"Some would have said that this event was not possible, but here we are - and the world wonders what will come next," said the World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia at the opening of the Global Christian Forum (GCF) taking place in Limuru, near Nairobi, Kenya, from 6-9 November.

Stressing the "unprecedented breadth" of the event in his address to a room packed with some 240 high level representatives from Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox, Catholic, Evangelical, Adventist, Pentecostal and other churches from around the world, Kobia challenged the group to take some risks.

What many are saying is the broadest range of Christian traditions ever gathered at a global meeting, the forum's stated purpose is to create an open space for Christian churches and interchurch organizations to foster mutual respect and explore common challenges. In Limuru about half of the participants are Evangelicals and Pentecostals.

"I am stunned we have here what might be described as a new Pentecost," said Rev. Dr Cecil "Mel" Robeck, an Assemblies of God minister from the US and a member of the Global Christian Forum continuation committee.

The challenge today is to look "beyond our peculiarities and distinctions, divisions and conflicts, mistrusts and all apprehensions which divide us and set us up against one another," said Rev. Canon Peter Karanja, general secretary of the National Council of Churches of Kenya in delivering the reflection of the opening worship.

"I hope that we will take the risk of working together," and to forge "new relations among ourselves and between our churches" so that "Christian unity may be strengthened, quite apart from the self-interest of any one institution," Kobia said.

In a personal testimony, in line with the forum's methodology and style, Kobia spoke of his own faith journey, which started as he was raised as a second generation Christian in rural Kenya and continued through different stages of increasing ecumenical awareness.

"It is only by lowering barriers, by coming fully into each other's presence and confronting our prejudices, that we may come to understand each other significantly better," he said.

"There is already a lot of cooperation across boundaries at the grassroot level, be it on advocacy issues, fighting HIV and AIDS or other contemporary challenges," affirmed Rev. Dr Judy Mbugua, team leader of the Association of Evangelicals in Africa, in welcoming the participants to the meeting, which she defined as "one of its kind".

According to Rev. Dr Mvume Dandala, who in turn welcomed participants as general secretary of the All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC), "to show signs of unity in diversity is essential if Christians are to contribute to healing the fractures of the African continent".

Robeck briefed participants about the history of the Forum, acknowledging it had been born out of an idea of former WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Konrad Raiser. While affirming the Forum's independence from any organization, he affirmed the WCC deserves gratitude for having contributed to create this new space, which "is not intended to replace any existing organization".

Leading the gathering in prayer, Fr. Jan Lenssen, from the secretary of ecumenism of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Kenya, prayed that those present may experience a "conversion of heart" and be "moved and engaged in open dialogue" out of the "desire to be in communion".

Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Kenya Makarios prayed for the Holy Spirit "to humble" the meeting participants so they may understand that "every and each of us have been made in God's image," and in so doing been able to feel "brotherly love".

In a written greeting to the gathering, the Forum was saluted as a "significant and timely initiative" by the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams. "The call to unity and common witness requires us to develop new conversations as well as to build on the fellowship we already enjoy," he wrote.

The Global Christian Forum aims to create a new and open space in which a broad range of Christian churches and interchurch organizations can gather in a multilateral setting, to discuss how best to promote dialogue and co-operation on issues of Christian unity and common witness to the world. As the Forum tries to include all streams of Christianity, including those which have not been in conversation with one another, in Limuru about half of the participants are Evangelicals and Pentecostals. [Edited with news material from WCC Information Service]