Jesus brought message of liberation from occupation, says Palestinian Christian
by Stephen Brown The mission of Jesus cannot be understood without looking at the context of occupation, according to Palestinian Christian Mitri Raheb, speaking at a global assembly of Reformed churches. “Jesus was born under occupation, he spent his entire life under occupation and was crushed on the cross by occupation,” Raheb said in on […]
Council urges G20 to support Paris climate change pact
by Stephen Brown The World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) is urging the forthcoming G20 summit meeting of leading economies to support the Paris climate change agreement following a decision by US President Donald Trump to withdraw from the accord. The appeal came on 3 July at a meeting in Leipzig, Germany, of the General […]
General Council approves statement on ordination of women
by Laurence Villoz The “Declaration of Faith on the Ordination of Women” was accepted by the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) at its General Council on Monday, 3 July, in Leipzig. “We have reached a certain consensus,” exclaimed Jerry Pillay, president of the WCRC. At the decision-making session on gender justice delegates accepted the […]
Young radio DJ uses her programme to keep Zambian Christians real
By Amy Eckert You would think living in a declared Christian country would be good for believers. 23-year-old DJ Jessica Bwali isn’t entirely sure. “In recent years there’s been a mushrooming of Christian churches in Zambia,” said Jessica of her home country. “But unfortunately, they aren’t really Christian at all. In many, a kind of […]
Church-themed dresses provide General Council delegate a sense of unity
By Amy Eckert Rosie Galanti attends the Zengeza-Seke Church in Harare. And she wants everyone to know it. The General Council delegate likes to wear her bright yellow church dress at home in Zimbabwe, too. She sees the garment’s vibrant color and images of the church in orange, black and white as an evangelism tool. […]
Keeping the faith in Pakistan
Shan Joseph comes from a long line of Christians. His great-grandfather was an Anglican minister and his parents and grandparents devoted believers. But in a nation where only 1.6% of the population identifies itself as Christian, that can be difficult. “In Pakistan, Christians are ranked alongside the lowest caste of Hindus,” said Shan. “There will […]
A red thread links Council participants and artists on Leipzig’s Nikolaikirchhof
By Amy Eckert. Photos by Anna Siggelkow. Hundreds of General Council delegates joined in a silent walk from Leipzig’s Willy-Brandt Platz to the St. Nicholas Church on Saturday, July 1. In their hands they carried a portion of red thread knitted by women from a local senior center over the course of two weeks. In […]
Artist Joel Schoon-Tanis inspires Council delegates with “Baring Fruit”
By Amy Eckert Celebrated American artist Joel Schoon-Tanis painted “Baring Fruit” to commemorate the WCRC’s 2017 General Council in Leipzig. The artwork has also found its way into each attendee’s bag, adorning the cover of the Worship Book for the 2017 General Council. It didn’t take Mr. Schoon-Tanis long to come up with a concept […]
Lombard Prize awarded to New Zealand’s Jordan Redding
By Amy Eckert Jordan Redding, an ordained minister of the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand and a doctoral student from Dunedin, New Zealand, has been named the winner of the 2017 Lombard Prize. In association with Lombard, Odier & Cie, Bankers of Geneva, Switzerland, the WCRC called for entries in the essay competition in […]
WCRC members create justice-themed theatrical performance
By Amy Eckert, photo by Fritz Baarlink They arrived from five continents and 11 nations: Brazil and South Africa, Pakistan and Argentina, Canada and Ghana. Fifteen Reformed church members, none of them professional actors and all of them strangers to one another, arrived in Berlin in advance of the 2017 General Council of the World […]