Monday, June 23, 2025

WCC NEWS: National Prayer Day in South Africa focuses on building a reconciled society

A National Prayer Day for Healing and Reconciliation was held 22 June at Grace Bible Church in Soweto under the theme “Confronting the Past: Building a Reconciled Society for Restoration and Dignity.”
22 June 2025, Johannesburg, South Africa: Church leaders from a wide range of different traditions gather for a moment of Moment of Commitment for Healing and Reconciliation Work, during a National Prayer Day for Healing and Reconciliation observed in 2025 through an Ecumenical service at Grace Bible Church, Soweto, organised by the South African Council of Churches. The service is attended by members of the WCC Central Committee taking place 18-24 June 2025 in Johannesburg.
Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC
23 June 2025

Hosted by the South African Council of Churches, the service was attended by the World Council of Churches (WCC) leadership, who are also present in South Africa for the WCC central committee meeting in Johannesburg convening from 18-24 June. The National Prayer Day for Healing and Reconciliation drew 4,000 of people from churches across South Africa. 

Rev. Mzwandile Molo, general secretary of the South African Council of Churches, opened the gathering by reflecting that people of faith are invited by God to new possibilities.

“This metatonia, this radical transformation of heart, mind, and life, cannot be built on lies but on truth and love,” he said. “It is this truth that must guide our journey to authentic healing and reconciliation.” 

Overseer Gege Sono from the Grace Bible Church welcomed people to feel relaxed in the house of God. “I know we come from different congregations, different churches and so on,” she said. “I know that we have people from different countries. I believe the presence of the Lord is in this house."

Bishop Sithembele Sipuka, president of the South African Council of Churches gives the benediction at the conclusion of a National Prayer Day for Healing and Reconciliation observed in 2025 through an Ecumenical service at Grace Bible Church, Soweto, organised by the South African Council of Churches on the theme ”Confronting the Past: Building a Reconciled Society for Restoration and Dignity”.
Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC

With expressive music, candles lit by children, and messages about what reconciliation really means, the service also featured a homily from Bishop Sithembele Sipuka, president of the South African Council of Churches. 

The homily, entitled “From Family Wrangling to Family Restoration: The Church's Role in Breaking Cycles of Accusation,” described how people have perfected the art of mutual accusation—while forgetting the practice of listening. 

“During apartheid, Black South Africans lived in exile within their own land,” he said. “Black families were separated from their ancestral lands, their languages marginalized, their cultures suppressed.”

He reflected how, currently for many reasons, white and “coloured” South Africans are now experiencing the anxiety of displacement. “Stop the blame game,” he said. “Your liberation is tied to your neighbour's liberation.”

Your welfare is connected to your enemy's welfare, he added. "You are family, whether you like it or not,” he said. “The remedy for exile is not to create new exiles, but to build a city—a society—where no one need fear displacement, where everyone can be at home.”

The church has a special role in creating this society, reflected Sipuka. “We are called to be the prophetic voice that speaks truth to power, but also to facilitate reconciliation where truth can be spoken without destruction, where grievances can be aired without retaliation, where enemies can discover they are family,” he said. “Our task is to model what reconciliation looks like when it moves beyond mere coexistence to genuine transformation.”

22 June 2025, Johannesburg, South Africa: WCC central committee moderator Bishop Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm (left) and WCC general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay (right), delivering greetings from the World Council of Churches during a National Prayer Day for Healing and Reconciliation observed in 2025 through an Ecumenical service at Grace Bible Church, Soweto, organised by the South African Council of Churches on the theme ”Confronting the Past: Building a Reconciled Society for Restoration and Dignity”.  Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC

Moderator of the WCC central committee Bishop Prof. Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, and WCC general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay shared messages. 

Bedford-Strohm expressed joy at the moment of prayer and movement. “I feel that spirit of brotherhood and sisterhood in this room—and the best thing is, I can feel it moving!” he said. “It’s just wonderful to see the spirit moving in all its fulness, and that is why it’s so wonderful to be here.”

