As the World Council of Churches celebrates its 75th anniversary, a series of feature stories from different regions of the world will portray ecumenism at the local level—within churches, communities, and individuals who embody the spirit of ecumenism in unique ways. The feature story below offers a glimpse of some facets of ecumenism present in Germany.
Forty retired World Council of Churches (WCC) staff gathered at the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey on 22 August to celebrate the WCC’s 75th anniversary and to receive greetings and reflections from WCC general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay.
The World Council of Churches (WCC) is mourning the loss of Rev. Bob Scott, whose ministry spanned more than 50 years and included work on a global level to overcome racism.
Participants of the Emerging Peacemakers Forum being held at the World Council of Churches (WCC) Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, Switzerland from 5-14 July, visited Palais des Nations and learned about the United Nations work in Geneva.
The Christians, Jews, and Muslims laughing and chatting together, learning about peace were not in an aspirational story; they are authentic, live young people having fun at the Emerging Peacemakers Forum.
When Rev. Rita Famos became involved in the youth programmes of her local congregation in Bern, Switzerland, back in the early 1980s, a lifelong commitment to the Reformed Church and the ecumenical movement started to evolve.
There is an old Lutheran adage that to be Lutheran is to be ecumenical, so the theme of the upcoming Assembly of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) taking place in Poland, "One Body, One Spirit, One Hope,” is seen as totally appropriate for the times.
During a visit with Pope Francis in Rome on 23 March, a World Council of Churches (WCC) delegation and the Roman Catholic Church committed to walking, praying. and working together for justice, reconciliation, and unity.
From sports to rocket science, from art to family relationships, young people at a webinar on 16 March spoke out on why they want and need safe, accessible technology to realize their dreams.
The speakers, ages 7-17, were young women and men who clearly articulated their aspirations, and also communicated what the adults in their lives need to provide not just in the future—but right now.
Can we increase our knowledge of how algorithms work? Can faith-based groups help close the digital divide? A webinar on 9 March, offered a way forward in an area that sometimes seems ruled by untouchable artificial intelligence.
At the St Andrew’s Presbyterian of Church East Africa in Nairobi, Judy Kihumba is the voice between the hearing and the deaf worlds in one of Kenya’s oldest churches.
As a “Living Together” celebration in Bagdad opened on 6 March, religious and ethnic leaders from Iraq celebrated diversity and, at the same time, candidly addressed challenges to inclusive citizenship. They were joined by representatives of Iraqi executive and legislative authorities as well as representatives from UN agencies and embassies.
The 67th Commission on the Status of Women will take place on 6-17 March in New York City and online. The World Council of Churches (WCC) is involved in online side events scheduled for 9, 14, and 16 March.
The webinar “Rooting out gender cyberviolence: An introduction to social media monitoring” on 8 December will give WCC member churches and partners the opportunity to take action against the harmful—and growing—phenomenon of online gender-based violence.
As the global campaign “16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence” kicks off on 25 November, the World Council of Churches (WCC), Lutheran World Federation, and other ecumenical partners are calling on us all to “UNITE! Act to End Violence Against Women and Girls.”
Karlsruhe, a city built over 300 hundred years ago without walls, open to friends and guests —at a time where other cities still hid behind their fortifications —welcomed people from all over the world to four pre-assemblies that are bringing forward powerful calls to the 11th Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC).
In a joint message on gender-based violence, sexual abuse, and faith communities, 26 World Council of Churches (WCC) Thursdays in Black ambassadors lament that the scourge of sexual and gender-based violence continues unabated—and call on faith communities to prevent such violence in their own spaces.
In a joint message on gender-based violence, sexual abuse, and faith communities, 26 World Council of Churches (WCC) Thursdays in Black ambassadors lament that the scourge of sexual and gender-based violence continues unabated—and call on faith communities to prevent such violence in their own spaces.
