cause for concern?

I have heard some comments over the course of the conference saying that there is too much focus on business and procedure and the structure of the organisation in this assembly. A lot of the discussion on friday focussed on the question of appointing a group to explore the possibility of restructuring the organisation. Young and old people have been saying that ecuminism should be about relationship and dialogue and it should be christ-centred.
I don't think we need to worry too much. The meetings may be a lot of business, but in between i have heard lots of interesting ecumenical discussions, lots of fun, laughter and friendship across denominational boundaries. And in the worship services we have seen a diverse group of people worshipping together in languages and styles that may be unfamiliar to them. Real ecumenism is happening in this conference. It's not as easy to quanitfy as a number of votes cast for a motion, or a percentage of delegates from a particular demographic group nominated for a committee. But the human dialogue and relationship and the prayerful encounters that are going on are at the heart of this assembly, and will have a much more lasting impact than any decision made on finance or policy.

Yearning for unity – experiencing diversity with the Ecumenical Disability Advocacy Network (EDAN)

We are Simone Poortman and Torill Edoy from the Ecumenical Disability Advocates Network which is a programme of the World Council of Churches. I am here with my EDAN colleague Torill Edoy.

The Assembly theme is called “Called to one hope in Christ” with its major challenge: Yearning for unity – experiencing diversity

Throughout the documents and reports I read when I prepared for this meeting it is clear that CEC focusses on being one church in all its diversity and colourfulness. CEC has worked hard on inclusion of migrants and migrant churches in Europe as fellows and partners you can learn from and share with.

As regional coordinator of EDAN this theme is very familiar. It is EDAN's major goal to establish a totally inclusive church with all and for all. A church where all children of God share, learn, give and receive.

Unfortunately one group of brothers and sisters is not named once.

When I was preparing for this Assembly I read a lot of papers, reports etc., but not once I found something about people with physical, mental, or psychological challenges.

People with disabilities live in the margin of the churches. Usually taken care of by diakonia. An other (large) group of people with disabilities left church. They do not feel at home in the church any more. This does not mean they do not long for a spiritual family as a church community can provide.

Listening to the testimony of Victoria Kamondji made me curious during the opening worship. She used words and expressed feelings that are so very familiar for us, members of EDAN. For people with a disability church is not inclusive or diverse enough. Even when physical access is provided a church is not necessarily accessible. This takes more.

It is also about theology, anthropology, culture. It is about willing to see the church through the eyes of the other person. In this case not a migrant but someone with a disability.

We ask for the possibility to be able to give and share instead of being given and taken care of.

Rev Younan from the Council of Churches of South America mentioned the difference between tolerance or acceptance and respect. In church people with a disability are accepted for sure but we do not often feel respect for who we are. Because that is what it is about: who we are; and not what our inability is.

In CEC I do miss this part of being one church in all its diversity. As regional coordinators Torill and I urge CEC to consider adopting a new theme: the accompagnement of people with a disability in the church to become a true inclusive church for all and with all and trough all.

I know this will be a real challenge for a lot of European churches, but we are offering to help because we know challenge. We are open for dialogue to understand each other better and find ways to respect one another. In September we organise an EDAN consultation in Crete with the goal to establish an Eastern European network for EDAN.

WACC Europe: Communication central to church and church related organisations

Communication is an essential part of every aspect of a church organisation and must occupy a central position. During a hearing called “Communication as a spider in the web called church” at the 13th CEC Assembly, organised by WACC (World Association for Christian Communication) some 40 participants had an intense discussion about what communication is and its position within churches.

“As everyone is in communication, we all have to consider the quality of communication”, Ingmar Lindqvist, former director of communication of the Church of Finland, explained. To communicate is to be in dialogue, being in dialogue can only occur under the condition of being willing to change. Simply telling the truth can not be communication.

One of the participants did not agree on the central position of communication. He underlined the fact that communication cannot be on an equal level with mission. “Communication lacks the values and ethics that mission includes.” Someone else reacted saying: ‘You are diminishing communication to a technical tool’. Another participant indicated that: “Communication is about God’s love for humanity, communication is central for the message.”

During the hearing a very critical remark was made about the decision of the Central Committee of CEC to freeze the vacancy for the position of the Executive Secretary for Communications and Information. By the end of the year the current Secretary will leave and the procedure to appoint a successor has already been done.

