STORIES
Kutupalong Refugee Camp, Bangladesh // photo: Paul Jeffrey/ACT Alliance
the work and witness of ACT Alliance in Gaza "ACT Alliance’s solidarity is rooted in the prophetic witness of the church, calling for justice, denouncing the instrumentalization of aid, and upholding humanitarian principles even when they are inconvenient to geopolitical powers. ...
ACT Alliance members in Gaza are operating under extreme conditions, guided by decades of experience and deep local knowledge. 'The trust they have built allows them to serve people with discretion and integrity,' said de Faria. 'The ACT Alliance supports this work with global advocacy, amplifying their voice and calling for unrestricted humanitarian access through UN-led coordination mechanisms.'" READ MORE about the work and witness of Week of Compassion's partners through ACT Alliance. a pastoral letter - on events in Iran6/21/2025  Dear Disciples,
Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. I write to you today from Johannesburg, South Africa, where I am gathered with global church leaders at the World Council of Churches Central Committee meeting. As we have met in prayer and discernment, our hearts have turned often to the people of Iran and the growing tensions in the Middle East. In moments of silence and shared lament, we have lifted up those affected by the recent military attacks and the communities now facing deep uncertainty and fear. Global Interconnectedness2/13/2025 + Special Offering 2025 : Mission Moment (Middle East) Dear Friends, In 2023, I traveled to Juba, South Sudan – the world’s newest country, formed in 2011 after the decades long North-South conflict ended. South Sudan remains one of the world’s poorest nations, where access to clean water, food, and healthcare is scarce. As a young country, its infrastructure is fragile, and its people continue to bear the weight of poverty and instability.
I visited South Sudan to witness the work we support at a hospital providing life-changing surgeries for women suffering from obstetric fistula – a painful childbirth injury that often leads to isolation and rejection from their families and communities. These surgeries, performed in a clinic built by our ecumenical partners, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, restore dignity and hope. Each year, women travel hundreds of miles seeking this care, and because of the dedication of our partners, thousands receive the medical attention they desperately need. None of this would be possible without a network of collaboration. an update from Middle East partners2/12/2025  photo via MECC/DSPR Week of Compassion is grateful for long-standing relationships with ecumenical partners responding to the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.
Dr. Peter Makari (Global Relations Minister, Middle East and Europe, with Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and United Church of Christ), visited the region last week and offered updates from partners there. Week of Compassion, through Global Ministries, supports these partners as they respond to the vast needs in Palestine and Gaza, and in surrounding nations, like Jordan, supporting the mass influx of Palestinian refugees. The Middle East - Marking One Year10/7/2024  photos: MECC-DSPR, ACT Alliance This week (Monday, October 7) marks one year since the escalation in violence in the Middle East, in which 1200 Israeli citizens were killed by Hamas and more than 200 Israelis were taken hostage, and one year since Israel’s ensuing response: bombardment in Gaza and the West Bank, and the spread of the war in the Middle East. As of this writing, nearly 42,000 Palestinians have been killed, and hundreds of thousands more have been displaced – many of them multiple times – from their homes to other parts of Gaza, and made refugees in neighboring countries. Amid this humanitarian crisis of still untold proportions, in recent days, the violence and threats have expanded into Lebanon, even as the war persists in Gaza and the West Bank.
reports from the Middle East6/3/2024  Deir al Balah, central Gaza - photo: Saher Alghorra/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa; provided by MECC-DSPR As part of last week's meeting, the Week of Compassion Board of Stewards was joined by Dr. Peter Makari, Global Relations Minister for the Middle East and Europe with Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ, and by Rev. Prof. Mitri Raheb, Founder and President, Dar al-Kalima University (Jerusalem and Gaza), for an update on the situation and response in Gaza.
Stories were unsurprisingly heartbreaking and the situation is very dire – yet efforts by ecumenical partners to provide aid and assistance continue amid countless obstacles. That We Might Have Life5/7/2024 supporting students displaced in the Middle East Crisis
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