"How can we affirm our identity as Muslims, Jews and Christians not in separation or against each other but in relation to one another?" This is the question some 25 young adults from around the world are to explore during a summer seminar at the World Council of Churches' (WCC) Ecumenical Institute in Bossey. Activities include spiritual and academic exercises as well as sports, recreation and everyday tasks.

This seminar will look at the relations between bad memories, kept in a retributive way, and hatred, conflict and tensions within communities.

The central committee is the WCC's highest governing body in the interval between assemblies, and meets every 18 months. It is responsible for executing Assembly resolutions, reviewing WCC programmes, monitoring their implementation, and approving WCC budget plans.

On 21 September, churches and communities throughout the world are committing to the International Day of Peace through prayer, meditation and other forms of spiritual observance. For 2009, the WCC office for the Decade to Overcome Violence (DOV) will make available prayer and liturgical resources developed in the context of this year's DOV focus on the The Carribbean and its theme "One Love: Building a Peaceful Caribbean".

Meetings of the WCC Commission on Faith and Order are characterized by the strong commitment of each of its 120 members to his or her own tradition, together with a deep enthusiasm and dedication to the vision and task of the unity of the church. Participants not only seek to work out the many problems that they face in trying to overcome Christian divisions, they also uncover the many opportunities that exist to further Christian unity. The...

The consultation is part of a WCC study project on Poverty, wealth and ecological debt. It continues a process which was started at the WCC 8th Assembly in Harare in 1998 and became known as Alternative Globalization Addressing People and Earth (AGAPE) since the 9th Assembly in Porto Alegre. Today, the issue of socio-economic justice is no less pressing.

The 1910 Edinburgh World Mission Conference is widely regarded as the symbolic starting point of the modern ecumenical movement. Its forthcoming centenary is proving to be a suggestive moment for many people who are seeking direction for Christian mission in the 21st century.

The World Council of Churches' 9th assembly decided that the conclusion of the Decade to Overcome Violence be marked by an International Ecumenical Peace Convocation. This convocation aims at witnessing to the peace of God as a gift and responsibility of the oikumene. It seeks to assess and strengthen the church's position on peace, provide opportunities for networking and deepening our common commitment to processes of reconciliation and peace.

Exactly forty years after the Conference which laid the ground for the World Council of Churches (WCC) Programme to Combat Racism, some fifty church leaders, activists and theologians working on issues related to racism and related forms of exclusion, will meet in the Dutch village of Doorn, municipality of Utrecht, to look at the forms and features of racism today and come up with action plans for the churches.

WCC member churches, related organizations and ecumenical networks will make a common international witness for peace in Palestine and Israel through a week of action in early June 2009.

This seminar will explore the tension between the church as a theological idea and its social realities. As a social entity, the church reflects some of the flaws of society at large: Exclusion, discriminatory practices and language, dominant groups asserting their interests, etc. At the same time, unity and inclusivity are crucial for the credibility of the church's witness.

An ecumenical conference with approximately one hundred international participants is to promote ecumenical solidarity with the ongoing struggle of Dalits for recognition of their dignity and rights.

This public hearing will highlight the churches' contribution to the International Year of Reconciliation proclaimed by the United Nations for 2009. The hearing will feature a panel of Christian experts on peace and reconciliation processes.

Christians throughout the world will be praying "that they may become one in God's hand" during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2009.

The Continuation Committee on Ecumenism in the 21st Century, which started in 2007 to gather ideas on ways for the ecumenical movement to embrace new horizons - reaching out to new partners and refocusing the vision for its institutions, will receive additional input from six young theologians and prize-winning essay writers at its upcoming meeting in Belém, Brazil.

The World Council of Churches in Geneva, together with the Volos Academy for Theological Studies in Greece, is organizing a meeting on ethical issues surrounding stem cell research, to be held at the Chateau de Bossey, Celigny (Switzerland) on 1-2 December 2008.

The United Nations Advocacy Week (UNAW) 2008 will be marked by the overarching framework of "Human Rights at 60 Years" and will focus on three advocacy areas: climate change, migration and Sri Lanka. Organized by the Commission of the Churches on International Affairs, the week includes capacity building and formation on advocacy within the UN system, theological reflection and analysis, panels and discussions on the advocacy focus areas.

Men and women who, throughout the history of the church, have set examples of Christian life have left a rich heritage to the ecumenical community. An international symposium at the monastery of Bose, Italy will explore the meaningful content which the joint remembrance of these witnesses to the faith can give to ecumenical worship.