wfn.org | ABNS - WEA and WCC Leaders Meet

[George Conklin <gconklin@igc.org>]

> American Baptist News Service (ABNS)

> WEA and WCC leaders meet

VALLEY FORGE, PA (ABNS 3/10/10)­In a recent press release, the World
Council of Churches reported that there was a March 3 meeting between
Rev. Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the World Council of
Churches (WCC), and Rev. Dr Geoff Tunnicliffe, international director
of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA), at the Ecumenical Center in
Geneva, Switzerland, to discuss common concerns around Christian unity.

"American Baptists have historically held our identity as both
evangelical and ecumenical as a precious gift of God," said General
Secretary Roy Medley. "It gladdens our hearts to see the work of the
Spirit in the greater cooperation between the WCC and WEA."

Tunnicliffe and Tveit met for the first time in 2007 at the Global
Christian Forum in Limuru, Kenya. The meeting in Geneva was their
first encounter since Tveit began his tenure as WCC general secretary
in January.

They discussed areas of common interest and collaboration such as
mission and evangelism and the ongoing work on a code of conduct on
conversion, which also involves the Roman Catholic Church.

"We affirmed that all Christians have a common call to be one, and
that we want to be sensitive to one another's concerns," Tveit said of
the meeting.

Tunnicliffe said: "This important meeting was helpful in building
bridges of understanding in regards to evangelism, religious liberty
and caring for the vulnerable. We look forward to ongoing
conversations with the WCC."

The two leaders also affirmed the continued support of the WCC and WEA
for the Global Christian Forum as a platform providing opportunities
for encounters and dialogue between Orthodox, Catholic, Anglican,
Protestant, Evangelical, Pentecostal and the African Instituted Churches.

> Towards a code of conduct on conversion

> Commission on World Mission and Evangelism

> Website of the Global Christian Forum

> Website of the World Evangelical Alliance

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
349 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 Olav Fykse Tveit, from the [Lutheran] Church of
Norway. Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.

American Baptist Churches is one of the most diverse Christian
denominations today, with 5,500 local congregations comprised of 1.3
million members, across the United States and Puerto Rico, all engaged
in God?s mission around the world.

posted @ Wednesday, March 10, 2010 9:41 AM by webmaster