WCC NEWS: WCC shares prayers for World AIDS Day

The World Council of Churches (WCC) will hold special prayers and participate in events commemorating World AIDS Day 2025, to be observed on 1 December under the theme “Overcoming Disruption: Transforming the AIDS Response.” On 1 December 2022, Gathering for a World AIDS Day prayer in the Ecumenicla Center in Geneva, the World Council of Churches (WCC) reflected on the latest UNAIDS report, and prayed that churches will renew their commitment to become agents of life for those suffering from HIV and AIDS. Photo: Grégoire de Fombelle/WCC 28 November 2025 In the context of Advent as well as the 16 Days Against Gender-Based Violence, the prayer series is available to all.  The WCC will also be part of a panel jointly organized by UNAIDS, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Global Fund to end AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. This World AIDS Day comes at a moment of profound disruption and uncertainty for the global HIV response. The combination of a deepening funding crisis, growing geopolitical fragmentation, and questions around the future of global HIV coordination has created the most challenging landscape in more than a decade.  In 2024 alone, 1.3 million people newly acquired HIV, including 570 adolescent girls and young women each day. Abrupt reductions in global HIV funding in 2025, part of a projected 30–40% drop in external health aid compared to 2023, have intensified existing shortfalls, disrupting essential services across low- and middle-income countries. More than 60% of women-led HIV organisations have already lost funding or suspended vital programmes. Yet there are signs of resilience: many countries have acted quickly to fill funding gaps, and monthly UNAIDS data show that the number of people newly initiated on treatment remained relatively stable through the first half of 2025 despite the cuts. Strengthening global solidarity and sustained support remain essential to protect progress and ensure that communities do not face these challenges alone. World AIDS Day is a moment to pray and mobilise communities to encourage all who work for healing: community volunteers, nurses, researchers, counsellors, pastors, and advocates. The special day also aims to strengthen global solidarity so that no country, community, or person faces these challenges alone. The WCC prayers and World AIDS Day also strive to empower women’s leadership, protect girls’ futures, and restore the resources needed to safeguard their health, dignity, and agency. The day also is a time to advocate for leaders, partners, and funders to renew investments to strengthen services and action with urgency, solidarity, and justice, to get back on track to achieve global targets by 2030. While some seem to try to forget HIV, faith communities worldwide reaffirm their commitment to end the HIV epidemic, demonstrating tangible solidarity for all people living with HIV and all most affected. Download the order of prayer available in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese. 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 356 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 Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland

Prayers for Our Community, Our Nation and Our World

We can offer specific daily prayers for our community, nation and world. Between Monday, December 1 and Sunday, December 7, we'll lay before God the needs listed below.

• Monday, December 1, 2025 - That children be protected from those who are not seeking their best interest.
• Tuesday, December 2, 2025 - That peace will be restored in the Middle East.
• Wednesday, December 3, 2025 - That businesses, unions and government officials would be ethical in all tax reporting and financial transactions.
• Thursday, December 4, 2025 - That people find satisfaction is their work. 
• Friday, December 5, 2025 - That people are sensitive to the vulnerability of their neighbors.
• Saturday, December 6, 2025 - That loving families would be valued and protected by all authorities in this nation.
• Sunday, December 7, 2025 - That people reflect the love and mercy of God in their daily lives.

The Sligo Presbyterian Church Celebration Service - Sunday, November 23, 2025

Sligo Presbyterian Church: Our Congregation and Community: The Sligo Presbyterian Church Celebration Service ...: November is a special time to focus on giving thanks. With that in mind, during the four Sundays before Thanksgiving Day, we'll consider...

Sunday's Message - A Time to Be Thankful for the Church

Sligo Presbyterian Church: Our Congregation and Community: Sunday's Message - A Time to Be Thankful for the C...: November is a special time to focus on giving thanks. With that in mind, during the four Sundays before Thanksgiving Day, we'll consider...

WCC News: Interfaith dialogue: protecting our children “a moral and practical imperative”

