WCC returns to place of founding for 60th anniversary

|PIC1|The World Council of Churches (WCC) has celebrated its 60th anniversary with a commemorative event in Amsterdam at the exact spot where the global ecumenical body was founded on 23 August 1948.

"Stating that in seeking Christ they found each other, the 147 churches that sixty years ago came together in Amsterdam, Netherlands committed themselves afresh to Christ and covenanted with one another in constituting the World Council of Churches," said the Council's General Secretary, the Rev Dr Samuel Kobia, ahead of Friday's event at Nieuwe Kerk.

"It is significant that as we gather sixty years later at the same venue we note that the churches have been faithful to their commitment. Not only have they stayed together, but they have deepened and broadened the Fellowship," Kobia added.

The commemorative event, which the WCC said would be a "prayerful celebration", was attended by representatives of the body's 349 member churches and Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, who received the first copy of the jubilee book, "The Ecumenical Movement at a Crossroads", during the celebration.

The book is a collection of essays by personalities connected to the ecumenical movement, including Nelson Mandela.

Underpinning the book as well as the commemorations was a focus on the role of the churches in today's world, particularly in the field of international relations.

"Today the challenges of seeking visible unity appear to be even stronger but we, nevertheless, look to the next sixty years with hope and confidence as we are inspired by the spirit of our ecumenical ancestors who made Amsterdam 1948 possible," said Kobia.

The former director of the WCC's humanitarian and refugee services, the Rev Myra Blyth, will lead a radio service to be broadcast by the BBC's Radio 4 on 24 August. The broadcast includes contributions from the WCC president from Europe, Dame Mary Tanner.

Friday's event follows a main celebration of the WCC's 60th anniversary that took place during a meeting of the WCC Central Committee in Geneva last February.