Reformed Communiqué March 2012

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Indonesia hosts global church eventsThis could be called the Year ofIndonesia in the life of the WorldCommunion of Reformed Churches(WCRC). Three major events arescheduled for May and June inthis Asian country that is hometo 28 WCRC member churches.

In May, the ExecutiveCommittee meets in the Sumatrancity of Berastagi, hosted by theBatak Karo Protestant Church.Prior to the Executive Committee

meeting, a mission conferenceis scheduled for the Indonesiancapital, Jakarta. In June, the GlobalInstitute of Theology opens at the

Duta Wacana Christian Universityin the Javanese city, Yogyakarta.The events offer welcome

opportunities for representativesof WCRC member churches fromaround the world to meet IndonesianChristians and learn about thework of their churches in a countrywhose population is multi-lingual,multi-cultural, and interfaith.

Executive Committee membersare exploring the theme: God of life,

our communion prays for Justiceand Peace. Indonesian theologian,Septemmy Lakawa, will addressthe topic in her presentation on

communion, community and justpeace. Andreas Yewangoe, presidentof the Communion of Churches inIndonesia (PGI), will reflect on thesubject from the Indonesian context.

The theme is linked to that ofthe World Council of Churches10th Assembly to be held inKorea in 2013: God of Grace,lead us to Justice and Peace.

This issue ofReformedCommuniquoffers an introduction

to the contexts and objectivesof the WCRC gatherings.

March 2012

EncounterswithIndonesian

Christianspromise to bememorable

(Photo: Telma Bawanda)


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March 2012 refomed Communiqu

WCRC focuses on the futureby Aiko Sumichan andKristine Greenaway

Justice and theology programmes

for the coming year, partnershipwith regional groups of memberchurches, and financial stabilityare key words on the agenda of theExecutive Committee of the WorldCommunion of Reformed Churches(WCRC) at meetings scheduledfor May 10-17 in Indonesia.

Two years after WCRCsfounding meeting in Grand Rapids,United States, elected officials willbe reviewing progress to date andapproving plans for the future. Thestrategic plan adopted at the 2011meeting of the executive is theframework for the planning process.

The 29 member executivecommittee, three advisors and aconsultant will meet in Berastagi, asmall city on the island of Sumatra,about 70 km from Medan, thecapital of North Sumatra.

Programme highlights

The newly-appointed consultant

responsible for WCRCs Office ofJustice and Partnership, Dora Arce-Valentn, will present an outline ofplans for the coming year. These

include a consultation in Geneva,Switzerland in September toaddress the current structure of the

worlds economy and in what waya Christian approach to economics

would differ from this model.The executive secretary for

Theology, Mission and Communion,Douwe Visser, will bring a proposalto focus theological work onecumenical formation and onthe development of Reformedidentity in the coming years.

Visser will also report on grantsoffered by the Partnership Fundin support of church-endorsedmission and development projects.

General Secretary, Setri Nyomi,and WCRC President, Jerry Pillay,

will report on the state of theorganizations member churchesbased on the leaders contactsand travel over the past 12-monthperiod. Nigeria, Egypt, Mexico,DRC Congo and the United Statesare expected to feature in theirreports as will regional relations.

Committee members will bebriefed on the financial challenges

facing the organization. Concerncentres on the impact of the highvalue of the Swiss franc in relation tothe American dollar and the Euro, the

currencies in which the majority ofdonations and membership fees arereceived. A report on efforts to address

the situation at the initiative of theorganizations officers will be tabled.

Discovering Berastagi

Encounters with the Christiancommunity promise to bea memorable element of thecommittees time in North Sumatra.The host church, Batak KaroProtestant Church (GBKP), isarranging for committee membersto experience Sumatran culture.This includes plans for delegates toworship with local congregations.

Berastagi is located in anarea known locally as TanahKaro or Karoland. The region isnamed for the Karo people, oneof the six ethnic groups nativeto North Sumatra, referred tocollectively as the Batak people.

Christianity came to the Karo

in 1890 when the Dutch PlantationCompany commissioned the DutchMissionary Society (NederlandscheZending Genoothchac) to attempt tocalm the people who were constantlyattacking the Dutch plantations. Asa result, Christianity was not warmlyreceived. However, the missionarieslearned the local languages andcustoms, started schools and gavemedical attention to the people. In

1893, six Karo people were baptizedand in 1896, the first Karo churchwas established. It is this churchthat is now called the Batak KaroProtestant Church or GBKP.

In their 2010-2015 visionand mission statement, theGBKP mentions that it wouldlike to increase its involvementin ecumenical movements.Hosting this event is a majorsymbol of this commitment.

Aiko Sumichan is a WCRCintern from Jakarta, Indonesia.

Kristine Greenaway is ExecutiveSecretary for Communications.

Members of the GKI Pondok Indah church celebrate Culture Month each year in August

by spicing-up worship with traditional clothing, songs and decor. (Photo: KASUT/Purwy)


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Indonesian churches discuss futureof mission workThe 28 member churches of the

World Communion of ReformedChurches (WCRC) in Indonesia areengaged in a process of discussionand reflection that is designed tolead to a statement on missionin their country.

The principalobjective is to preparea statement onIndonesian Reformedchurch mission. Asecond objective isfor WCRC memberchurches to reflect onhow they can worktogether more closely.One option underconsideration is theformation of a WCRCIndonesian council.

