Event in Geneva will celebrate the spirit of WCC assembly
09 September 2013
Members of migrant and local churches in Geneva will get to experience the life and spirit of the World Council of Churches (WCC) 10th Assembly in their own city on Saturday 14 September.
The event, called “A Day at the WCC 10th Assembly”, will be held at the Ecumenical Centre in Grand Saconnex, Geneva, from 08:30 – 16:30.
Organized by the World Council of Churches (WCC) and Witnessing Together in Geneva, the event is patterned after the upcoming WCC assembly programme in Busan, Republic of Korea and will give participants a taste of what a day at the Busan assembly will be like.
The WCC assembly will be held from 30 October to 8 November, addressing the theme “God of life, lead us to justice and peace”.
“A Day at the WCC 10th Assembly” will start in Geneva with a morning worship service facilitated by Prof. Hyunju Bae, a Korean theologian. Bae is responsible for conducting a Bible study on “Being and Becoming Church: The Spirit-Filled Genesis” at the Busan assembly.
The event will also include a Bible study on the theme of “justice” by Rev. Dr Jooseop Keum, secretary for the WCC Commission on World Mission and Evangelism. Dr Keum is responsible for the Bible study on “justice” at the assembly, a crucial element of the theme.
“Asia Plenary”, another segment of the event, will feature a presentation from Rev. Dr Deenabandhu Manchala, WCC programme executive for Just and Inclusive Communities. He will highlight Asian perspectives on the WCC assembly theme. Sunku Kang, a WCC intern, will share information about Korean culture and the life of Korean churches.
Two “Ecumenical Conversations” will conclude the day. Michel Nseir, programme executive for the WCC’s special focus on the Middle East, will speak on “the Middle East: whose justice, what peace?” and give an introduction to WCC’s Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel. His presentation will be followed by Martine Bagnoud, representative of the Syndicat interprofessionnel des travailleurs et travailleuses (interprofessional worker’s union) campaigning to legalize undocumented workers in the domestic sector. Fr Pierre Martinot-Lagarde, S.J., special counsellor for socio-religious questions at the International Labour Organization, will moderate this second session.
The Focolare Movement will conduct a children’s programme on the theme of the WCC assembly at the closing of the seminar. The Focolare Movement is one of the 70 Christian communities engaged with Witnessing Together in Geneva, a programme of the John Knox International Reformed Centre.
Sydia Nduna, WCC programme executive for migration and social justice, and Rev. Dr Roswitha Golder from Witnessing Together in Geneva will welcome participants to the seminar.
For more information contact:
Sydia Nduna, +41795076212 or email: Sydia.Nduna[at]wcc-coe.org
