WCC news: Churches remind COP31 of lives behind the data, says Rev. Charissa Suli

When Pacific peoples speak about climate, they speak about land, ocean, and ancestors, says Rev. Charissa Suli, president of the Uniting Church in Australia. On some islands, she says, the water is rising. Suli is at COP31, the 31st UN climate conference, in Antalya, Türkiye, as a member of the World Council of Churches (WCC) delegation. She says the churches have a task there that negotiators do not have: to remind the people in the rooms of the human lives behind the data. The WCC spoke with her about faith, the Pacific, and what she wants young people to know. Photo: Valter Hugo Muniz/WCC 12 November 2026 Suli, who has led the Uniting Church in Australia, a WCC member church, as president since 2024, calls herself “a daughter of the Moana,” the word for the ocean in many Pacific languages. Fiji, Tuvalu, and Australia hosted the Pre-COP, the meeting of ministers that prepares the negotiations, in Nadi, Fiji, on 5–8 October. Pacific countries asked there to keep the 1.5°C limit on global warming within reach, to make climate funding reachable for the hardest-hit communities, and to put the ocean at the heart of the agenda. The meeting began with an ecumenical service. How does climate change affect you personally? Suli: When we talk about climate change and the effects of climate, it’s deeply personal, because we’re not just talking about climate itself. We’re talking about land, about people’s relationship to the oceans, to land and waters, seas and skies. We’re connecting back to generations to our ancestors and the way that the climate crisis is affecting our people. You know, there’s a lot of fear. There’s a lot of uncertainty, particularly for those who are still living on in the Pacific Islands, where water levels are rising. How can faith be a source of active hope, and not only of prayer? Suli: Faith plays a really important aspect for Pacific Islander peoples, because you can’t separate faith from justice, from identity, from migration, from belonging. It helps give people an anchoring. It gives them courage to speak truth, right? To the powers that be. So it’s an embodiment of their whole life. The Moana Blue Pacific Pavilion, the shared space of Pacific countries at COP31, holds morning prayers. What does this say about how Pacific peoples come to the talks? Suli: I’m not sure if the world paid attention to how the Pre-COP began. It began with an ecumenical service where we had the privilege of preaching to world leaders. And one of the messages that I reminded them was that nobody can hide before God. And so that was a moment where we said to the world, this is how we begin as Pasifika people. There are no hidden agendas. There were no negotiations. It was just human beings coming together and sharing a moment of their faith. Most people in the ecumenical delegations are not experts in negotiations. What is the role of the churches at COP31? Suli: I believe the church has a particular role where we know we are not the negotiators. Politicians and negotiators have a responsibility and there’s a particular role that they play. I believe the church comes alongside that, right? And we bring the spiritual accompaniment, the pastoral care, praying for people, because it can do a lot to their mental health. They’re tired, they’re fatigued. And if the church doesn’t speak in this space, then who will remind them of the human lives that are behind the data? What is your message to people who follow COP31 from home, especially young people? Suli: When we talk about climate justice, it’s not just the data. We are talking about the humanity of people. These are people’s lives. We shouldn’t always look at Pacific Islander peoples through the lens of fear, because right now they are leading, they are negotiating, they are doing the teaching back to their children. I think it’s important that young people know their labour is not in vain. Don’t feel discouraged, but lean into the support systems that are around them to hold them. And I think that’s what we can do as a church and keep pointing back to the hope that Christ, you know, brings to all of us. But it’s a hope that takes action. The WCC delegation of church leaders, young people, and Indigenous people is in Antalya until 20 November. Its work is part of the Ecumenical Decade of Climate Justice Action (2025–2034), the WCC’s ten-year commitment to climate justice. Delegates will join the COP31 Ecumenical Service at St Alypios’ Church in Antalya on 15 November and the roundtable dialogue “Facing Ethical Challenges” on 18 November. Follow WCC’s COP31 coverage at www.oikoumene.org/cop31 and on the Living Planet WhatsApp channel. WCC at COP31 Ecumenical Decade of Climate Justice Action (2025–2034) Churches bring knowledge of resilience to COP31, says Komino Talanoa for COP31: creation is a gift, not a marketplace Uniting Church in Australia: “Resilience is no longer enough”: Pacific churches issue powerful call for climate justice Re-grounding the household: returning to our story in Christ  Churches remind COP31 of lives behind the data: Rev. Charissa Suli 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

WCC news: WCC general secretary celebrates 80th anniversary of ECLOF International

