Our 2025–2030 BWAid Commissions (Commissions | BWAid) will facilitate dynamic breakout sessions at the BWA Annual Gathering, taking place July 6–10, 2026, in Toronto, Canada.
This year’s gathering will center around the theme:
“The Table of Christ: One Gospel, Many People”
A space for reflection, learning, and collaboration that call us to gather in unity across cultures, be transformed together, and be sent out in mission with Christ’s love to every nation.
1. Commission on Humanitarian Aid and Community Development
Sessions include:
- Tending to Trauma with Compassion
Violence and conflict have led to widespread displacement and trauma, increasing the need for holistic humanitarian responses that address both physical and psychosocial needs. This workshop highlights how churches and local NGOs can integrate trauma care into their work, with practical insights from Ukraine, Manipur, and Nigeria to support refugees and IDPs toward healing and resilience. - Meeting Religious diversity with the compassion of Christ
Crises do not discriminate, and neither should our response. This session explores the importance of cultural and religious sensitivity in humanitarian work, highlighting how Baptists can serve both Christian and wider communities with respect and contextual awareness. Featuring insights from Brazil, Syria, and Ghana, it emphasizes a Christ-centered witness that honors the dignity of all people. - Rethinking Relief as a Pathway to Sustainable Development
Every crisis presents opportunities for Christian witness, service, and transformation. This workshop explores how emergency responses can be designed to transition into sustainable, long-term development, highlighting practical pathways to locally led efforts that restore dignity and strengthen communities.
2. Commission on Safeguarding
Sessions include:
- Building your Safeguarding Toolkit
What does an effective safeguarding toolkit actually look like?
This session breaks down the essential components – policies and procedures, training, background checks, visual resources, child-friendly complaints processes, and informed consent. We will explore actionable guidance on developing and strengthening safeguarding systems within your church or organisation. The session will also highlight adaptable tools and resources created by Baptist World Aid Australia, designed to support safer practices across diverse global contexts. - Church as a safe place, considering safeguarding challenges and best practices in a local church context
Safeguarding in the local church is not an optional extra, but goes to the heart of gospel themes: Jesus Christ invites into the safety of his love in the communion of the local church. And yet the record of the last decade has shown how churches have often fallen short of offering this safe environment, with stories of abuse of power and sexual violence across the church landscape. In this seminar we look at how to talk about safeguarding in a structural way, paying attention to different components that help to form safe cultures that reflect the strong love of Jesus.
3. Commission on Racial, Gender, and Economic Justice
Sessions include:
- Truth Telling and Repair: Race, Gender, and Migration
Rooted in the theme“The Table of Christ: One Gospel, Many People,” this workshop explores how justice work reflects Christ’s faithfulness. Through panel conversation, participants will examine racial, gender, and migration injustices, including global calls for reparations and faithful responses to migration in the Americas, and consider pathways toward truth-telling, repair, and welcome. - Justice, Belonging, and Faithful Witness
This workshop is rooted in the Annual Gathering theme,The Table of Christ: One Gospel, Many People, and will create space for thoughtful dialogue on how racial, gender, and economic justice shape Christian witness in North American contexts. Drawing on Scripture, lived experience, and global perspectives, the panel will explore how Christ’s table challenges exclusion, confronts injustice, and calls the Church toward deeper solidarity with particular emphasis on the Indigenous communities.
We will continue to share updates on our commission´s participation as additional information becomes available.
For additional details about the event, please visit: Annual Gathering | Baptist World Alliance.