He noted that the WCC governing body has heard about the many struggles in South Africa—struggles that are also global. “South Africa also needs the solidarity of the world,” he said. "We are praying for you all over the world."

Pillay expressed joy at the time of powerful prayer. “Some tell us that prayer is a powerful experience, that when people of God pray together, the heavens open and the earth moves,” he said. “Prayer is so powerful, when we come together because prayer helps us to receive the power to forgive. Prayer helps us to receive the power to reconcile.”

Lulama Ntuta, first vice president of the South African Council of Churches, thanked all who planned and attended the service, both in-person and online. “Thank you to the congregation, for you being here, for all those who have joined us virtually, thank you for your commitment to prayer,” she said. 

As the congregation took their leave, they prayed: “Go with us now as we return to our communities. Help us to be living examples of Your love and reconciliation. Give us the courage to side with the truth, to love and heal wounds of racial divisions.”

Congregants pray during a National Prayer Day for Healing and Reconciliation observed in 2025 through an Ecumenical service at Grace Bible Church, Soweto, organised by the South African Council of Churches on the theme ”Confronting the Past: Building a Reconciled Society for Restoration and Dignity”. Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC

Homily by Bishop Sithembele Sipuka, SACC President
 

Photos from the 2025 National Prayer Day for Healing and Reconciliation
 

WCC Central Committee, June 2025
 

WCC central committee moderator: “we will continue our pilgrimage, praying and doing justice” (WCC news release, 18 June 2025)
 

WCC general secretary reflects on daring to hope amid struggle (WCC news release, 18 June 2025)
 

Welcomed by African churches, WCC central committee opens (WCC news release, 19 June 2025)
 

South African churches sound Kairos call for global justice and healing (WCC news release, 19 June 2025)
 

Daily livestream sessions
 

Photos: WCC Central Committee 2025

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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
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Friday, June 20, 2025

Prayers for Our Community, Our Nation and Our World

We can offer specific daily prayers for our community, nation and world. Between Monday, June 23 and Sunday, June 29, we'll lay before God the needs listed below.

  • Monday, June 23, 2025 - That there'll be a peaceful resolution to conflict between Israel and Iran.
  • Tuesday, June 24, 2025 - That we seek out opportunities to show love to God and our neighbors.
  • Wednesday, June 25, 2025 - That we remember those who died in service to their country.
  • Thursday, June 26, 2025 - That we remember the dedication shown by our teachers. 
  • Friday, June 27, 2025 - That our leaders have the courage and wisdom to confront the racial divisions within our country.
  • Saturday, June 28, 2025 - That we renew our commitment to life.
  • Sunday, June 29, 2025 - That our leaders would be honest, humble and God-fearing men and women who recognize that they are accountable to God for each decision and action.

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Tuesday, June 17, 2025

The Wedding Service for Shane Heath and Hannah Winslow on Thursday, June 12, 2025

On Thursday, June 12, I officiated the wedding of Shane Heath and Hannah Winslow at the Allegheny Grille, Foxburg, Pennsylvania. Below is a picture and a recording of the service. If you're planning your wedding and need an officiant, please give me a call at 304-479-3402.


Friday, June 13, 2025

Looking into the lectionary - Remembering Walter Brueggemann

June 22, 2025
Second Sunday after Pentecost

1 Kings 19:1-15

In times of scarcity, it is tempting to think God must be in the first thing that comes along that could conceivably get us out of the mess we’re in. This wouldn’t be so bad if we didn’t live in a world that runs on the imposition of scarcity. The forces that rule over our lives depend for their survival on us feeling like we don’t have enough time, money, community, bandwidth, status, attention, and on and on.

Our news outlets are judged not by their veracity but by clicks. Our feed is curated based on its likelihood to get our attention, which is to say it is biased toward what is most outrageous. One notable political strategist correctly predicted that “flooding the zone” with garbage would lead people to be overwhelmed and have no idea how to respond.

