The World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC)’s “COVID & Beyond” discernment process continues with a sharing session on Wednesday, 28 April, at 15:00 (CEST).

The idea of the sharing session 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 latest session will focus on the Middle East.

Churches from the Middle East will bring a presentation under the title, “Faith in the Midst of Calamities.” This region is known as an area marked with instability, uncertainty, and continuous problems. The Reformed churches in Egypt, Lebanon, Iran, Iraq, and Syria are an inseparable part of their societies, and thus, they are experiencing different kinds of calamities. However, in the midst of those calamities, these churches are experiencing God’s presence with them and are hearing God’s call to be agents of faith and hope for their societies.

The second presentation will focus specifically on the Palestinian people, with whom the WCRC has committed to accompany in their struggle for justice and in their resilience in hope. Focused around Kairos Palestine’s “Cry for Hope: A Call to Decisive Action” (which all are invited to sign) the presentation will hear about the latest forced eviction of Palestinian families, the plight of the people of Gaza, and the aspirations of young people. It will theologically engage with the Palestinian situation in the context of colonialism, occupation, and empire.

The sharing session will be livestreamed on WCRC Facebook pages in English, French, and Spanish. The session will also be posted 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.