The 15th session of the Conference of European Churches (CEC) General Assembly may not happen until 2018, but 30 ecumenical partners will already gather together in Budapest from October 12-14 to plan for the next meeting. In attendance will be two RCH representatives – Balázs Ódor, Ecumenical Officer of the RCH, and Orsolya Somosfalvi, who was the local coordinator of the Planning Committee when the 14th Assembly was held in Budapest in 2013.

CEC Assemblies aim to bring together ecumenical participants from across Europe to discuss issues of common concern. According to the CEC, “It is an important time of dialogue between CEC and its Member Churches and Organisations in Partnership.”

The upcoming planning meeting will focus on challenges for the European Union, including discussions on the UK’s “Brexit” from a church perspective, as well as a broader conversation about what the future holds for Europe. During their time together, the brainstorming team will hear from people such as Rev. Dr Vilmos Fischl, General Secretary of the Ecumenical Council of Churches in Hungary, Fr Heikki Huttunen, General Secretary of CEC, as well as various Budapest-based church leaders.

The RCH played a role in the 14th CEC Assembly. Six full-time RCH staff members were offered to the assembly as co-opted staff, and additionally, the former General Secretary volunteered as an advisor to the Revision Working Group. The RCH also coordinated a group of Hungarian volunteers that provided local information throughout the week and worked in conjunction with the assembly stewards. 

To read more about the RCH hosting the 14th CEC Assembly, you can read a short article here. For further information about CEC, you can visit their website here.