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by Theodore Gill (*)

Because unity is finally a gift of God, "it demands a profound sense of humility and not any prideful insistence." With this call to the "never-ending search" for unity of the church, which "is also an ever-unfolding journey", Patriarch Bartholomew I opened the 7-14 October meeting of the Faith and Order Plenary Commission, in Kolympari, Crete, Greece.

Inspired by the witness of churches from a divided country, 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.

Rediscovering the testimonies of Christian faith men and women of different Christian traditions gave over the centuries was the goal that brought some eighty participants from a variety of traditions and countries to the Italian monastery of Bose this autumn.

After six days of intense discussions on migration, the conflict in Sri Lanka and climate change, of common prayer and practical efforts to make the voice of the churches on these issues heard at the United Nations, the UN Advocacy Week of the World Council of Churches (WCC) ended with good results on Friday.

By Annegret Kapp (*)

Churches in Korea who used to be at the "receiving end" of mission efforts are being transformed to become a "missioning" or sending church, according to representatives of the Presbyterian Church of Korea (PCK) who met with WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia in Geneva, Switzerland on 14 October.

Among a series of recent ecumenical anniversaries--including the WCC's own 60th anniversary this year--is a significant milestone: 100 years of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, typically observed in mid-January. The Central Committee took some time to honor that centennial in Wednesday afternoon's session with a pair of testimonies. Rev. Canon Dr. John Saint Helier Gibaut, new director of the WCC's Commission on Faith and Order, noted that "peace and unity can never be separated from one another", while Ms. Hae-Sun Jung of the Korean Methodist Church shared plans for the Week's 2009 observance. Gibaut, a Canadian, said the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is the only contact many people in Canada have with the WCC. "It keeps the flame of the WCC alive in the hearts of people in my country", he said.