World Council of Churches

A multi-stakeholder dialogue, “Faith Forward: Reclaiming HIV in the Health Agenda” was organized by the World Council of Churches (WCC) in partnership with the Network of Positive Advocates of the Philippines.

A commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission of the Churches on International Affairs (CCIA) was held 4 October in Chiang Mai, Thailand. 

A gathering of World Council of Churches (WCC) commissions and reference groups on Life, Justice and Peace opened in Chiang Mai, where ecumenical leaders will explore what “Being Church in the World Today” means. 

World Council of Churches (WCC) Programme Director for Unity, Mission and Ecumenical Formation Rev. Dr Kuzipa Nalwamba shared an update to the WCC Commission on Ecumenical Education and Formation (EEF) meeting at the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey 4–9 October. Nalwamba emphasized that formation should be understood not simply as a collection of educational activities, but as a fundamental “ethos” of the WCC.

Rev. Prof. Dr Meehyun Chung, moderator of the WCC Commission on Ecumenical Education and Formation, shared a report on 5 October that offered an overview of the commission’s most recent work as well as a glimpse of future plans. 

As the Season of Creation officially closed on 4 October, people gathered online from across the world for a prayer service that not only recapped many green initiatives but also encouraged ongoing action to care for creation. 

World Council of Churches (WCC) moderator of the central committee Rev. Prof. Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm and Rev. Prof. Dr Meehyun Chung, moderator of the WCC Commission on Ecumenical Education and Formation, met with the speaker of National Assembly of South Korea Cho Jeong-sik. 

An International Ecumenical Peace Convocation held, 9-13 September in South Korea, has released an “Affirmation of Just Peace.”

In a special message entitled “The Spirit of Ecumenical Learning,” World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay shared appreciation for the work of the WCC Ecumenical Education and Formation Commission as they start their biannual meeting at the WCC Ecumenical Institute at Bossey. 

World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay received H.E. Ambassador Amira Hanania, a Palestinian diplomat and media veteran who serves as the representative of the Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs in Europe. 

World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay received H.E. Muneera Naoufal Aldosari, executive director of the King Hamad Global Center for Coexistence and Tolerance, in the Kingdom of Bahrain, on 1 October. Aldosari was accompanied by Ebrahim Anwar Albalooshi, international cooperation specialist.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Geneva Assembly of Churches organised an evening of testimonies in Geneva on 1 October. The special event provide a direct platform for those on the ground who are holding fast to hope and building peace in their daily lives.

The 2026 Right Livelihood Award is honoring women and women-led organisations confronting the world’s most entrenched power structures: authoritarian rule, patriarchal violence, and unchecked AI development. 

A Season of Creation closing event on 4 October will prayerfully consider this year’s theme, "Living Water" (Ezekiel 47:9, 12): "Wherever the river goes, every living creature that swarms will live . . . Their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing" (NRSV).

As he visited Korea for a public theology conference, World Council of Churches central committee moderator Bishop Prof. Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm not only delivered lectures at the conference, but also participated in media interviews, spoke to students, and shared insights in many other ways. 

During a sermon at the Great Church of Debrecen, given on 27 September, World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay preached on “The Church: Standing Firm in Faith, Walking Forward in Hope.”

UN Assistant Secretary-General and UN Women Deputy Executive Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda was received by the World Council of Churches (WCC) and other ecumenical and faith-based organizations on 29 September. 

The World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission on Ecumenical Education and Formation (EEF) will meet at the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey from 4 to 9 October, bringing together members for a week of reflection, evaluation, and planning around the future of ecumenical education and formation.

World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay expressed deep concern about the renewed escalation of hostilities in Tigray and neighbouring areas of northern Ethiopia. 

Tamatoa Tepuhiarii of Moruroa e Tātou nongovernmental organization and the Ètārētia Porotetani Māòhi (the Māòhi Protestant Church), currently pursuing PhD research on Nuclear Justice and Gender in the Sea of Islands (Pacific), was among the speakers at the World Council of Churches (WCC) cohosted side event at the 63rd session of the UN Human Rights Council, addressing the human rights impacts of nuclear testing across the region. In this conversation, the WCC 11th Assembly youth delegate shares his view on the unique role churches can play in the pursuit of nuclear justice today.