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As planning for General Synod is well underway, the General Synod staff are seeking self-nominations for people to serve as committee chairs. This invitation is specifically for delegates at General Synod 35 in Kansas City, which takes place July 11-15.…

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The United Church of Christ Environmental Justice ministries recently invited congregations to organize teams and visit the district offices of members of Congress as part of a Valentine’s Day nationwide day of action on Feb. 14. The initiative was designed…

The post Valentine’s Day was a great time to have a heart for the climate: UCC churches take action appeared first on United Church of Christ.

A Creation Justice webinar entitled “Elon Musk, Oligarchy, and Climate Justice” was hosted by the Rev. Brooks Berndt, minister for Environmental Justice at the United Church of Christ, and the Rev. Michael Malcom, executive director of the Alabama Interfaith Power…

The post ‘Elon Musk, Oligarchy, and Climate Justice’ webinar addresses important issues of our day appeared first on United Church of Christ.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) joined global leaders, economists, and faith-based organizations at the High-Level Dialogue on Tax Justice and Solidarity convened by the Independent Commission for the Reform of International Corporate Taxation and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences to call for urgent reforms in the global tax system.

Elaine McArdle

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The Trump policy allowing raids in houses of worship violates the First Amendment and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), the lawsuit argues.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) had key participation in a meeting of the leadership of the International Partnership on Religion and Sustainable Development (PaRD), which took place in Jakarta, Indonesia, on 4-6 February 2025. 

Larry and Jane Kies retired last year after serving for three decades in Zimbabwe at United Methodist Nyadire Mission and Africa University.

[Episcopal News Service – Linthicum Heights, Maryland] Executive Council has convened here Feb. 17-19 for its first meeting since the inauguration of President Donald Trump – a political earthquake that Episcopal leaders say has shaken many of the communities the church serves, but not the church’s commitment to serving them. Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe and House of Deputies President Julia Ayala Harris, in their opening remarks Feb. 17, did not reference Trump by name but alluded, mostly in general terms, to the sharp shift in many federal policies during the first month since his return to office. “We are weathering what has proven to be a hard season for us and for the people that we serve, for sure. Many of us are afraid and looking to the church to provide a sense of safety and moral witness,” Rowe said. “As the political landscape of the United States becomes even more confusing and harder to navigate, we are being called to make decisions here in this place that are firmly rooted in the kingdom of God.” Rowe then repeated a theme that has become common in his public addresses since the inauguration: The people marginalized by society and by our political leaders are at the center of God’s kingdom. In his remarks to Executive Council, he again singled out “migrants, transgender people, the poor and vulnerable.” In God’s kingdom, “they are not reviled and scapegoated. … They are the bearers of salvation,” Rowe said. “If we believe this to be true, where does that leave us as a church? Where does that lead us as a church?” Ayala Harris cited a recent lawsuit as one example of the church actively responding to the needs Christ calls on his followers to meet. The Episcopal Church last week joined more than two dozen ecumenical and interfaith partners in suing the Trump administration over policy changes giving immigration agents greater flexibility to conduct enforcement actions in houses of worship and other “sensitive” places. “This is not about politics. It’s about embodying Christ’s radical hospitality in our very structures and policies,” Ayala Harris said. “The Gospel compels us to welcome the stranger, to care for the vulnerable and to ensure that all who seek spiritual sanctuary can do so freely. And my friends, if we fail to lead with courage, we risk not just stagnation but irrelevance.” Executive Council is The Episcopal Church’s governing and oversight body between meetings of General Convention and typically meets in person three times a year. Its last gathering, in November, occurred days after both Rowe’s installation as the church’s 28th presiding bishop and Trump’s election as president. The current meeting is being held in suburban Baltimore at the Maritime Conference Center, a frequent venue for Episcopal Church governance meetings. Executive Council’s initial agenda for this meeting was light on action items – the board spent most of its first morning in a training on emotional intelligence and effective interpersonal relations – though some of its upcoming sessions, both open and closed, will touch on Trump’s suspension of the federal refugee resettlement program, committee work and church leaders’ ongoing recruitment of a new executive officer for General Convention and a chief finance officer for the church.  On Feb. 18, representatives from Compass, a contractor hired to survey and analyze the churchwide staffing structure, will present their latest findings and recommendations to council members, and on Feb. 19, Rowe is scheduled to offer more details in a closed session about efforts he is spearheading for a “structural realignment” of churchwide operations to better serve the needs of dioceses and congregations. The first phase of those plans won’t be unveiled publicly until after this meeting. Ongoing tensions among some council members also surfaced again briefly during the morning session Feb. 17 on emotional intelligence session, which was led by three representatives from the consultant Visions Inc. Sandra Montes, a lay Executive Council member from the Diocese of Texas, raised concerns about the way Visions had framed discussion, suggesting that it was based in a white-centric understanding of emotion and communication. “This is completely different to people of the global majority to LGBTQIA+ people. And when we show up as ourselves … we are seen differently than who we are,” Montes said. “Do you want me to be, like, OK, I need to learn my emotions so I don’t show that I’m angry or that I don’t show that I’m scared? That’s what this seems like to me.” Another member, Thomas Chu of the Diocese of Long Island, who is gay, rose to object to Montes’ generalizing about all people of color and LGBTQ+ people. “I’m feeling mad, sad and scared,” Chu said, referencing some of the emotions listed on a Visions graphic. “Sandra, you can speak what you’re saying. But I’m an LGBTQIA+ person, a person of color. I feel very differently from you. And I accept what you said, but please don’t represent us. … This is [about] process – it’s not about what you said, it’s about how you said it, and you had an impact on me right now.” Executive Council is chaired by Rowe, as presiding bishop, and Ayala Harris is vice chair. It has 38 other voting members, a mix of bishops, other clergy and lay leaders. Twenty are elected by General Convention to staggered six-year terms – or 10 new members every three years. The Episcopal Church’s nine provinces elect the other 18 to six-year terms, also staggered. Ayala Harris, in her opening remarks, underscored the importance of Executive Council in upholding the church’s faith values, especially in today’s world. “Our decisions here ripple through the life of every diocese, every congregation, every seeker who is looking to The Episcopal Church right now as a beacon of radical welcome and transformative love,” she said. “As we make decisions about resource allocation and policy, we directly influence the capacity of our congregations to serve their communities, […]

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[Anglican Church of Canada] The General Synod will meet June 23–29 in London, Ontario, and a major item of business will be the election on June 26 of a new primate of the Anglican Church of Canada. Canon III requires the Order of Bishops to meet prior to the General Synod meeting to choose three or more nominees – and this meeting must occur between 30 and 120 days prior to the date of the election. This will take place during the meeting of the House of Bishops scheduled for March 31–April 4. On April 2, the Order of Bishops will prayerfully discern the names of the nominees in a balloting process as set out in the regulations of Canon III as determined by the Council of the General Synod. These names will be posted on the General Synod website at 9 a.m. Eastern on April 3. The General Secretary is required to collect and disseminate biographical information about the nominees. In order to give time for the nominees to provide this information and for General Synod staff to assemble it in a uniform style for dissemination, this information will be posted on the website at 9 a.m. Eastern on April 11. The nominees also will be asked a series of questions and given the opportunity to have their answers recorded on video. Once these videos are edited and ready to be posted, they will be added to the website at 9 a.m. Eastern on April 22. During the meeting of the General Synod, the Orders of Clergy and Laity will gather at St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, Ontario, for the election of the new primate on June 26. Once that process is complete, the acting primate will announce the election of the new primate of the Anglican Church of Canada.