wfn.org | LWF General Secretary Congratulates Newly Elected CEC Leader

["Frank Imhoff" <Frank.Imhoff@elca.org>]

LWF General Secretary Congratulates Newly Elected CEC Leader
Anglican Archdeacon Colin Williams Succeeds Keith Clements December
2005

GENEVA, 14 June 2005 (LWI) - The Lutheran World Federation (LWF)
General Secretary, Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko, has congratulated Anglican
Archdeacon of Lancaster, Colin Williams, on his recent election as
General Secretary of the Conference of European Churches (CEC). 

The CEC Central Committee elected Williams on June 6 at its meeting in
Aghios Nikolaos, Crete, Greece. The incumbent, Rev. Dr Keith Clements,
will retire at the end of November 2005 after eight years of service.
Williams will assume his tenure in December 2005.

In a congratulatory letter to Williams, Noko highlights the shared
ecumenical concerns of the LWF and CEC, expressing confidence that "we
shall develop the same good and close rapport" as that experienced with
Clements. 

Noko draws attention to the different ecumenical relations that some
LWF member churches have developed with churches from different
Christian traditions on the continent. Among the 43 LWF member churches
in Europe some are bilaterally in communion with Anglican churches, and
with Reformed churches, and multilaterally in communion with Anglican
and Reformed churches. Others are in communion bilaterally with
Methodist churches in the region, or through the Leuenberg Agreement.
"The experience you will build on as you assume your responsibilities
has connected you directly with some of the main ecumenical
developments, prospects and challenges related to Anglican * Lutheran *
Reformed relations in Europe," Noko writes. 

The LWF general secretary highlights the international dialogues in
which the LWF is engaged as a Christian World Communion. He affirms the
Lutheran communion's strong commitment to relations that seek church
communion also with the Orthodox Churches and Roman Catholic Church.
Equally important, he adds, are relations with the Jewish people, and
people of other faiths. He says he hopes these relations could be a
contribution "also in the years to come to a harmonious development of
Europe at the religious level."

On social concerns, Noko mentions the need for both the LWF and CEC to
keep "prominently" on their agendas the challenges of economic
globalization. "Your dedication to a Europe which is open,
compassionate, just and in touch with its spiritual heritage will echo
very well in the environment of which you will be a part here in
Geneva," he notes. 

Founded in 1959, the CEC is a fellowship of some 125 Orthodox,
Protestant, Anglican and Old Catholic churches from all countries of
Europe, plus 40 organizations with which it is associated. Headquartered
in Geneva, Switzerland, it has offices in Brussels, Belgium and
Strasbourg, France. (423 words)

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran
tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund, Sweden, the LWF currently has 138
member churches in 77 countries all over the world, with a membership of
nearly 66 million. The LWF acts on behalf of its member churches in
areas of common interest such as ecumenical and inter-faith relations,
theology, humanitarian assistance, human rights, communication, and the
various aspects of mission and development work. Its secretariat is
located in Geneva, Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the LWF's information service.
Unless specifically noted, material presented does not represent
positions or opinions of the LWF or of its various units. Where the
dateline of an article contains the notation (LWI), the material may be
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