A new online Interfaith Dialogues Series organized by Religions for Peace, Arigatou International, and the World Council of Churches began on 26 November, marking the World Day of Prayer and Action for Children. 24 May 2022, Rostov-on-Don, Russia: A boy rests his back against the back of a girl at the Iversky Convent in northern Rostov. Following the eruption of war in Ukraine, many refugees from the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine have been taken across the border to the neighbouring Russia. A few dozen of them were offered accommodation and food at the Iversky Convent of the Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) in northern Rostov-on-Don. Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC 27 November 2025 The Interfaith Dialogues Series “Advancing the Responsibility to Protect the Rights and Dignity of the Child” is bringing together religious leaders and faith communities to explore how we can advance children’s wellbeing and preserve their dignity through dialogue, shared learning, and collective action. During the first session, religious leaders spoke from experience and connected across traditions and realities. Rev. Keishi Miyamoto, president, Arigatou International, opened the session by reflecting that the gathering occurs at a time marked not only by multiple global crises but also by deep division, antagonism, and insecurity spanning every level of our societies. “Armed conflict, various forms of violence, persistent poverty, forced displacement, and the worsening impacts of climate change continue to devastate communities around the world. In all of this, children are the most affected,” said Miyamoto.  Dr Kezevino Aram, president of Shanti Ashram and founder of the International Center for Child and Public Heath in India, in a keynote speech, called religious leaders to not only act on foundations of science and compassion but to act with intentionality and as an aggregate body.   “We do so not only for our children,” she said. “We do so because we are invested in the way we want to shape our society.” His All Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, spoke of the the sacredness of childhood, which is increasingly threatened in today’s world.  “We cannot ignore the suffering of children caught in war, instability, and poverty. We think especially of the children of Ukraine, many of whom have been displaced, separated from their families, or subjected to the painful erasure of identity.” he said. “We also bear in mind the children of Gaza, Sudan, the Sahel, and every region where violence deprives the young of peace and the possibility of a hopeful future. Their cries place a moral claim upon us all.” The worth of children is not an abstraction, said Patriarch Bartholomew. “It is a moral and practical imperative requiring sustained attention and concerted action,” he said. Imam Yahya Pallavicini, chairman of  the European Muslim Leaders Council and member of Religions for Peace Europe, shared several points on Islamic doctrine on childhood that particularly connect to the holiness of youth. “May God help us in really protecting and developing the really important role of children,” he said. Rev. Fr Dr Cornelius Omonokhua, who spoke from the office of the Nigerian Religious Council, shared the special value people in west Africa place on children. “Our people have a saying that the child is the comfort of the parent and that would mean the child should not be neglected,” he said. “They are links between the past and the future.” The dialogue concluded with a call to action from Prof. Mohinder Singh Ahluwalia, spiritual leader and chairman, Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha, and co-president and international trustee for Religions for Peace International.  “When nations guard borders with armies, let us guard children with purity of thought and spiritual vigilance,” reads the call.  The Interfaith Dialogues Series will continue through November 2026, offering a sustained space for reflection, dialogue, learning, and peer support among religious leaders. Message Of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew for the Interfaith Dialogue “Advancing The Responsibility To Protect The Rights And Dignity Of The Child” WCC's work on Interreligious Dialogue and Cooperation Learn more about Churches’ Commitments to Children 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 356 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 Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland

Looking into the lectionary - Prayers you need for Thanksgiving and Advent 🧡

Matthew 3:1-12 Second Sunday of Advent December 7, 2025 “In those days, John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’” I’ve been thinking a lot recently about what constitutes a good apology. Maybe this is because I keep stepping in it. This fall, I seem to have acquired the unfortunate superpower of unintentionally making people angry. My beloved seminary Hebrew professor Carson Brisson used to tell us the longest he’d ever gone without making a mistake was 14 seconds. These days, I’m pretty impressed by his record. Not sure the last time I went longer than 10. Maybe this is because we all keep stepping in it. We’ve recently emerged from the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, yet none of us feel like enough progress has been made that we won’t land there again. We are a people polarized, traumatized, and exhausted — and it shows. Our whole society is on edge, quick to criticize and slow to reconcile. Add to that the pressure of the holiday season, when expectations and emotions run high…well, let’s just say I think the precise theological description of the world right now might be “a dumpster fire.” Into our holy dumpster fire of an Advent Season, John the Baptist speaks a word about repentance. Most of what I know about apologies, I have learned in the rooms of a Twelve Step Program. The twelve steps talk not about apologies, but about amends. This is perhaps a better word than apology because making amends implies not just claiming mea culpa but also taking restorative action to fix – mend – the situation and relationship. This is the territory of repair and restoration. ... Thanks to this week's writer, Ginna Bairby. Read the rest of the commentary at pres-outlook.org. Want the worship resources for November 30, 2025? You can find them here. Order of worship — December 7, 2025 by Ginna Bairby PC(USA) backs landmark statement affirming trans, nonbinary and intersex people by UUA A prayer of Thanksgiving for the God who knows us by Caroline Garcia Clergy response to border patrol in Charlotte by Patrice Gaines A free Advent candle liturgy by Shardaé Henry and Shea Watts Longest night service: A liturgy of light and hope by Rae Watson IN CASE YOU MISSED IT... Oz was always political — ‘Wicked’ simply makes it clear Long before "Wicked" soared across stage and screen, L. Frank Baum’s world carried a political pulse. The new film reminds us that Oz’s magic has always included questions of power, propaganda, and resistance, writes Michael Parker. The Rev. David Black’s ICE protest arises from his Chicago church’s long tradition ‘I’m seeing almost a revival of Christianity through what’s happening at Broadview in Chicago,’ PC(USA) pastor David Black said. —  Jack Jenkins Chicago Presbytery issues call to action in face of ICE raids The presbytery seeks "creative action and stubborn hope" and vows to follow the lead of those bearing the brunt of the violence. — Chicago Presbytery Convent Wisdom: How Sixteenth-Century Nuns Could Save Your Twenty-First Century Life Witty, dramatic, and unexpectedly relatable — "Convent Wisdom" shows how sixteenth-century nuns faced money stress, messy relationships, and big spiritual questions… just like us. Caroline Barnett offers a review. GloRilla: Thankful for God’s favor Chris Burton digs into the gospel roots, gratitude, controversy and God-consciousness woven through GloRilla’s music. Bob Dylan: A reluctant voice of a generation Bob Dylan wanted to keep things simple. His fans wanted more. — Luke Esteban At least seven faith leaders arrested at Broadview ICE facility protest 'I've got bruises all over my body,' the Rev. Michael Woolf, who was thrown to the ground and arrested by police, told RNS. —  Jack Jenkins Advent is this Sunday — are you ready?

