WCC NEWS: Earth, Water, Fire and Wind: Indigenous Peoples Pre-Assembly celebrates creation

To the sound of drums, the movement, and a candlelit sunset, the Indigenous Peoples Pre-Assembly celebrated together on 28 August, as people from across the globe gathered to unify their vision of renewing creation. Opening gathering for the Indigenous peoples’ pre-assembly to the World Council of Churches 11th Assembly. The Assembly is held in Karlsruhe, Germany from 31 August to 8 September, under the theme "Christ's Love Moves the World to Reconciliation and Unity", Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC 29 August 2022 Led by the Sami people in a special processional, 97 Indigenous delegates to the World Council of Churches (WCC) 11th Assembly were present in Karlsruhe for the pre-assembly. They symbolically ushered in four elements—Earth, Water, Fire and Wind—through biblical texts and prayer. The theme of their gathering was “Reconciliation: Restoring Wholeness in Creation.” They began their pre-assembly work on topics ranging from engagement with the Indigenous peoples in Europe, to reflecting and testifying on the learnings from Pilgrim Team Visits.  Lighting candles to remember where they came from, they also received an orientation to the German context of the assembly, as well as interaction with assembly committee members and pre-assembly delegates. The message from the Indigenous Peoples Pre-Assembly will inform the assembly in its decisions about the WCC’s future programmatic work. It was also a clarion call to join the WCC in committing anew to act with compassion, to practice inclusive and relational justice, and to affirm our unity in Christ whose love moves us to restoring wholeness in all of creation. The gathering explored how reconciliation has often been experienced as a process seeking too easily the restoration of harmonious relationships without fully addressing or engaging the sources and actions of oppression in the past and the present.  The destructive effect of human sin manifested through varying forms of colonialism, imperialism and capitalism, has destroyed Indigenous cultures, communities and the interconnected, interrelated, interdependent web of creation. The pre-assembly will also offer engagement with the Indigenous Peoples in Europe; reflection and testimonies on the learnings from the various Pilgrim Team Visits and orient Assembly delegates on the particular issues and concerns that affect Indigenous Peoples globally. Photo gallery from the opening gathering Indigenous Peoples Pre-Assembly WCC 11th Assembly in Karlsruhe, Germany 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 352 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 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