wfn.org | WARC and REC governing bodies meet for the first time in Utrecht

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

> World Alliance of Reformed Churches
> News Release
> 29 September 2008

WARC and REC governing bodies meet for the first time in Utrecht

Members of the governing bodies of the World Alliance of
Reformed Churches (WARC) and the Reformed Ecumenical Council
(REC) will meet in joint sessions for the first time from 6 to 10
October in Utrecht.

The meeting will consolidate planning for the historic merger of
the two organizations into the World Communion of Reformed
Churches (WCRC). A uniting General Council will be held in June
2010 at Grand Rapids, Michigan. The theme of the General Council
will be "Unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."

WCRC will represent 80 million Reformed Christians around the
world. WARC has 75 million members in 214 churches in 107
countries. REC has 12 million members in 39 churches in 25
countries.

The Utrecht meeting includes WARC's Officers and REC's
Executive Committee. They will work together to finalize a draft
constitution, shape the structure and vision of WCRC and deal
with numerous practical considerations. They will also launch a
WCRC logo.

â??This important joint meeting demonstrates the commitment of
these two Reformed bodies to grow together in the coming
months,â?? said WARC general secretary Setri Nyomi. â??It is a
great opportunity to meet our sisters and brothers in REC and to
make concrete our dream of a new truly vital Reformed communion
that will meet the challenge of Godâ??s call to justice and unity
in the 21st century.â??

Added Richard van Houten, general secretary of REC, â??It will
be the first time the leaders of the two organizations will have
to work together and they can send an important message to our
members about how the cultures of WARC and REC will blend
together, working for the common mission God has given them.â??

The gathering is being hosted and supported by the Protestant
Church in the Netherlands, which is a member of both WARC and
REC. It is the largest Protestant denomination in the Netherlands
and the result of a 2004 merger of the Netherlands Reformed
Church, the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands and the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Both general secretaries expressed their gratitude to the
Protestant Church in the Netherlands for hosting the meeting.
WARC and REC leaders will worship in local churches on the day
prior to the meeting, bringing messages from the home
denominations from around the world.

> ***

The World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) brings together
75 million Reformed Christians in 214 churches in 107 countries -
united in their commitment to making a difference in a troubled
world. The WARC general secretary is Rev. Dr. Setri Nyomi of the
Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana. WARC's secretariat is
based in Geneva, Switzerland.

> Contact:
> John P. Asling
> Executive Secretary, Communications
> World Alliance of Reformed Churches
> 150 Route de Ferney
> P.O. Box 2100
> 1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland
> tel.  +41.22 791 6243
> fax: +41.22 791 6505
> web: www.warc.ch