wfn.org | 'We Are All One,' Namibian Lutheran Women Affirm

["Frank Imhoff" <FRANKI@elca.org>]

Title:'We Are All One,' Namibian Lutheran Women Affirm 
Basis for Unity in Spiritual Encounters Less on Structure, Organization

OKAHANDJA, Namibia/GENEVA, 9 July 2001 (LWI) - Women spell the word "unity"
differently. They not only talk about it--they live it, sing it, dance it.
This was demonstrated at the Phillipine Conference in Okahandja, where about
40 women delegates of the three Lutheran churches in Namibia recently came
together to discuss issues of common concern. "We are all one" soon became
the favorite song of old and young from all over the country.

The Phillipine consists of all Lutheran women in a country where more than
66 percent of all Christians are of the Lutheran confession. However the
history of Lutheran mission, colonialism and apartheid has divided their
faith along regional, tribal and color lines. In Namibia there still exist
three different Lutheran churches-the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia
(ELCIN) with 533,000 members in the north, the Evangelical Lutheran Church
in the Republic of Namibia (ELCRN) with 200,000 mainly Nama/Damara, Herero
and Afrikaans-speaking members and the German Evangelical Lutheran Church in
Namibia (DELK) with 7,000 members.

Historically grown differences in structure, financing and religious customs
are so strong that efforts to unite the three sister churches have become a
drawn-out process. First attempts began even before Namibia's independence
in 1990 but failed when the German sister church left the ecumenical Council
of Churches in Namibia (CCN) because of the council's strong political stand
against apartheid. In 1992, new attempts at unity were started by all three
sides and have since been underway. But as Prof. Paul Isaaks, ELCRN synod
chairperson put it in his paper to the Phillipine Conference that took place
in Okahandja 24 -27 May 2001, "the male-dominated church hierarchy is slow
to let their own church die so that a new united church can be born."

Despite the division, the women from the three churches have met regularly
over the years. "When we want to unite, we have to share, and in order to
share we will have to meet," says Selma Shejavali, outgoing president of the
Phillipine Conference. A loose union of Lutheran women was already started
in 1980, ten years before independence, with its members meeting regularly
at a national level in different towns in Namibia. In 1995, it was named
Phillipine after Phillipine Stefanus, a member of the ELCRN and one of the
first women to advocate unity among Lutheran women. It was only in 1997 that
the Conference of Phillipine - Lutheran Women of Namibia established a
formal constitution. Shejavali stepped down after six years of service to
give room, as she put it, "to those who do not have gray hair like me."

Addressing participants in the Phillipine Conference, DELK's Bishop Reinhard
Keding, chairperson of the LWF National Committee in Namibia stressed the
need to "take the central message of Christian love into consideration when
judging other people and their differences." Love means accepting one
another unconditionally, and remaining in spiritual unity in the face of
difficulties. He pointed out that efforts to unite the three churches should
focus less on a unified structure and organization and more on personal and
spiritual encounters. "We cannot wait until the new structures are in place
- a unified structure will be the result of and not the precondition for a
unified church," he said.

ELCRN's Rev. Dr. Zephania Kameeta appealed to the women "not to submit to
the temptation of passiveness." The former deputy speaker in the Namibian
parliament and now pastor in Maltah÷he encouraged them to "remain pioneers
on the move," inviting and inspiring the many people who need their support.
He reminded the conference participants that "Christianity is a religion of
doing and not of talking."

ELCRN's Rev. Amelia Anderson wondered "what happened to the unity that
encouraged us to stand against war and injustice" as she pondered the plight
of countless women in Africa suffering from the traumatic effects of war,
including rape. Many have had to watch their own children take up arms and
fight against brothers and sisters, she added.

"This is exactly what I am envisaging for our unity talks in the top church
hierarchy but I see that you are already there," remarked Isaaks referring
to the Phillippine Conference's round-table sitting arrangement. The
University of Namibia theology lecturer expressed appreciation for the
"groundwork" done by women to create unity among Lutherans but warned them
not to remain satisfied with representation just at congregational level and
to strive for a place among the church leadership as well. He encouraged
women to publicly assert their role in the unification process so that next
to the "his-story" of the churches, the female "her-story" will be written
as well in future records.

The presence of the male church leaders was much appreciated and honored by
the women. But only when they had left, did it become clear that Lutheran
women had in many ways overtaken the ambitions of the male dominated
leadership. Many projects, bazaars, prayer nights, soup kitchens and other
activities organized by women in different congregations have already united
Christian women of all confessions, cultures and languages far beyond
Lutheran boundaries.

At the conference, the atmosphere was filled with laughter, warmth and the
sharing of experiences and emotions. While the day was taken up by
discussions, presentationof papers and the election of a new executive
committee, the evenings were less formal. The conference ended with a
service in the Stefanus Church in Okahandja. Four women changed from
ordinary participants into dignified ministers of religion--in beautiful
white or black robes--and jointly conducted the service and Eucharist as a
celebration of tolerance and unity.

(By Erika von Wietersheim, a freelance journalist, and member of DELK) 

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran
tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund (Sweden), the LWF now has 133 member
churches in 73 countries representing over 60.5 million of the 64.3 million
Lutherans worldwide. The LWF acts on behalf of its member churches in areas
of common interest such as ecumenical relations, theology, humanitarian
assistance, human rights, communication, and the various aspects of mission
and development work. Its 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 acknowledgement.]

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