wfn.org | New LWF Council holds first full meeting

[FRANK_IMHOFF.parti@ecunet.org (FRANK IMHOFF)]

Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification, LWF Endowment Fund, ACT

GENEVA, 14 May 1998 (lwi) - The new Council of the Lutheran World
Federation (LWF) will hold its first full meeting in Geneva, June 8-17.
Elected last year at the LWF Ninth Assembly in Hong Kong, the council will
have to decide, among other things, on the adoption of the Lutheran-Roman
Catholic Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification. The financial
report, establishment of an Endowment Fund for the LWF and evaluation of
the joint LWF and World Council of Churches (WCC) ecumenical network
"Action by Churches Together" (ACT) also will be discussed.

LWF President Christian Krause will open the meeting with an address on
Monday, June 8, followed by LWF Treasurer Sigrun M gedal. The following
day, June 9, will be taken up entirely with the report of LWF General
Secretary Ishmael Noko. For the first time, the general secretary's report
also will include the reports of the LWF departments and offices.

The new Program and Standing Committees meet for first time

^From June 10 to 13, the five Program and two Standing Committees will meet,
for the first time, under the leadership of their new chairpersons as
follows: German theology professor Joachim Track for Theology and Studies,
American pastor Susan Nagle for Mission and Development, Tanzanian
presiding Bishop Samson Mushemba for World Service, Hungarian presiding
Bishop B‚la Harmati for Communication Services and the new LWF treasurer,
Norwegian medical doctor Sigrun M gedal, for Finances and Administration.
The chairperson of the Standing Committee for Ecumenical Affairs is Swedish
Archbishop K.G. Hammar. Thorbj”rn Arnason from Iceland chairs the Standing
Committee for International Affairs and Human Rights.

Together with the LWF president and the two women LWF vice-presidents -
executive secretary of the United Evangelical Lutheran Church in India,
Prasanna Kumari, and Nigerian Parmata Ishaya - as well as the three
vice-presidents - Slovak Bishop Julius Filo, Brazilian church President
Huberto Kirchheim and presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church
in America, H. George Anderson - the chairpersons constitute the LWF
Executive Committee which will meet June 7.

To give all council members, advisers and committees enough time for an
introduction to their new work this council meeting will last one and a
half weeks.

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Lutheran World Information
Editorial Assistant: Janet Bond-Nash
E-mail: jbn@lutheranworld.org
http://www.lutheranworld.org/