ECEN Assembly 2026

Renewing our passion for creation in a time of trial

Welcome to Brussels - "Chant d’Oiseau"- 29.08 to 02.09 2026!

The ECEN Enabling Team is glad to invite you to the ECEN 2026 Assembly, under the theme : "Renewing our passion for creation in a time of trial" . We will gather in Brussels from 29 August to 2 September 2026, in the Franciscan Training Center Maison Notre-Dame du Chant d'Oiseau - Avenue des Franciscains 3A - 1150 Brussels.

It is time to book your tickets : the registration form is now open! Please fill it in by 24 May.

Join us to take action for climate justice with the WCC Decade or to learn about ecotheology thanks to keynote speakers from the ECErN network. Do some craftivism with Sarah Corbett and celebrate all together the Feast of Creation on 1st September! We will also have some spare-time to pray and walk around in beautiful gardens, in search for the "living water" with the Season of Creation.

You may come back on this page to get regular updates with the detailed programme, and all information you need to organise your travel.

We look forward to meeting you.

Calendar

29.08.2026	ECEN Assembly 2026
20.04.2026	How Can You Help Your Church Engage With Creation? Webinar
18.03.2026	Feast of Creation enters liturgical calendars: webinar and resources announced
22.09.2025	Ecotheology as an Academic Subject

A few words about the new ECEN Secretary

Claire Mesnards

My name is Claire des Mesnards. I have been working within the United Protestant Church of France as a pastor for 6 years. Before turning to theology, I worked with Civil Society Organisations in networks like the European Confederation of NGOs for sustainable development and international cooperation (CONCORD) and the Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) of which I was coordinator for the European region during the Action2015 campaign on climate and the Sustainable Development Goals. These were the first places where, after studying philosophy and political science, I tried to voice together with others my genuine concern for people and the planet. For me this concern is deeply rooted in Christian faith and explains why I responded to a call to serve Jesus Christ as a pastor.

Currently, I live in Nîmes, a small and beautiful Roman city known as one of the Reformation’s cradles in France. I am working full time for the local protestant parish. Together with a number of friends I have been closely involved in founding a Peoples University on Religions. The purpose of this specific project is to provide an open and neutral space where the diversity of beliefs can be approached in-depth by a wide audience. In the French context where religious questions are often relegated to the private sphere as a result of the 1905 separation of religion and the state, there is a desperate need to overcome ignorance and the resulting tensions that it can trigger between citizens.

Beside this and the usual activities related to pastoral care, I share my day-to-day life with Paul Kleiber, an Earth-lover who has over the years helped raise my awareness about the state of our planet. We are getting married on April 26! We will then move to the countryside in the North of France where we hope to get involved in permaculture – a dream Paul has had for a long time and which I now share. This new move brings together my initial background in biology and my long-standing interest in health and the environment. We would be grateful for your prayers and support as a new chapter of our lives opens. We strive for balanced relationships with God’s Creation and are eager to learn from every encounter.

Looking forward to meeting you and welcoming you!

You may contact me at ecenecen [dot] org and/or by phone at +33 6 27 75 56 37.

Keywords

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European Christian Environmental Network