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In a letter to Pope Francis, World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay and WCC moderator Bishop Prof. Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm offered sincere prayers for his rapid recovery and renewed health in these coming days. 

Amid a news cycle filled with stories that can cause overwhelm and disorientation, the season of Lent will begin next week on March 5. Sharon Fennema, Join the Movement curator and storyteller, described how many of the movement-makers she has…

The post Lent 2025 resources offer nourishment, challenge, and encouragement to dig deep   appeared first on United Church of Christ.

On February 25, the Western District of Washington heard oral arguments in Pacito v. Trump, the first lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s refugee ban executive order. Following the hearing, the judge issued a preliminary injunction from the bench blocking the administration’s indefinite refugee ban and funding freeze. In the ruling, U.S. District Judge Jamal Whitehead said that the administration’s refugee ... Read More

In the latest installment of “On My Mind Today,” the new blog written by UCC General Minister and President/CEO the Rev. Karen Georgia Thompson talks about the plight of relocating families due to political conflict, economical unrest, and climate migration.…

The post Thompson’s ‘On My Mind Today’ explores the ‘risk’ of relocating the displaced in an ever-growing inhospitable world appeared first on United Church of Christ.

The Pension Boards-United Church of Christ, Inc., announced the sudden and unexpected passing of its President and CEO Brian R. Bodager on Feb. 15. Bodager had recently announced his departure from the organization just a few weeks prior on Feb.…

The post Remembering Brian R. Bodager, former President and CEO of the Pension Boards-UCC appeared first on United Church of Christ.

Since 1933, with Franklin D. Roosevelt’s swift response in helping a struggling U.S. economy soon after removing his hand from the inaugural bible, the first 100 days of a new presidency has become an important harbinger for a nation. The…

The post A faithful response to the first 100 days: Online advocacy resource page now available appeared first on United Church of Christ.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) submitted a comment on 21 February to the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on the court’s draft policy on environmental crimes. 

[Anglican Communion News Service] The Rt. Rev. Paul Colton, bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross in the Church of Ireland, has planted 29 trees as part of a 25th anniversary marking his service as bishop to the united diocese. The tree planting has been inspired by the Communion Forest program launched at the Lambeth Conference in 2022. Since then, the diocese has planted 519 trees. 490 were planted in partnership with the Irish charity Reforest Nation — one for each young person confirmed in the diocese since 2023. For 190 of the trees planted in Ireland, a matching tree has been planted by the charity in Madagascar or Kenya. Colton said, “I think my love of and fascination with trees goes back to childhood days of going to camp on Fota Island in Cork Harbor with the cubs and Scouts — of enjoying the woodlands and hearing the sound of the wind, birds and wildlife. It was a particular joy, therefore, to be invited by the Scouts to return to Fota to plant a tree at the Scout Centre there. Each year of living at The See House in Cork, over the last 26 years now, we have planted at least one tree a year also.”  

[Church of England] The National Safeguarding Team has today announced the conclusion of the work to review all clergy under the authority or oversight of the Church of England who are criticized in the Makin review, published in November. The review was commissioned to look at the church’s handling of the allegations of the horrendous abuse by the late John Smyth. This has been a rigorous and independent process to look at whether those named present any immediate risk and consider whether there is a case for disciplinary proceedings for clergy, under the Clergy Discipline Measure. This has been undertaken in line with the process announced in December with recommendations of an independent panel and reviewed by an independent barrister. Following this, the National Safeguarding Team will now seek to bring disciplinary proceedings under the Clergy Discipline Measure against the following: Bishop Paul Butler, former bishop of Durham Bishop George Carey, former archbishop of Canterbury The Rev. Roger Combes The Rev. Sue Colman The Rev. Andrew Cornes The Rev. Tim Hastie-Smith The Rev. Hugh Palmer The Rev. Paul Perkin The Rev. Nick Stott The Rev. John Woolmer In all cases, the CDM will be “out of time” and so the permission of the president of the tribunals will need to be sought to bring such cases. This will be done by the National Director of Safeguarding, Alexander Kubeyinje. In reaching its conclusions, the Stage 3 panel has considered the safeguarding policies and guidance which were in force at the relevant time, the facts of the particular case, the relevant legal considerations and whether there is sufficient evidence to justify proceedings. The conclusions at Stage 3 were validated by the independent barrister at Stage 4 in the external scrutiny process, In respect of all those under the authority or oversight of the Church of England not listed here but criticized in the Makin Review, the process has concluded that there is insufficient evidence to meet the threshold for instituting disciplinary proceedings at this time. There are two priests criticized in the report whose actions have not yet been reviewed as they are subject to other live, ongoing, processes. Once these have concluded, they will be reviewed following the 4-stage process. Victims and survivors and all those criticized in the Makin review have been informed and support offered. Alexander Kubeyinje, the Church of England’s National Director of Safeguarding, said, “We must not forget that at heart of this case are the survivors and victims who have endured the lifelong effects of the appalling abuse by John Smyth, we are truly sorry. Today we have announced next steps in the process looking at both risk and disciplinary processes. We know this will never undo the harm caused but the Church is committed to taking very seriously its response to the findings of the review as well as responding to its recommendations.” The National Safeguarding Team can make no further comment on these cases while the CDM proceedings are under way.

An update from Stormont with our Public policy officer, Danielle McElhinney