The Conference of European Churches (CEC) was founded in 1959 to promote reconciliation, dialogue and friendship between the churches of Europe at a time of growing Cold War political tensions and divisions. It is an ecumenical fellowship of Christian churches in Europe; its membership consists of most of Europe's mainline Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and Old Catholic Churches. In 2005, CEC had 125 member churches. 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Christian ecumenism is the promotion of unity or cooperation between distinct religious groups or denominations of the Christian religion, more or less broadly defined. ... History Main article: History of Christianity See also: Timeline of Christianity The history of Christianity is difficult to extricate from that of the European West (and several other culture-regions) in general. ... World map showing Europe (geographically) When considered a continent, Europe is the worlds second-smallest continent in terms of area, with an area of 10,600,000 km² (4,140,625 square miles), making it larger than Australia only. ... Mainline is also rail terminology for the main and often most transited portion of a railroad, which is usually double- or more track. ... Protestantism is a movement within Christianity, representing a split from within the Roman Catholic Church during the mid-to-late Renaissance in Europe —a period known as the Protestant Reformation. ... The word orthodoxy, from the Greek ortho (right, correct) and doxa (thought, teaching), is typically used to refer to the correct theological or doctrinal observance of religion, as determined by some overseeing body. ... The term Anglican describes those people and churches following the religious traditions of the Church of England, especially following the Reformation. ... The Old Catholic Church (in Switzerland Christian Catholic Church) is not so much a religious denomination, as a community, part of whose member churches split from the Roman Catholic church in 1870. ...

The most recent CEC assemblies were held at Graz, Austria (1997) and Trondheim, Norway (2003). The Third European Ecumenical Assembly is to be held in Sibiu, Romania, 4-8 September 2007. The Graz Schlossberg Clock Tower Graz [graːts] (Slovenian: Gradec, pronounced grah-dets), with a population of 300,000 (in 2005) is the second-largest city in Austria and the capital of the federal state of Styria (Steiermark in German). ... County Sør-Trøndelag Landscape Municipality NO-1601 Administrative centre Trondheim Mayor (2005) Rita Ottervik (A) Official language form Neutral Area  - Total  - Land  - Percentage Ranked 258 342 km² 322 km² 0. ... Sibiu (German: Hermannstadt, Hungarian: Nagyszeben) is a city in Transylvania, Romania with a population of 170,000. ... September is the ninth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of four Gregorian months with 30 days. ... 2007 (MMVII) is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

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. The President of CEC (since 2003) is the Rev Jean Arnold de Clermont (Reformed Church of France). The General Secretary (until November 2005) is the Rev Dr Keith Clements, who will be succeeded by the Venerable Colin Williams, currently Archdeacon of Lancaster in the Church of England.

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 Churches in Dialogue Commission is located in the Ecumenical Centre, Geneva, Switzerland - which is also the headquarters building of the World Council of Churches. The World Council of Churches (WCC) is the principal international Christian ecumenical organization. ... Jet dEau in Geneva Geneva (French: Genève) is the second-most populous city in Switzerland, situated where Lake Geneva (known in French as Lac Léman) flows into the Rhône River. ... The World Council of Churches (WCC) is the principal international Christian ecumenical organization. ...

In 1999 the European Ecumenical Commission on Church and Society (EECCS) merged with CEC, becoming CEC's Church and Society Commission. The Church and Society Commission's secretariat is located in offices in Brussels, Belgium and Strasbourg, France. The Director of the Church and Society Commission (since 2002) is the Rev Rüdiger Noll. Recent annual plenary meetings of the Church and Society Commission have been held in El Escorial, Spain (2003), Wavre, Belgium (2004) and Dunblane, Scotland (2005). The 2006 meeting will be held in Sigtuna, Sweden. Emblem of the Brussels-Capital Region Flag of The City of Brussels Brussels (Dutch: Brussel, French: Bruxelles, German: Brüssel) is the capital of Belgium and of the European Union. ... City motto: – City proper (commune) Région Alsace Département Bas-Rhin (67) Mayor Fabienne Keller (UMP) (since 2001) Area 78. ... The Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial (in Spanish, Real Monasterio de San Lorenzo de El Escorial) is an immense palace, monastery, museum, and library complex located at San Lorenzo de El Escorial (also San Lorenzo del Escorial), a town 45 kilometres (28 miles) northwest of Madrid in... Wavre is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Walloon Brabant, of which it is the capital. ... Dunblane is a small town in Perthshire, Scotland, near Stirling. ...

Past CEC Assemblies

• I. 1959 Nyborg, Denmark: "European Christianity in Today’s Secularised World"
• II. 1960 Nyborg, Denmark: "The Service of the Church in a Changing World"
• III. 1962 Nyborg, Denmark: "The Church in Europe and the Crisis of Modern Man"
• IV. 1964 Baltic Sea, on board the M.V. Bornholm: "Living Together as Continents and Generations"
• V. 1967 Pörtschach, Austria: "To Serve and Reconcile: the Task of the European Churches Today"
• VI. 1971 Nyborg, Denmark: "Servants of God, Servants of Men"
• VII. 1974 Engelberg, Switzerland: "Act on the Message - Unity in Christ and Peace in the World"
• VIII. 1979 Chania, Crete, Greece: "Alive to the World in the Power of the Holy Spirit"
• IX. 1986 Stirling, Scotland: "Glory to God and Peace on Earth"
• X. 1992 Prague, then Czechoslovakia (now in Czech Republic): "God Unites - in Christ a New Creation"
• XI. 1997 Graz, Austria: "Reconciliation, Gift of God and Source of New Life"
• XII. 2003 Trondheim, Norway: Jesus Christ Heals and Reconciles: Our Witness in Europe"

1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Nyborg castle Nyborg is a city in central Denmark, located in Nyborg municipality on the island of Funen. ... 1960 was a leap year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1962 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1964 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1971 is a common year starting on Friday (click for link to calendar). ... 1974 is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ... This page refers to the year 1979. ... Greece and Crete Crete, sometimes spelled Krete (Greek Κρήτη / Kriti; see also List of traditional Greek place names) is the largest of the Greek islands and the fifth largest in the Mediterranean Sea. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Stirling (Sruighlea in Gaelic) is a city in Central Scotland, in the district of Stirling. ... Timeline of Scottish history Caledonia List of not fully sovereign nations Subdivisions of Scotland National parks (Scotland) Traditional music of Scotland Flower of Scotland Wars of Scottish Independence National Trust for Scotland Historic houses in Scotland Castles in Scotland Museums in Scotland Abbeys and priories in Scotland Gardens in Scotland... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... Prague (Czech: Praha, see also other names) is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Graz Schlossberg Clock Tower Graz [graːts] (Slovenian: Gradec, pronounced grah-dets), with a population of 300,000 (in 2005) is the second-largest city in Austria and the capital of the federal state of Styria (Steiermark in German). ... 2003 (MMIII) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... County Sør-Trøndelag Landscape Municipality NO-1601 Administrative centre Trondheim Mayor (2005) Rita Ottervik (A) Official language form Neutral Area  - Total  - Land  - Percentage Ranked 258 342 km² 322 km² 0. ...

See also

World Council of Churches The World Council of Churches (WCC) is the principal international Christian ecumenical organization. ...

External links

• Conference of European Churches
• Ecumenical News International (ENI)