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Human Dignity | | WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA (NCC) joins justice advocates nationwide in mourning the passing of Dolores Clara Fernandez Huerta, a pioneering labor and civil rights leader and enduring advocate for farm workers, immigrants, women, and marginalized communities.
Huerta’s extraordinary life embodied a steadfast commitment to justice and the dignity of every person. For decades, she stood alongside workers whose labor helped sustain the nation, but whose voices and needs were too often ignored. Her leadership helped transform the struggle for farm workers’ rights into a broader movement for economic justice, civil rights, and social change.
Huerta began her professional career as a teacher in the 1950s. Seeing children come to school hungry because their families struggled under the harsh conditions faced by agricultural workers convinced her that she could make an even greater difference through organizing and advocacy.
In 1955, Huerta co-founded the Stockton chapter of the Community Service Organization, where she participated in voter-registration efforts and advocated for economic opportunities for Latino communities. She later founded the Agricultural Workers Association and devoted her life to improving farm workers’ lives and working conditions.
In 1962, Huerta co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, which became part of the United Farm Workers. She advocated for better wages, safer working conditions, healthcare and unemployment benefits, and protections from harmful pesticides. She played a pivotal role in organizing the historic 1965 Delano grape strike, which involved thousands of workers, and served as a lead negotiator for the labor agreement that followed.
Her work continued well beyond her years with the United Farm Workers. In 2002, she established the Dolores Huerta Foundation, through which she continued to develop community leaders and advance civic engagement, education, youth development, health and environmental justice, and economic opportunity.
Huerta’s legacy is a reminder that the pursuit of justice requires more than words. She embodied courage, persistence, solidarity, and a willingness to stand with people whose voices have been pushed to the margins.
Her life’s work embodied the biblical call: “Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” (Amos 5:24, NRSVue). Huerta demonstrated what can happen when caring people discover their collective strength and refuse to accept injustice.
NCC gives thanks for the life and witness of Dolores Huerta and extends heartfelt condolences to her family, friends, colleagues, and the countless workers, organizers, and communities whose lives were touched through her leadership.
May her legacy strengthen our resolve to labor together for justice, dignity, and peace. | | NATI–REITI: Learning to See the
World Together A Reflection on the North America–Turtle Island Regional Ecumenical Theological Institute (NATI-RETI) 2026. | | By MaryStef Antrobus
On the Feast of the Transfiguration, I wrote a prayer service that combined Orthodox and Catholic traditions, then helped lead our group in a shared lectio divina–prayerful practice of reading, listening, and reflecting together. We were all participants or leaders in NATI-RETI, learning together across traditions about climate justice, secular laicity, racism and anti-racism, Indigenous solidarity, interfaith dialogue, and wealth disparity. That night we prayed together: O Giver of Light, transfigure us and the whole of Your creation. We contemplated the mountain, the cloud, the human body of Christ, and the created world illuminated by divine glory. We listened to the Orthodox Festal Kontakion and prayed with an Akathist praising God for creation. We prayed for soil and water, air and weather, our communities, and the work before us. Something happened in that room. We were not just saying words and not simply praying but practicing a way of seeing. That distinction followed me through the rest of NATI-RETI. At Freedom Dreams EcoVillage in Detroit, I saw what can happen when people refuse to accept abandonment as the final word about a neighborhood. Gardens, reclaimed materials, places for children to learn and neighbors to gather: none of these existed in isolation. People were restoring physical spaces by restoring relationships. The question was no longer simply, “How do we fix what is broken?” It became, “How do we participate in restoration?” Not just the restoration of space, but community. A mural I passed in Canada brought to mind a great cloud of witnesses and seemed to say, “We did all we could. Let us walk with you while you do the same.” Then we crossed into Windsor, Ontario, and visited Sandwich First Baptist Church, whose history is intertwined with Black Christians who escaped slavery in the United States seeking freedom in Canada. Over lunch in the basement of a sister church, I found myself talking with theologian Rev. Dr. Loida Martell and a local historian about the Trinity, personhood, and freedom. These were no longer abstract ideas as we looked at walls and hiding spaces beneath the floor where freedom had become concrete.
