wfn.org | All Africa News Agency - Bulletin No. 38-02 (a)

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

All Africa News Agency
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AANA Bulletin
Editor - Mitch Odero

Bulletin APTA
Acting Editor - Silvie Alemba

AACC Set To Revamp Operations, Programme Delivery

NAIROBI (AANA) September 30 - The Executive Committee of the All Africa 
Conference of Churches AACC has endorsed the need for a review of its 
mission and vision to spur the organisation's effectiveness in its support 
to churches as they wrestle with the challenges of the 21st Century.

The Committee meeting here during September 24-25 noted that since the 
founding of AACC 40 years ago, Africa was today confronted with new 
challenges ranging from crippling impact of globalisation, spread of 
poverty to HIV/AIDS.

At the same time, the era of decolonisation has given way to the search for 
united Africa expressed at the political form by African Unity and at the 
socio-economic front by the New Partnership for Africa's Development NEPAD.

AACC, a fellowship of 168 national churches in 39 African countries, must 
visibly be at the forefront for the cause of the voiceless with sharpened 
focus on its service to churches and with enhanced collaboration with 
sub-regional Christian fellowships and ecumenical organisations in Africa 
and ecumenical partners worldwide, the committee underlined.

The Executive Committee discussed various strategies, which could promote 
committed ownership of AACC by churches in Africa.

Accordingly, the committee stressed that AACC  should at all times ensure 
that its activities were relevant to the churches and secondly it should 
increase its communication capacity to heighten its visibility.

Plans for the 40th AACC anniversary celebrations were discussed by the 
committee.  According to plans, the celebrations will be held next year in 
May in Nairobi, Kenya.

During the celebrations, participants will review how AACC has journeyed 
since its founding and determine the path it should take in the coming years.

AACC holds its eight General Assembly in November 2003 in Yaounde, 
Cameroon. The committee was particularly concerned that flow of funding for 
the Assembly was slow while the level of contributions from member churches 
were disappointing.

A Joint Working Group comprising Executive Committee members and staff was 
appointed to work out a plan of action towards timely implementation of the 
aspired programmes and activities.

They included evaluation of AACC organisational structures and capacity 
building, the challenge of ecumenism in the 21st Century in Africa, 
communication and its centrality in all AACC work.

The Joint Working Group recommended that the executive staff should further 
brainstorm on the issues raised, reflecting on the inputs from the 
Executive Committee and finally to produce a fairly standardised working 
document which could inform and affirm the AACC's way forward in the 21st 
century.

Earlier the chairman of AACC's Finance and Personnel Committee Chief Dr. S. 
O. Adekunle had formally presented the newly appointed AACC Interim General 
Secretary Mr. Melaku Kifle to the Executive Committee.

He noted that within the two months since taking office, Mr Kifle had won 
the confidence of the staff.  He expressed optimism that Mr Kifle will help 
restore the reputation of AACC.

Reported by Mitch Odero
For further information contact: AACC Information Desk
E-mail: infodesk@aacc-ceta.org

Foreign Troops Move In To Restore Peace And Order

ABIDJAN (AANA) September 30 - The Government of Cote d'Ivoire has invited 
foreign troops, mainly from France to bring peace in this West African 
country, following the September 19 failed coup by a section of the 
military soldiers, which resulted   in the killing of	former junta leader 
Robert Guei.

Close to 300 people are reported to have lost their lives following the 
failed coup - most of the victims caught up in the cross-fire - when 
Government soldiers faced the rebelling soldiers, especially in the major 
towns of Abidjan, Bouake and Korogo.

And following the attempted coup, the country's President, Laurent Gbagbo, 
who was on European trip in Rome, was forced to cut his trip short to 
return home immediately. He was scheduled to confer with Pope Jon Paul 11, 
but this had to be cancelled.

Coup plotters are said to have been dissatisfied with the state of the 
country's social conditions. Already, Cote d'Ivoire has closed its borders 
with Mali and Burkina Faso.

Other reports confirmed that some French and American troops have already 
jetted into the country, mainly to ensure the security of their nationals 
as well as helping the government to calm down the situation.

Meanwhile the Angolan government has denied reports that it had dispatched 
some troops to Cote d'Ivoire to help in bring back peace.

In a communiqui, Angolan President Eduardo dos Santos condemned the coup 
attempt, while stressing the need to uphold general principles of 
non-interference in the welfare of a sovereign state.

He also denied that his country has dispatched troops to help President 
Gbagbo bring peace following the attempted coup.

Reported by Charles Eyitayo YAI

Archbishop Presents Case For Qualified Theologians

NAIROBI (AANA) September 30 - The Church in Africa urgently requires 
qualified theologians hence the need for theological colleges on the 
continent to undertake their mission effectively, Tanzanian Archbishop for 
the Anglican Church, Donald Mtetemela has said.

