The Theme:
Jesus Christ Heals and Reconciles 
– Our Witness in Europe

This theme makes the Assembly itself a missionary event! We shall be challenged to reflect on:

Jesus Christ as healer and reconciler – what is the basic faith which unites us as Christians and undergirds our witness today? What can we learn from one another’s traditions as we reflect on the gospels together?

Healing – where are the wounds in European peoples’ lives today, and what hope is there for wholeness? Indeed, in a world where many are excluded from fullness of life by poverty, disease, violence and discrimination, and at the other extreme science is exploring possibilities of human genetic engineering, what do "wholeness", "health" and even "person" mean?

Reconciliation – Hopes for a Europe truly at peace with itself, embodying values of justice, human dignity and community, still remain to be realised. There are historic memories still in need of healing – not only between nations and peoples but churches as well. What "good news" are we as churches called to embody and bring to this Europe, set in a world growing smaller yet ever more divided?

Witness – The gospel of Jesus Christ is both old and always new. How are we to communicate it today in action and in words, so that it is not relegated to a museum piece from the past nor confined to a private corner, but gives a living hope for every part of life? What kind of spirituality is needed to sustain our mission in Europe today?

The Assembly Theme Paper

The final English, French and German versions of the Assembly Theme Paper are to be found below.