WCC News: WCC central committee welcomed by local Swiss churches

“Hospitality is one of our main values,” said president of the Protestant Church in Switzerland Rev. Rita Famos as she welcomed members of the World Council of Churches (WCC) central committee to a reception at the Ecumenical Centre on 23 June. 23 June 2023, Geneva, Switzerland: President of the Protestant Church in Switzerland Rev. Rita Famos shares welcoming remarks as local churches in Switzerland invite WCC central committee members and advisors, stewards and staff to a reception at the Ecumenical Centre. Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC 24 June 2023 With the WCC central committee gathering for its first full meeting following the WCC 11th Assembly in 2022, Famos reminded those gathered of the interconnectedness of the local church and the worldwide fellowship of churches. Local churches in Switzerland invite WCC central committee members and advisors, stewards and staff to a reception at the Ecumenical Centre. Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC “It is with great joy that we are inviting you for this evening. Together with the Old-Catholic Church of Switzerland we are somehow the host churches for the WCC. We are proud and grateful for this,” Famos said, and added: “The openness to the world that the WCC represents and lives out on a daily basis benefits not only Geneva, but the entire country and all the churches in this country.” Appetizers served at the reception, prepared by a local catering firm known to engage refugees locally as part of their work. Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC Rev. Serge Fornerod – a central committee member – echoed the words of Famos, as he noted that “the WCC has helped immensely to open the minds of our churches, that there are churches elsewhere, that the world is a bit different outside Switzerland.” “This has opened windows to many thousands of Swiss people about the worldwide dimension of the church,” he said. People from a variety of traditions and contexts gathered in conversation at the evening reception. Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC WCC general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay affirmed: “We want to appreciate the support we have received as a council through all these years, and we want to acknowledge the work and the close relationships that we have together with you, and I can see that this relationship is getting stronger and stronger.” Photos from the WCC Central Committee 2023 Learn more about the WCC Central Committee 2023 WCC central committee moderator Bishop Dr Heinrich Bedford Strohm (right), President of the Protestant Church in Switzerland Rev. Rita Famos (centre), and WCC general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay (left) pictured together at the reception. Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC 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 general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa.  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