Looking at our shoes, I thought about the different roads that had brought each of us there. Then I thought about freedom seekers who kept walking even as their shoes disintegrated, seeking spiritual and physical freedom for themselves and their families. We sat where people once treated as property continued their quest to be received as whole persons—body, mind, and soul. What kind of community makes freedom possible? What does it mean not merely to tolerate another human being, but to receive that person as someone whose life is bound up with ours—to bear their crosses with them as they bear ours? One of the churches had been restored. Layers of paint accumulated over generations, obscuring original brick and wood. Restoration required patient and careful treatment to bring this place of worship back to its original splendor. Perhaps some of the work before us is like that. We uncover what has been obscured. We remember what has been forgotten. We tell the truth about wounds. We repair what can be repaired. And we learn to recognize possibility where someone else sees only ruins. This is true of neighborhoods, ecosystems, and human relationships. NATI-RETI taught me that ecumenism often happens around tables before it appears in documents. Christians with real differences eat together, pray together, ask questions, disagree, listen, and slowly become more capable of seeing one another as persons rather than categories. Ecological justice asks something similar of us. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has repeatedly called Christians away from treating creation as possession and toward an ethos of stewardship, restraint, repentance, and responsibility. That becomes harder to dismiss once you have put your hands into the soil beside someone rebuilding a neighborhood. I came to NATI-RETI expecting to learn more about justice. I left thinking much more about sight. Can we see the wounds without reducing people to their wounds? Can we see difference without turning it into distance? Can we see a damaged place and imagine restoration? Can we see creation as something entrusted to us and not something to exploit? Perhaps transformation begins in humility, in not having the answers, but learning together to see one another and the world through eyes that are slowly being cleansed through relationship. Learn More About NATI-RETI 2026… ___________________ MaryStef Antrobus is a theologian, board-certified chaplain, Huffington Ecumenical Institute fellow, and Eastern Orthodox Christian whose work explores Christian formation, personhood, doctrinal reception, and ecumenical encounter. | | “Stand Up Sunday” Mobilizes 2+ Million Americans Against Faith-Based Hate and Antisemitism | | Reverend Protopresbyter Andreas Vithoulkas of Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine at Ground Zero reads the encyclical issued by H.E. Archbishop Elpidophoros of America for Stand Up Sunday National Coalition of Religious Leaders and Houses of Worship Led by the Appeal of Conscience Foundation and the Blue Square Alliance Against Hate Stand Together Against All Faith-Based Hate and Antisemitism
The Appeal of Conscience Foundation is committed to addressing the alarming rise of attacks on people of faith and against houses of worship, underscoring the enduring importance of its mission to embrace a philosophy of mutual respect and religious freedom. By standing up for one another's differences, we not only strengthen ourselves, but also all faith values and beliefs.
“Attacking a house of worship hits the jugular vein of every faith community,” said Rabbi Arthur Schneier, founder and president of the Appeal of Conscience Foundation.
On October 18, millions of Americans stood in solidarity against rising hate speech against religion, violence, and broader faith-based hate to celebrate Stand Up Sunday, a historic multi-denominational day of action and unity. Led by the Appeal of Conscience Foundation in partnership with the Blue Square Alliance Against Hate, this initiative activated over 100 houses of worship in 2025, reaching 1.5 million congregants over more than 30 states. This year's program, themed “United in Faith, United Against Hate,” expanded to include more than two million Americans, reflecting a growing recognition: the fight against hatred and antisemitism demands a united response.
Participating organizations included churches from the Catholic Archdioceses of New York, New Jersey, Washington and Boston, and the Diocese of Brooklyn; the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America; the Armenian Diocese of America; BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha; HMEC; and numerous African Methodist Episcopal, Presbyterian, Evangelical and non-denominational Christian congregations.
