World Council of Churches Annual Review 2003 “The primary purpose of the fellowship of churches in the World Council of Churches is to call one another to visible unity in one faith and in one eucharistic fellowship, expressed in worship and common life in Christ, through witness and service to the world, and to advance towards that unity in order that the world may believe”. From the Constitution of the World Council of Churches WCC Annual Review 2003 CONTENTS Introduction to the WCC Annual Review 4 WCC in Facts and Figures 5 WCC Year in Review 2003 6 Churches for Reconciliation and Peace 8 Nurturing the Fellowship of Churches 10 Building the Unity of the Church 12 Speaking the Truth to Power 14 Dialogue with Neighbours of Other Religions 16 Witness to the World 18 Ethics of Life and Alternatives to Globalization 20 Churches Serving Human Need 22 Education and Ecumenical Formation 24 The Ecumenical Institute, Bossey 25 Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel 26 Ecumenical HIV/AIDS Initiative in Africa 28 WCC Member Churches 2003 31 WCC Core Programmes and Activities in 2003 34 WCC Finance Overview 2003 35 WCC Financial Contributors 2003 37 WCC Publications 39 World Council of Churches Public Information Team P.O. Box 2100 CH-1211 Geneva 2 Tel: +41 22 791 6111 Fax: +41 22 798 1346 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.wcc-coe.org Please support WCC: www.wcc-coe.org/wcc/donations/index-e.html Project coordination: WCC/Alexander Belopopsky with Yannick Provost Text: WCC/Alexander Belopopsky with Theodore Gill and Joan Cambitsis Tables and statistics: WCC/Jean-Nicolas Bazin Photos and image research: WCC Photo Oikoumene/Catherine Alt and Peter Williams; ACT; epd Design and layout: Aplin Clark (UK) Printed in the UK in April 2004 Further copies available from the WCC Public Information Team and on our website: www.wcc-coe.org Front cover photo: Easter Prayer in Albania (WCC/Peter Williams) Inside front cover: Tapestry of Jesus in the WCC “That they may all be one,” (WCC/Peter Williams) Back cover: Aerial view of the WCC, Geneva (WCC/Peter Williams) Introduction to the WCC Annual Review 2003 The year 2003 marked The annual review you have in your The fact that this introduction is written several significant hands is the first in a new format. The by two people signifies the transition transitions in the life of the review follows the framework of the core occasioned by an orderly change in World Council of Churches programmes and initiatives of the WCC leadership. After eleven years of service, (WCC).The first day of the and aims to give an account of the work the Rev. Dr Konrad Raiser has handed year brought a new accomplished in each area, in an over responsibility as general secretary organizational structure, accessible and attractive way. In addition to his successor, the Rev. Dr Samuel and the final day saw the to this central section, the review Kobia. Dr Kobia, who is a Methodist retirement of WCC general includes summary information on the pastor from Kenya and former general secretary Konrad Raiser financial situation of the WCC, its secretary of the national council of after eleven years in that present organization, and some relevant churches there, has served on the staff position.The WCC central statistics. Alongside this annual review, leadership team of the WCC for many committee,meeting at a WCC yearbook will continue to be years. He assumes his new calling at a Geneva in late August and published, presenting the full contact time when a process of reflection and early September,hailed information of member churches and of dialogue about the future shape of the indicators that the financial ecumenical partner organizations. An ecumenical movement is being initiated situation of the Council has audited financial report will also be with member churches and ecumenical improved significantly since available on request from the WCC. partners of the WCC. It is our hope that the crisis of 2002,chose a this process will strengthen the capacity We are pleased to communicate the theme for the ninth of the ecumenical movement to respond news that, following a period of financial assembly of the WCC in to the challenges of the 21st century instability, internal organizational 2006,and elected Samuel with clarity of vision and spiritual changes were implemented successfully Kobia as the new general authority. in the course of 2003, and there is good secretary to take office in reason to expect that the ship of the January 2004. WCC will follow a steady course for the coming two years that culminate in the ninth assembly. In 2002 the WCC central committee decided to accept the invitation of the churches in Brazil to hold the ninth assembly in Porto Alegre, Brazil, in February 2006. In 2003 the central Rev.Dr.Samuel Kobia committee agreed to the following assembly theme: “God, in your grace, transform the world”. Meanwhile, WCC member churches have been invited to begin the process of selecting the 700 delegates to this