More than 50 communicators—all of whom worked with the World Council of Churches (WCC) during the WCC 11th Assembly in Karlsruhe, Germany in 2022—shared from their contexts an overview of 2025. It was a year of commemorations, conflicts, and collaboration. From the Middle East region, Jack Nassar observed that it’s hard to believe four years have passed since the WCC 11th Assembly. “I’m happy to be with you all again,” he said. “A lot has changed in our world and our churches since then.” Nassar spoke of living amid severe conflict and suffering. “But at the same time there’s still a strong and steady hope for peace, but a peace based on justice, dignity and equality, not peace forced by power and war,” he said. Speaking from the Asia region, Philip Nyam expressed gratitude to WCC communications. “As you are aware, India is a vast country in geographical size and population,” he said. “With this in mind, I would like to share some experiences and observations of what I have seen following from the ecumenical year 2025 in India.” Nyam expressed concern that nationalism in India has caused Christians, who are in the religious minority, to feel forgotten by political power. “What is reported in the news does not always reflect the realities on the ground,” he said. Stephen Padre, who spoke from his home in Washington, DC, noted how the voices of churches in the United States have become important in addressing violations of human rights. “Within the United States there was a lot of action to deport immigrants, as the administration believes a lot of people do not belong here,” he said. “Churches have become a major force and a major voice in world affairs and religious affairs.” Gladwell Rurinja brought reflections from Africa, specifically from Kenya. “Last year we came together and decided, why don’t we go to all these churches during the Week of Christian Unity and let people know what this is all about,” she said. “That was very successful.” Since then, people in Kenya have received even more training about ecumenism. “It has been very exciting having that local person, that normal person on the ground understanding ecumenism,” said Rurinja. Rev. Margarithe Veen, from the Netherlands, said she valued hearing from communicators across the world. “It’s so important to feel this international sisterhood or brotherhood of ecumenical spirit,” she said. “We belong to each other as children of God, as children of Christ.” | 
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