David Weaver, Church World Service senior advisor for Global Advocacy attended the Oct. 25-27 Global Forum of the Ecumenical Water Network of the World Council of Churches.  EWN is a network of churches and Christian organizations “promoting  people’s access to water around the world.”  In this interview, from the WCC, Weaver  discusses how the Mwingi Water for All Project is …

That was the immediate response of refugee teens in northwestern Rochester, N.Y., when Kathy LaBue suggested they organize a CROP Hunger Walk as a community service project. LaBue is co-founder of Mary’s Place, a community center for the many resettled refugees living in Rochester’s Maplewood and Edgerton neighborhoods.  “I had walked in CROP Hunger Walks before, but the refugees hadn’t …

Hunger is a moving topic for folks in the Quad-Cities Area. The proof? Roughly 700 walkers from Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa, and Rock Island and Moline, Ill., took to the streets on October 2 to help fight hunger in the nation’s only bi-state CROP Hunger Walk. This year marked the 40th year for the Quad Cities CROP Hunger Walk. Ann …

ELGIN, Ill. – Combining “faith with a plan of action,” the board of directors of humanitarian agency Church World Service unanimously approved a strategic vision to meet the requirements for superior performance in a changing global environment. Calling the moment “historic,” CWS CEO and Executive Director, the Rev. John L. McCullough said the changes will “ripple out from here to …

Updated Monday, October 24, 2011 Delays resulting from the introduction of new U.S. Homeland Security checks in February contributed to a significant drop in U.S. refugee admissions in FY 2011 (Oct. 1, 2010 – Sept. 30, 2011), with Church World Service resettling 5,322 (down from 7,055 in FY 2010) toward a U.S. Refugee Admissions Program total of 56,424 (down from …

Yogyakarta, Indonesia – The need to focus on reducing the risks of disasters takes on special meaning on the International Day for Disaster Reduction (October 13) and throughout October. Similarly, such a focus united some 40 participants in common purpose during a recent ACT Alliance global workshop on disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation. The 5-9 September meeting, held …

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. – For the past 15 years, 67-year-old Marilyn Pisa has spent her Labor Day morning walking 4.5 miles through the neighborhoods of Valencia and Newhall, Calif., to support her local CROP Hunger Walk, one of some 1,500 events held annually nationwide and deemed the oldest hunger walks in America. CROP Hunger Walk, sponsored by global humanitarian agency …

SANTA FE, Paraguay — Without a new peer exchange program, Omar might not learn new ways to help feed his community. “I feel inspired by what I have learned from my Bolivian friends – they have only a small amount of land but have managed to do many things,” says Omar Suarez, leader of the community of Nepoxen. Omar is …

When the Rev. Mary Ellen Finegan of Central United Methodist Church in Fairmont, W.Va., stood up to preach this past Sunday, she knew that her message would be controversial with some members. She was about to speak out in support of the DREAM Act, a bipartisan bill that would provide a path to citizenship for some undocumented youth.  (Read her …

“My congregation is enthused about being part of the Blankets+ Program, because they know that their contributions are making a big difference in people’s lives, and in the future of entire communities.  Blankets+ is an investment that pays long-term dividends in the form of better health, higher standards of living, and environmental preservation in areas of the world where the …