His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros, Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, Exarch of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and ACF Trustee, issued an Encyclical for Stand Up Sunday, which was read at participating Greek Orthodox Churches across the country.
“Stand Up Sunday reminds us that love, not hatred, is our mission,” said Archbishop Elpidophoros. “May this year's Stand Up Sunday mark our continued commitment to reject antisemitism and all forms of hatred and discrimination. Let us stand up with our brothers and sisters from all faith backgrounds in the name of love, unity, and God-given dignity of all people.”
“On October 18, as millions of people of faith gathered for Stand Up Sunday nationwide, we were united in faith and united against hate,” said Karen Dresbach, executive vice president of the Appeal of Conscience Foundation. “How encouraging that our collective voices resonated. As God's children, we stood together silencing the voices of hate and the perpetrators of violence.”
“The Archdiocese of New York was honored to participate again this year in Stand-Up Sunday, inviting Catholics across our vast Archdiocese to stand up and speak out against antisemitism and all forms of religious hate,” said Bishop Edmund Whalen, vicar general, Archdiocese of New York. “In a recent meeting with interreligious leaders, Pope Leo XIV reminded us, ‘To invoke God’s name in order to justify violence or oppression is to profane that name.’”
“Amid rising hate and division, Stand Up Sunday serves as a critical reminder,” said Adam Katz, president of the Blue Square Alliance Against Hate. “We are strongest when we stand united.”
Stand Up Sunday was a response to escalating attacks on houses of worship and faith-based hate throughout the United States: Between 2015 and 2024, religious-based hate crimes in the U.S. increased 136 percent, while antisemitism incidents rose nearly 900 percent over the same period. Since 2021 alone, the number of religious-based hate crimes has nearly doubled. The FBI's 2025 crime statistics show a record high number of hate crimes against Jewish people, accounting for 63 percent of all religious-based hate crimes.
All participating houses of worship dedicated their services to raising awareness about the sharp increase in antisemitism and all forms of hate against religious communities in the United States. The Blue Square Alliance’s “Blue Square,” the universal symbol of solidarity and unity in the fight against hatred, was distributed to service attendees as a visible display of solidarity across faiths. | | | Repairers of the Breach Update Time Is Not Up Until
the Last Person Votes | | People Are Already Marching to the Polls.
Families. Congregations. Neighbors walking side by side and standing together in lines that wrap around the block. In 60 seconds, Bishop William Barber II, Rev. Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, and Rev. Dr. Hanna Broome show you what moral power looks like when a community votes together.
These marches are non-partisan and non-violent. We do not tell anyone how to vote. We make sure everyone can. Every march like this starts with one person asking someone they know. Be that person today. Text 10 people you know and ask: When are you voting? Every march like this starts with one person asking someone they know. Be that person today. Text 10 people you know and ask: When are you voting? Copy and Send this Message to 10 Friends:
I'm voting, and I'm asking you to vote too. When are you going? Want to go together? https://breachrepairers.org/sms-ty-gotv-2026
Hear a Message from Bishop Barber Bishop William J. Barber II is preaching at Howard University on Sunday, November 1, at 11:00 a.m. ET.
Bishop Barber's nationally televised sermon will challenge every HBCU and progressive university across the nation to mobilize their students to the polls and urge the presidents of those universities to lead the way with their own marches.
Watch the Livestream on Repairers of the Breach's website, on YouTube, or on any of their social media channels. | | NCC Governing Board Vice Chair Joins Pledge for Moral Defiance Campaign | | Rev. Terri Hord Owens, general minister and president of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and a member of the NCC Governing Board, has joined faith leaders across religious traditions as an original signer of A Pledge for Moral Defiance. The campaign calls on faith communities to stand together in resisting authoritarianism, defending freedom of conscience, and protecting vulnerable populations. Rooted in An American Encyclical on Our Authoritarian Crisis, the pledge invites people of faith to take meaningful action to strengthen our democracy and build communities where everyone belongs. | | | | | | In this season of gratitude, Blessed Tomorrow gives thanks for all people of faith who tend and keep God's good earth. As part of your gratitude celebrations, watch the 15-minute film, "To Tend and to Keep," part of Blessed Tomorrow's Faith + Climate Film Series. Hear powerful voices representing many faith traditions as they explore how our spiritual traditions call us to care for creation and each other.
