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World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay extended greetings to all Jewish communities around the world on the joyous occasion of Passover. 

As the Easter calendar coincides this year for Western and Eastern churches, theologians, clerics, and ordinary Christians in Africa have viewed the occurrence as a boost for efforts towards Christian unity.

The 253rd Easter Sunrise Service will be held on Sunday, April 20, beginning at 6:00 a.m. in Salem Square/Salem Moravian Graveyard (God’s Acre) in Winston-Salem, N.C. This year’s service will be led by the Rev. Reed Lawson, pastor of Christ Moravian Church in Winston-Salem. To learn more about this year’s service and to stream live, […]

In this issue: Remembering Tootie Long, Elsie Koehn, and Brian Roten; New & Renew is cancelled with regrets; registration opens May 1 for National Older Adult Conference; Brethren Disaster Ministries Hurricane Helene short-term project seeks volunteers; worship resources for National Youth Sunday on May 4; prayer requests for Haiti and Uganda; EYN holds its annual Majalisa; Donna Rhodes is celebrated; and much, much more.

[Episcopal News Service] Between September and June, the Rev. Kimberlee Auletta and the Rev. Sarah Kooperkamp, co-rectors of the Church of the Holy Apostles in Brooklyn, New York, begin most Sundays channeling their inner Fred Rogers and Shari Lewis with a puppet show that’s also a toddler-oriented worship service. On Wednesdays, they lead a mixed-age after-school Christian education program. These youth-oriented ministries have helped transform the parish into a growing church home for families in the borough’s Windsor Terrace neighborhood. “We understand that most kids in a lot of places – not just in New York City – are not coming to church every weekend because of sports and art classes and other activities, and many parents lament that their children don’t have time for Sunday school. But we realized that maybe we’re not supposed to compete with sports,” Auletta told Episcopal News Service. “Maybe, instead, we can offer church at another time to meet these youth where they are and give families what they need to provide a really deep spiritual and religious foundation for our youth.” Auletta and Kooperkamp launched the after-school program during the 2022-23 school year for students in kindergarten through seventh grade. Eleven students are participating this year. Unlike the drop-in Sunday school program, which takes place during the 10 a.m. worship service and includes eighth graders, the after-school program is a yearlong commitment that requires a small fee. Every Wednesday at 2:35 p.m., Kooperkamp walks five minutes from Holy Apostles to the elementary and middle schools to pick up the students. On their way back to church, the students run around a playground for a few minutes to let out some energy; screen-free learning begins once they get to church. “The kids are so excited and happy to be together, and I really enjoy meeting them right after school and hearing them talk about their day,” Kooperkamp said. “It’s really sweet that they’re learning and growing together.” The after-school curriculum includes Bible study, prayer, Christian ethics, church history and theology. Students learn through art projects, self-reflection, discussion and theater. They’re also encouraged to ask questions. They don’t use computers, phones or tablets while in the after-school program. Last year, during the unit on saints, students created a March Madness-like bracket to vote for the “patron saint of the after-school program.” The unanimous winner was St. Frances Perkins, a workers’ rights advocate and devout Episcopalian who served as secretary of labor in President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s cabinet from 1933 to 1945. Perkins was the first woman appointed to a presidential cabinet and remains the longest-serving Secretary of Labor in U.S. history. She was added to The Episcopal Church’s calendar of lesser feasts and fasts in 2022; her feast day is May 13. “The students’ basis of argument was that Frances Perkins had worked to end child labor, and if it weren’t for her, they wouldn’t be at church after school, but would instead be working in factories,” Kooperkamp said. “This project is an example of how these kids can really learn interactively and not stick to standard Q&A and test taking.”  The curriculum is designed to be a three-year cycle for students, though Auletta and Kooperkamp are discussing potential opportunities for older students who complete the cycle, such as leadership roles. While Kooperkamp works with the students, Auletta and a volunteer member of Holy Apostles cook a community meal for up to 36 people who sign up ahead of time. When the after-school program ends at 5:15, most students and their families stay for dinner, which is served at 5:30 in the undercroft. Children eat free and adults pay $10, which covers the cost of ingredients. Evening prayer takes place after dinner. “People really need to be with each other, and weekly dinner and prayer is a way to do that,” Auletta said. “And it’s multi-generational. We have a wonderful parishioner who’s 81 years old who comes to Wednesday dinners and sits with the kids, and they love her.” Toddlers are also part of Holy Apostles’ family-oriented ministries. Every Sunday except the fifth Sunday of the month throughout the school year, the church offers This Little Light at 8:30 a.m., a 30-minute interactive worship service that teaches the core elements of Episcopal liturgy, the Gospel and the Eucharist through singing and storytelling. The music and prayers are the same as a traditional worship service, which helps the toddlers easily transition to the “big kid” service. During the puppet show portion of This Little Light, Auletta stands behind a puppet castelet and plays a sock puppet named Perpetua who asks Kooperkamp questions about faith and Jesus. Kooperkamp tells Perpetua, “It’s OK; don’t be afraid. Here’s the good news,” before sharing a story about Jesus. “We just need a trolley for the puppet show,” Auletta said. Even though This Little Light’s programming focuses on children up to age 6, the co-rectors said they hope the lessons resonate with all ages. They also said that feedback from parents has been positive, and their children repeat what they learn at home. One family reported that their daughter breaks bread every night at dinner and says, “This is my body.” “This is not just child’s worship; it’s really family worship and a way to think about what it means to live together as a family and as a community,” Kooperkamp said. The co-rectors both said adapting their ministries to serve families with busy schedules has been “a lot of work,” but over the years, it’s helped grow the congregation and the families spiritually. “We can engage families, people of all ages. People who go to church want spiritual growth, whether they are 3 years old or they’re over 50 years old,” Auletta said. “We’re trying to be very intentional with what we are presenting and offering to folks of all ages.” -Shireen Korkzan is a reporter and assistant editor for Episcopal News Service. She can be reached at skorkzan@episcopalchurch.org.

