As Christmas draws near, youth and young adult within the World Methodist Council are preparing to celebrate in ways that reflect both their faith and vibrant local cultures. Across the globe, these celebrations vary widely—from worship services and festive gatherings to acts of service and unique regional traditions. To honour this diversity,  we launched an initiative to gather insights and stories worldwide, offering a meaningful glimpse into the ways young people live out faith and spread Christmas joy around the world.

And we invite you to explore some of these stories…

Sweden is very dark in December, so Christmas and Advent are deeply tied to finding light, both literal and symbolic.

One cherished tradition is the feast of St. Lucia, a Christian martyr from Sicily who, through historical twists, became a beloved saint in Lutheran Sweden. In the Uniting Church in Sweden, youth groups often organize Lucia celebrations. During these events, youth and children, dressed in white, holding candles, sing songs about finding light in darkness.

The celebration often continues with festive gatherings, including sales of Christmas goods to support charitable causes. And, of course, no Lucia feast is complete without saffron buns, the signature treat of the day.

Elsa Nobuoka, Pastoral candidate, Uniting Church in Sweden

(Image Feast of St. Lucia ref.: Sala Missionsförsamling – Uniting Church in Sweden in Sala)

In the Philippines, Christmas is a highly anticipated season, marked by traditions like the nine-day evening watch leading to Christmas. For the United Methodist Youth Fellowship in the Philippines (UMYFP), it also means the annual Christmas Institute (CI), a program dating back to 1921. CI brings youth together in fellowship, grounding them in Christian faith to become agents of justice, peace, hope, and love. Each year’s CI has a unique theme; this year, the theme is “Sibol” (sprout), symbolizing growth. The UMYFP encourages the worldwide Methodist youth family to deepen their faith, nurture relationships, and actively participate in God’s mission.

Dave Uriel Angelo Rombaoa, President NUMYFP, UMC Philippines Central Conference

(Image NUMYFP ref.: National United Methodist Youth Fellowship in the Philippines)

Christmas in Australia is characterised by hot weather and summer meals. Being ‘Down Under’ Christmas Day can often be quite warm, often up to 40ºC (105 ºF), and so our traditional Christmas Meals generally includes lots of cold seafood, recognising our costal climate. In the Uniting Church in Australia, our congregations celebrate Christmas with traditional Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Services. Outdoor Carol Services, often accompanied by a BBQ, is another common celebration throughout Advent. Frontier Services, our organisation which supports remote Australians in the bush, will be helping to support Australians in more remote parts of the Country. Our Bush Chaplains have the Bush Bash Caravan which spreads cheer across rural towns, and they also coordinate festive gatherings in regional centres. Although the traditions and temperatures may be different to other parts of the world it is still wonderful to celebrate the hope, joy, peace and love of Christmas.

Richard La’Brooy, College Chaplain, Uniting Church in Australia

At Christmas, my Methodist church in Brasília, the capital of Brazil, has the tradition of holding a service at least a week before the official date. During this service, we sing classic hymns about the birth of Jesus, and often, the children and youth present special performances. We also have the tradition of forming a choir, with young people and adults from the local church.

For New Year’s, we usually hold a New Year’s Eve service starting at 10 PM. During this service, the pastors of the church (my parents) pray personally for all the members, prophesying blessings for the beginning of the year. At the end, the entire church gathers for a communal meal. Everyone brings their dishes to share with the other members, and we celebrate together into the early hours of the morning.

Hannah Dias, Methodist Church in Brazil

The Epworth League Rome, Ponte Sant’Angelo Methodist Church in Rome (Italy) Young Adult Ministry, brings together interdenominational young adults for Spiritual Formation, Community Building, and Mission. This Christmas, we are sharing light and hope by collecting food for unhoused individuals in our neighborhood. For young adults who are unable to travel home for Christmas, the church offers a welcoming space to celebrate the season and experience the warmth of a Christian community, providing a sense of belonging and connection during this special time of the year.

Following Christmas, we look ahead to our biggest annual event: the New Year’s Eve gathering and sleepover at the church. We come together for food, fellowship, worship, and prayer, closing the year in faith and gratitude. As we reflect on the past year, we also begin the new one united in community, ready to embrace the future with hope and shared commitment.