The Wedding Service for Theron Myers and Shelby Wiles on Saturday, November 22, 2025

On Saturday, November 22, 2025, I officiated the marriage of Theron Myers and Shelby Wiles at the Allegheny Grille, Foxburg, Pennsylvania. Below is a picture and a podcast of the service. If you're planning your wedding and need an officiant, please give me a call at 304-479-3402.

Looking into the lectionary - New details released on PC(USA) restructuring

Matthew 24:36-44 First Sunday of Advent November 30, 2025 Recently, I ordered “60 Experiments in Looking,” a deck of cards from a group called We Are Just Looking. Their mission is simple: to celebrate the slow, mindful, and creative observation of ordinary moments — because that’s most of our lives. Why would anyone want to miss that? The cards are meant to help us “rewild” our attention. Each invites a simple act of noticing: find a moving shadow. Look for something red. Trace the shape of a cloud. They’re small practices, but powerful ones. Because, as the creators of Just Looking say, “every scientist, artist and person who was once a child knows, once we start looking, whole new worlds begin to emerge from hiding.” In Matthew 24, Jesus is preaching about a whole new world, God’s kingdom to come. This section of Matthew comes at the end of a long, apocalyptic speech, warning of the onset of hatred, sacrilege and suffering, a disaster that will happen so quickly, Jesus advises, don’t stop to get your coat. The disciples have been pressing for details: When? What will it look like? How will we know? And Jesus, in his maddening way, refuses to give them what they think they need. The timing of God’s coming realm, he says, is something “no one knows.” So instead of providing a timeline, he gives them a task: Wait expectantly. Keep awake. Watch for the signs. Don’t miss what matters. Some signs will be obvious, he tells them – wars and rumors of wars, famines and earthquakes – and others will be small and subtle, like the way the branch of a fig tree becomes tender before it puts forth its leaves, signaling summer is near. The world is full of hints, if we have the eyes to see them. And the greatest sign of all, the one we wait for this Advent, will come not in thunder or flame, but in the quiet cry of a newborn child. A baby born to poor, displaced parents in a borrowed manger because there was no room for them elsewhere. Slow down. Wait. Pay attention. ... Read the rest of the commentary at pres-outlook.org. Want the worship resources for November 23, 2025? You can find them here. Order of worship — November 30, 2025 by Teri McDowell Ott Glittery. Down-home. Prophetic. by Lindy Vogado  At least seven faith leaders arrested at Broadview ICE facility protest by Jack Jenkins Horizons — The Prodigal Child, Luke 15:11-32 by Rosalind Banbury A free Advent candle liturgy by Shardaé Henry and Shea Watts Longest night service: A liturgy of light and hope by Rae Watson IN CASE YOU MISSED IT... Oz was always political — ‘Wicked’ simply makes it clear Long before "Wicked" soared across stage and screen, L. Frank Baum’s world carried a political pulse. The new film reminds us that Oz’s magic has always included questions of power, propaganda, and resistance, writes Michael Parker. “An authority for love”: Portland faith leaders stand with immigrants outside ICE facility “People have said to me, ‘I didn’t know churches could do good things.’” In Portland, clergy are showing up daily to support immigrants and witness to hope at the ICE site. — Harriet Riley PC(USA)’s Interim Unified Agency adds details to denominational restructuring Existing ministries to remain; no staff reductions planned. — John Bolt First Presbyterian Church of Columbus, Indiana, abolishes $1.78 million in medical debt for Hoosier families Congregation’s bicentennial celebration helps free more than 1,450 residents three counties from burdensome debt. — First Presbyterian Church of Columbus, Indiana A song of prophetic hope Music is protest and praise — from Miriam to Mary, Dylan to Doechii. The prophets of song remind us: art is not luxury, it’s testimony and hope, writes Alex Evangelista. Tupac Shakur — Poetic. Prophetic. Profound. Chris Burton reads Tupac’s catalog as street-level theology — lament and hope in conversation with Scripture — and asks what Pac’s “ghetto gospel” still demands of the church today.