Member Church News: Peace, Prayer, Equality

Dora Arce-Valentín, AIPRAL executive secretary, was present at the 31st Havana Book Fair, where she met with Colombian Vice President Francia Márquez, during the event “Peace in Colombia is our peace” at the Martin Luther King Jr. Center. The Colombian leader thanked the ecumenical commitment for peace in Colombia and in the continent “until dignity becomes customary.”

In terms of equality, Taiwan ranks among the top ten in the world. Much has been done on many levels to achieve this. However, the road to gender equality is a slow road that is not yet complete. Christians play a large part in this through their commitment to society and the church. Anita Chang, ecumenical youth ffficer of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan, gives an insight into the situation of women in Taiwan.

A ‘Journey Toward Peace’ Journal: South Sudan, ecumenical cooperation, and Presbyterian reconciliation.

How can physical space affect the way you pray and worship? That is the question behind a new exhibit at the Center Art Gallery at Calvin University. “The Architecture of Prayer” exhibit features an international survey of the contemporary church and its architecture, which can also be viewed online.

Last week Vanuatu was struck by two cyclones and an earthquake, causing extensive damage to buildings and infrastructure. Thousands of people are now sheltering in evacuation centres. UnitingWorld has launched an appeal to help our local partner, the Presbyterian Church in Vanuatu, respond to the crisis and meet the needs of affected communities.

A simple question asked nearly a decade ago by a Seattle-area pastor interested in learning more about the Presbyterian Church in Colombia has blossomed into a partnership that reflects a mutual passion for theological and academic inquiry, worship, faith, and the desire to simply “be” together.

On International Women’s Day, award-winning church sign language interpreter urges space for deaf women: At the St Andrew’s Presbyterian of Church East Africa in Nairobi, Judy Kihumba is the voice between the hearing and the deaf worlds in one of Kenya’s oldest churches.

Zsuzsanna Répás passed away at the age of fifty-six. She served as the chair of the Ecumenical and Foreign Affairs Committee of the Synod of Reformed Church of Hungary since 2021. She worked in the field of foreign relations, with a focus on the relations among Hungarians living outside of Hungary.

The general secretaries of Council for World Mission and All Africa Conference of Churches have signed a memorandum of understanding to facilitate ecumenical partnership and engagement.

Algorithms: harmful or helpful? Faith-based groups can work to decrease the digital divide: Can we increase our knowledge of how algorithms work? Can faith-based groups help close the digital divide? A webinar on 9 March, offered a way forward in an area that sometimes seems ruled by untouchable artificial intelligence.

_{Image: Screenshot of the online “Architecture of Prayer” exhibit.}