Statement of Secretary General |
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As someone who used to work in the school system, September 1st, the opening of the school year, was a special date, almost holy. After the summer vacation, September 2026 at WEA will surely be a very busy month.
While we were not idle all summer as you will see in this newsletter, we have a lot of activities and actions planned in the coming months. We will remember 180 years since our establishment on September 23rd and we will celebrate WEA Day on September 27th.
However, the most important event is that we are launching a strategic WEA initiative in early September called CALL33- Answering God’s call together towards 2033.
In simple words: we want to contribute what the Lord has entrusted us with to enhance God’s calling to His people in every nation around the world!
It seems an enormous task but God is able to use the 5 loaves and 2 fishes if we put them in His able hands.
In this initiative, we will ask each of the 164 national evangelical alliances all around the world to discern what God is calling them to do in their nation at this time of history. The joint “callings” of each and every nation is what God wants to do through His people in the world. Derived from every calling are needs that need to be supplied if the national alliance will ever strive to accomplish and enhance that calling. It might be laborers for planting churches, relief systems, training for evangelism, curriculums for discipleship, mediators for reconciliation and many other things.
With the grace of God, we will provide the opportunity for able Alliances as well as ministry organizations that specialize in the nation’s needed area, to collaborate with each national alliance as they pursue the calling. |
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Ukraine President shaking hands with SG Rev Botrus Mansour |
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WEA participated in two important events in Ukraine. One a national prayer breakfast in the capital along with evangelical and other leaders in which Rev Botrus prayed in Arabic. The other was a much smaller group of religious leaders the heads of Ukraine’s religious communities who participated in prayers at the St. Sophia Church. President Zelenskyy and his wife attended and met all the leaders. See more WEA’s alliances have responded to natural disasters in August around the world. Earthquakes in Columbia, Venezuela led to loss of life and our local alliances have been involved in relief efforts. See our report about relief effort in Columbia here.
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Scenes from the recent flooding, capturing the scale of the rising waters and the communities impacted |
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In Nepal devastating floods and landslides damaged roads, bridges, homes and other infrastructure leaving many people missing, according to church and relief leaders. Church leaders on the ground have reported that between 15 and 25 churches are reported destroyed or severly damaged. Relief updates also cited deaths of more than 125 believers. Church leaders said response efforts from both National Churches Fellowship in Nepal as well as Nepal Christian Society are underway from Kathmandu, including three teams traveling to affected areas on mountain bikes to assess needs and a rescue team equipped to provide medical assistance has been sent. See more
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Screen shot of the open letter |
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WEA joined Americans in celebrating their 250th July 4th anniversary with an open letter that honored “the sacrifice and generosity of American Christians and challenges them in the coming decades to serve others with humility, understanding local cultures” and avoiding “exporting a one-culture version of Christianity.” The letter appeared in the magazine, ‘Evangelicals,’ published by the North American Evangelical Alliance, To read the entire letter, See more The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) welcomes the release of Pastor Nihad Hassan of the Kurdish Evangelical Church in Beirut, who was released in Aleppo on August 3. The arrest had raised concerns about religious freedom and freedom of expression, likely undermining the Sharaa Administration’s efforts to demonstrate to the international community its respect for Syria’s diverse population. See more
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Our UN Advocacy in Geneva |
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From left: Rev. David Rihani, Deputy Secretary General for MENA; Ms. Njoud Aldeqes, Executive Director and International Relations Lead for UnASDG; Ambassador of Jordan to the UN Office in Geneva Akram Saud Haraasheh ; and Prof. Janet Epp Buckingham, Director of the WEA Geneva Office to the UN |
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The WEA Geneva Office to the UN had a very productive Human Rights Council (HRC) 62nd session, 15 June to 4 July. We were pleased to have the MENA Deputy Secretary General David Rihani join us for 2 weeks of the session. We were received by the Jordanian ambassador. See the report online. During negotiations on the Child, Early and Forced Marriage resolution, the team succeeded in removing language from the 2023 text addressing forced religious conversion. See our report online. We had a very positive outcome for the Rwanda Universal Periodic Review. In mid-July, we submitted reports on religious freedom issues for Christians in Sudan (jointly with Open Doors International and Middle East Concern) and in Uganda as part of the Universal Periodic Review process.
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Zoom call with Affiliate Members from around the world |
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The WEA hosted July 24th a Zoom call with Affiliate Members from around the world to explore deeper collaboration and our shared vision toward 2033. The discussion was on how WEA's 160+ National Alliances and 100+ affiliate ministries can better connect, share resources, and serve God’s mission more effectively. More here African leaders conducted a fact-finding mission in South African to explore the depth of the migration crisis. See more
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SG Meeting the WEA team at the UN in New York |
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Rev. Botrus Mansour with the WEA New York UN representatives at the UNICEF office |
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Rev Mansour visited, July 15th , the UN headquarter in NY and encouraged the Global Advocacy Engagement. See more Rev Samuel van der Maas represented WEA in the Global Christian Forum international committee meeting in Rome. See more
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Rev. Botrus Mansour with Dr. Elijah Brown, the President of the Baptist World Alliance |
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WEA Secretary General Rev. Botrus Mansour Contributes to Multiple Sessions at BWA Conference in Toronto. During the Baptist World Alliance (BWA) conference in Toronto, the WEA Secretary General, Rev. Botrus Mansour, spoke at five events and participated in several on-site. WEA Secretary Calls Baptists to “Sit at the Table of Christ” and admire His Unity.” More here
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September 6 Creation Sunday is celebrated by Christians on the first Sunday of September annually. See more
15th September Webinar to guide the national alliances as they fill the Questionnaire for Call33. |
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23rd September The 180-year celebration will include sharing from different leaders from around the world and ex- secretary generals. If interested in attending the 180-year celebration online. Please register through the following link. |
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27th September This September 27, we celebrate WEA Day and give thanks to God for 180 years of His faithfulness. From a gathering of around 900 Christian leaders in London in 1846 to a global family connecting 164 national alliances and more than 100 international organizations. Join us in expressing unity and prayer for the WEA. |
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Over two billion Christians in the world today are represented by three world church bodies. The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) is one of those, serving more than 650 million evangelicals belonging to churches that are part of 163 national Evangelical Alliances in 9 regions. Launched in London in 1846, the WEA unites evangelicals across denominations for prayer, evangelism, mission, theological education, religious freedom, human rights advocacy, relief, and engagement in a wide range of social issues. It speaks with one voice to United Nations, governments, and media in public or through behind-the-scenes diplomacy on issues of common concern to the Church. For more information, visit worldea.org WEA has been a charter member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability since 1980. WEA is audited annually by an independent public accounting firm. WEA is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. In the United States, your contribution is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. |
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