wfn.org | WCC NEWS: Mission meeting ends in footsteps of Paul

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World Council of Churches - News Release
Contact: +41 22 791 6153 +41 79 507 6363 media@wcc-coe.org
For immediate release - 16/05/2005

MISSION MEETING ENDS IN FOOTSTEPS OF PAUL

Free photos available at
www.mission2005.org

On Sunday, Christians from more than 100 nations, representing churches in
every geographic region and most of the historic traditions of Christianity, closed their conference on world mission and evangelism in a "sending
service" in central Athens, on the site of Saint Paul's sermon to the
Athenians.

Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, general secretary of the World Council of Churches
(WCC), preached where Paul acknowledged the local context of the philosophers of Athens but also proclaimed the universal significance of the gospel.
Standing on the Areopagus, or "Mars hill", Paul taught that God had
created all nations "so that they would search for God and perhaps grope
for him and find him - though indeed he is not far from each one of us.
For in him we live and move and have our being."

>> Testimony to diversity

The 13th Conference on World Mission and Evangelism, meeting from 9 to 16
May 2005 on the Aegean shore east of Athens, was a testimony to the
diversity of the worldwide religion that grew from the apostolic message.
While discovering many signs of unity in their midst, the 650 participants
also sought to address the world's divisions when discussing the conference theme, "Come Holy Spirit, heal and reconcile! Called in Christ to be
healing and reconciling communities".

Member churches of the WCC provided representatives of the Orthodox,
Protestant, Anglican, Baptist, Independent, United, African Instituted and
Pentecostal traditions. In addition, a significant number of Pentecostal
and evangelical churches not belonging to the WCC were in attendance and,
for the first time at such a conference, a substantial delegation of 42
representatives from the Roman Catholic Church came not as observers but
full members. For many, the conference was characterized primarily by its
"expanding participation".

>> Marketplaces of ideas

The atmosphere of the conference differed from many ecumenical assemblies,
allowing considerable time for common prayer, Bible study and small group
discussion of matters relating to the themes of reconciliation and
healing. Plenaries explored sub-themes such as building community,
overcoming violence, confronting HIV/AIDS and promoting a church that is
open to people of every physical and spiritual condition. Marketplaces of
ideas and experience, bearing the Greek name "synaxeis", gave further
opportunities to examine issues not on the formal agenda.

>> A call to reconciliation

The conference participants recognized that divisions among Christians
persist, but that changes affecting the world in the new millennium form
an unprecedented challenge to Christian mission and witness, and call the
churches to repentance and reconciliation. A "message", or formal letter
from the conference to the churches, drafted by participants during the
week, was referred to the Commission on World Mission and Evangelism for
completion.

>> Striking symbol

One striking symbol of the life of the conference was a five-metre
standing cross, a gift of the Christian churches of Jerusalem. At the
closing plenary, Rev. Ruth Bottoms, the moderator of the conference,
announced that the cross will be taken to Porto Alegre, Brazil for the
WCC's 9th Assembly in February 2006. There, it will aid in telling the
story of the mission conference, and of those who suffer in the land of
Christ's birth. Afterwards, it will be returned to Athens to be preserved
by the churches in Greece.

Free high resolution photos, stories, news and documents of the conference
are available at:
http://www.mission2005.org/index.php?id=548&L=0

Conference website: www.mission2005.org

Additional information: Juan Michel,+41 22 791 6153 +41 79 507 6363
media@wcc-coe.org

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The World Council of Churches is a fellowship of churches, now 347, 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.