Latest News

 Please click here to register. Thursday, June 19, 2 PM to 3 PM US ET Join Live via Zoom or Facebook Zoom registration is required but complimentary. Please click here to register.

[Episcopal News Service] The Rev. Jacqueline Means, the first woman ordained to the priesthood in The Episcopal Church after the 1976 canonical changes allowing women to become priests went into effect, has died. Her death was announced by Indianapolis Bishop Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows in a June 3 message to the diocese, where Means had served throughout her ministry. Her ordination on Jan. 1, 1977, followed the “irregular” ordination of 11 women in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on July 29, 1974, and four other women in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 7, 1975. Means had been ordained a deacon on April 6, 1974. An Episcopal News Service story about a 1997 service marking her 20th ordination anniversary quoted Means as saying that when she first approached then-Indianapolis Bishop John Craine about her desire to be ordained a priest, she was “so nervous that I spilled a cup of coffee all over myself. But Bishop Craine was just wonderful.” Baskerville-Burrows said that Means had served several congregations across the diocese. She also had been active in prison ministry, serving at the Indiana Women’s Prison and as director of prison ministries under the bishop for Armed Forces and Federal Ministries. In the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Means was part of a Critical Incident Response Team formed by The Episcopal Church to help support dioceses and parishes in the regions affected – New York City, Washington, D.C., and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Baskerville-Burrows said of Means, “Jackie’s ministry shattered barriers and opened doors for generations of women called to the priesthood. Jackie was never content with simply breaking ground — she cultivated it. She gave her life to the work of healing, accompaniment and liberation, especially among the incarcerated, the unhoused, the grieving and the overlooked.” Two General Conventions adopted resolutions marking anniversaries of her ordination: the 77th convention in 2012 noting her 35th anniversary, and the 80th General Convention in 2022 marking her 45th. Funeral arrangements are pending.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) central committee will convene in Johannesburg, South Africa, 18 – 24 June 2025, for important encounters on the Pilgrimage of Justice, Reconciliation, and Unity, particularly with South African churches. Media accreditation is mandatory for access to open sessions, press conferences, briefings, and seminars – onsite, as well as online.

A return to roots for The United Methodists Church means being a countercultural movement again, says the top executive of the United Methodist Commission on Archives and History.

<article class="media media--image display--large"> <div class="image-container"> <div class="field field-media-image"> <img loading="eager" width="430" height="323" alt="" class="lazyload" data-src="/sites/default/files/styles/default_mobile/public/2025-05/Synod%20Prayer%20Graphic%20-%202025.jpg?itok=O2WEpj8j" /> </div> </div> </article> <br /> “Journey with Jesus” is a theme that will frame this year’s synod, and was central in the May 28 online convening session.

<article class="media media--image display--large"> <div class="image-container"> <div class="field field-media-image"> <img loading="eager" width="430" height="323" alt="Thrive’s ministry consultants" class="lazyload" data-src="/sites/default/files/styles/default_mobile/public/2025-06/thrive-ministry-consultants-graphic2_0.jpg?itok=XqnV7kVI" /> </div> <div class="field field-image-caption">Thrive’s ministry consultants</div> </div> <div class="field field-image-credit">Thrive</div> </article> <br /> Thrive’s eight ministry consultants are offering a steady presence, practical tools, and Spirit-led guidance to congregations.

<article class="media media--image display--large"> <div class="image-container"> <div class="field field-media-image"> <img loading="eager" width="430" height="323" alt="Naw Htoo Baw and her parents." class="lazyload" data-src="/sites/default/files/styles/default_mobile/public/2025-06/crc-news_2025-6-4_people-seeking-hope.jpg?itok=zauM2jWh" /> </div> <div class="field field-image-caption">Naw Htoo Baw and her parents.</div> </div> <div class="field field-image-credit">World Renew</div> </article> <br /> When two earthquakes rocked Myanmar on March 28, Naw Htoo Baw’s first thought was of her parents’ safety.

<article class="media media--image display--large"> <div class="image-container"> <div class="field field-media-image"> <img loading="eager" width="430" height="323" alt="" class="lazyload" data-src="/sites/default/files/styles/default_mobile/public/2025-06/crc-news_2025-6-4_building-a-tower-of-stories.jpg?itok=KfsPSZsw" /> </div> </div> </article> <br /> In her final lecture before retiring from Calvin Seminary, Mary Vanden Berg urged listeners to recognize our limitations, focusing on who we are, whose we are, and how well God knows us.

In a message to the 27th Pentecostal World Conference, being held in Helsinki 4-7 June, World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay reflected on the theme of the conference, “Go &Make,” describing it as both timely and deeply challenging. 

The World Council of Churches (WCC) welcomed an array of visitors in May, all receiving a welcome and introduction to the work of the WCC.