wfn.org | LWI News in Brief for Sept. 2002 (No. 2)

["Frank Imhoff" <FRANKI@elca.org>]

Council Action on Representation of the Baltic Churches Abroad

Following a Standing Committee for Constitution discussion about a
request for Council membership by the Baltic Churches Abroad, the
Council recommended to the Assembly that the distribution of
Council members to be elected by the Tenth Assembly be maintained
according to the current geographical areas. This includes ten
members each for Africa and Asia, five members each for Central
Eastern Europe and North America, eight for Central Western
Europe, six for churches in the Nordic region and four for Latin
America. It was also recommended to the newly elected Council to
consider, in case there is no representation from the Baltic
Churches Abroad, to elect on a rotating basis, a Council advisor
from these churches. The Lithuanian Evangelical Lutheran in
Diaspora (USA) and the Estonian (in Canada) and Latvian (in
Germany) Evangelical Lutheran Churches Abroad joined the LWF at
its founding in 1947. In its discussion the committee considered
different scenarios to accommodate the request to sit on the
Council. It favored the option of holding membership on the basis
of the churches' current location of headquarters. The other
suggestion was to allocate membership according to the cultural
and national heritage from which they emanate.

*    *	  *

Proposal for Change in LWF Council Structure

Discussions in two standing committees during the September 2002
meeting of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Council resulted in
a proposal to change the Council structure, subsequently
broadening the Executive Committee membership. Following a
recommendation from the Standing Committees for Ecumenical
Affairs(SCEA) and that of International Affairs and Human Rights
(IAHR), the Council asked the LWF General Secretary Rev. Dr.
Ishmael Noko, to undertake the necessary procedural preparations
for a possible action by the new Council to amend the Committee
structure so that both standing committees could become Program
Committees. In the suggestion presented by, Bishop Eero Huovinen,
SCEA vice chairperson, and IAHR's Rev. Thorbjorn H. Arnason, it
was stressed that the chairpersons of both committees ought to be
represented on the LWF Executive Committee. It was noted that this
proposal would be considered for implementation by the new Council
after the LWF Tenth Assembly. The Executive Committee currently
comprises the President, Treasurer, five Vice Presidents and
Chairpersons of the five program committees - for Communications
Services; Finance and Administration; Mission and Development;
Theology and Studies and World Service.

Following an oral recommendation by the SCEA chairperson, the
Council asked the General Secretary to prepare for the new Council
a proposal on how to facilitate the coordination and presentation
of recommendations from various committees to the Council. It was
proposed that the chairperson of the Council committees should
participate in coordination work, together with the staff.

*    *	  *

Bavarian Pastor Boettcher Appointed LWF Study Secretary for
Theology and the Church

At its September meeting in Wittenberg, Germany, the Executive
Committee of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) appointed Rev.
Dr. Reinhard Boettcher from Germany to the position of Study
Secretary for Theology and the Church in the LWF Department for
Theology and Studies (DTS). He succeeds Rev. Dr. Wolfgang Greive,
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hanover, Germany who served in that
position from 1996-2002. Boettcher, 53, is a pastor of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria, with several years'
experience in the field of mission and ecumenism as well as
lecturing on theological and diaconal topics. Ordained in 1977,
Boettcher served two diaspora congregations in northern Bavaria
for nine years. He undertook theological studies in
Neuendettelsau, Berlin and Erlangen in Germany, completing his
doctoral dissertation on the doctrine of baptism at the university
of Erlangen in 1983. From 1987-1991 he served as a pastor in the
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Papua New Guinea, and taught at the
Martin Lutheran Seminary in Lae. Since 1992, he has been teaching
in a theological diaconal training program in Bavaria. Boettcher
is expected to start work at the LWF Geneva secretariat in April
2003.

*    *	  *

New Bishops for Indonesian Churches

The Rev. Alboin Sibarani is the new bishop of the Batak Christian
Community Church (GPKB), Indonesia. He succeeds Bishop Jan P.
Sinaga. The 20,000-member GPKB joined the Lutheran World
Federation (LWF) in 1972.
The Protestant Christian Church in Mentawai (GKPM) has a new
bishop, the Rev. Parsaoran Simanjuntak. He takes over from Bishop
Apollos Saleleubaja. The GKPM has 22,326 members. It joined the
LWF in 1984.

*    *	  *

Italian Protestant Women Organize Inter-religious Forum

"Work as an expression of faith" was the theme of an
inter-religious national women's meeting organized by the
Protestant Women's Federation in Italy in July. The aim of the
meeting was to deepen the relationship between the occupations of
women and faith, ranging from home keeping to salaried jobs to
volunteer work. Issues discussed included elements inherited from
traditions, cultures and individual expectations of women for
their children and women of future generations. Members of the
women's group are drawn from churches under the Federation of
Protestant Churches in Italy, to which the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in Italy also belongs.

*    *	  *

Malawian Church Hosts First Open Discussion on Violence against
Women

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Malawi (ELCM) recently hosted a
national workshop to discuss the issue of violence against women.
Around 100 women drawn from the ELCM's 188 congregations gathered
for three days, basing their reflections on the LWF document
"Churches Say 'NO' to Violence against Women." The first of its
kind, the workshop focussed on raising awareness among women about
situations of violence in the family, workplace and the women's
life and ministry. Following the workshop, the national women's
committee was mandated to act as a task force to ensure that
issues raised in the meeting were shared will all women in the
church. ELCM's Bishop Joseph P. Bvumbwe confirmed that there is
violence against women and children in the home. "We must all join
in efforts to ensure that violence is rooted out." He said the
issue of violence is not only a concern for women but touches on
all members of the society - men included. Violence against women
has resulted in the spread of HIV/AIDS, he said. The ELCM plans a
shorter version and local translation of the LWF document so that
it can be distributed more widely. "Churches Say 'NO' to Violence
against Women" was produced by the desk for Women in Church and
Society in the LWF Department for Mission and Development.

