wfn.org | Africa calling Disciples to World Council assembly

["Wilma Shuffitt"<wshuffit@oc.disciples.org>]

Date: November 3, 1998
Disciples News Service
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Contact: Curt Miller
Email: CMiller@oc.disciples.org
on the Web: http://www.disciples.org

98a-66

	INDIANAPOLIS (DNS) -- A half-dozen members of the Christian Church 
(Disciples of Christ) will travel to Africa in December as delegates 
to the World Council of Churches Eighth Assembly. Organized under the 
theme "Turn to God -- Rejoice in Hope," the gathering marks the 50th 
anniversary of the founding of the WCC. 

	The Disciples delegates to the world ecumenical body are the Rev. 
Richard L. Hamm, general minister and president; the Rev. Paul A. 
Crow, Jr., president of the Council on Christian Unity (CCU);  the 
Rev. Robert K. Welsh, president-elect of CCU; the Rev. Suzanne Webb, 
CCU board member and pastor, First Christian Church, Carbondale, 
Ill.; the Rev. Robin Hedgemen, pastor, Whitesville Christian Church, 
Cleveland, Ohio; and Ms. Jeri Sias, Columbus, Ohio, moderator, North 
American Pacific/Asian Disciples. 

	The delegates who gather in Harare, Zimbabwe Dec. 3-14 will be among 
nearly 1,000 others from the WCC's 330 member churches in more than 
120 countries. Yet another 1,000 official participants in other 
categories are expected along with 2,000 assembly guests and 
visitors.  In addition to the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) 
delegates, 14 Disciples will make the trip to Africa as accredited 
visitors.

	Crow, who has served on a variety of WCC policy and governance 
bodies in his 40 year career in ecumenism, expects world economic 
justice to have a high profile among issues discussed and acted upon 
in Harare.  The World Council is calling this a "jubilee assembly."  
Jubilee year practices in Old Testament times included the 
forgiveness of debts. As the end of the 20th Century approaches, many 
of the world's nations can scarcely afford the interest on their 
foreign debt. Education and public welfare programs  are squeezed 
under the weight of the countries' compounding liabilities.  Crow 
expects a good deal of discussion how the WCC should express itself 
on the issue of international debt forgiveness for the world's 
struggling countries. 

	Individual faith groups' struggles with other issues like abortion, 
homosexuality, and the ordination of women likely will arise in the 
international forum in Harare as well, Crow said.  In addition, the 
world's Orthodox communions have complained that some of the work of 
the  World Council of Churches amounts to social action lacking 
Gospel content.  "We have to listen to those concerns and we have to 
find ways of talking about those concerns in a truly ecumenical 
fellowship," said Crow. 

	The Disciples delegation won't bring any particular initiatives.  
"We tend not to do that. We tend to wait and see how the agenda 
unfolds," said Crow.  "I think the one thing that Disciples always 
bring to World Council meetings is commitment to seek the unity of 
the church.  When a lot of other people are cautious and mute, 
Disciples delegations at all the assemblies have pressed hard.  When 
we're not able to have a communion service together, as it will be in 
this assembly, Disciples usually make speeches about how we yearn for 
the day when we can gather together around the table of the Lord." 

	The WCC represents "the yearnings of Disciples," Crow said.  Despite 
varying opinions on social, moral and theological issues, 
participants in the assembly are people who recognize and accept 
Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior -- trying to bring about unity in the 
church and in the world, according to the Disciples ecumenist.  "A 
World Council assembly is the whole people of God in very dramatic 
ways. That's a marvelous experience. You understand that Christianity 
stretches across the boundaries of language, culture, denomination -- 
whatever." 

	                                   -- end  --

Disciples News Service releases 
are available at http://www.disciples.org/dns/index.htm