wfn.org | LWI 2009-025 Everyone Needs Bread for Daily Life

["LWFNews" <LWFNews@lutheranworld.org>]

>LUTHERAN WORLD INFORMATION  
>LWI News online:
>http://www.lutheranworld.org/News/Welcome.EN.html 

Everyone Needs Bread for Daily Life

Call for Strong Connection between Theology and Local
Congregational Ministry 

AUGSBURG/GENEVA, 30 March 2009 (LWI) - Rev. Dr Thomas Nyiwe has
summarized the key focus of the Lutheran World Foundation (LWF)
consultation "Theology in the Life of Lutheran Churches -
Transformative Perspectives and Practices" as "a strong
conviction that there needs to be a strong connection between our
task of theologizing and the preaching and mission of our local
congregations." 

In his sermon during the 29 March Service of Holy Communion in
Augsburg’s St. Anne's Church, the president of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church of Cameroon testified: "I have seen Jesus in my
life. He has redeemed me. He has transformed my life."
Consequently, he added, the consultation "needs to look at the
risen Jesus who does have the power to transform our lives and
world." 

"Every one of us needs bread - or its equivalent, such as rice -
to sustain his or her daily life," Nyiwe stated in reference to
the theme, "Give Us Today Our Daily Bread," of the LWF Eleventh
Assembly to be held 20-27 July 2010 in Stuttgart, Germany. 

"Many people of Africa," Nyiwe said, "are enduring horrific
human tragedies such as civil war, famine, genocide HIV and AIDS,
poverty, corruption, ethnicity, etc." He expressed his deep
conviction that the answer to these difficult situations will
come from the power of Christian prayer. "God in Christ is
faithful and therefore ready to give us our daily bread every day
of our life," he affirmed.

"Ten years ago, the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of
Justification was signed here in St. Anne's Church," recalled
Rev. Susanne Kasch, dean of the Augsburg Evangelical Lutheran
Church District, at the start of a service remarkable for its
wealth of music. Discussing the future of the Lutheran communion
was most important, and it was also a significant occasion to
meet with Lutherans from all over the world for worship on this
Sunday, she added. 

Over 120 theologians from more than 30 countries are taking part
in the consultation "Theology in the Life of Lutheran Churches:
Transformative Perspectives and Practices Today" in Augsburg,
Germany, under the auspices of the LWF Department for Theology
and Studies (DTS). The 25 to 31 March meeting, held in
collaboration with the Institute of Protestant Theology of the
University of Augsburg, is the culmination of the DTS study
program "Theology in the Life of the Church," which has been
ongoing since 2004.

More information on the consultation is available at
http://www.lutheranworld.org/What_We_Do/DTS/DTS-TLC_Augsburg.html

>*        *          *

(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 79 countries all over the
world, with a total membership of over 68.5 million. The LWF acts
on behalf of its member churches in areas of common interest such
as ecumenical and interfaith 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.] 

>LUTHERAN WORLD INFORMATION
>P. O. Box 2100 CH-1211 
>Geneva 2 Switzerland

>Tel.: +41/22-791 63 69 
>Fax: +41/22-791 66 30
>E-mail: pmu@lutheranworld.org