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The World Council of Churches (WCC) received the visit of Nini Sandborg, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights adviser on torture prevention and Dr Susan Kerr, head of the Human Rights Department at the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights.

Rudelmar Bueno de Faria, general secretary of the ACT Alliance, recently visited Colombia and Venezuela in the wake of earthquakes in both countries. He reflects on the humanitarian work—and why communities are ready to lead it.

Communities are invited to join churches across the United Church of Christ in observing Just Peace Sunday on Sunday, September 20, under the theme “God’s Economy: People Over Profit”.  What is Just Peace Sunday?   Just Peace Sunday grows out of…

The post Join the United Church of Christ in Observing Just Peace Sunday appeared first on United Church of Christ.

In Springfield, Ohio, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have required many Haitian community members to wear ankle monitors. It’s one way that ICE has targeted Haitian immigrants in the city since the Supreme Court allowed for the Trump administration’s end…

The post In Springfield, faith leaders from near and far joined rallying cry to ‘unshackle’ Haitian immigrants appeared first on United Church of Christ.

When the Rev. Chance Martinez-Colon learned of the burgeoning medical debt among Frederick County residents, he was determined not to sit idly by and allow it to fester. He wanted to raise funds to eliminate that debt for Maryland families…

The post From the pulpit to the emergency room: Frederick faith leaders are using their churches to help erase millions of dollars in medical debt in their community appeared first on United Church of Christ.

[Council of Christian Churches in Germany] Following the outcome of the state parliament elections in the State of Saxony-Anhalt, Bishop Kirsten Fehrs, chair of the Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany; Bishop Heiner Wilmer, chair of the German Bishops’ Conference; and the Rev. Christopher Easthill, chair of the Council of Christian Churches in Germany and rector of the Anglican/Episcopal Church of St. Augustine of Canterbury in Frankfurt issued the following statement: “We take note of the fact that the AfD [Alternative for Germany] emerged as the strongest party in Saxony-Anhalt by a clear margin. Our concerns have become reality, but we have to accept the result. The churches are particularly concerned about the way people in Saxony-Anhalt live together and relate to one another, and especially about respect for the universal human dignity granted by God, which is unconditionally due to every person. Our concern also extends to the free and democratic constitutional order in Saxony-Anhalt. We call on the election winners to fully respect the State and German constitution and to uphold the dignity of all people, regardless of their origin, religion, way of life, achievements or position. As churches, we are committed to the message of the Gospel and to the Christian understanding of humanity. In fulfilment of this commitment, we will closely monitor and critically accompany the actions of the future state government. We will not look away and we will not remain silent when human dignity is violated, our democracy is put at risk, or the rule of law is undermined. Ultimately, this is always about people who come under pressure, are threatened or excluded. We will continue to support everything that sustains our democracy and contributes to social cohesion. This requires, above all, spaces where people can come together, engage in dialogue and seek mutual understanding. This is one responsibility of the democratic parties. The churches, too, can serve as important places of encounter. An election result is the sum of votes cast on a Sunday – but in everyday life, what matters is what holds this country together week after week. The election result shows the extent of dissatisfaction and the loss of trust. This must be taken seriously. What remains unchanged, however, is how hundreds of thousands of people in Saxony-Anhalt and across Germany care for one another day after day, take responsibility for and help sustain our communities. As churches, we will continue to make their confidence, willingness to help and commitment visible and to strengthen them. Together, we will continue working for a society that stands together – in responsibility before God and our fellow human beings.” This press release is being issued simultaneously by the press offices of the Council of Christian Churches in Germany (ACK), the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) and the German Bishops’ Conference (DBK). About the Council of Christian Churches in Germany (ACK) The Council of Christian Churches in Germany (ACK) was founded on 10 March 1948 by five churches. In 2026, it comprises twenty-one churches from different traditions. A further four churches are guest members, and five ecumenical organisations have observer status. The ACK’s main areas of work are theological reflection, engagement for justice, peace and the preservation of creation, as well as joint prayer and contact with other ecumenical organisations. Among other activities, the ACK organises the annual central service for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity and the Ecumenical Day of Creation. It is also responsible for awarding the ACK Ecumenical Prize. Members, guest members and observers send delegates to the General Assembly, which meets twice a year. Since March 2025, the Anglican/Episcopal priest from Wiesbaden, the Rev. Christopher Easthill, serves as chair of the ACK. The ACK’s office in Germany, the “Ökumenische Centrale”, is based in Frankfurt am Main: www.oekumene-ack.de

The United Church of Christ is a church of extravagant welcome, and like many congregants who have already found a home with the UCC, somewhere out there, someone else is searching for a sign that they belong–looking for a place…

The post The UCC Wants Your Story of Welcome appeared first on United Church of Christ.

