Tag: wcc

unprecedented time

Innovation in an unprecedented time

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On 13/11/2020

In In English

When we hear “innovation”, it’s uncommon to associate the word with the religious environment. Yet, after the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, every organisation was forced to look at new ways to function. Those who didn’t move fast enough struggle to survive in this unprecedented time.

The challenge of giving visibility to the work of a global organisation that has the mandate to go and physically meet people and communities around the world seemed gigantic for our communication department at the World Council of Churches (WCC).

One question resonated all the time in my heart: How do we continue to offer a platform for encounters in times of pandemic, when we can’t physically meet? 

Since early April, I’ve been dealing with dozens of online events that we started producing to give visibility to the work of WCC. As soon as my colleagues began to voice their needs concerning these online events, I realised that we needed to find technical solutions that would match the requirements. But where to start?

A lot of time spent on research and I started to look at videos of those who are the biggest users of live stream services: gamers.  I’ve watched hundreds of videos to understand which tools they use, how is the setup, the technical needs and step by step I’ve developed a concept that could potentially work for WCC. 

After two months of test sessions and adjustments, I’ve finally managed to create a workflow that allowed our productions team to offer a range of solutions to the broad needs we have. 

What a joy when we provided all the technical support for a webinar with sign language interpretation, focusing on people with disabilities! As I shared with my colleagues, that was “the best example of the type of connection webinars can create”. It became a “space for encounter”.

The challenge we now have is to stay true to our identity, even with the growing demands for online events. However, the journey we went through this year has shown that this unprecedented time is an invitation to innovate, also for faith-based organisations. 

ecumenical

My most ecumenical year

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On 20/05/2020

In In English

Today I celebrate my first year working for the most important ecumenical organisation in the world. The World Council of Churches is a fellowship that brings together hundreds of different churches from several denominations. 

In times when society seems increasingly divided, and faith is not rarely misused, working for a fellowship of churches can potentially be considered a waste of time. But I have testified how religious leaders play a crucial role in strengthening communities all across Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America. Sometimes faith provides an entry point whereas other institutions struggle to reach vulnerable people.

On 20 May 2019, I joined the Communication team of the Council. It was a moment in my career in which I was thirsty for a new challenge. I was hoping to be part of a team, and I needed to follow my life decision on choosing a workplace where I could share my knowledge and skills but also make a positive difference in peoples lives. 

Today, I can say that my journey at WCC has never been tedious. Never. I am challenged on a daily basis. But the most striking thing for me is that I can experience the beauty of ecumenism day by day.

In Geneva, most of the time, I share the office with a Latvian Lutheran man and a Greek Orthodox woman. God only knows how diverse we are! As a Catholic Brazilian growing up within the Focolare community, I simply can’t stress enough how fulfilled I am, as a Christian communicator working, particularly, with these two colleagues. It is beautiful to realise that despite our different faith backgrounds, our sometimes opposite worldviews, we are deeply connected by our love for communication and the strong commitment for justice and peace.

In my most ecumenical year, I understood that ecumenism is first and foremost a personal choice. The big lesson at the Council is that unity is a masterpiece that needs to be carefully crafted. And this presupposes my willingness to invest energy, skills, love and, especially, patience and compassion.

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