Each short film in the series is paired with a discussion guide and Sermon + Worship Kit designed for faith groups of all ages and sizes. You will also have access to easy-to-follow facilitation materials, ready-to-use promotional resources, and step-by-step support for organizing an in-person viewing and discussion of the film series. Access the full series, including the discussion guide, worship resource kit, and so much more for free today!
Click HERE to learn more about the film series. | | Download the NCC Voter Empowerment Guide | | | | | Interfaith Alliance 'The Vote Is Sacred' Tour 2026 | | The Vote Is Sacred is a nonpartisan, multi-faith bus tour launched on October 6 in Omaha, Nebraska, and is currently rolling through 15 states, right up to Election Day, November 3.
Stops feature voter registration, local trainings, partner activations, and multi-faith vigils.
Learn more here…
| | CJM Midterm Election Resources | | Every seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, roughly one-third of the U.S. Senate, key gubernatorial offices, state legislatures, and local ballot initiatives on the ballot. These decisions directly shape the health and well-being of neighbors, communities, and God’s creation. With so much at stake, we are called as people of faith to ensure that every voice is heard and every vote counts in determining our shared future.
These midterms present a critical opportunity to elect leaders in Congress who will hold the administration accountable, defend our democratic institutions, and lead with values rooted in justice, compassion, and faithful stewardship of creation. A healthy, inclusive democracy is essential to fulfilling our sacred calling to protect, restore, and rightly share God’s creation.
Creation Justice Ministries has compiled a series of resources from partners and friends in this work — double check your voter registration, make a plan, and know your voting rights. Join CJM in voting for Creation this midterm election. Explore Now… | | | | | Conversation Cafe: Reimagining Evangelism | | Join Disciples Home Missions’ Congregational Vitality and Innovation for this installment of Conversation Cafe on November 17, 2026, at 11:30 a.m. CT for "Reimagining Evangelism: How Adept is Your Congregation in Connecting to the Community?" The guest presenter is Rev. F. Douglas Powe Jr., President, and Mouzon Biggs, Jr. professor of Methodist Studies Phillips Theological Seminary, Tulsa, Okla.
Read more and register… | | After the Election: A Gathering & Spiritual Check-in November 7 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. CT
Election season is an important time, but it is only one part of our greater responsibility to one another, our communities, and public life. You are invited to join the Lutheran Office for Public Policy in Wisconsin (LOPPW) for a post-election series of short online events where participants will gather, offer prayer, provide perspective, and look towards the future together. The first event, After the Election: A Gathering & Spiritual Check-In, will be held Monday, November 7, from 6:30 pm to 7:00 pm, via Zoom.
Learn more and register here. | What We Carry Into the Room: Five Online Conversations Via Google Meet | | Beginning November 17, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. Central | Google Meet
Some conversations about race don't fail because people don't care. They fail because no one named what everyone brought into the room before the talking started. This is for those ready to examine what shapes every conversation before a word is spoken. 1 — Where We Start 2 — The Stories We Inherited 3 — The Right to Comfort 4 — Seeing Whole People 5 — What We Carry Forward
What We Carry Into the Room will take place through five sessions on Tuesdays, November 17, 24, December 1, 8, and 15, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. CT: Learn more and register here. | Detention Center Accountability and Prevention
Zoom Launch | | Rev. Dr. Woolf will launch a new toolkit on Tuesday, November 17, that will empower faith leaders to teach and preach about detention centers.
