The World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC)’s “COVID & Beyond” discernment process continues with its first “sharing circle” on Wednesday, 10 February, at 15:00 (CET).

The idea of the sharing circle is to express areas of particular urgency in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and the injustices it exposes and to generate ideas how the WCRC on all levels should respond to the crisis.

This first circle will focus on presentations from the WCRC Women’s Network and the Africa Communion of Reformed Churches (ACRC).

The women’s portion of the sharing circle is planned to provide a space to listen to the voices of women and discern together the questions of gender at the intersectionality of race, class, and indigenity in the midst of COVID-19. Speakers will include WCRC President Najla Kassab; Paulette Brown of the Presbyterian Church of Canada; and Christina Landman of the University of South Africa.

The ACRC portion of the circle will focus on perspectives of economic and gender justice. Speakers will include Isaac Kalonji (Refugees, internally displaced people, and stateless people); Enyidiya Uma-Onwunta (Issues of justice regarding women and girls); Christina Landman (Governance issues – corruption, theft, administration of justice on women); and Buhle Mpofu (Racism, inequalities, and transnational issues: migration and xenophobia).

The sharing circle will be livestreamed on WCRC Facebook pages in English, French, and Spanish and posted later to the WCRC YouTube Channel. All are invited to watch and participate either through the comments functions or by sending an email message to require@wcrc.eu.

“What does God Require of Us? Discerning, Confessing, and Witnessing in the Time of COVID-19 and Beyond,” the year-long Communion-wide discernment process is building toward a face-to-face meeting in late 2021 and will culminate in the WCRC collectively confessing a God of Life at its 2024 General Council.

Additional information on the process can be found at wcrc.ch/require.