Nexus of Queens


Published by the Queens Federation of Churches

Reconciliation Is Central to Ecumenical Vision, Says Kobia in Korea

July 24, 2006

Reconciliation is at the heart of the ecumenical vision, and can be a source of unity among churches and cultures, the WCC general secretary, Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, has affirmed at an international Methodist gathering in Korea.

"It is because of God's reconciling work in Jesus Christ that unity is possible among Christians, among churches, among peoples of different cultures," Kobia stated in a keynote address to the 19th World Methodist Conference meeting in Seoul on 22 July.

Referring to the WCC's long involvement in the search for peace and reconciliation, whether in post-war Europe, the divided Korean peninsula, South Africa or the Middle East, Kobia quoted Nelson Mandela who, speaking to the WCC Assembly in 1998, said that "the most precious gift the church could offer the world today would be to enable the people to gain greater capacity for reconciliation."

Emphasizing that the ecumenical movement is at a "turning point" in its history, Kobia underlined the need for all churches to look to a common ecumenical future rooted in the vision that has always shaped the WCC.

"The basic concerns and commitments remain those that inspired the women and men who brought the WCC to birth: commitment to Christian unity in faith and spirit, mission and evangelism, education and formation in discipleship, social action for justice and peace, dialogue with the contemporary world," Kobia said.

Referring to the encouraging experience and results of the WCC's 9th Assembly in February 2006, Kobia invited all churches to re-engage in the search for visible unity as the "fundamental task" of the WCC.

The World Methodist Conference meets every five years and brings together over 500 representatives of Methodist churches from more than 132 countries. Kobia, a minister of the Methodist Church of Kenya, is the third general secretary of the WCC to come from the Methodist tradition. During his visit to Korea, he will visit the WCC member churches in the country.