Follow NCC on Social Media! | | | | | NCC Staffers Join the March on Washington: Defend the Vote | | By Amanda Dowd
NCC Communications Officer On a beautiful, though exceptionally warm, August day, National Council of Churches (USA) staffers joined thousands of participants at the March on Washington: Defend the Vote, a nonpartisan, Black-led, multiracial, interfaith, and intergenerational mobilization held in Washington, D.C., on August 28, 2026.
The event marked the 63rd anniversary of the historic 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. The march was co-chaired by Rev. Al Sharpton, Martin Luther King III, and Arndrea Waters King, and co-convened by the National Action Network and the Drum Major Institute.
The march featured a diverse group of speakers, including elected officials, civil rights leaders, and community advocates from across the country. Among them were Melanie L. Campbell, president and CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation and convener of the Black Women's Roundtable; Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the NAACP; and Rev. Shavon Arline-Bradley, president and CEO of the National Council of Negro Women.
Local and national activists also addressed the crowd, sharing powerful messages about civic participation, community organizing, and the ongoing work of advancing civil rights.
Throughout the program, speakers emphasized the importance of protecting voting rights and ensuring that every American has an equal opportunity to participate in the democratic process. They encouraged attendees to understand their voting rights, verify that their voter registration information is up-to-date, and help friends, family members, and neighbors register to vote and make a plan to cast their ballots.
Their messages carried an air of urgency, as the upcoming midterm elections are just two months away. Speakers noted that an informed and engaged electorate is essential to a healthy democracy and stressed that every eligible voter should be prepared to make their voice heard at the ballot box.
The program also highlighted how the achievements of the Civil Rights Movement continue to provide guidance and inspiration for addressing today's challenges and opportunities.
As the upcoming midterms draw near, NCC continues its commitment to voter education and civic engagement. Individuals are encouraged to visit the NCC website and access the NCC Voter Empowerment Guide, Your Vote, Your Voice, a valuable resource designed to help voters navigate the electoral process with confidence. | | CUG 2026 Room Block Now Open! | | Wyndham Philadelphia Historic District 400 Arch Street • Philadelphia, PA 19106 | | | Download the NCC Voter Empowerment Guide | | | | Freedom Churches to Launch
'Every Church, a Freedom Church' | | | Blessed Tomorrow to Host Virtual Climate Ambassador Training,
September 26
| | Register now for the LIVE Blessed Tomorrow Climate Ambassador Training on September 26, with breakouts by faith tradition. Explore practical, hope-filled ways to put your faith into action. This free, interactive training will equip you with trusted resources, effective communication strategies, and practical steps for congregations and communities. Date: Saturday, September 26, 2026
Time: 11:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m. ET | 8:30–11:30 a.m. PT Faith Partners: 12 denominations leading breakout rooms | | | | | Churches Uniting in Christ to Host Community Worship Service, September 15 | | The Churches Uniting in Christ community worship service will be held on Wednesday, September 16, at 6:00 p.m. at Mt. Olive CME Temple in Memphis, Tennessee.
The CUIC Communion liturgy is being updated for the event, and several Heads of Communion and other representatives will help with leadership. Bishop Marvin Frank Thomas, Jr. of the CME Church will be the preacher. | | | | | Blessed Tomorrow Lunchtime Series: Caring for the Earth: Stories from Faith Communities! | | Join Blessed Tomorrow for six lunchtime screenings of the film series: Caring for the Earth: Stories from Faith Communities, each Wednesday from September 2 — October 7, 2:00 pm- 2:45 pm EST/ 11:00 am-11:45 am PST. This is a 7-part film series for congregations to build knowledge, have deep discussions, and then engage in creation care and climate solutions. The series highlights over 30 powerful voices of Christian, Muslim, Indigenous, Baha’i, and Jewish faith leaders from 14 states, including clergy, youth leaders, and interfaith organizers, who are leading with hope, compassion, and courage. They share inspiring stories and hope for our shared future. Watch the introductory film (above), To Tend and to Keep: People of Faith Caring for the Earth. Screening Schedule September 2, Called by Faith: How Will You Answer? September 9, Seeds of Fire: Building Resilient Communities September 16, Holy Water: Protecting What Connects and Sustains Us September 23, Climate Justice: Sacred Voice Rising September 30, Healing Creation: Honoring Nature and Each Other October 7, Young Leaders: Creating Hope for the Future
| | | WCC to Join Season of Creation Prayer
Amid Climate Extremes, September 1 | | A flower in the Ituqui River near the Quilombo Bom Jardim, outside Santarem, Brazil. The Ituqui flows into the nearby Amazon River. Photo: Paul Jeffrey/Life on Earth Pictures
The World Council of Churches (WCC) will join the global Christian family in opening the 2026 Season of Creation, the ecumenical world's month of prayer and action for creation. Communities on every continent have already lived through record heat, wildfires, and flooding in 2026, many of them home to WCC member churches.
