WCC NEWS: WCC will play key roles in upcoming Barbados Gospelfest 2024

The World Council of Churches (WCC) will lead a “Campaign of Hope” as part of the upcoming Barbados Gospelfest set to take place from 26 May to 2 June. This is the second year that the WCC will be part of the gospel music festival in Barbados. Photo: Barbados Gospelfest 16 May 2024 Started in 1993, through the then-ministry of tourism in Barbados, the Barbados Gospelfest has evolved over the past 30 years as one of the Caribbean’s premiere gospel music festivals.  Activities will include engagement with the Anglican seminary students and staff at the Codrington College on 23 May. On 25 May, there will be a “Pastors and Church Leaders Breakfast” which will gather representatives from across the ecumenical spectrum, not just WCC member churches.  WCC programme director for Public Witness and Diakonia Rev. Dr Kenneth Mtata will bring greetings from the WCC and share on the Pilgrimage of Justice, Reconciliation, and Unity, as well as the objectives of the WCC and its ways of working. In addition, the WCC Commission of the Churches on Health and Healing and its scope of work—particularly related to HIV and mental health—will be introduced by Dr Manoj Kurian, director of the commission.  The breakfast will be followed by a mental health expose during which Gracia Violeta Ross, WCC programme executive for HIV, Reproductive Health, and Pandemics will be making presentations alongside local experts in the field.  On 27 May, Ross will offer a public lecture, "Living with H.I.V. Hope, Inspiration & Vision,” at the Calvary Moravian Church in Barbados. She will explore the concepts of hope, inspiration, and vision based on the biblical mandate and the example of living with HIV. A question-and-answer session will then offer the opportunity for enhanced theological discussions on hope as part of holistic healing. Rev. Dr Mikie Roberts, WCC programme executive for Spiritual Life, will be once again leading another year of the Hymnspeak programme on 28 May at the St Mary’s Anglican Church. This is an evening of worship featuring an ecumenical choir and local musicians. The theme for this year comes from the hymn “Holy, Holy, Holy.”  Three WCC member churches are based in Barbados: Moravians, Methodists and Anglicans.  See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 352 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches 150 route de Ferney Geneve 2 1211 Switzerland