The Conference of European Churches has accepted an invitation from the Holy Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church to hold its 15th General Assembly in Novi Sad (Serbia). The Assembly will be hosted by CEC Member Churches in Serbia, and also other churches of the Vojvodina region. The decision about Assembly location was made by the CEC Presidency based on a mandate from the Governing Board meeting in June 2016. The staff and hosting churches are studying two sets of dates for the Assembly in June 2018 and October 2018.

“Novi Sad is a crossroads in Europe. Crossroads historically, politically, and ecumenically. We are excited by the possibilities this venue offers and by the new perspectives that are opening up for CEC,” commented CEC General Secretary Fr Heikki Huttunen.

CEC President Rt Rev. Christopher Hill KCVO, DD added, "I am delighted to say that Patriarch Irinej of Serbia offers us his warm welcome to Serbia; our visit will signal that CEC is truly ‘Europe-wide’."

Assembly preparations began in earnest last week with a brainstorming session in Budapest (Hungary), the location of the 14th General Assembly. Over three days, representatives from the European National Councils of Churches, Assembly Planning Committee, and secretaries for European affairs discussed the future of Europe and how this will inform assembly preparations. The event was hosted locally by the Ecumenical Council of Churches in Hungary. 

Source: Conference of European Churches