As the Russian Orthodox Church continues to develop its mission work and the establishment of the Orthodox Church in the Philippines, a meeting of those involved was held in Moscow on 24 March 2016. The working group for organizing, coordinating and supporting the Russian Orthodox Church’s missionary work in the Philippines met for its second session at the Moscow Patriarchate’s department…
At a ceremony hosted by Lambeth Palace in London yesterday the Lambeth Cross for Ecumenism was awarded by Archbishop Justin Welby to three leading ecumenists. Amongst the three was the co-chair of the Lausanne-Orthodox Initiative, His Grace Bishop Angaelos, General Bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom. The other two recipients of the Lambeth Cross…
As Orthodox Christians of the Eastern family (as distinct from the Oriental Orthodox Churches) prepare for their Holy and Great Synod in Crete this coming June a new book has been published which calls for even greater unity within the Orthodox community. In The Orthodox Dilemma: Personal Reflections on Global Christian Conciliar Unity, George Alexander, the…
It is with sadness that we report the death a few days ago of Archimandrite Ephrem Lash, a noted liturgist, apologist and friend of many in different Christian traditions. Archimadrite Ephrem was born in India in 1933 and later became a priest of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Thyrateira and Great…
Prayer is key to the work of the Lausanne-Orthodox Initiative. We would like to remind all those committed to this initiative that we value your prayers and provide regular prayer requests on our website. Please do visit our prayer page regularly, use the short prayer requests there and also encourage your church and others to…
The World Council of Church’s Commission on World Mission and Evangelism (CWME) have just announced that the next World Mission Conference will be hosted by the Lutheran community in Tanzania in 2018 (on a date yet to be agreed). The CWME director, Rev. Dr Jooseop Keum, speaking about the theme…
Tekle Belachew, an Evangelical leader in Ethiopia and a participant in the Lausanne-Orthodox Initiative offers his observations on last month’s Temqat festival within the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. “On January 19, 2016 (Terr 11, 2008 in Ethiopian calendar), Temqat (Timket) Epiphany celebrated in Ethiopia publicly by the riverbank or pond. “Temqat in Gondar” is particularly colorful…
St Michael’s, a small makeshift chapel serving mainly Orthodox Ethiopian Christians among the migrants living in “The Jungle” refugee camp in Calais, was among several parts of the camp that were bulldozed by the authorities this week. A mosque was also destroyed. The charity Help Refugees, UK, said, “Sad to report that the Church has…
The following communique has been issued by the by the Synaxis of Primates of the Orthodox Churches meeting in Geneva from 21-28 January 2016 COMMUNIQUÉ At the invitation of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the Synaxis of Primates of the Orthodox Autocephalous Churches took place at the Orthodox Center of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Chambésy, Geneva, from…
This year’s Whitley lecture “Gospel, Church and Social Transformation: Post-Soviet Baptists After the Ukrainian Revolution of Dignity and Freedom, 2013-14” will be delivered by Dr. Joshua Searle (right) Tutor in Theology and Public Thought at Spurgeon’s College, UK. Delivered at four different venues the lecture draws on Dr. Searle’s deep understanding of the history and contemporary…