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.
There are 181 blocks—and every single one tells a story. Arranged in colorful strips that flow like liquid, they will gently move when people pass by them at the World Council of Churches (WCC) 11th Assembly in Karlsruhe.
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.
This publication is the report of the Women of Faith Pilgrim Team Visits for Justice and Peace carried out between August 2017 and July 2020 as part of the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace. This pilgrimage report allows church women worldwide to draw inspiration and strength from the spiritualities of resistance, biblical reflections, and successful struggles of women against violence and injustice and to feel empowered to become agents of transformation and hope in their own contexts.
The World Council of Churches (WCC) central committee, in a public statement, called upon WCC member churches and ecumenical partners “to condemn or reiterate their condemnation of sexual and gender-based violence and of any form of violence against women, children and vulnerable people; to declare such rejection of the equal dignity of all people and such violence a sin; and to implement guidelines for the prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment.”
Almost 70 women—members of World Council of Churches (WCC) central committee and staff—met together on 16 June for an hour of sharing, networking, and marking “Thursdays in Black,” the growing global campaign for a world free from rape and violence.
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.
At an online roundtable hosted by the All Africa Conference of Churches, male “champions for gender justice” shared their ideas and insights during their yearlong service as men who are helping to prevent gender-based violence.
As African women church leaders gathered last week for an inaugural “Ecumenical Women’s Initiative for Leadership and Learning”, they lamented grave injustices, celebrated women pioneers, and nurtured a spirit of solidarity they hope will blaze a global trail for the future.
28 May (Saturday) is Menstrual Hygiene Day. On 30 May, 2022 (Monday), the WCC Ecumenical Water Network (EWN) and the Just Community of Women and Men (JCWM) along with their partner Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) invite you to a webinar to mark this important day.
The World Council of Churches (WCC) central committee, during its February 2022 meeting, approved a set of Gender Justice Principles that clearly define the WCC’s own approach to gender justice.
A Gender Advisory Group developed the principles through many rounds of review by leadership and staff, as an internal document for WCC staff, governing bodies, commissions, and reference groups.
After the World Council of Churches (WCC) central committee, during its February meeting, approved a set of Gender Justice Principles, the WCC’s work of implementation is just beginning. The principles clearly define the WCC’s own approach to gender justice and apply to WCC staff, governing bodies, commissions, and reference groups. The WCC executive committee will review and evaluate implementation of the principles.
The World Council of Churches (WCC) has set a deadline of 1 June for receiving quilt patches that will become part of a "Waterfall of Solidarity and Resistance" tapestry for display at the WCC 11th Assembly in Karlsruhe.
Our series of interviews with Thursdays in Black ambassadors highlights those who are playing a vital role in increasing the impact of our collective call for a world without rape and violence. Marcelo D. Leites is general secretary of the World Student Christian Federation.
During a Women’s Pilgrim Team Visit held on 8 March—International Women’s Day—women from North America and other parts of the globe continued to explore the theme “Stony the Road: Women’s Voices of Faith, Courage, Resistance & Resilience.”
The visit was organized by the World Council of Churches (WCC) in collaboration with the National Council of Churches (USA).
A North American Women’s Pilgrim Team Visit on 28 February brought together poetry, prayer, very difficult questions, and, most of all, the impact—and pain—of telling the truth.
