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A global 3-month online training programme of the World Council of Churches (WCC), the Eco-Diakonia Youth Hub, held a closing celebration on 17 July, during which young people received certificates of completion and reflected on the most meaningful aspects of the programme, which was designed to equip young leaders to advance climate justice and diakonia initiatives in their local contexts.

URJ President Rabbi Rick Jacobs issued a statement in response to Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s recent comments regarding Israel and Prime Minister Netanyahu.

[Anglican Communion News Service] Several Anglican churches worldwide are preparing to observe the Feast of Creation in Christ this September. In July, the Church of England General Synod approved the addition of the observance into its liturgical calendar. The Feast of Creation in Christ, also known as the Season of Creation, is a worldwide ecumenical Christian observance that begins with the Day of Prayer for Creation on Sept. 1 and ends with the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals and ecology, Oct. 4. Several Anglican churches have already begun to institute the festival, including The Episcopal Church, the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, the Scottish Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada. The growing momentum for this new liturgical festival was reflected in a resolution that passed during the Anglican Consultative Council, which met June 28 – July 4 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The resolution encourages the adoption of the Feast of Creation in Christ in member church calendars, while also leaving space for churches to draw on ecumenical materials or develop their own. Read the entire article here.

[Episcopal News Service] Washington National Cathedral has announced it will host the funeral for South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Olin Graham next week, including a tribute from President Donald Trump. The service is scheduled for 2 p.m. Eastern July 28. A native of Central, South Carolina, Graham served as U.S. senator from the state from 2003 until he died unexpectedly on July 11 at 71 from an aortic tear caused by cardiovascular disease. At the time of his death, Graham served on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Appropriations Committee, Environment and Public Works Committee and as chair of the Budget Committee. “The cathedral is proud to serve as a sacred space where people gather during times of both celebration and sorrow. We believe that God is present with us in all of life’s moments,” the Very Rev. Randolph Marshall Hollerith, dean of Washington National Cathedral, said on the cathedral’s web page announcing Graham’s funeral details. “Our prayers are with Senator Graham’s family at this difficult time.” Hollerith will officiate the service. Before he was elected to the U.S. Senate, Graham was a U.S. representative for South Carolina’s 3rd District and a South Carolina state representative. He also served in the U.S. Air Force, retiring as a colonel in 2015. Graham, a Southern Baptist, never married and had no children. His younger sister, Darline Graham Nordone, was appointed by South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster to serve the remainder of Lindsey Graham’s term, which ends in January. Graham was campaigning for reelection in November before his death. The service will be by invitation only. The public is invited to watch the service online via the Washington National Cathedral’s YouTube channel.