Thursday, February 12, 2026

WCC NEWS: Eco-Diakonia Youth Hub 2026: global 3-month online training programme

The World Council of Churches (WCC) has launched applications for the Eco-Diakonia Youth Hub, a three-month global training programme designed to equip young leaders to advance climate justice and diakonia initiatives in their local contexts.

Image: WCC

12 February 2026

The programme invites young people from across the world to engage in faith-rooted learning, advocacy, and community action that respond to the urgent realities of climate change.

Abigayle Bolado, Youth Engagement programme executive, reflected that “we aim to continuously create Ecumenical Youth Hubs and grow into a movement. Inspired by the historical role of young people in the ecumenical movement, and the WCC Pilgrimage of Justice, Reconciliation, and Unity, this initiative seeks to strengthen the prophetic voice of youth through active engagement in societal issues. These hubs will bring young people together through digital spaces, to learn with and from one another, and to advocate for the betterment of their communities. There will be spaces where faith, reflection, and action meet.”

Bolado added that “in response to the climate and economic crises that are deeply affecting people’s lives, especially the most vulnerable, our first hub will focus on eco-diakonia, linking care for creation with care for people.”

Applications open on 4 February and close on 1 March 2026.

The 2026 cohort marks the beginning of a three-year youth formation process, structured to support long-term leadership development and impact. The programme will unfold in three phases: training in 2026, local application and evaluation in 2027, and mentorship in 2028.

“Through the Eco-Diakonia Youth Hub, we seek to nurture young people as agents of transformative diakonia in their own contexts, equipped not only with knowledge and skills, but with a deep ethical and spiritual commitment to justice, equity, and the defense of life in all its forms, grounded in a theological understanding of creation as God’s gift and shared responsibility,” said Gloria Pua Ulloa, WCC programme executive for Ecumenical Diakonia.

Ulloa added:“When young leaders develop concrete diaconal practices rooted in faith, solidarity, and community engagement, they become catalysts for real and lasting change, strengthening both their communities and their own capacities for responsible, compassionate leadership.”

The Eco-Diakonia Youth Hub will bring together 20–25 young leaders ages 20–30 for a transformative learning journey that combines theological reflection, practical skills development, and collaborative action planning. Participants will explore how faith-based service and advocacy can contribute to climate justice and resilient communities.

“The climate emergency places a tremendous burden on young people, eroding their future and deepening their eco-anxiety. But at the same time, young people are showing vision, leadership and commitment to tackle the crisis. In line with the recently launched Ecumenical Decade of Climate Justice Action, the Eco-diakonia Youth Hub will equip participants with advocacy tools in order to witness to a more just and sustainable planet,” said Athena Peralta, director of the WCC Commission on Climate Justice and Sustainable Development.

The training will take place from May to July 2026, with online sessions held on Fridays at 15:00 CET.

Specific session schedules will be confirmed by the assigned moderators and facilitators.

Through the Eco-Diakonia Youth Hub, the WCC continues to invest in young people as vital agents of hope, justice, and transformative diakonia in a time of climate crisis.

Submit your application here

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.

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WCC NEWS: International Women’s Day webinar will focus on human rights

A webinar entitled “Rights! Dignity! Action! Faith in Focus for Women’s Matters” will be held 9 March in conjunction with International Women’s Day and the UN Commission on the Status of Women.

A group of women deliver a message on International Women's Day at the Conference of World Mission and Evangelism held in Arusha, Tanzania in 2018. Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC

11 February 2026

International Women’s Day is being observed 8 March.

The webinar will offer an intergenerational discussion that calls on faith traditions to positively influence community norms, values, and decision-making in advancing women’s rights and dignity.

Building on the outcomes of the Beijing 30+ commemorative consultation, participants will collaborate and commit to actions that foster women’s agency and dignity at community, church, and institutional levels.

Participants will examine the role of faith and religious narratives in shaping women’s rights, dignity, and agency. They will also amplify women’s voices and lived experiences within faith and community contexts in keeping with the Beijing 30+ report.

The webinar also aims to inspire faith-based and community-driven actions that promote gender equality and social justice.

