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Two years after Hurricane Helene devastated communities across the southeastern United States, families are still rebuilding their homes and lives. Through volunteers, donors, and local partners, World Renew Disaster Response Services has helped to repair more than 120 homes so far. A two-minute video released by World Renew offers a glimpse into their ongoing work in partnership with Delmar Reformed Church in Madison County, N.C., where the disaster caused nearly $200 million in damages to infrastructure and many homes. “Your support of our Hurricane Helene response has been vital for affected families,” said Chris Gibson, director of Disaster Response Services. “Now 120 families can once again sit around the dinner table for a shared meal. 120 families have a place...

As churches seek new ways to nurture the spiritual growth of younger generations, Thrive, the congregational support agency of the CRCNA, is offering equipping events and practical discipleship resources. Central to these efforts were two webinars in May focused on “Reimagining Youth Ministry.” These online conversations engaged pressing challenges facing contemporary youth ministry. The first session (May 5) drew 36 attendees, and the second session (May 14) gathered 20 participants. Guided by content from Andrew Root’s book The End of Youth Ministry? the discussions challenged participants to examine their own expectations and to address challenges that may arise when youth ministry is reduced to serving as the "chief counselor of fun." Attendees worked through questions regarding the ultimate purpose of...

Whether it’s a one-week camp or an all-summer learning and activity club, Christian Reformed Church congregations across North America offered programs to help children learn and grow in faith this summer. Many churches purchase and use VBS kits, while others create programs of their own. Here’s a selection of the many and varied programs that Christian Reformed churches used this past summer. Lindsay Hummel, VBS director for Ebenezer CRC in Leduc, Alta., said their church used a weeklong rainforest-themed kit from Group Publishing. “It was a huge success”, she said. “Our program was full, with 100 children between the ages of 4 and 11, and 21 crew leaders between the ages of 12 and 15—a record for us.” The program...

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, With joy and thanksgiving, we share an update from the Christian community in Syria.  After years of Islamic occupation and twelve long years of exile, the Christian village of Ghassaniyah in the Idlib Governorate of northwestern Syria has finally been returned to its people. For over a decade, the […]

The post Homecoming of Hope: The Return of Ghassaniyah and the Witness of Christian Unity in Syria appeared first on WCRC.

General Synod’s retiring archivist, Laurel Parson, reflects on a career spent preserving history and aiding research on sensitive subject matter.

The post General Synod archivist retires appeared first on Anglican Church of Canada.

His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew addressed a gathering at the Oxford Law School on 17 September, reflecting on the topic “Orthodoxy and Human Rights.”

Prayers rang for the World Week for Peace in Palestine and Israel during a special service in the Ecumenical Centre for World Council of Churches (WCC) staff, partners, and visitors on 22 September. 

"It's an absolute car crash"

The World Council of Churches (WCC), on 16 September, hosted a group from the General Commission on Religion and Race (GCORR) of the United Methodist Church. The visitors received a welcome to the WCC, then entered into a conversation with WCC staff on global migration issues within the European context.

World Council of Churches president from North America-Turtle Island Rev. Dr. Angelique Walker-Smith, on 21 September, joined other religious leaders offering prayers before the official opening of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City.