Title: ELCA Assembly Receives Greetings from World Council of Churches
ELCA NEWS SERVICE

August 10, 2001

ELCA ASSEMBLY RECEIVES GREETINGS FROM WORLD COUNCIL OF CHURCHES
01-CWA24-LJ

     INDIANAPOLIS (ELCA) -- Dr. Marion Best, vice moderator of the
governing body of the World Council of Churches (WCC), brought greetings
Aug.10, from that body to the ELCA churchwide assembly.  The WCC
represents 400 million members in 342 churches in 128 countries, and the
ELCA is a member.
     The Churchwide Assembly, the chief legislative authority of the
ELCA, is meeting here Aug. 8-14 at the Indiana Convention Center.  There
are more than 2,000 people participating, including 1,040 ELCA voting
members.  The theme for the biennial assembly is "Making Christ Known:
Sharing Faith in a New Century."
     "I echo John Bluck who says, 'What being in the global ecumenical
movement amounts to is a commitment to constantly stand outside your
comfort zone, in between the inherited certainties of creed and culture,
to listen carefully to and sometimes absorb the cries of the angry and
dispossessed, to learn to live with the contradiction of seeing people
who have nothing compared to you in material terms, and yet are often
richer and wiser about life and much clearer about God'" said Best.
     Best reported that "changes have had a considerable impact on the
WCC;"  including:
  + Nearly two-thirds of the founding churches of the WCC were from
     Europe and North America; today two-thirds of the churches are
     from Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America, the Pacific and
     Middle East.
  + The Roman Catholic Church formerly maintained distance from the
     ecumenical movement and is now a full member of many national
     councils and has regular working relationships with the WCC.
  + Twenty-one Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches have become
     members of WCC, but  recent withdrawal of two and the threatened
     withdrawal of others has led to a three-year consultation on
     Orthodox participation in the WCC.
  + Increased participation of women in the life and work of the WCC
     has changed much of the agenda and style of working in the
     organization.
  + Rapid rise of indigenous, independent churches, especially in
     Africa and Latin America has resulted in the recovery of
     indigenous spirituality in every part of the world.
     At the Harare Assembly in 1998, the WCC declared a Decade to
Overcome Violence: 2001-2010.  Violence is defined as physical,
emotional, intellectual and structural.  Socio-economic issues, sexism,
racism and violence against creation will be addressed.  The focus will
be on the response to and prevention of forms of violence found between
and within nations, in political structures, in local communities, in
the church and in homes and families.  WCC seeks to share the resources
and experiences of member churches, many of whom are already engaged in
peace and reconciliation initiatives.
     Best continued, "Christ prayed, calling us into visible unity. It
is commendable that the ELCA is in full communion partnership with five
U.S. churches and at this assembly are considering becoming a partner in
mission and dialogue with Churches Uniting in Christ.  May God bless you
richly in your continuing ecumenical journeys."
-- -- --

     Information about assembly actions is at
http://www.elca.org/assembly/01 on the ELCA's Web site.  Recorded
updates during the assembly are available by calling 773/380-2477.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask]
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html