This is a pivotal moment for building faith-based power against the cruelty we have witnessed. Many of us want to bring these concerns into worship but don’t have the tools to do it well. The Detention Center Accountability & Prevention toolkit is here to help. It includes: Timely resources for understanding the current context of detention centers ·What faith communities can do now to prevent future detention centers Guides for powerful preaching about detention centers
Learn more and register here. | Considerations for Trauma-Informed Preaching | | Thursday, November 5, 2026 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Explore how trauma, grief, and lived experiences shape how people hear and experience sermons. Join Partners in Health and Wholeness for a webinar that examines how theology and language can affect listeners, offers practical ways to incorporate trauma-informed approaches into sermon preparation, and gives guidance for thoughtfully navigating grief and loss during the holiday season.
Featuring Melanie Melton, a licensed marriage and family therapist, ordained minister, and founder of Now, Healing Begins. With expertise in mental health, spiritual wellness, and trauma-informed care, Melanie equips clergy and faith communities with tools to foster healing, wholeness, and well-being. WCC Webinar: Theology of Companionship Method: Companionship as a Pilgrimage Practice
November 10, 2026 — The second session of the webinar series explores companionship not only as a theological idea, but as a practical method for shaping Pilgrimage encounters.
Learn more… WCC Webinar: Theology of Companionship - Ethics: Companionship, Power, and Asymmetry
January 13, 2027 — The third session of the webinar series focuses on the ethical dimensions of companionship, especially where relationships are shaped by unequal power, privilege, resources, race, gender, geography, or institutional status.
Learn more… WCC Webinar: Theology of Companionship - Context: Companionship in Lived Practices
March 3, 2027 — The fourth session of the webinar series turns to the lived practices of companionship in concrete ecclesial, social, and cultural contexts.
Learn more… | | | Margareta Ingelstam Reflects on Exploring the Power of NonviolenceMargareta Ingelstam is a Swedish educator, author, editor, and peace activist. She is widely recognized for her pioneering work in international adoption, media democratization, and global peacebuilding. | | Please tell us about your leadership in the ecumenical monitoring program in South Africa.
Ingelstam: I never thought about myself as a leader! We all know that Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Rev. Frank Chikane, former general secretary of the South African Council of Churches, were the strategic and courageous leaders of the struggle for democracy – including the international monitoring program. In Sweden, Rune Forsbeck, secretary general of the Swedish Ecumenical Council, had secretly been an intermediator for many kinds of support to the struggle. He had the unusual intuitiveness needed to trust and delegate to good people in the movement.
But the process of exploring the power of nonviolence started at the Life and Peace Conference, held in Uppsala and Sweden in the spring of 1983. It was strengthened at the World Council of Churches (WCC) 6th Assembly that summer. Then we organized an investigation and a seminar in Sweden with nonviolent leaders from conflict areas; the WCC followed up with decisions for “a global nonviolent service" at the Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation meeting in Seoul in 1990, and later the WCC 7th Assembly in Canberra in 1991. The cooperation between the Swedish Ecumenical Council and South African Council of Churches also led to a four-week nonviolence training in Sweden. Quite a few of the young male pastors became regional coordinators in the ecumenical monitoring program in South Africa.
In February 1990, Nelson Mandela walked out of prison after 33 years. This happy event was unfortunately followed by violence and the risk of civil war. And a letter came from South African Council of Churches, with a request for peace monitors in a "global nonviolent service.” In Sweden, the peace committee of the Swedish Ecumenical Council invited the 17 organizations already committed to the struggle, including some large umbrella organizations, e.g. the UN Association. At our first meeting – I only knew a few of the representatives – we spent hours going through the content and meaning of the request, and we also tried to assess the difficulties and dangers. It was our many years of solidarity work, the strong empathy with the South African people, that made us dare to decide: yes, we are with you. There and then we became a community. Our mutual confidence and trust were much needed during the following dramatic time. A few years later, in the evaluation process, nearly all of us – organizers and monitors – were deeply grateful for our experiences.
