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The Lutheran World Federation
Lutheran World Information |
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| 06.07.2000 |
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| News in brief --- July |
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LWF Council appoints planning committee for the Tenth Assembly
The Council of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) at its meeting in Turku, Finland, from June 14 to 21, appointed persons to serve on the Planning Committee for the Tenth Assembly of the LWF. The Tenth Assembly will take place in Winnipeg, Canada in 2003. Chairing the Assembly Planning Committee is Rev. Susan E. Nagle from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. On the new committee, Rev. Nagle, who is also chairperson of the Program Committee for Mission and Development, and Robert Granke, the general secretary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) represent the North American region. Other Assembly Planning Committee members include Rev. Dr.Wanda Deifelt, Evangelical Church of the Lutheran Confession in Brazil, and Raymon Wimpel, president of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Suriname—Latin America and Caribbean region; Ms. Elizabeth Lobulu, a journalist with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania, and the newly elected president of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Cameroon, Rev. Dr. Thomas Nyiwe—Africa region; Bishop Jubil Raplan Hutauruk, Protestant Christian Batak Church, and President Josephine Tso, Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hong Kong—Asia region; Rev. Ane Hjerrild, general secretary, Council on International Relations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark, and Prof. Klas Hansson, Church of Sweden—Northern Europe region; Prof. Dr. Joachim Track, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria, and Dr. Mary E. Janssen van Raay, Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Kingdom of the Netherlands—Western Europe region; and Ewa Sliwka, an advocate and member of the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Poland, and Rev. Tiit Pädam, dean of Estonia’s Theological Institute and member of the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church for the Eastern Europe region. In addition, the committee will have consultants from the World Council of Churches and the World Alliance of Reformed Churches. Further the Assembly host church, the ELCIC, will nominate youth representatives to serve on this committee.
CHF 15 million for the Geneva Coordination Budget
The LWF Council meeting in Turku, Finland from 14 to 21 June 2000 approved the expenditure of CHF 15,074,550 (USD 9.3 million) for the Geneva Coordination Budget for 2001. This represents an increase of 1.63 percent against the amount approved for the year 2000. Further the Council received the auditor’s report and the financial statements 1999 of the General Secretariat and the LWF departments.
Increase in membership fees
The Council approved an increase in membership fees by three percent each for 2001 and 2002, and requested the LWF General Secretary to continue the discussions with member churches on adjustment of membership fees as follow up of the Membership Consultation. During deliberations on this item in the Program Committee for Finance and Administration, it was noted that there is an urgent need to broaden the financial basis of non-earmarked funding by increasing the membership fees.
Priority for the LWF web site
During its meeting, the Program Committee for Communication Services learnt with interest and concern about the development and current difficulties of the LWF web site, and underscored that the web site is part of the communication mission of the LWF. The Council recommended therefore that the Executive Committee considers the staffing of the Office for Communication Services (OCS) to assure a sustainable management and development of the web site as a priority for the good of all LWF departments.
LWF to maintain its financial contribution to ENI in 2001
The Council recommended that the LWF contribution to the Ecumenical News International (ENI) amounting to CHF 100,000 be maintained for the year 2001 as an ecumenical policy in the expectation that also budget requests related to the OCS Statement of Needs are covered, and providing that ENI submit a satisfactory report to the Council as had been requested in 1999. At its previous meeting in Bratislava, Slovak Republic, the Council recommended that the LWF provide for the year 2001 and 2002 financial support toward ENI in the expectation that ENI actively develop its network of correspondents in an attempt to improve the geographical balance of coverage, broaden its funding basis by finding additional partners and sponsors, and that collaboration between ENI and Lutheran World Information (LWI) be enhanced. Set up in 1994, the ecumenical news agency is jointly funded by the Geneva-based World Council of Churches (WCC), the LWF, the Conference of European Churches (CEC) and the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC). The WCC assumes the major share of ENI’s funding, followed by the LWF and then the WARC and CEC.
No German version of ENI
As requested by the Council at its 1999 meeting, the OCS conducted a survey among German-speaking Lutheran churches and media agencies on the best way to distribute news in German form the Ecumenical Center. Following an analysis of the survey it emerged that there is no strong wish for ENI in German emerged. The Program Committee therefore resolved that a selection of ENI stories be made and published in German at the initiative of the LWI German editor, giving credit to ENI as expected, and that an evaluation of this form of collaboration with the participation of LWI German readers be carried out after one year. ENI maintains two language editions, with the English one being translated into French.
Promotion, subscription policy to be initiated for LWF publications
The Program Committee for Communication Services addressed the important need for subscription and promotion as it had in its meeting at the LWF Council meeting in Bratislava last year. The Committee at its meeting in Turku pointed out that LWI should not be isolated from other publications but rather a global policy for all LWF publications should be developed with allocation of staff time and identification of clear target groups. The General Secretary was therefore requested to initiate a policy for promotion and subscription of LWF publications. The Program Committee expressed gratitude to the Rev. Marc Chambron from France for his professional and caring coordination of the work of the OCS in the absence of a director. Chambron has been serving as coordinator for the OCS since February 1999. The newly appointed director and editor-in-chief, Rev. John A. Evenson, from the Lutheran Church in Great Britain will take up his position at the Geneva Secretariat in August 2000.
Department for Theology and Studies gets new director
At its meeting in Turku, Finland, the LWF Council appointed the Rev. Karen L. Bloomquist, Ph.D. from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), USA, as the new director of the LWF Department for Theology and Studies (DTS) beginning 1 July 2000. The 52-year-old pastor and theologian succeeds Danish theologian Dr. Viggo Mortensen who left that position in February 1999. Bloomquist, who has already served as acting director for the DTS for one year, will work for a three-year term as director of the department and as its Study Secretary for the Church and Social Issues. Before joining the LWF, she had for 12 years served as Director for Studies in the ELCA Division for Church in Society. During that period she helped shape the church’s social witness through the development of its social statements, studies, and messages. She has also served as a professor at Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago and Wartburg Theological Seminary, and has taught, spoken, and written on many themes. One of the first women ordained in the American Lutheran Church, she has pastored congregations in California and New York. Her degrees are from St. Olaf College, Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, and Union Theological Seminary (N.Y.). She is married to the Rev. William R. Strehlow, and they have a 17-year old son, Aaron.
Other staff appointments by the LWF Executive Committee
Dr. Laura Graf (47) from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), USA, becomes the new Secretary for Evaluation and Documentation in the Department for World Service (DWS) for a period of four years beginning September 2000. Her predecessor was Ms.Carol Birkland also from the ELCA. Graf holds a Ph. D. in Sociology and a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies from Washington University and Carleton College, USA respectively. Since 1993, she has been heading a management team responsible for a research group that provides support to a global organization and its clients. Rev. Martin Junge (38), formerly president of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Chile, becomes the new Area Secretary for Latin America and the Caribbean in the Department for Mission and Development (DMD) beginning September 2000 for a period of four years. He succeeds the Rev. Silvio Schneider who left that position in June 2000. Junge studied theology at the Georg Augusta University in Göttingen, Germany, and was ordained in 1989 in Chile. Rev. Timo Reuhkala (43) from Finland will with from August 2000 take up his new position as Secretary for Christian Education and Communication Consultancy in the DMD for a period of four years. Since 1997 Reuhkala has been teaching at Helsinki Evangelical College and Diaconia Polytechnic in Finland. A specialist in Internet training and communication, Reuhkala holds a master of theology from Helsinki University. Mr. Lemma Degefa (49) from the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus has been appointed to the position of Program Secretary-Training and Exchange in the DWS for a period of four years, replacing Bram Voets from the Netherlands, who has retired from that position. Degefa who is expected to assume his new responsibilities in September 2000 has been serving in the same Department as Program Secretary-Emergencies since 1997. Before joining the Geneva Secretariat Degefa had served for several years on the LWF/DWS staff in Ethiopia, Malawi and Zambia. Beginning September 2000 Ms. Shirley Golding (59) takes up her new position as Secretary for Finance and Administration in the DWS for a period of three years. Golding, a member of the Lutheran Church of Australia has been serving in acting capacity in the same position since 1999. Prior to her responsibilities at the Geneva Secretariat, Golding had worked in the LWF/DWS Zimbabwe program. Mr. John Damerell (43) from Great Britain has been appointed Coordinator for Program Implementation in the DWS for a period of four years beginning September 2000. Damerell, who is currently serving as the LWF/DWS representative in the Balkans, replaces Ms. Kaanaeli Makundi from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania, who left that position at the end of April 2000. Previously he has served on the DWS programs in Ethiopia, Namibia, Cambodia, Mauritania, Angola, Albania and Kosovo.
World Service Liberia acknowledges support from FinnChurchAid
At the LWF Council meeting in Turku, the director of the LWF/DWS, Rev. Rudolf Hinz, expressed gratitude for the support received toward DWS country programs from the people of Finland through FinnChurchAid (FCA). “When talking about the so-called related agencies in the most direct meaning of the word ‘related’, FinnChurchAid has been one the closest relatives in the family of the LWF/DWS related agencies,” Hinz said. As a token of appreciation, he presented to the FCA director, Dr. Tapio Saraneva, a cross crafted from an artillery shell. The brass cross was made by a group of ex-fighters in the civil war in the West African country of Liberia. The cross, which weighs five kilograms, symbolizes the strong desire that the people of Liberia have for peace. The LWF/DWS rehabilitation program there has provided relief for the civil population affected by the war. In addition it has supported the peace process with assistance provided by FCA even through the seven-year civil war in that country. In 1999, FCA contributed around USD 100,000 toward the rehabilitation of civil society in Liberia. The aid and development agency of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland participates in programs implemented by the LWF, local churches and communities as part of the global network of churches and church-related agencies.
Memorial Day proposed for “Joint Declaration”
Presenting greetings to the LWF Council on behalf of the Roman Catholic Church’s Pontifical Council for Promoting Christianity Unity (PCPCU), Rev. Dr. Matthias Türk proposed that a “Memorial Day” or “Reconciliation Day” be observed annually on the church calendar to commemorate the signing on by the LWF and the Roman Catholic Church of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification. Türk told participants in the Council meeting that this could be done by way of an ecumenical worship service or a holiday with the aim to continuously maintain the new ecumenical climate between Lutherans and Roman Catholics. He noted that especially on the pastoral level, such commemoration would be a way of giving “our common witness” to the world. The PCPCU representative recalled the message of Pope John Paul II on the day of the signing (31 October 1999) of the Joint Declaration. The pontiff described the confirmation of the Joint Declaration as a milestone on the not easy road toward the restoration of full unity between Christians.
WARC general secretary anticipates coordinating future Assemblies with the LWF
Addressing the LWF Council at its meeting in Turku, the general secretary of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC), Rev. Dr. Setri Nyomi, said he honored the experience of hope seen in the growing close relationship between the LWF and the Reformed. Nyomi in his greetings to the Council pointed out that although the WARC would have wished to plan a simultaneous Assembly (in the year 2004) with the LWF, the Alliance is committed to the possibility of at least coordinating the Assemblies of the two world Christian communions. The Assemblies of WARC are held ordinarily once in five years—the last meeting took place in 1997, and the next one is scheduled for 2002. The Leuenberg Agreement (1973) between Lutheran and Reformed churches in Europe, a pioneering bilateral agreement of church fellowship has further developed theologically. In November 1999, the Lutheran-Reformed Working Group met in Geneva within the framework of the mandate received from the parent bodies, to review the present state of Lutheran-Reformed relations on the regional and international levels and to identify possible forms of practical cooperation, among other objectives.
