In this blog, we'll look at how men and women at serving Jesus Christ both at home and abroad. We'll focus on how God is using their work to transform the lives of people all over the world.
World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay communicated a message to the World Economic Forum, meeting under the theme “A Spirit of Dialogue.”
Photo: Paul Jeffrey/Life on Earth
20 January 2026
Pillay noted that the World Council of Churches, like the United Nations, is founded on a commitment to unity and cooperation, and seeks to promote the resolution of differences and disputes through dialogue rather than through confrontation and conflict.
“Extreme levels of inequality – and its corrosive impacts on politics and society – cannot be bridged simply by unfettered economic growth,” said Pillay. “The claim that a rising tide of development lifts all boats has been exposed as a disingenuous myth.”
Morality and political necessity demand a more honest dialogue and response to this challenge, Pillay urged.
“A strengthened spirit of dialogue is also essential because the climate crisis is outpacing the world’s political and moral capacity to respond, leaving frontline communities exposed to escalating, preventable harm,” said Pillay. “This fuels mistrust and the perception that climate processes serve the powerful more than the vulnerable.”
Genuine energy security can only be anchored in an equitable transition to renewable energy sources, he reflected.
“The WCC therefore calls on participants in Davos to grapple honestly and urgently with the systemic threats posed by spiralling inequality, the proliferation of mis- and dis-information, the necessity of justice and human rights as a basis for sustainable peace, and our collective failure to respond adequately to the climate catastrophe and its impacts,” concluded Pillay. “It is our prayer and hope that ‘A Spirit of Dialogue’ will turn into concrete actions to create a more just, equitable and peaceful world for all people and all creation.”
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
The Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations (PMUN) has released a new Vaccine Advocacy Toolkit to support global vaccine access, especially in low-income countries. The digital guide is one of two new resources now available to help faith-based advocates push for life-saving immunization programs. Both are free and available to anyone.
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Benta Achieng of Kenya rejoices because her 9- month-old son, Raymond Biha, has received his third malaria vaccine. Photo Credit / Copyright Gavi/2023/Kelvin Juma
The Vaccine Advocacy Toolkit was created jointly with the Presbyterian Malaria Vaccine Advocacy Team (PMVAT), an initiative of the Africa mission networks related to the PC(USA). The online booklet includes practical tips for digital and in-person activism, a library of readings, vaccine news updates, personal stories, and spiritual practices centered on advocacy.
A second new resource is a 20-minute video of highlights from the April 25 World Malaria Day webinar. Sponsored by PMVAT, PMUN, and the Presbyterian Office of Public Witness (OPW), the video features experts in public health and human rights. It focuses on the rollout of two new malaria vaccines and urges continued advocacy for large-scale vaccine distribution.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF, and the World Health Organization, childhood vaccines prevent about 4 million deaths each year. Still, 1 in 9 children worldwide and 1 in 5 children in Africa lack access to basic immunizations. In remote areas, some children receive no routine vaccines at all. Diseases like malaria, measles, and tuberculosis continue to kill hundreds of thousands of people each year.
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Cover of Vaccine Advocacy Toolkit produced by the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations and the Presbyterian Malaria Vaccine Advocacy Team.
The need for advocacy is urgent. Although Congress has approved the Trump administration’s 2025 budget proposal that made deep cuts to global health programs — including nearly $1 billion in funding for Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance — there is a continuing need for advocacy. These cuts could result in as many as 1 million preventable child deaths over five years. However, Congress holds the final authority on spending. Both the House and the Senate have long demonstrated strong bipartisan support for Gavi and preventative health initiatives and should be urged to restore funding for these vital programs in the future. The new toolkit and video call for faith-rooted advocacy to meet this crisis with action.
“Our advocacy is very powerful when we can join our Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) brothers and sisters and speak as one voice,” said Sue Gibbons, convenor of PMVAT. “It is important that we Presbyterians in the pews make our voices heard and advocate for what we believe is right. These two new resources offer the background and concrete ways we can take action.”
TheVaccine Advocacy Toolkitwas created by Isabella Ramos, a 2024–2025 Young Adult Volunteer at PMUN. Ramos first developed a general faith-based advocacy booklet before shifting her focus to vaccines after the April webinar.
“I first started creating an advocacy toolkit for people like me who may be passionate about justice but not have the tools they need to advocate effectively,” Ramos said. “After the Malaria Vaccine webinar took place, there was a need and an opportunity to educate and help those who may be more interested in vaccine advocacy.”
“This resource is so excellent and timely,” said Christi Boyd, PMVAT team member. “I like the holistic set of content items, the thoughtful language throughout, the expansion beyond malaria and vaccines to also make reference to other health concerns and the importance of community without losing the focus on malaria and vaccines.”
Mindi Stivers, Financial Assistant, Presbyterian Women Rebecca Storti, Director, Project Operations, The Board of Pensions
Let us pray:
Faithful God, we are blessed by the ways in which our siblings focus not on what they do not have but on what they do have and offer it to be a blessing to God and to others. May it be so with us. Amen.
