Over 500 delegates will attend the World Ecumenical Conference on “Mission and Evangelism” organized by the World Council of Churches (WCC) and due to be held in Athens in May. News of the forthcoming event is carried by the Fides international press agency, which reports some of the meeting’s objectives: “providing a forum where Christians and Churches can exchange experiences and reflect on the priorities of mission and on the future of Christian witness, being a sign of reconciliation between the Churches and fostering among the participants the commitment to be promoters of reconciliation within their own Churches, communities and contexts”. The theme chosen by the WCC is “Come, Holy Spirit, heal and reconcile!”. It was chosen to recall that mission “does not belong to us. It is God who is present through his Holy Spirit in our midst and who acts in the Church and in the world”. For the first time the Conference is being held in an Orthodox context. The venue is in fact the Andreas Recreation Centre, situated to the north-east of Athens. Over 500 delegates from all continents will participate in the event and comprise representatives of all the major Churches and religious confessions, members of the WCC, delegates of the Evangelical and Pentecostal churches and denominations and of the Roman Catholic Church. A website has been created: http://www.mission2005.org where further information can be found.