assembly. Rev.Dr.Konrad Raiser 4 WCC in Facts and Figures The WCC brings together more than 340 churches, denominations and church The World Council of fellowships in over 100 countries throughout the world, representing over 550 Churches is the broadest and million Christians and including churches from the diverse traditions of the most inclusive among the Protestant Reform, most of the world’s Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches, many expressions of the as well as many united and uniting churches. modern ecumenical movement,a movement The modern ecumenical movement began in the late 19th and early 20th whose goal is Christian unity. centuries, when Christians began to pray and work together across denominational The WCC defines itself as a boundaries. By the 1920s, several pioneering movements had been formed to fellowship of churches on the advance the cause of church unity wordwide. In 1937, church leaders from way to visible unity,which Protestant and Orthodox traditions agreed to establish a World Council of confess the Lord Jesus Christ Churches and in 1948, representatives of 147 churches gathered in Amsterdam as God and Saviour according to constitute the WCC. Since that time, a growing number of churches on every to the scriptures and seek to continent have joined this search for Christian unity. fulfil together their common Eight WCC assemblies have met including Amsterdam (1948): Evanston (1954), calling to the glory of the one New Delhi (1961), Uppsala (1968), Nairobi (1975), Vancouver (1983), Canberra God,Father,Son and Holy (1991) and Harare (1998). The ninth assembly will be held in Porto Alegre, Brazil, Spirit. in 2006. The WCC central committee (158 members) is elected at the assemblies and meets every 12 to 18 months, and a WCC executive committee (25 members) meets twice a year to guide the programmes of the Council. Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia (Kenya) succeeded Rev. Dr Konrad Raiser as the general secretary in January 2004, and heads the 170 staff grouped in ten programme teams at the WCC headquarters in Geneva. The WCC’s programmes and activities are organized around five core mandates: Faith and Order; Mission and Ecumenical Formation; Justice, Peace and Creation; International Affairs, Peace and Human Security; and Diakonia and Solidarity. In addition, specialized offices deal with Church and Ecumenical Relations, Inter- religious Relations, and the Decade to Overcome Violence. The WCC’s Ecumenical Institute is located at Bossey, outside Geneva. Two communication teams and three service teams provide support for the programmatic work of the WCC. In addition to the WCC staff based in Geneva, there are official WCC offices for the USA (New York), Eastern Europe (Poland), the Pacific (Fiji) and the Middle East (Lebanon) and several programme consultants based in other countries. 5 Decade to Overcome Economic Globalization – Violence (DOV) Affirming Alternatives The DOV regional emphasis for The WCC launched a series of 2003 was “Sudan – Healing and encounters between member churches, Reconciliation”. The WCC worked ecumenical partners and representatives closely with the Sudan Ecumenical of the World Bank and the International Forum in support of the peace process Monetary Fund. Meetings in Washington in this war-torn country. and Geneva discussed the ethical dimension of human development as well The WCC and the as alternatives to the dominant model of Conflict in Iraq globalization. The WCC gave particular attention to WCC and the enabling and communicating a unified church response to the war in Iraq. An Churches in China international meeting of church leaders The WCC organized the visit of a high- in Berlin, co-convened by the WCC in level delegation of Chinese government February 2003, appealed for an officials and church leaders to the alternative to military invasion. The Ecumenical Centre in Geneva. A WCC church leaders later met with German staff visit to churches in China took Chancellor Gerhardt Schröder. place later in the year. Election of a New Orthodox Participation General Secretary in the WCC In August 2003, the WCC central In June 2003, the Steering Committee committee elected a new general of the Special Commission on Orthodox secretary, the Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, Participation in the WCC met in Greece. a Methodist originally from Kenya. The Committee reviewed efforts to In his acceptance speech following his deepen understanding and collaboration election, Kobia reaffirmed his among Orthodox and Protestant commitment to the ecumenical vision: churches. “I believe very strongly that working together and walking together will help Ecumenical us stay together … This is a spiritual journey we need to sustain, to fulfill the Accompaniment prayer of the Lord Jesus Christ that all Programme in Palestine may be one, that the world may believe.” and Israel The WCC entered the second year of its Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI).