wfn.org | WCC Christmas Message

[Sheila MESA <smm@wcc-coe.org>]

World Council of Churches
Press Release
For Immediate Use

Christmas Message 1997
by Rev. Dr Konrad Raiser
General Secretary, World Council of Churches	

"Once again, at Christmas we hear the message of the angels who sing:
"Glory to God in the highest heaven and on earth peace to all in whom he
delights" (Luke 2:14).  This was and is the announcement that a new
era, the reign of the Prince of Peace, has begun. 

We hear the message.  It responds to our deepest longings but we still
wait for its fulfilment.   Who can count those who were killed during this
year in wars and military confrontation, those who were massacred as
defenceless victims of terrorism?  More than ever the world seems to be
held captive to the unending cycle of fighting and killing, of victory and
revenge, of merciless competition for power, and of a culture of violence
in which only the winner counts. 

And yet, the reign of the Prince of Peace has begun.  It does not make
the headlines.  It escapes the focus of TV cameras.  It does not conform
to the law that the winner takes all and can impose the terms of peace. 
The new era of peace which began with the birth of Jesus continues
today among the little ones, those who are forgotten, excluded and lost. 
These are those whom God loves and in whom he delights.  For, as
Mary the mother of Jesus said, "(God) has lifted up the lowly and has
filled the hungry with good things" (Luke 1:52f.). 

Is this real, or is it wishful thinking?  We may indeed need new eyes to
discover the ways in which God's reign of peace shows itself in our
time.  And there are examples, like parables, pointing to this different
reality. 

In August this year, the World Council of Churches launched a "Peace to
the City" campaign as the initial focus of its Programme to Overcome
Violence.  The campaign is designed to make visible the efforts of those
often unknown groups of women and men who dare to be peacemakers
in the midst of a culture of violence.  They live among us in our troubled
cities, like Belfast and Boston, Rio and Colombo, Suva in Fiji, Durban and
Kingston.  They live and work among street children and urban gangs. 
They seek to mediate between ethnic groups, and protect minorities. 
They monitor police actions and help to improve run-down
neighbourhoods. 

Through their lives and actions, they help a culture of peace to emerge. 
These people of peace are signs that the reign of the Prince of Peace
has begun.  It is real.  In this, today's peacemakers echo the Christmas
message of the angels: "Glory to God in the highest heaven and on earth
peace to all in whom he delights.""

Note to Editors:

Further information about the WCC's Programme to Overcome Violence,
and the Peace to the City Campaign can be found on the WCC's Web Site
at http://www.wcc-coe.org/pov.  You can download the special
Programme to Overcome Violence logo which you will find on the site.  A
copy of the logo can be airmailed upon request.

Further details about the Peace to the City Campaign follow after the end
of this release. 

Photographs to accompany this Christmas Message are available from
Photo Oikumene: http://www.wcc-coe.org/photo; tel.
+41.22.791.60.81/60.79; fax +41.22.798.13.46.

-------------------

OVERCOMING VIOLENCE.
BUILDING PEACE.

Peace to the City 
A Global Campaign of the Programme to Overcome Violence, World
Council of Churches

Overcoming Violence
Building a Culture of Peace

Violence, in its many forms, is rising. Whether it is in the family or on the
street, between communities or between countries, all of us are affected
by, even linked to, the violence around this world.

All of us are affected by a culture of violence.
All of us must help to build a culture of peace.

Peace to the City

"Peace to the City" is a global campaign to connect people and
organizations who are actively committed to pursuing peace with justice.
The focus is on cities because:

- Cities are a major unit of modern society. As centers of population,
commerce, finance, political power and culture, they form a metaphor for
the modern world.

- Cities are found all over the globe and contain many common
characteristics.

- Cities are a microcosm, embodying some of the most destructive forces
of violence as well as some of the most creative initiatives to overcome
violence.

