Christians urged to make reconciliation the heart of unity

-24/07/06

Reconciliation is


Christians urged to make reconciliation the heart of unity

-24/07/06

Reconciliation is at the heart of the ecumenical Christian vision, and can be a source of unity among churches and cultures, the World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary, the Rev Dr Sam Kobia, has told at a global Methodist gathering in Korea.

“It is because of God’s reconciling work in Jesus Christ that unity is possible among Christians, among churches, among peoples of different cultures,” Dr Kobia stated in a keynote address to the 19th World Methodist Conference meeting in Seoul on 22 July 2006.

Referring to the WCC’s long involvement in the search for peace and reconciliation, whether in post-war Europe, the divided Korean peninsula, South Africa or the Middle East, Dr Kobia quoted Nelson Mandela who ñ speaking to the WCC Assembly in 1998 ñ said that “the most precious gift the church could offer the world today would be to enable the people to gain greater capacity for reconciliation”.

Emphasizing that the ecumenical movement is at a “turning point” in its history, Kobia underlined the need for all churches to look to a common ecumenical future rooted in the vision that has always shaped the World Council of Churches.

“The basic concerns and commitments remain those that inspired the women and men who brought the WCC to birth: commitment to Christian unity in faith and spirit, mission and evangelism, education and formation in discipleship, social action for justice and peace, dialogue with the contemporary world,” Kobia declared.

Referring to the encouraging experience and results of the WCC’s 9th Assembly in Brazil, February 2006, Dr Kobia invited all churches to re-engage in the search for visible unity as the “fundamental task” of the WCC.

The World Methodist Conference meets every five years and brings together over 500 representatives of Methodist churches from more than 132 countries.

The Rev Dr Samuel Kobia, a minister of the Methodist Church of Kenya, is the third general secretary of the World Council of Churches to come from the Methodist tradition. During his visit to Korea, he will visit the WCC member churches in the country.

[Also on Ekklesia:Christian world bodies welcome UN Human Rights Council; World Council of Churches and Vatican to agree code on religious conversion; WCC rejects anti-semitism accusations; WCC calls for freeing of Christian peace workers; Churches call on Indonesian Government to address Malukus violence; Churches urge Sudan government to end hostilities; World Mission Conference makes history; Ecumenists seek to recover evangelistic emphasis; WCC has Good News to share, say mission leaders; WCC speaks up for Cuban churches in US sanctions row; Churches plead with Gaddafi for clemency over death sentences; World Summit of Religious Leaders condemns religiously sanctioned violence; World Bank and IMF share concerns of churches says Kobia; Global churches push WTO for economic justice; Churches leader highlights radical call to reconciliation; World churches back rights for indigenous and vulnerable peoples; Church must repent to be truthful, says WCC head; Men need to ‘move over’ says world churches’ leader; Churches urged to renew action for peace and healing]


Christians urged to make reconciliation the heart of unity

-24/07/06

Reconciliation is at the heart of the ecumenical Christian vision, and can be a source of unity among churches and cultures, the World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary, the Rev Dr Sam Kobia, has told at a global Methodist gathering in Korea.

“It is because of God’s reconciling work in Jesus Christ that unity is possible among Christians, among churches, among peoples of different cultures,” Dr Kobia stated in a keynote address to the 19th World Methodist Conference meeting in Seoul on 22 July 2006.

Referring to the WCC’s long involvement in the search for peace and reconciliation, whether in post-war Europe, the divided Korean peninsula, South Africa or the Middle East, Dr Kobia quoted Nelson Mandela who ñ speaking to the WCC Assembly in 1998 ñ said that “the most precious gift the church could offer the world today would be to enable the people to gain greater capacity for reconciliation”.

Emphasizing that the ecumenical movement is at a “turning point” in its history, Kobia underlined the need for all churches to look to a common ecumenical future rooted in the vision that has always shaped the World Council of Churches.

“The basic concerns and commitments remain those that inspired the women and men who brought the WCC to birth: commitment to Christian unity in faith and spirit, mission and evangelism, education and formation in discipleship, social action for justice and peace, dialogue with the contemporary world,” Kobia declared.

Referring to the encouraging experience and results of the WCC’s 9th Assembly in Brazil, February 2006, Dr Kobia invited all churches to re-engage in the search for visible unity as the “fundamental task” of the WCC.

The World Methodist Conference meets every five years and brings together over 500 representatives of Methodist churches from more than 132 countries.

The Rev Dr Samuel Kobia, a minister of the Methodist Church of Kenya, is the third general secretary of the World Council of Churches to come from the Methodist tradition. During his visit to Korea, he will visit the WCC member churches in the country.

[Also on Ekklesia:Christian world bodies welcome UN Human Rights Council; World Council of Churches and Vatican to agree code on religious conversion; WCC rejects anti-semitism accusations; WCC calls for freeing of Christian peace workers; Churches call on Indonesian Government to address Malukus violence; Churches urge Sudan government to end hostilities; World Mission Conference makes history; Ecumenists seek to recover evangelistic emphasis; WCC has Good News to share, say mission leaders; WCC speaks up for Cuban churches in US sanctions row; Churches plead with Gaddafi for clemency over death sentences; World Summit of Religious Leaders condemns religiously sanctioned violence; World Bank and IMF share concerns of churches says Kobia; Global churches push WTO for economic justice; Churches leader highlights radical call to reconciliation; World churches back rights for indigenous and vulnerable peoples; Church must repent to be truthful, says WCC head; Men need to ‘move over’ says world churches’ leader; Churches urged to renew action for peace and healing]