[Episcopal News Service – Minneapolis, Minnesota] Participants in the Full & Equal: 50 Years in Pursuit of a Promise gathering attended to learn, reunite with others,  celebrate the progress achieved thus far and prepare for the work ahead. Retired Bishop Nedi Rivera was a deacon in 1976 when General Convention passed Resolution A069 at its meeting that year in Minneapolis, declaring that “homosexual persons are children of God who have a full and equal claim with all other persons upon the love, acceptance, and pastoral concern and care of the Church.” General Convention’s 1976 meeting was historic in at least two other ways. Bishops and deputies also broke with The Episcopal Church’s tradition by approving the ordination of women to the priesthood and episcopate. They also set in motion the approval of what is now the current Book of Common Prayer, replacing the version used since 1928. Rivera told Episcopal News Service that she has since realized how “all these issues are so interrelated. I mean, we were talking liturgy – the prayer book. We were talking women’s issues. We were talking gay, lesbian. We hadn’t even considered trans issues in those days.” She also had a personal reason to come to Full & Equal. Rivera has a gay grandchild and one who is trans. She wanted to learn how to be a better ally with them and “how can I make a world that is better” for them, she said. Retired New Hampshire Bishop Gene Robinson, the first openly gay bishop elected in The Episcopal Church and in any major Christian denomination, used an image from his childhood to explain the impact of the gathering. He worked in the fields with his tobacco sharecropper parents. It was backbreaking and seemingly unending work but, he said, “every now and again, you stop and stand up straight, and turn around and look how far you’ve come, and you realize you can keep doing this, and you go back to work again.” The gathering reminded him that the work ahead is about trying to do the next right thing and looking for the next right thing. Most of the time those right things are accomplished in little steps, he said. Beth Whitaker, who attends Grace Episcopal Church in Madison, Wisconsin, would agree. Grace’s Pride committee is “the most active and energized committee in the whole church,” she said, with lots of support in the parish. The committee has expanded its ministry to include trans youth and their families. “I feel called to learn from this to help do better work at home,” she said. Fred Ellis, from Dallas, Texas, said Resolution A069 was “the reason I really became serious about becoming an Episcopalian.” Ellis said last week’s gathering was a good way to recognize “all the work that’s gone on by hundreds of people over the last 50 years to get us to the point where we are and acknowledge that there’s still work to do.” The Rev. Barbara Anne Fisher, of Richmond, Indiana, has been in the thick of that work. She was denied a Master of Divinity degree when she graduated from seminary in 1986 and instead was given a Master of Christian Education. She declined to identify the seminary. Fisher was ordained to the priesthood in 2017 after being “denied and denied and denied.” When she learned of the Full & Equal conference, “I knew I had to be here.” Radiant Energy, ministries coordinator at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Detroit, Michigan, said they are new to The Episcopal Church and attended to learn more about the history of full inclusion of LGBTQ+ people in the church. The gathering was “wonderful and challenging to see how much further we have to go,” even on a deeply personal level. Energy, who identifies as trans non-binary, was misgendered by some at the conference “despite wearing a lanyard around my neck with my pronouns on it.” Sean McConnell’s reason for attending was also personal. McConnell, senior director of engagement for Episcopal Relief & Development, has recently been coming out to people as bisexual. It’s part of a process of “being able to be fully who I am,” he said, adding that attending the conference was a way to continue that process. David Hales, deputy for administration for the Archives of The Episcopal Church, came to Minneapolis “to hear people’s stories and to understand the history that I’m not aware of.” He also wanted people to know that the Archives is interested in the storytelling that the conference wanted to foster. “This is such an important way of preserving our history, bringing it forward to remind ourselves of where we’ve been and where we’re going,” he said. “And as a gay man, that’s incredibly important to me. I’m not an Episcopalian, but I believe everyone accounts for something. And this is a reminder.” – The Rev. Mary Frances Schjonberg is a freelance writer who formerly was a senior editor and reporter for Episcopal News Service.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) Regional Ecumenical Theological Institute (RETI) Latin America has been announced for 2027. Prof. Dr Ani Ghazaryan Drissi, WCC programme executive for Ecumenical Theological Education (ETE) and coordinator of the Global Ecumenical Theological Institute (GETI) and RETI, reflects on her hopes for the new regional initiative, and how you can get involved. 

On August 26, 2026, the ground supporting a glacier in the Himalayan mountains gave way, causing a major avalanche of ice and rock to fall into the Bhote Koshi River. The debris caused a dam to form in the river,…

The post An Appeal for Help for Nepal after Flooding appeared first on United Church of Christ.