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The Lutheran World Federation
Lutheran World Information |
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| 18.06.2001 |
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| Identifying a Lutheran Contribution to Healing in a Broken World |
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LWF Council Receives Report of Assembly Planning Committee
GENEVA, 18 June 2001 (LWI) - As she reflects on the progress being made in organizing the Tenth Assembly of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Rev. Susan Nagle, Chairperson of the Assembly Planning Committee (APC) says, “I get a sense of great energy about this Assembly.” Using the theme “For the Healing of the World,” the Assembly will be held in Winnipeg, Canada, 21 - 31 July 2003.
“People want this Assembly, want this theme, want to work together on it,” says Nagle. “Healing and reconciliation are the essential work of the church.” She notes that the focus of LWF President Christian Krause on reconciliation in his address to the LWF Council in its meeting here June 12-19, had a very powerful impact on those present and had begun to demonstrate the potential of the Assembly theme to help participants bring its words to life.
The main aim of the assembly should be to identify a Lutheran contribution for a broken world that needs healing and not just electing officers, observed the Program Committee for Mission and Development.
As the LWF Council members received the APC report they approved five specific purposes in addition to the regular responsibilities of an LWF Assembly such as giving general direction to the work of the Federation and electing the President and the members of the LWF Council.
The purposes specific to the Tenth Assembly are to:
• explore ways to be God’s instruments for healing, justice and reconciliation in the midst of brokenness in church and society,
• deepen understanding and experience of the Lutheran communion by addressing differences and disparities and by sharing gifts,
• commit to closer and deeper cooperation within the ecumenical movement and to life in communion as given in Christ,
• discern the challenges posed to Lutheran churches in today’s multicultural and multifaith context,
• address spiritual, social and environmental challenges provoked especially by economic globalization.
The Council approved a plan for the number of delegates and composition of the delegations, where due balance between the Northern and Southern hemispheres was observed, with preference for the smaller churches, ensuring each church has at least two delegates. Of the expected 432 delegates, 217 will come from the South while 215 will be from the North. LWF member churches in the Southern Hemisphere will be represented by 31 delegates from Latin America, 83 from Africa, and 103 delegates from Asia, while the delegations from the Northern Hemisphere will include 24 from North America and 191 from Europe. The LWF Council also assigns the number of men, women and youth in a given delegation with guidelines for inclusion of clergy and laypersons.
Besides delegates an Assembly has a wide range of other participants—representatives of associate members churches, observers from LWF recognized congregations and national committees, official visitors, ex-officio participants, advisors, guests, LWF staff and co-opted staff, local staff, interpreters and translators, stewards, and accredited press.
“The coming of the LWF to Canada is a great opportunity for us to welcome into our country, into our city, into our church and in some cases, into our homes and onto our farms people who we only maybe read about or see pictures of on television,” says Bishop Telmor Sartison of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC), the Tenth Assembly host church.
Included in the Assembly communication plans is use of the Internet to make it possible for the worldwide communion to participate in the Assembly, thus expressing the “koinonia” of the federation.
Worship life is a significant part of any Assembly. The Standing Committee for International Affairs Human Rights underlined the need for joyful celebrations and celebrative moments at the Assembly as an instrument and expression of healing.
Preparations for Winnipeg will include collecting and developing material for an Assembly worship resource, with the possibility that at a later date, on the basis of further assessment of its potential use, this may become a new international Lutheran hymnbook.
The LWF Council affirmed the importance of the Pre-Assembly Consultations and encourages member churches to provide additional funding for these consultations. It is also requesting member churches to actively involve youth in the preparation of the Assembly and plans to include on the Assembly’s agenda one plenary session for presentation and discussion of the report of the Pre-Assembly Youth Consultation.
Reliable figures were not yet available for the Assembly budget. The Council is striving for a balanced budget of around a total of USD 2.5 million. As part of efforts to ensure that happens, it is encouraging member churches to pay the outstanding contributions to the Assembly Fund by 2003 and has asked the General Secretary for strong monitoring of the budget.
Interest is growing in the Winnipeg area as people start to plan for the arrival of the Assembly according to ELCIC Secretary Robert Granke who oversees work of the ELCIC in preparing for the Assembly. “Hospitality is a central part of our role as the host,” he says. “We are working to ensure that people feel welcome and to see that their needs are taken care of when they are in Winnipeg.”
The Ninth LWF Assembly was held in Hong Kong, China 8-16 July 1997, marking the first time the highest decision-making body of the federation was meeting in Asia. Over 1,000 people participated in the Assembly, including 385 official delegates from the 122 member churches at that time. The Assembly theme was “In Christ – Called to Witness.”
By Kenn Ward
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