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The World Council of Churches, along with ecumenical and civil society partners, are preparing for the first Global Dialogue on AI Governance, convened by the United Nations and being held in Geneva, 6-7 July. Participants in a symposium on "Our Common Future: Advocating for Digital Rights and AI Accountability" held in mid-April in Berlin reflect on some of the issues that will come to the fore in the Global Dialogue.

A webinar on 16 July will review outcomes of the Patmos Global Summit for Bible Engagement, which occurred in June in Jakarta, Indonesia. 

On UN Charter Day, a gathering at the New York BIC Offices explored the spiritual principles that can guide America’s future as a nation among the community of nations.

An ordained United Methodist, King worked for racial equality in his native Mississippi. Fellow church leaders remember his courage in the face of jailtime, rejection from church leaders and threats to his life.

[Episcopal News Service] St. John’s Cathedral in Denver, Colorado, is home to a new immersive, multisensory show that tells a story of creation, awakening and belonging. “Celestia” incorporates lights, ethereal music and the cathedral’s neo-Gothic architecture to depict spiritual experiences in five different parts: awakening, becoming, transformation, belonging and radiance. Its music is an original piece composed and produced by Simon Chenaux. Sean Friar, a Denver-based composer, also composed a piece for the show. The 45-minute night program is a collaboration between St. John’s, Paquin Entertainment Group and Normal Studio. Proceeds from ticket sales benefit the cathedral’s outreach ministries. “I would describe ‘Celestia’ as a spiritual experience for a secular audience,” Rebecca Richardson, the cathedral’s arts and architecture program chair, told Episcopal News Service. “Everything you experience in this program is open to interpretation.” Tara Tzirlin, marketing director of Paquin, described the show as a “reflection of a soul’s journey through different stages of life.” “The symbols and pictures, what the music feels like and the architectural space that they’re in – all of those pieces come together to try to convey that emotional journey for people,” Tzirlin told ENS. The audience, seated in chairs in St. John’s nave, look up and see birds flying overhead, or notice that they are under water surrounded by aquatic animals and plants. Or they will find themselves surrounded by shooting stars or a forest full of wildlife. The projectors’ lights also illuminate the cathedral’s stained-glass windows. Every show begins with a 15-minute meditation. Some audience members meditate, while others opt to take in St. John’s interior. Many people have said in their reviews that they’d never visited the cathedral until “Celestia,” and commented on how well its architecture blends with the music and projections. Those who attend “Celestia” on a Friday or Saturday night also will hear a professional choir, hired by Paquin, sing live throughout the program. Click here to watch a trailer for “Celestia.” Twenty-four projectors deliver 480,000 lumens and 83 million pixels to show the moving 360-degree images. The most important number to Paquin’s producer Kurt Baker, though, is 99. “The show is 99% human created,” Baker told ENS. “It was not artificially generated by computers. Real artists – real human beings – created the narrative and designed the visuals. The remaining 1% is the machinery and the editing software that used a little bit of artificial intelligence to tweak a few images. But in terms of the actual creative ideas and visuals of the story and the show, they’re all human generated.” Richardson described the timing of debuting “Celestia” as the latest of many events in recent years that have made St. John’s congregation move “full speed ahead with no signs of stopping.” The cathedral, for example, completed a multimillion-dollar capital campaign to pay for repairs, renovations and replacements throughout the building, which was built in 1911. Those physical changes, according to Richardson, made it possible for St. John’s to host “Celestia.” The cathedral is also in the middle of a new dean search after the Rt. Rev. Richard T. Lawson III left earlier this year to serve as bishop of the Diocese of Alabama. “We’ve been undergoing a lot of changes, but the congregation is growing (2,200+ members) with many young families, our finances are good and we’re in a good place to serve Denver’s diverse community through different means, whether it’s through our ministries or sharing beautiful art,” Richardson said. “We want to keep moving forward with this kind of energy.” “Celestia” is scheduled to run through September. St. John’s, Paquin and Normal will then decide whether to extend the program a few more months. Baker said he hopes “Celestia” will still be around by late February 2027, when the Episcopal Church in Colorado will host the Episcopal Parish Network’s annual conference, which is the largest annual gathering within The Episcopal Church and the largest overall church gathering other than the triennial meetings of General Convention. As of now, Baker’s wish may be a possibility. “Celestia” has been selling out or been close to selling out most nights since it launched last month. “St. John’s is such a beautiful space with incredible history, and Denver is a great city for something like ‘Celestia’ because it’s a young, artistic community,” Baker said. “It’s a perfect canvas for us to tell this story of life. It’s really exciting.” -Shireen Korkzan is a reporter and assistant editor for Episcopal News Service. She can be reached at [email protected].