Read the full story... | | WCC Condemns Repeated Killings in Oromia, Ethiopia
WCC General Secretary Rev. Prof. Dr. Jerry Pillay condemned repeated killings of members of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and the continuing insecurity affecting Orthodox Christian communities others in the Arsi area of Ethiopia’s Oromia Regional State.
Read more…
WACC Europe Leaders Hone Plans for Future
The Europe Regional Executive of the World Association for Christian Communication (WACC) held its annual meeting in Geneva October 28-29, exploring issues of communication justice in the European and ecumenical contexts and planning actions for 2027 and beyond.
Read more…
Ecumenical Officers Strengthen Global Connections
and Explore Priorities
The WCC Ecumenical Officers Network gathered online October 27-28 for mutual learning and collaboration, bringing together representatives of member churches from around the world to share experiences, address common challenges, and explore priorities for the ecumenical movement.
Read more…
South Sudan Church Leaders Appeal for Peace
Amid Rising Inter-Communal Violence
The South Sudan Council of Churches called for urgent action to end a deadly cycle of inter-communal violence in parts of the country, as a wave of attacks left at least 72 people dead in Tonj North County of Warrap State.
Read more…
Ecumenism: When Uncharted Territory
“Is a Good Place to Be”
A Lund University symposium reminded participants in the ongoing WCC Commission on Faith and Order meeting of the significance of concrete steps toward Christian unity, not least when other societal structures face pressure or risk crumbling.
Read more…
Ethiopian Orthodox Church Opens
Its Forests to Faith Leaders
In Ethiopia, much of what is left of the native highland forest stands around churches. Organizers of the new Church Forest Academy count about 35,000 church forests, from one hectare to 19,000 hectares in size. From October 27 to November 3, faith leaders and practitioners from Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania, and Nigeria are learning how these forests survived. They are also exploring how the same care can restore tree cover in their own communities.
Read more…
WCC Sends Pastoral Letter to Churches and People
of Indonesia Affected by Forest Fires
In a pastoral letter sent to churches and people of Indonesia affected by forest fires, WCC General Secretary Rev. Prof. Dr. Jerry Pillay expressed deep concern, solidarity, and prayers as vast regions of Indonesia have endured months of forest and land fires.
Read more…
As Fires and Smoke Blanket Indonesia, Churches
Call for Prayer and Action
As wildfires burn across Indonesia—including in Sumatra, Kalimantan, Java, Sulawesi, Maluku, and Papua, the disaster is damaging ecosystems, and causing widespread suffering as it threatens human life and the natural world.
Read more…
Biodiversity COP17: Catholicos Receives
WCC, Ecumenical Prayer Follows
On October 25, churches in Armenia met the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP17) with an encounter and a prayer. At the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, received the WCC delegation. In the evening, the WCC led an ecumenical prayer at St. Anna Church in Yerevan.
Read more…
Young Nordic Theologians Voice What
Visible Unity Means to Them Today
Young Nordic theologians who are participating in the ongoing meeting of the WCC Commission on Faith and Order voiced their reflections on what visible unity means today.
Read more…
After 123 Years, St Paul’s University in Kenya Chooses a Woman Vice Chancellor
A woman professor of theology—who has campaigned for dissociating priestly ordination from theological studies—is now the head of St Paul’s University in Limuru, near the Kenyan capital Nairobi.
Read more…
Swedish “Singstunde” Invites Spiritual Encounter
with and Through Music
A Swedish “Singstunde” offered spiritual musical encounters on the opening day of the Commission on Faith and Order meeting 2026.
Read more…
Church of Sweden's Interreligious Engagement Reflects Decades of Dialogue, Trust, Shared Action
From October 12-14, the Church of Sweden's officers responsible for interreligious dialogue, Rev. Peter Lööv Roos, Rev. Maria Kjellsdotter Rydinger, and Dr. Anita Suneson, hosted Prof. Angeliki Ziaka, program executive for Interreligious Dialogue and Cooperation at the WCC, at the Church of Sweden's National Office in Uppsala.
