serving the faith communities of the Goulburn Valley
The World Council of Churches takes up its mission to make Churches and Christian faith communities open and accessible to all, free of bias, discrimination and Xenophobia. Here, the World Council of Churches releases a paper on mitigating unconscious biases for Churches.
The World Council of Churches continues on the long legacy of their commitment to contribute to the dismantling of racial prejudices, racial discrimination, systemic racism, xenophobia, casteism, and all other forms of discrimination in ecumenical faith communities.
One year after the Hamas attacks on southern Israel, World Council of Churches called on all member churches and partners, and all people of faith and good will, to pray and act for peace in Israel, Gaza and Lebanon.
The National Council of Churches in Australia has released a Public Statement, below, regarding the ongoing conflict in Palestine and Israel.
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The World Council of Churches (WCC) invites people and churches all over the world to pray, advocate, and stand in solidarity with people in the Holy Land during the World Week for Peace in Palestine and Israel. The week includes the UN International Day of Peace on 21 September.
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The World Council of Churches is observing an Ecumenical International Youth Day on 12 August under the theme “Journey of Justice, Peace, and Unity: A Call to End Violence.” This event extensively addresses the issue of mental health in the world’s youth. “The issues regarding mental health in youth are expressed in various forms of behaviour such as panic attacks, addictions, eating disorders, disruption to education and learning, and the lack of coping skills,”. This observance also addresses the consequences of failing to address mental health in youth. “Even in regions free of open conflicts and wars, children and youth who face a micro-climate of normalized violence and experience physical, emotional, and sexual abuse are also highly vulnerable”.
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The World Council of Churches is inviting all people of goodwill to participate in the Nuclear Prayer Day, to be held 6 August. You may join more than 30 faith bodies in responding to nuclear threat and building world peace.
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The World Council of Churches has released a second edition of the “Ecumenical International Youth Day 2024 Toolkit: Young People and Their Voices from the Warzones.”
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“The joyful message of the first Christmas states that the love of God in Christ is meant indeed for all people, for the whole of creation,” reads the message. “Our time is a time of fear.”
Some fear the climate emergency, the message acknowledges. “Many are afraid today that they will no longer be able to feed their children tomorrow,” the message laments. “Others are afraid that military conflicts may cause nuclear disasters.”
“The angels of the first Christmas called the shepherds to have faith in the divine promise of peace on earth and God’s goodwill towards humanity,”
The World Council of Churches and Globethics.net have co-published four new books on different facets of the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace. Harvesting the insights from the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace process and visits from the WCC 10th Assembly in Busan, this series focuses on a number of geographic and thematic areas.
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There can be no solution to the climate crisis that does not recognize the rights and spiritualities of Indigenous peoples, according to religious leaders who gathered for the official COP26 side event ‘Making Peace with Nature.’
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The World Council of Churches and the Council for World Mission, from 14-17 June, will present online the ecumenical event “Anti-racist in Christ? Ecumenical Christian Repentance, Reflection and Action on Racial Discrimination and Xenophobia.”
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International Women’s Day is held on March 8 each year to honour and celebrate the achievements of women and highlight challenges and the need for action to reach gender equality. The day has been commemorated for well over a century. This year’s international theme is #ChoosetoChallenge.
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The World Council of Churches will host an online prayer service on World AIDS Day, observed this year on 1 December. The Prayer Service is available for download and reading during the livestreaming.
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The World Council of Churches in collaboration with the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue have prepared a document on interreligious collaboration during the time of coronavirus. In this article, we bring you the Preamble, focussed on the story of the Good Samaritan, a profound and challenging story of human response to suffering. We include a synopsis of the world situation.
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Joined by Orthodox, Anglican and Protestant leaders and faithful from around the world, Pope Francis led the recitation of the Lord’s Prayer, imploring God’s mercy on humanity amid the coronavirus pandemic.
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The most recent Climate Change Conference – called COP 25 – concluded yesterday in Madrid, Spain. Faith Communities, including the Brahma Kumaris and Religions for Peace International (both of whom have offices in the UN plaza in New York) (with a large delegation from the Lutheran World Federation) joined together with many faiths, many voices to produce a Faith-inspired declaration on Climate Change. This was delivered to the Deputy Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change by the World Council of Churches – in service and on behalf of all faith communities. The document is called Interfaith Declaration on Climate Change for COP 25 Madrid, 2019 . You may read this document in full:
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Global support continues to grow for the Season of Creation, an annual celebration of prayer and action to protect creation that is celebrated by tens of thousands of Christians of all traditions around the world. Running from 1 September to 4 October, the Season of Creation’s beginning and end dates are linked with the concern for creation in the Eastern and the Western traditions of Christianity, respectively.
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In every country, gender-based violence is a tragic reality. This violence is frequently hidden, and victims are often silent, fearing stigma and further violence.
We all have a responsibility to speak out against violence, to ensure that women and men, boys and girls, are safe from rape and violence in homes, schools, work, streets – in all places in our societies.
“We worship in different languages and cultures, yet all one in Christ. This is an immensely enriching experience,” said Dr Jude Long, principal of Nungalinya College, in Darwin (Northern Territory), Australia, as she explored spirituality with indigenous people from across the world this week. Long helped lead prayers and biblical reflections along with Australian indigenous staff and students at the college as part of a World Council of Churches (WCC) Indigenous Spirituality and Theology Consultation on 27-31 August.
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