Join TCR Columnist Cynthia Gordon-Floyd, CPA for a Clergy and Lay Leaders Financial Workshop on December 11. Register today! Click here to register. Read one of Cynthia's articles here.

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Share Tweet Forward The Christian Recorder is the official newspaper of the African Methodist Episcopal Church and the oldest continuously produced publication by persons of African descent.   Bishop Vashti M. McKenzie, Chair of the General Board Commission on Publications Rev. Dr. Roderick D. Belin, President/Publisher of the AME Sunday School Union Mr. John Thomas III, Editor of The Christian Recorder Copyright © 2021 The Christian Recorder, All rights reserved.

UC National News 1-7 Dec - Assembly Circles Sharing Advent Joy, the Basis at 50, Act2: what we are hearing, Thursdays in Black quilt and more

Celebrate 24 Days of Advent with the Assembly Circles From today until Christmas Day, the Assembly Circles of Interest will be Sharing the Joy of the Advent season. Each day you can open up a "gift" from one of the Circles to help you plan or prepare for worship, or to mark the Advent season in a prayerful and reflective way. Gifts will include prayers, songs, poems, reflections or resources. You can view the Sharing the Joy Advent Calendar on the Assembly website or Circle Facebook groups, or to receive the gift delivered to your inbox each day, join anyone of our Assembly Circles of Interest.  As you prepare to celebrate the coming of Christ among us, may you know God's hope, peace, joy and love this Advent! Growing disciples for the present and future of the Church Have you had an Act2 conversation yet? As we continue the conversation discerning the future shape of the UCA, the President and General Secretary held a series of consultations with the Assembly Circles. We invited participants to share their thoughts. Thanks to Rev Amanda Nicholas for this reflection on how we must refocus on the work of "discipling disciples" so that new generations can discover Jesus for themselves.  A space for 'exploration, retrieval and fresh witness' About 70 people from across the UCA gathered online for a one-day conference hosted by Pilgrim Theological College reflecting on the Basis of Union, 50 years since it was first published. In a series of panels, plenaries and electives, the conference explored the present and future of the Basis, giving voice to post-union generations and allowing fresh theological and cross-cultural engagement. Add your design to a tapestry of solidarity and resistance On Day 7 of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, we share this invitation from the World Council of Churches to contribute a panel to a large tapestry display at the WCC Assembly in Geneva in 2022 - join voices across the world committed to a world without violence. Follow the prayers, stories and resources we are sharing each day during the #16Days on our Facebook page. Congress call for wider consultation on proposed reforms In a joint submission to the Australian Government, the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress and the Northern Regional Council of Congress have urged more robust consultation with First Peoples about a suite of proposed reforms to the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act currently before the Senate. Make your voice heard on ageing The first national conversation to be held by Uniting Friends of Ageing will take place tomorrow Thursday 2 December at 4pm AEDT. It is open to all members of the Uniting Church. Join the conversation and share your concerns, insights and experiences about ageing and aged care in Australia. To register your interest and receive the Zoom link, email Warren Talbot. SAVE THE DATE: Day of Mourning 2022 On Sunday 23 January 2022, communities of faith are invited to mark the Uniting Church's Day of Mourning to reflect upon and lament the effect of the invasion and colonisation of this nation upon First Peoples. Save the date now and register your participation. An updated resource will be released in December.

Executive Officer, eLM (equipping Leadership for Mission) - Synod of Victoria and Tasmania This significant leadership role provides missional leadership across the equipping Leadership for Mission (eLM) unit and the Synod of VIC/TAS, to encourage the living out of the Church’s life and mission and foster key aspects of the Synod’s Strategic Framework. Barwon Remote Area Bush Chaplain - Frontier Services and Synod of NSW & ACT This ministry placement is an exciting and challenging opportunity, working within a broad ecumenical context to provide the support and challenges of pastoral care for people in a remote area of Australia.

JOIN US IN PRAYER FOR: People working to respond to and manage the latest COVID variant, for those sick with the virus and all those experiencing fear and anxiety.  The people of the Solomon Islands in the wake of unrest in the capital city, Honiara. We pray for a peaceful resolution.  Those across the world who are taking a stand against gender-based violence.  Copyright © 2021 Uniting Church in Australia, All rights reserved. We're sending you weekly updates because you opted into news from the Uniting Church in Australia. Our mailing address is: Uniting Church in Australia Lvl 4 262 Pitt St Sydney, NSW 2000 Australia

WCC NEWS: WCC visits Church of Norway to explore “values that unite a suffering world”

World Council of Churches (WCC) acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca visited the Church of Norway on 23 November, expressing joy at being able to see the church offices for the first time and for the church’s support leading up to the WCC 11th Assembly. Photo: WCC 30 November 2021 Sauca met with Church of Norway leaders including presiding bishop Most Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit; Rev. Elise Sandnes, general secretary of the Bishop’s Council; and Berit Hagen-Agöy, director of International Affairs. “I am grateful for the hospitality and inspiration we have so warmly received from the Church of Norway leadership and staff,” said Sauca. “As we prepare for the WCC assembly, we are already witnessing the theme ‘Christ’s love moves the world to reconciliation and unity.’” Sauca said the WCC’s sense of hope has been buoyed by the special support from the Church of Norway and other WCC member churches during the COVID-19 pandemic. “I deeply appreciate the dedication and accompaniment of the Church of Norway and the solidarity expressed as we walk through the world’s challenges together,” he said. Tveit said that he and other leaders from the Church of Norway were happy to inform the visitors from the WCC that the Church of Norway General Synod affirmed in a decision on 12 November its commitment to the global ecumenical movement and its involvement and financial support to the WCC. “I am impressed by how the WCC leadership and staff have been able to address the multiple challenges to their work and the need for a shift  of methodologies in the time of the pandemic,” said Tveit. “The world and the churches are, even more than before, in need of global solidarity and mutual accountability to one another, and the values that can unite a suffering and divided world.” The theme of the WCC 11th Assembly has become a prophetic message of our time, added Tveit. “The world needs the steadfast love of Christ,” he said. “The churches need the fellowship of one another to convey this love in word and acts.” Discussions centered around the role of the churches and the WCC in the midst of the pandemic, the work of the WCC and future governance—particularly amid the challenges posed by COVID-19 and the climate emergency—and assembly preparations, with special reflections on the assembly theme. Sauca, accompanied by WCC director of Communication Marianne Ejdersten, gave an update on preparations for the WCC 11th Assembly in Karlsruhe, Germany in 2022. Ejdersten led a special session with the Church of Norway communications team and the need for support of assembly communication. The Church of Norway has agreed to support the communications team in Karlsruhe. WCC executive committee lights the way for WCC 11th Assembly (WCC press release of 26 November 2021) Learn more about the WCC Assembly 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 349 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 550 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC acting general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca, from the Orthodox Church in Romania. 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

Living Lutheran Weekly Email Digest

LL Stories November 30, 2021 A true thanksgiving “For all of this I owe it to God to thank and praise, serve and obey him.” With these words in his Small Catechism, Martin Luther concludes his paraphrase of the First Article of the Apostles’ … continue Legacy takes a new form On Friday, Jan. 15, more than 250 employees received official notice that Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota (LSSND), financially strained by its housing affiliate, was closing after 102. … continue ELCA presiding bishop issues pastoral message on Arbery murder trial verdicts Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the ELCA, has issued a pastoral letter regarding the verdicts concerning the murder of Ahmaud Arbery. "​In response to the verdicts in the trial of Travis … continue

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