WACC supported a petition from the CEC Advisory Group on Communication to reconsider this decision with a letter signed by WACC Europe president, Juha Rajamäki, and WACC global vice-president, Praxedis Bouwman. The decision made by the central committee is a direct threat to the visibility of CEC and the collaboration with secular and church related media professionals around Europe. WACC, which has been working successfully with CEC in recent years, expressed its concern to the CEC president and general secretary. WACC is an advocate for strong communication, as it is stated in its principles for Christian communication: “Communication must be seen as central to the churches, as the process in which God's love is received and shared, thus establishing communion and community.”
The World Association for Christian Communication is a worldwide membership organisation for all people who are working in the broadest sense of Christian communication. WACC has a strong focus on communication rights, media and gender justice, communication and stigmatisation around HIV aids, communication for ecumenism, for peace, for ecumenism and communication and poverty.
Praxedis Bouwman

Wind of change...?

Yesterday: two motions on the future of KEK were brought forward; discussion of both motions brings fresh air to things. Discussions and arguments go backwards and forwards - in the end: a compromise out of navelgazing, vision and setting clear deadlines. Is this what will bring KEK into the future?
Today: a new attempt. I go to the workshop on the position of KEK within the wider ecumenical movement which includes the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, the World Council of Churches, the Lutheran World Federation, to name a few. Quickly here to we also started talking about the future and even more about hopes and visions. What is the goal of KEK? What should the goal of KEK be? The earlier role to lead bilateral discussions was mentioned and the role of KEK to support churches with their goals, but also the lack of experience that church members have with the ecumenical movement. All of this was mentioned in our discussion. KEK does not manage to reach the grassroots and to motivate people in local churches for the work of KEK. Who in your church knows about KEK? But set against this are small steps like common prayers with other confessions - and that despite financial problems and without a helping organisation like KEK to organise it.
A lot can be done by the beating of a butterfly’s wings: the wind which is blowing us in the right direction, if we set the sail properly. But in what direction are we setting the sail? Saint-Exupèry, for whom the airport here in is named, said: we must give people the desire to go to sea, so that they build a ship. Perhaps KEK must also recognize that it cannot only resolve it current questions through clarity about structures and tasks but that people at the grassroots need to be remotivated for the ecumenical movement in their churches. Perhaps even beyond Christianity itself.

Where ist the Catholic Church?

One question which occurred this morning in one of the workgroup sessions: The Roman Catholic Church apparently is a member of the Middle East Council of Churches and the Pacific Conference of Churches (apart from being member in various national ecumenical organisations). I still do not understand why they can be a member of these councils but not of the KEK? Maybe one of you can help me answering this... :)

Praying in Unity: Steward's Praying the Lord's Prayer

In the days leading up to the CEC assembly we, the stewards, were not just introduced to each other, but also participated in a number of ecumenical activities. One of the activities that we in small groups had to arrange together was the morning worship service. But how do you create a worship service together when you are separated by cultural and doctrinal borders? Should we focus on the things we agree on (convergence), essentially avoiding the classical theological controversies surrounding worship service, or rather talk about things we do disagree over, but attempt a compromise?
The approach of the stewards cannot so be “systematically categorized”. In observing the steward’s planning of morning's worship service one might be tempted to characterize it as "slightly chaotic". It was however not the sort of chaos from which tears, disagreements or resentment would “blossom”, but instead the end result was a fruitful and engaging one for all of us, I feel.
A group of 6-8 stewards with different or similar denominational background would come together to arrange the morning service. There was no moderators, no red tape, just intention. The steward services included typically, song, biblical readings, reflection, various symbolic gestures, silence and, here I get to my point, the Lord’s Prayer.
Vaterunser, Tatăl nostru, Isä meidän, Notre Père, Pater noster, Fadervor … and so on, or simply, in English, the Lord’s Prayer. This prayer, which was common to all of us, was a genuine example of a “unity in diversity”. Language separated us, but the prayer united us.
Never having prayed in this way it dawned on me the first time we prayed together that not only were we “simply” worshiping God, but in fact this was an “ecumenical activity”. It tied us together. I suppose I had imagined that “ecumenical progress” constituted officials meeting other officials, staff meetings, treaties, etc., that is that ecumenism is an activity enjoyed by the ecclesiastical authorities and the people just follow their church. Ecumenism is an activity enjoyed by all people, but the lay people especially, when they do get together, seem to achieve greater results at times than the ecclesiastical authorities, because the latter, at times, fancy doing “doctrinal border-patrolling” than actual ecumenical work…
Regardless there is plenty of hope for ecumenism if we look at the stewards of 2009 and for CEC. The stewards of today I hope will be the delegates of tomorrow.
Christian Bogh.
Stud. Teol. Uni of Copenhagen,

Half-time analysis

I think that we are now approximately half-way through the Assembly, which started on Wednesday afternoon and will end on Monday evening.