On Palm Sunday, the world awakened to the shattering news that the Al Ahli Arab Hospital, an institution operated in Gaza City by the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, had, once again, been struck by Israeli missile attacks.

The post Leaders speak out on Al Ahli Hospital attack appeared first on The Anglican Church of Canada.

Members of Washington, D.C. area United Church of Christ congregations joined with other faith communities in a prayer vigil near the White House April 14 in support of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran immigrant and Maryland resident who was unjustly…

The post UCC churches and faith communities join in protest of political prisoner appeared first on United Church of Christ.

Lately, there has been much conversation about immigration policies in the United States. The issue remains front and center as deportation orders are implemented and concerns continue to mount with reports of the wrongfully deported, the revocation of residence status,…

The post My Country ‘Tis of Thee appeared first on United Church of Christ.

In response to concerns raised by congregations in their districts related to potential detention and deportation among members of the Church of the Brethren, a group of church districts is working cooperatively to provide resourcing and support to affected congregations and to the whole church.

[Scottish Episcopal Church] On April 11, staff from the General Synod Office of the Scottish Episcopal Church called at the offices of The Turing Trust to make a donation of information technology (IT) equipment that will help empower disadvantaged communities in Africa, Asia and the United Kingdom. In honor of the altruistic spirit of Alan Turing, the highly influential mathematician and computer scientist, the trust refurbishes IT equipment, installs a range of educational software, and equips schools across the world. Turing is widely regarded as the father of modern computing, and he saw IT as a tool for solving immense challenges. He also had a passion for helping others – he funded one member of his foster family to work in Africa and sponsored a Jewish refugee’s schooling during World War II. In the last 15 years, the trust has enabled access to computers for over 252,000 students across Africa, Asia and the U.K. Its website says, “With your help and a great deal of hard work, we believe that one day every child will be able to enjoy the transformative power of technology that Alan envisioned.” A recent review of IT equipment at the General Synod Office led to items being upgraded, and the “old”’ equipment was handed over to the trust at its offices in Loanhead near Edinburgh by Patricia Krus, chief operating officer, and Ross Hunter, IT support assistant. Paul Rayner of the trust’s donations team said, “Thanks to your donation, 216 students will be able to learn vital IT skills. Beyond this, the environmental impact from your donation will offset three tons of CO2 emissions, which is the equivalent of planting eight trees. The embodied energy savings created are also enough to power one U.K. home for an entire year!” More information about the work of The Turing Trust can be found here.