wfn.org | CARIBBEAN CONSULTATION ON "LIVING OUT THE ACCRA CONFESSION"

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

> Caribbean and North American Area Council of
> The World Alliance of Reformed Churches

CARIBBEAN CONSULTATION ON "LIVING OUT THE ACCRA CONFESSION"
OCHO RIOS, JAMAICA, 22 - 25 APRIL 2009

> MESSAGE FROM DELEGATES

> Preamble

The delegates of Caribbean churches of the Caribbean and North 
American Area Council, (CANAAC), gathered in the lush and beautiful 
life sustaining environment of Ocho Rios from April 22 to 25 to 
consider the issue of "Living out the Accra Confession in the 
Caribbean" and to develop a regional strategy. Participating 
countries included Cayman Islands, Cuba, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica and 
Trinidad and Tobago. Participants also included partner network 
representatives from Tanzania and the USA.
Hosted by the United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands (UCJCI) 
offered a good opportunity for participants to celebrate the UCJCI, 
having regard for their being at the forefront of the movement for 
church union in the Caribbean. The formation of the UCJCI has brought 
together Presbyterian, Congregational and Disciples of Christ, all 
Calvinists in some sense; from Scottish, English and American 
backgrounds, into a dynamic Reformed Church and an excellent example 
of what it is to be "reformed and always reforming".

The Consultation was the first formal gathering of Reformed churches 
in this region to share stories and experiences on the topical and 
urgent issue of Covenanting for Justice in the Economy and the Earth. 
Participants shared updates on the reception and processing of the 
Accra Confession in their churches. They also discussed how the 
current economic and ecological crises are affecting their 
communities and countries. The process included critical analyses and 
reflection on economy, ecology and empire, through historical, 
biblical, theological and gender lenses.

> Key Points

1.	The economic and financial crisis has spread its tentacles of 
death across the globe affecting every institution in society and 
threatening life. In the Caribbean there is exacerbation of the 
foreign debt problem, capital flight, failing financial institutions, 
unjust multi-lateral and bi-lateral trade policies, increased crime 
and violence, unemployment, and the systemic and systematic 
destruction of social safety nets for the poor and vulnerable, 
particularly women. These economic and financial crises have the 
potential to set our countries back several decades and also to set 
the stage for social and political upheavals of unprecedented proportions.

2.	The unsustainable use of resources to feed the unmitigated greed 
of the neo-liberal economy has left devastation in its wake and 
spawned a host of other crises, which threaten not only our 
lifestyle, but our very existence. The destruction of trees and the 
burning of fossil fuel have given rise to the greenhouse effect which 
in turn results in rising sea levels, floods, and hurricanes of 
greater intensity and frequency, among other natural disasters to 
which small Caribbean islands are particularly vulnerable. Economies 
like ours that are dependent on agriculture and tourism are 
increasingly being devastated.

3.	As Caribbean people we are endowed with the spiritualities of 
resilience and resistance, which enable us to claim possibilities and 
pursue viable alternatives for life in fullness for all people. Such 
alternatives must be underpinned by theologies of life rooted in the 
Biblical motif of enough. We know that at the heart of this crisis is 
the sin of greed and the insatiable desire to accumulate wealth at 
the expense of relationships and the integrity of the environment. We 
embrace and commend the African concept of sokoni, a 'market' place 
where people and relationships, rather than profit, are paramount.

4.	We need a new economic paradigm forged out of the experiences of 
our people. We are inspired by the resilience and creativity of the 
Cuban people against great imperial odds. For this reason we applaud 
the attention and the recognition given to Cuba at the Fifth Summit 
of the Americas held from 17 to 19 April 2009 in Trinidad and Tobago. 
We continue to pray and advocate for the full lifting of the blockade 
against Cuba. We undergird the principle of Caribbean integration and 
reaffirm our commitment to playing our part in making it happen. We 
are open to learning from best practices within the region and 
committed to living and working together to build community.

5.	We acknowledge that we been complicit in empire by providing 
fodder for its consumption and offering up our best and brightest 
sons and daughters on the altar self aggrandizement. We are 
hypnotised by its siren call, pursuing the "golden fleece" of 
opportunity it offers at the expense of our own development. In the 
church too, we see images of empire. We think and model empire in 
much of what we do. Empire exists wherever the voices, needs and 
participation of people are excluded from the decision making 
process. Empire exists where systems are designed to feed greed and 
drive competition to the detriment of life in community.

6.	We believe the church must lead in this process of transformation, 
mobilising resources to effect sustainable change. The church must 
resist evil in all its guises and foster critical thinking of its 
people to recognise and resist the forces of evil. Accordingly, the 
churches gathered at this Consultation pledged to continue the 
process confessing our faith in the face of economic injustice and 
ecological destruction at the local, regional and international levels.

7.	A Covenanting for Justice Working Group for the Caribbean was 
established to further develop and implement regional and local 
strategies for churches' engagement with the Accra Confession and to 
strengthen the network of Reformed churches with ecumenical partners, 
various faith communities and social movements.

8.	A Christian education resource book on Covenanting for Justice is 
being developed as a first step in education and conscientisation. 
Participants also proposed the following to the Caribbean working group:

"	That a Covenanting for Justice Curriculum be developed with 
methodologies that integrate theological thinking with praxis - 
linking theology with people's struggles and hope.

"	That a consultation of principals/presidents/deans/theologians of 
the theological schools and seminaries be organized to integrate 
studies on economy, ecology and empire in theological education and 
ministerial formation.

> Participants (delegates and network partners)

1.	Rev. Dr Yvette Noble Bloomfield, Cayman Islands
2.	Rev. Dr Dora Arce, Cuba
3.	Rev. Dr Ofelia Ortega, Cuba (WARC Vice President for the Caribbean region)
4.	Rev. Raphael Osbert James, Grenada
5.	Rev. Paulette Hannibal, Guyana
6.	Mrs Judy Lall, Guyana
7.	Rev. Dr Dale Bisnauth, Guyana
8.	Rev. Dr Collin Cowan, Jamaica (WARC executive committee member for 
the Caribbean)
9.	Rev. Nicole Ashwood, Jamaica (Education in Mission Secretary, 
Caribbean and North America Council for Mission)
10.	Rev. Tara Tyme, Jamaica (CANAAC Deputy Convenor for the Caribbean)
11.	Rev. Dr Gordon Cowans, Jamaica (Coordinator, Ecumenical 
Disabilities Network)
12.	Rev. Dr Roderick Hewitt, Jamaica (Moderator, Council for World Mission)
13.	Mr Orville Johnson, Jamaican economist
14.	Rev. Kheeren Wilson, Jamaica
15.	Rev. Brenda Bullock, Trinidad & Tobago
16.	Dr Rogate Mshana, Tanzania (World Council of Churches staff)
17.	Rev. Patricia Sheerattan-Bisnauth, Guyana (WARC staff)
18.	Rev. Neal Presa, USA (CANAAC Convenor) - Network partner observer
19.	Mr Peter Vander Meulen, USA (representing the North America 
Covenanting for Justice Working Group) - Network partner observer