I think things are going ok in the communication office, where I am working for the week. We've had some positive feedback about the website, which includes pictures, newsletters, press releases and so on. We've also got this blog which I think is going really well and I'm grateful that people are posting their thoughts. And then there is the twitter feed, which is rather fun too.

As far as the business is concerned, I'm still excited by the move to review CEC agreed yesterday, even though it did rather through the agenda off course.

Some of the plenary is excellent, other parts are a little lacking in umpf. I'm still waiting for something to really set the place alight. Maybe this will come tomorrow, when there will be a special event celebrating the 50th anniversary of CEC.

Are there any other pundits out there who have half-time views?

Meeting Wolfgang Huber

A special moment for some of the stewards: After the press conference yesterday the President of the Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany, his Excellence Dr. Dr. h.c. Wolfgang Huber, was glad about the opportunity so speak some minutes to stewards from Germany and the Czech Republic. He gave thanks to the young people for their work and motivated them to continue their engagement on an international ecumenical level. He also mentioned that two members of the German delegation started their "international careers" by being a steward 24 years ago. Now they have met again – as delegates in the 13th cec assembly.

On the picture you see (from right to left): Katrin Koelmann, Luisa Seelbach, Dr. Wolfgang Huber, Dora Pliskova and Daniel Lenski.

Green conference?

The assembly's handbook makes it very clear that the 13th cec assembly aims to be an environmentally friendly one. I am impressed by the intention to offset the negative impacts of travel by supporting an environmental project which contributes to CO2 reduction. But at the same time I have never seen so much plastic as here at this conference: there are plastic water bottles at all levels of the building, accompanied by an army of plastic cups. I really like the meals here. But when staff and delegates sat down to dinner on Tuesday evening, it was almost impossible to see each other because of the amount of plastic covering the pre-prepared food. And in the morning, when we eat breakfast at the INSA-canteen, it takes a good number of minutes to sort out all the wrappings for jam, butter, sugar, tea bags, juice, and yogurt. The same happened with yesterday's lunch packets too…

no longer...

Here comes a blog entry which loosely connects to a previous discussion here on the Assembly blogging page.
I have just attended one of the "language groups" - only as an observer, of course, since what you are reading now is the job of a steward. The working group included about 20 delegates and focused on what CEC is today, what it has been and what it was in the past... and no longer is.
To sum up some of what has been said: the delegates have stressed that member churches of CEC are no longer isolated and separate - this mostly had to do with the division that existed because of the Iron Curtain. Also due to its fall, CEC no longer has one clear, common aim, which up until then had been the perpetual effort to build bridges between the East and the West.
The delegates taking part also felt there is less mutual love, less risk-taking. These are statements that deserve attention.
Last but not least, the debaters mentioned the fact that there is no longer a "light structure" in CEC, that its structure has become very complicated.
This is, on one hand, natural, as CEC has, of course, undergone noticeable enlargements. On the other hand, several delegates have agreed there is excessive bureaucracy complicating the dynamics of CEC's activities.
One of the delegates has actually pointed out that the Conference seems to be more concerned with how many men and women are involved and how precisely a given task is to be organized than with trying to ensure there really is adequate action going on in the fields where it is needed.
And this is where the above mentioned blog discussion comes in, I cannot help recommending that the kind reader go through what has been said in and under the blog called "What's missing?".
Let me also emphasise what I felt after having witnessed this groupwork and what has been confirmed to me by one of the delegates in the foyer afterward: working in small groups, thinktanks that focus on one specific topic are the most effective way of arriving at some bright insights.
The assembly's purpose is bringing all those that are involved together in one place, not dividing them into groups - understandably.
However, groupwork remains a basis for achieving good results and should therefore be given more room, the outcomes of it must be given a fair hearing. Let us hope this year's Assembly proves the opinion true.