wfn.org | Noko invokes calling to 'stand with those who suffer'

[FRANK.IMHOFF@ecunet.org]

LWF COUNCIL MEETING, TURKU, FINLAND, 14-21 JUNE 2000
PRESS RELEASE NO. 3

TURKU, Finland/GENEVA, 14 June 2000 (LWI) - Focusing on the subject, "I
give you a future with hope", the theme, chosen for the Lutheran World
Federation (LWF) Council meeting taking place in Turku, Finland from 14
to 21 June 2000, the LWF general secretary, Dr. Ishmael Noko, has said
that although success stories may not be as many compared to the
litanies of woes experienced by people world wide, Christians are called
to stand in solidarity with those who suffer and give them hope.

Presenting the general secretary's report to the fourth Council meeting
since the Ninth Assembly in Hong Kong, China in 1997, Noko, basing his
introduction on the message of hope portrayed by Prophet Jeremiah (Jer.
28-32) to his fellow citizens at the time when they were exiled in
Babylonia, emphasized the need to have faith and trust in God's promises
in the midst of discouragement and lack of any basis for optimism with
regard to the future.

Jeremiah's message of hope to the people, though somewhat addressed in a
different context than that of today, is still relevant "to our
situation because of the prevailing sense of uncertainty," the general
secretary said.

This year's Council theme, chosen together with the host church, the
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland (ELCF), coincides with worldwide
celebrations marking 2000 years since the birth of Jesus Christ. "The
birth of Christ, the Emmanuel, God-with-us, is a milestone and a turning
point in the future of the human race.   God became one with sinful
humanity, took on the human condition and submitted to baptism, thus
declaring He had become one with sinners and outcasts," Noko said.

Through his report, of which the presentation was jointly made with the
directors of the respective departments and offices of the LWF Geneva
Secretariat, the general secretary gave an overview of the diverse
activities of the Federation since the Council meeting in Bratislava,
the Slovak Republic in 1999.

He emphasized that the LWF, as an integral part of the ecumenical
community is committed to sowing through its programs, projects and
related activities, God's hope as witnessed by the prophet Jeremiah and
lived out by the Christ event.

"Like Jeremiah, who bought a piece of land at a time of political,
economic and religious uncertainty, our serious commitment is a humble
demonstration that God's promised future is already here," Noko told the
200 participants among them the 49-member Council, as well as advisors,
ecumenical observers, the LWF national committees' representatives,
consultants, guests, the ELCF and LWF staff as well as accredited press.

Echoing the theme of the Council meeting, Noko said the overarching
question that emerged throughout the activities of the LWF in the year
under review was "why should the Federation or any religious
organization" proclaim, live and convincingly carry out its commitment
in the following areas:
 - ecumenical and theological studies - an engagement thought of by some
as a luxury in face of other serious woes such as unsustainable debt,
"honor" killings of women and HIV/AIDS
 - "world service" when difficulties are so profuse that it becomes a
great challenge to even tackle them given the limited financial and
human resources available
 - diaconal activities - with the aim to make a difference in the lives
of people when it seems that every development theory and initiative
taken misses the objective
 - promoting advocacy for peace, justice and reconciliation when every
day there are fewer and fewer success stories.

Meanwhile, addressing a press conference following his presentation,
Noko underlined that giving "a future with hope" calls upon those (like
the Lutheran communion) professing Christianity to be willing to lend
themselves to actions of sacrifice. "We have to accept that we can no
longer live joyfully if others around us are not joyful," he said.

He recalled the work of the LWF through its Department for World Service
(DWS) all over the world, and cited the case of Mauritania where the LWF
is working among people of other faith who are encountering particular
needs. "Desertification in this northwest African country moves at the
rate of six percent per year and pastoral lands are disappearing," said
Noko, who recently visited the LWF program there. He emphasized that "we
need to stand in solidarity with people such as those in Mauritania in
their search for a peaceful co-existence." Two thirds of the territory
of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania is a desert. The LWF/DWS has been
present in that country for 25 years.

The general secretary also cited the LWF's involvement in peace making
and reconciliation among the churches and among nations such as the now
resolved border dispute between Namibia and Botswana.

Other highlights of the Council meeting in the coming days include
discussions on the follow-up on the signing of the Joint Declaration on
the Doctrine of Justification; inclusive participation of men and women
in the life of the church and in society; violence against women and how
this affects the LWF as a communion, racism, in a new form in which
those in leadership try to exert power over others; and the question of
a just war including armed intervention for humanitarian reasons.

The Council is also expected to discuss and take action on the venue and
alongside it the host church for the Tenth Assembly of the LWF, which
should be held in 2003 or 2004. Initially invitations to host the next
Assembly had been received from four member churches namely, the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, the North Elbian Evangelical
Lutheran Church and the Evangelical Church in Wuerttemberg, both in
Germany, as well as from the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Iceland.
However, the general secretary on 14 June confirmed to participants in
the Council meeting that the church in Wuerttemberg and that in Iceland
had withdrawn the offer to host the meeting. Therefore, a decision will
now be taken between the two remaining churches.

There will also deliberations on the issue of joint assemblies in the
future between the World Council of Churches and the LWF as requested by
the Council in Bratislava. Other concerns include the spacing of Council
meetings between 12 to 18 months for the purpose of improved time
management. The election of a new Treasurer will also be brought before
the present meeting of the LWF governing body. Dr. Sigrun Mogedal,
Church of Norway, has resigned from her position following her
appointment as Secretary of State for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

(The LWF is a global communion of 128 member churches in 70 countries
representing 59 million of the world's 63 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/