Read more…
WCC Shares Tribute to Rev. Dr. Walter Altmann
WCC General Secretary Rev. Prof. Dr. Jerry Pillay shared a tribute to Rev. Dr. Walter Altmann, during a ceremony conferring the degree of doctor honoris causa upon Altmann by Faculdades EST, in São Leopoldo, Brazil on October 26.
Read more…
WCC General Secretary Addresses Africa
and African Diaspora Conference
WCC General Secretary Rev. Prof. Dr. Jerry Pillay addressed the Africa and African Diaspora Conference in Johannesburg on October 27.
Read more…
At COP17, a Gunadule Theologian Calls
Three Crises One Wound
Three UN conferences meet in 2026 on three crises: desertification, biodiversity loss, and climate change. Jocabed Solano, an Indigenous Gunadule theologian from Panama, does not see three. "The world calls these climate change, biodiversity loss, and desertification, but for us they are one wound," she said in Yerevan, Armenia, on October 20.
Read more…
"What Connects Us” Gathering in Berlin
Explores Guiding Values
A gathering in Berlin, under the theme “What Connects Us," on October 14 drew representatives from politics, churches, and civil society to discuss the values that should guide international interests.
Read more…
Webinar Will Offer Special Glimpse into
“Visible Unity in a Changing North”
A special webinar during the World Council of Churches Commission on Faith and Order meeting on October 30 will offer a glimpse into “Visible Unity in a Changing North: Ecclesiology, Leadership, and the Future of the Churches.”
Read more…
Newly Launched Report Reflects Rich Tapestry
of Sixth World Conference on Faith and Order
A newly launched Report on the Sixth World Conference of Faith and Order reflects the range and depth of the event, held October 24-28, 2025 at the Logos Papal Center at St Bishoy Monastery in Wadi El Natrun, Egypt.
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WCC Central Committee Moderator’s Reflections Open Sant’ Egidio International Meeting for Peace
WCC Central Committee Moderator Bishop Prof. Dr. Heinrich Bedford-Strohm offered opening reflections at a Sant’ Egidio International Meeting for Peace in Assisi, underway October 25-27.
Read more…
WCC Faith and Order Meeting Opens
with Path Toward Deep Dialogue
The meeting of the WCC Commission on Faith and Order opened in Lund, Sweden, on October 26, marking the second time in history that the commission has met in Sweden.
Read more…
Interfaith Dialogue on Child Rights Continues
An online interfaith dialogue series on the “Advancing the Responsibility to Protect the Rights and Dignity of the Child” will continue November 5. The series is organized by Arigatou International, Religions for Peace, World Council of Churches, and the United Religions Initiative.
Read more…
Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, WCC
Condemn Attack on Church in Jordan
The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem condemned an attack on Saint George’s Greek Orthodox Church in Hamoud, Karak on October 23.
Read more…
WCC Youth Commission to Gather in Ghana
to Explore Healing, Togetherness and Hope
The WCC Commission of Young People in the Ecumenical Movement (Youth Commission) will hold its second in-person meeting in Accra, Ghana, from November 3–9, under the theme “Journeying Together: Creating Healing Spaces.”
Read more…
Focolare in Sweden Marks 60th Jubilee
As a special gathering on October 10 marked the 60th Jubilee of Focolare’s arrival in Sweden—and then to all of Scandinavia—those gathered heard messages of gratitude and joy.
Read more…
| | WCC 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!
