wfn.org | Leaders of LWF Member Churches in Africa Meet in Nairobi

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

Leaders of LWF Member Churches in Africa Meet in Nairobi
for Regional Pre-Assembly Consultation
Emphasis on Peace Building, HIV/AIDS Pandemic

NAIROBI, Kenya/GENEVA, 24 March 2003 (LWI) - Concern for genuine
peace in Africa, the HIV/AIDS pandemic and preparations for the
Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Tenth Assembly are the main issues
at the Africa region preparatory consultation for the July 2003
LWF Tenth Assembly, which began yesterday in the Kenyan capital,
Nairobi.

With the recent flare-ups of military conflict and a further
worsening of the situation as a result of the uncontrolled
weapons' proliferation throughout the continent, there is still no
peace at home for Africans, said Rev. Dr Musa Filibus, Area
Secretary for Africa, LWF Department for Mission and Development
(DMD). The office is hosting the March 23-26 Africa Pre-Assembly
Consultation which is combined with the All Africa Lutheran
Leadership Conference.

In Africa, peace and stability are often threatened, thereby
undermining any genuine effort to encourage development in the
continent, said Filibus. In protest against conflicts between
ethnic and religious groups, civil wars and a violence-dominated
culture, the Lutheran community in Africa plans at the meeting to
especially urge Africans to live in peace with one another. But to
bring about peace will require joint efforts and readiness to
admit and confess guilt, forgive one another and be reconciled,
the LWF Africa Secretary stated.

Another focus of the conference will be the HIV/AIDS pandemic,
which is spreading rapidly especially in southern Africa, Filibus
continued. At the consultation, the goal will be to build up on
the global LWF HIV/AIDS campaign, officially launched in May 2002
in Nairobi. As stated in the LWF HIV/AIDS action plan,
"Compassion, Conversion, Care: Responding as Churches to the
HIV/AIDS Pandemic," all resources must be harnessed to work
effectively against the pandemic, explained Filibus.

The African Consultation is the fourth in a series of five
regional consultations in the run-up to the LWF Tenth Assembly.
They focus on the Assembly theme, "For the Healing of the World,"
and overall content from the viewpoints of the different regions.
The Assembly will take place July 21-31 in Winnipeg, Canada,
hosted by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC).

The main purpose of the regional consultation is to prepare the
delegates for active and meaningful participation in the
forthcoming Assembly, says Rev. Dr. Peri Rasolondraibe, DMD
Director. He pointed out that Pre-Assembly Consultations are
important in that, for around two-thirds of the participants, this
would be the first time that they would be attending an LWF
Assembly.

Combining the pre-assembly with the conference for leaders of the
LWF member churches on the continent, is a way of ensuring that
topics that are important to the world-wide Lutheran fellowship
are discussed also with African church leaders who will not be
Assembly delegates, according to Rasolondraibe. The DMD is
coordinating all the pre-assembly consultations as well as a
program that includes visits to congregations and their work in
North America, the region hosting the Assembly. The LWF has four
member churches there, namely the ELCIC, Estonian Evangelical
Lutheran Church Abroad (Canada); and the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America and Lithuanian Evangelical Lutheran Church in
Diaspora (USA).

At the Tenth Assembly, discussions on different aspects of the
theme will take place in ten "Village Groups." Each Pre-Assembly
Consultation considers, among other things, the sub-themes to be
discussed in the various village groups from a regional viewpoint.
Each LWF region is also asked to prepare a Bible study.

Every pre-assembly also draws up a regional list of nominees to
the 48-member LWF Council that is appointed at the Assembly, the
LWF's highest decision-making body. Between Assemblies, the LWF is
governed by the Council, which meets annually. The regional
meetings also familiarize the delegates with the LWF structure and
work.

About 110 representatives of African LWF member churches and
Assembly delegates are expected to take part in the Nairobi
conference. The 29 LWF member churches in Africa have a total of
11.9 million members in 21 countries.

The first pre-assembly regional consultation was held January
23-26 in North America, in Denver, Colorado, USA, followed by the
Europe Consultation, February in 23-26 Vienna, Austria, and by the
Asia Consultation, March 2-6 in Medan, Indonesia. The regional
gathering for churches in the Latin America and the Caribbean
region is planned for April 6-9, in San Salvador, El Salvador. The
Women's Pre-Assembly Gathering took place 14-17 November 2002 in
Montreux, Switzerland. The final Pre-Assembly Consultation will be
a global youth gathering in July 2003 near Toronto, Canada.

Around 1,000 participants are expected at the Tenth Assembly in
Winnipeg including the 436 delegates from the 136 LWF member
churches.

(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
the dateline of an article contains the notation (LWI), the
material may be freely reproduced with acknowledgment.]

*	*	*
LUTHERAN WORLD INFORMATION
PO Box 2100, CH-1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland
English Editor: Pauline Mumia
E-mail: pmu@lutheranworld.org
Tel: (41.22) 791.63.54
Fax: (41.22) 791.66.30
http://www.lutheranworld.org/