Assemblies
The most recent CEC assemblies were held at Graz, Austria in (1997), Trondheim, Norway in (2003) and Lyon, France in 2009.
The Third European Ecumenical Assembly (co-organised by CEC and CCEE) was held in Sibiu, Romania, 4–9 September 2007.
CEC assemblies take place once every six years. The 4th CEC assembly (1964) had to be held on a ship on the Baltic Sea owing to the difficulties of obtaining visas for delegates from eastern European countries. Between assemblies, CEC is governed by a Central Committee meeting annually. Recent meetings have taken place in Geneva (2003), Prague (2004), Crete (2005) and Derry (2006).
The President of CEC (from 2009) is H.E. Metropolitan Emmanuel of France. The General Secretary (from June 2012) is Revd Dr Guy Liagre, formerly President of the United Protestant Church in Belgium. He succeeded Revd Prof. Dr Viorel Ionita who served as Interim General Secretary from 2010. The former General Secretary (2005-2010) was the Venerable Colin Williams, formerly Archdeacon of Lancaster in the Church of England; He succeeded the Rev Dr Keith Clements.
There are a number of associated national councils of churches and it is affiliated with the World Council of Churches (WCC). The CEC General Secretariat and the Churches in Dialogue Commission is located in the Ecumenical Centre, Geneva, Switzerland - which is also the headquarters building of the World Council of Churches. Discussions about the Brussels-based Churches Commission for Migrants in Europe (CCME) becoming a Commission of CEC are ongoing.
Read more about this topic: Conference Of European Churches
Famous quotes containing the word assemblies:
“Whenever you pray, make sure you do it at school assemblies and football games, like the demonstrative creatures who pray before large television audiences. That is the real goal of the thing. But do not, I urge you, pray all alone in your home where no one can see. That does not get you ratings.”
—Garry Wills (b. 1934)
“He who comes into Assemblies only to gratifie his Curiosity, and not to make a Figure, enjoys the Pleasures of Retirement in a[n] ...exquisite Degree.”
—Richard Steele (1672–1729)