CORRECTION: WCC NEWS: Praying for change in Myanmar

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World Council of Churches - Feature

PRAYING FOR CHANGE IN MYANMAR

For immediate release: 30 November 2010

[Resending: The name of the Mara Evangelical Church's Lorrain
Theological College has been corrected in the last paragraph.]

“We believe in change and ask that you continue to pray for us.” This
was the message an international team of church representatives heard
again and again, as they visited people and churches in Myanmar 
recently.

The group, which included Christians from Bangladesh, Canada, 
Australia,
Norway and the United Kingdom, was travelling as "Living Letters" on
behalf of the World Council of Churches (WCC).

The Living Letters team, hosted by the Myanmar Council of Churches, 
visited
Myanmar between 28 October to 3 November, shortly before the country 
held
elections for the first time since 1990.

As they met with Myanmar member churches of the WCC as well as partner
organizations and civil society movements, the team learned first hand
about the churches’ witness to just peace despite the nearly four
decades of military rule in the country.

The call for peace and justice is not an easy one to convey, the team 
was
told, especially as churches there strive to support their 
communities in
times of political and economic difficulty.

One of the poorest countries in South East Asia, Myanmar has seen a 
rapid
degradation of its economy and environment. It is within this context 
that
churches work ecumenically to provide assistance to communities in 
need.

Often working with the "poorest of the poor", the churches are 
confronted
daily with the realities of communities that are on the receiving end 
of
decades of poor macroeconomic management, isolationist policies and 
trade
sanctions.   The issues they tackle range from the internal 
displacement
of people, relief and resettlement, water security, HIV and Aids, to
violence against women and children.

Despite such challenges, the churches retain a spiritual vibrancy and 
hope
for the future that remains a powerful witness to a country in flux.
The general election which was held 9 November amid boycott calls by 
the
dissident National League for Democracy (NLD) and a crescendo of
international criticism of the poll process did not yield a hoped for
change in the political landscape.

Instead the ruling elite maintained most of the power. One hopeful 
outcome,
however, was the 13 November release of pro-democracy leader Aung San 
Suu
Kyi who had been under house arrest for a decade and a half.

Churches are conveying a clear message to their membership that they 
have
an important role to play in civil society promoting peace within 
Myanmar.
They are also seeking to provide opportunities for ongoing dialogue 
and
reconciliation in contexts of violence and conflict.

During the Living Letters visit, WCC member churches in Myanmar 
reiterated
their commitment to the movement for Christian unity and encouraged 
the
WCC fellowship to stand in solidarity with their churches.

Noting their relative isolation to the outside world, the Myanmar 
Council
of Churches called for more opportunities for mutual encounter and
learning. This desire for closer relations was also palpable when the
international visitors met with the Rev. Dr L. B. Siama of the Mara
Evangelical Church.

The church, which is located in a remote, underdeveloped corner in the
northern part of the country, joined the WCC in 2001, becoming its 
fourth
member church in Myanmar. “We want to walk hand in hand with 
ecumenical
brothers and sisters around the world – drawing strength from each
other,” Siama, principal of the Mara Evangelical Church's Lorrain
Theological College, told the Living Letters team.

Tara Tautari is a programme executive in the World Council of Churches
general secretariat. She is a member of the Methodist Church of New
Zealand.


More information about the visit (Link:
http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=48b8139ba3f75bb7dcf8 )

WCC member churches in Myanmar (Link:
http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=d6eba23662544d8e7f2c )

Opinions expressed in WCC Features do not necessarily reflect WCC 
policy.
This material may be reprinted freely, providing credit is given to 
the
author.


The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, 
witness 
and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship 
of 
churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 349 
Protestant, 
Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 560 
million 
Christians in over 110 countries, and works cooperatively with the 
Roman 
Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Dr Olav Fykse 
Tveit, 
from the [Lutheran] Church of Norway. Headquarters: Geneva, 
Switzerland.



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