Even in the era of Internet, meetings are of vital importance. No e-mail, no tele-conference, no Internet dialogue forum will actually replace the coming together and meeting face to face of people living in different parts of the world.

This is particularly true for the churches and the ecumenical movement. With 126 member churches and 43 associated organisations from all countries of Europe, the Conference of European Churches (CEC) is the largest ecumenical body in the "old continent". Communication among CEC member churches in ensured through regular mailings, a quarterly bulletin ("CEC Monitor"), and a web-page in three languages http://www.cec-kek.org. Visits and meetings also play an essential role in its life.

Every six years, the CEC General Assembly brings together 350 official delegates of the member churches, plus an equal number of guests, staff and "delegated representatives" of partner organisations. The next CEC Assembly, the 12th since its foundation in 1959, will be held in Trondheim, Norway, from 25 June to 2 July 2003, on the theme "Jesus Christ Heals and Reconciles - our Witness in Europe".

It is not an easy task to plan such a large meeting. During the time of the cold war, for instance, the 1964 CEC Assembly had to take place on the Danish boat "Bornholm", in international waters, because the delegates from the East could not get a visa to Denmark, where the Assembly was scheduled to take place.

Today, European borders are widely open but increasing travel costs and economical difficulties in many European countries, particularly in the East, have again made things difficult for those delegates. For this reason, CEC has set up a "Solidarity Fund" for the Assembly, with the aim of raising 60,000 Euros to support the participation of delegates from Eastern Europe, as well as those from minority churches and smaller Christian organisations.

As with Bornholm in 1964, we need to symbolically rig up an "ecumenical boat" to bring representatives of all European Christian churches to Trondheim. Help us rig this boat, help us build the common witness of European Christians is our still divided continent.

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