World Council of Churches - News Release
Contact: +41 22 791 6153 +41 79 507 6363 media@wcc-coe.org
For immediate release - 31/08/2007 03:31:32 PM
PACIFIC CHURCHES ARE SIGNS OF HOPE AMIDST NEW CHALLENGES
Churches in the Pacific become "signs of hope" as they "bear witness to the Gospel and work together to address the issues that most concern the peoples of the region," World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia said in a message sent to the 9th assembly of the Pacific Conference of Churches.
The gathering will take place 2-8 September at the Kanana Fou Theological Seminary, in Pago Pago, American Samoa. Over 200 delegates from 25 churches and 7 national councils of churches are expected to attend the proceedings under the theme "Atua [God], empower us to be liberating communities." Over 30 young delegates will attend a youth pre-assembly taking place at the same venue 31 August-1 September.
The witness of the Pacific churches takes place amidst "new challenges to political stability, environmental well-being and economic and cultural autonomy," Kobia underlined in his message, expressing hopes that the assembly would be an "opportunity to focus the attention of the churches and councils on a common vision of unity and witness, and to coordinate strategies to address the critical issues within the region".
Full text of the letter to the delegates and participants: http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?id=4133
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 promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 347 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 560 million Christians in over 110 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, from the Methodist Church in Kenya. Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.
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