Third Transformative Masculinities webinar calls for repentance
The COVID-19 pandemic can become a “kairos” moment of opportunity for men to repent of the sin of patriarchy and create positive partnerships that empower women and men. Churches should be in the front line of this process, drawing on Scripture and other faith resources to advance gender equality. That was the theme of a […]
First sharing circle focuses on Africa and women
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 […]
Communion engages in 16 Days of Activism
Every year the United Nations dedicates 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, which ends with the commemoration of Human Rights Day on 10 December. The theme for this year is “Orange the World: Fund, Respond, Prevent, Collect!” The World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) is among the many organizations which supports equality between women […]
Gender, leadership and power focus of consultation
Gender, leadership and power was the focus of the first in a series of regional consultations, held in northeast India in early December. This consultation “is an invitation to churches to re-visit our understanding and our practice of leadership and power in the context of giving justice to all genders within the church community as […]
International Women’s Day is a strong call to #PressforProgress
For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. – Galatians 3:27-28 (ESV) The World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) encourages strong participation to […]
Feminist theologian from West Timor awarded Sylvia Michel Prize
On Sunday, 4 March, the international Sylvia Michel Prize for promoting the leadership functions of women in the church was awarded for the fifth time at a church service in Bremgarten, Switzerland. The award was given to Mery Kolimon, president of the Protestant Evangelical Church in Timor, Indonesia. Born in 1972, Kolimon studied theology in the […]
Reformed Church of East Africa approves ordination of women
After years of discussion the Reformed Church of East Africa’s (RCEA) General Synod approved the ordination of women at its synod in November. The current RCEA moderator, Musa Kipkorir Kapkong Maina, expressed his joy and thanked the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) for being a beacon of light. “In this area, WCRC has walked […]
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 […]
The WCRC considers a call for its members to accept the ordination of women
by Laurence Villoz While the churches deplore injustices against women, some of them perpetuate gender inequality by denying female ordination. “Gender based violence is one of the biggest challenges in the world,” said Dr. Dorcas Gordon, principal of John Knox College in Toronto, Canada, at the “Gender Justice” session of the General Council of the […]
Prize empowers women
Nominations are now being accepted for the Sylvia Michel Prize, a bi-annual award that promotes and supports projects preparing women for leadership positions in Reformed churches worldwide. The prize of US$5000 is awarded every two years by the Reformed Cantonal Church of Argovia in Switzerland in cooperation with the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC). […]
