wfn.org | WCC FEATURE: Taking the pulse of the ecumenical movement

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>World Council of Churches - Feature

>TAKING THE PULSE OF THE ECUMENICAL MOVEMENT

>For immediate release: 11 May 2010

Church ecumenical officers play a key role in the advancement of
ecumenism at a time when resources are scarce and inward-looking
tendencies thrive.

"I regard you as the group that is closest to us in our daily work",  the
World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse  Tveit
told a gathering of church ecumenical officers on Tuesday, 4 May.

A former ecumenical officer himself, Tveit emphasized the crucial  relevance
of the ecumenical officers' work: "Serving the churches in their  response
to the call to seek Christian unity, nurturing opportunities for  the
churches to be one in faith, prayer and service, encouraging their  witness
for justice and peace – these are indeed huge tasks, sometimes  quite
demanding."

Some 55 ecumenical officers from as many churches and all over the  world
met at the Ecumenical Institute in Bossey, near Geneva, 4-6 May.  The
network of ecumenical officers of WCC member churches meets once  every
year, alternating global and regional gatherings.

>Walking the paths of ecumenism

The Rev. Grace Moon, from the Presbyterian Church of Korea, found  the
encounter with fellow ecumenical officers "amazingly helpful". Being  her
first meeting of this kind, she discovered a rich of insights on  a number
of issues. "I've been able to learn ecumenical methodologies to  address,
for instance, gender issues", she said.

Although "most Koreans are unaware of the ecumenical movement and  the WCC,
they live out the three dimensions of the WCC's ecumenical vision  –
unity, witness and service – in their daily church life",  Moon pointed
out. The Presbyterian Church of Korea is a member of the National  Council
of Churches in Korea, which will host the WCC 10th Assembly in Busan,
Korea in 2013.

For Moon, the ecumenical movement is not structures but an ongoing  process:
"It has to do with the life of the churches", she said. One of her
challenges as ecumenical officer is to convey to faithful and leadership
the view that ecumenism "is not about an agenda to fulfill or outcomes  to
achieve, but about embracing the diversity of Christian traditions".  "This
is the most valuable insight we gain from the WCC", Moon added.

The meeting was also a first for Metropolitan Mor Eustathius Matta  Roham,
from the Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East.
Although as a member of the WCC central committee he is well aware  of the
discussions held at these gatherings, he found it very useful –  in
particular, he appreciated the sharing of information about the  upcoming
International Ecumenical Peace Convocation (Link:
http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=8f8f7e11dd36e6a48e8d )  to take place in
Kingston, Jamaica, from 17-25 May 2011. The Convocation will be  the climax
of the WCC's Decade to Overcome Violence 2001-2010 (Link:
http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=cc83ab3c3cbe07711f4b ).

The four themes in which the Convocation is to focus – peace  in the
community, with the Earth, in the marketplace and among the peoples  –
are very relevant for the Middle East context, said Matta Roham.  "For
instance when we talk about peace in the community, we are talking  about
neighbors, and from a Christian viewpoint, that is a concept which
embraces all human beings, all communities, not just those who are  closer
to me or live near by me."

Peace among the peoples also translates very concretely in the Middle  East
context. "We see war between nations and competition for nuclear  weapons",
Matta Roham said. "However, we need not nuclear weapons in any Middle
Eastern country, but to develop technologies that serve the common  good."

For the Rev. Juan Abelardo Schvindt, from the Evangelical Church  of the
River Plate (Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay), participating at  the
gathering of ecumenical officers allowed him to gain insights on  the
ongoing efforts of the WCC to refocus its programmatic work and  redefine
its agenda. "We learnt how the WCC is trying to find its place in  a world
and church landscape that have changed", he said.

One of the biggest challenges Schvindt faces as ecumenical officer  is the
need to "rebuild trust" amongst ecumenical actors in order to achieve  a
renewed agenda. The vitality of the ecumenical movement of the 70s  and 80s
has suffered under the pressure of inward-looking tendencies in  the
churches. "The goal isn't to suppress the churches own identities,  but to
find a space of convergence where they can cooperate and express  their
unity in a visible form", he said.

Another challenge is the scarcity of resources, said the Rev. Dr  Gail
Allan, from the United Church of Canada. "Everybody is struggling  to work
with reduced capacity", she said. In part, the decrease in resources  is
due to a growing conservatism that affects the Canadian society  and
impacts the funding not only of churches but also NGOs.

This scarcity "may actually be an opportunity", said Allan, "as  it is a
challenge to strengthen our joint prophetic witness, which may become
stronger at the end." This view, together with a number of hopeful  signs,
like the growing membership of the Canadian Council of Churches,  justifies
Allan's optimism.

Strong denominationalism is the biggest challenge for the ecumenical
movement in Ghana, said the Rev. Dr Samuel Ayete Nyampong, from  the
Presbyterian Church of Ghana. "This tendency to see ourselves as  different
from others divides us", said Ayete. "We need to build stronger  ecumenical
ties so we can sacrifice our self-interest and pull resources and  ideas
together; we ought to see ourselves as belonging to one fellowship  in
Christ."

Encountering fellow ecumenical officers allowed Ayete to hear other
churches' stories and learn from their challenges. "I can bring  home
information my church wouldn't have received if I hadn't been here",  said
Ayete. "Learning that others are going through similar struggles  makes us
Africans to feel we are not alone."

>[930 words]

WCC's Decade to Overcome Violence (Link:

http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=1e78ff108ee61804087a )

International Ecumenical Peace Convocation (Link:
http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=7f994d66438a1787a244 )

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.