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World's churches will focus on transformation at assembly

Jan. 24, 2006

NOTE: Photographs, audio and two related reports are available at
http://umns.umc.org.

A UMNS Report
By Linda Bloom*

Transformation - of the earth, of society, of the church and of
individual lives - will be the focus of the World Council of Churches'
9th Assembly Feb. 14-23 in Porto Alegre, Brazil.

Up to 1,200 "core participants" - such as church delegates and
representatives of related organizations - are expected to attend the
event at Catholic Pontifical University, along with about 1,800 others.
The United Methodist Church is sending an official delegation, and other
United Methodists and Methodists from around the world will take part.

Norman Shanks of Scotland, moderator of the assembly planning committee,
said the theme, "God, in your grace, transform the world," reflects both
the global and individual need "for healing and change, recognizing our
dependence of God, acknowledging that we all have a part to play in the
process of transformation."

The idea of transformation involves both church structures and
sociopolitical systems, according to the Rev. Larry Pickens, chief
executive of the United Methodist Commission on Christian Unity and
Interreligious Concerns.

"My sense is that the World Council of Churches and the ecumenical
movement face a time of transition and, yes, transformation," he said.
"As the church's witness to the world develops, the assembly is an
opportunity for us to sharpen and focus our mission as God's people."

Each day will begin and end with prayer, drawing from a range of church
traditions, with additional services offered during the day. Bible study
will follow morning prayer.

On most days, plenary sessions are planned in late morning and late
afternoon and will address general topics such as economic justice,
youth overcoming violence, Christian identity and religious plurality,
and church unity, along with discussion and action on reports later in
the assembly. During three mornings, "ecumenical conversations" are
planned on topics relating to the life and witness of the church in
today's world.

Assembly planners have chosen a Portuguese word, "mutirao," to describe
the midday activities of the assembly. An informal time to gather and
share together, the mutirao will include workshops, cultural offerings,
and displays and exhibitions.

"One of the major features of the WCC Assembly will be a multimedia
exhibit entitled, 'Keeping the Faith,'" said Lois Dauway, an executive
with the Women's Division, United Methodist Board of Global Ministries,
and a member of the assembly planning committee. "It seeks to examine
how one maintains a belief system in the midst of such crushing social
ills."

She also pointed to a process called "AGAPE - A Call to Love and
Action," through which the assembly will address "issues of rampant and
sinful poverty" from a faith perspective.

A six-page AGAPE document, summarizing work done by the WCC and its
ecumenical partners on issues of economic globalization since the 1998
Harare assembly, will be presented in Porto Alegre.

The document invites participants to recommit toward "the eradication of
poverty and inequality," to seek justice in international trade, and to
advocate "for responsible lending, unconditional debt cancellation, and
the control and regulation of global financial markets."

Participants at the assembly in Harare, Zimbabwe, decided that "the
logic of globalization needs to be challenged by an alternative way of
life of community in diversity." Since then, the WCC has held
wide-ranging consultations on that statement. The process came to be
called AGAPE (the Greek word for love) - "alternative globalization
addressing peoples and earth."

For the first time at a WCC assembly, delegates will make decisions by
consensus rather than by parliamentary majority votes. A manual and
training will be provided to help guide delegates in the new method.
During discussions, indicator cards can be used to signal "warmth"
(orange) or "coolness" (blue) towards an idea.

The Board of Global Ministries will sponsor or co-sponsor workshops on
issues related to youth and women during the mutirao period of the
assembly. Roseangela Oliveria and Doreen Boyd, board regional
missionaries, will help lead a workshop on gender and human rights.
Tamara Walker and Marcia Florkey, board staff, will help lead the
youth-related workshop, in collaboration wit the World Student Christian
Federation and Martin Luther King Center of Havana, Cuba.

The ninth assembly is the first to take place in Latin America. Many
visitors from the region are expected to participate, and a "Latin
America Day" will be celebrated Feb. 19 with prayers, presentations and
a cultural evening.

Latin American churches held a preparatory event last October in Mendes,
Brazil, and released a letter calling the assembly "a significant moment
in the history of our journey on this continent" as well as an
encouragement for youth participation in the continent's ecumenical
movement.

Nelida Ritchie, bishop of the Evangelical Methodist Church of Argentina,
suggested that the Latin American churches should look beyond political
correctness and instead speak from the heart "from experiences of
suffering but also (of) the dignified resistance."

Bishop Carlos Poma, Evangelical Methodist Church of Bolivia, spoke about
how the Bolivian indigenous people need solidarity with the churches.

Pickens believes the Latin American setting is significant as delegates
address issues of poverty, globalization and North-South relations.

"One has to also recognize the explosive church growth that is taking
place in Latin America and realize that as the world population centers
of Christianity shift, significant theological discussions will take
place concerning faith experiences that are not centered in the United
States and Europe," he noted.

In addition to Pickens and Dauway, the official United Methodist
delegation to the assembly includes Bishop William B. Oden of Dallas,
ecumenical officer for the United Methodist Council of Bishops; Bishop
Ann Sherer, president, United Methodist Commission on Christian Unity
and Interreligious Concerns; and Bishop Sally Dyck of Minneapolis.

Also, the Rev. R. Randy Day, chief executive, United Methodist Board of
Global Ministries; Jan Love, chief executive, Women's Division; and the
Rev. Chester Aumua of Tacoma, Wash., Pacific Islander National Caucus of
United Methodists.

Young adult delegates are Jennifer Irvine Goto of San Ramon, Calif.; Jay
Williams of New York; Christine Danielle Sanchez of San Antonio; Tara
Fitzpatrick of Norman, Okla.; and Motoe Yamada of Almeda, Calif.

Central Conference delegates are the Rev. Forbes Matonga of Harare;
Jonathan Ulanday of Tagum City, Philippines, a director of the
Commission on Christian Unity; and Ulla Skodlt Jonsson of Emmaboda,
Sweden.

The alternate delegate is the Rev. Paul Barton, assistant professor of
Hispanic studies, Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest in
Austin, Texas. Clare Chapman, a Commission on Christian Unity executive,
is serving as adviser.

Other United Methodists participating in the assembly in various
capacities include the Rev. John McCullough, chief executive, Church
World Service; the Rev. Bob Edgar, chief executive, National Council of
Churches; the Rev. Paul Dirdak, chief executive, United Methodist
Committee on Relief; and Jorge Domingues, Board of Global Ministries.

*Bloom is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in New York.

News media contact: Linda Bloom, New York, (646) 369-3759 or
newsdesk@umcom.org.

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United Methodist News Service
Photos and stories also available at:
http://umns.umc.org