Anglican Communion News Service - Digest News

The World Student Christian Federation has partnered with the World Council of Churches (WCC) to share stories and messages of peace emerging from the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation (IEPC) this week in Jamaica, one of the most important ecumenical events of the decade.

During the IEPC, a youth video team made up of young people from WSCF will create daily video interviews with Christian peacemakers at the event, to be posted online at the WSCF IEPC blog, www.IEPCstories.com.

The WCC said that by having a youth video team at the IEPC it hopes to provide space for different perspectives, and engage a different audience through new communication tools.

"The questions young people ask are different and offer a new perspective," said Mark Beach, WCC director of communications.

"We believe the audience they reach will be their peers, who have a great interest in the role of the church in peacemaking. Peace and justice is not only about today but the future as well."

Beach added that it is vital for Christians to be good communicators “because as Christians we have an important message to share with the world. That message is that through the transforming love of Christ we can become a people of peace. We can become communities seek peace with justice in a world that seems to prefer the opposite at times.”

The WCC said it chose WSCF as its partner for the youth team because of its global network of youth movements and its vital role in forming the ecumenical leaders. "The WSCF had a broad and well organized network that we wanted to tap into," Beach said.

He continued: "So many of the leaders of the ecumenical movement have come out of the WSCF and will continue to do so in the future."

WSCF General Secretary Christine Housel said she is delighted to be working closely with the WCC. "Working together, we can achieve more than if we work alone," she said. "We're part of the same movement and we have the same goals."

Notes

1. The World Student Christian Federation (WSCF), founded in 1895, is an international organisation for Christian students with member movements in over 100 countries around the world. WSCF’s values include social justice, youth leadership, ecumenical dialogue and gender justice.
2. The World Council of Churches (WCC) is worldwide fellowship of 349 Christian churches seeking unity, a common witness and Christian service.
3. The International Ecumenical Peace Convocation (IEPC), in Kingston, Jamaica, 17-25 May 2011, organised by the WCC, is a "harvest festival" celebrating the achievements of the Decade to Overcome Violence which began in 2001. At the same time it encourages individuals and churches to renew their commitment to nonviolence, peace and justice.
4. Videos created by the youth video team at the IEPC will be posted to http://WSCFconnect.org, the social network of WSCF, and the WCC Youtube channel at http://www.youtube.com/WCCwebOffice.