqin, 130 in Jenin.

He counts the number of Christians left in these communities across the northern part of the West Bank. He reaches with his heart for the people behind those numbers: why are young Christian families leaving? How can he convince them to stay?

20 July 2022

Education, ambition, independence: Mathilda Johnson shares hope for her sisters in Africa

Mathilda Johnson is world vice president of the World Federation of Methodist and Uniting Church Women. She also serves as lay president for the Methodist Church in The Gambia. Below, she reflects on her childhood, her top women’s issues, and her hope for her sisters in Africa.

20 July 2022

Document

Letter

WCC, ACT Alliance letter to President Biden on Syria sanctions

In a joint letter to President Joe Biden, the World Council of Churches (WCC) and ACT Alliance urged that he find ways in which the intended purposes of sanctions can be pursued without harm being inflicted on ordinary Syrians.

15 July 2022

General Secretary

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Right Rev. Dr Emily Onyango has a message for young people: “God is on your side”

Right Rev. Dr Emily Onyango, assistant bishop, Anglican Diocese of Bondo, Kenya, was ordained in 1987—the second woman priest ordained in all of east Africa—and appointed as assistant bishop in 2021. She also serves as a lecturer for St Paul’s University. Below, she reflects on her path to becoming a church leader, the resistance she encountered, and her message to young people today.

14 July 2022

Student Christian movements urge support for Thursdays in Black

"There is a dire need to continually engage church leaders and society at large on how domestic violence can be reduced and brought under control. Thursdays in Black should continue to address and remind us of these problems, especially in the developing countries where gender-based violence prevails more,” said Ebere Ubesie, national president, Student Christian Movement of Nigeria.

07 July 2022

GEM School grounds economic justice biblically

The first face-to-face GEM School held since 2019 has opened in Berlin, Germany, with a focus on ecological and feminist economics.

06 July 2022

37th Word Student Christian Federation (WSCF) General Assembly, Berlin, 24 -30 June 2022, Photo: Anam Gill/WSCF

Senior friends of WSCF: revisiting the past, creating a future

In 1895, student leaders from ten North American and European countries met at Vadstena Castle in Sweden to form the World Student Christian Federation (WSCF). Among its founders were John R. Mott (US), Karl Fries (Sweden), Martin Eckhoff (Norway), Luther D. Wishard (US), Johannes Siemsen (Germany), and J. Rutter Williamson (UK). The WSCF was the first international student organization and together with YMCA and YWCA, it is one of the oldest youth movements still in existence.

29 June 2022

African faiths launch climate change justice network

On 23 June, at a climate change consultation in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, African faith leaders launched a climate justice network to coordinate their work and increase visibility, as the first respondents to ecological crises at the grassroots.

24 June 2022

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Bridging gaps and bringing people to the table

Global Christian Forum sustains imperative role in a post-pandemic world and reaches out to new groups of people. Global meeting to be held in Ghana in 2024.

23 June 2022

Statement: public statement

Awaiting world church leaders, South Sudanese churches hold ecumenical prayers

At ecumenical prayers in the capital city, Juba, South Sudanese church leaders called for unity, peace, and reconciliation, as their nation continued to struggle with instability and conflict, a decade after independence.

20 June 2022

Document

WCC Central Committee Statement on Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment

Statement on Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment by the WCC Central Committee meeting 15-18 June 2022.

18 June 2022

Central Committee

Kuzipa Nalwamba, Kenneth Mtata, Peter Cruchley

WCC executive committee appoints three new WCC staff leaders

The World Council of Churches (WCC) executive committee has appointed, by consensus, three new WCC staff leaders: a programme director for Unity and Mission; a programme director for Public Witness and Diakonia; and a director of the Commission on World Mission and Evangelism.

15 June 2022

Video feature

Inspired and ready: videos look ahead to meaningful WCC pre-assemblies

Fabian Corralles has a vision of giving people with disabilities “their first opportunities to be much more important than they feel they are in their church and community.” He’s envisioning that scenario taking place at the Ecumenical Disability Advocates Network pre-assembly being held before the World Council of Churches (WCC) 11th Assembly in Karlsruhe, Germany.

14 June 2022

WCC central committee to convene in-person for first time since 2018

The World Council of Churches (WCC) central committee will convene in-person from 15-18 June at the Ecumenical Center in Geneva for the first time since 2018. While solemnly acknowledging the grave crises facing the world, the WCC governing body will also bring a spirit of joyful gathering as preparations for the WCC 11th Assembly continue. The executive committee will gather the day before on 14 June in Geneva.

13 June 2022

WCC celebrates life of Sarah Newland Martin, courageous change-maker

The World Council of Churches (WCC) is mourning the death of Sarah Newland Martin, known for her lifetime of advocacy for persons with disabilities, for her leadership with the YMCA and Jamaica Baptist Union, and her ecumenical bridge-building.

12 June 2022