wfn.org | Church musician killed following international church gathering

["Daphne Martin_Gnanadason" <Daphne.Martin_Gnanadason@warc.ch>]

>** High Priority **

Uniting General Council 2010                                    

>News Release 
>27 June 2010

Church musician killed following international church gathering

Indonesian church musician, Christina Mandang, has died from
injuries sustained when hit by a car on the closing day of a
global church gathering in Grand Rapids, United States.

Mandang (38) was returning to Calvin College campus shortly
after 10:00 p.m. following dinner in a local restaurant when she
stepped into the street to avoid a water sprinkler and was hit by
a passing car. She was taken to Spectrum-Butterworthhospital
where she died in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Mandang had been in Grand Rapids as a member of the team that
led daily worship services for the Uniting General Council (UGC).
The Council met 18-26 June to create the World Communion of
Reformed Churches (WCRC) from a merger of the Reformed Ecumenical
Council and the World Alliance of Reformed Churches.

The organist and pianist was a lecturer in church music and
worship at Reformed Seminary in Jakarta, Indonesia. 

WCRC general secretary, Setri Nyomi was at the hospital through
the night with several Indonesians who were with Mandang at the
time of the accident. Another of the group, John Foeh, sustained
a non-life threatening injury to his shoulder and arm.

“We feel deep sadness at this loss,” Nyomi said in a statement
this morning. “Christina Mandang’s gifts touched us all. She
played organ at all the services. The joy with which she did that
touched each of us.”

Newly-elected WCRC president, Jerry Pillay, heard the news from
Nyomi as he was leaving for the airport to return to his home in
South Africa. 

“I am shocked and deeply saddened by this news,” he said. “We
send our condolences to Christina Mandang’s family and wish to
assure them that we are holding them in our prayers at this
time.”

Emily Brink, who headed the team which planned UGC worship
services, was at the hospital when Mandang died. Brink had worked
closely with Mandang for two and a half years to prepare the
worship life for the global gathering of church representatives
from Presbyterian, Reformed, United, Uniting and Waldensian
churches.

Brink, who is associated with the Calvin Institute of Christian
Worship in Grand Rapids, paid tribute to Mandang’s skills as a
musician. 

“Christina was very gifted, one of the finest Christian
liturgical musicians in her country. The final hymn she played at
the closing UGC worship service was ‘Oh God our help in ages
past, our hope for years to come.’”

UGC delegates are scheduled to gather at the chapel on Calvin
College campus today at 11:30 for a memorial service planned by
members of the UGC Worship Committee with John Witvliet of Calvin
Institute of Christian Worship and Rev. Kardarmanto, a past
president of the Reformed Ecumenical Council.

The Uniting General Council 2010 in Grand Rapids, United States
(June 18-28) marks the merger of the World Alliance of Reformed
Churches and the Reformed Ecumenical Council to form the World
Communion of Reformed Churches. 

>Contact: Kristine Greenaway
>Executive Secretary, Communications
>World Communion of Reformed Churches

UGC News Room – Calvin College - Hoogenboom Center Room HC 204
Cell phone: 1-616-826-5540 or 1-616-826-8636
News Room: 1-616-526-7885
email: kgr@warc.ch
web: www.reformedchurches.org (
http://www.reformedchurches.org/#_blank )