World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay offered a keynote speech on 11 November during the celebration of the 80th anniversary of ECLOF International.  ECLOF is dedicated to promoting social justice and human dignity through microfinance. Operating through a global network, it provides financial resources, technical assistance, and capacity-building support to vulnerable communities, small entrepreneurs, and rural farmers, helping them overcome poverty, develop sustainable livelihoods, and achieve greater economic independence. Photo: ECLOF 11 November 2026 ECLOF is a network of faith-rooted micro-finance institutions. ECLOF International, a Swiss foundation based in Geneva, is the global hub. “Eighty years is a significant milestone,” said Pillay. “It is an occasion to give thanks for the vision and courage of those who came before us, to celebrate the lives transformed through this ministry, and to renew our commitment to the work that remains ahead.” He noted that the shared history of ECLOF and the WCC is evidence of a continuing ecumenical vocation: to connect faith with economic life, and spiritual conviction with practical alternatives. “ECLOF's history records an important insight: churches and communities often value access to a loan that enables them to build through their own efforts, rather than being dependent on charity alone,” said Pillay. “A loan, responsibly designed and fairly administered, recognises people not as passive recipients of assistance but as agents of their own development.” This does not mean that grants and charitable assistance are unnecessary, added Pillay. “In situations of crisis, exclusion or extreme poverty, grants and other forms of public and community support remain indispensable,” he said. "Loans and grants have complementary roles.” ECLOF has sought to balance institutional autonomy with its ecumenical identity, Pillay noted. “That balance enables it to work effectively while remaining connected to churches and communities,” he said. “Our relationship is not merely administrative.” Pillay urged ECLOF to bring its distinctive experience to the WCC Ecumenical Decade of Climate Justice Action, 2025–2034. “Responding to the climate crisis requires investment in the real-world solutions that communities are already developing,” he said. "ECLOF has a meaningful role to play in this regard.” Pillay concluded: "May the next chapter of your journey bring renewed hope to communities, strengthen the ecumenical movement, and contribute to a world in which justice, peace and the integrity of creation are not distant aspirations, but lived realities.” Read the full keynote presentation by the WCC general secretary  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

WCC News: Churches bring knowledge of resilience to COP31, says Takeshi Komino

The World Council of Churches (WCC) is taking part in COP31, the 31st UN climate conference, in Antalya, Türkiye. It works there alongside the ACT Alliance, a global coalition of churches and agencies engaged in development, humanitarian assistance, and advocacy. Takeshi Komino of Church World Service, a member of the ACT Alliance delegation, says that churches bring to the negotiations knowledge of how to turn climate money into climate resilience in communities. The WCC spoke with him about disasters, the work of churches, and why local voices belong in international climate talks. Photo: Valter Hugo Muniz/WCC 11 November 2026 Komino is general secretary of Church World Service Japan, which opened after the 2011 earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster. His work in countries across Asia covers disaster management and disaster risk reduction: work to prevent and reduce disaster risks and to prepare communities to respond and recover after a disaster. On 26 August 2026, a debris flow, meaning a fast-moving mass of water, mud, and rock, travelled nearly 100 kilometres through river valleys in Nepal. The US Geological Survey says a glacier collapse likely triggered it. What is the connection between disasters and climate change? Komino: What we’re dealing with is rising temperature. What happened in Nepal is the snow melt that seeps into the fragile bedrock. And that led to deep-seated landslide. And that became a significant debris flow, which was as big as tsunami. But if that snow melt didn’t happen, then that disaster would never occur. And the same thing with flooding as well. So we’re having too much rain in a very short limited time, and that causes the river system to overflow. And that’s something that we could not imagine in the 20th century when we built our infrastructure. How do you see the work of churches with communities that face these risks? Komino: At the end of the day, it’s about transforming one’s thinking and way of life. People need to know how to protect themselves. People need to know how to read the changes in the environment. And risk is never static. You know, even when you say you’re from a flood-prone area, your risk is not static. There are times that the risk becomes the highest, and that’s when the disaster event occurs around you. So people need to understand these things and adapt their lives. And I think that’s really what churches do with the communities. And they imagine the future of the community together. Why does it matter that churches are present at an international conference such as COP31? Komino: I think what the local groups can bring is really the nuance and evidence. Even if they increase the money that goes into countries, that money ultimately needs to turn into resilience. Money itself does not automatically turn into resilience. It’s not all about the money, it’s how to turn this money into impact. How can a church that does not know the technical side of these processes take part? Komino: One is the importance of the network, like WCC, like ACT Alliance, the coalition with expertise. And the second is that I see leadership leadership potential everywhere. Youth, women-led groups, or elders. In many parts of our society, there are people who take that leadership of change. And those people are the ones who are actually driving this impact on the ground. They need to be at the center of our discussion and our thinking. What would you say to people in churches who want to join the climate justice movement? Komino: Any resilience building effort starts at home in our communities. It’s not about the conference like this, but it’s about what you do in your communities. And ultimately, that’s what creates a resilient community and resilient future. So my utmost respect to people who are working on the ground with the communities, because that’s where it starts and that’s where it ends. A WCC delegation of church leaders, young people, and Indigenous people is bringing a faith voice for climate justice. Their work is part of the Ecumenical Decade of Climate Justice Action (2025–2034), the WCC’s ten-year commitment to climate justice. The programme will include the side event “Just Transitions away from Fossil Fuels: Voices from Faith Communities” on 12 November and the COP31 Ecumenical Service at St Alypios’ Church in Antalya on 15 November. Follow WCC’s COP31 coverage at www.oikoumene.org/cop31 and on the Living Planet WhatsApp channel WCC, ACT Alliance and LWF: COP31 must fund climate justice WCC delegation heads to COP31 and invites churches to join Ecumenical Decade of Climate Justice Action (2025–2034) US Geological Survey: 2026 Nepal debris avalanche and flash flood Churches bring knowledge of resilience to COP31: Takeshi Komino 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