“In the United States of America, we spend almost ten billion dollars a year to store the surplus food that we have in the nation. And I say to myself as I look at these conditions, ‘I know where we can store that food free of charge, in the wrinkled stomachs of hungry men and women and children of God all over the world.”
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Spelman College, 1960
With everything happening in our country right now from Trump’s illegal invasion of Venezuela and the DOJ targeting journalists to Greenland, Iran and ICE gunning down a mother of three in Minnesota, it’s hard to think about Dr. Martin Luther King’s vision of economic, social and racial justice even as we pause to celebrate his 97th birthday.
Of course, that won’t stop some right wing politicians from doing their best to co-op his dream on social media while they work to whitewash history, restrict voting rights and fundamentally overturn every step we’ve made towards equality. But I’m not here to talk about the irony inherent in their bigotry. For that matter, I’m not even that interested in retaking King’s legacy with rhetorical flourish and erudite prose because while many focus on Dr. King’s poetics, they neglect his simple practicality.
The fact is that, while much is made of the great man’s crusade against segregation, we too often forget about his campaign against poverty. We forget that the March on Washington was actually the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom
So let’s get practical because, right now, the struggle for economic justice is the struggle for racial equality and when America is priced out, Black America is left out
So let’s talk about it.
Let’s talk about health insurance where the premiums have more than doubled for countless Americans, including 18.2 million people in red states, because Trump refused to extend the ACA subsidies leading 1.4 million Americans to give up entirely this month alone.
Or maybe we should talk about how housing costs continue to skyrocket with rent up 33%, home prices up 55% and mortgage interest rates more than doubling since the pandemic. Foreclosures are up 21%, 22 million families are having to pay a third of their income or more for housing and a recent poll reports that 87% of Americans say affordable housing is difficult if even possible to find.
● The price of coffee is up 19.8% ● The price of lettuce is up 7.3% ● Electronics prices are up 34% ● Clothing prices are up 20% ● Motor vehicle repair costs are up 11%
These aren’t luxuries we’re talking about. These are basic necessities. This is putting shoes on our children’s feet and food on the table. This is about safety. This is about hunger. Depending on where you live, getting your heat turned off can be a death sentence.
Half the counties in America don’t have an obgyn. Roughly half of families can’t afford a $400 emergency. There’s not a city in America where a person working full time and earning $7.25 per hour can afford a simple two bedroom apartment.
Dr. King campaigned against hunger and the MAGA majority’s big ugly bill pushed the largest healthcare cut and the largest cut to SNAP in American history literally taking the food out of kids’ mouths to give the richest 0.1% another massive tax cut.
Dr. King talked about food security and they’re cutting USDA inspections of meat, poultry and even milk.
Dr. King called for a guaranteed income and they won’t even raise the minimum wage.
Yes, the Dr. King’s dream was to finally fill that promissory note “that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
He believed in that day where we could all “join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”
But before we can get to free, we have to make our lives affordable.
The Christian Recorder is the official newspaper of the African Methodist Episcopal Church and the oldest continuously produced publication by persons of African descent.
Bishop Francine A. Brookins, Chair of the General Board Commission on Publications Rev. Dr. Roderick D. Belin, President/Publisher of the AME Sunday School Union Dr. John Thomas III, Editor of The Christian Recorder
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” John 15:12–13
Jesus teaches that there is no greater love than the willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice for others, to lay down one’s life for someone else. It is to offer oneself unselfishly for the sake of others, especially the defenseless and the vulnerable.
On Wednesday, January 7, 2026, Renee Nicole Good was shot while moving her car, attempting to follow the orders of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer. Her last words, captured on video, were, “I’m not mad at you.”
We lament and mourn the loss of Ms. Good, a widow of a veteran, a wife, and a mother who put herself in harm’s way not out of any desire to do harm, but to observe and bear witness to the actions of ICE. We affirm the right to peaceful protest and lawful observation for all Americans, without the threat of repressive or deadly responses by government and law enforcement authorities.
As Presbyterians, we hold a twofold connection to Ms. Good. First, we are bound by our shared faith in a God of justice, who calls us to engage the powers of this world and to counter hate with love. Our tradition compels us to oppose injustice with a prophetic word from the Lord and to participate in the transformation of the world God loves.
Our second connection is more personal: Ms. Good was one of us. She was a fellow Presbyterian. Edgewater Presbyterian Church (Illinois) remembered her with these words:“Renee Nicole Good lived out the conviction that every person deserves kindness, regardless of their background… Her story is a testament to the power of the Presbyterian mission and a challenge to our conscience. We mourn a fellow Presbyterian whose quiet smile and creative spirit touched lives from Colorado to Northern Ireland to Minnesota.”
Alongside Ms. Good, we remember George Floyd, whose life was taken at the hands of law enforcement in 2020, within one mile of where Ms. Good was murdered at the hands of enforcement officers, a stark and enduring reminder of the deadly consequences of injustice and the unfinished work of truth, repentance, and transformation to which God continually calls us.