WCRC isco-hosting the inter-church event with the

Christian Conferenceof Asia (CCA) andthe Communion ofChurches in Indonesia(PGI). Indonesian

theologian, Zakaria Ngelow,

heads the consultation process.Each member church hasbeen invited to hold its ownnational consultation in advance

of an inter-church consultation

to be held 6-9 May in Jakarta.Questions centre on the biblicaland theological groundingof mission and on the socio-economic and interfaith contexts

in which mission is carried out.Participants also are to

discuss partnership with overseasmission agencies and respond to

WCRCs mission thrust for 2011onwards. Reference will be madeto the document on mission andproselytism launched by the World

Council of Churches, World

Evangelical Alliance and the Vaticanin 2011. Each member church

will select three representativesfrom these gatherings to attendthe Jakarta consultation.

Speakers at the consultationwill include Ngelow as well asHenrietta Hutabarat Lebang,CCA general secretary, Dora

Arce-Valentn, head of WCRCsjustice programme and WCRCgeneral secretary, Setri Nyomi.

Indonesia in briefIndonesia an archipelago of more than 17, 500 islands has the worlds fourth largestpopulation with 237.6 million people. Most Christians are concentrated in East NusaTenggara, North Sumatra, North Sulawesi, Kalimantan, Papua, Maluku, and Java.The majority of the countrys population is Muslim (86 percent) with Christians formingnine percent. The majority of Protestants are from the Reformed or Lutheran traditions.

Questions centre onIndonesian mission contexts

Indonesias capital, Jakarta, teems with people from the countrys many faith and cultural groups.(Photo: WCRC/Sumichan)

Photo: WCRC/Sumichan


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Change is coming, say churchenvironmentalistsby Allan Buckingham

Theres a new world in the making,says a global group of church-basedenvironmental and economic justiceadvocates in a statement by thatname issued at the conclusion of aconsultation on the economy and theenvironment held in Calgary, Alberta,Canada in November.

The Poverty, Wealthand Ecology consultationsponsored by the WorldCouncil of Churches(WCC) was part ofthe AGAPE process(Alternative to EconomicGlobalization AddressingPeoples and Earth) thatis seeking options tothe current system ofeconomic globalization.

The statement issued atthe end of the consultationcalls for action including

launching a decade of actionon eco-justice that would encompassboth ecological and economic justice.

Participants includedrepresentatives of WorldCommunion of Churches(WCRC) member churches andglobal partners: United Churchof Canada, Presbyterian Church(U.S.A), Christian ReformedChurch in North America, United

Church of Christ, All Africa

Council of Churches, Pacific

Council of Churches, CLAI andthe Christian Council of Asia.

Discussions were lively andtheologically grounded withpresentations from North Americansincluding John Dillon, a Canadian

justice advocate working with the

church-supported coalition KAIROS:Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives.

Dillon told consultation participantsthat there is poverty in Canadadespite the wealth generated by thepetroleum and finance industries.

A booming petroleum extractionindustry, centred on the Alberta tarsands, generates wealth for corporationsbut has harmful social consequences,

Dillon says in a paper commissioned

for the consultation. Tax reform

is needed to redistribute wealthand deter ecological destruction.

Dillon believes that churcheshave a prophetic vision to witnessto the profound transformationneeded if we are to avoid catastrophicecological disaster. This will involve a

conversion from lifestylesbased on excessiveconsumption of the earthsresources, he states.

We must takeseriously Jesus teachingthat ones life does notconsist in the abundanceof possessions (Luke12:15), Dillon writes.

A strong theology canalso be seen in the finaldocument which containsa confession sectionas well as references toscripture such as [w]e are

compelled and inspired bythis [Revelation 22:1-2] vision of hope

with respect to poverty, wealth andecology, a new vision of Earth and thepeople who are dependent upon itsabundance, to which the world canlook for alternative economic systems.

Participants committed themselvesto lives of integrity and justice whileseeking right relationship in oureconomic transactions and called on

governments and business to committo principals of integrity including thehighest standards of human rightsand environmental protection.

The statement included a call tochurches and partner organizations to

take action in making a transition fromcarbon-based to renewable energy and

to narrow the gap between those of uswho are rich and those who are poor.

The full text of the statement isavailable at http://bit.ly/WCCPWENA

Allan Buckingham is a member of theUnited Church of Canada and serveson the WCRC Executive Committee

and Communication Network.

Limits to greed: How much is enough?Canadian social justice advocate John Dillon believes in distributivejustice setting limits to minimum and maximum income levels.

The minimum income level, according to Dillon, must be sufficientnot just for food and shelter but also for access to civic, cultural andartistic life. He then asks how maximum incomes might be defined.

How much inequality is acceptable in order to reward differencesin contributions rather than simply multiply privilege?

Dillon suggests that one measure could be in terms of a multiple of the minimumestablished for all citizens. He cites the ancient Greek philosopher, Plato, who

suggested that the wealthiest should be no more than four times as rich as the poorest.Ecological economist, Herman Daly, points out there is no God-

given definition of what the limits to inequality should be and statesthat exact limits are less important than that limits be set.

