THE CATHOLICOSATE OF CILICIA PARTICIPATES IN THE MEETING FOR WCC’S COMMISSION ON WORLD MISSION AND EVANGELISM

The Commissioners of the World Council of Churches’ Commission on World Mission and Evangelism (CWME) held their 4-day meeting from March 4-5 and 8-9, 2021.  Participants of the meeting consisted of 25 Commissioners from all over the world from various Church denominations, in addition to a handful of advisors, and guests including the Director of the WCC’s Faith and Order Commission.  The meeting was originally planned to take place in Cuba, however, due to the pandemic and the consequential limitations on travel, the Commission meeting took place virtually.   

 

Vanna Kitsinian, Esq. has served as a Commissioner on CWME since 2013 representing the Catholicosate of Cilicia and took part in this meeting. The Commission reflected on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and what mission and church have learned from it, harvesting the experiences of the Commissioners as resource material.  The Commissioners also approved the study papers of the CWME working groups that had been generated from the work conducted in the last several years, as well as approved the reports of the Commissioner’s Director and staff. In anticipation of the upcoming WCC General Assembly in 2022, the Commission provided guidance for the Commission’s work until the General Assembly, and beyond, and identified some important missiological trends to be cognizant of as the new Commission continues its work.  Additionally, the Commission discussed the possibility of affiliating the Caribbean and North America Council for Mission to CWME. Lastly the Commission decided on six fellow commissioners who would be proposed to the Central Committee as the “core group” of the next Commission.

 

In addition to participating in the general structure of the Commission’s agenda and activities, Kitsinian also moderated one of the working groups, as well as offered a reflection on a day’s scripture reading.