wfn.org | WARC - Caribbean book is a cry for life

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

> World Alliance of Reformed Churches
> News Release
> 19 January 2010

> Caribbean book is a cry for life

A new publication on economic and ecological justice by church-based
economists and justice advocates in the Caribbean region is a call to
action for churches worldwide according to the Guyanese editor of the book.

"The cry for life resounds throughout scripture," says Patricia
Sheerattan-Bisnauth. "The Bible is a record of God speaking through
prophets and calling the faithful to challenge injustice in the world
around them."

Sheerattan-Bisnauth, who heads-up social justice programming for the
World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC), made her comments in
announcing the publication on 18 January of an educational resource
guide called Power to Resist and Courage to Hope: Caribean Churches
Living out the Accra Confession.

"The intent is to help Christians better understand what is
happening and how God is speaking to them," says
Sheerattan-Bisnauth. "The idea is to move from reaction to action
with a vision for a new global human order which honours creation and
the dignity of all people. "

Designed for use in seminaries and local parishes, the guide includes
analysis of the global economic and ecological crisis, bible studies,
sermon notes, liturgical resources and a children's story as well as
examples of how churches have played a role in challenging injustice
in the Caribbean region.

The publication is the latest in a series of resources produced as
part of WARC's Covenanting for Justice Programme which encourages
congregations to respond to the impact of the global economic system
in light of their faith.

WARC member churches are currently engaged in study and debate of a
statement on the relationship between faith and the economy which was
adopted at the organization's global assembly in Accra, Ghana in
2004. The statement, known as the Accra Confession, will feature in
discussions at the Uniting General Council (UGC) to be held in June in
Grand Rapids, United States.

Delegates to the UGC will be asked to endorse the merger of WARC with
the Reformed Ecumenical Council (REC) to form the World Communion of
Reformed Churches. The new organization is expected to focus on
justice issues and church unity.

Pastors, theologians and lay persons from the Caymen Islands, Cuba,
Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago contributed to the
study guide which also includes a chapter from the Tanzanian-born
economist, Rogate Mshana, of the World Council of Churches.

The Caribbean and North America Area Council convenor, Neal Presa,
believes that the guide will equip congregations and communities in
North America to challenge the impact of the global economic system on
the Caribbean.

"For us in the industrialized North, this book is a needed call to
pay attention to how many of the policies and principles by which we
live have adverse consequences on the Caribbean and indeed, the whole
world," says Presa.

"We need to acknowledge our own complicity and that we have been
coopted by the dominant economic model,"  Sheerattan-Bisnauth notes.
"This guide encourages the Christian community to be partners with
other faith groups and social movements in demanding change; at the
same time as being an example of that change. Christians are called on
to promote responsible lifestyles based on an ethics of care,
compassion and solidarity and a deep sense of our interconnectedness.

"The study guide asks us to consider ­ as a central calling of our
mission ­ how churches can intentionally promote a sense of
responsibility for creation through our Bible study, sermons,
reflections, liturgy and church school programmes."

Power to Resist and Courage to Hope: Caribean Churches Living out the
Accra Confession is available in PDF format at www.warc.ch (page:
Covenanting for Justice)

Print copies can be ordered by contacting warc@warc.ch

WARC acknowledges the contributions of the United Church of Canada and
the Caribbean and North America Area Council of WARC to the production
of this guide.

***

The World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) brings together 75
million Reformed Christians in 214 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:
> Kristine Greenaway
> Executive Secretary, Communications
> World Alliance of Reformed Churches
> 150 Route de Ferney
> P.O. Box 2100
> 1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland
> tel.  +41.22 791 6243
> fax: +41.22 791 6505
> email: kgr@warc.ch
> web: www.warc.ch