The meeting followed an earlier Africa Consultation in Lusaka, Zambia in August 2005 and the global Forum gathering in Limuru, Kenya of November 2007. Participants were drawn from a limited number of countries and from the continent-wide Ecumenical, Evangelical, African Instituted and Catholic organizations with the intention to foster follow-up of the vision and objectives of the Forum within these particular contexts. Each of the four countries was represented by a group reflecting a wide spectrum of churches ranging from Anglican, Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant to African Instituted, Evangelical and Pentecostal. Each country group included representatives of the national Ecumenical, Evangelical, Pentecostal, Catholic and African Instituted bodies.

After an introduction to the Global Christian Forum the participants engaged in the experience of sharing their personal faith stories, which was new for more than two thirds of them for whom this was the first Forum meeting they attended. This was followed by reports of the participants on relationships between the different churches and Christian traditions at the level of the African continent and in the four countries, and a keynote address on Christianity and the Unity of the Church in Africa by Revd. Prof. Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu of Trinity Theological College in Accra.

In the second part of the meeting the participants met in mixed groups to discuss what they could learn from each other and what their hopes for the future were. They continued the reflection in confessional and in national and continental groups, with the purpose of formulating proposals to promote and implement the objectives of the Global Christian Forum.

In their reports the national groups affirm clearly that the vision of the Forum speaks to their situation and propose concrete steps and commitments to carry it forward. For example, in Ghana and South Africa meetings to this effect will be held in the first half of 2010. In Kenya it is proposed to form a National Christian Forum as an expression of the GCF. In Nigeria where there is already the Christian Association of Nigeria the group will use the Forum to create better understanding among the churches and further their unity and common witness. The report of the continental group confirms equally the relevance of the GCF for Africa, while at the same time underlining the need to clarify the process at the regional level. It highlights the leadership role of the continental bodies and proposes that each organization appoint a contact person as coordinator.

In their final document, which was adopted at the end of the meeting, the participants express the hope that the leadership of Africa's continental ecclesial bodies might meet on a regular basis for prayer, fellowship and sharing. For the Final Document, click here.

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