Caring for the souls of others is a deeply human trait. We all live in relationships, and we do care if our neighbors are doing badly. This is already pointed out in the New Testament: here people are supported, admonished, comforted and restored. Helping people in need and offering hospitality are also elements of biblical care for others.According to the Reformed understanding, all people are ca...
“We cannot celebrate Easter without also thinking about the refugees.“ Thousands of refugees have been stranded on the Greek island of Lesbos. In the Moria refugee camp, 20,000 people are now living under catastrophic conditions. Now the risk of a coronavirus outbreak is growing. Because of this, the healthcare system on the island, which is already been being severely tested today, needs h...
Federation obtains “Family AND Career” label with an improved scoreFlexible working hours, work-family balance and gender equality. The Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches FSPC met the criteria of “Fachstelle UND”, an agency dedicated to improving work-life balance in Switzerland, for a second time – and even managed to improve its score. Now, the FSPC is entitled to bear the label o...
50 years following the founding of the Leuenberg Church Community, the common path to unity lives on in reconciled diversity. But what contributions can the members of the Communion of Protestant Churches in Europe (CPCE) make to meet the challenges we face today? These questions formed the focus of discussions at a recent conference in Bern, Switzerland. Participants from 10 different countries a...
The Council of the Protestant Church in Switzerland (PCS) has elected its Vice Presidents and assigned new council members to different departments. In addition to its first orders of business, the Council placed its focus on church cooperation at geopolitical hotspots, welcoming Rev. Mathilde Sabbagh from Syria and Rev. József Kiss from Romania.Standing Council members Rita Famos (President), Ru...
Since 2009, the International Sylvia-Michel-Prize has supported people and projects that promote women’s leadership in Reformed churches throughout the world. In 2022, the prize will go to a pioneering woman from the Democratic Republic of Congo – Rebecca Mutumosi Mfutila. The prize was awarded for the first time at a synod of the Protestant Church in Switzerland (PCS).Rebecca Mutumosi Mfutila...
Extraordinary visit: at the autumn Synod of the Protestant Church in Switzerland today, the highest body of the Reformed church met with Federal Councilor Cassis and the Vatican’s Cardinal Secretary of State Parolin. In their greetings, both the host and guests emphasized the importance of dialogue.Diplomatic relations between Switzerland and the Holy See were resumed in 1920, putting an end to ...
World Council of Churches WCC acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca invites all member churches to observe a global prayer day on 14 May. The joint initiative with the members of the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity, of which the WCC is part, is calling for “prayer and supplication” to God for an end to the COVID-19 pandemic.“Many of our people are experiencing fear and uncer...
The coronavirus pandemic has had a massive impact on church life – including this year's Easter celebrations, as services and the usual rituals have been canceled this year. Nevertheless, the most important feast day of Christianity should touch people. With four Easter campaigns, the Protestant Church in Switzerland PCS and other churches of the ecumenical movement are sending signals of hope a...
The Protestant Church in Switzerland and the Roman Catholic Church in Switzerland are setting an example of solidarity, community and hope in these times of the coronavirus crisis. Until Maundy Thursday, candles will be lit on windowsills all over the country on Thursday evenings, and people are invited to pray together.Closed shops and institutions, canceled services and events: the coronavirus c...
The Federal Council's reclassification of the coronavirus situation as “extraordinary” and the further measures for containing the virus also have far-reaching consequences for the Protestant Church in Switzerland. No more services will be held until 19 April 2020.Pursuant to Ordinance 2 of the Federal Council, holding public and private events is prohibited. As a result, all services and othe...
The Council of the Protestant Church in Switzerland and the Permanent Committee on Consensus and Cooperation of the World Council of Churches (WCC) will jointly honor the visionary work of Pastor Adolf Keller (1872-1963) at a colloquium. A hundred years ago, Keller, a pioneer of the ecumenical movement, was a trailblazer for both the Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches and the WCC.On 27 Februa...
The summer Assembly of Delegates of 2019 AoD took place in Winterthur on the invitation of the Evangelical Methodist Church. Pastor Stefan Zolliker welcomed the delegates from the 26 member churches of the Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches FSPC to his church in Winterthur.Speech of the Council President: “Communion is a matter of will” In his speech at the opening of the AoD, Council Pr...
On 14 June, for the first time in 28 years, all women throughout Switzerland were invited to go on strike once again. They committed themselves to ensuring that the equal rights enshrined in the Swiss constitution since 1981 become a reality in everyday life. The Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches FSPC supports various concerns of the initiators.It subscribes to the motto “Wages. Time. Resp...
The Delegates of the Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches FSPC have adopted a new constitution in the course of an extraordinary assembly on December 18, 2018. This vote paves the way for transforming the Protestant umbrella organization into the Protestant Reformed Church of Switzerland. The new constitution will take effect on January 1, 2020.“The new constitution of the Protestant Reformed...
The delegates of the Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches FSPC convened at Bern’s Town Hall on November 5 and 6, 2018. The Assembly was concerned in particular with matters connected to the new constitution. A worship service was held on Tuesday, which included the installation of the Assembly President as well as the President and Members of the FSPC Council for the coming term, 2019-2022.Ne...
The delegates of the Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches FSPC are convening at Bern’s Town Hall on November 5 and 6, 2018. The assembly elected the Neuchatel pastor Pierre de Salis to be President of the Assembly of Delegates for the term of 2019-2020. If the new FSPC constitution is adopted, he will take the helm of the transition from today’s Assembly of Delegates to a national synod.Rev...
How can the church talk about sexuality today, and how can theology contribute? This and many other questions about Protestant sexual ethics were addressed by the participants of the Fall Women’s Conference of the Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches FSPC on October 23, 2018, in Bern.“This is undisputedly a current issue in the church context. It affects and engages women and men in our chu...