The Anglican Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia and the Anglican Missions Board in Rotorua are hosting the World Council of Churches (WCC) for its 2018 Indigenous Global Ecumenical Gathering (IGEG) and youth pre-meeting. The gathering, running from 18 – 23 July in Ohinemutu, a Maori village and a suburb of Rotorua in New Zealand, welcomes up to 200 indigenous participants from around the globe.

The event represents regional, national and local ecumenical indigenous networks, communities and churches and focuses on the theme of “Indigenous Spirituality and Reconciliation: Called to a Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace.”

The WCC’s organiser, Dr Katalina Tahaafe-Williams, said: “It is a time of prayerful listening and dialogue and sharing good practice examples of hope, as participants together embark on a Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace informed by indigenous spirituality, and aimed at reconciliation and healing.”

The gathering also marks the 70th anniversary of the WCC which will be celebrated with an ecumenical multicultural service to be held at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Auckland on Sunday 22 July.