WCC news: First Seven Weeks for Water reflection available: “everyone who thirsts, come to the water”

The first installment of the World Council of Churches Seven Weeks for Water Lenten series is available. Penned by Bishop Dr Munib Younan, bishop emeritus of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, the reflection is entitled “Water for peace in the Middle East region.”  2015: Bissan Abudagga waters her family's small farm with water collected in a rainwater harvesting system her father installed at their home in Al Fukari, Gaza. Photo: Paul Jeffrey/Life on Earth 14 February 2024 Younan bases his insights on Isaiah 55:1, “"Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the water.” He notes that Isaiah is not only inviting his followers to drink from the earthly waters but also from the spiritual waters. “Yet almost a billion people on the planet are without access to clean, safe water,” he said. “Although technological advancements in the desalination process have done miracles in the world and especially in Palestine and Israel, where we have tap water processed from the Mediterranean, we still have a long way to go, which makes how we steward water all the more urgent.” Read the full Bible study Learn more about Seven Weeks for Water 2024 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 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 Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches 150 route de Ferney Geneve 2 1211 Switzerland