E-ssentials: Climate Motivators Call for Leadership, Reimagining Theological Education, and more!

Climate Motivators Call for Leadership, Communities Across the Country Respond [Image credit: The United Church of Canada]   Now in its fourth year, the Climate Motivator program is a United Church climate initiative for youth and young adults, delivered in partnership with The GO Project. The program equips young leaders to respond to the climate crisis through faith-based action, advocacy, and community engagement. In May, 18 Climate Motivators and Climate Motivator coordinators travelled to Ottawa to meet with parliamentarians and advocate for climate justice. The group met with several MPs and a senator before delivering a signed Call for Climate Leadership to Prime Minister Mark Carney’s office, urging stronger action on climate change, Indigenous rights, renewable energy, human rights, and support for communities most affected by the climate crisis. Following their time on Parliament Hill, the Climate Motivators have returned to their home communities to lead local climate projects and continue promoting the call for climate leadership. People of faith are invited to add their voice through the Dear Member of Parliament campaign and by signing the call to action and joining the online padlet. Read the full news story Innovation and Collaboration Ignite “Reimagining Theological Education” Project [Image credit: Scott Douglas]   The Reimagining Theological Education project is moving forward with new initiatives to strengthen ministry formation, support pastoral leaders, and expand collaboration among the United Church’s theological schools. Funded through a Lilly Endowment grant, the project aims to equip leaders and communities of faith for the future. Read the full story. Read the full news story Dr. Marion Pope: An Extraordinary Life and Prophetic Ministry [Image credit: © copinh]   A new Round the Table blog by Rev. Dr. David Kim-Cragg celebrates the life and legacy of Dr. Marion Pope, a United Church diaconal minister whose decades of service in South Korea left a lasting impact. A nurse, educator, musician, and advocate for democracy, Marion courageously supported the Korean democratization movement and helped document human rights abuses during a turbulent period in the country's history. The tribute explores her remarkable ministry, her commitment to justice, and the enduring legacy she leaves in both Canada and Korea. Read the full blog Becoming an Intercultural Church: Encountering God Across Cultures [Image credit: The United Church of Canada]   This fall The United Church of Canada invites you to deepen your engagement with anti-racism, cultural diversity, and faithful intercultural ministry through our upcoming online course Becoming An Intercultural Church. Led by Rev. Dr. Hyuk Cho, participants will reflect on intercultural theology, examine questions of power and diversity, and learn practical approaches for fostering intercultural ministry within their congregations. Wednesdays, October 14–November 25, 2026 6:00–7:30 p.m. ET Individuals and congregational teams are welcome. We encourage groups to participate together to support shared learning and local application. Registration: $40 individual | $70 group  Learn more and register on CHURCHx Mission and Service Stories: Caring for Caregivers [Image credit: Arthur Kidston Memorial Camp]   Across Northern communities, Indigenous ministers often carry the weight of grief, trauma, and loss while supporting others through difficult times. Supported by Mission and Service, the Northern Indigenous Ministers Retreat provides a space for rest, healing, cultural connection, and peer support. Now entering its third year, the retreat continues to offer much-needed care for ministers serving communities facing ongoing challenges, including the impacts of suicide, wildfires, and other crises. Read the Mission and Service story and watch the video. The United Church Bookstore: Our Picks for Indigenous Learning! [Image credit: The United Church of Canada]   Continue your Indigenous History Month learning with works by Indigenous authors that explore history, culture, faith, and reconciliation. From the language preservation work of The Holy Bible in Mohawk to the personal narratives of Indigenous people in Christian ministry by Stan McKay, Alf Dumont, and Carmen Lansdowne, these resources invite deeper understanding and reflection. Explore Indigenous titles Worship Resources See our Worship Resources for upcoming Sundays and special celebrations. Canadian Multiculturalism Day - June 27, 2026 Fifth after Pentecost - June 28, 2026 Sixth after Pentecost - July 5, 2026 Seventh after Pentecost - July 12, 2026 Eighth after Pentecost - July 19, 2026 Ninth after Pentecost - July 26, 2026 Tenth after Pentecost - August 2, 2026 Emancipation Sunday - August 2, 2026 For more inspiring worship ideas and resources, subscribe to GatheringWorship.ca. Important Note: The images included in this newsletter are protected by copyright. While we encourage you to share the newsletter itself, please don't copy or use the images independently. Thanks for your understanding! Facebook Website Email Instagram YouTube LinkedIn

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RNS Morning Report - Is Bethany’s break with LGBTQ+ people a bellwether for foster care?

