Arusha, Tanzania, 25-30 June 2008
Day 6 - Monday 30 June
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LWF Council Gives Direction
on
Climate and Global Food Crisis
 Rev. Dr David Pfrimmer reports on behalf of the Program Committee for International Affairs. © LWF/D.-M. Grötzsch |
The Council of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) called on LWF member churches to deepen their theological and ethical reflection on human contribution to climate change, as co- creatures with moral agency rather than claiming the prerogatives of creators.
Receiving recommendations of the Program Committee for International Affairs and Human Rights, the LWF governing body recommended that churches move beyond lamentation to urgent and effective action, and promote more sustainable lifestyles and behaviors among their members, with the aim to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions generated by institutional activities and operations.
It called member churches’ attention to “the critical urgency and unprecedented magnitude of the challenge of climate change and the threat it poses to humanity and all living beings on earth.” More...
LWF Council Calls for Removal of
HIV-Related Travel Restrictions
At its meeting this year in Arusha, Tanzania, the LWF Council called on the LWF member churches to advocate for the removal of discriminatory travel and entry restrictions, and similar examples of stigmatizations to people living with HIV. More...
LWF Council Calls for More Engagement
in Zimbabwe
The LWF Council urged its President to write a pastoral letter to heads of churches in Zimbabwe, expressing the LWF’s hope and trust that God cares for and would save the suffering people of Zimbabwe. The LWF governing body also urged the General Secretary to write letters to the African Union chairperson, African government heads, and the ecumenical community in Africa, encouraging regional action to protect Zimbabwe’s suffering people, and promote return to genuine democracy. More...
Council Calls for LWF Active Involvement
in Process to Unify ACT
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Having received the reports from Action by Churches Together (ACT) International and ACT Development through the Program Committee for World Service, the Council of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) requested the LWF secretariat and the member churches to continue to be actively involved in the creation of a unified ACT.
The Council expressed appreciation for the attempt to unify ACT International and ACT Development into one ACT alliance. It underscored the need to ensure that the unified ACT would be fully owned by the churches and their specialized ministries with the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the LWF represented in the governing structures.
The Council asked the LWF secretariat to inform both ACT International and ACT Development that the legal consequences of the merger of both organizations require a decision by the LWF Council as a founding member of ACT International, probably at the 2009 Council meeting. More...
LWF Council Endorses Communiqué
Reinforcing Witness of Ordained Women
 Rev. Dr Barbara Rossing, Program Committee for Theology and Studies chairperson © LWF/D.-M. Grötzsch |
The Council of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) reinforced the witness of ordained women by endorsing the communiqué “The Ongoing Reformation of the Church: the Witness of Ordained Women Today,” and recommended that member churches become familiar with the LWF statement and take specific action.
The Council also moved that member churches submit their reports concerning this document to the 2009 Council meeting. The document was adopted during the consultation on “Women in Ordained Ministry as Ecumenical Witness” held 27–29 March in Geneva, Switzerland and is available on the LWF Web site as PDF version.
With a view to the Eleventh LWF Assembly in 2010, the March consultation asked member churches to prepare and submit a report “of what they intend to do with regard to this matter if they do not ordain women already, or, if they do so now, how they are addressing remaining practical obstacles and seeking to further the partnership of women and men in the ministry of the church.” More...
LWF to Join Ecumenical Process to Combat Corruption
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The LWF Council responded to the report of the Program Committee for Mission and Development with the recommendation that the LWF join an ecumenical process aiming to establish a code of conduct to combat corruption, an issue highlighted in the General Secretary’s report to the Council.
With regard to the question of how LWF’s self-understanding as a communion is reflected in its methods and communication, the Council asked the LWF Secretariat to emphasize the themes of worship and spirituality in the LWF’s programmatic activities.
The Program Committee detailed mediation efforts in conflicts in three LWF member churches: the Evangelical Church of the Republic of Croatia, the Lutheran Church in the Philippines and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Congo. The Program Committee expressed appreciation for the Department for Mission and Development’s (DMD) role as mediator in the conflicts and affirmed the importance of conflict resolution as a DMD task. More...
LWF Council Approves Preparation of a
Lutheran Statement to Ask Forgiveness
for Anabaptists Persecutions
 Prof. Dr Joachim Track delivers the report of the Program Committee for ecumenical affairs. © LWF/D.-M. Grötzsch |
The LWF Council voted to provide for preparation of a statement that will, on behalf of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), ask for forgiveness for Lutheran persecutions of “Anabaptists,” in which many died as this violence was justified by appeal to the Lutheran Reformers’ theological statements.
Receiving recommendations from its Program Committee for Ecumenical Affairs, the Council also acknowledged with appreciation the communiqués from the Lutheran-Mennonite International Study Commission in 2007 and 2008, and commended the study commission for its thorough and important work. It encouraged the Commission to publish the final report of its work in 2009.
More...
Council Affirms Proposal for New LWF On-Line Presence
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The LWF Council adopted a recommendation seeking the provision of sufficient funds in 2009 for the on-line presence of the LWF.
The Program Committee for Communication Services brought the recommendation before the Council, after discussion of the report of the May 2008 “Communal Portal” roundtable which brought together more than 45 representatives of member churches and partner organizations. The participants had recognized the urgency of a new institutional Web site in view of preparations for the LWF Eleventh Assembly in Stuttgart, Germany.
The Council approved that work continues on a proposal for a communion on-line space in light of the LWF Renewal Committee’s work. More...
FEATURE: 'When You Hear Our Songs,
Promise to Take Action'
“Climate change is threatening our future!” chanted young adults from member churches of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) during a role-play session at the 2008 Pre-Council Youth workshop in Arusha, northern Tanzania.
“ Mount Kilimanjaro is no longer as attractive as it used to be. Probably my children will not see any snow on it,” said Namsifu Aminiel, a participant from the LWF Council host church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT). More...
CHF 13 Million for LWF Geneva Coordination Budget
At its meeting in June 2008 in Arusha, Tanzania, the Council of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) approved an amount of CHF 13,047,887 for the LWF Geneva Coordination Budget for the year 2009.
The LWF Geneva Coordination Budget (the so-called A-Budget), of which 80 percent consists of staff-related costs, is expected to show a surplus of CHF 48,844.
USD 86 Million Planned for Programs und Projects
Following the recommendation of the LWF Program Committee for Finance and Administration, the Council approved a budget of over USD 85.98 million for the programs and projects of the various LWF departments and offices for the year 2009.
General Secretary Noko Says Council Meeting Was Successful - LWF Treasurer Stoll Underlines Poverty Is a Global Issue
The LWF General Secretary Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko, expressed satisfaction about the outcome of the 25-30 June LWF Council meeting in Arusha, Tanzania. “I am satisfied that we could do so much within such a short time,” Noko told journalists at a closing press conference.
“We have taken decision as the Lutheran World Federation to act toward emissions, also towards our travels, and in our own offices,” Noko said, responding to a journalist’s question.
LWF Treasurer Mr Peter Stoll concurred with the general secretary about the Council’s achievements. “We as a Council have never done so many things and recommendations in such a short time. So that speaks for the hospitality of the host church,” he said. More...
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