WCC US Conference to highlight US churches' peace-making efforts
To "expose and inspire" the US churches' witness to "the power and promise of peace" is the aim of events being organized in October in Atlanta, Georgia, by the US Conference for the World Council of Churches (WCC).
"The power and promise of peace" is the theme of the 2004 US focus of the WCC Decade to Overcome Violence (DOV). The US Conference for the WCC is the main platform of the WCC’s 34 member churches in the USA, and the annual meeting is expected to gather hundreds of church leaders and ecumenical activists from throughout the US and other countries.
Scheduled around the US Conference's 5-6 October annual meeting, the events include a keynote address by WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, and messages from "living letters" as well as videotaped messages to the US churches from prominent ecumenical personalities involved in the DOV in other regions.
Among other key personalities involved in the event are former US Ambassador to the UN Rev. Andrew Young, King Center president and CEO Martin Luther King III, and the WCC president from North America Dr Bernice Powell Jackson.
At the close of the meeting, "Blessed are the peace-makers" awards will be awarded to US individuals and organizations responsible for creative and courageous peace and justice efforts in their communities.
According to the moderator of the US conference for the WCC, Rev. Leonid Kishkovsky, the theme of the gathering is of particular relevance to churches in the US today, as Christians react to tragic events and conflicts in the world. "Rarely has the world so needed the Christian witness of peace," he said. "The experience of prayer for all those who suffer from violence makes the theme of our meeting, 'The Power and Promise of Peace', all the more urgent."
Designed to give participants from US churches, theological institutions, schools and youth groups, peace groups, interfaith and secular organizations a special opportunity to reflect on, and share what they have been doing over the year to overcome violence, the programme comprises a range of worship events, workshops discussions and exhibits.
The programme of the US conference will include:
"Spirituality, non-violence and reconciliation" retreat (2-4 October)
Prior to the annual meeting, an optional retreat will invite participants "to experience with soul, mind, heart and senses the power and promise of peace", and to explore the Christian spiritual experience of non-violence and reconciliation.
Venue:Simpsonwood Conference and Retreat Center
4511 Jones Bridge Circle, N
Norcross, Georgia 30092
Black Church Liaison Committee (4 October)
A liaison committee of leaders of historic African-American churches will meet with the WCC general secretary.
Venue: Renaissance Concourse Hotel
One Hartsfield Centre Parkway
Atlanta, Georgia 30354
Alumni and Friends of Bossey reception(4 October)
On the same evening, a reception is being hosted for the US alumni and friends of the WCC’s Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, near Geneva, Switzerland.
Venue: Renaissance Concourse Hotel
One Hartsfield Centre Parkway
Atlanta, Georgia 30354
US Conference annual meeting (5-6 October)
A keynote address by WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia will set the tone for the two-day meeting during which participants will receive words of encouragement from DOV "global partners" from other parts of the world. These messages will include live testimonies from "living letters" - people invited to Atlanta to tell of peace-making efforts in other parts of the world -, and six videotaped messages from other DOV "global partners".
Venue: Renaissance Concourse Hotel
One Hartsfield Centre Parkway
Atlanta, Georgia 30354
The rest of the meeting programme will feature:
Workshops and panel discussions
Hosted over the two days by Atlanta's historic Black Morehouse and Spelman Colleges and open free of charge to students and faculty and the Atlanta-based ecumenical community, more than twenty offsite workshops will tackle such "power and promise"-related subjects as
- Welcoming the stranger after 9/11: refugees, immigrants and uprooted people.
- US churches, Iraq and the war against terrorism.
- Virtual violence: violent video games and corporate responsibility.
- Focus on the Sudan: conflict resolution.
- Overcoming violence in creation.
- Combating domestic violence.
- Role of politics and prophecy in "The Power and Promise of Peace".
(See full programme and venues at www.wcc-usa.org )
Art exhibit
A widely acclaimed art exhibit on the lives and principles of Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Daisaku Ikeda will be on view at the meeting venue.
Jazz vespers (7 p.m., 5 October)
Rev. Dr Dwight Andrews, associate professor of music theory at Emory University and senior minister of Atlanta's First Congregational Church, will lead jazz vespers at his church.
Venue: First Congregational Church
105 Courtland Street, NE Atlanta
Closing ceremony
A closing ceremony at the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church will feature special music and liturgical dance, an address by National Council of Churches in the USA past president and Faith and the City co-chair, Ambassador Andrew Young, and the presentation of "Blessed are the peace-makers" awards for creative and courageous peace and justice efforts.
Stewards' programme
Young American Christians are being invited to further the cause of "The Power and Promise of Peace" by serving as stewards during the gathering.
(More information at www.wcc-usa.org )
Media contacts:
Deborah DeWinter 212-870-2522 dhd@wcc-coe.org
John Baker Brown 404-523-5554 jbrown@faithandthecity.org
Detailed programme and more information on the meeting:
WCC website:
