Lutherans from Four Continents Visit Polish Church LWF General Secretary Noko: Ethnic and Cultural Differences Are the Treasury of Humanity
WARSAW, Poland/Geneva, 31 July 2006 (LWI) * Ethnic and cultural differences are the treasury of humanity and must be recognized as such, Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko, general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) said during a recent visit to Poland.
He noted that the ?richness of this diversity is,? however, ?turned into pain and woe? when it is manipulated for political ends. Noko made these remarks when he delivered a lecture at the Polish Ecumenical Council, during the visit of an LWF delegation to the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Poland from 1 to 4 June.
He pointed out that ?ethnic cleansing and conflict, racism, xenophobia, and caste-based discrimination are distortions and disfigurements of God?s creation,? and reminded churches of their responsibility to continually point to the image of God in all people.
The LWF general secretary said Lutherans strongly affirmed the present call of the ecumenical movement for churches to find ?appropriate forms of visible unity.? This was not primarily a ?search for the reconciliat ion of clerical structures,? although ministerial unity can also be an ?important ecumenical instrument,? he noted.
The search for visible unity, Noko said, was ultimately ?a search for shared life in the church for the sake of the world.? As a communion of churches that maintains numerous programs and projects throughout the world, the LWF was committed to be a witness to God?s peace, justice, and compassion, he added.
The general secretary was accompanied by Bishop Thomas J. Barnett, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Sierra Leone; Deacon Cristina Kilian from Argentina; Dr Jamilin Sirat, president of the Theological Seminary of the Protestant Christian Batak Church in North Sumatra, Indonesia; Rev. Dr Eva-Sibylle Vogel-Mfato, Area Secretary for Europe in the LWF Department for Mission and Development; and by Rev. Ireneusz Lukas, former head of the LWF Regional Office in Central and Eastern Europe, based in Bratislava, Slovak Republic.
Noko explained the aim of the visit was to become acquainted with Lutheran life in Poland. The meeting was arranged to make it possible for Lutherans from various continents and cultures to get to know each other, providing a boost to their sense of communion.
The LWF delegation met with representatives of the LWF National Committee in Poland and the Christian Theological Academy, ecumenical dignitaries, political figures, and representatives of Lutheran parishes in the Polish cities of Warsaw, Katowice, Wroc*aw, and Swidnica.
In Warsaw, representatives of women?s initiatives in the Polish Lutheran church explained the situation of women in Polish society and their roles and activities within the church.
On 3 June, the LWF delegation attended the ceremonial christening of the education and rehabilitation center for people living with disabilities, now renamed the Martin Luther Center, which is run by Diakonia Breslau (Wroc*aw). (476 words)
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(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.)
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