wfn.org | Indonesian Churches Host Asia Region LWF Pre-Assembly Consultation

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

Christian-Muslim Dialogue among Major Topics

MEDAN, Indonesia/GENEVA, 2 March 2003 (LWI) * More than 120
representatives of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) member
churches in Asia are meeting in the Indonesian city of Medan,
March 2-6, for the region's preparatory meeting for the
forthcoming LWF Tenth Assembly.

The Asia Pre-Assembly Consultation (APAC) combined with the Asia
Church Leadership Conference (ACLC) is a forum for church
leadership * bishops and presidents, women and youth
representatives * from the 46 LWF member churches in Asia to
gather information that will enable them to contribute
meaningfully and participate effectively in the life and work of
the Assembly. The LWF Tenth Assembly will be held, 21-31 July 2003
in Winnipeg, Canada, hosted by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
Canada.

The regional consultation is being hosted by the 12 LWF member
churches and LWF National Committee in Indonesia. The churches in
the country have a combined membership of about 4 million people.
Women delegates met one day prior to the start of the APAC/ACLC
while youth representatives will hold their meeting in the course
of the consultation.

The five-day meeting will provide an opportunity for the churches
to deepen the understanding of the Assembly theme, "For the
Healing of the World." It is hoped that deliberations at the
meeting will enrich the fellowship of churches as a communion
through mutual sharing of experiences, and focus on regional
concerns an situation of member churches there. Participants who
include delegates to the Assembly are drawn from 15 countries.

The regional meeting enables member churches to follow up on
resolutions of the LWF Council * the Federation's governing body
meeting annually * and plan joint mission and ministry strategies
and share resources. It also serves as a forum to gain new
impulses for the various ministries of the churches, including the
mainstreaming of women and youth's contribution and participation.

The APAC/ACLC will be meeting in plenary and small discussion
groups. The keynote address * by Bishop Munib A. Younan,
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan - presentations by other
speakers, Assembly matters, reports and regional concerns will be
discussed in the full sessions. In preparation for the Tenth
Assembly business sessions, which will be conducted in the
so-called ten "Village Groups," four small groups during the Asia
pre-Assembly will discuss three pre-selected village group issues
reflecting the region's concerns namely - The Mission of the
Church in Multi-faith Contexts; Overcoming Violence and
Transforming Economic Globalization. HIV/AIDS in the Asian context
will be tackled as a regional concern.

One of the main deliberations at the pre-Assembly will be the
Christian-Muslim dialogue in Indonesia. The topic "The Role of
Religion in Peace Building" will be presented from both the Muslim
and Christian perspectives. Some Muslim participants from around
Medan have been invited.

During one of closed sessions for church leaders, the LWF General
Secretary Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko will address heads of LWF churches
in Asia with the aim to review a number of concerns about the
internal life of the Lutheran churches and leadership issues.

The APAC/ACLC began with an opening worship on Sunday in one of
the Medan Lutheran congregations, at which Bishop Dr. Wesley
Kigasung, Evangelical Lutheran Church of Papua New Guinea
(ELC-PNG) preached. The Asia pre-Assembly is sponsored by the LWF
Department for Mssion and Development Asia desk in cooperation
with the Asia Regional Office. Also attending the meeting are
representatives of three mission partners namely the Chicago,
USA-based Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Evangelical
Lutheran Church in Bavaria, Germany and the United Evangelical
Mission in Wuppertal, Germany.

The Asia pre-Assembly is the third in a series of five such
meetings in preparation for the LWF Tenth Assembly. The North
America Pre-Assembly Consultation took place in Denver, Colorado
in the USA, January 23-26 while Europe's was held February 23-26
in Vienna, Austria. Representatives from the Africa region will
meet March 23-26 in Nairobi, Kenya, while the Latin America and
Caribbean consultation will be held April 7-10 in San Salvador, El
Salvador. An international Women's Pre-Assembly Gathering took
place 14-17 November 2002 in Montreux, Switzerland, and a global
youth conference will be held prior to the Assembly.

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the
Lutheran tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund (Sweden), the LWF now
has 136 member churches in 76 countries representing over 61.7
million of the 65.4 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 LWF's information service.
Unless specifically noted, material presented does not represent
positions or opinions of the LWF or of its various units. Where
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