“The season of creation, with the “Feast of Creation in Christ” on September 1 at the center, is a time of witness to God’s love and our human responsibility. Confessing God as the creator means a commitment for us as human beings to “tilling and keeping the earth” (Gen 2,15)” highlights WCC central committee moderator Bishop Prof. Dr. Heinrich Bedford-Strohm. “In a time in which the destructive consequences of human-made global warming become increasingly apparent and cause much suffering, praying to God and doing justice to human beings as well as to the earth is inseparable.”
The season will open on 1 September with a Global Prayer Service for Creation Day or for the Feast of Creation in Christ: 9:00 a.m. in New York, 6:00 p.m. in Los Angeles, 4:00 p.m. in Nairobi, and 9:00 p.m. in Manila, live-streamed.
Along with many other church leaders, three voices will lead it: the Rev. David Coleman, environmental chaplain for Eco-Congregation Scotland; Maria Jose Tejedor, team assistant with ACT Alliance; and Dr. Louk Andrianos, WCC consultant for creation care, sustainability, and climate justice. All three will draw on this year's theme, "Living Water" (Ezekiel 47:9, 12): "Wherever the river goes, every living creature that swarms will live . . . Their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing" (NRSV).
Read the full story here. | | | “Eli and the Little Saints” Comic Helps Children Discover Orthodox Traditions | | A new comic, “Eli and the Little Saints,” produced by the St Thomas Indian Orthodox (Malankara) Church in Germany, is bringing to life ancient Orthodox traditions through colorful illustrations and a fictional priest, Fr Eli. Created for children, the initiative offers families and Sunday School teachers an accessible way to engage with Orthodox traditions and teachings.
Fr Eli and a group of curious children, the “Little Saints,” explore the meaning of prayer, fellowship, and faith. Fr Eli’s character draws inspiration from the biblical priest Eli, who guided the young Samuel, reflecting the priest's role as a spiritual guide who helps children recognize God’s presence in everyday life. The stories are rooted in the faith and liturgical traditions of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, drawing on scripture, tradition, and the church's teachings, and presenting them in a contemporary, child-friendly format. The illustrations are created using AI, based on customized prompts and reference images. The series is published in English, German, and Malayalam — English on the second Saturday of each month, German on the third, and Malayalam on the fourth. The multilingual approach helps younger members remain connected to the faith and traditions of their parents and grandparents in languages that are part of their everyday lives, while supporting Sunday School education and family faith formation across the wider Orthodox diaspora. The initiative reflects the pastoral vision of Metropolitan Abraham Mar Stephanos, who has led the Diocese of UK–Europe and Africa since November 2022. With the diocese spanning a wide geographic area and serving communities shaped by migration and changing student populations, faith formation among young people has emerged as a key priority. “Our priority is the faith formation of our young people — meeting GenZ where they are, on the platforms they use every day. That’s why we’re also moving our scattered, migrating diocese onto one unified Sunday School curriculum,” Metropolitan Abraham Mar Stephanos said. | | Children in War Are More Than a Security Crisis, Warn African
Church Leaders | | As lightning illuminates the sky behind them, a man speaks during a nighttime prayer vigil for peace in Nakubuse, a small village near Kuron in South Sudan's Eastern Equatoria State. The region has been plagued by cattle raiding and child abduction in recent years. The Catholic Church-sponsored Holy Trinity Peace Village, centered in Kuron, has worked for years to foster reconciliation and peace between the region's pastoralist communities. Photo: Paul Jeffrey/WCC
Across Africa, churches are stepping up aid for children affected by civil wars and conflicts as crises worsen on the continent. Displaced into camps, the children are targets for recruitment by armed groups, who turn them into child soldiers, messengers, spies, cooks, porters, guards, and informants. Rev. Angele Wilson Dogbe, All Africa Conference of Churches director of the regional office in Lomé, Togo, said churches are deeply alarmed and concerned about the situation. “The (conference) therefore sees the situation not simply as a security crisis, but fundamentally as a child protection, education, human rights, humanitarian, and peacebuilding crisis,” said Dogbe. The cleric said poverty, displacement, insecurity, or the desire to protect themselves, their families, and communities are driving the children into armed groups. “We must therefore avoid seeing children associated with armed groups simply as perpetrators. They are, first and foremost, children whose rights have been violated and who require protection, rehabilitation, and reintegration,” said Dogbe.
