Member Church News: Cooperation, Rooted, Building

On 1 May, Workers’ Day in South Africa, leaders from the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa (UCCSA) and the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa (UPCSA) came together for work, witness, and fellowship. The gathering, attended by some 100 participants from various organizations and fellowships within the UCCSA and UPCSA, marked an important step towards forming a deeper bond between the sister churches.

Rita Famos: Men and women in leadership move things forward: Rita Famos preached in the Lutheran City Church in Vienna. At the start of the series “What shepherdesses have to say” she dedicated her sermon to the topic “Blackboards change the world.” In an interview with the Evangelical Press Service, she then shared her thoughts on church leadership and diakonia.

Be rooted in Christ: The United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands celebrated her 2024 Convocation on 5 May in Montego Bay Convention Centre. The event, themed “Rooted, Resilient: Re-ignited by the Spirit,” was marked by a large turnout of 8,000 people, most of whom were adorned in varying shades of red.

Presbyterian, Anglican, and United churches in Canada to share space: The United, Anglican, and Presbyterian churches have signed leases to share national office space at the redeveloped site of Bloor Street United Church in Toronto. The agreement reflects the churches’ ongoing commitment to nurturing ecumenical relationships and cooperation, reducing costs, and lessening their carbon footprint.

As anger and heartbreak continues to rise in Australia over the epidemic of violence against women, with thousands protesting in recent weeks, the Uniting Church in Australia Assembly will be releasing a new weekly series of reflections. In this first reflection, President Sharon Hollis writes about the kind of Christian communities we ought to build to prevent and end violence and abuse.

Intercultural theology graduates express “an openness to dialoguing, to differences”: Eight graduate students from various churches in Switzerland and France, originating from different countries, participated in the third Intercultural Theology course offered at the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Institute at Bossey.