Theres a new world in the making, justice advocates proclaim at globalevent in Canada. (Photo: Ken Grey)


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Prayers for peace requested in NigeriaThe General Secretary of the

World Communion of ReformedChurches (WCRC) says there is a

need for ongoing prayer in the faceof violence affecting Christiansand Muslims in Nigeria.

As people of faith wrestle withthe Boko Haram phenomenon, letus keep our sisters and brothersin our prayers, Setri Nyomisays in a message to WCRCmember churches issued earlythis year. In his letter, Nyomiasks that those prayers includeboth Muslims and Christians.

WCRC is one of a number ofChristian world groups callingfor calm over the past monthsfollowing attacks on Christian andMuslim places of worshipthat have resulted in death,injury and extensive damageto churches and mosques.

Nyomi is in contact withWCRCs six member churchesin Nigeria and is receiving

expressions of safety concernsand mounting fear in the faceof attacks by the extremistMuslim group Boko Haram.

We join our churchesin Nigeria in condemningthe actions of Boko Haramand all forces of evil anddestruction, says Nyomi. Weunderstand that many Muslimcommunities in Nigeria

have also condemned theactions of the Boko Haram.In recent months, the group

has increased attacks in thenorth of the country, raisingfears of a broader religious war in

Africas most populous nation. Thesects name which translates to

western education is forbidden inthe Hausa language of northernNigeria has been responsible for thedeaths of nearly 1,000 people since

2009, according to Washington-based Human Rights Watch.

The group was founded around2002 in the city of Maiduguri by

Muslim cleric Muhammad Yusuf.One of its stated objectives is toimplement Sharia (Islamic law) in

the predominantly Muslim north.Southern Nigeria is largely Christian.

However, commentators have saidthat there is also a political dimensionto the conflict, reflecting concernsby the Northern elite that [PresidentGoodluck] Jonathans decisionto end an informal agreement toalternate presidential power betweenthe Muslim North and ChristianSouth before the 2011 presidentialelections will exclude the North fromany possibility of future control ofthe state, according to former U.S.ambassador to Nigeria John Campbell,

writing in the New York Times.

In addition, the root cause ofviolence and anger in both the northand south of Nigeria is endemicpoverty and hopelessness, which

Jonathans government has donelittle to ease, wrote history professor

Jean Herskovits, of the State

University of New York at Purchase,also in the New York Times.

Such serious grievances meanthat religion may be exploited as a

tool by the complainants to attractattention, said Professor JesseMugambi, a scholar in theology,

philosophy of religion and appliedethics at the University of Nairobiin an interview with ENInews.

Other opportunistic groupstake advantage of such chaos,making it difficult to tell who isaggrieved and who is not. Religionis blamed in general, although themajority of the citizens remainlaw abiding, Mugambi said.

Recently Boko Haram saidattacks on churches were in revengefor wrongs committed on Muslimsby Christians in the north. Thisis not the first time such reactions(attacks) have happened. When

religion is abused anywhere, itbecomes a cancer that is verydifficult to cure, said Mugambi.

Wole Soyinka, the Nigerianscholar who was awarded theNobel Prize in Literature in 1986,has warned that the country is

slowly disintegrating and hascalled for national dialogue.

With files from ENInews

The cycle of violence between Nigerian Christians and Muslims is fuelled, some say, by economicstress. (Photo: EPD)


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Worshiping the Triune God:Proclamation

by Paul DettermanIf you could alter human lives

for ultimate good, would you do it?If you could bring hope to peoplewho are desperate, healing topeople who are suffering, releaseto people who are captive toaddictions and joy to people

who are despondent, wouldthat interest you? You canbe complicit in doing thesevery things every time yourcongregation worshipsifyou pay close attention to theproclamation of Gods word.

Gods Word: nothing elsehas its power. God spokecreation and an ordereduniverse emerged out of chaos.Gods word is the centre ofour existence. Proclamationof Gods word is the core ofour worship. It can change thecourse of human lives, bringinghope, healing, release and joy.

The psalmist called Gods

word a light for our path.The apostle Paul, arrested forproclaiming Gods word, rejoicedthat because of his imprisonmentthe guards were being converted.Protestant Reformers named thepreaching of Gods word as thefirst mark of the true church.

In an age marked by ten-secondcommercial spots, expectation ofhigh-energy, high-tech presentations,texting, tweeting, and multitasking,

is it still possible that the readingof ancient texts followed by amix of theology, philosophy,and sociology can be central

to the identity of Gods people,individually and in community?The answer is simplenothingelse has the power of Gods word.

Here is a proverb to consider:Blessed is the congregation in whichthe word of God is proclaimed withconviction and joy surrounded by

expectant prayers and profoundgratitude for the Holy Spiritswork to illuminate the heartsand minds of Gods people.

Preaching is so stronglyassociated with Protestant worshipthat even a secular visitor wouldbe surprised not to encountersome form of sermon, homily orteaching in a service of worship.

The blessing of proclaimingGods word does not come fromthe winsome articulation of a fewsituation-appropriate thoughts norfrom a droll reading of a theologicaltreatise. Proclamation is personal

witnessa bold, risky statementof biblically-informed convictionenmeshed in Spirit-issued joy.It is the product of study andspiritual discernment, biblicalinterpretation and on knowledgeof the people gathered.

