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The Lutheran World Federation
Lutheran World Information |
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| 08.11.2005 |
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| Africa Church Leadership Conference Celebrates 50th Anniversary in Windhoek |
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Namibian Bishop Kameeta: A Dream Come True
WINDHOEK, Namibia/GENEVA, 8 November 2005 (LWI) – "From Isolation to Communion: For the Healing of Africa," is the theme of a Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Africa Church Leadership Conference that begins November 9, in the Namibian capital, Windhoek.
The culmination of the conference, to be attended by more than 80 representatives of African Lutheran churches as well as partner churches and organizations, will be the 50th anniversary celebrations of the All Africa Lutheran Conference (AALC), November 13. The first joint conference of African Lutheran churches took place in Marangu, Tanzania in 1955.
Bishop Dr Zephania Kameeta of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Republic of Namibia (ELCRN), considers the AALC 50th anniversary celebrations as a dream come true. The Marangu conference 50 years ago was aimed at leading African Lutheran churches out of isolation, particularly those in Namibia. As the last colony in Southern Africa, Namibia had suffered the longest under isolation, said Kameeta, who is also chairperson of the LWF National Committee in Namibia, and LWF Vice-President for the Africa region.
The three Lutheran churches in Namibia—the ELCRN with 300,000 members; Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia (ELCIN) with over 640,000 members; and the German-speaking Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia (ELCIN- GELC) with 6,500 members jointly with the LWF are hosting the Africa Church Leadership Conference. Around half of Namibia’s population is affiliated to one of the Lutheran churches.
Kameeta hopes that the conference would give direction as to how African churches can maintain sustainable development in the mission of proclaiming the gospel and work closer together. He encourages Lutheran churches on the continent to look into ways of addressing the difficult situation in their respective countries courageously and unambiguously. He urges the churches to leave their back seats and speak loud and clear as the early prophets did to end Africa’s spiral of violence, civil conflict and HIV/AIDS, among other concerns.
Opportunity to Review Inner Lutheran Understanding
LWF General Secretary, Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko, explained prior to the meeting that this conference gave the Lutheran churches in Africa an opportunity to review progress that had been made in terms of inner Lutheran self understanding and ecumenical priorities over several decades. The Lutheran churches in Africa have a high profile in the area of diakonia and mission, he noted.
The LWF Department for Mission and Development Area Secretary for Africa, Rev. Dr Musa P. Filibus, sees the gathering in Namibia as a unique opportunity for the Lutheran churches in Africa to reflect on their growth from isolation by cultural, geographical, ethnic and political barriers to being in communion.
If as it is said, the "center of gravity," meaning the growth of the church is shifting to the Southern hemisphere, then the churches in the South must deal with the challenge of also providing leadership to the global ecclesia. Such leadership must be relevant and applicable to local contexts. Growth must permit all aspects of what it means to be a church. This requires an ongoing understanding of the priesthood of all believers, where all are players in Christ’s mission, Filibus says.
The conference will also focus on how the African churches can ensure the sustainability of their domestic budgets and acceptable working conditions and salaries. Representatives from the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, church workers’ unions in Finland, and the Finnish Evangelical Mission will share their experiences on this subject and assist the conference in formulating a clear plan of action on improving the rights and working conditions of church workers.
The Africa region consists of 36 Lutheran churches, 30 of which belong to the LWF. These churches have a total membership of 14.08 million in 22 countries in Central, Eastern, Southern and Western Africa.
The more recently-formed three sub-regional expressions—Lutheran Communion in Central and Eastern Africa (LUCCEA); Lutheran Communion in Southern Africa (LUCSA); and Lutheran Communion in Western Africa (LUCWA) aim at bringing the member churches closer together, and promote mutual understanding, trust, and inter-dependence. (675 words)
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