Our mission.
The members of the International public association « Christian Educational Center of Saints Methodius and Cyrill» (CEC ) , the employees of its executive apparatus fully share the mission of Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) of the Moscow patriarchy, aspiring to embody in its activity an image of modern Orthodoxy shared by the majority of believers of ROC. The Christian Educational Center of Saints Methodius and Cyrill (CEC) perceives its own existence as expression of aspiration of laity intelligence of Belarus Orthodox Church to participation in mission of Church, in its social and educational service to a modern society at its all variety and ambiguous relation to religious culture. By hierarchy of Belarus Orthodox Church (BOC ) the task was posed in front of Christian Educational Centre to compensate the deficiency presence of Christian mission at those areas of society in which its perception faces either with misunderstanding and false interpretation, or even with aversion of religious feeling as those. Exactly in such cases the traditional toolkit of Christian mission is not always effective, that causes the development of new approaches to dialogue with non-believers. The strategy of the CEC consists in mediation between positions of public partners, both religious, and secular, for achievement of their equal in rights dialogue and cooperation. The basic directions of activity of the CEC in this case are inter-religious and inter-confessional (ecumenical) dialogue, and also dialogue and cooperation between BOC and both state and non state public structures and organizations of Belarus. Alongside with the basic directions of activity there are social, educational and cultural projects and actions which put accent on the Christian and humanitarian prospect.
There would be a deep mistake to consider, that the CEC aspires to impose the Christian outlook, - on the contrary, by its educational and social activity it warns against urgent and rash transition to a Christian way of life, calling, first of all, to overcoming the prejudiced attitude to religious outlook and formation of the main religious competence which in its turn substantially enrich the general social competence of an individual. The Christian confessions of Europe including Orthodoxy, work exclusively in a legal constitutional field, respecting the freedom of faith of each individual including - only free decision of acceptance of Christ and His Gospel that makes an individual the communicant of Body of Christ – Church.
The management and staff of CEC do not think of the activity without meaningful dialogue and cooperation with other Christian faiths, first of all with Catholic Church - the second-largest religious confession in Belarus. It finds the reflection in joint actions where the representatives of Catholic Church from all over the world participate. Close friendship connects the CEC and Protestant believers of Europe and the USA, Judaic and Muslim communities of Belarus. In more detail about ecumenical contacts and actions it is possible to learn from the actual news of activity of the CEC.
