A WSCF Senior Friend's Gathering will take place from August 4-8, alongside the WSCF 34th General Assembly at Collège Jean-de Brébeuf in Montréal, Canada.

The Senior Friends' Gathering theme is "Memories, dreams and visions of the WSCF". The theme comes from the end of the verse used by the 34th WSCF General Assembly, taken from the words of the prophet Joel, "Your sons and daughters shall prophesy ... and your elders shall dream dreams (Acts 2:17)".

WSCF senior friends are supporters and former members of WSCF who are no longer students, but who continue to care for the Federation and believe in the value of its work amongst Christian students around the world. WSCF Senior Friends typically continue to practise ecumenism and the kind of radical theological engagement and action they encountered as students in the SCM.

This conference for WSCF senior friends comes forty years after the historic World Student Conference held in Turku in 1968. Conference sessions will include a keynote address on the conference theme by Dr Rubem Alves, ecumenical worship co-ordinated by US senior friend Rev’d Ann Brunger, Bible studies by WSCF’s Africa Regional Secretary Georgine Kengne Djeutane, former WSCF Chairperson Prof. Wong Wai Ching and Turku resource person Rev’d Dr Paul Oestreicher.

Further sessions will include Remembering Turku: Panel and discussion, a day shared with the delegates at the WSCF 34th General Assembly and sessions on the legacy and future of the World Student Christian Federation.

On the gathering’s fourth day (Thursday 7 August), delegates will join with the WSCF General Assembly for worship, Bible study, planning and visioning in the Assembly’s four commissions and will attend the keynote address from Dr Gregory Baum.

Organisers: Revd Alice Hageman, Ms. Christine Ledger.
Resource people: Dr Rubem Alves (Keynote address), Rev’d Dora Arce-Valentin (worship facilitator), Ms. Georgine Kengne Djeutane, Revd Dr. Paul Oestreicher and Prof. Wong Wai Ching (Bible studies), Dr Gregory Baum (Joint GA Keynote address).

For more information on the Senior Friend’s Gathering, please contact organisers Rev’d. Alice Hageman at alh@theworld.com, or Chris Ledger at chrisledger@netspeed.com.au

Details for Senior Friends registered to attend

Meeting Place: The WSCF Senior Friend’s Gathering will take place at Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf, 3200, Chemin Côte-Sainte-Catherine, Montreal, the same venue as the WSCF 34th General Assembly.

Accommodation
The nearest (and least expensive) accommodation is at Les Studios Hotel of the University of Montreal. Reservations at Les Studios should be made by July 1, 2008. You can register by going to their web site, www.studioshotel.ca. Please inform them that you will be part of the WSCF Senior Friends event. There are several types of rooms, including single or double with shared bath and double with en-suite bathroom. More expensive rooms are available at the nearby Hotel Terrasse Royale; you can reach them at info@terrasse-royale.com. Please inform senior friend’s gathering organisers of your arrival/departure dates and your hotel, after you have reserved your room.

Meals
We will have breakfast at the hotel, and lunch and supper with WSCF GA participants at the College. Please let me know as soon as possible whether you will be taking meals with conference participants so we have numbers for meal reservations at the College. At the time you register, you will pay for meal vouchers, which are (Canadian) $7.00 breakfast and $12.50 for lunch and supper. It will be difficult to make meal arrangements unless you have reserved in advance.

Health Insurance
You may wish to consider purchasing traveller’s health insurance. Canada has a private health system and conference participants will be personally responsible for any health costs incurred during their stay.

Passports and visas
Please check to see if you will need a visa to enter Canada if you find you do need a visa, please contact WSCF’s GA visa support person, Catharine Johannson at ga.coordinator.2008@gmail.com - immediately!

Display items
We hope to have a display of materials drawn from WSCF meetings for the past 50 years (at least from Strasbourg on; earlier if possible). Please bring along any photos, brochures, GA programs in your archives – or, better yet, send them to me in Boston (37 Boylston Street, Jamaica Plain, Ma.02130, USA), making sure they arrive no later than Friday, July 25, 2008.

Registration
Registration will take place beginning at noon on Monday, August 8. We will take registrations in the main lobby of the triangular tower of Les Studios at 2450 Blvd. Edouard Montpetit until 6 p.m, thereafter in the “welcome lounge” at the Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf.

Credit Card registration payments
Senior friends may pay their registrations by credit card through SCM Canada. Please note on the registration form if your payment has been made through SCM Canada. Inside North America please call SCM Canada toll free at 1 877 674 3842 or otherwise phone them on 1 416 463 4312.

Senior Friend’s Gathering Timetable

To view the Senior Friends’ Gathering timetable and the map of hotels in relation to the venue (and print out a copy), please click on the link below.