|
|
|
The Lutheran World Federation
Lutheran World Information |
|
| 31.01.2003 |
|
| North Americans Get Ready for LWF Tenth Assembly |
| |
Communion, Mission, Hospitality, Key Themes for Winnipeg
DENVER, Colorado, United States of America/GENEVA, 31 January 2003 (LWI) - The Assembly will enable Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) members to experience what it means to belong to a "very large and significant family in the world," ELCIC National Bishop Rev. Raymond L. Schultz said at the North American Pre-Assembly Consultation. The leader of the Assembly host church said in an interview: "It also means Canadian Lutherans will have an opportunity for "self-expression," and "as a communion of churches, we [will] have an opportunity to worship together, study the Scriptures together and to talk with one another. It's hard to predict what comes out of the richness of that kind of experience."
The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) North American Pre-Assembly Consultation in Denver, January 23-26, was attended by some 70 people. The consultation brought together North American delegates, staff and advisers representing the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), ELCIC, Lithuanian Evangelical Lutheran Church in Diaspora, Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church Abroad and Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church Abroad (based in Germany), all of which have congregations in North America, and are LWF members.
Participants discussed key issues affecting North America that will be brought to the Assembly, made nominations for LWF President and LWF Council positions, and learned about Assembly procedure. They also heard reports from the Women's Pre-Assembly Consultation held in Montreux, Switzerland last November, and the North American Youth Consultation held in Denver January 18-22.
For the ELCIC with a membership of 188,654, preparing for and organizing the logistics of an international Assembly is an "enormous" task, Schultz said. Participants will experience worship in Anglican and Roman Catholic churches, because there is no Lutheran church in Winnipeg large enough, he said. However, the worship will help participants understand that "life in the ELCIC is very ecumenical," he added.
ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson and Bishop Schultz chaired much of the consultation program. "It's a privilege and an honor and a lot of work to host the LWF Assembly on our continent," said Kathy J. Magnus, LWF Regional Expression Officer for North America, based in Chicago, Illinois, USA. The last time an LWF Assembly took place in North America was in 1957, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
At the consultation, three themes of recent LWF experience were emphasized: the meaning of a Lutheran communion, a communion in mission, and hospitality.
"The coming together of Lutherans on this continent has brought attention to what it means to be in unity as the church," said the Rev. Dr Karen L. Bloomquist, director of the LWF Department for Theology and Studies. She cited the 1999 signing of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (JDDJ) in Augsburg, Germany, by representatives of the LWF and Vatican. North Americans were leaders in the effort that led to the JDDJ, she said.
The LWF is a "communion" of churches in the Lutheran tradition, which "means more than a free association of autonomous churches," Bloomquist continued. It means the churches share a fellowship with a common theological understanding, she said. The LWF Assembly is "a pivotal event" of what it means to be a communion, Bloomquist added.
Rev. Dr Péri Rasolondraibe, director of the LWF Department for Mission and Development, said mission "is clear and dominant" throughout the worldwide Lutheran communion. "It [the LWF] is a communion in mission," he said. "Through mission the communion is strengthened." He cited the companion synod programs of both the ELCA and ELCIC as examples of how North American Lutherans have created a "network" of relationships throughout the world. The programs provide formal links between synods of the North American churches with churches in various parts of the world, leading to sharing of resources, exchange visits of members and leaders, and mutual support, especially in times of crisis. "Sharing and giving hope is part of being a communion in mission," he said. The Assembly theme "For the Healing of the World" is "both a challenge and a promise" for the churches of the communion.
The Assembly provides an opportunity for Lutherans to extend hospitality to each other, said Robert H. Granke, director for the LWF Department for World Service. Hospitality is about extending a welcome, treating others with respect and affirming each member, he said.
The Assembly will be held in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, July 21-31. Normally held every six years, the Assembly is the federation's chief decision-making body. The theme, "For the Healing of the World," will be highlighted in worship, celebrations and business matters, including elections and deliberations on resolutions and policy matters. About 1,000 delegates, staff, advisers and visitors are expected to attend.
Information about the LWF Tenth Assembly can be found at www.lwf-assembly.org - the LWF Assembly Web site.
|
If you want to edit this article yourself and adapt it to a given format, follow our editing information
|
|
|
|
|
|
