wfn.org | Title: Upcoming Events March 2004

["WCC Media" <Media@wcc-coe.org>]

World Council of Churches 7 
Upcoming events
   
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 19/02/2004 - ev-04-3

March 2004

 WCC and Roman Catholic representatives to meet
 4-6 March 2004, Antelias, Lebanon

 The Executive Committee of the Joint Working Group (JWG)
between the World
 Council of Churches (WCC) and the Roman Catholic Church will
hold its
 annual meeting to identify emerging priorities in the
ecumenical
 relationship between the two bodies. Issues will be further
discussed at
 the JWG annual plenary meeting taking place 6-13 May in
Kolympari-Chania,
 Greece.

 History of the JWG:
 http://wcc-coe.org/wcc/what/ecumenical/jwgh-e.html 

 Pacific churches and youth to address climate change
 4-11 March 2004, Tarawa, Kiribati

 The WCC in collaboration with the Pacific Conference of
Churches will
 gather scholars, clergy, lay people and youth from the region
to raise
 awareness on climate change.  Experts from the South Pacific
Regional
 Environmental Programme and the World Wildlife Fund as well as
from other
 regions will be on hand to provide advice and guidance to the
Pacific
 churches. The consultation will be preceded by a youth event on
the same
 topic to allow youth to share from their perspectives. Work
done at both
 meetings will feed into the work of the WCC Climate Change
Network and the
 upcoming WCC assembly in Porto Alegre, Brazil in 2006.

 On religion and climate change:
 http://wcc-coe.org/wcc/what/jpc/moscow2003.html 

 Samuel Kobia to give keynote speech at US Ecumenical Advocacy
Days
 5-8 March, Washington DC, USA

 WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia will give the
keynote speech on
 the evening of Friday 5 March, opening the 2004 Ecumenical
Advocacy Days
 for Global Peace with Justice. Dr Kobia will be available to
participants
 for questions regarding his work in the ecumenical movement on
the
 following evening, 6 March.  This event, sponsored by a broad
range of US
 churches and faith-based coalitions, marks the second annual
ecumenical
 gathering in Washington, DC concerning global issues.

 http://www.advocacydays.org 

 Consultation: Christian unity and challenges of identity
 30 March - 6 April 2004, Faverges, France

 The WCC will bring together theologians and social scientists
to explore
 problems of national and ethnic identity in the search for
Christian
 unity. This consultation is the latest in a series of
theological studies
 on Christian unity in local contexts. The goal of the study is
to develop
 materials for local use that will enable the churches to act as
agents of
 reconciliation in conflict situations.

 WCC work on unity:
 http://wcc-coe.org/wcc/what/faith/goal-e.html#5 

 Unless noted otherwise, events are by invitation only and not
open to the
 press or general public. The information above may change
without notice.

For more information contact:
	 Media Relations Office
 tel: (+41 22) 791 64 21 / (+41 22) 791 61 53
 e-mail:media@wcc-coe.org 
 http://www.wcc-coe.org 

 The World Council of Churches is a fellowship of churches, now
342, in
 more than 120 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 Samuel Kobia from the Methodist church in
Kenya.