wfn.org | LWF General Secretary to Deliver Keynote Address at Conference

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

LWF General Secretary to Deliver Keynote Address at Conference of Australia's
Lutheran Educational Institutions
Over 700 Educators to Attend Convention of More Than 100 Schools

GENEVA, 24 September 2004 (LWI) * The general secretary of the Lutheran World
Federation (LWF) Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko, will be the keynote speaker at a major
conference of all Lutheran educational institutions in Australia, September
27-29. 

The Australian Conference on Lutheran Education (ACLE) under the theme "Cross
Currents: Charting a Course in a Sea of Diversity," is being organized by the
Lutheran Education Australia (LEA), which operates on behalf of the Lutheran
Church of Australia (LCA) in the field of education. 

Fifteen international guests will attend the event at the Adelaide Convention
Center, in which 700 educators representing more than 100 Lutheran schools
and early childhood centers throughout Australia will participate. Nearly
30,000 students attend Australian Lutheran schools, which are staffed by
around 2,300 teachers. 

In his address, mainly focusing on global challenges in contemporary society,
Noko will reflect on several topics including economic globalization and the
growing gap between the rich and poor; immigrant societies and Indigenous
Peoples; HIV/AIDS, stigma and exclusion; the transformative power of
interfaith 'diapraxis'; war and violence; and racism. 

The LCA has a rich history in education, with the first Lutheran school in
Australia having been established in 1839. Lutheran schools are located in
every state and territory except the Australian Capital Territory. Several
Lutheran schools specialize in the education of Indigenous students. 

There are also about 300 Lutheran schools in Indonesia, mostly in northern
Sumatra, some of which have partnership agreements with Australian Lutheran
schools. The LEA is part of a major network of Lutheran schooling worldwide.

The LCA has a membership of 75,100 and has been an LWF associate member
church since 1994. (295 words)

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran
tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund, Sweden, the LWF currently has 138 member
churches in 77 countries all over the world, with a membership of nearly 65
million Lutherans. The LWF acts on behalf of its member churches in areas of
common interest such as ecumenical and inter-faith 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 LWF's information service. 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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