Rev. Sarah Mae Gabuyo, GBGM Missionary, Ponte Sant’Angelo Methodist Church – Italy

(Image PSA ref.: The Epworth League Rome Gathering)

I am Junyoung Kim, a youth delegate from the Korean Methodist Church, currently in the ordination process and serving as a pastor on Ganghwa Island, South Korea. This is my first Christmas here, and my congregation and I are preparing for the Advent season, eagerly awaiting Christ’s arrival. As Anselm Grün said, waiting for Christ “allows the old things that have enslaved us to disappear and awakens hope, […]” despite life’s challenges. This Advent, I am reflecting on the climate crisis by practising “daily environmental actions,” such as reducing single-use items and trying a carbon fast, as part of caring for creation. This reminds us that our waiting is for the restoration of abundant hope through Christ. I pray the global church embraces God’s grace this season and cares for the world with renewed hope.

Junyoung Kim, Pastoral candidate, Korean Methodist Church

In North Carolina, USA, Advent and Christmas bring diverse traditions that embody the Spirit of the season. Many churches display nativity scenes, some hosting living nativities where members act out the Christmas story, showcasing the living Christ to their communities. Others honour the Moravian influence on John Wesley by holding Love Feasts, sharing food and faith stories to celebrate God’s work in their lives. The Hanging of the Greens is another cherished tradition, where sanctuaries are decorated with symbolic Advent and Christmas items, accompanied by Scripture and song. These practices reflect the beauty of Methodist and Wesleyan diversity while highlighting our shared unity in Christ, Emmanuel, God with Us. As we prepare for the Saviour’s birth, may we rejoice in the Spirit, spreading the hope, peace, joy, and love of Christ with everyone we meet.

Rev. Miles Baker Hunt, UMC North Carolina Annual Conference, USA

The Methodist Church of Chile organizes various activities nationwide to celebrate the birth of Jesus. In addition to our traditional Christmas liturgies, we are hosting events through our Migrant Ministry, focusing on the foreign families we serve, as Christmas itself symbolizes a migratory journey. These events include interactive activities, games, and gift distribution for children and adolescents. We carry out these efforts in collaboration with sister churches and human rights organizations, fostering a spirit of unity and care. Through these initiatives, we aim to reflect the message of love, inclusion, and hope central to the Christmas season.

Esteban Quiroz, Methodist Church in Chile

In Nigeria, Christmas is a cherished family celebration, widely regarded as the most memorable season across the country’s diverse cultures and communities. For the youth, the festivities are vibrant, featuring concerts, funfairs, and street cantatas. Churches begin Christmas carols on the first Sunday of December, with children performing songs and youth staging dramas. Youth also visit fellowship patrons and patronesses and engage in volunteer work. Evening musical concerts at cathedrals showcase the talents of individuals and groups, while traditional carols in villages feature colourful cultural attire. Regional traditions vary: in the North, youths go camping; in the East, they participate in street rallies and festivals; in the West, they organise concerts and interdenominational events like “The Experience” by House on the Rock Church in Lagos. This Christmas, Nigerian Methodist youth share a message of hope with their global family: we shall all rise again.

Rev. Yemi Alaran, Methodist Church in Nigeria

In Kolkata, Christmas transcends religious and social boundaries, celebrated by people of all faiths and even those without faith. During Midnight Mass and Christmas Day, thousands come together irrespective of religion, class, or caste to sit as equals in the pews or on the ground, creating a liberating and inclusive experience. At St. Paul’s Cathedral organizes “Lunch with Jesus” for underprivileged and orphaned children, embodying the spirit of Christ’s love. Youth initiatives include charity drives, feeding the needy, and visiting elder homes and orphanages, putting faith into action. Festivities are enriched by shared meals, including plum cake and biryani, and traditions like carolling and competitions that celebrate worship through music. Regional-language carols challenge the misconception of Christianity as a white faith, reflecting its deep integration into Indian culture This season, may the Church continue to foster unity, compassion, and love, spreading Christ’s light beyond all divides.

Śubha Baradina (Merry Christmas!)

Priyanka Gloria Gupta, St Paul’s Cathedral, Kolkata, Church of North India

WMC Youth and Young Adult Committee

The World Methodist Council (WMC) joins the call of the United Nations secretary-general, the
World Health Organization, the World Food Programme (WFP), International Red Cross, Religious
Bodies and other International Agencies for an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza war.

We believe in the universal values of peace, justice and equality and decry the violence as Israel
continue to dispense collective punishment for the Hamas October 7 attack on civilians in southern
Israel.

The WFP warns of “the immediate possibility” of mass starvation in Gaza where more than twelve
thousand people have died, thousands more injured and more than a million displaced.

