The National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP) calls on the faith community once again to reflect on the significance of Ecumenical Witness Sunday—a celebration of our shared faith, our ecumenical journey, and our continuing commitment to bear witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the life of the Church and in the life of our nation.
Established through the designation of the third Sunday of November as NCCP Sunday, this annual observance was mandated by the NCCP General Convention to promote and popularize the Council and the ecumenical movement at the grassroots level, and to mobilize the spiritual, human, material, and financial resources needed to sustain the Council’s life, ministries, and prophetic witness. More than an institutional celebration, it is an occasion to reaffirm why the churches have chosen to journey together despite their differences in traditions, practices, and expressions of faith.
This year’s theme “Celebrating Our Unity, Renewing Our Common Witness” has been expanded in order to focus on how our unity and common witness are translated into action in the midst of our current situation as a nation. To remain authentic to what is currently transpiring in the country, the expanded theme blends traditional ecumenical values with the acute societal challenges facing Filipinos. Thus, considering the prophetic voice, incarnational theology, and historic identity of the National Council of Churches in the Philippines, this year’s Ecumenical Witness Sunday expanded theme thus states: “Walking Together in Truth, Defending God’s Creation, and Asserting Sovereignty for Abundant Life for All.” (Inspired by John 10:10 and Galatians 5:1)
It is our hope and prayer that through the celebration of Ecumenical Witness Sunday, our churches would be able to live out a liturgical life that responds to our Lord’s prayer in John 17:21, “…that all of them may be one… so that the world may believe….”
Download the liturgical guide:
Liturgical Guide – Ecumenical Witness Sunday, November 2026
For questions and any other concerns regarding this material, you may contact Rev. Callum Tabada, Program Director of the Program Unit on Christian Unity and Ecumenical Relations (PUCUER) at ctabada@nccphilippines.com.
