Lutheran Churches are Present in Critical Segments of Society Latin American Church Leadership Conference (COL) Discusses Activity Reports
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica/GENEVA, 16 May 2006 (LWI) - Argentine pastor Lisandro Orlov, the Latin American regional coordinator of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) HIV/AIDS campaign, says Lutheran churches in the region "have been successful in maintaining a presence in the critical segments of society."
Presenting his report to participants in the LWF Latin American Church Leadership Conference (Conferencia de Liderazgo - COL), in San José, Costa Rica, 25-28 April, Orlov pointed out that the churches had "succeeded in saying something new, something different * to be a church that takes on responsibility for the people, one which does not just talk about HIV, but which lives with those affected in community and solidarity."
The report by Orlov, of the United Evangelical Lutheran Church (IELU), was one of four such presentations to the COL about the region's program activities.
The Rev. Angel Furlan, coordinator of the Latin American LWF member churches' advocacy program on the illegitimacy of Latin American and Caribbean foreign debt, emphasized the particular accomplishment of the region's churches having become involved with the topic. Furlan, IELU president, 1996-2004, added that the connection between foreign debt and the imposition of free trade agreements had now developed into a main focus of discussion.
As pointed out by Rev. Melvin Jiménez, coordinator of the regional diakonia (church social service) network, "diakonia is an important and integral component of church life." Latin America enjoys a wealth of diaconal experience, he continued, but "we are often not aware of the quality and diversity of this service." He added that it was now the time to systemize the theological foundation and methodology of the diaconal service provided by churches over the years.
Brazilian pastor Heitor Meurer, president of the Lutheran communications network in Latin America, Luteranos Unidos en Comunicacion (LUC), expressed the need for increased support for the region's Lutheran churches in their proclamation of the gospel. Meurer, of the Evangelical Church of the Lutheran Confession in Brazil (IECLB), said it was additional ly important to establish and provide opportunities for education and information exchange, and to give fresh impetus for better communications. (367 words)
Further information and documents on the San José conference can be found in Spanish and Portuguese at: http://conferencialiderazgo2006.blogspot.com
(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund, Sweden, the LWF currently has 140 member churches in 78 countries all over the world, with a total membership of 66.2 million. The LWF acts on behalf of its member churches in areas of common interest such as ecumenical and inter-faith 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 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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