We recognize that that the cycle of violence is rooted in decades of dispossession and call on people
of conscience everywhere to oppose the war in Gaza and the killing of Palestinians in the West Bank
and other occupied territories.

As reminded by Scripture, we were chosen by God, before anything was created (Ephesians 1:4). We
are the signate of God’s creation and believe in the sanctity of all human life. We pledge to respect
and protect the human rights of all persons especially Palestinians to live peacefully in the land of
their birth.

The World Methodist Council (WMC) joins the call of the United Nations secretary-general, the
World Health Organization, the World Food Programme (WFP), International Red Cross, Religious
Bodies and other International Agencies for an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza war.
We believe in the universal values of peace, justice and equality and decry the violence as Israel
continue to dispense collective punishment for the Hamas October 7 attack on civilians in southern
Israel.
The WFP warns of “the immediate possibility” of mass starvation in Gaza where more than twelve
thousand people have died, thousands more injured and more than a million displaced.
We recognize that that the cycle of violence is rooted in decades of dispossession and call on people
of conscience everywhere to oppose the war in Gaza and the killing of Palestinians in the West Bank
and other occupied territories.
As reminded by Scripture, we were chosen by God, before anything was created (Ephesians 1:4). We
are the signate of God’s creation and believe in the sanctity of all human life. We pledge to respect
and protect the human rights of all persons especially Palestinians to live peacefully in the land of
their birth.

Together with the All Africa Conference of Churches, Council for World Mission, FIAN
International, Lutheran World Federation, Organisation of African Instituted Churches, World
Communion of Reformed Churches, and World Council of Churches, the World Methodist Council
is organizing a Online Consultation on the converging food and debt crisis. Climate-related
disasters, a world reeling from the effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic, combined with rising
international food prices – aggravated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine – mean increasing
malnutrition and starvation, particularly in Africa, Asia and Latin America. For churches called to
promote life-giving agriculture and a New International Financial and Economic Architecture
(NIFEA) for an Economy of Life, responding to the converging crises causing much suffering
amongst the poorest is nothing less than a moral imperative. The Online Consultation offers a
possibility to learn how to respond to the needs of those starving and how to implement systemic changes.
The online consultation will be held in English, with simultaneous interpretation into French and Spanish.

Here is the Zoom link to register: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIpc-qtqTsjGtUG9vq8ohW11L2xkm-sojBi

Check out the video below to see more on the event:

News story from the WCC published on the event:

https://www.oikoumene.org/news/across-the-globe-christians-pray-for-peace-in-a-broken-world

The Council of Bishops of the African Methodist Episcopal Church condemns the United States Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, reversing the 50-year precedent set in Roe v. Wade. This decision puts millions of women’s lives in danger and threatens the civil rights of all people. We will not let the retrogressive politics of one extremist political party strip away the rights for which our fore parents died. We remain in solidarity with the black, brown, and poor people who this decision will disproportionately impact. We ask each member to recommit to vote in every upcoming election to ensure that human beings are treated with equal dignity and respect and given equal access to resources.

While this dangerous opinion is not surprising, it still causes us to tremble. We pause to acknowledge the feelings of sorrow, betrayal, and fear that have gripped women who no longer have access to adequate health care. We’re still reeling from the ongoing mass murders committed by people with unfettered access to assault weapons guaranteed by the same court that purports to be “pro-life”. Nevertheless, we are committed to sit, stand, march, vote and pray with the millions of people now rightfully concerned about whether and when their fundamental freedoms will be the next to fall.

There is no time to waste. We must resolve to be present as priests and as public servants. We must work to encourage 100 percent voter turnout and to vote for persons and policies that address the needs of all Americans. We must stand together against all forms of racism, xenophobia, and white supremacist misrepresentation of biblical faith. 

We must never settle for less than what was promised in our nation’s Constitution: that we are ALL are enjoy the blessings of liberty. We will not shrink back from our faith. God’s justice and righteousness will prevail!

Prayerfully Submitted,

Bishop Ronnie E Brailsford, Sr.,  President of the Council of Bishops 
Bishop Adam J. Richardson, Senior Bishop
Bishop Paul J. M. Kawimbe, President of the General Board
Bishop E. Anne Henning Byfield, Chair of the Social Action Commission
Bishop Francine A. Brookins, Chair of the Public Statement Committee
Mrs. Jacquelyn Dupont-Walker, Director/Consultant of Social Action

Peace,
Rev. Dr. Jeffery B. Cooper
General Secretary/CIO
African Methodist Episcopal Church