Let justice roll down like waters Amos 5:24 11th Assembly of ECEN Helsinki, Finland 11–15 June 2016 The Assembly will offer a broad ecumenical platform for sharing and strengthening cooperation among representatives from different Churches in Europe. The venue, Cultural Centre Sofia, is a peaceful place surrounded by beautiful Finnish nature by the sea. The Assembly will take place shortly after the historical agreement on climate change from Paris. Churches were actively present at the Paris conference. Pilgrimages for climate justice which took place in 2015 raised the importance of the ethical aspects of the climate change agenda in a number of places over the continent and intensified discussion about relationship between justice and climate. Impacts of climate change will be considered in a broader context. The Assembly will pay particular attention to the issue of water, the interrelationship between climate change and the water cycle, as a part of the efforts for sustainable development. PROGRAMME Saturday 11th June Arrivals 18:00 Dinner 19:00 Welcome and opening of the Assembly • Peter Pavlovic, ECEN • Mari-Anna Pöntinen, Finnish Ecumenical Council • Ilkka Sipiläinen, Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland Possibility to take a Sauna Sunday 12th June Breakfast 09:00 Bus transport to Helsinki city 10:00 Worship services in Uspenski Cathedral, in Lutheran Cathedral, in Saint Henry's Cathedral Free time in Helsinki city 12:30 Buss transport to Sofia Centre 13:00 Lunch 14:30 European churches´ work ecology 2014-2016, ECEN report • Peter Pavlovic, ECEN 15:00 – 16:30 Let justice roll down like waters – theology reflecting challenges of ecology • The Rt Revd Graham Usher, Bishop of Dudley, Church of England: Water: sign, symbol and sacrament • Dr. Pauliina Kainulainen, University of Eastern Finland: "Push the boat out further to the deeper water" – an ecological theology of contemplation and justice • Dr. Panu Pihkala, University of Helsinki: A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall: Ecotheology in the Anthropocene Moderator: Dr. Mari-Anna Pöntinen 16:30 – 17:00 Break 17:00 – 18:00 Thematic groups 18:00 Dinner 19:00 Blessing of Water • Metropolitan Ambrosius, Orthodox Church of Finland • Orthodox Choir • Guided walk in surroundings, Finnish nature by the sea Monday 13th June Breakfast 8:45 – 9:00 Morning prayers 09:00 – 10:30 Climate change affecting the vision of a sustainable future: where we are after COP21 meeting • Jukka Uosukainen, Director of the Climate Technology Centre and Network, the operational arm of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Coffee break 11:00 – 12:30 Water in a sustainable future • Karin Lexén, Director of the Stockholm International Water Institute 12:30 Lunch 14:00 – 15:00 Just and sustainable future – with or without churches? • Metropolitan Ambrosius, Metropolitan of Helsinki, Orthodox Church of Finland • Bishop Irja Askola, Bishop of Helsinki, Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland Coffee break 15:30 – 16:30 Is just and sustainable future reachable? • Archbishop Kari Mäkinen, Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland • Professor Markku Kulmala, Director, Atmospheric Sciences Division, University of Helsinki Moderators: Ilkka Sipiläinen and Laura Riuttanen, Climate Researcher and Meteorologist 16.30 – 18:00 Thematic groups 18:30 Dinner 20:00 Open space for sharing and networking Possibility to take a Sauna Tuesday 14th June Breakfast 8:45 – 9:00 Morning prayers 09:00 – 10:00 Future work of churches in Europe in addressing care for creation • Heikki Huttunen, General Secretary of the Conference of European Churches Coffee break 10:30 – 12:00 Thematic groups 12:30 Lunch 14:00 – 15:00 Workshops and networking Coffee break 15:30 – 16:30 Care for creation in works of churches in Finland 16:30 – 17:30 The role of ECEN in contributing to churches’ work on ecology, Plenary discussion Moderator: Martyn Goss, Chairperson of ECEN 17:30 – 18:30 Summary and conclusions 19:00 Reception Possibility to take a Sauna Wednesday 15th June Breakfast Departures Who is who Ambrosius, Metropolitan of Helsinki, Orthodox Church of Finland Irja Askola, Bishop of Helsinki, Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland Martyn Goss, Church of England, Chairperson of ECEN Heikki Huttunen, Very Rev. General Secretary of Conference of European Churches Pauliina Kainulainen, Rev. Dr. of Theology, currently focus on Finnish nature spirituality and its relationship with the Christian tradition Markku Kulmala, Professor, Director of the Division of Atmospheric Sciences at the Department of Physics in University of Helsinki Karin Lexén, Director, Stockholm International Water Institute Kari Mäkinen, Dr. of Theology, Archbishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland Peter Pavlovich, Rev. Dr. of Theology. ECEN, Study Secretary in Conference of European Churches Panu Pihkala, Rev. Dr. of Theology, specialized in environmental theology, University of Helsinki Mari-Anna Pöntinen, Rev. Dr. of Theology, General Secretary of Finnish Ecumenical Council Laura Riuttanen, Climate Researcher and Meteorologist, University of Helsinki Ilkka Sipiläinen, Very Rev. Deputy Director of unit, Church Council, Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland Graham Usher, Rt Revd, Bishop of Dudley, Church of England Jukka Uosukainen, M. Sc. (Tech.) Director of UN:s New Climate Technology Centre and Network Assembly coordinator: Maria Mountraki Stewards: Henrikki Pöntinen, Alevtina Parland, Brandusa Gardberg, Edom Tadesse, Marelle Vallimae European Christian Environmental Network (ECEN) is Conference of European Churches´ network promoting co-operation in caring for creation. ECEN organizes an Assembly every 2 years. The Assembly will offer the scope for an exchange between representatives of science and various churches’ actors from the continent. It will be an opportunity for networking and strengthening cooperation and coherence of the joint ecumenical Churches on intensifying the challenge of environment. Venue: Cultural Centre Sofia, www.sofia.fi Local partners Orthodox Church of Finland Finnish Ecumenical Council Finland is often called the Land of a Thousand Lakes. A modest name, considering that there are, in fact, 188 000 lakes in the country. As many of these lakes are very large in size, a great part of Finland is covered in water – making Finland distinguishably different from other European countries. Map: ymparisto.fi Welcome to Finland, the land of more than 180 000 lakes and two seas! Cover: tijmen van dobbenburgh, freeimages.com .