'Global Christian Forum' unites Church leaders in capital

About sixty representatives from different denominations and countries under the banner of Global Christian Forum have arrived the Indian capital to chalk out a three-year mission programme for the period 2009-2011.

The GCF programme 8-11 November based on the recommendations of the 2007 Limuru Global Forum and the reports of the evaluation process from 1998 to 2007 will reflect and share the needs of the Church and its vision in reaching out to people in the 21st century.

Representatives of the historic Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox, Pentecostal and Evangelical movements apart from sharing their future goals will also participate in the Forum discussions to nurture a broader ecumenical movement.

Mr. Hubert van Beek, Secretary of the Global Christian Forum told Christian Today: "With this meeting we will leave the experimental past and move into more visible ways in actively serving the global Church."

The consultation hosted by the Evangelical Fellowship of India, for the next three days will discuss on various themes including evangelism, proselytism, mission and dialogue, poverty and social justice.

In addition, the GCF meeting will also finalize the formation of a partially renewed and enlarged GCF Committee that will assume its responsibilities for the year 2009. The new committee will consist of members appointed by the various global bodies and churches representing the Christian traditions that participate in the Forum.

The Global Christian Forum aims to promote dialogue and possible co-operation on unity and common witness among all the main traditions in the Christian church worldwide today. It is a comprehensive effort to create a space where Christians and churches from all sides can meet in a multilateral setting.

In the words of its provisional statement, the purpose of the Forum is "to create an open space wherein representatives from a broad range of Christian churches and interchurch organizations, which confess the triune God and Jesus Christ as perfect in His divinity and humanity, can gather to foster mutual respect, to explore and address together common challenges."