wfn.org | Women's spirituality essential for reconciliation in the churches

[FRANK.IMHOFF@ecunet.org]

SVAeTY JUR, Slovak Republic/GENEVA, 26 May 2000 (LWI)- - Women
representatives of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) member churches
in eastern and central Europe have stated that although women's
spirituality is generally neither displayed outwardly nor put to use, it
represents a possibility for renewal and reconciliation in the churches.

Meeting under the theme, "Spirituality: Help or Hindrance Towards
Reconciliation?" the 27 women drawn from 15 Lutheran churches in Europe
said in a press statement that it was evident that in every place where
the old structures exclude women, spirituality is made less prominent
and steps toward mutual understanding become more difficult.

The theme of the regional meeting, hosted by the Evangelical Church of
the Augsburg Confession in the Slovak Republic (ECAC-SR) from 5 - 10 May
2000, had been chosen with the aim to discuss whether the perceived
divide between women in eastern and western Europe has been brought
about by the differing church and spiritual traditions, which have
developed along diverse paths as a result of the region's political
history in the past 50 years.

The meeting was organised by the desk for Women in Church and Society
(WICAS) of the LWF Department for Mission and Development (DMD), of
which the main objective is to advocate for women's participation in the
total life of the Church and society.

The theme was introduced through intensive Bible study, using several
stories of women in the Bible to portray the reconciling nature of God.
^From the papers presented and the discussions that followed, it was
clear that the gap between the life experiences of women in the east and
west is not as deep as had initially been thought. In all the churches
traditions are being re-examined in view of the upheavals in the
society, and new expressions of spirituality are being discovered and
integrated.

Other highlights of the six-day meeting included a theological
introduction to the rich heritage of the ECAC-SR by Rev. Anna Polckova,
and an information sharing session with the church's bishop, Julius Filo
and Mrs. Filo. The folklore group "Carpathians" presented the cultural
traditions of Slovakia.

Participants also visited three different local churches served by women
pastors, and in at least one case for a number of years. It was
encouraging to learn that in the Slovak Republic, women's ordination has
been going on for almost 50 years, whereas this is not the case in some
eastern European Lutheran churches (Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Poland
and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ingria in Russia).

The women representatives of the LWF member churches in the region said
the meeting was an opportunity to learn about and appreciate the
diversity of their spiritual gifts, which have proved helpful and
encouraging on the way toward reconciliation.

Meanwhile, the LWF-WICAS regional co-ordinators, at their meeting in
Geneva from 29 March - 1 April 2000 stated that violence is one of the
major issues confronting women in all regions.

Other concerns identified at the meeting, which brought together
co-ordinators from LWF member churches in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin
America and the Caribbean and North America included displacement of
women; poverty; side effects of tourism such as sexual exploitation
including trafficking in women; multiple rape during war; female genital
mutilation (FGM); insufficient communication facilities, networking and
training; communication barriers between the regions and the need to
make the church structures inclusive of women.

It was also emphasised that in view of the growing number of
conservative movements, which prescribe their own concepts, the LWF
needs to come up with clear guidelines on human sexuality.

(The LWF is a global communion of 128 member churches in 70 countries
representing 58 million of the world's 61.5 million Lutherans. Its
highest decision making body is the Assembly, held every six or seven
years. Between Assemblies, the LWF is governed by a 49-member Council
which meets annually, and its Executive Committee. The LWF secretariat
is located in Geneva, Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the information service of the
Lutheran World Federation (LWF). Unless specifically noted, material
presented does not represent positions or opinions of the LWF or of its
various units. Where the dateline of an article contains the notation
(lwi), the material may be freely reproduced with acknowledgment.]

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Lutheran World Information
Assistant Editor, English: Pauline Mumia
E-mail: pmu@lutheranworld.org
http://www.lutheranworld.org/