Tell Congress: Oppose the Energy Permitting Bill

GreenFaith Opposes Energy Permitting Bill That Endangers Communities and Climate U.S. Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121 Call this number and ask to be connected to either of your U.S. senators or your representative in the House to oppose S. 5653. Talking point below. It's far too difficult to build out renewable energy in the United States. For obvious reasons, GreenFaith strongly supports accelerating renewable energy development. Clean energy saves lives, creates jobs, and protects our common future. Congress is considering a bill which attempts to address this and the bill does indeed include meaningful benefits. It could reduce residential electricity prices by 3–4% by 2035, while protecting households from costs associated with data centers. This is meaningful, particularly for families struggling with rising utility bills. These benefits deserve recognition. However, the bill substantially facilitates fossil fuel expansion while seriously weakening bedrock laws including the Clean Water Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, and the Endangered Species Act. It also dramatically restricts communities' ability to challenge harmful projects. Independent analyses project that the bill would reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, estimates vary widely and remain far below what is needed to stabilize the climate. Furthermore, the potential emissions from expanded fossil fuel development remain incompletely assessed. Progress often requires compromise. But compromise is not inherently virtuous. Modest or uncertain benefits cannot justify enabling substantially greater harm. Our faith traditions teach that human dignity is sacred, the Earth deserves protection, and our responsibilities extend to generations yet unborn. Congress should preserve the bill's clean energy and ratepayer protections while rejecting fossil fuel expansion and the dismantling of environmental safeguards. We can and must do better - and this opportunity will arise when Congress' makeup changes in January. U.S. Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121 Call this number and ask to be connected to either of your U.S. senators or your representative in the House. You can also contact them directly: Find your senators: https://www.senate.gov/senators/contact/ Find your representative: https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative Read the legislation: https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/5653 When contacting an office, identify yourself as a constituent, mention S. 5653, and state that you are a person of faith who opposes the bill, because it inadequately protects the Earth (or God's Creation if you are from an Abrahamic faith), vulnerable and Indigenous communities, and the climate. Building a Worldwide, Multi-faith Climate and Environmental Movement. 1216 Broadway Floor 2 PMB 1005 New York, NY 10001 +1-917-997-8783 Copyright © 2022 GreenFaith - All rights reserved.

