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Wajdi Al-Mowafak, CWS’ Director of Finance Business Partners, was on the verge of reuniting with his parents in the United States when President Trump’s executive order indefinitely suspending refugee admissions upended their plans. Now, like thousands of others, his family is trapped in limbo, facing uncertainty as their dreams of safety and stability vanish overnight. On January 20, 2025, President ... Read More

Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay addressed over 100,000 people attending Asia’s largest Christian gathering on 9 February.

As significant religious observances approach in Jerusalem, the World Council of Churches (WCC) has been sharing a video detailing violations of freedom of worship and the urgent need to safeguard the city as a shared sacred space.

Voting has begun for episcopal elections in the Germany Central Conference. UM News is tracking the balloting as it happens and will have coverage as the bishop is elected.

A conference from 17-21 May in Berlin will invite global ecumenists to intentionally engage the outcomes of the Berlin conference in 1884-85, develop a response to the historic and continuing legacies of colonization, and collectively re-envision a de-colonial Africa in a concrete “Anti-Racist Ecumenical Action Plan for Decolonization and Reparations.”

Celia served with the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel from September-December 2024. She was stationed in East Jerusalem. Now that she has returned home to Denmark, she works in an agency under the Ministry of Immigration and Integration. She is also sharing her stories of what she witnessed as an ecumenical accompanier. 

In a short video message, Bishop Prof. Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, moderator of the World Council of Churches central committee, reflects on the Thursdays in Black Valentine’s Day theme for 2025: “Spread love, choose kindness.”

Daniel Lawlor

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Learn how the First Universalist Church of Denver provided a safe haven for people without housing.

[Episcopal News Service] As a young Episcopalian, dating in person and online has been tough, and oftentimes frustrating, for Eva Warren. She’s too theologically “liberal” for most Christians on dating sites, but the people who do share the same progressive values oftentimes don’t share the same religious views. “In modern American culture, we have an idea of what it means to be a Christian looking for romance. But in many cases, the practice of Christianity and the beliefs associated with faith are different for a lot of folks who are Episcopalians than from the folks who designed those sites,” Warren, referring to Christian-specific dating sites like Christian Mingle and CatholicMatch, told Episcopal News Service. On the other hand, “I’ve been on countless first dates where I can see people’s eyes start to panic when I talk about the fact that I go to church every Sunday, and they start to make assumptions about what that means about your beliefs. That’s heartbreaking in many ways,” Warren, 28, said. “I found when I was dating that telling folks that I was Christian would often alienate people who maybe had shared values with me. At the same time, telling people that I wasn’t Christian would allow me to connect with folks who I was maybe more aligned with morally, but then it felt really like I was denying this serious part of my own identity.” After learning that fellow young adult Episcopalians feel the same, in 2023 Warren, a member of the church’s House of Deputies from the Diocese of Ohio and a convener of the Young Adult Caucus, founded Gladness of Heart, a digital dating service exclusive to Episcopalians and members of Christian denominations that are in communion with The Episcopal Church. Today, more than 200 people, mostly in their 20s to early 40s, are on Gladness of Heart’s mailing list. The dating service offers quarterly virtual speed dating events for single Episcopalians and communion-partner adults of all ages and sexualities looking to connect and build relationships rooted in shared faith. The cost to participate is $10, which helps cover operating fees for the website and a Zoom account. Participants first gather in a large group for 10-15 minutes, then in smaller groups facilitated by Warren and a volunteer friend for about 10 minutes to answer icebreaker and basic introductory questions, like hometown, parish, age and profession. That way, participants can spend more time sharing their interests. The remaining half hour is spent “dating.” Each “date” lasts between four and six minutes. On Feb. 14 at 8:30 p.m. Eastern, though, Gladness of Heart is celebrating Valentine’s Day with a free hourlong speed dating event. It’ll be structured like the paid events, but for Warren, “I love any excuse for a theme.” Gladness of Heart’s website, which uses the same colors as The Episcopal Church’s shield, quotes former Presiding Bishop Michael Curry: “If it’s not about love, it’s not about God.” The website also quotes the Book of Common Prayer: “For minds to think, and hearts to love, and hands to serve, we thank you, Lord.” “I tried to put as many shibboleths as possible into the website to show that this service is legitimate,” said Warren, a doctoral candidate in sociology at Ohio State University who also serves on the vestry at Harcourt Parish Episcopal Church at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio. “If nothing else, they’ll make Episcopalians chuckle and smile.” Warren said she doesn’t know yet if any speed dating events have led to long-term relationships, but “I can’t wait until the first wedding happens.” Gladness of Heart also launched its paid matchmaking service in January. For a tiered subscription fee – $65 for six months, $80 for nine months and $90 for 12 months — which is much cheaper than mainstream dating sites like Bumble, Hinge and Tinder – Warren will virtually meet with participants one-on-one and match potential couples based on how they answer questions, such as the ministries they participate in. Warren is interviewing participants now, though the matchmaking pool is open to new members. “I see myself in many ways as the kind of modern ‘nosy church lady’ who sits in the second pew and sets everyone up for potential relationships,” Warren said. “But in the world we live in today, you’re not going to know that the perfect person for you is one diocese over because you’re never going to wander into their church on a random day. But maybe you can find them with help like the matchmaking pool.” The idea of an Episcopal-focused dating service was initially a throwaway joke between Warren and her friends until she realized that it could help reverse The Episcopal Church’s gradual membership decline over the years. As of 2023, the church has about 1,547,779 members, with an average age of 69 years old. Meanwhile, evangelical “megachurches” continue to grow as they attract more Millennial and Gen Z members. Warren said Gladness of Heart’s growing membership shows that there’s “clearly a need that isn’t being met.” “Episcopalians aren’t having a lot of kids, and because there are so few young people at individual parishes to meet, a lot of Episcopalians will date and marry non-Episcopalians and have kids. Then, it’s a matter of whether those children will be raised in the faith. They might get baptized, but they probably won’t get confirmed or go through all the formation. So, we lose those kids,” Warren said. “Every young Episcopalian I’ve spoken with talks about how important it is to find a partner who wants to raise a family in the church. It’s countercultural these days, but Gladness of Heart’s becoming a ministry of its own.” Warren said her next goal for Gladness of Heart is to partner with dioceses and churches to host in-person speed dating and matchmaking meetups at diocesan conventions, General Convention, or other diocesan and churchwide events. –Shireen Korkzan is a reporter and assistant editor for Episcopal […]

An overview of the government's flagship policy for education reform