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Participants at the Council of Bishops Leadership Gathering spent their second full day together moving from naming the realities facing The United Methodist Church to reflecting on ways to help it thrive.

Jay Wittmeyer, well known in Church of the Brethren circles as a former Global Mission executive, currently executive director of the Lombard (Ill.) Mennonite Peace Center, led a workshop titled “Restorative Conversations” for the Church of the Brethren’s Northern Indiana District.

Por Frank Ramirez ¡Menuda confusión! Sucede cuando un miembro de la generación del baby boom pide un café en un restaurante y el camarero de la Generación Z espera a que aclare algo, porque para ellos pedir un café es como pedir una patata. Y eso puede provocar la típica mirada de la Generación Z.

Pa Frank Ramirez Pale de Towering Babel. Sa rive lè yon Boomer mande kafe nan yon restoran epi sèvè Jenerasyon Z a ap tann kèk klarifikasyon paske pou yo, mande kafe se tankou mande yon pòmdetè. Epi sa ka jis pwovoke gade Jenerasyon Z a. Menm planèt la. Mond diferan. Omwen se sa Jay Wittmeyer

Rev. Philip Vinod Peacock, General Secretary of the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC), brought greetings and a keynote address to the 39th General Assembly of the Church of Christ in Thailand (CCT), meeting this week in Chiang Mai. Speaking on behalf of the WCRC’s 231 member churches in 109 countries, Peacock began with heartfelt […]

The post Walking Together as Friends: WCRC General Secretary Addresses the Church of Christ in Thailand appeared first on WCRC.

[World Council of Churches] Three United Nations conventions were born at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, and in 2026 all three hold their Conference of the Parties (COP). After the desertification COP17 in August in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, the biodiversity COP17 opened Oct. 19 in Yerevan, Armenia. From Mongolia to Armenia, the World Council of Churches brings the same case: the crises of land, biodiversity and climate are bound together, and none can be solved without the communities who live with them. “In Ulaanbaatar, we said that land will not be restored without the communities who hold it. Indigenous peoples are rights holders, and young people are partners, not guests. The biodiversity framework will move from promises to action only if their voices shape it,” said Athena Peralta, director of the World Council of Churches’ Commission on Climate Justice and Sustainable Development. COP17 is the first global review of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the plan adopted in 2022 with 23 targets for 2030. The ecumenical delegation has 20 members from 16 countries. They are traveling with the World Council of Churches, Lutheran World Federation and Anglican Communion. The Armenian Apostolic Church’s Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin is hosting the World Council of Churches’ delegation. Read the full article here.

[Anglican Taonga] The Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia has committed to developing a strategic response to artificial intelligence, which will consider the impact of AI technologies on physical, intellectual and spiritual aspects of human life. “Many people are writing and researching on the current impact of AI from environmental and social perspectives, but I think there’s a space for us to approach it through the dual lenses of theology and the three-tikanga church,” Dunedin Bishop Anne van Gend said. The Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia has a unique three-person primacy, reflecting the three Tikangas, or cultural streams (Pākehā, Māori and Polynesia), within the church. Read the full article here.

[Episcopal News Service] The United Nations is four days into its biennial Conference of the Parties on the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the Rt. Rev. Cathleen Bascom, The Episcopal Church’s eco-region networks coordinator and former bishop of Kansas, is there representing Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe. Bascom is in Yerevan, Armenia, Oct. 19-30 for the 17th U.N. biodiversity conference, or COP17, as part of a five-person Anglican delegation. While in Yerevan, the delegation is acknowledging Indigenous wisdom as they advocate for protecting oceans, for just finance for at-risk communities and for a cleaner agricultural system. “I come to COP17 ready to share some innovative practices and positive impacts reported from our networks,” Bascom told Anglican Communion News Service. “Above all, I travel to Armenia to learn.” This is The Episcopal Church’s second time participating in the U.N. biodiversity conference. In 2024, Bascom was part of the church’s three-person delegation as an observer organization. That conference, which was held in Santiago de Cali, Colombia, concluded with no clear agreement on key topics. Negotiations later continued in Rome, Italy. Representatives from nearly 200 countries are attending COP17. The United States is not an official voting party to the Convention on Biological Diversity, but representatives from Native American tribal nations and other groups are participating. The U.S. Council for International Business also sent a multisectoral business group to present private-sector solutions to biodiversity issues. The biodiversity conference is different from the U.N.’s annual climate change conference, which will take place in November in Antalya, Turkey. The biodiversity conference focuses on protecting and preserving all life on earth, including animals, plants and microorganisms. The climate change conference, on the other hand, focuses on limiting the rise of Earth’s surface temperature to reduce the frequency of extreme weather events, including hurricanes, wildfires, severe rain events, increased flooding and heatwaves. Climate change is among several factors leading to the rapid decline of Earth’s biodiversity. Overfishing, poaching and habitat loss when land is taken for agriculture are other factors, which have left more than 1 million animals on the brink of extinction. Human population growth is a central factor because of the increased need for infrastructure and converting natural habitats for agriculture, which have significantly reduced space for wildlife to thrive. Under this year’s theme, “Taking Action for Nature,” the conference is assessing progress in implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which was adopted in 2022 by 196 countries. The framework lists 23 targets to be met by 2030 to halt and reverse biodiversity loss. One of those targets, called the 30×30 target, is to ensure that 30% of land and water are conserved by 2030. At The Episcopal Church’s 81st General Convention in 2024 in Louisville, Kentucky, the House of Bishops and House of Deputies passed D029, “Commit to the 30×30 Initiative for Biodiversity,” which directs all Episcopal institutions to adopt, support and promote the 30×30 target. As of 2024, 8.4% of marine and coastal areas were protected or conserved, compared with 17.6% of land and inland waters, according to the Protected Planet Report 2024, the first official review of global progress towards implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The conference is also addressing issues related to climate change, agriculture and health. The Anglican delegation is focusing on four priorities at COP17: Share generational wisdom to secure nature and communities; ensure that governments’ finances are channeled towards those who need it most; call on governments to restore and protect the oceans as one of the “Lungs of the Earth”; and show that balancing food security and sustainability is possible. Built around relationship, restoration and resilience, the Anglican Communion’s “Lungs of the Earth” initiative describes how Anglicans can be involved in working to restore and protect three vital ecosystems: forests, oceans and frozen landscapes. This includes participation in reforestation initiatives like the Communion Forest, and also amplifies environmental and advocacy work from Anglican provinces around the world and celebrates the work of Anglican environmental activists, including Green Anglicans and the Anglican Communion Environmental Network. While in Yerevan, Bascom said she hopes to gain ideas in strengthening The Episcopal Church’s 12 eco-region networks, which address region-specific biodiversity and climate issues. “From our own Anglican delegation members and the many scientists, faith groups and government actors, I hope to glean best practices and spiritual insights that will empower efforts in our Episcopal eco-region networks.” -Shireen Korkzan is a reporter and assistant editor for Episcopal News Service. She can be reached at [email protected].

Restless Souls Haunted House is serving up scares with a purpose: See how a collaborative effort by four New York United Methodist churches turns Halloween thrills into a ministry that brings the community together.