wfn.org | (LWF) LWF Tenth Assembly: Small Packages, Great Gifts

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

LWF Tenth Assembly, Winnipeg, Canada, 21-31 July 2003

PRESS RELEASE NO. 21

LWF Tenth Assembly: Small Packages, Great Gifts
Village Groups a Central Feature of the Assembly

WINNIPEG, Canada, 26 July, 2003 * Great gifts come in small packages, as the
adage goes, and the Village Groups at the Lutheran World Federation (LWF)
Tenth Assembly prove this.  The 821 participants have been working in groups
to discuss the implications of the Assembly theme For the Healing of the
World in ten sub-themes.

The sub-themes are: God's Healing Gift of Justification; God's Healing Gift
of Communion; Healing Divisions Within the One Church; The Mission of the
Church in Multi-Faith Contexts; Removing Barriers that Exclude; The Church's
Ministry of Healing; Justice and Healing in Families; Overcoming Violence;
Transforming Economic Globalization, and Healing Creation.

The Village Groups have been termed "a central feature" of the Assembly,
because they are the settings where Bible study discussions occur and where
"important implications of the Assembly theme" are pursued.  Discussions in
the village groups will generate ideas which will be presented in the final
Assembly Message to guide the LWF for the next six years.

Assembly delegates were asked to indicate their choice of the Village Groups
before they traveled to Winnipeg.

Since the October 1999 signing of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of
Justification (JDDJ) between the LWF and the Roman Catholic Church renewed
ecumenical attention has been focused on the doctrine of justification. The
village group explored relationship between justification, healing and 'new
creation'.  Salvation as forgiveness o sin, liberation from bondage and
spiritual healing are needed today.

Another group studied God's healing gift of communion as manifested in the
healing power of prayer and the Eucharist, which transform people into a
communion of love.  Healing is needed of "differences and wounds" related to
ethnic or cultural identities, and disparities in size and finances.  The
group discussed how communication can support and build up the communion.

Divisions within the One Church of Christ continue to hinder its witness to
the world.  However, progress has been made in ecumenical relations in recent
years.	The group focused on the meaning and power of the Sacraments as means
to keeping the church united.

Every church member and congregation is called to participate in the mission
of the church in multi-faith contexts through dialogue and living and working
together. The key aspect of this mission is reconciliation among people of
different faiths.  The group explored how this could be done.

In churches and societies, barriers of discrimination continue to exclude
people with physical or mental disabilities.  Those affected by HIV/AIDS face
additional kinds of discrimination.  Others are discriminated on the grounds
of race, ethnicity, caste, age or gender.  The group discussed the impact of
historical wounds of exclusion on human relationships.

Bodily and spiritual healing has long been considered part of the church's
pastoral and diaconal calling.	The ministry of healing is grounded in the
Word, sacraments and prayer.  While some church groups exercise healing
through prayer and exorcism, others do so mainly through diaconal ministries.
 This is the focus of another group.

Justice and healing address family, gender and sexuality issues as well.  The
group concentrated on challenges of violence in families, societies and
between communities.  Conflicts within and between countries devastate land
and peoples.  How can memories be healed and cycles of violence overcome? 
How can LWF member churches adocate with others, particularly through the
'Decade to Overcome Violence,' for the sake of justice, peace and
reconciliation?

Economic globalization was the focus of another group.	While globalization
has a bright side, the negative side includes fragmented communities and
overexploited earth.

Human beings have spoiled or destroyed much of God's good creation, concluded
yet another group, and asked: "How can creation be restored, and our
relationships with the rest of nature healed?"

Assembly planners included village groups to enable every delegate to
actively participate in the process of shaping the LWF agenda for the future,
not only to vote in the plenary sessions.

The Tenth Assembly of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) is taking place
21-31 July 2003 in Winnipeg, Canada, under the theme "For the Healing of the
World." It is being hosted by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada
(ELCIC).

There are almost 800 men, women and youth participants in the Tenth Assembly
including 369 delegates from the 133 churches with full membership and three
associate members. The Assembly is the highest decision-making body of the
LWF, and meets normally every six years. Between Assemblies, the LWF is
governed by its Council that meets annually, and by its Executive Committee. 

Further information including photos, video and audio news, is posted on the
Assembly Web site www.lwf-assembly.org

To order photographs, please contact LWF-Photo@lutheranworld.org

*	*	*

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 and interfaith relations, theology, humanitarian
assistance, human rights, communication, and the various aspects of mission
and development work. Its secretariat is located in Geneva, Switerland.