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At the 50th anniversary of the All Africa Conference of Churches, church leaders from more than forty African countries ask how they can rise up against the shackles of the colonial legacy, conflicts, poverty, class struggles and political upheavals, to unlock Africa's immense potential.

The first ecumenical affirmation of mission since 1982, invoking a new understanding of mission and evangelism amidst a changing world and ecclesial landscape, has been presented to the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches (WCC).

The WCC Executive Committee opened its bi-annual meetings Monday 12 September in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia with a welcoming ceremony by local church leaders and poignant and detailed presentations on the regional humanitarian crisis in Somalia and neighbouring countries.

A seven-member ecumenical solidarity team from the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC) will be visiting the West African country of Liberia 6-12 August at the request of the general secretary of the Liberia Council of Churches, Dr Benjamin Dorme Lartey.

By Fredrick Nzwili (*)

An ecumenical church convention which had attracted more than 130'000 participants from the whole of Germany and beyond, 12-16 May, has given a crucial impetus to the ecumenical movement in the country.

Participants in Christian-Muslim deliberations on conflict resolution in the Horn of Africa are "convinced… that religious leaders have a role and mandate in contributing towards [the] peace and reconciliation process in the region". They have called for "a wider regional peace conference for religious leaders from the Horn of Africa" to be convened by December 2009. Meanwhile, they ask for people of faith to join in prayer as well as in initiatives for spiritual renewal, humanitarian assistance and peace.

The World Council of Churches' search committee for a general secretary met 23-26 June 2009 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The committee was elected by the Central Committee in February 2008 and led by the moderator, Dr Agnes Abuom.

Conflicts in Congo and Gaza, recognition of the International Year of Reconciliation, the impact of the global economic crisis on the WCC budget and an update on the election of a new general secretary were topics of discussion and action by the WCC Executive Committee which met in Bossey, Switzerland, 17 to 20 February 2009.

The selection process for a new World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary is well "on course", according to Dr Agnes Abuom, who moderates the search committee and is a member of the WCC Central Committee. The deadline for applications is 28 February 2009.

Amid ongoing fighting and humanitarian crises in several regions of Sudan, and risks of failure in implementing the 2005 peace agreement that ended two decades of civil war between north and south, the Sudanese people and churches face "tremendous tasks and challenges", an international ecumenical team of church representatives was told at the beginning of an eight-day solidarity visit to the country.

Presided by an African woman, with a membership that includes three youth, eight women, four Orthodox and a strong representation from the South, the search committee for a new World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary has already begun to work.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary, Rev Dr. Samuel Kobia, visited the Eritrean capital of Asmara on 16-19 May 2007. He met church representatives and the president of the country and affirmed the Council's commitment to churches engaged in peace, reconciliation and nation building efforts.

The global fund for tackling HIV and AIDS should be distributed through churches because they have the best access to the populations affected.

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"As custodians of an ancient spiritual heritage, Ethiopian Christianity has a unique contribution which is of central importance in Africa and to the ecumenical family world-wide," stated the general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, during his first official visit to the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, 24-30 September 2005.

The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, the largest and oldest church on the African continent, is hosting an international ecumenical delegation headed by World Council of Churches' (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, 24-30 September 2005.

In a 1 August letter to Sudan's churches following the announcement of the death of the country's first vice-president, Dr John Garang, the World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia has expressed his "deep sadness" and his "solidarity and support" for the churches and people of Sudan.

Grace and peace to you on this Feast of Pentecost 2005, in which we celebrate the many gifts of God's Spirit!

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