Churches prepare to transform the world
-04/10/05
As the momentum builds in Christian communities around the globe in anticipation of the 9th Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC), which will be held in Porto Alegre, Brazil, 14-23 February 2006, two forthcoming church events in the US will focus on “transforming the world”.
US member churches will gather for their pre-assembly conference in Chicago from 10-12 October 2005. Church leaders and ecumenists from around the country will engage in theological reflection and Bible study on the theme of the WCC Assembly: God, in your grace, transform the world.
“We hope that the meeting in Chicago will remind us that Porto Alegre will really be a reunion: God’s family reunion of brothers and sisters in Christ from all over the globe gathering to give thanks for God’s gift of unity,” said Rev. Deborah DeWinter, programme executive of the WCC’s New York office.
Special worship leaders Dr Stanley Ralph of First Presbyterian Church of Jamaica, Queens, NY, and Rev. Dr. Glaucia Vasconcelos-Wilkey of Seattle University, have planned worship experiences in the spirit of the Assembly while also remembering those who have suffered as a result of the hurricanes on the US Gulf Coast.
Guest preachers will include Rev. Dr Bernice Powell Jackson, WCC President from North America, and Rev. Terence R. Gray, Pastor of St. Mark A.M.E. Church, Orlando, Florida, who will be attending the 9th Assembly.
Brazilian theologians Dr Vitor Westhelle, professor of systematic theology at the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago, and Dr Marcelo Schneider of Porto Alegre, Brazil, a systematic theologian specializing in ecumenical social ethics who serves on the local planning committee for the 9th Assembly, will lead plenary sessions, together with Dr David Radcliff, director of the New Community Project, a faith-based nonprofit organization focused on justice concerns and stewardship of the earth.
“Blessed Are The Peacemakers” awards will be presented to local Chicago area peacemakers at the opening dinner, which will feature a global overview of the WCC’s Decade to Overcome Violence. The ecumenical banquet on the last evening will highlight the Council’s “Focus on Africa.” The meeting will be co-hosted by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Leading up to the pre-assembly conference, a youth event “Shift Your Space – Transform The World” will be held from 8-10 October on the campus of the Lutheran School of Theology in the Hyde Park area of Chicago.
WCC wants to make this “the youngest Assembly” in its history. This event is therefore designed for young adult leaders in peace and justice work, giving them the opportunity to build ecumenical connections with peers as well as with leaders of the WCC and member churches.
Participants in the “Shift Your Space” event will also spend time reflecting on the economic and social implications of the recent hurricanes along the Gulf Coast, and what this means for young people of faith who are engaged in “transforming the world.”
“Seminarians are at the forefront of innovative peace and justice work,” says Michael Neuroth, who is coordinating the “Shift Your Space” youth event on behalf of the US Conference for the WCC.
He explains that the gathering will enable “students and youth delegates to the WCC’s Assembly to share stories of peacemaking initiatives led by young adults around the United States, and strategize on new ways of engaging with the vision for peace promoted by the WCC’s Decade to Overcome Violence.”
Churches prepare to transform the world
-04/10/05
As the momentum builds in Christian communities around the globe in anticipation of the 9th Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC), which will be held in Porto Alegre, Brazil, 14-23 February 2006, two forthcoming church events in the US will focus on “transforming the world”.
US member churches will gather for their pre-assembly conference in Chicago from 10-12 October 2005. Church leaders and ecumenists from around the country will engage in theological reflection and Bible study on the theme of the WCC Assembly: God, in your grace, transform the world.
“We hope that the meeting in Chicago will remind us that Porto Alegre will really be a reunion: God’s family reunion of brothers and sisters in Christ from all over the globe gathering to give thanks for God’s gift of unity,” said Rev. Deborah DeWinter, programme executive of the WCC’s New York office.
Special worship leaders Dr Stanley Ralph of First Presbyterian Church of Jamaica, Queens, NY, and Rev. Dr. Glaucia Vasconcelos-Wilkey of Seattle University, have planned worship experiences in the spirit of the Assembly while also remembering those who have suffered as a result of the hurricanes on the US Gulf Coast.
Guest preachers will include Rev. Dr Bernice Powell Jackson, WCC President from North America, and Rev. Terence R. Gray, Pastor of St. Mark A.M.E. Church, Orlando, Florida, who will be attending the 9th Assembly.
Brazilian theologians Dr Vitor Westhelle, professor of systematic theology at the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago, and Dr Marcelo Schneider of Porto Alegre, Brazil, a systematic theologian specializing in ecumenical social ethics who serves on the local planning committee for the 9th Assembly, will lead plenary sessions, together with Dr David Radcliff, director of the New Community Project, a faith-based nonprofit organization focused on justice concerns and stewardship of the earth.
“Blessed Are The Peacemakers” awards will be presented to local Chicago area peacemakers at the opening dinner, which will feature a global overview of the WCC’s Decade to Overcome Violence. The ecumenical banquet on the last evening will highlight the Council’s “Focus on Africa.” The meeting will be co-hosted by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Leading up to the pre-assembly conference, a youth event “Shift Your Space – Transform The World” will be held from 8-10 October on the campus of the Lutheran School of Theology in the Hyde Park area of Chicago.
WCC wants to make this “the youngest Assembly” in its history. This event is therefore designed for young adult leaders in peace and justice work, giving them the opportunity to build ecumenical connections with peers as well as with leaders of the WCC and member churches.
Participants in the “Shift Your Space” event will also spend time reflecting on the economic and social implications of the recent hurricanes along the Gulf Coast, and what this means for young people of faith who are engaged in “transforming the world.”
“Seminarians are at the forefront of innovative peace and justice work,” says Michael Neuroth, who is coordinating the “Shift Your Space” youth event on behalf of the US Conference for the WCC.
He explains that the gathering will enable “students and youth delegates to the WCC’s Assembly to share stories of peacemaking initiatives led by young adults around the United States, and strategize on new ways of engaging with the vision for peace promoted by the WCC’s Decade to Overcome Violence.”