John Calvin named both theproclamation and the receivingof Gods word as the mark ofthe true church. The preacher

may be the one on whom theburden of presentation rests butmembers of the congregationhave responsibility for preparingtheir hearts and minds to receiveand apply the word proclaimed.

Those who find their homein the Reformed tradition knowthat we are part of a confessionalheritagejoined with countlessnumbers of Jesus followers who

have proclaimed Gods wordin their time and watched thefruit it bears. The act of unitingourselves with believers from

other times and places can giveus courage, vision, wisdom anddetermination to minister boldlyin our current community.

Paul Detterman is a PresbyterianChurch (U.S.A.) pastor serving asexecutive director of Presbyteriansfor Renewal in the United States.

Excerpted from Reformed Worship(102). Faith Alive Christian

Resources. Used with permission.

This article is the third in a series introducingWorshiping the TriuneGod, a working document published after the inaugural meeting ofthe World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) in June 2010.

The document is a series of proverbs designed to provokeongoing discussion about the nature and function ofChristian worship. This article focuses on proclamation.

Henriette Hutabarat-Lebang, General Secretary of the Christian Conference of Asia, preaches in Geneva,Switzerland. (Photo: WCRC/Greenaway)

Proclamation of Godsword is the core of ourworship.


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From the Partnership Fund:a gift for learning in Madagascarby Praic Ramonn

The news came just intime for Christmas. As theMalagasy congregation sawit, the grant was a gift.

The Church of Jesus Christ inMadagascar (FJKM) encourages itscongregations to take seriously thecontribution they can make to the

human development of the country.Madagascar is one of the

worlds poorer countries. By theturn of the century, decades ofeconomic mismanagement andpolitical crisis lost it the favourableposition it had in the 1960s, when

it had strong institutions, goodinfrastructure, an educated elite,and a per capita income aboveaverage for a developing country.

Today, the World Bank estimates

per capita income as less than $400a year, with over three-quartersof families living in poverty. TheUNDP human development indexranks Madagascar at 151 out of187 countries and territories. Factorin inequality of life expectancy,education and income, and its HDI

score drops byalmost a third.One of its bigchallenges is whateconomists callhuman capitaland the rest of uscall education.

The FJKMcongregation inSoamanandrarinyhas responded,

with plans tocelebrate its150th anniversary

by building acommunity school

a primary schoolto begin with,

with a high school to be added later.In designing this anniversary

project, the congregation canvassedthe opinions of the community itaims to serve. Much of the work

will be done by volunteer labour.The project is supported by local

government and the MalagasyDepartment of Education.Over 40 per cent of

Soamanandrarinys population is

under 20. The aim is to provide

them not just with education butalso with a community hall whereextra-curricular and recreationalactivities can promote their all-rounddevelopment. The hall will also beused for income generating activities.

A quarter of the cost will bemet by the congregation andother local contributions. Butlike many congregations in the

WCRC family, it needed helpto help its community; and help

was forthcoming in the form of aCHF30,000 grant to the FJKMfrom WCRCs Partnership Fund.

Announcing this good newsto the parishioners on ChristmasDay was very moving says Manitra

Andriamasinoro, who chairs thelocal construction committee.

FJKM Soamanandrariny will do itsutmost to deserve the WCRCs trust.

The Partnership Fund makes grants tohelp WCRC member churches carryout projects in mission or service thatotherwise they could not afford.

If your congregation belongsto a member church in the globalsouth that has never applied to the

fund, why not think of developing aproject that could attract a grant?

For information about how toapply, visitwww.wcrc.ch or send amessage to [email protected].

All applications need to be endorsedby the WCRC member church.

A congregation of the Church of Jesus Christ in Madagascar hasreceived support for a community school. (Photo: Courtesy of

Manitra Andriamasinoro)

Subscribe to receive regular WCRC news!Newsletter

Reformed Communiquis distributedin both print and electronic versions.It is available free of cost to members

and to partner organizations. We

regret that the French languageedition is no longer available.

In order to receive your freesubscription: Let us know which

version of the newsletter you

prefer print or electronic. Sendyour full name, organization/church, e-mail address and postaladdress to [email protected]


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Church news agency ENI seeksfundingby Frank Worbs

Ecumenical News International(ENInews) is a news agency with amandate to report on ecumenicaldevelopments and events in thelife of churches and other religions.In the present world situationthis entails reporting on tensionsbetween religions and communities,for instance in the case of therevolution in Arabic countries, butalso stories on reconciliation andmutual support. Church and secularmedia outlets in Europe and North

America (such as BBC World) thatreport on ecclesial or religiousdevelopments use ENI reports.

The agency is supported by threeof its four founding members: the

World Council of Churches (WCC),the Lutheran World Federation(LWF) and the World Communionof Reformed Churches (the successorof the World Alliance of Reformed

Churches). The Council of European

Churches (CEC) has withdrawn

due to financial constraints.It came as a surprise when in

December 2011 the two largestsponsors (WCC and LWF) massivelycut their annual contribution: WCCfrom CHF 150,000 to 50,000 andLWF from CHF 80,000 to 25,000.CEC (with a contribution of CHF25,000 per year) is no longer ableto continue its sponsorship. Only

WCRC, which is already the mostfaithful supporter of the newsservice, will continue to pay itsannual share of CHF 30,000.

