Liturgical support resources announced for Reformation Sunday

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

This is a MIME message. If you are reading this text, you may want to 
consider changing to a mail reader or gateway that understands how to 
properly handle MIME multipart messages.

--=__Part173A96F9.500__ Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

>World Communion of Reformed Churches 
>News release
>21 October 2010
>Liturgical support resources announced for Reformation Sunday

The World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) is inviting
members to pray and affirm their commitment to Godâ??s mission on
Reformation Sunday in ways that strengthen their spirituality and
worship and their sense of unity and passion for justice. 

â??As parishes throughout the world prepare to observe Reformation
Sunday, it is a moment to give thanks for the creation of this
new global expression of unity among many of the churches who
trace their roots to the 16th century church Reformation
movement,â?? says WCRC General Secretary, Setri Nyomi. 

WCRC was created in June 2010 from the merger of the World
Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) and the Reformed Ecumenical
Council (REC) at the Uniting General Council in Grand Rapids,
United States.

At the conclusion of the historic council, two messages were
issued: one addressed to adults and - in a departure from
tradition - a separate message directed specifically to children.
Both messages are written in a style that allows them to be
adapted for use in a Sunday service. 

â??These messages constitute liturgical support resources for
parish worship services. The childrenâ??s message can be used for
the childrenâ??s story time during the service or during Church
School classes,â?? says Douwe Visser, Executive Secretary for
Theology and Communion.

â??Through the messages from Grand Rapids, WCRC is reminding us of
the need to listen to our children and young persons and to be
like children as we pray and respond to Godâ??s word together,â??
Nyomi explains.

The last Sunday in October is observed by many churches in the
Lutheran and Reformed church traditions to commemorate the
gesture that is commonly used to mark the launch of the
Reformation movement in 16th century Europe. On 31 October 1517,
the Catholic cleric, Martin Luther, is said to have posted a note
of protest to a church door, an act that provoked reaction in
church and state circles throughout Europe and led to the
eventual creation of the Lutheran and Reformed church movements.

The full texts for both messages from the United General Council
are attached.

Additional resources about the WCRC are accessible at
www.wcrc.ch ( http://www.wcrc.ch/ ). These include photos of
the vote to form the new Communion and video footage of the
celebratory service to mark the launch of the new organization.

WCRC was created in June 2010 through a merger of the World
Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) and the Reformed Ecumenical
Council (REC). Its 230 member churches representing 80 million
Christians are active worldwide in initiatives supporting
economic, climate and gender justice, mission, and cooperation
among Christians of different traditions. 

>Media Contact:
>Kristine Greenaway
>Executive Secretary, Communications
>World Communion of Reformed Churches
>150 route de Ferney, PO Box 2100
>1211 Geneva 2 
>Switzerland
>tel. +41 22 791 6243
>fax +41 22 791 6505
>dma@wcrc.ch
>www.wcrc.ch ( http://www.wcrc.ch/ )

--=__Part173A96F9.500__ Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Content-Disposition: inline

>--=__Part173A96F9.500__=--