News
The Henry Luce Foundation will support a National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America (NCCCUSA) initiative to sponsor a North American Institute to prepare 25 students and young pastors for an ecumenical experience at the World Council of Churches (WCC) 10th Assembly in Busan, Republic of Korea.
The WCC assembly will take place from 30 October to 8 November in 2013, addressing the theme “God of life, lead us to justice and peace”.
NCC president Kathryn Lohre and transitional general secretary Peg Birk said the Luce Foundation grant of 210,000 US dollars will provide “a unique opportunity for ecumenical and interfaith formation for a new generation of Christian leaders.”
The programmes will be carried out through courses in North American seminaries before and after the WCC’s Busan assembly, as well as through the Global Ecumenical Theological Institute in conjunction with the assembly.
Clifton Kirkpatrick, professor of Ecumenical Studies at Louisville Seminary and chair of the project’s council of seminary faculty, which is developing and coordinating the institute, added, “I am thrilled that the Luce Foundation has made this grant to the NCC and am excited about the positive impact this effort will have on shaping and forming a new generation of ecumenical leaders.”