Dr Mathews George Chunakara served as general secretary of the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) from 2015 to 2026. He reflects below on his tenure; on the challenges, witness, and mission of churches; and on his vision for the future.

The Anglican Journal is part of overall communications strategy.

The post New mandate approved for national church’s communications work appeared first on Anglican Church of Canada.

[Episcopal News Service] The Diocese of Florida on July 8 announced a slate of three nominees for the election of its next bishop, marking a significant step toward ending the Jacksonville-based diocese’s yearslong leadership transition. The diocese has been without a bishop diocesan since former Bishop John Howard retired in October 2023. The three nominees to succeed Howard all are priests from other dioceses. They are: The Rev. J. Randolph (Randy) Alexander Jr., rector of Immanuel Church-on-the-Hill in Alexandria, Virginia. The Rev. Dorian Del Priore, rector of Holy Cross Church in Simpsonville, South Carolina. The Very Rev. Thomas Clayton (Tom) Purdy, rector of Christ Church in St. Simons Island, Georgia. “After a comprehensive national search and a prayerful time of discernment, we are excited and grateful to share three nominees for election as the ninth Bishop of Florida,” Florida’s standing committee said in its announcement. It will consider additional nominees by petition through July 15. “Please join us in praying for guidance and grace for our nominees, wisdom for our voting delegates, and unity and strength for the Diocese of Florida,” the standing committee said. The electing convention is scheduled for Sept. 11, and the diocese hopes to consecrate its new bishop in early 2027. Additional information on the bishop search and the nominees is available on the diocese’s website. Tensions flared publicly within the diocese when it previously tried twice to elect Howard’s successor in 2022. The diocese was blocked from consecrating its bishop-elect over churchwide concerns about the election and Howard’s leadership. After Howard’s retirement, he faced two disciplinary complaints under the church’s Title IV canons governing clergy conduct; one accused him of anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination and the other of financial improprieties. In September 2025, Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe, with the backing of the Disciplinary Board for Bishops, chose to resolve those complaints against Howard with a negotiated accord that did not require Howard to admit wrongdoing or submit to any disciplinary action. During the diocese’s prolonged leadership transition, clergy, lay leaders and other members of the diocese across the theological spectrum have participated in a facilitated process of healing to address underlying conflicts. The standing committee has said healing and reconciliation would remain “one of our top priorities” as the diocese moves toward a new bishop election this September. “This moment has been long prepared for, prayed over and shaped by the faithful labor of many across our diocese, and I could not be more encouraged by the caliber of the persons discerned to us by the search committee,” the Rev. Justin Yawn, president of the standing committee, said in a written statement that accompanied the slate announcement. “I want to name something equally important,” Yawn said. “The work of these past several years has not merely been logistical or procedural. It has been, at its heart, the work of healing, of rebuilding trust, of listening carefully to one another, and of recovering a shared sense of who we are called to be as the Body of Christ in this region.” – David Paulsen is a senior reporter and editor for Episcopal News Service based in Wisconsin. He can be reached at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Calvin News , the news page of Calvin University. Scoring the golden goal in the final might seem like the pinnacle moment for an athlete competing at this year’s World Cup. But Matthew Torrell is using the airwaves on the world’s biggest stage to convince millions of viewers otherwise. Torrell, a senior studying sport management and business at Calvin University, and his friend and business partner Owen Moore produced a 60-second commercial with the goal of sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with many nations. The project wasn’t planned out … at least for long. But the way it came together over the past three months seems providential. “I didn’t know how to produce a...

When Resonate Global Mission missionary Joshua* first noticed Jacob’s* Facebook post 10 years ago, he saw a 14-year-old boy in Detroit standing alone. Jacob was posting about his belief in God, and the comments from his peers were brutal. They mocked him, calling his faith “hilarious.” Growing up in a household that struggled with addiction and instability, Jacob was a lone spark trying to remain lit in a dark environment. Joshua felt a nudge from the Holy Spirit. He messaged Jacob with a word of encouragement: “I admire your faith. If no one else wants to talk about it with you, I will.” For the past 10 years, Joshua has walked alongside Jacob through Bible studies, both online and in...