People of good faith everywhere are feeling the squeeze: too many emails to respond to, too many news stories to be outraged by, too little money to pay the bills, too little time with the spouse or kids. Too much of the bad stuff. Too little of the good stuff. Come to think of it, maybe my life could be saved by that productivity app, for which I would pay a monthly fee.

In 1 Kings 19:1-15, Elijah is fleeing in the wilderness and his prospects for living genuinely are scarce. He has just defeated and executed the prophets of Baal and their patroness, Queen Jezebel, intends to kill him. He is sent deeper and deeper into the wilderness, beyond cell service, where eventually he hears that the Lord is about to pass by. Then, three starkly obvious signifiers for God – a wind, a fire, and an earthquake – occur. Yet somehow, Elijah knows that the Lord is not in any of them. Finally, in the sound of “sheer silence” (1 Kings 19:12), Elijah encounters God. ...

Thank you to this week's writer, Andy Greenhow.

Read the rest of the commentary on the website.

Want to do a sermon series on nonviolent resistance? 

This webinar offers biblical insight, stories, and tools to preach peace in a violent world. "Pay-what-you-can" for the recording now!
Learn more
Order of worship — June 22, 2025, by Andy Greenhow
Walter Brueggemann, influential biblical scholar, dies at 92 by Yonat Shimron
General Assembly Co-Moderator opens Moral Monday event with a prayer by Mike Ferguson
Swipes and likes: Redefining the loneliness epidemic by Kat Robinson
Want the worship resources for June 15, 2025? You can find them here.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT...


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In four sessions, “Revelation: Professing Christ Today” by Mark D. Hinds seeks to create an inclusive environment for discussing and reflecting on the political ramifications of following Christ.

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Prayers for Our Community, Our Nation and Our World

We can offer specific daily prayers for our community, nation and world. Between Monday, June 16 and Sunday, June 22, we'll lay before God the needs listed below.

  • Monday, June 16, 2025 - That those in business, government and media would resist exploiting human fear or greed to shape public opinion. 
  • Tuesday, June 17, 2025 - That churches fulfill their purpose as lighthouses for Christ.
  • Wednesday, June 18, 2025 - That those in the arts would be open to biblical world views and principles.
  • Thursday, June 19, 2025 - That all human trafficking would end.
  • Friday, June 20, 2025 - That we strengthen our global unity rather than casting blame and sowing divisions.
  • Saturday, June 21, 2025 - That God protect all civilians impacted by the conflict Gaza.
  • Sunday, June 22, 2025 - That there'll be peace between Russia and Ukraine

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    Sligo Presbyterian Church: Our Congregation and Community: Sunday's Message - Graduating on Pentecost: During our service on Sunday, June 8, we celebrated the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, and we recognized the graduates associated w...

    Wednesday, June 11, 2025

    The PC(USA) Store - Must-Have Preaching & Worship Resources

    Study, Learn and Grow: The PC(USA) Store - Must-Have Preaching & Worship ...: We understand that crafting a sermon and shaping a worship service is a vital part of the work of church leaders each and every week—requiri...

    Friday, June 6, 2025

    Prayers for Our Community, Our Nation and Our World

    We can offer specific daily prayers for our community, nation and world. Between Monday, June 9 and Sunday, June 15, we'll lay before God the needs listed below.

    • Monday, June 9, 2025 - That nations work to secure and enhance international peace.
    • Tuesday, June 10, 2025 - That we choose to show generosity and compassion to the poor and the needy.
    • Wednesday, June 11, 2025 - That we work together to protect the natural environment that's been entrusted to our care.
    • Thursday, June 12, 2025 - That we be thankful for the opportunities and responsibilities we've been given.
    • Friday, June 13, 2025 - That those in business, government and media would cherish honesty, integrity and humility.
    • Saturday, June 14, 2025 - That we remove social barriers that are preventing people from thriving as Jesus intended.
    • Sunday, June 15, 2025 - That we resist those forces that seek to divide us.

    The Sligo Presbyterian Church Celebration Service - Sunday, June 1, 2025

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