wfn.org | WCC NEWS: US member churches to highlight peace-making efforts

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

World Council of Churches - News Release
Contact: + 41 22 791 6153 +41 79 507 6363 media@wcc-coe.org 
 
For immediate release: 27 September 2004

WCC US CONFERENCE TO HIGHLIGHT US CHURCHES' PEACE-MAKING EFFORTS

To "expose and inspire" the US churches' witness to "the power and promise of
peace" is the aim of events being organized in October in Atlanta, Georgia,
by the US Conference for the World Council of Churches (WCC).

"The power and promise of peace" is the theme of the 2004 US focus of the WCC
Decade to Overcome Violence (DOV). The US Conference for the WCC is the main
platform of the WCC's 34 member churches in the USA, and the annual meeting
is expected to gather hundreds of church leaders and ecumenical activists
from throughout the US and other countries. 

Scheduled around the US Conference's 5-6 October annual meeting, the events
include a keynote address by WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, and
messages from "living letters" as well as videotaped messages to the US
churches from prominent ecumenical personalities involved in the DOV in other
regions. 

Among other key personalities involved in the event are former US Ambassador
to the UN Rev. Andrew Young, King Center president and CEO Martin Luther King
III, and the WCC president from North America Dr Bernice Powell Jackson. 

At the close of the meeting, "Blessed are the peace-makers" awards will be
awarded to US individuals and organizations responsible for creative and
courageous peace and justice efforts in their communities. 

According to the moderator of the US conference for the WCC, Rev. Leonid
Kishkovsky, the theme of the gathering is of particular relevance to churches
in the US today, as Christians react to tragic events and conflicts in the
world. "Rarely has the world so needed the Christian witness of peace," he
said. "The experience of prayer for all those who suffer from violence makes
the theme of our meeting, 'The Power and Promise of Peace', all the more
urgent."

Designed to give participants from US churches, theological institutions,
schools and youth groups, peace groups, interfaith and secular organizations
a special opportunity to reflect on, and share what they have been doing over
the year to overcome violence, the programme comprises a range of worship
events, workshops discussions and exhibits. 

The programme of the US conference will include:

"Spirituality, non-violence and reconciliation" retreat (2-4 October)
Prior to the annual meeting, an optional retreat will invite participants "to
experience with soul, mind, heart and senses the power and promise of peace",
and to explore the Christian spiritual experience of non-violence and
reconciliation.
Venue: Simpsonwood Conference and Retreat Center
4511 Jones Bridge Circle, N
Norcross, Georgia 30092

Black Church Liaison Committee (4 October)
A liaison committee of leaders of historic African-American churches will
meet with the WCC general secretary.
Venue: Renaissance Concourse Hotel
One Hartsfield Centre Parkway
Atlanta, Georgia 30354 

Alumni and Friends of Bossey reception (4 October) 
On the same evening, a reception is being hosted for the US alumni and
friends of the WCC's Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, near Geneva,
Switzerland.
Venue: Renaissance Concourse Hotel
One Hartsfield Centre Parkway
Atlanta, Georgia 30354

US Conference annual meeting (5-6 October)
A keynote address by WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia will set the
tone for the two-day meeting during which participants will receive words of
encouragement from DOV "global partners" from other parts of the world. These
messages will include live testimonies from "living letters" - people invited
to Atlanta to tell of peace-making efforts in other parts of the world -, and
six videotaped messages from other DOV "global partners". 
Venue: Renaissance Concourse Hotel
One Hartsfield Centre Parkway
Atlanta, Georgia 30354

The rest of the meeting programme will feature: 

Workshops and panel discussions
Hosted over the two days by Atlanta's historic Black Morehouse and Spelman
Colleges and open free of charge to students and faculty and the
Atlanta-based ecumenical community, more than twenty offsite workshops will
tackle such "power and promise"-related subjects as
- Welcoming the stranger after 9/11: refugees, immigrants and uprooted
people.
- US churches, Iraq and the war against terrorism.
- Virtual violence: violent video games and corporate responsibility.
- Focus on the Sudan: conflict resolution.
- Overcoming violence in creation.
- Combating domestic violence.
- Role of politics and prophecy in "The Power and Promise of Peace".
(See full programme and venues at http://www.wcc-usa.org ) 

Art exhibit 
A widely acclaimed art exhibit on the lives and principles of Mahatma Gandhi,
Martin Luther King, Jr. and Daisaku Ikeda will be on view at the meeting
venue.

Jazz vespers (7 p.m., 5 October)
Rev. Dr Dwight Andrews, associate professor of music theory at Emory
University and senior minister of Atlanta's First Congregational Church, will
lead jazz vespers at his church. 
Venue: First Congregational Church
105 Courtland Street, NE Atlanta

Closing ceremony
A closing ceremony at the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church will feature
special music and liturgical dance, an address by National Council of
Churches in the USA past president and Faith and the City co-chair,
Ambassador Andrew Young, and the presentation of "Blessed are the
peace-makers" awards for creative and courageous peace and justice efforts.

Stewards' programme
Young American Christians are being invited to further the cause of "The
Power and Promise of Peace" by serving as stewards during the gathering. 
(More information at http://www.wcc-usa.org )

Media contacts:
Deborah DeWinter 212-870-2522 dhd@wcc-coe.org
John Baker Brown 404-523-5554 jbrown@faithandthecity.org

Detailed programme and more information on the meeting:
http://www.wcc-usa.org

DOV website:
http://www.overcomingviolence.org

WCC website: 
http://www.wcc-coe.org 

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media@wcc-coe.org 

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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.