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Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC

Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC

World Council of Churches (WCC) staff gathered this week online, from 6-9 October, for the biannual Staff Planning Days to plan their programmatic journey together towards the 11th Assembly under the theme “Christ’s love moves the world to reconciliation and unity.”

As he led the meeting, Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca, WCC interim general secretary, commended the staff for showing resiliency, creativity and caring as the global COVID-19 pandemic wears on.

“Preparing for the next assembly and based on the purpose of God’s love in Christ to bring the whole creation to reconciliation and unity, at the WCC we continue to strive to work for one world and one humanity,” said Sauca, “and we have discovered new ways of reaching out virtually to every region of the world.”

Staff will develop programme plans and budgets for the coming year, as well as strengthen the implementation of the WCC Strategic Plan.

Among items on the agenda are plans for the WCC 11th Assembly, scheduled for 31 August to 8 September 2022 in Karlsruhe, Germany. Strategies for achieving WCC work with less travel and in-person meetings will be further developed as well.

Staff Planning Days are also convened to strengthen collaboration and a common spirit of working, walking and praying together. Given the unprecedented challenges of 2020, the gathering will also share stories of adaptation and resilience, as well as ongoing revisions of 2021 plans and budgets.

Plans for 2021 and the budget revised at the Staff Planning Days will be presented to the WCC executive committee, which will meet in November.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has shown just how fragile we are as humans, yet also how creative and resilient we can be when we work together to communicate hope and a sense of caring for each other and for the wider ecumenical family,” said Sauca.

Learn more about the WCC 11th Assembly