For the year 2012, ENI canonly count on pledges of CHF110,000 for an overall budget ofCHF 320,000. If this scenariocontinues unchanged ENI wouldhave to cease operations by the endof April 2012. This important voicefor international church life andcooperation of religious communities

would thus be silenced and the

network of correspondents would

break away within a short delay.It is essential to find new partners

and sponsors by the end of April2012. Current negotiations give somehope. The new partnerships andpledges will only become effective in2013, however. Therefore the budgetyear 2012 has to be bridged byextraordinary, unique contributions.

ENI welcomes news thatthe Church Council of theEvangelical-Reformed Churchof Aargau in Switzerland hasdecided to make a unique grantof CHF 20,000 in favour of ENIfor 2012. A representative of theReformed Church of Aargau is oneof the two WCRC delegates in thegeneral assembly of ENI. DavidHarris of the Presbyterian Churchin Canada is the other delegateand serves as ENI president.

Frank Worbs is a WCRC appointee

to the ENI General Assembly

Egyptian congregations action is a modelfor countrys future

As Egyptians gathered in CairosTahrir Square in January to mark thefirst anniversary of the revolutionthat toppled the government of Hosni

Mubarak, the World Communionof Reformed Churches (WCRC)held up the example of a Christiancongregation that transformed itschurch near the square into a fieldhospital at the time to treat woundedMuslim and Christian protestors.

People with medical expertisemade themselves available and thechurch gave hospital space andrefuge to Christians and Muslimsalike, says the General Secretary of

the World Communion of ReformedChurches (WCRC), Setri Nyomi.

The Jasr El Dobara church,located one block from Tahrir

Square, became a gathering placein January 2011 for protestors who

were wounded and tired, earningthe congregation the nickname

Church of the Revolution.This is a model of thesupportive and united communityprotestors were hoping to createin their country. Today, one yearon, it still stands as an example ofcooperation between communitiesof faith, Nyomi states.

Those serving at the make-shiftclinic and refuge made the wordsof Jesus Come to me all you whoare heavy laden and I will give you

rest come alive, Nyomi adds.During talks with the Evangelical

Church of Egypt, Nyomi heard ofconcerns about tension between

some Muslim and Christian groupsthat has led to violence, includingdestruction of worship spaces.

Members of the church continue

to pray for a nation which valuesall its citizens no matter whattheir religion, Nyomi reports.

In praising efforts of theEvangelical Church to participatein rebuilding the country, Nyomisays: It is my hope that theemerging political leaders willvalue freedom of religion and will

work hard at creating space for allEgyptians to participate fully inbuilding a new Egypt in which

the welfare of all is paramount.


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Indigenous Canadian YouthAmbassadors seek UN support

Indigenous Youth Ambassadors

from Canada are asking theUnited Nations Committee on theRights of the Child to look intoinequities between the quality ofeducation, health and child welfareavailable to Indigenous and non-Indigenous children in Canada.

We were promised rightsby the Canadian government,yet we got so little, says Youth

Ambassador Collin Starblanket.

Canada ratified the UnitedNations Convention on the Rightsof the Child in 1991. This obliges

the Canadian government to reporton measures adopted to ensure thoserights are available to all childrenand youth without discrimination.

On 6 February the committeeon the Rights of the Childmeeting in Geneva, Switzerlandreceived Canadas official reportalong with submissions madeby child and youth advocatesfrom across the country.

Starblanket was one of six

young people from First Nations(aboriginal) communitiesacross Canada to testify beforethe committee. Three of the

ambassadors also met privately

with the committee chairperson,Jean Zermatten of Switzerland.

Inadequate funding foreducation means that studentsliving on reserves (areas thatare reserved for Indigenouscommunities) often have toleave home to continue theirstudies because there are noschools offering higher educationin their communities.

I had to leave home at 13 togo to school off-reserve, Youth

Ambassador Kendall White

says. I was bullied, got intodrugs and became suicidal.A member of the Temagami

First Nation, White notes thatshe didnt know about her rightsunder the UN Convention of theRights of the Child. Now she saysshe wants youth around the world

aboriginal and non-aboriginal to know they have rights andto be proud of who they are.

I dont want others to go

through what I did, White says.Starblanket believes all

young people should to be ableto live to their full expectations.

Children should not be crying

for help, he declares.The World Communion of

Reformed Churches (WCRC)focuses on Indigenous rightsthrough its Justice and Partnershipprogramme. In 2010 at WCRCsUniting General Council inGrand Rapids, United States, theorganization pledged to encourageinitiatives for healing andreconciliation between churches

and Indigenous communitiesworldwide in situations where thereis a legacy of abuse or neglect of

Indigenous peoples by the churchor church-supported institutions.The Indigenous Youth

Ambassadors were supported bya coalition of rights advocatesincluding KAIROS: CanadianEcumenical Justice Advocatesand the First Nations Child andFamily Caring Society of Canada(FNCFCS). The two organizationssubmitted an alternate reportHonouring the Childrenwhich

documents inequities betweensupport offered on reserves and forIndigenous families living off-reserve.

