On 15th February, the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches (WCC) opened the last meeting before the ninth Assembly in Porto Alegre, Brazil in February 2006. Addressing 150 church representatives from all over the world, General Secretary of the WCC Rev Dr Samuel Kobia restated his ecumenical vision.
Rev Kobia emphasised that ecumenism is not a matter of structure. Currently, worldwide churches and ecumenical bodies are called for "a process of transformation" of the ecumenical movement "that must be rooted in the conversion to the source of our lives and the life of all creation, the Triune God whom we confess together".
Rev Kobia highlighted the quest of young people for "authentic spirituality". As a result, new forms of "primarily experiential expressions of faith" articulate themselves in "post-denominational expressions of being church".
In addition, Rev Kobia warned that "some of the rich nations are constantly engaged in redesigning a new world in which the poor and the weak will have little or no voice", thus jeopardising the "democratic gains of the last two decades". He called this the "culture of violence" which has caused "insecurity, fear and anxiety [which] characterises the lives of many people in all regions".
In face of all these problems, Rev Kobia encouraged all the WCC partners to rise up and vow that "Another world is possible - new heavens and a new earth!" so as to bring new hope to the world.
He said, a "rising spirituality of resistance and hope" shows itself in "the commitment to the unity of the church and God’s household of life, the readiness to move beyond our own communities and to work together with people of other faith for peace and justice", and a willingness among Council member churches "to speak to power with truth".
Rev Kobia has defined the prophetic task of WCC partners, which is to help communities find "ways of going beyond the logic of violence and domination and establishing alternative non-violent ways of resolving conflicts".
He believes that the coming ninth Assembly of the Council will "mark a new phase in ecumenism" and "a coming of age within the membership of the World Council". He also declared the aim to make it "the youngest assembly in the history of the WCC".
Previously, he asked the members of the Central Committee to use their 15 percent share of assembly delegates to increase the number of young participants, he also challenged ecumenical funding agencies to give one quarter of their support to young people, who otherwise could not afford to go to Porto Alegre, Brazil.
The meeting of Central Committee will continue until 22nd February, and is taking place in Geneva, Switzerland.