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Nazeli Kandakarjian, a member of the Armenian Apostolic Church (Holy See of Cilicia) in Lebanon, is serving as a young adult steward at these central committee meetings. She arrived five days late for the training programme due to a series of visa difficulties, ultimately receiving her visa just a few hours before her rescheduled flight on 11 Feb. "It was like in the movies", she said of the last-minute rush. When she finally arrived in Geneva, though--her first trip outside the Middle East--she was warmly welcomed by the other stewards. They were eager to learn about her, and she enjoyed hearing their stories, as well. She said the group bonded quickly and has worked well together. "It's like being in the center of the globe", said Kandakarjian, who was born in Kuwait. "I have people from all over the world telling me their experiences. It couldn't be any better than this. I'm so happy to be here". A friend who attended the WCC Assembly in Porto Alegre in 2006 encouraged her to apply for the stewards programme. She did, because she liked the idea of actually working at the meetings and not just being an observer. Now Kandakarjian is carrying that same message to others. "I would like to encourage everyone to be in this kind of experience", she said, expressing an appreciation for the ecumenical work she was able to witness. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It's great". All of the stewards were recognised at the conclusion of the meetings Wednesday with a round of applause and the moderator's thanks, and each received the gift of a WCC watch.

The World Council of Churches central committee issued a reminder on the pressing issue of climate change this week, urging member churches and others to "Be stewards of God's creation".

Gathered in a church dating from the 12th century, the World Council of Churches seemed like a relative youngster as it celebrated its 60th anniversary Sunday 17 February.

Gebet und Lobpreis in vielen Sprachen prägten die Feier zum 60-jährigen Bestehen des ÖRK am 17. Februar 2008 in Genf - wie man das bei einer Gemeinschaft von Kirchen in über hundert Ländern erwarten darf.

A group of young adults again has a significant role at these Central Committee meetings in Geneva, with two dozen young people from 22 countries on five continents serving as stewards. They can be easily spotted around the building, all wearing their royal blue WCC shirts. The stewards assist in a variety of ways during the meetings, often behind the scenes, while learning about the ecumenical movement and the work of the WCC. Their tasks include distributing documents and translation headsets, monitoring the doors of the main hall, setting up for morning prayers, assisting the press operation, running errands, and much more---including the job of ringing bells to summon Central Committee members back to their tables after breaks. Stewards, chosen through a competitive application process, serve during each Central Committee meeting and Assembly.

Die erste Sitzung des ÖRK-Zentralausschusses, der vom 13.bis 20. Februar in Genf tagt, eröffnete mit einer angemessenen Würdigung der "Eminenzen" und anderen "Heiligkeiten", die diesem hohen Gremium angehören. Neben den 150 Mitgliedern mit ihren hohen Kirchenämtern begrüßte der Vorsitzende des Ausschusses, Pfarrer Dr. Walter Altmann, auch die Stewards und dankte ihnen für ihr Engagement. Diese 24 jungen Frauen und Männer aus 22 Ländern, die die ganze Bandbreite der Kirchen im ÖRK repräsentieren, stellen ihre Fähigkeiten und ihre Tatkraft für den geregelten Ablauf der Tagung zur Verfügung. Die 18- bis 30-Jährigen, die dem festen ÖRK-Mitarbeiterstab unter anderem in den Bereichen Sprachendienst, Öffentlichkeitsarbeit und Dokumentation unter die Arme greifen, sammeln hier größtenteils ihre ersten internationalen Erfahrungen.

Junge Christen zwischen 18 und 30 Jahren können sich jetzt bewerben, um zusammen mit 24 anderen jungen Erwachsenen aus der ganzen Welt am nächsten ÖRK-Stewardsprogramm vom 6. bis 22. Februar 2008 teilzunehmen. Sie werden an der Tagung des ÖRK-Zentralausschusses vom 13. bis 20. Februar in den Bereichen Gottesdienst, Konferenzablauf, Dokumentation, Pressebüro, Ton und anderen Verwaltungs- und Unterstützungsaufgaben mitwirken.

Young Christians aged 18 to 30 now have the chance to apply for being one of 25 youth from all over the wo rld in the next WCC stewards programme from 6 -22 February 2008 . They will participate in the 13-20 February WCC c entral committee meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, contributing their work in the areas of worship, conference room, documentation, press office, sound, and other administrative and support tasks.

The coordinator of the stewards programme at central committee says he is in that position because he himself was inspired by being part of a similar programme seven years ago.