Inadequate funding foreducation means leaving

home to study

Collin Starblanket: Children should notbe crying for help.(Photo: WCRC/Greenaway)

Kendall White: I dont want others to gothrough what I did.(Photo: WCRC/Greenaway)


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Dialogue between Reformed and Catholictheologians continues into 2012by Christopher Dorn

The fourth phase of internationalReformed-Roman Catholic bilateraldialogue is under way. The World

Communion of Reformed Churches(WCRC) and the Pontifical Council forPromoting Christian Unity (PCPCU)are organizing this most recent phase ofdiscussion sessions which is scheduledto conclude in 2017. The dialoguecentres on the theme: Justificationand Sacramentality: The ChristianCommunity as an Agent for Justice.

Under the leadership ofMartha Moore-Keish of Columbia

Theological Seminary in Decatur,Georgia in the United States andKevin Rhoades, bishop of thediocese of Fort Wayne-South Bendin Indiana, United States, the twodialogue teams met in Rome, Italyin April 2011. Moore-Keish wasappointed by WCRC to co-lead withRhoades, the PCPCU representative.

The topic of the first meetingwas Justification: Reformed andRoman Catholic Perspectives

(historically and currently).Justification can be defined

as the act whereby God acceptssinful human beings by grace alone

through their faith in Christs savingwork. Historically, the conf lictbetween the Roman CatholicChurch and the churches of the

Reformation concerned the natureof this act. Broadly speaking, thequestion is whether justificationis a process that culminates inGods acceptance or is it ratherthe basis for this acceptance?

Dialogue members devotedtheir sessions to reviewing thefirst three phases of the dialogueprocess as well as to hearing paperson the doctrine of justification

delivered by Douwe Visser, headof WCRCs Off ice of Theology,Mission and Communion, PeterCasarella (United States), AnnemarieMayer (Germany) for PCPCU andGeorge Hunsinger of PrincetonSeminary in the United States.

The teams will convene fora second meeting in Decaturfrom 27 April to 2 May 2012 toexplore the topic Justificationand Sacramentality: the Rites of

the Church. Here the subjects ofbaptism, Eucharist/Lords Supper,marriage, confirmation, penance,and related issues, including

the ordering of the sacramentsand rites, will be studied.

With this new phase of dialogue,the two communions hope to build

on what the previous three phaseshave already achieved, including theconvergence between the notionsof the church as creation of the

word of God (emphasised by theReformed) and of the church assacrament of grace (emphasisedby the Roman Catholics).

An important aim is to determinewhether WCRC should affiliatewith the Joint Declaration on the

Doctrine of Justification (JDDJ).The JDDJ, signed by the LutheranWorld Federation and the PCPCUon 31 October 1999 in Augsburg,Germany, was the outcome of thirtyyears of bilateral dialogue on adoctrine regarded by theologiansas the crux of all the disputes ofthe Reformation era. In 2006 the

World Methodist Council aff iliateditself with the JDDJ. The questionmandated by the Uniting General

Council in 2010 is whether ornot WCRC will do the same.

European council names BelgianGuy Liagre, President of theUnited Protestant Church inBelgium, will be the new GeneralSecretary of the Conference

of European Churches (CEC)starting in June 2012. He succeedsthe Orthodox theologian, ViorelIonita, who retired as InterimGeneral Secretary of CEC inOctober 2011. The Belgiantheologian was elected by theCEC Central Committee at itsmeeting in Geneva, Switzerlandon 24 and 25 January.

Liagre was a delegate atthe Uniting General Council

of the World Communion ofChurches in 2010 in GrandRapids, United States. He isordained and has a doctorate

in Modern Church Historyfrom the Protestant Faculty ofTheology in Brussels, Belgium.He speaks Dutch, English,French, German and Afrikaans.

Guy Liagre is to be new general secretary for theConference of European Churches. (Photo: UNIPROBEL- United Protestant Churches in Belgium)


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Better action needed in Haiti, urgesFrench religious groupby A.D. McKenzie

French religious and non-governmental groups were amongthe first to organize aid for Haitiin the wake of the January 2010earthquake. But two years later,

with some 500,000 people stillliving in temporary shelters, thesegroups are struggling to find waysto make a fundamental differencein the former French colony.

We must stop seeing everythingin light of the earthquake, saysPastor Philippe Verseils of theProtestant Federation of France(FPF). The realissue is long-term, deep-rootedunderdevelopment

with all the nationaland internationalpolicies that areresponsible. Thats

what we need totalk about.

In a telephoneinterview from theHaitian capitalof Port-au-Prince,Verseils told ENInewsthat although theearthquake hadexacerbated thecountrys poverty,

the internationalcommunity neededto look at the

whole questionof developmentand worldmarkets, such as the hardshipsfaced by coffee producers.

Were hiding behind thecatastrophe, as if in some way this

will allow us to build a new Haiti,he said. But we cannot build

without stopping the real causes ofunderdevelopment not only in Haitibut in other Third World countries.

We can only create something new

when the rules of the game havebeen changed, but they havent been.

Verseils was sent as a specialenvoy to Haiti by the FPF inSeptember 2010 and has beenoverseeing projects that includethe building of dormitories for

orphans, providing scholarshipsto young people and supplyingfood to schoolchildren.

At a time when many NGOsand international organizationsare leaving the country and when

the states political reconstructionis still shaky, churches havea continuing responsibility tocontribute significantly to the

rebuilding of Haitian society, theFPF said in a recent statement.

It announced early this year thatit would set up a Haitian chaplaincyby the end of 2012 with the aimof first helping those in prison andeventually patients in hospital as well.

