Member Church News: Calling, Supporting, Practicing

The United Church of Canada joins with 250 organizations from 29 countries to call on the Salvadoran government to drop the charges against leading Water Defenders arrested on January 11 and advocate for their release.

In addition to several leadership decisions, the Council of the Protestant Church of Switzlerand turned its attention to geopolitical hotspots of church cooperation, receiving Pastor Mathilde Sabbagh from Syria and Pastor József Kiss from Romania at its latest meeting.

A Presbyterian Church (USA) delegation will travel to Eastern Europe this month in a show of solidarity with people in and near Ukraine as the war with Russia continues to create death, destruction and displacement.

John Paarlberg (Reformed Church in America) shares several ancient practices of the church that may enhance worship experiences during Lent. The Protestant Church in the Netherlands has provided a new brochure “Symbolic Arrangements Lent 2023” to help in making symbolic arrangements in congregations and is themed “For Love of You.”

Kairos Housing, an ecumenical project between the United Reformed Church, Methodist, and the independent evangelical New Frontier Church, is helping asylum seekers in the United Kingdom.

Cameroon religious leaders call for peaceful resolution: As people in Cameroon work and pray for peace, both solutions and challenges are on the path in front of them.

The Christian Reformed Church in North America is working with IndigenousChristian.org to help Canadian churches be more welcoming for First Nations individuals by creating short videos for churches to use in worship.

More than 600 people attended the Ninth Annual Symposium on the Role of Religion and Faith-based Organizations in International Affairs, held online on 24 January. Exploring the theme “Securing People’s Wellbeing and Planetary Sustainability,” the symposium was organized by the World Council of Churches and a coalition of faith-based and UN partners. The event featured UN officials, representatives of international faith-based organizations, and other experts on climate change, disarmament, and other relevant topics.

As “Doomsday Clock” moves closer to midnight, churches call for prohibition of nuclear weapons: For the past 75 years, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has announced how close it believes the world is to a nuclear attack. On 24 January, it has announced that we are only 90 seconds to midnight.

Faith-based organizations highlight best practices and challenges in dealing with HIV response in Asia.

_{Image: Harold Roscher, director and chaplain of the Edmonton Native Healing Center, explains the importance of drumming in Cree culture as part of a video series intended to educate believers so that First Nations individuals feel more welcome in churches.}