- "Peace to the City" is taken from the opening greetings of letters sent to
the early Christian churches who experienced division and tension and
lived in the midst of violent societies.

This campaign is grounded in people's aspiration for Peace with Justice
in its fullest sense. It echoes the repeated challenges to unjust structures
and powers that deny abundant life for all, right relations among people
and right relations with Creation.

Goals of the Campaign

With a focus on seven cities, the Campaign is highlighting creative
models of peace building and reconciled communities to:

- make them visible,
- recognize the value of their approaches and methodologies,
- synthesize lessons learned to form new insights and theoretical
perspectives,
- stimulate sharing and networking, 
- give others hope and the tools to attempt something similar in their own
contexts. 

Cities in the Campaign

Initiatives in seven cities are participating in the Campaign. So far the
cities include: 

Belfast, Northern Ireland
Boston, United States 
Colombo, Sri Lanka
Durban, South Africa 
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 

In addition to the symbolic seven cities, churches, religious communities,
peace and justice organizations, and individuals engaged in peace
building all over the world are invited to participate in the campaign to
create a dynamic global network for peace.

Joining the Campaign

Are you involved in efforts to build peace, locally, nationally, or globally?
Do you want to share your story and ideas internationally?
Do you want to support other efforts to overcome violence around the
world?

Join the campaign and help build a culture of peace.

Visit the Peace to the City Web Site at http://www.wcc-coe.org/pov to: 

-  Share your current efforts and future visions for peace.

-  Discuss actions and research. 

-  Chat with experts and public figures.

-  Learn the latest Campaign news through monthly bulletins from each
city and a quarterly campaign newsletter.

- Become a "Campaign Partner" and join our Web network.

- Become a "Sister City". Your local church, community, or organization
can directly connect with the partners in one of the seven cities to learn
about that community and support their peace building efforts. See the
Campaign Web Site or contact WCC/POV for information on local
initiatives.

- Bring the "Peace to the City" Campaign to your community. Have local
churches, religious communities, organizations, and individuals discuss
this initiative and how it can apply in your area. Contact local, regional, or
national councils of churches or religious bodies to find out what they
are doing.

- Share your ideas and efforts in peacemaking through the Web or send
them to the WCC/POV.

- Subscribe to the Programme to Overcome Violence listserver (free of
charge) for information about the campaign, resources, and
announcements. To subscribe, send an e-mail to
"majordomo@info.wcc-coe.org" with "subscribe pov-l" (without quotes)
in the body of your message. 

- To receive the quarterly campaign newsletter by mail, contact the
WCC/POV.

For action and information, contact:

Programme to Overcome Violence
World Council of Churches
P.O. Box 2100
1211 Geneva 2
Switzerland
+41-22-791-0361 (fax)

Salpy Eskidjian, coordinator (sal@wcc-coe.org)
Sara Speicher, programme assistant (ses@wcc-coe.org)
Beatrice Merahi, administrative assistant (bem@wcc-coe.org)

----------------------

World Council of Churches' Programme to Overcome Violence

The WCC launched the  Programme to Overcome Violence (POV) in
1994. The POV seeks to engage with churches, religious communities
and others in a "journey of transformation", inspiring them to do more to
build a culture of peace with justice. Through the programme, the WCC
hopes to stimulate renewed vision, deeper analysis and more creative
methods for building peace.

The two-year "Peace to the City" campaign will culminate at the World
Council of Churches' Eighth Assembly in December 1998. Enabling
churches and groups to connect with and learn from each other will be a
goal throughout the process, creating what we hope will be an exciting
new ecumenical initiative beyond 1998.

*********************************************************
The World Council of Churches is a fellowship of churches, now 330, 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.

World Council of Churches
Press and Information Office
Tel:  (41.22) 791.61.52/51
Fax:  (41.22) 798 13 46
E-Mail: jwn@wcc-coe.org
http://www.wcc-coe.org

P.O. Box 2100
CH-1211 Geneva 2