wfn.org | Noko, Brakemeier reflect on LWF Assembly

[David Pomeroy <wfn@igc.apc.org>]

LWF delegates send letter to member churches
Noko, Brakemeier reflect on Assembly

HONG KONG, July 25, 1997 (lwi) - "The Assembly provided us with a rich and
lively experience of our worldwide Lutheran Communion," said delegates to
the Ninth Assembly of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in a letter to
the 124 member churches of the LWF.

"We listened to the voices of sisters and brothers from all parts of the
world and heard about their joys and pains. We shared the excitement of
confessing our common faith through a great diversity of expressions," says
the letter.

At a news conference outgoing LWF President Gottfried Brakemeier said the
delegates dealt with an "overloaded agenda" that allowed insufficient time
for discussion in the general plenary sessions of the Assembly. However,
the issues and difficulties in coming to agreement at the Assembly
reflected what is going on in society generally.

The LWF Assembly reflected a new stage in the maturing of the LWF as a
communion, according to Dr. Ishmael Noko, LWF general secretary. He noted
that people felt free to disagree with one another with respect and
expressed his joy over the participation of youth and women who were able
to take part without apology.

Noko explained that each of the past assemblies had faced significant
crises which marked each with a certain amount of tension. He said that the
absence of such a crisis at the Assembly provided a much needed time for
Lutheran churches and meant that, "we were able to celebrate and relax."

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