(WCC) The National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK) held its 68th General Assembly at Jeongdong First Methodist Church in Seoul on 18 November. The assembly decided to proclaim 2020 as a “jubilee year” marking 70 years since the Korean War, and the NCCK also vowed to continue its efforts for a permanent and solid peace regime and reunification, declaring a formal end to the Korean War and replacing the Armistice Agreement with a peace treaty. The year will also celebrate the Korean Peninsula as a place of peace, prosperity, and reunification. Rev. Bo-hwan Yoon, who was elected as the new NCCK president and will serve a one-year term, is from the Korean Methodist Church, and reflected that he recognises the characteristics and historical traditions of the NCCK and pledged to honor and strengthen the missional work of the organisation. “I think more than ever, we need a church council for peace,” he said. “I will stand alongside you on your way in obedience to the will of … [Read more...]

(WCC) “Churches can help respond to the urgent demands of the children who march in the streets for our planet,” said moderator of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Central Committee, Dr Agnes Abuom, during the Executive Committee celebratory break marking the 30th anniversary of the Convention of the Rights of the Child. “Spiritual support and engagement in concrete actions that give hope are an important measure for the mental health of children, including in those countries where the consequences of the climate emergency are not felt on a daily basis, but cause fears among children about the world’s future,” said Abuom. Two years after the launch of the Churches’ Commitments to Children in 2017, the WCC collaborates with over 450 heads of Churches, heads of children’s ministries, school directors, Sunday school teachers and champions for children at the grassroots level. A vital element of the success of the initiative is the global partnership with UNICEF started four … [Read more...]

(WCC) A group of United Nations experts together say that countries have an important role to play in promoting religious tolerance and cultural diversity and that they can do this by promoting and protecting human rights, including freedom of religion or belief. “We welcome the decision of the UN to designate 22 August as the international day to commemorate the victims of acts of violence based on religion or belief,” said the experts for the day which occurs on the same day this year as the World Council of Churches-led Thursdays in Black. “This is a great opportunity to raise awareness about religious intolerance, and violence and discrimination against anyone based on their religion or belief.” The experts urged States to step up their efforts to combat intolerance, discrimination and violence against people based on religion or belief, including against members of religious minorities and people who are not religious. Their comments come in a statement marking the … [Read more...]

(WCC) Gun violence in the United States, which over the last weekend alone took three dozen lives, continues to pose stark challenges for US churches. Prof. Dr Isabel Apawo Phiri, World Council of Churches’ (WCC) acting general secretary, expressed grief at the recent mass shootings, which have caused a storm of outrage over racism and the failure of gun control in the US. Phiri recalled that in 2019, the WCC’s Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace is lifting up the theme of racial justice as it calls on churches everywhere to walk together and view their common life and journey of faith as part of the pilgrimage, and to join together with others in celebrating life and taking concrete steps toward transforming injustice and violence. “The WCC considers any act of racism in any form as a sin that must be publicly condemned wherever it manifests itself,” said Phiri. In 2021, the regional focus of the WCC’s Pilgrimage of Justice and peace will be North America. “We express … [Read more...]