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Washington, D.C.—The month of June calls upon Americans to reflect on who we are – and what we hold dear. In celebrating PRIDE, Immigrant Heritage Month, Juneteenth and World Refugee Day, we are invited and compelled to recognize the complexity, strength, tension and beauty of what it means to be American.   This June, however, the stakes feel especially high. ... Read More

The Lutheran World Federation Council will gather in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 11-16 June under the theme “Be my witnesses.” 

The World Council of Churches (WCC) is mourning the death of Rev. Dr Elizabeth S. Tapia, former professor of mission and contextual theology at the WCC Ecumenical Institute at Bossey from 2002-2005. 

Esta Yee, a fourth-year undergraduate student in sociology and psychology at the University of Toronto, has recently joined WACC for a summer internship as a project and research assistant with the Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP). During the eight-week internship Yee is assisting with coordination...

During the international conference ”Nicaea and the Church of the Third Millennium: Towards Catholic-Orthodox Unity,” held 3-7 June, director of the World Council of Churches Commission on Faith and Order Dr Andrej Jeftić spoke on “Nicaea and the Quest for Christian Unity: A Faith and Order Perspective on the Council’s Ecumenical Significance.”

Churches in the southern hemisphere observed the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, centering the special time around Ascension and Pentecost.

[Church of England] The Lord’s Prayer is still more easily instantly recognized by the British public than some of the most famous lines from Shakespeare, Dickens or Churchill, new research suggests. People in the U.K. are more likely to identify correctly a short extract from the Lord’s Prayer – also known as the Our Father – than one from the National Anthem and other sources chosen for their deep cultural resonance, a new poll has found. The polling, carried out for the Church of England ahead of the annual Pentecost prayer initiative Thy Kingdom Come, also found the reference in the prayer to being forgiven and forgiving others was the element people found most meaningful to them. Pollster Savanta surveyed more than 2,000 people across the U.K. They asked them to match seven famous lines – spanning areas ranging from literature and history to popular culture – with their source, from a list of correct answers. The famous literary lines were “To be or not to be,” from Hamlet by William Shakespeare, and the opening to Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” From British history, people were asked if they recognized the phrase, “Never in the field of human conflict, was so much owed by so many to so few” – Churchill’s stirring words in the House of Commons in August 1940 amid the Battle of Britain. Famous musical lyrics offered were “You’ll never walk alone,” which was a hit for Gerry and the Pacemakers and also is the anthem of Liverpool FC; and “Happy and glorious / Long to reign over us,” from God Save The King. From the world of film, they were asked if they recognized “May the force be with you” from Star Wars. Also on the list was “Give us this day our daily bread” from the Lord’s Prayer. Overall, the phrase from the Lord’s Prayer was recognized correctly by the largest number of people (80.3%), just ahead of Star Wars (79.9%). They were followed by Hamlet’s “To be or not to be” (73%); the extract from the National Anthem (63%); the line from Churchill’s “The Few” speech (61%); and You’ll Never Walk Alone (58%). A minority of those surveyed (39%) correctly identified the opening line from Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities. Overall 89% of those surveyed said that they had previously heard of the Lord’s Prayer or the Our Father. This was highest among those who described themselves as Christian (95%), but also by 88% of those who said they had no religion. Overall, 89% said they had ever said or prayed the Lord’s Prayer, and 58% said they had done so in their daily life. The survey then gave people the full wording of Lord’s Prayer and asked them to select the lines they found most meaningful. The most commonly selected line was “…and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us,” with 43% overall and more than half (56%) of Christians surveyed. Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell is currently leading a “Lord’s Prayer Tour” of events at churches and cathedrals across the north of England attended by thousands of people, as part of his Faith In The North initiative. He said, “These results reflect what we’ve been hearing across the North of England through our Faith in the North initiative, which invites people to explore the Lord’s Prayer. “Though ancient, its words continue to resonate with people of all faiths and none. “In a world of shifting cultures and changing circumstances, the Lord’s Prayer remains a steady guide – perhaps never more so than now. “Lines like ‘Give us this day our daily bread’ speak powerfully to today’s challenges, reminding us to seek sufficiency, not excess, and to consider what ‘enough’ truly means.” The enduring popularity of the Lord’s Prayer is echoed in the growing number of people engaging with daily worship in both traditional and new ways. Well over 3 million people have used the Church of England’s Daily Prayer podcast and app, which offers Morning and Evening Prayer in audio form. Launched during the pandemic, the service has seen over 12 million downloads, with thousands tuning in each day. Blending scripture, music and reflection, it reflects a wider resurgence of interest in regular prayer and spiritual rhythm, showing that ancient words continue to find new life in modern formats.

