WCC NEWS: Soon-to-be-released publication on ecumenical diakonia is something to celebrate

As a document on ecumenical diakonia is set to be released in June, partners of the World Council of Churches (WCC) specialized ministries gathered to celebrate on 4 May at the Bossey Ecumenical Institute their years of work in creating a publication that shows how carefully crafted fruits are well worth the wait. Jørgen Thomsen, advisor on Religion and Development at DanChurchAid, at the moment of celebration for the Ecumenical diakonia document at the "Working together" meeting in Bossey, 4 May 2022. Photo: Ivars Kupcis/WCC 05 May 2022 The joint WCC and ACT publication, “Called to Transformative Action: Ecumenical Diakonia,” outlines the theological components of diakonia and offers practical content for churches and ecumenical partners engaged in such service. WCC partners in specialized ministries have been deeply involved in identifying different facets of ecumenical diakonia, and compiling their insights into a document that will help inform and inspire WCC member churches across the world. Jørgen Thomsen, DanChurchAid, jokingly compared the upcoming document to birthing an elephant—an animal with one of the longest gestation periods. “The good side of that is, the baby is grown up, mature, and a very big baby and worth waiting for!” he said. “Jokes aside, I really celebrate the fact that this document will now be available.” Thomsen added: “I think it's important to underline that the starting point of the document was not the relationship between the churches and the specialized ministries," he said. “But the starting point of this document is to clarify our joint understanding of ecumenical koinonia and articulate  who we are and what we do jointly.” WCC deputy general secretary Prof. Dr Isabel Apawo Phiri said that, for more than a decade, she has been observing and participating in forming the descriptions and examples that went into the publication. The work of the group included site visits to observe effective diakonia in places such as Malawi. “Even within the fellowship of the WCC, we didn’t have a common understanding of what diakonia was about,” she said. “Now we do, and that will generate a lot of interest.” Rudelmar Bueno de Faria, ACT Alliance general secretary, reflected on his years of studying and working on diakonia. When he became general secretary of ACT Alliance, he said, one of the first goals he had was to cement ACT’s identity as a faith-based organization. “We are connected to the church and we are connected to the ecumenical movement, especially to the World Council of Churches,” he said.  The purpose of the document is to clarify the understanding of ecumenical diakonia and to provide a common platform for reflecting and acting together for the churches and ecumenical partners worldwide. The release of the publication is planned for June 2022. At “Working Together" meeting, “we welcome one another” (WCC press release, 04 May 2022) Photos from the “Working Together" meeting and Ecumenical diakonia celebration in Bossey Learn more about the WCC's work in Diakonia and ecumenical solidarity See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 349 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 550 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC acting general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca, from the Orthodox Church in Romania. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches 150 route de Ferney Geneve 2 1211 Switzerland