We already have a programmeto put in place chaplaincy in theprisons. Thats the first step, and

we are working with the ProtestantFederation of Haiti to have anational chaplaincy, Verseils toldENInews. Up to now the workhas been to provide social aid and

to supply food and medicine. Nowwe want to provide accompanimentand a listening-place.

There are 19 prisons that wouldbenefit from such a service, andthe federation says it is working to

obtain authorization and financingfor the chaplaincy service.

ENInews

Looking to the future means addressing underlying causes of poverty in Hati. (Photo: Paul Jeffrey)

We cannot build withoutstopping the real causes ofunderdevelopment


14/16

14


Swiss theologian Marie-ClaireBarth-Frommel honouredA Swiss theologian with a life-

long commitment to Indonesiahas been awarded an honorarydoctorate from the University ofBasel in Switzerland. Marie-ClaireBarth-Frommel, 84, is knownfor her work with womensgroups in Indonesia, herdedication to teaching andher academic publications inIndonesian. Barth-Frommelreceived the doctorate oftheology honoris causalast 25 November during aceremony at the university.

In recognition of thehonour, Barth-Frommelgave a public lecture inBasel in December attendedby representatives fromIndonesias Embassy inSwitzerland. Approximately100 guests were present forthe event hosted by the Swiss

mission agency, Mission 21.Barth-Frommels

theme was What are thetheological issues the churchesin Indonesia are facingtoday? In reflecting on thechallenges and opportunitiesconfronting Indonesianchurches, Barth-Frommelpoints in her paper tointerfaith relations with Islam

and with traditional religions,the emergence of women inleadership roles in churchand society, and the impactof environmental change.

Following herpresentation, Barth-Frommel spoke

with Reformed Communiqu.Asked about changes in society

affecting the church, the feministtheologian pointed to the increasingnumber of women in influential

positions in church and society.Barth-Frommel, who has mentoredwomens groups in Indonesia andwritten extensively on feminist

theology, told WCRC that growing

numbers of both Christian andMuslim women are active in civilsociety with Christian women nowserving in important positions in thechurch such as Synod Presidents.

Barth-Frommel reports howeverthat there is now a backlash to

women in leadership roles withsome people dismissing the idea as a

concept imported from the West. In

response to this and other pressureson civil society, Catholic, Protestantand liberal Muslims are workingtogether to protect civil rights.

The Swiss theologiansconnection to Indonesiaspans 55 years. She mether husband, ChristophBarth, son of the renownedSwiss theologian Karl Barth,in 1956 when they wereboth working in Indonesia.The couple stayed on for10 years to teach at theTheological Seminary inJakarta, the Indonesiancapital. In 1967 they movedto Mainz, Germany whereBarth took up an academicappointment. Following herhusbands death, Marie-Claire Barth-Frommelbegan a pattern of spending

three to four months ayear teaching in Indonesiathat continued from1987-2007. Her work wassupported by a predecessorof Mission 21 and sheremains closely connectedto Mission 21 today.

Asked why she hasreturned so often toIndonesia, Barth replies:

My heart is in Indonesiaand I love to teach.Despite being retired,

Barth maintains her linkswith the local Indonesiancommunity. On the day

of her presentation, she welcomedAiko Sumichan, a theology graduatefrom Indonesia currently workingas an intern with the WorldCommunion of Reformed Churches.Sumichan travelled to Basel to

meet the eminent theologianwhose works she had studied as atheology student in Indonesia.

Swiss feminist theologian Marie-Claire Barth-Frommel has closeconnections with Indonesia. (Photo: WCRC/Sumichan)

Growing numbers ofChristian and Muslimwomen active in society


15/16

15


Pia Grossholz-Fahrni:Involved because of the BiblePia Grossholz-Fahrni has a

passion for interfaith dialogueand the wide field of humanmigration. Its an unlikely vocationfor someone who grew up in asmall homogenous community incentral Switzerland and met herfirst non-Protestanta Catholic

when she was eleven years old.As a child, Grossholz-Fahrni

was active in the local parish of theReformed Church of Switzerlandand it was there that she heardmission stories about people inother countries and helped raisefunds for international projects. Shecarried that interest in the wider

world with her into her adult years.Today she encourages parishes

of the Bern-Jura-Solothurn church,the largest member church (643,000members) of the Federation ofSwiss Protestant Churches toparticipate in the theology and

justice programmes of the WorldCommunion of Reformed Churches(WCRC). As a vice-president ofher church, Grossholz-Fahhrni isresponsible for overseeing the workof the churchs office of ecumenism,mission, development and migration.

It seems natural to her that thisrole would include encouraginglinks between the church and civilsociety on issues of mutual concern

such as the rights of migrants. Butshe believes that, unlike seculargroups, the churchs involvementin this and other social justice andecology issues is rooted in theology.

We are involved in theseissues not from a political pointof view but because of the Bible.

We are pushed by our faith. Wedo what we do because we areChristian, Grossholz-Fahrni saidin an interview with Reformed

Communiquat the churchofficesin Bern this January.

The former secondary schoolteacher was elected as a synod

council member of her church in

2002. Since 2006, she has alsoserved as vice-president. Duringthis time, the church in Bern-Jura-Solothurn has been promotingresponsible stewardship of water,study of the impact of the globalmarket system on local farmingpractices, and migrants rights.

