Member Church News: Celebration and Mourning

First female priests in the Church of Bangladesh ordained since 1997: 600 people witnessed this historic occasion as two women were ordained as priests, Rev. Suchitra Behera and Rev. Mridula Baidya.

Swiss churches are organizing an ecumenical prayer celebration under the auspices of the Association of Christian Churches in Switzerland. The celebration will take place on 24 February 24, exactly one year to the day after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and include representatives of the Ukrainian communities in Switzerland.

The Igreja Presbiteriana Independente do Brasil and Igreja Evangélica Reformada de Angola had a fruitful and inspiring virtual gathering.

Ableism in the Church: Disabled author and scholar Amy Kenny shares how discrimination against disabled people is prevalent in the church and how that hurts us all.

Since 2019 the Uniting Church in Australia has marked a Day of Mourning to reflect on the dispossession of Australia’s First Peoples and the ongoing injustices faced by First Nations people in this land. On this Sunday, 22 January, congregations will celebrate the survival and resilience of First Nations people, honour their ancient culture and spirituality, and confess and seek forgiveness for the dispossession and violence committed against First Peoples in these lands.

The Hum Bible app, which includes audio Scripture in more than 80 languages from India (including English), was developed in partnership with Reformed Church in America Global Mission. Available through both the Google and Apple stores, it even includes a Bible-in-a-year listening plan for 2023.