Oasis de Paz

At this assembly, the joy of Christian fellowship is tempered by the sadness, fear, and grief engendered by the coronavirus pandemic and its dramatic exposure of the many other ills—poverty and hunger, economic inequality, a changing climate, conflicts, and war, even close by in Europe—that we face today. All this we bring to God in prayer.

So, in Karlsruhe, we come together seeking an oasis of peace, where we can refresh, renew, and perhaps reform our spirit and our churches through fellowship, encouragement, earnest discussion and deliberation and, indeed, centrally, through shared, common prayer.

Through prayer, song, chants, and symbolic liturgical actions, augmented by the assembly’s group Bible study and discussions, the spiritual life of the assembly is meant to set the tone ofthe whole meeting and to immerse participants in the assembly theme, which underscores the transforming reality of redemptive love and the dynamics and promise of Christian discipleship for fostering unity and reconciliation today.

Inspired by Christ’s love, enabled by the Spirit, we open ourselves to personal and ecclesial transformation, alert for the redemptive possibilities in each moment and striving together for God’s promised future.