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World Council of Churches
Press Release
For Immediate Use
10 April 1997

MESSAGE OF THE PRESIDENTS OF THE WCC
AT PENTECOST 1997

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

On the day of Pentecost, those who were present were amazed and
astonished to hear in their own languages the words spoken by
Galileans. 

To hear the story of *this Jesus whom God raised up" in our own
language is God's Pentecost gift to us. But the miracle of
Pentecost also shows us that the gospel is not confined to any
one language or culture.

The Conference on World Mission and Evangelism, held in Brazil,
24 November - 3 December 1996, with the theme *Called to One Hope
- the Gospel in Diverse Cultures", sought, in the Spirit of
Pentecost, to *understand better the way in which the gospel
challenges all human cultures" and, at the same time, *how
culture can give a clearer understanding of the gospel". 

The Conference affirmed: *The hope of the gospel is expressed in
the gracious coming of God in Jesus of Nazareth. We believe that
it is still the church's primary calling to pursue the mission of
God in God's world. Yet this mission cannot be seen today in
narrow ways - it must be an every member mission, from everywhere
to everywhere, involving every aspect of life in a rapidly
changing world of many cultures."

These are challenging times in which we experience in new ways
the diversity of our world. We hear cries of pain and suffering
caused by political and economic divisions. We experience the
anger of communities marginalized by exploitation. We are moved
by the stories of those who struggle in the face of hopelessness.

The Pentecost story breaks into this world of division to
announce the good news that we need not be held captive to the
divisive spirit of the times.  Pentecost affirms the diversity of
peoples held together by the power of the Spirit. We are inspired
by those who are enabled to live the gospel in the context of
division and brokenness, rising above despair, nurturing hope and
building community.

Pentecost calls us all to renounce the spirit of fear and
division by opening ourselves to Christ - our One Hope. Pentecost
calls each of us, in the communities in which we live, to engage
in dialogue with those we have rejected, to heal wounds created
by intolerance and to find new ways to manifest the inclusive
love of God for all humanity.

The Presidents of the World Council of Churches

Prof. Anna Marie Aagaard, Hojbjerg, Denmark
Bishop Vinton Anderson, St. Louis, United States
Bishop Leslie Boseto, Boeboe Village, Solomon IslandsMrs Priyanka
Mendis, Idama, Sri Lanka
Rev. Eunice Santana, Arecibo, Puerto Rico
His Holiness Pope Shenouda III, Cairo, Egypt
Dr Aaron Tolen, Yaounde, Cameroon

**********
The World Council of Churches is a fellowship of churches, now
332, in more than 100 countries in all continents from virtually
all Christian traditions.  The Roman Catholic Church is not a
member church but works cooperatively with the WCC.  The highest
governing body is the Assembly, which meets approximately every
seven years.  The WCC was formally inaugurated in 1948 in
Amsterdam, Netherlands.  Its staff is headed by general secretary
Konrad Raiser from the Evangelical Church in Germany.

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