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140 years after the Berlin Conference of 1884–1885, one of the most consequential geopolitical gatherings in modern history, the World Council of Churches (WCC) and ecumenical partners

An interview with Dr Humberto Shikiya, World Council of Churches senior advisor for peace-building in Colombia.

New research from the Evangelical Alliance demonstrates that churches are growing and people are finding faith in Jesus Christ

At the Diamond Day Center in Telenesti, Ukrainian refugees and local Moldovan families are coming together to create a welcoming, supportive community through small acts of kindness—from building a children’s mini-library to delivering homemade treats to elders.  At the Diamond Day Center in Telenesti, Moldova, community isn’t just a word—it’s a way of life. From its beginning, the Center, which ... Read More

[Episcopal News Service] To say this year has been a busy one for The Episcopal Church’s Washington, D.C.-based Office of Government Relations would be an understatement. With President Donald Trump taking office for a second term in January and quickly upending many of the legal, political and diplomatic norms of the nation and its capital city, the Office of Government Relations, following resolutions adopted by General Convention, is using an acronym to help focus its responses to the new administration’s actions: LEAP, or litigation, education, advocacy and prayer. Litigation includes the lawsuit filed by The Episcopal Church and its interfaith partners seeking to protect houses of worship from Trump administration immigration enforcement actions. To educate Episcopalians on other issues that matter to the church, the Office of Government Relations holds updates at 1 p.m. Eastern every Thursday on Zoom and partners with Episcopal Migration Ministries on a separate weekly update at 1 p.m. Eastern Tuesdays focused on immigration. The office’s advocacy in support of the church’s nonpartisan public policy positions combines meetings with elected officials with its churchwide mobilization of Episcopalians through the Episcopal Public Policy Network’s weekly action alerts. Even with such a broad range of engagement, the church can’t respond to every new development out of the White House and Congress. That’s where prayer comes in, said Rebecca Blachly, the church’s chief of public policy and witness. In March, the Office of Government Relations began releasing weekly prayers, usually numbering about a half dozen, focused on various issues of the week that might otherwise have fallen through the cracks. “We still wanted some way to respond” to those issues, Blachly told Episcopal News Service, “and we heard from Episcopalians that they were eager for us to respond.” The prayers are distributed by email every Friday and on social media. Anyone signed up for the Episcopal Public Policy Network’s action alerts also will receive the weekly prayer emails. The May 2 prayers focused on police and policing, Indigenous communities, coalition building and Yemen, as well as a “prayer for discernment in digesting online content.” “Most High God, your Son is the Way, the Truth, and the Life,” the latter prayer reads. “In his name, we raise to you our concerns about false, distorted, or fabricated information which is increasingly shared online and through official channels. Help us all to be wise consumers of information, and grant protection and healing to those who have been harmed by untrue posts. Amen.” Blachly and the staff of the Office of Government Relations decide on the prayers’ topics after discussing the top issues of the week, based partly on the feedback that office receives from its weekly webinars and Episcopal Public Policy Network members. The prayers aren’t intended to be a comprehensive series, though each weekly selection has been intentional and “specific enough that it was responding to the contemporary moment,” Blachly said. The office’s intern, Emily DeMarco, has taken the lead in writing the prayers. Often the purpose of the prayers is to “stand in solidarity with those who feel afraid or vulnerable or threatened” by Trump administration policies, particularly as it pursues an anti-immigrant and anti-transgender agenda, Blachly said. The Office of Government Relations, for example, heard a lot of concern from its networks about the National Park Service’s removal of Pauli Murray’s biography from its website. Murray, the first Black woman ordained a priest in The Episcopal Church, is also remembered as a trailblazer in the LGBTQ+ community. The Murray Family Home in Durham, North Carolina, is now a National Historic Landmark. Murray was celebrated in the first weekly prayers distributed by the Office of Government Relations, on March 14. “Holy God, you call each of us by name in the fullness of who You created us to be,” the prayer reads. “We join in the lament of our nonbinary and transgender siblings whose identities are being removed from government documents. We remember Pauli Murray, whom we celebrate with a feast day, and whose biography was deleted from a government website. Amen.” In inaugurating the weekly prayer series, the Office of Government Relations affirmed that the prayers “are not a replacement for action.” Rather, they “offer grounding and allow us space to discern what actions each of us may feel compelled to take.” The office continues to send separate weekly action alerts on the most pressing issues for church advocacy. The April 29 alert urged Episcopalians to contact members of Congress in support of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, commonly known as food stamps. The church has long advocated for robust government spending on SNAP as part of the Gospel call to alleviate poverty and hunger. Other recent action alerts have focused on federal investments in the environmental protection and advocating passage of the Religious Workforce Protection Act, which would ease legal residency restrictions on clergy from around the world who are serving congregations in the United States. The weekly prayers, meanwhile, are aligned with Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe’s vision for his newly created Division of Public Policy, Partnership and Witness, which Blachly leads. Prayer, she said, “is one way that we can offer public witness.” – David Paulsen is a senior reporter and editor for Episcopal News Service based in Wisconsin. He can be reached at dpaulsen@episcopalchurch.org.

United Methodist bishops spent much of their spring meeting exploring how they can help fellow churchgoers love boldly, serve joyfully and lead courageously.

After fleeing danger in their home country and enduring a painful separation, Roseline and her son Emmanuel reunited in the U.S. with support from CWS. As Emmanuel faced challenges adapting to his new community, Roseline was there to offer support and advocate for social, emotional and academic interventions with his school—helping him rediscover joy and belonging. From Separation to Safety  ... Read More

[Church of England] More than 11,000 people have participated in the consultations for the next archbishop of Canterbury – carried out online, by mail and in person between February and March this year. The public consultation was a unique opportunity to influence the future of leadership within the church, helping to discern the gifts, skills and qualities required in the 106th archbishop of Canterbury to meet the needs of the church today and in the years to come. The themes that emerge through this consultation will sit alongside the “Statement of Needs” produced by the Diocese of Canterbury, as well as other information provided by the national church and Anglican Communion. This information will inform the Canterbury Crown Nominations Commission of the needs of the mission of the Church of England and the wider Anglican Communion. Here are some of the consultations at a glance: Secretaries’ consultations – the archbishops’ secretary for appointments and the Prime Minister’s appointments secretary met with over 350 individuals during the consultation period, including representatives of other Christian traditions and non-Christian traditions, parliamentarians, leaders from public life, and those who minister, work and worship across the Church of England and the Anglican Communion. Children and young people consultations – over 1,200 children and young people participated in consultations conducted by the National Society for Education and the appointments secretaries. Online public consultations – the online consultation form received over 9,600 responses. Written public consultations – over 160 pieces of written correspondence (e.g. emails and letters) were received. Read more about the process for selecting the next archbishop of Canterbury here.