<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_2025-6-11_guide-to-synod-agenda.jpg?itok=lO23Udik" /> </div> </div> </article> <br /> Synod 2025 will begin meeting in person on Friday, 8:15 a.m, at Redeemer University, Ancaster, Ont. All are welcome to attend or watch the proceedings online.

<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="Some of the participants at a recent Classis Hudson meeting" class="lazyload" data-src="/sites/default/files/styles/default_mobile/public/2025-06/crc-news_2025-6-11_bilingual-bicultural-identity.jpg?itok=inHalbSk" /> </div> <div class="field field-image-caption">Some of the participants at a recent Classis Hudson meeting</div> </div> <div class="field field-image-credit">Catheryn Jo Kim</div> </article> <br /> As one of the oldest classes in the CRC, Classis Hudson consists of 26 ministries, 12 of which use Korean as their primary language.

[Anglican Taonga] Fe’iloakitau Kaho Tevi, climate commissioner for the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, has shared the church’s concern for the health and conservation of the oceans that make up so great a portion of our province, and impact so strongly on the lives of people this church serves. The Anglican Climate Commissioner’s June 6 statement for World Oceans Day is led by this church’s call to care for God’s creation, particularly through its understanding of Moana theology, which for many years has led this Church’s engagement with climate resilience and climate justice advocacy. The text of his statement follows. On the occasion of World Oceans Day, the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand, and Polynesia reaffirms its unwavering commitment to ocean justice, conservation, and the theological imperative of creation care. This year’s theme resonates deeply with our church’s spiritual and ecological identity: the Pacific Ocean— our Moana — is both life-giving and hope-giving. Drawing on the recent charge of Archbishop Sione Uluilakepa, the church recognizes the ocean not merely as a resource but as a sacred inheritance, central to Pacific identity and theological reflection. As articulated in the charge, the Moana is a site of lamentation and renewal — a source of sustenance, resilience and divine promise. In light of the mounting threats from climate change, pollution and industrial overexploitation, we are called to act in faithful stewardship. Through its Climate Change Commission, the Anglican Church in Aotearoa New Zealand and Polynesia supports the international call to protect at least 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030 through the establishment of Marine Protected Areas. MPAs are not only environmental safeguards; they are spiritual investments in the healing and restoration of God’s creation from the long-term impacts of industrial fishing, extractive economies, and ecological neglect. At the same time, we support the continuation of scientific deep-sea research across the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of Pacific Island Countries, while at the same time we strongly advocate for a pause on all deep-sea mining activities. This dual commitment reflects a theological ethic grounded in discernment and responsibility. The pause represents a necessary moral safeguard, ensuring that no irreversible harm is inflicted upon deep-ocean ecosystems before adequate knowledge is acquired. Through careful research and exploration, we honor the mystery of the deep, acknowledging it as part of God’s wondrous and still unfolding creation. Archbishop Uluilakepa reminds us, “Our Pacific Ocean, Moana, is not merely a resource to be exploited; it is a sacred entity providing life, sustenance and hope to countless communities across our region. As stewards of this precious gift, our duty extends beyond preservation — it calls us to restoration and rejuvenation.” On this World Oceans Day, we urge communities of faith, civil society, governments and global actors to embrace a vision of the ocean rooted in reverence, justice and regeneration. As we prepare for the upcoming United Nations Ocean Conference — UNOC 3 — in Nice, France, we have a critical opportunity to elevate both the moral and scientific imperatives for ocean protection. With its theme focused on scaling up ocean action through science and innovation, UNOC 3 aligns with our church’s call to safeguard the Moana through care, equity, and intergenerational responsibility. Let us move from lamentation to hope, from degradation to healing, and from extraction to restoration.