*    *	  *

Indian Churches Plan "Festival of Faith" to Commemorate 30 Years
of Witness

The United Evangelical Lutheran Church in India (UELCI) will be
celebrating 30 years of Christian witness to social justice, peace
and solidarity through a "Festival of Faith" from 21-27 November
2002 at Gurukul, Chennai. On this occasion a collection of
memories of Dr. Kunchala Rajaratnam, UELCI Executive Secretary, is
planned. The UELCI brings together 10 Lutheran churches, nine of
which belong to the Lutheran World Federation.

*    *	  *

Outcome of Italian Ecumenical Visit to Israel and Palestinian
Territories

The report of an ecumenical delegation's visit to Israel and
Palestinian territories last June has led to some positive
outcome. At a recent meeting with officials of the Israeli embassy
in Rome, representatives from the Federation of Protestant
Churches in Italy (FCEI) and some Roman Catholic associations
expressed their concern about the present situation in Israel and
Palestine and stressed their resolve for peace efforts in the
region. The ecumenical team expressed regret for acts of vandalism
committed by Israeli military units on some educational structures
of the Lutheran church in Bethlehem last March. The Italian
national television (RAI) program "Protestantesimo" transmitted a
report on the ecumenical visit, dedicating a large part to the
witnesses of relatives of Palestinian suicide attack victims as
well as to those of Israeli military retaliations. In the absence
of peace negotiations, this was a trip through a situation that
appears desperate, stated Paolo Naso who prepared the program
together with Lucia Cuocci. It demonstrates the failure by the
international community to influence the two sides into finding a
thread for dialogue. But it is also a trip in the hope that, on
the one hand it is possible at least to conceive peace, and on the
other to build bridges of dialogue and collaboration among
Israelis and Palestinians. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in
Italy, an LWF member church since 1949, belongs to the FCEI. (NEV
- FCEI news bulletin.)

*    *	  *

Bavarian Bishop Visits Lutheran Church of Australia

In August, Bishop Dr. Johannes Friedrich, Evangelical Lutheran
Church in Bavaria, was on a short visit to Adelaide to meet with
leaders of the Lutheran Church of Australia (LCA). Head of the
Bavarian church since November 1999, Friedrich served as provost
of the German-speaking Lutheran congregation in Jerusalem from
1985-1991. The bishop preached in Adelaide and gave a public
lecture in which he described his life in Jerusalem. There, he
faced the challenge of working ecumenically with different
Christian denominations, as well as discussing the common roots
and differences between religions with Christian and Muslim
Palestinians and Israeli Jews. He also spoke about the ecumenical
and mission challenges in Germany in the 21st century. The LCA and
Bavarian church have a long history of working together in Papua
New Guinea. Friedrich was also visiting churches in Papua New
Guinea. The 85,000-member LCA is an associate LWF member-church
since 1994. The Bavarian church, with a membership of over 2.7
million, joined the LWF in 1947.

Latvian Lutherans Formalize Partnership with Australian Church

Sydney's Latvian Lutherans, recently signed a Covenant of
Relationship with the Lutheran Church of Australia (LCA). In the
partnership document , both parties expressed commitment to work
together in mission and witness, in community service and in
ecumenical affairs.

Australian Lutheran World Service Launches Food Appeal for Malawi

Australian Lutheran World Service (ALWS) has launched an appeal to
assist	the victims of food shortages in Malawi, where over 3
million people out of the country's 10 million are at risk of
starvation. The ALWS is the relief agency of the Lutheran Church
of Australia.

(The Lutheran [Australia])

*    *	  *

Indian Churches Condemn Massacres at Hindu Temple

Churches in India have condemned recent massacres at a crowded
Hindu temple in Gujarat state and joined in calls for peace in the
western Indian state where hundreds were killed in sectarian riots
earlier this year. The National Council of Churches in India
(NCCI), in a statement following the September 24 killings of
innocent worshippers described the attack on the temple as a
"sacrilege and disrespect to God and spirituality." The Catholic
Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI), said the killings were "a
blatant attempt on the part of anti-social and anti-democratic
forces to disturb the religious harmony of the country." The NCCI
brings together 29 Protestant and Orthodox member churches
representing 10 million Christians. The nine Lutheran World
Federation member churches in India, belong to the NCCI. The CBCI
accounts for some 16 million Catholics. Of India's one billion
people around 81 percent are Hindus, 12 percent Muslim, with
Christians and Sikhs each making up about two percent of the
population. (Ecumenical News International)

*    *	  *

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the
Lutheran tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund (Sweden), the LWF now
has 136 member churches in 76 countries representing over 61.7
million of the 65.4 million Lutherans worldwide. The LWF acts on
behalf of its member churches in areas of common interest such as
ecumenical relations, theology, humanitarian assistance, human
rights, communication, and the various aspects of mission and
development work. Its secretariat is located in Geneva,
Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the information service of
the Lutheran World Federation (LWF). Unless specifically noted,
material presented does not represent positions or opinions of the
LWF or of its various units. Where the dateline of an article
contains the notation (LWI), the material may be freely reproduced
with acknowledgment.]

*	*	*
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