3rd European Ecumenical Assembly

Theme: The Light of Christ shines upon All - Hope for Renewal and Unity in Europe

1987- Basel           1997 - Graz           2007 - Sibiu         

1. Encourage your church to pray for the Creation Forum - One of the 9 Fora to be held at the 3rd European Ecumenical Assembly at Sibiu 4-9 Sept. Its title is: "Care for Creation as part of the Christian lifestyle". This will focus on the challenge of climate change and Isabel Carter (formerly of Tearfund) is to be one of the introductory speakers.
   
2. Build a prayer/activity about the environment into your church activities that week
   
3. Publicise any green resolutions that may come from this conference
   
4. Flying? If the delgates from your denomination have to fly there, then check that they are supporting the Romanian Tree Planting project invoved in the Carbon Change Compensation Scheme
   
   -We are pleased to hear of four people who are not flying to get there: The Bishop of London is travelling there by train and Ruth (ECEN) and Martin (interpreter) Conway and Isabel Carter (speaker), (three CEL members) are travelling there by bus.
   
5. They always say it is better to put and odd number of points in a list (e.g. 3 or 5) so I've left space for the fifth point. Tell me what I should put
   

This is a huge conference that happens once every ten years. 2500 delegates will be going from all countries in Europe. Nine topic sessions (or Fora) will be held, three per day. Friday is the day for Creation

You can find background information on the Sibiu website about Creation here (or if you want to quote a short URL - http://tinyurl.com/28tzja ). Here is a paragraph quoted from it:

The first part of this expression "The Light of Christ shines upon all" [in the title of the event - see top of page] originates in the Orthodox liturgy of the pre-sanctified gifts. The word "all" is understood to refer not only to persons but also to the whole of creation. We think that this theme provides a valid background for the specific concerns of human responsibility towards God's creation.

There is also an excellent page encouraging people to donate to a Romanian Tree planting project charity as a contribution to carbon offsetting - can you write to your denomination to make sure that your denomination's representative supports it. http://tinyurl.com/2trg93

The powerpoint presentation introduction to Sibiu has a last page with the following points

Hopes for the assembly:

1. reawaken awareness and trust in the Christians of Europe
2. rediscover and deepen Christian and ecclesial identity
3. respond to the need for spirituality
4. address some common historical issues (religious freedom, migrations, peace, solidarity)
5. inter-religious dialogue
6. become aware of the responsibility that Europe has towards the other continents of the Earth

Perhaps the last point has the most environmental relevance?!

A page on the eea3 website sujests how one can take part in the Sibiu process in one's own communities:
B) In one's own local communities

The local communities of all Europe are invited to hold a local programme simultaneously to the Sibiu one, around the theme/s of the Assembly. There are many ways to do this: from a round-table on the EEA3 theme to an ecumenical celebration.

It would be significant if at least one meeting took place in each city in Europe. On its part, the EEA3 Secretariat will ensure that
the papers of the plenary sessions, the Biblical meditations, etc... are posted daily on the EEA3 website and will issue nformation on how to receive audio-video signals of the satellite broadcasts of the work of the plenary sessions.

The topics are:

Christian Ecology Link member Ruth Conway, who is involved in the ECEN (European Christian Environment Network) planning team and who will be going by bus, tells that there is to be an exhibition in the Lutheran Church in the centre of the city showing ways in which churches are responding to the ecological crisis. This will involve material from CEL and also EcoCongregation, Operation Noah, A Rocha, Christian Aid, CAFOD etc. (Hence the display board shown on the right - in German - originally used at the ECEN exhibition in Basel in 2005 - may get used again at Sibiu)

What is Sibiu?

Here is an extract from the European Bulletin of the CofE Council for Christian Unity

As August unfolds, so too the main European ecumenical event of the year, the Third European Ecumenical Assembly (EEA3) in Sibiu Romania, draws near. The Assembly will be held from 4 – 9 September, with around 2500 delegates from the member churches of CEC and the Roman Catholic Church across Europe.

Arrangements for the Assembly in Sibiu are in their final stage. As mentioned in previous bulletins, readers are urged to check the latest news about EEA3 on the Assembly web site ( www.eea3.org ), and also on our own CCU web site at http://www.cofe.anglican.org/info/ccu/europe/notices , where we’ve provided special resources for use during and after the Assembly. The latest Church of England press release on the Assembly is available at http://www.cofe.anglican.org/news/pr7207.html A perspective on the Assembly from the Orthodox Churches is downloadable at http://www.cec-kek.org/content/pr-cq0731e.shtml CEC organised a special pre-Assembly meeting in Switzerland for youth delegates, and the communiqué can be read at http://www.cec-kek.org/pdf/YouthSt.Mauricestmt.pdf

Pictures made by the children at the holiday club at St Johns Methodist Church Settle North Yorkshire 14-19 Aug 2007