World Alliance of Reformed Churches News Release 27 November 2006
WARC WORKSHOP HELPS PACIFIC CHURCHES FACE TODAY?S CHALLENGES
Leaders from the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) in the Pacific said a leadership development training workshop held in Fiji, 21-25 November, will make a difference in helping churches in the area face current challenges.
The workshop, which was organized by WARC?s Office for Church Renewal, Justice and Partnership, promoted models of leadership built on gender justice. Leaders were encouraged to explore liberating, empowering and transformative power in their various church contexts.
?Power is at the heart of many of the leadership issues within our churches,? said Patricia Sheerattan-Bisnauth, executive secretary of the Office for Church Renewal, Justice and Partnership, and workshop facilitato r. ?The Alliance seeks to work with churches to explore these issues as they are understood and practised in the church and to develop innovative models of being church based on the gospel imperative.?
WARC general secretary Setri Nyomi, who took part in the Fiji workshop, said it was good to see the Pacific churches? commitment to the Alliance and its prophetic engagement. ?The churches in the Pacific bring to the Reformed and ecumenical family a clear proclamation of the good news that is relevant in their context, particularly around environmental justice.?
The 13 church leaders, who gathered from around the region at the Pacific Theological College in Fiji, discussed the role and relevance of the church and assessed what needs to be done to build partnership.
Céline Hoiore, general secretary of the Maòhi Protestant Church of Tahiti, said she appreciated discussions with WARC leaders on church structures and systems. ?I can see the need for improvements in our church around the participation of women and men.?
Added Vaigalo Maua, assistant secretary of the Congregational Christian Church in Samoa, ?It was an enriching experience with many resources and sharing by the different churches. I got many insights and ideas. The workshop empowered us to make a difference in facing challenges in our churches.?
Participants in the workshop stressed the need for accountability among leaders. As Mamoe Mamoe, vice president of the Kanana Fou Theological Seminary and a leader within the Congregational Church in American Samoa, stressed, ?We must see ourselves as symbols to the pathway of Christ.?
The clerk of the Presbyterian Church of Vanuatu, Kalsakau Urtalo, said the workshop was empowering and inspiring. ?It will serve as a tool in reading Scripture as a basis for addressing many issues such as gender justice. This workshop strengthened our view and faith so that our goal can be achieved * women and men becoming equal partners.?
The church leaders also reviewed together the Accra Confession, a major statement of the 24th General Council of WARC, which critiqued neoliberal economic globalization, stating that working to create a more just economy is essential to the integrity of the Christian faith.
?The Accra Confession is very empowering for me and the church in Vanuatu,? Urtalo said. ?This declaration challenges our churches to address both the imbalance and exploitation in our society.?
WARC Executive Committee member Judi Fisher of the Uniting Church in Australia, said the Accra Confession ?speaks to the realities of the Pacific: the strong faith of its churches, the economic disparity of these nations and the ecological crisis that many of our church members now face.
?Strengthening church leadership through the partnership of women and men to participate in the challenges ahead is, therefore, of primary importance in this context.?
The World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) brings together 75 million Reformed Christians in 215 churches in 107 countries * united in their commitment to making a difference in a troubled world. The WARC general secretary is Rev. Dr. Setri Nyomi of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana. WARC?s secretariat is based in Geneva, Switzerland.
Contact: John P. Asling Executive Secretary, Communications World Alliance of Reformed Churches 150 Route de Ferney P.O. Box 2100 1211 Geneva, Switzerland tel. +41.22 791 6243 fax: +41.22 791 6505 web: www.warc.ch