Letter to the children

As well as more than 100 pages of texts on the burning issues facing the GDR and the world, the Ecumenical Assembly at its final session on 30 April 1989 also agreed a "letter to children. When five months later new political parties and citizens movements were being former, one of the movements, Demokratischer Aufbruch borrowed this idea and drafted its own letter to children. The original letter from the Ecumenical Assembly was was read out again at the Prayers for Peace in Leipzig to mark the 20th anniversary of the assembly:

Dear Children

The earth on which we live is threatened. We, the adults, are the ones who are responsible. But there are some people who have realised what is happening. Thats why many people have been meeting for the third time to think about what needs to be done to save the earth. The special thing about our meeting is that we are all people who believe in God, but do so in different ways. That's what you call an Ecumenical Assembly, and the people there are called delegates. But actually they are mothers and fathers, grandfathers and grandmothers, sisters and brothers, or Godparents -in other words people who could be living in your own homes.

What have we been doing?

We have been discussing and praying and discussing again what we can do with the world that we are handing on to you in a quite dilapidated state. We've set down our conclusions and the most important points are:
- We all have to ensure that there will still be trees for many years to come, growing under a blue sky;
- We all need to act to prevent anyone ever again shooting someone else in a war;
- We all have to learn to share, so that no one will starve ever again;
- We all have to act to ensure that each little person and each big person can grow up in safety and security in a nature that is at one with itself;

If we get tired, you must take our place. It's a difficult task for which you need to be prepared. That's why we have told you something about the Ecumenical Assembly. Do not think that we know everything but have faith that we want to do everything we can.

We send you our greetings and thank you for listening.

May peace be with you - Shalom.

The delegates of the Ecumenical Assembly.

p.s. We were in Dresden. It rained a lot, and smoking was prohibited in the meeting place.

Translation (c) Stephen Brown