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 | | November 1 – 7........................................Canada, United States of America November 8 – 14 ....................................Oceania: American Samoa, Cook
Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia (Maohi
Nui), Kanaky, Kiribati, Marshall Islands,
Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua
New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands,
Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu November 15 – 21 ...................................Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia November 22 – 28.................................East Timor (Timor Leste), Indonesia,
Philippines November 29 – December 5 .........Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore December 6 – 12......................................Myanmar, Thailand December 13 – 19....................................Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam December 20 – 26..................................Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and
the Mainland of China December 27 – January 2..................Japan, North Korea, South Korea | | | | | Celebration and Inspiration! Annual Awards Gala | | | | | | | | | | Join the Final A Peals for Peace: Monday, November 2 Now more than ever, we need your voice for peace. Join faith communities, organizations, families, and individuals across North Carolina for one final ringing of A Peals for Peace before Election Day. This simple act of public witness reminds our communities that every person has inherent worth and that we can choose peace, unity, and hope over fear and division. On Monday, November 2, at 6:00 PM, ring bells for 15 minutes as a shared expression of peace and a commitment to the common good. Whether you gather with your congregation, organization, family, or neighbors, every voice and every bell matters. This is the final ringing before Election Day, and we need everyone to join us. Even if you have not been participating in this effort, you can still join us for this last ringing! Help make the sound of peace heard across our communities when it matters most. Join the Sound. If you have already signed up, take photos and videos of your bell ringing and send them to Rachel Baker, communications director, at rachel@ncchurches.org so we can highlight our impact!
| | | Beyond the Election: A Faithful Response Thursday, November 5, 10 AM & 7 PM
Online Election Day is an important milestone in our democracy, but our commitment to protecting the vote and supporting our communities continues beyond the polls. Join faith leaders from across North Carolina for a conversation about the role people of faith can play in safeguarding our democratic process and responding to emerging needs in the post-election period. Choose the session that works best for you: 10 AM or 7 PM. Faith communities have an important role to play before, during, and after elections. Join NCCC as they continue this work together, rooted in faith, prepared to respond, and committed to ensuring every voice is heard. Register Here… | | | This Advent, join NCCC in choosing love over fear. The annual Advent booklet and our theme this year, Leading with Love, invites us beyond seasonal traditions into courageous discipleship, with reflections from Council staff confronting fear with courage and embodying God’s love through justice, radical hospitality, and care for our neighbors. As we await Christ’s coming, may hope embolden us, peace ground us, joy sustain us, and love lead us. Sign up to receive a free hard copy of the booklet and journey with us through this sacred season of preparation, reflection, and renewed hope.
Sign Up… | | | | Reign of Christ Sunday: In the Streets | | Democracy in the USA is deteriorating at unprecedented speed,” said the latest Democracy Report from the V-Dem Institute at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, as they downgraded the US on its list of functioning democracies. We see dehumanization at work as our immigrant neighbors are disappeared from our communities, Muslim leaders are targeted, and divisions deepen. We hear our members asking how to respond. Some who study these types of situations are anticipating an “all in” moment, when people will need to respond en masse in ways that align with our own traditions and values.
Prophetic witness in the public square is a muscle that must be built and continually exercised. Last spring, Christians gathered in public across Wisconsin on Palm Sunday, calling on elected officials to feed the hungry, care for the sick, and welcome the stranger (Matthew 25).
We invite you to continue using our muscle of prophetic witness on November 22, Reign of Christ Sunday, to continue to uplift messages of hope, peace, love, and grace that are rooted in the kingdom of God.
We have prepared a guide with theological grounding and suggestions for an Action Pathway, which you can download here. | | | Grounded Under Pressure helps Christian leaders recognize what happens within themselves when anxiety and tension increase and practice ways of remaining calm, clear, and connected in the midst of it.
Rooted in Christian formation, this interactive workshop combines practical tools for self-awareness and self-regulation with spiritual practices that help leaders respond with greater wisdom, courage, and faithfulness. The goal is not to eliminate anxiety or avoid difficult situations, but to strengthen our capacity to remain grounded enough to act intentionally when the pressure is high.
Participants will practice: Recognizing their own patterns of reactivity Regulating themselves when anxiety and tension rise Staying both defined and connected under pressure Responding with clarity, courage, and faithfulness
Learn more… | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Purchase the NCC 75th Anniversary
Commemorative BIble and Save 20% Discount Code: NCC2026 | | | More from Friendship Press… |
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