Member Church News: Indigenous Women, Ecological Action

Mary Fontaine, a former member of the WCRC Executive Committee, has been elected the first Indigenous moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Canada.

Indigenous Matriarchs: Michelle Nieviadomy told the Canadian National Gathering of the Christian Reformed Church in North America that the Indigenous woman is the most vulnerable in Canada, and yet also the most powerful.

In her message for National Indigenous Peoples Day, United Church of Canada Moderator Carmen Lansdowne suggests many ways you and your community of faith can celebrate or recognize this day.

Ann Chang, of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan, shares her reflections on attending the Council for World Mission’s East Asia Members Forum. “My biggest gain from this trip is to understand how Presbyterian churches and other Reformed churches are united in faith despite being in different circumstances and contexts, and in realizing our unity in Christ, being able to share, care for and understand each other.”

Three female ecumenical leaders from Latin America pay tribute to Agnes Aboum.

Kirchentag, a bi-annual gathering of more than 100,000 Christians, is happening through 11 June in Nürnberg, Germany, under the theme “Now is the time.”

The May issue of INSiGHT, the magazine from the Council for World Mission, focuses on the theme of “Discipleship, Spiritualities and Dialogue.”

“If your banks don’t care about climate change—ask them why”: Thirteen-year old Ellyanne Chlystun-Githae has a serious message for the adults in the world: “While you are worrying about whether you have enough money to retire, people my age are worried about surviving in a world that is rapidly warming.”

Human rights advocates celebrate democratic control of water in Nigeria: After a years-long battle against proposed water-related legislation in Nigeria that had high potential for privatizing water, the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Water Network in Nigeria celebrated the defeat of the proposed law, and pledged to continue to protect water as a human right.

The Middle East Council of Churches Issues the “Season of Creation” 2023 Guide in Arabic. Under the title “Let Justice and Peace Flow” and the symbol of “A Mighty River” from the Biblical text of Amos 5:24, the Christian family in the Middle East and the world unites to celebrate the “Season of Creation.” A Christian and environmental Season that starts on the 1st of September and ends on the 4th of October yearly, as it invites us to pray and work together to protect our common home.

Image: German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier presents a Bible study during the opening of the Kirchentag (photo courtesy of Kirchentag).