wfn.org | LWF Contributes to the Healing of Africa, Says Noko

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

LWF Contributes to the Healing of Africa, Says LWF General
Secretary Noko
African Pre- Assembly an Opportunity to Share Visions of Community

NAIROBI, Kenya/GENEVA, 27 March 2003 (LWI) - The United States-led
war against Iraq could have been avoided, declared the Lutheran
World Federation (LWF) General Secretary, Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko,
when he addressed participants in the Africa region preparatory
meeting for the forthcoming LWF Tenth Assembly.

There were sufficient possibilities for the United Nations
weapons' inspectors to continue to do an effective job, according
to Noko. The war against Iraq not only divides the world into a
"coalition of the willing" and "unwilling," but it also splits
Europe into an "old" and "new" Europe, the general secretary told
the 110 representatives of LWF member churches attending the March
23-26 Africa Pre-Assembly Consultation (PAC), held jointly with
the All Africa Lutheran Leadership Conference, a meeting for all
leaders of LWF member churches on the continent.

For Noko, the regional consultation was a testimony and witness
against the dissolution and destruction of community. He
emphasized the LWF's task and responsibility to build bridges and
contribute to strengthening community. He said he was aware that
the delegates themselves come from very difficult contexts which
are in need of healing. The LWF is trying to contribute to the
healing of the African continent in the areas of human rights,
inter-religious dialogue, struggle for economic justice, and in
promoting equal rights for women and the participation of youth.
The Africa PAC took place in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, hosted
jointly by the Kenya Evangelical Lutheran Church and Evangelical
Lutheran Church in Kenya.

The war against Iraq is undermining everything the LWF has been
trying to do for years. Peace, reconciliation and dialogue are
being threatened, Noko emphasized at a press conference in
Nairobi. The general secretary expressed concern that the system
of collective security in the UN is being weakened, putting at
risk all that has been accomplished since the end of World War II.

On commitments made by delegates at the 1997 LWF Ninth Assembly in
Hong Kong, China, Noko called for more effort in the struggle to
ensure equal opportunity for women including in the area of
ordination. With regard to the place of young people in the LWF,
he noted that in the past 20 years, the Federation has moved from
merely having youth represented by delegates at the various forums
to real participation by young people in the decision-making
bodies. He hoped that this would also be reflected at the
leadership level in the LWF member churches.

Around 110 representatives and Assembly delegates from LWF African
churches attended the PAC and church leaders' forum. The region
has 29 LWF member churches in 21 countries, with a total
membership of 11.9 million people.

The main purpose of the regional PACs is to prepare delegates for
the Assembly so that they may participate actively in all its
aspects, said Rev. Dr. Peri Rasolondraibe, Director of the LWF
Department for Mission and Development (DMD). He pointed out that
around two-thirds of the delegates will be taking part for the
first time in an LWF Assembly. The DMD is coordinating all the
pre-Assembly consultations, and a program that includes visits to
North American congregations and church ministries prior to and
after the Assembly.

The LWF African region comprises three sub-regions - the Lutheran
Communion in Central and Eastern Africa - LUCCEA, Lutheran
Communion in Southern Africa - LUCSA, and Lutheran Communion in
Western Africa - LUCWA. Each sub-region has its own specific
historical, cultural, social, economic and church characteristics,
but together, they form a community of Lutheran churches in
Africa, Rasolondraibe explained. In discussing the LWF Tenth
Assembly theme "For the Healing of the World," the Africa PAC also
offers an opportunity to share and gain mutual understanding of
visions of community, he noted.

The African conference is the fourth of five regional conferences
in the run-up to the 21-31 July 2003 Assembly in Winnipeg, Canada,
hosted by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada.

The first regional PAC took place January 23-26 in North America,
in Denver, USA, followed by Europe's, February 23-26 in Vienna,
Austria, and one for Asia, March 2-6 in Medan, Indonesia. LWF
member churches in Latin America and the Caribbean will meet April
6-9 in San Salvador, El Salvador. The Women's Pre-Assembly
Gathering took place 14-19 November 2002 in Montreux, Switzerland.
The last in the series of pre-assemblies will be a global youth
conference in July 2003 near Toronto, Canada.

Around 1,000 participants are expected at the Assembly, including
the 436 delegates from the 136 LWF member churches. The Assembly
is the LWF's highest decision-making body, meeting every six
years.

(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.]

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