The Assembly of the World Council of Churches (‘WCC’) is a special time in the lives of member churches, ecumenical partners, and other churches, as it brings together more than 4000 participants from all over the world.

It is a unique opportunity for the churches to deepen their commitment to visible unity and common witness. This makes a WCC Assembly the most diverse Christian gathering of its size in the world.

The theme of the 11th Assembly of WCC is "Christ’s love moves the world to reconciliation and unity". The Assembly will take place in Karlsruhe, Germany – from 31 August to 8 September 2022, with additional pre-assembly meetings. The MCNZ delegates are Rev Dr Susan Thompson and Rev Tara Tautari, with Rev Tony Franklin-Ross (MME acting Director) as Advisor. In addition, Te Aroha Rountree is attending as a delegate from Te Runanga Whakawhanaunga I Nga Hāhi O Aotearoa, and Filo Tu as part of the Assembly staff. The Aotearoa-New Zealand contingent also includes delegations from the Anglican and Presbyterian churches.

The WCC Assembly is the highest governing body of the World Council of Churches (WCC), and normally meets every eight years but has been delayed because of the covid pandemic. It is a unique time when the entire fellowship of member churches comes together in one place for prayer and celebration.

The assembly will gather amidst perplexities, anxieties, and fundamental questions about the way we inhabit the earth, make sense of our lives, live in society, and accept responsibility for future generations. These questions have been amplified by the global COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences, the climate emergency, and manifestations of racism worldwide, which have further revealed structural economic inequality, gender discrimination, and other forms of injustice in our societies and in our world.

In this fragmented and fractured world, the assembly theme is an affirmation of faith that Christ’s love transforms the world in the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit. It is a radical call to the churches to work together unceasingly and with people of other faiths and all those of good will for just peace and reconciliation. It is a call for the visible unity of the church to become​ a prophetic sign and a foretaste of the reconciliation of this world with God, and the unity of humankind and all creation.

Please hold in prayer the WCC Assembly and the delegations attending, including those travelling from MCNZ and Aotearoa-New Zealand.

God of grace, we give thanks for the rich diversity within the one body of Christ.
Lead us into greater understanding, that together we may serve as the hands and feet of Christ.
Spirit of God, keep on blowing.
Sail over the barriers that we build to divide ourselves from each other.
Resurrected Christ, ignite the passion of God’s mission within our hearts.
Let us continue in our journey, united in the caring love of Jesus Christ, to bring new hope and fuller life to all humanity and creation

AMEN.

More information can be found here. 

MISSION AND ECUMENICAL BOARD
E-mail: mm-e@methodist.org.nz
www.methodist.org.nz/mahi/mme