Presbyterian Connection
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Connection
The World Council of Churches 11th Assembly flag. PHOTO CREDIT: MARCELO SCHNEIDER/WCC
By Lori Ransom, former animator for Healing and Reconciliation and PCC delegate for the World Council of Churches 11th Assembly
“Christ’s love moves the world to reconciliation and unity,” was the theme of the 11th Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC). I was privileged to at- tend the Assembly as a delegate from The Presbyterian Church in Canada, along with the Rev. Amanda Currie. Both of us also attended the Indigenous Peoples Pre-Assembly. We were among 800 delegates from 352 member churches and some 4,000 peo- ple in total who descended on Karlsruhe, a mid-size city tucked within the southeastern corner of Germany near the famous Black Forest, about 90 minutes from Frankfurt Airport by train.
The Moderator of the Assem- bly, Dr. Agnes Abuom, said that, “At its best, the assembly is a spiritual celebration of the power of God’s love to renew our minds and hearts so that we may be- come a countercultural force driven by solidarity with the most vulnerable people and God’s cre- ation.” In my view, the Assembly succeeded in providing worship experiences for participants that inspired and renewed enthusi- asm for ecumenical cooperation. Within an extraordinarily beautiful modern space, open to the out- doors, somewhat euphemistically called the “Prayer Tent,” we were treated to services twice daily led by people from different Christian traditions. Services featured mu- sic from many parts of the world and illustrations of biblical texts through movement and drama.
The Assembly and Pre-Assem- bly were packed with speakers and activities. Yet, there was a commonly shared concern about the state of the planet.
The climate emergency, the climate crisis, an existential cri- sis, the need for reconciliation between the people of the earth and all of creation resounded in session after session. We are running out of time was a refrain in one of the public statements adopted by the Assembly, which articulated how action to pre- vent catastrophic heating of the planet must be taken before the next Assembly in approximately eight years time. However, I’m left feeling that all the words, and the energy behind the words, are in- sufficient to influence those deci- sion-makers in the private sector as well as the public sector who
Participants at the WCC Assembly. PHOTO CREDIT: ALBIN HILLERT/WCC
PRESBYTERIAN
The Presbyterian Church in Canada • presbyterian.ca ISSUE 24, WINTER 2022
World Council of Churches Assembly
can make real change. I am left wondering what it will take.
Reflecting on the Assembly’s theme, perhaps we needed to spend much, much more time reflecting on Christ’s love for the planet and on Christ’s love for all peoples and what that means in relation to the decisions we make about the regulation of our common life together. Alas,
much of the event focused on other elements of the Assembly’s theme—unity and reconcilia- tion—rather than on the meaning of Christ’s love.
We were honoured to receive the President of Germany, Frank- Walter Steinmeier, and to hear from other more locally based German political and ecumenical leaders.
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Cultivating a Habit of Generous Giving
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Congregational Gatherings
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Congregations and Reconciliation
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