| | Ecumenical Prayer Calendar | | The Ecumenical Prayer Cycle takes us through every region of the world over the course of a year. Praying for each place on earth and its people at least once a year, we affirm our solidarity with Christians all over the world, brothers and sisters living in diverse situations, experiencing diverse problems, and sharing diverse gifts. Pray with us!
Prayer is at the very heart of the ecumenical movement. Jesus prayed that we – his followers – may all be one. When we pray with and for one another, we can feel God’s gift of unity. Prayer sustains us on our way towards a unity that all can see, “so that the world may believe.” (John 17:21)
The suggested prayer texts are based on the publication "Pilgrim Prayer – an Ecumenical Prayer Cycle." The book and the website offer valuable aids for intercessory prayers, prayer on behalf of and in solidarity with others | | | | | Season of Creation 2026: Living Waters
September 1–4, 2026 WCC calls Christians worldwide to observe the Season of Creation, September 1 — October 4, 2026. This year's theme, "Living Waters," comes from Ezekiel 47:9 and 12—a biblical vision of hope and ecological restoration.
Read more…
Faith and Genetics Course
September 14 – December 7, 2026 An 11-week “Faith and Genetics” course jointly offered from September to December by the World Council of Churches (WCC) and Christian Medical College will share and discuss ethical concerns to ensure that progress in genetics serves humanity holistically and builds public trust.
Read more… | | | | | | | Courage Is Contageous: An Evening with Bishop Mariann Budde, October 8 | | Her sermon during the 2025 inauguration lasted only minutes. But Bishop Mariann Budde’s example of bravery in speaking truth to power endures. “Let me make one final plea, Mr. President. In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now.”
The backlash against her was immediate and vicious because in a culture of contempt where compassion has become a partisan issue, speaking out for mercy comes at a cost. The Right Rev. Budde (Ninth Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington DC) believes it’s a cost worth paying and she has shown us all what courage looks like.
Her keynote address on October 8, “Courage Is Contagious,” will explore how we can all learn to be brave. All proceeds from ticket sales and donations will benefit the Maine Council of Churches.
Bishop Budde’s sermons have been published in books and journals, and she has authored several books, including How We Learn to Be Brave: Decisive Moments in Life and Faith, adapted into a young adult book, We Can Be Brave, and a picture book for children, I Can Learn to Be Brave.
Run Time: Approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes, with no intermission.
| | | Eco-Justice Advocacy Forums: Archives and Future Events | | Eco-Justice Connection Monthly Advocacy Forum series, held on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 4:00 p.m. (ET) is a space for learning, connection, and action at the intersection of faith and environmental justice. The next forum: Tuesday, September 22, from 4:00–5:00 p.m. on Zoom. Register for the next EJ Forum Playlist of Previous Forums | | | | | | | | | | | | Purchase the NCC 75th Anniversary
Commemorative BIble and Save 20% Discount Code: NCC2026 | | | More from Friendship Press… |
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