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[Episcopal News Service] President Donald Trump paid tribute to the late South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham on July 28 at a funeral service held at Washington National Cathedral. A long list of other conservative leaders and global dignitaries, from Fox News host Sean Hannity to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, joined in honoring Graham, who died July 11 at 71. “Today, we gather in the deepest gratitude and profoundest sorrow to honor a beloved friend, a devoted brother, a respected statesman, a giant of the United States Senate, a true American original who left us much too soon,” Trump said. “And that can only be the one and only Lindsey Graham.” The Episcopal cathedral in Washington, D.C., has a long tradition of hosting funerals for U.S. presidents and other prominent political figures as part of its founding vision, authorized by congressional charter in 1893, as “a sacred home for all Americans in the nation’s capital.” Past presidential funerals have included services for Dwight D. Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford, George H.W. Bush and, most recently, Jimmy Carter in January 2025. Other American leaders honored with funerals at Washington National Cathedral in recent years have included Secretary of State Colin Powell, Secretary of State Madeline Albright, Arizona Sen. John McCain and, in November 2025, Vice President Dick Cheney. Graham was a Southern Baptist who never married and had no children. He had served his native South Carolina in the Senate since 2003 and previously served in the House of Representatives. At the time of his death from an aortic tear caused by cardiovascular disease he had just returned from a trip to Ukraine in support of Ukraine’s military efforts against Russia. “We bid farewell to a man much beloved by many,” the Very Rev. Randy Hollerith, Washington National Cathedral’s dean, said in brief welcoming remarks. “Lindsey Graham was a man of faith, a longtime public servant who devoted his life to his country and to his cherished South Carolina. “His untimely death leaves a void in both places, and we gather this afternoon to honor his life and commend his soul to God in firm and abiding faith that he now rests in the life hereafter.” The service leaflet is available here, and video of the service can be viewed on the cathedral’s YouTube channel. Other eulogies were given by Hannity and Emillie Boggs Roberts, Graham’s niece. Passages from Scripture were read by Tony Perkins, president of the conservative policy organization Family Research Council; Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, and Franklin Graham, president of the evangelical relief organization Samaritan’s Purse. Others reported to be in attendance included Vice President JD Vance, House Speaker Mike Johnson, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, former Vice President Mike Pence and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump, in his tribute, called Graham a “fixture of American politics at the highest level and a force to be reckoned with all over the world.” “He was a man who gave America the full measure of his good and mighty heart until that heart itself just gave out,” Trump said. “There can be no doubt that he lived absolutely to the fullest. He died doing the work he was born to do. He was truly a great politician serving the country he loved to serve so deeply.” Earlier in the day, Graham was honored in a ceremony at the U.S. Capitol. A funeral service in South Carolina is planned July 29 at First Baptist Church of Columbia, followed by a private burial. – David Paulsen is a senior reporter and editor for Episcopal News Service based in Wisconsin. He can be reached at [email protected].

World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay extended joyful greetings upon the 50th Jubilee of the Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians.

After fleeing Afghanistan, Layla arrived in the United States alone and uncertain of where to turn. With support from CWS and community partners, she is beginning to rebuild her life and imagine a future rooted in safety, dignity and service.  Rebuilding Safety for Afghan Neighbors  By age 35, Layla* had built a thriving life in Afghanistan. After years of hard work and dedicated study, she ...

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The post “They Made Me Feel Like I Wasn’t Alone Anymore”: Why Refugee Protection Matters appeared first on CWS.

In the United States the fight for voting rights has been historically framed as a civil right. Civil rights are personal rights guaranteed and protected by the U.S. Constitution and federal laws enacted by Congress, such as the Civil Rights…

The post Voting Rights are a Justice Issue appeared first on United Church of Christ.

Arguably the most popular resource that is sold by the United Church of Christ, the Desk Calendar and Plan Book is more than just a calendar. It’s a gateway into the life of the church, full of resources, important dates,…

The post UCC Desk Calendar and Plan Book launches special cover kicking off 70th anniversary celebrations appeared first on United Church of Christ.

Rev. Wilfred Dimingu, a Methodist Church minister, is leading the Zimbabwe Council of Churches as its general secretary at a time when the signing of a controversial amendment has radically altered the political, judicial, and electoral processes in the southern African country.

Each August, members of Congress go on “recess,” returning to their home states and districts. Members of both the House of Representatives and the Senate use these periods to engage with constituents, hold town halls and public events, and conduct in-district meetings. This August recess is particularly important as many members are campaigning for re-election. The 2026 August recess is ...

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The post Take Action for Immigrants and Refugees During the 2026 August Recess appeared first on CWS.

[Episcopal News Service] The Rt. Rev. Jerry Albam Lamb, who served the Diocese of Northern California as bishop for 14 years, died on July 26 at his residence in Southern California. He was 85. In announcing his death in an email, the diocese said of Lamb, “We offer prayers of gratitude for his long life of faithful service. Please keep his family and friends in your prayers.” Lamb was born on Sept. 4, 1940, in Denver, Colorado. He earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy in 1964 and a master’s degree in theology in 1966 from St. Thomas Seminary, a now-defunct Vincentian institution. He served as a Roman Catholic priest until 1971. In 1973, he earned a second master’s degree in counseling from the University of Oregon in Eugene. Lamb joined The Episcopal Church in 1977 and was ordained a priest in that same year in the Diocese of Oregon. He was elected and ordained bishop coadjutor of the Sacramento-based Diocese of Northern California in 1991, succeeding Bishop John Lester Thompson. Lamb became the sixth diocesan bishop in 1992. He retired in 2006 when his successor, the Rt. Rev. Barry L. Beisner, became the diocese’s seventh bishop. Lamb then served as assisting bishop of the Diocese of Nevada after Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori stepped down to serve as The Episcopal Church’s presiding bishop. In 2008, Lamb was appointed provisional bishop of the Diocese of San Joaquin in central California after former Bishop John David Schofield led many congregations out of The Episcopal Church. Under Lamb’s leadership, as well as that of his successors, Bishop Chester “Chet” Talton and Bishop David Rice, those who remained in the diocese re-engaged with the wider church. The cause of death hasn’t been provided, but Lamb had experienced various health issues in recent years. While attending a House of Bishops meeting in 2012 at the 77th General Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana, he was hospitalized after suffering from two “small strokes.” Lamb was preceded in death by his wife, Jane Mary Onstad Lamb, who died in 2023. He is survived by his daughter, Katherine “Kate” Lamb. “[Jerry Lamb] meant a great deal to so many of us and his impact on the world is unmeasurable,” Kate Lamb said in a July 27 Instagram post. “To me, he was my dad who loved me, challenged me and believed in me. I will miss him forever and give thanks for his lifetime of service to others.” Funeral services will be held for Lamb at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Sacramento and in Upland, California. The dates have not been announced.

Christian and Muslim leaders in Nigeria, with the support of the Interfaith Dialogue Forum for Peace and International Dialogue Centre – KAICIID, launched the Interfaith Code of Conduct at the Abuja Peace Conference. 

This summer, high schoolers and recent graduates from across the United Church of Christ spent a week living, praying, and advocating on Capitol Hill as part of Youth Voices: Bold Faith, a joint program of the UCC Office of Public…

The post UCC youth bring bold faith to Capitol Hill  appeared first on United Church of Christ.