Is Bethany’s break with LGBTQ+ people a bellwether for foster care? After six years as a foster parent with Bethany Christian Services, Stacey Goodson, based in Western Michigan, has served her last foster youth — for now. “I closed my license immediately,” Goodson told RNS National Reporter Kathryn Post. “I’m just not willing to be a part of something that I’m so strongly against.” Her decision comes as stakeholders respond to the news that the influential evangelical nonprofit, which offers adoption, foster care and refugee and immigration services, will no longer employ or partner with people who are LGBTQ-affirming. While Bethany expects  the change to create more foster placements among evangelical supporters, LGBTQ-affirming advocates fear foster youth will bear the cost of the change. Data shows that LGBTQ+ people are over 2.5 times more likely than non-LGBTQ+ people to seek to foster and adopt, and LGBTQ+ youth are also overrepresented in the foster care system.     Top Stories Is Bethany’s break with LGBTQ+ people a bellwether for foster care? (RNS) — LGBTQ+ advocates worry the change will mean fewer beds for foster youth. Haitian immigrants revived a church. Now the pews are empty. (RNS) — With the Supreme Court set to rule on whether Haitians will lose Temporary Protected Status, fear is emptying church pews. At St. Elizabeth's Episcopal Church in Elizabeth, New Jersey, the Haitian immigrants who brought life to the congregation are gone. Police charge a third suspect in a Melbourne synagogue arson allegedly directed by Iran MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — The Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team, which brings together federal and state police with a spy agency, charged the man, who has not been named, with offenses including arson. Opinion From ‘feigele’ to free: What does it mean to be LGBTQ+ and Orthodox? (RNS) — Two identities seem to be in a wrestling match — but both can win. A Catholic schism over women deacons? Many opponents have already left. (RNS) — Those who reject papal authority are already out the door. The women who have given up hoping for change are on the way out, too. ICYMI With Cuba in crisis, faith groups work to influence policy, deliver aid (RNS) — U.S. Republican administrations have long seen faith groups as a cornerstone for humanitarian aid and community trust as they push for regime change in Cuba. Which Bible passages are in Texas’ proposed student reading list? Here’s what the sections reveal. (RNS) — The chosen readings, to be voted on by the State Board of Education, draw heavily from Christian perspectives. 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: Patriarch Theophilos III and Cardinal Pizzaballa arrive in Gaza for pastoral visit

His Beatitude Theophilos III, Patriarch of the Holy City of Jerusalem and all Palestine and Jordan, and His Beatitude Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, arrived in Gaza on 22 June for a pastoral visit. They are accompanied by His Excellency Dr Josef D. Blotz, grand hospitaller of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, together with representatives of Malteser International. Patriarch Theophilos III and Cardinal Pizzaballa. Photo: Higher Presidential Committee of Church Affairs in Palestine 23 June 2026 The visit expresses the pastoral responsibility of the churches of Jerusalem toward the local churches and toward the whole population of Gaza, where families continue to endure grave humanitarian suffering, fear, loss and uncertainty. The presence of His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III and His Beatitude Cardinal Pizzaballa carries the prayer of Jerusalem to Gaza’s wounded faithful and to all who suffer, in a ministry of consolation, mercy and steadfast Christian witness rooted in the Gospel and in the sacred vocation of the Holy City. During their stay, they will meet with clergy, religious communities, local Christian families, and people affected by the continuing humanitarian crisis. Through prayer, personal encounter and pastoral presence, they seek to offer spiritual strength, comfort, and hope in the midst of deep suffering. News release from the Patriarchate of Jerusalem: Patriarch Theophilos III and Cardinal Pizzaballa arrive in Gaza for pastoral visit 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