Church-produced study materialsand advocacy campaigns are carefulto link local issues to those in theGlobal South. Grossholz-Fahrni

believes that if Swiss parishes areto understand and get involved inglobal issues, their members must

recognise that they too are affectedby those issues. It is an exampleof what Grossholz-Fahrni believesis the strength of the church.

We cannot be Christian

alone, she says. It is importantto be a church together withotherspeople of all colours andpoints of view around the world.

Grossholz-Fahrni attended theUniting General Council in GrandRapids in 2010 when WCRC wascreated from a merger of the World

Alliance of Reformed Churchesand Reformed Ecumenical Council.She admits to having had initialconcerns about how much supportthere would be for work on justiceconcerns in the new organization.But she says that WCRC has founda new way of linking theology and

justice as a result of the merger.That experience was a source

of inspiration for me, shesays. It showed the churcheshow to avoid some pitfalls.

Her belief in theinterconnectedness of Christians

and their concerns leads Grossholz-Fahrni to wonder why all WCRCmember churches do not support theorganization to the extent hers does.

If she has a concern for theglobal communion, it is therestricted role of women in somechurches in Mexico, Australia,the United States and Kenya. Shenotes with amazement that somemembers of the congregation in

a community near Grand Rapidsstayed away from the Sundayservice on the day WCRC delegatesfrom the Uniting General Councilattended the worship becausethe preacher was a woman.

My hope for WCRC isthat it can find ways of talkingabout issues such as this withoutbanging into walls and instead

walk together for a few steps,says the Swiss justice advocate.

We do what we do because we areChristian, says Swiss global justiceadvocate, Pia Grossholz-Fahrni. (Photo:Courtesy Pia Grossholz-Fahrni)

unlike secular groups,church involvement in

justice issues is rooted intheology


16/16

From the general secretary

16


March 2012

Vol.3, No.1

Reformed Communiqu

is published quarterly by

the World Communion of

Reformed Churches.

Unless otherwise indicated,

the writers for articles are

alone responsible for the

opinions expressed. Articles

may be reprinted freely with

acknowledgement.

To receive your free subscription,subscribe online at:

www.wcrc.ch/resources

or send a request by post to:

WCRC

PO Box 2100

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1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland

tel: +41 22 791 6240

fax: +41 22 791 65 05

email: [email protected]

web: www.wcrc.ch

Editor: Kristine Greenaway

Layout: The Lutheran World

Federation

Printed in Switzerland

by SRO Kundig

Wold

communion

of refomed

chuhes

Called tocommunion,

committed to

justice

Setri Nyomi, General Secretary(Photo: Helen Putsman-Penet)

Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures,

and was buried, and was raised on the third day in

accordance with the scripturesTherefore, my beloved,

be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of

the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labour

is not in vain. (Selections f rom 1 Corinthians:15)

Then he said to me, It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega,

the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as

a gift from the spring of the water of life. (Revelations 21:6)

For those of us who grew up in the tropics,the only spring we knew was the source offresh water. Fresh water springs evoked in us animage of refreshing and life-giving newness.

Until my late teenage years, I could only read aboutthe four seasons that countries outside the tropicsin both the Global South and North experience.Since I now live in a context where I experiencethe four seasons winter is certainly not one of myfavourites I appreciate the refreshing life-givingnewness associated with the season of spring.

For a year now, we have been hearing about the ArabSpring, a term used to describe what is happening ina number of countries in the Middle East and North

Africa where ordinary people are seeking change. Ourmember churches in several of these countries have beenechoing the cries for change and for just and democratic

processes. They have also expressed concern about theaftermath of these movements, indicating that withoutdue vigilance, the Arab Spring could produce a new erain which just and democratic processes are not availableto all. This has characterised my correspondenceand visits to the region in the past months.

There is another spring which is a source ofrefreshing and life-giving renewal. Its effect is thebreaking forth of life in the place of death. Theresurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ is that spring

which overcomes the gloomy season of death. The

Alpha and Omega is the source of the water of life.Building our communion on this knowledge, we canbe steadfast even in the face of tremendous challenges.

We can continue to be faithful to God in a world inwhich people in many communities are thirsting for life.

The World Communion of Reformed Churches isthirsting for answers in a difficult financial season, aseason in which we are poised as a communion with anew refreshing vision. Our member churches in manyparts of the world, including Greece, are thirstingfor life-giving answers as the global financial crisisstrangles them. Those in Nigeria, the Democratic

Republic of Congo and Madagascar have faced gravecrises creating a thirst for a new season of life.

The resurrection spells a refreshing life-givingseason. We can celebrate life because Jesus lives.

... there is thirst fora new season of life... the Spring of

Life

Prayers online

Is your church in need of prayers?

Is it concerned for the situation of

churches in other parts of the world?

The WCRC website has prayer

resources for you.

WCRC member churches frequent ly

submit requests for prayers that

are posted to the website. Recent

postings include prayers for Japan,

the Republic of South Sudan and

Tribal and Adivasi peoples in India.

Each week as well you can connect

with the Ecumenical Prayer Cycle of

the World Council of Churches viaWCRCs home page.

Visitww w.wcrc.ch regularly for

inspiration for prayer.

Reformed Communiqué March 2012

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Transcript of Reformed Communiqué March 2012