"The moral deterioration in our societies, injustice, corruption and more 
people going to prisons today, challenges the Church to bring out more 
qualified clergymen from theological colleges to confront this situation," 
he told a Christian gathering here on September 22..

Observing that drug abuse was on increase, Archbishop Mtetemela added: 
"This was more common among the young people".	The Tanzanian primate was 
delivering a homily during the enthronement ceremony of Bishop Benjamin 
Mwanzia Paul Nzimbi, 57, as the fourth indigenous Archbishop for the 
Anglican Church of Kenya ACK.

  He stressed that there was a lot of tension in the families in the 
society, both within the Church and   on the political arena.  All this, as 
though there are no messenger from God to remedy the situation (Isaiah 
59:9-16), he pointed out.

The Tanzanian clergyman was disappointed that despite having more qualified 
teachers in schools and educationists, discipline among school children was 
on the decline.

On leadership, Mtetemela pointed out that many people aspired to be leaders 
but with a wrong motive.

Reported By Osman Njuguna

LWF COUNCIL  MEETING

Lutherans Commit To Support Disadvantaged Groups

WITTENBERG, Germany (AANA) September 30 - The Lutheran World Federation LWF 
has committed itself to embark on a vigorous campaign to promote children's 
rights, enhance conflict resolution and combat female genital mutilation
(FGM).

LWF council members convening here during September 10-17 for an annual 
council meeting, resolved to work with other churches and related agencies 
to denounce all forms of violence and exploitation of disadvantaged groups.

Acknowledging that children, for example, were at a risk of abduction and 
recruitment as child soldiers, abuse and poverty, the council undertook to 
promote healthy lives, provide quality education to children and protect 
them from abuse, exploitation and any form of violence.

This year's LWF council meeting was hosted by the German National Committee 
of the LWF. The council stressed the need for peaceful ways to end conflict 
other than by use of arms.

LWF's standing committee for international affairs and human rights, and 
the programme committee for  world service committed to promote principles 
of international humanitarian law (IHL) regarding the protection of 
civilians in times of war.

FGM was condemned and council members were unanimous that the practice was 
independent of religious belief, though sometimes sustained by traditional 
religious interpretations. They pointed out that related health, 
psychological and social implications affected not only women and girls but 
also their families and community as a whole.

Noting that FGM had been commercialised in some communities, the council 
underlined the need for alternative income-generating activities for 
traditional practitioners of circumcision.

The seven-day meeting attracted 49 council members among other invited 
guest including the German President, Johannes Rau.

Reported by Joyce Mulama

  Latest Initiative In The On-Going Sudan Peace Talks

WITTENBERG, Germany (AANA) September 30 - The Lutheran World Federation LWF 
is ready to be involved in negotiations to bring peace in the Sudan.

The federation's General Secretary, Rev Dr Ishmael Noko, said told AANA 
here, that his organisation was involved in peace initiatives worldwide, 
and would certainly do so for Sudan if approached.

He was pleased that other organisations such as the All Africa Conference 
of Churches AACC had taken up the mandate to represent the Church in the 
talks.

Noko regretted that recent Sudanese peace talks, which were being held in 
Kenya, had collapsed at the beginning of the month, but was hopeful that a 
peaceful solution was on the way.

The talks between the Sudanese government and the rebel movement, Sudan 
Peoples Liberation Movement/Army SPLM/A, were being held under the auspices 
of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development IGAD, and were aimed at 
ending the 19-year-old civil war that has left over two million people dead 
and 400,000 displaced.

Noko said the federation had undertaken peace promotion programmes in 
Africa, citing examples such as in war-torn Liberia, where it had met with 
members of the interfaith community in discussions to promote calm. Liberia 
has experienced instability since 1990.

An LWF project there, under the Department for World Service Programme, 
entails producing crosses in various sizes from spent bullets or shells. 
The marketing of these symbols of peace to Europe has turned the project 
into a source of income for other humanitarian activities.

To further spread the message of peace in Africa, the federation will next 
month host an inter-faith summit for peace in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Noko underscored the need for the Church to make its voice heard in 
international and human rights affairs. He cited the recently formed New 
Partnership for Africa's Development NEPAD, saying the Church had an 
important role to play in helping NEPAD's leaders make sober decisions 
regarding the economy of the continent.

NEPAD is a home-grown initiative to bring Africa's ailing economy back on 
track. Noko however, regretted that NEPAD had not adequately consulted the 
civil society. "NEPAD leaders should know that the initiative will not go 
far unless it earns support of the civil society," he said.

Reported by Joyce Mulama