Outstretched Hands

At his Lutheran church in Budapest, Pastor Laszlo Benczur had heard and wondered about a "world church" and a world fellowship of Christians. When he learned that near Geneva there was something called an Ecumenical Institute, where Christians of all non-Roman denominations and nationalities met and studied together, he and his congregation decided that Pastor Benczur must attend. Last fortnight, at the closing session of the Institute's second three-month term, Pastor Benczur rose to speak to his fellow students. Said he: "I feel like the finger of an outstretched hand."

The outstretched hands of Christendom's churches are still a long way from meeting in a solid clasp of friendship. But nowhere in Europe do so many fingers touch each other as at the World Council of Churches' Ecumenical Institute. Founded last year (TIME, May 20) as part of a $6,000,000 program to reconstruct European religious life, the Institute is financed largely by U.S. church members.* It has already been in operation for six months, has sent 73 men & women back to their homelands with broader Christian perspectives and more international Christian ties.

The first term was for lay leaders. The second group of 38, graduated last fortnight, consisted of ministers and theological students. Each day for the past three months they have listened to lectures, studied, prayed and talked together. There were ministers and students from all over Europe. Union Theological Seminary's Reinhold Niebuhr turned up for a series of lectures during the final week.

Late this month the Institute's next term will begin--this time for Christian youth leaders. Meetings for the summer months will include one for Christian politicians, one for professors, one for doctors. The World Council's new Institute is finding no lack of outstretching hands.

* Biggest single contribution to the reconstruction fund: John D. Rockefeller's $1,000,000.

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