|TOP|As churches and church bodies around the world gear up for the 9th Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC) in Brazil this month, the Council for World Mission has called on church leaders around the world to include youth in mission.

The executive staff of CWM are due to promote the importance of youth in mission at the forthcoming Assembly in Porto Alegre from Feb. 14th to 23rd.

Participants at the massive world gathering in Brazil will take part in a workshop designed to affirm contributions of the young by raising awareness of the CWM Training in Mission Programme.

The workshop will be led by CWM’s executive secretary for mission education Elizabeth Joy, general secretary Rev. Dr. Des van der Water, executive secretary for personnel and training Rev. Dr. Andrew Williams and executive secretary for mission programme Rev. Dr. Jooseop Keum.

|QUOTE|Youth can relate to both children and adults, explained Ms. Joy, and will also take more risks, providing a better platform for better dynamics within the ecumenical, social and political world. She added that young men and women are able to work together.

"For me the youth are the present leaders. Jesus is a revolutionary person. What he achieved was when he was a youth. His main ministry was between the ages of 30 and 33 years,” said Ms. Joy.

"We always look at young people in terms of building future leaders, but no – they are the present ones."
Bible studies will also take place throughout the 9th WCC Assembly led by Van der Water on the theme, ‘God, in your grace, transform the world’.

|AD|General secretary of the WCC, Rev. Dr. Samuel Kobia, said the first Assembly of the World Council of Churches to take place in the 21st century “will mark the beginning of a new phase in the search for Christian unity”.

The Assembly, set against the backdrop of ongoing conflict in Iraq and daily acts of violence taking place worldwide, marks the completion of the first five years of the Decade to Overcome Violence which was launched by the WCC in 2001 in an effort to mobilise the churches in making a greater contribution to building a lasting peace.

“We meet in Latin America where many of the concerns and challenges that I have mentioned are matters of daily life and survival. The witness of the Latin American churches in the midst of extreme injustice and the impact of globalization can offer a model of prophetic resistance and hope, to inspire us all,” said Rev. Kobia.

He continued: “We should not underestimate the real potential of the churches together to contribute to the transformation of the world, in spite of the reality of the difficulties we face. With common faith and a renewed hope, anything is possible. May this Assembly once more "set up signs" of a common and visible Christian voice and witness, for a transformed world.”