SojoMail - The piece you keep emailing us about

View this email in your browser By Betsy Shirley Editor in Chief, Sojourners Over the past week, I’ve been amused watching national media outlets try to explain “progressive Christianity.” From the headlines, you’d think it was a phenomenon that only emerged with the 2026 midterms; I chuckled when one national newspaper described Matthew 25 as the “Bible Chapter That Explains the New Christian Left.” (Never mind how the chapter has inspired generations of justice-seeking Christians throughout history, including 50-some years of Sojourners).  On the whole, though, I’ll take it. Many of us have worked hard to see public expressions of Christianity that look more like Jesus. If more people are now recognizing the Bible’s instructions to feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, and visit those in prison, I welcome that change.   But let’s say this real loud for the folks in the back: Progressive Christianity is not about making Jesus into a puppet for the Democratic Party, or what some call “Blue Jesus.” As Erin Vanderhoof writes, it’s a mistake to think of politicians who’ve spoken out about their progressive faith as updated versions of the “1980s right-wing Moral Majority, but with a different color tie.” And as she points out, the kind of Christianity that inspired the politicians who won in the midterms is not really “new” either.  For those of us who don’t need to flip open a Bible to know what Matthew 25 says, this is a great opportunity to show the world what it really means to follow Jesus—in sharp contrast to the Christian nationalist movement. Will we join the chants to lock up our enemies, asks Hannah Bowman, or will we imagine a world where accountability and repair look different? Will we make space for those whose expression of faith—including the Christian faith—look quite different from ours? And will we have the courage to critique respected leaders when they make decisions that hurt the common good?   Kenji Kuramitsu models this kind of courage in his critical review of a recent memoir by a prominent Christian pastor detailing her admitted sexual boundary violation. As Kenji admits, he struggled with whether he should even write the review: “The church is a small world. I am not trying to pile on or throw stones from a glass house,” he says. Yet when “public work by one of our nation’s leading progressive Christian writers treats an already fraught and painful issue recklessly,” progressive Christians should be the first to speak up. And based on the feedback you all have been sending us (check the “Community Notes” section below), a lot of you agree.  Here’s what else we’ve got this week: Columnist José Humphreys wrestles with how leaders can “develop an inner sturdiness to hold spaces for discomfort” and Kris Brunelli writes a goodbye letter to a fellow artist she met at a Catholic Worker house. If you missed the epic photos of Bob Dylan with Pope Leo, we’ve got you covered.   And I can’t resist: Since Matthew 25 is making headlines, here’s a riff on that passage that we published in our very first issue—way back in 1971. Rev. Lillian Daniel’s Memoir Treats Accountability as Exile ‘Defrocked’ is witty, moving, and beautifully written. It’s also reckless. Read the full article Advertisement Community Notes Earlier this week, we published Kenji Kuramitsu’s critical review of Defrocked, a new memoir by Rev. Lillian Daniel. Many of our readers have shared their reactions with us; here are two of them:  “This is an excellent and necessary article by the Rev. Kenji Kuramitsu, and I agree with it wholeheartedly. I did not support Lillian Daniel in this matter, and this article gives clear expression to the concerns I share. The people harmed by violations of pastoral trust deserve to be heard, taken seriously, and protected from further harm. Their experiences must remain central to the church’s response.” — Rev. Jane Willan  “I commend the Rev. Kuramitsu on this important, thoughtful, and spot-on review of a text that threatens to re-traumatize not only the person who dealt with her boundary violation, but all of us who have been on the receiving end of inappropriate attention from religious or clinical leaders. As a former congregational minister, the problems named by Rev. Kuramitsu and the lack of denominational response are a major reason why I no longer serve in church settings.” — Thea Racelis  We also want to hear what you think about the review and the book itself. Hit ‘reply’ and send us an email with your thoughts—we read everything you write to us, and it helps us know what’s connecting for you. Our Latest Stories Talarico Isn’t Preaching a ‘Blue Jesus’ (by Erin Vanderhoof) Some may see progressive Christian candidates as the “same idolatry” of the Moral Majority with a different color tie, but Liberal Christianity is not a left-wing version of the Christian Right. Read more Christian Mungiu on ‘Fjord’ and the Temptation of the Majority (by Zachary Lee) In Mungui’s new movie, Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve play conservative Christians whose plight turns the national empathy discourse on its head. Read more Will Christians Join the Calls to Punish Trump? I Hope Not (by Hannah Bowman) With Congressional power, some on the Left dream of “getting even.” Christ calls us to a different course. Read more From the Magazine: ‘Your Family Never Knew You Were a Painter’ (by Kris Brunelli) My goodbye letter to Michelle, an artist I met at a Catholic Worker house. Read more From the Magazine: Are People Becoming Freer Around Us? (by José Humphreys III) Leaders’ blind spots can leave others embittered. What good is it to gain the whole world and lose our soul to toxic forms of power? Read more Pope Leo Receives Freewheelin’ Midwesterner (by Joshua McElwee, Reuters) The Vatican press office did not immediately comment on whether Leo and Dylan had discussed anything blowing in the wind. Read more Advertisements Nothing is Wasted: A Spiritual Journey from Fear and Judgment to Grace and Mystery Benson's memoir reveals how every experience, including the Christian fundamentalism of her childhood, became part of a larger story of transformation. Her journey spans an evangelical college, the charged creativity of 1970s San Francisco, an Alaskan village, a Quaker community, and her ministry as a pastoral psychotherapist and spiritual director. Are you ready to turn faith into action? Join the GreenFaith Leadership Institute, a five-month program bringing together people of faith to build relationships, develop organizing skills, and lead meaningful change in their communities. Be part of a movement for faith-led climate justice. Donate Subscribe Copyright © 2026 Sojourners. All rights reserved. 611 Pennsylvania Ave SE #342, Washington, DC 20003 Email: sojourners@sojo.net | Tel.: 202.328.8842