News

The United Church of Christ announced on 14 February that it used $200,000 from one of its annual Giving Tuesday campaigns to purchase and pay off $33 million in medical debt for residents of Ohio, where the mainline Protestant denomination is based. In two years, the UCC has paid off $100 million in medical debt.

The longest General Council in the 97-year history of The United Church of Canada, and the first to be held virtually, opened on the PheedLoop platform on February 13. In a session that in the words of General Secretary the Rev. Michael Blair was “bathed in worship,” commissioners gathered with ecumenical, interfaith, and global partners; Elders; Youth Forum members; past Moderators; equity, facilitation, and technical support teams; as well as visitors watching by virtue of livestreaming.

Afghanistan is in a desperate humanitarian crisis. Presbyterians call for help.

The first issue of the Council for World Mission’s INSiGHT in 2022 arrives in a time where our pandemic-stricken world continues to grapple with vaccine discrimination, the digital divide, rapid spread of misinformation and more. It carries CWM General Secretary Rev. Dr Jooseop Keum’s Message on God’s mission in the world of prolonged pandemic, and CWM’s vision to “Rise to Life” in the midst of life-threatening forces.

The Council for World Mission also has several senior-level positions.

The World Council of Churches central committee built momentum toward the WCC’s 11th Assembly by creating assembly committees, planning thematic plenaries, and detailing ecumenical conversations.

Encouraging the World Council of Churches fellowship in its ongoing call to discipleship together, the WCC central committee commended to WCC member churches the document “Called to Transformation—Ecumenical Diakonia and Addendums.”

The Christian Conference of Asia will organize a regional consultation on “Towards an Effective Advocacy on HIV and AIDS for Upholding Dignity of Gender and Sexual Minorities” on 24–25 March 2022.