ASSOCIATED COMMITTEES/COMMISSIONS

General Assembly Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Relations

01/12/2013

Get the latest News

Plans for Global Reformed Church Movement Focus Discussion

Plans for the future of the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) are the focus of a meeting of the organization’s executive committee scheduled for Indonesia in May.

Thirty committee members and advisors are to gather in North Sumatra, 10-17 May, to discuss programme priorities, the location of the office, and how to ensure stable financial support for WCRC’s core operational costs.

The Executive Committee will be asked to consider whether the offices of the organization should remain in Geneva or move to the Euro zone as a cost-saving measure. The senior decision-making group will also consider plans for a major fundraising campaign to be launched later this year.

Much of WCRC’s donor income comes from European countries where the unstable Euro is affecting currency conversion rates.

It is a time of both challenge and opportunity,says General Secretary, Setri Nyomi. «Like many organizations in the ecumenical movement, we are feeling the impact of the financial crisis.

However, Nyomi points out that despite budget challenges, WCRC is benefiting from planning that led to approval of a seven-year strategic plan for the organization in 2011.

The prospects for 2013 and beyond are promising, says the Ghanaian theologian. We have member churches and programme partners who are committed to WCRC’s mission of creating stronger links among churches and advocating for justice.

Nyomi’s term as general secretary ends in April 2014. During the meeting of the Executive Committee, a committee will be named to search for his successor.

Reports from programme staff highlight initiatives for 2012-2013 that include training for young ecumenical leaders, developing a clearer identity for the Reformed church movement at the regional level, and an ongoing commitment to economic justice.

The meeting in Berastagi, North Sumatra is hosted by the Batak Karo Protestant Church (GBKP), one of WCRC’s 28 Indonesian member churches. The agenda for the six-day meeting includes worship with local congregations and an evening of orientation to the local historical and cultural context.

A conference of Indonesian churches to be held in Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta, prior to the Executive Committee meeting will address mission opportunities in the country. Delegates will also be asked to consider forming a regional association of WCRC member churches.

In June, the Global Institute of Theology will convene at Duta Wacana Christian University in the historic Indonesian city, Yogyakarta. Fifty-three young theologians and newly ordained clergy will engage in a three-week programme of ecumenical and interfaith studies designed to prepare them for church leadership in a globalized world.

Unity and Reformed Heritage Seminar
Watch for the 2014 date

This educational trip to Geneva is designed to broaden our understanding on theological, social and global economic issues, such as interfaith dialogue, evangelism, globalization, church unity, justice and peace, ecumenical dialogue, the Reformed faith in the 21st century, among others. Participants will engage the staff of the World Council of Churches, the World Communion of Reformed Churches, Conference of European Churches, and other ecumenical organizations based in Geneva. A one-day visit is scheduled to the Ecumenical Institute of Bossey — in a lovely rural setting outside of Geneva. A city tour, a visit to the Museum of the Reformation, and one full-day tour to Gruyeres and Lausanne (old city). This is a great educational opportunity, including time for leisure and relaxation. Here is a schedule of events and a brochure(PDF).

Presbyterian Church (USA) Ecumenical Vision and Priorities

The unity of the church is both God's real gift and God's effective calling. The source and the shape of the gift are proclaimed in Scripture:

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.

(Eph. 4:4-6)

We believe that the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is called to seek unity with the whole body of Christ and all the people of God. We renew our commitment that to be Presbyterian is to be ecumenical. We confess our own brokenness in the PC(USA) and pledge to promote the quest for unity and reconciliation throughout our church and in the world.(Read the entire Ecumenical Vision Statement.)

"The Ecumenical Stance of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)."