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SCOBA
The Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas
8 East 79th Street, New York, NY 10021

Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC)
P.O. Box 4319  St. Augustine, FL  32085-4319
Email:	missions@ocmc.org  -- Web: http://www.ocmc.org

August 22, 2003

Orthodox Church in Greece to Host World Conference on Mission & Evangelism

St. Augustine, FL (OCMC) --  Athens, Greece is to be the site of the next
conference on World Mission and Evangelism from May 12 to 29 in 2005. The
Commission on World Mission and Evangelism (CWME) of the World Council of
Churches (WCC) received official acceptance and welcome from the Orthodox
Church in Greece. This will be the first time that an Orthodox-majority
country will host a WCC World Mission and Evangelism conference.

  The theme of the 2005 conference is "Come Holy Spirit, Heal and Reconcile.
Called in Christ to be Reconciling and Healing Communities."  Approximately
500 official participants from all around the world, including
representatives of WCC member churches, the Roman Catholic church and
various evangelical/Pentecostal/charismatic traditions are expected. The
last World Mission and Evangelism conference was held in 1996 in Brazil.

Fr. Martin Ritsi, the Executive Director of the Orthodox Christian Mission
Center, is one of seven Orthodox representatives on the WCC Commission of
World Mission and Evangelism. Also serving on the commission is Fr.
Athanasius Akunda, an Orthodox missionary in South Africa from Kenya
sponsored by OCMC.

The current WCC general secretary, Rev. Dr. Konrad Raiser, recently
expressed the value of Orthodox participation in ecumenical dialogue when
he said, "there is no doubt for me that the active presence of the Orthodox
churches in the WCC has been essential in shaping the understanding of our
common ecumenical calling." He also spoke of a "major Orthodox contribution
to unfolding the self-understanding of the WCC is in the establishment of a
Christocentric affirmation of its Basis (the confession of the Lord Jesus
Christ and God and Saviour) in a Trinitarian setting (to the glory of the
one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit)."

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