Top PC(USA) News of the Week

Week of March 9 - 13

Human rights activist Malala Yousafzai implores leaders to do more to protect women and girls Presbyterian Co-Moderator the Rev. CeCe Armstrong was among those who witnessed the UN speech

New York church helps to lift up a young generation of Presbyterian leaders ahead of CSW70 Delegates of all ages flock to historic church for the Rev. CeCe Armstrong's sermon and International Women’s Day

Board of Pensions expands support for congregations and pastoral leaders A 7.2% experience apportionment is the largest granted since 1999

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance webinar examines recent changes in the nation’s immigration system Guests from the National Immigration Forum lay out the administration’s policy changes and offer ways Presbyterians can help meet the challenges

Webinar explains the effects of war with Iran on Lebanon and the West Bank Three PC(USA) global partners are centered during a presentation by people serving in a vulnerable part of the world

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, KY 40202

WCC news: WCC Permanent Committee on Consensus and Collaboration to convene

The World Council of Churches (WCC) Permanent Committee on Consensus and Collaboration will convene in Thessaloniki, Greece, from 17-19 March at the invitation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Church of Greece. Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC 16 March 2026 The meeting will feature a pilgrimage visit with local churches, including the Orthodox Metropolis of Thessaloniki and Greek Evangelical Church of Thessaloniki. Participants will include the co-moderators H.E. Elder Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon, Ecumenical Patriarchate, and Bishop Sally Dyck, United Methodist Church; members of the committee, the WCC general secretary, and WCC staff.  The agenda includes sharing on the life and witness of the churches represented on the permanent committee, a review of membership matters, discussion on governance, and matters referred by the central committee. The agenda also includes discussion on the recent World Conference on Faith and Order. The WCC Permanent Committee on Consensus and Collaboration has responsibility for giving advice and making recommendations to governing bodies during and between assemblies; facilitating improved participation of the Orthodox in the entire life and work of the WCC; and giving attention to matters of ecclesiology. WCC's consensus decision-making 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

RNS Morning Report - 🏃🏻‍♂️Fitness meets faith

Fitness meets faith “I grew up very religious, often with very black-and-white thinking,” Menachem Freeman, a New York City-based coach who incorporates Judaism into his fitness training, told RNS correspondent Kyle Desrosiers-Levine. “But God is more, is bigger than that, and fitness is similar — growth isn’t ‘all-or-nothing.’ It’s about consistency, not perfection.” The merging of faith and exercise has long engaged evangelicals and Catholics, however, the trend is evolving, largely through social media. To a worldwide audience, Muslim, Jewish, Sikh, Hindu and Buddhist coaches and influencers are creating faith-based fitness platforms and changing wellness culture. Read Desrosiers-Levine’s full story below. Top Stories Fitness meets faith as religious coaches and influencers reshape wellness culture (RNS) — Around the world, Muslim, Jewish, Sikh, Hindu and Buddhist coaches and influencers are creating their own faith-based platforms for fitness. Islamic schools, more parents sue Texas over exclusion from voucher program (RNS) — Another Muslim parent whose children’s school was allegedly excluded earlier this month from the program filed a lawsuit against Texas state officials over religious discrimination. Taylor Tomlinson’s Netflix special is too ungodly for many churches. This one welcomed her. (RNS) — Fountain Street Church, where the formerly religious comedian filmed her special in November, has a legacy of rejecting dogma and pushing the envelope. John Perkins, civil rights leader, influential Bible teacher, dies at 95 (RNS) — 'John Perkins is probably one of the true unsung heroes in America — not in Black America, not in the church community, but in America,' said the Rev. Barbara Williams-Skinner, co-founder of the Skinner Leadership Institute. Opinion I fasted for friendship during Ramadan and Lent. Here’s what I learned. (RNS) — As a Sikh, I do not believe in fasting — but I wanted to balance my religious obligation with my desire to have solidarity. An attack on ordinary Jewish life and God in Michigan (RNS) — How do Jews respond to those who seek Jewish death? By affirming Jewish life. ICYMI Evangelical Christian stars line up to read Bible aloud to wake up ‘apathetic church’ (RNS) — Bunni Pounds, a political fundraiser-turned-Christian organizer, has recruited nearly 500 Christian leaders to read the Bible aloud from cover to cover in Washington this April. Over 100 Latino Christian leaders say Trump adviser Samuel Rodriguez’s reach is misrepresented (RNS) — The letter’s signers say they were prompted to speak out because of the damage the Trump administration’s immigration policies have done to Latino communities. Support Our Work As a nonprofit newsroom that covers all faiths, RNS sits uniquely at the intersection of freedom of the press and freedom of religion. News tips or feedback? Email comments@religionnews.com. Like the Morning Report? Share it with a friend. Forwarded this newsletter? Subscribe here. We rely on reader donations to power our reporting. Donate here. Or send a check to: Religion News Foundation PO Box 1808 Columbia, MO 65205

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WCC News: WCC congratulates Margaret Karram on re-election as Focolare Movement president

The World Council of Churches (WCC) congratulated Margaret Karram on her re-election as president of the Focolare Movement - a result the WCC welcomed as a renewed mandate for the ecumenical and inter-religious work that has marked her five years at the movement’s helm.  Re-elected Focolare President Margaret Karram and new Co-President Fr. Roberto Almada Photo: Centro Santa Chiara 16 March 2026 Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay, WCC general secretary, said: “Margaret Karram’s re-election is a gift to the wider ecumenical family. Her witness as a Christian Arab, her life dedicated to dialogue across faiths and cultures, and her commitment to unity speak directly to the calling we share - to heal the divisions of our world. The WCC values our relationship with the Focolare Movement and wishes her every strength in this new term of service.” Karram is only the third person to lead the movement since Chiara Lubich founded it. Karram grew up in the religiously mixed city of Haifa, studied Judaism at the American Jewish University in Los Angeles, United States, and spent 14 years at the Italian Consulate General in Jerusalem. Her contribution to inter-religious dialogue has been recognised with the Mount Zion Award (2013) and the Saint Rita Award (2016). The assembly also elected a new co-president: Roberto Almada, an Argentine priest, psychiatrist, and psychotherapist with a doctorate in philosophy, who brings extensive experience in pastoral accompaniment and youth ministry across Latin America. He succeeds Jesús Morán, who completed his second and final term. Receiving the result, Karram said: “With the grace of God and the help of all of you, I accept […] In response to this new call, I renew my ‘yes,’ my full commitment to God together with all of you, at the service of the church, the movement, and humanity.” The Focolare Movement, also known as the Work of Mary, is present in 150 countries and is recognised for its spirituality of unity and its active engagement in ecumenical and inter-religious dialogue. The General Assembly continues until 21 March, when participants and observers will be received in a private audience by Pope Leo XIV. Learn more about the Focolare Movement here 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