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The Central Committee of the World Council of Churches (WCC) will meet 2 to 8 July 2014 for its first full meeting since it was elected at the WCC 10th Assembly held in Busan, Republic of Korea, 30 October to 8 November, 2013. The meeting will be held at the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland.

The Central Committee, which meets every two years, serves as the chief governing body of the WCC until the next assembly. It is responsible for carrying out the policies adopted by the Assembly, reviewing and supervising WCC programmes and the budget of the Council.

During the upcoming meetings the group of 150 representatives from the WCC member churches will review WCC programme planning for 2014-2017 and participate in a series of plenaries and committee meetings. During the weekend they will be visiting congregations in the Geneva area. The new Central Committee will also be welcomed to Geneva by leaders of the Swiss churches and local government.

The theme of the meeting is “Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace”, reflecting the final message of the 10th Assembly which said, “We intend to move together. Challenged by our experiences in Busan, we challenge all people of good will to engage their God-given gifts in transforming actions. This Assembly calls you to join us in pilgrimage.”

In addition to review of the programme plans of the WCC, there will be a series plenary sessions on unity through solidarity with churches in conflict; climate change; economic justice; churches and the sharing of resources. The Central Committee will focus on expanding and deepening the churches’ understanding of their common pilgrimage, and how committee members can best communicate the concept of pilgrimage when they return to the churches they represent.

Media are invited to register for accreditation in advance of the Central Committee. To register, please complete the accreditation form and return it to Linda Hanna of the WCC Communication Department via email: linda.hanna[at]wcc-coe.org.

For more information concerning the Central Committee, please contact Mark Beach, WCC director of communication, via email: meb[at]wcc-coe.org or telephone: +41.79.507.6363.

Download the press accreditation form (MS Word document, 71 KB)

Media contact: [email protected]; +41 79 507 6363
Visiting address: 150 route de Ferney, 1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland