Thirty-five representatives from Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches gathered in Athens, 3-9 March, to prepare for the WCC Conference on World Mission and Evangelism (CWME), to be held in Athens, Greece, from 9-16 May 2005 under the theme "Come, Holy Spirit, heal and reconcile!"

Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens, Church of Greece, highlighted the upcoming world mission conference as "an historic event both for Orthodox participation in the ecumenical movement and for the worldwide missionary movement."

The inter-Orthodox preparatory consultation aimed at enabling participants in the mission conference to share and study together reflections and experiences on the conference theme from the specific perspective of the Orthodox tradition.

Participants from Albania, Kenya, Poland and Romania shared stories and experiences, portraying their churches' present day mission, their role in healing and reconciliation and its tangible impact on society.

In Nairobi, Kenya, for example, the Coptic church is involved in giving comprehensive and free health care to people living with HIV/AIDS, and in Albania, Christian communities have become a "beacon of hope" in a "wounded and devastated society".

In Poland, the church youth movement guarantees a missionary church in today's secularized society, while Orthodox churches living under oppressive communist rule were present in the form of "silent witness at home".

For further information, please visit the CWME website at:
http://www.mission2005.org