The implication of the Joint Declaration for ecumenical fellowship
According to the general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), Rev. Dr. Konrad Raiser, the celebration of the signing of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification on 31 October 1999 in Augsburg, Germany, meant for the entire ecumenical fellowship an “important step in making visible our God-given unity.” In a message read on his behalf by the WCC Executive Secretary, Church and Ecumenical Relations, Ms. Teny Pirri-Simonian, Raiser said it was his hope that by “preparing and owning the Joint Declaration” both the LWF and the Roman Catholic Church would take “our common ecumenical journey to points that we cannot currently envisage.” Raiser also spoke of the cooperation between the WCC and the LWF on various levels, mentioning in particular the possibility of joint Assemblies by both Christian organizations and the implications thereof. While he noted that better stewardship of resources and cooperation between the two organizations will have to be seriously and responsibly considered when thinking about future Assemblies, he underscored that what is at stake beyond these institutional interests is the very credibility of the one ecumenical movement and its impact on the life and witness of the respective churches in the coming century. Assemblies of the WCC meet at seven-year intervals—the last Assembly was held in 1998, and the next one is most likely to take place in 2005.
Anglican Communion underscores common vision of the Church
The secretary general of the Anglican Communion, Rev. Canon John L. Peterson, told participants in the LWF Council meeting that Anglicans and Lutherans are becoming ever more aware that they are moved and inspired by a common vision and concern for the mission of the Church. “The relationship of communion between six Lutheran churches and four Anglican churches which the Porvoo Agreement has brought about is one of the more dramatic signs of our growing together,” said Peterson in greetings conveyed to the Council on his behalf by Archbishop Michael Peers of the Anglican Church of Canada. Peterson noted that in other parts of the world, dialogue between the Anglicans and Lutherans is also proving very fruitful, and in some cases agreements of communion are before the churches in these regions. He also cited the Anglican-Lutheran International Working Group, which had its first meeting last February, and noted that the group has suggested some steps in practical cooperation which can be taken as a result of the deepening fellowship shared by both Christian world communions.
Methodists keen on consultation with Lutheran and Catholic scholars
The Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification, signed by the Lutheran World Federation and Roman Catholic Church, will affect “all future dialogues.” Ralph C. Young, a representative of the World Methodist Council (WMC) made these remarks, when he conveyed to the LWF Council greetings from the WMC president, Dr. Francis Alguire and the general secretary, Dr. Joe Hale. Young pointed out that the WMC, which has been also involved in bilateral dialogues with Catholics for many years (since 1967) was so deeply impressed by the Joint Declaration that “we would like to seek an appropriate date for consultation with Lutheran and Catholic scholars, both to indicate our own interest in your agreement and to consider its implications for our bilateral conversations and relationships.” At the international level, the LWF-WMC Joint Commission submitted a final report in 1984, “The Church, Community of Grace” which was later approved by the LWF Assembly in Budapest in 1984, and by the WMC in 1986. The report, which has been widely distributed recommended that churches of the two Christian world communions not only engage in common efforts and witness in the world but also take steps to declare and establish full fellowship of Word and Sacrament. This has already happened in many countries. Noting that there has been no formal joint committee work at the international level since 1984, Young wondered whether the time has not come for review and for further exploration together.
Visible unity of Church depends on “all of us”
If visible unity is truly regarded as the goal of the churches’ ecumenical endeavors, then there is a need to strive for a common understanding of the nature and the presuppositions of that unity, which even presently is interpreted in various different ways by the different Christian churches. According to Archbishop John of Karelia and all Finland, this visible unity was once a reality in the Ancient Church but it “depends on all of us” whether and to what extent it again will be a concrete reality now and in the future. The Orthodox Archbishop made these remarks when he brought greetings to the LWF Council meeting in Turku, Finland from 14 to 21 June 2000. In his message which was presented on his behalf by Archpriest Teppo Siili, Archbishop John said he was encouraged to see the growth of mutual knowledge between the different church traditions in general and particularly in Finland, where several years ago a bilateral theological dialogue was started between the Lutherans and Orthodox.
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