The webinar is expected to build intergenerational collaboration on challenging harmful norms that affect women in decision-making spaces. Participants will read the signs of the times with a gender-just lens to ensure women’s access to decision making and safeguarding of women’s dignity. An outcome is expected to be strengthened commitment among participants to advocate for and implement gender-responsive actions within faith and community spaces.

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WCC NEWS: On Valentine’s Day, how does love heal?

The World Council of Churches (WCC) is sending messages about love with a Thursdays in Black Valentine’s Day campaign based on the theme “Love heals when…”

One of a set of social cards available for download in time for Valentine's Day.

11 February 2026

In short video messages and social media cards, the WCC is describing the kind of love that heals individuals, families, churches, and even entire communities.

In a special video featuring young people, Angelisah Khan, from Trinidad and Tobago described this love as “when mercy overcomes judgment” and “when truth is spoken in grace.”

Laura Gomez, from Colombia, said this kind of love “moves from a feeling into actions,” and occurs “when we listen deeply and stand up for justice.”

Laquitissa Tesco, from Mozambique, said “love heals when it brings a sense of belonging” and when “our differences are not more important than our similarities.”

Among other aspects of love, the social media cards reflect that “Perfect love removes fear.”

Rev. Nicole Ashwood, WCC programme executive for a Just Community of Women and Men encouraged people to share these messages, and to initiate conversations in their homes, churches, and neighborhoods about the kind of love that heals.

“True love heals our hearts, minds, and souls,” said Ashwood. “It is grounded in truth and in our Christian faith.”

Rev. Dr Kenneth Mtata, WCC programme director for Life, Justice, and Peace, reflected that love is also connected to courage and hope.

“As Christians, we love one another with a sense of gratitude for the way in which God loves us, infinitely and unconditionally,” he said. “A love that heals is also directly connected to our actions within our churches, communities, and throughout the world. This love compels us to confront injustice, to stand with the oppressed, and to work relentlessly for the dignity of all people. It is not passive affection but a justice-oriented force that transforms systems, breaks down walls, and restores what has been broken.”

Social cards for Valentine's Day 2026

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Join us on Ash Wednesday for a A Call to Christians vigil

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On Ash Wednesday, join a diverse cross section of Christian leaders across tradition who will be launching A Call to Christians in a Crisis of Faith and Democracy, a bold call to courage in the face of cruelty and growing authoritarianism and the misuse and abuse of our faith. We invite you to join us on February 18th at 8pm ET, in prayer, reflection, and courage during this sacred season of Lent.

In a time that calls for moral clarity and action, this gathering offers space to center ourselves, pray for the most vulnerable and our nation’s leaders, and renew our shared commitment to justice.

We hope you will join us and also share this invitation widely throughout your networks so that thousands of voices and hearts can be present together in this space of repentance and call to courageous action.

With gratitude and solidarity,

Adam Russell Taylor

President, Sojourners

February Newsletter: Faith, Courage, and Care for Our Common Home

SojoMail - In which we talk about Valentines and nukes

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By Betsy Shirley
Editor in Chief, Sojourners

Here’s a weird little valentine to start us off: Roses are red/ more nukes spell doom/ here’s a faith-fueled success tale/ to cut through the gloom.

Let me back up: Last week, the final nuclear arms reduction treaty between Russia and the U.S. expired. The news barely made headlines, but it’s a big deal: “Thus begins a new acceleration of the nuclear arms race,” David Cortright and William D. Hartung proclaim.

But before you start doom spiraling: As veterans of the ‘80s anti-nuclear movement, Cortright and Hartung write to remind us of a forgotten story in faith-and-justice history—one with clear insight for today’s movements against nukes, ICE, authoritarianism, and immoral budget cuts.

Ok, if you really want apocalyptic doom, try Fallout on Amazon Prime Video, a surprisingly funny and politically insightful show about “billionaires nuking the world to high heaven” and others trying to live out the Golden Rule. Though as Josiah R. Daniels points out, there’s a sad irony to a mega corp like Amazon profiting off a show with such anti-capitalist themes.

Elsewhere this week: Resisting the erosion of our moral attention, let’s hear it for Bad Bunny’s joyful halftime, and Lenten devotionals we would actually use.