In the coming week, we will remember the life and witness of the martyred Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who called this nation to a “radical revolution of values”. Values that demand divestment from racism, materialism, and militarism. Ms. Good’s life and death echo this same moral call.
Her memory also stands in a sacred lineage of faithful witnesses who have risked and lost their lives in defense of human dignity. We remember the four Maryknoll Sisters—Sisters Ita Ford and Maura Clarke, Ursuline Sister Dorothy Kazel, and Lay Missioner Jean Donovan—who were abducted, abused, and murdered in El Salvador in 1980 for standing alongside the Salvadoran people.
We name as well the Rev. Elijah Lovejoy, murdered for his opposition to the evil of slavery, for whom Giddings Lovejoy Presbytery is named. These are not isolated tragedies, but part of a continuing story of costly discipleship.
We must remember her name: Renee Nicole Good. We remember her as a testament to Jesus’ teaching that God does not change the world through violence, but through faithful presence amid struggle, and that through love refuses to abandon the work of acceptance, justice, and compassion.
Ms. Good’s wife, Rebecca Good, offered a fitting memorial: “On Wednesday, January 7th, we stopped to support our neighbors. We had whistles. They had guns. We were raising our son to believe that no matter where you come from or what you look like, all of us deserve compassion and kindness. Renee lived this belief every day. She is pure love. She is pure joy. She is pure sunshine. Renee was a Christian who knew that all religions teach the same essential truth: we are here to love each other, care for each other, and keep each other safe and whole.”
Through this remembrance, we rededicate ourselves to advocacy in the name of Christ Jesus. We stand with those who are detained or killed by ICE, treated unjustly, and vilified—whom God defends as bearers of the divine image. We proclaim a God who values all people and who calls us, again and again, to remind the world to value the lives of all.
Through this remembrance, we rededicate ourselves to advocacy in the name of Christ Jesus. We stand with those who are detained, harmed, or killed by enforcement practices, treated unjustly, marginalized, and vilified, whom God defends as bearers of the divine image. We proclaim a God who values all people and who calls us again and again to remind the world to value the lives of all.
Scripture calls us to welcome the stranger and protect the vulnerable, and to honor the dignity of those who seek refuge among us.
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Office of Public Witness is deeply concerned by reports that refugees who have been lawfully admitted to the United States are being detained. Families who have already been welcomed into safety and passed extensive screening should not be uprooted again, separated from the communities supporting them, or made to live under renewed fear and uncertainty. Scripture calls us to welcome the stranger and protect the vulnerable, and to honor the dignity of those who seek refuge among us. We believe our nation must not undo the safety it has already promised, but instead uphold justice, compassion, and the rule of law for our newest neighbors.
On January 9, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced Operation “Post-Admission Refugee Reverification and Integrity Strengthening” (PARRIS), which reopens and intensively re-examines certain refugee cases after resettlement. The operation’s initial focus is reported to be approximately 5,600 refugees in Minnesota who remain in refugee status while awaiting green cards. In recent days, refugee-serving organizations have reported that refugees, including children, have been detained, with limited public information about the standards being applied, the scope of enforcement, or the due process protections available.
This is not a routine administrative review. It is a sweeping action that undermines the promise of protection the United States makes when it resettles refugees. It is unjust to detain people who are here legally, and it is especially cruel to subject families to detention and secrecy after they have already survived persecution and displacement.
Just as importantly, these actions risk communicating to the world and to refugee communities that the United States will not honor the protection it has promised. They reflect a deeply troubling and cold-hearted turn toward a refugee policy shaped more by suspicion than by compassion, and they weaken the moral credibility of our nation’s commitment to welcome those who have fled persecution.
The United States has made binding commitments under international law to protect refugees; this operation contradicts those commitments.
Our denomination’s stance is clear and longstanding. Presbyterians have repeatedly affirmed the call to welcome refugees, to support their resettlement, to seek family reunification, and to oppose policies that endanger refugees or return them involuntarily to harm. Across decades of General Assembly action, the PC(USA) and our predecessor denominations have urged the United States to uphold humane refugee policy, uphold the rule of law, and resist cruelty and discrimination.
The Office of Public Witness calls on the administration to:
Immediately halt detentions of lawfully resettled refugees connected to Operation PARRIS
Guarantee due process, including access to legal counsel and clear, timely procedures
Provide transparency about the legal authority, criteria, and implementation of this operation
Protect family unity and ensure refugees are not isolated from their communities and sponsors
Reaffirm the U.S. commitment to refugee protection, rather than weakening it through fear-based enforcement
We urge Congress to conduct immediate oversight, demand public answers, and ensure that refugee policy is carried out humanely and lawfully.
We call on Presbyterians and people of faith to continue to stand with refugees, support resettlement communities, and live out Christ’s call to love our neighbors. In this moment, we urge our nation to choose welcome over suspicion, truth over secrecy, and hope over fear.
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