World Alliance of Reformed Churches News Release 20 October 2007
WARC Executive Committee: Trinidad and Tobago, 18-28 October 2007
Move towards communion for justice sake, WARC leaders urge The president of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) has called for the organization to move towards becoming a more closely knit communion of Reformed churches.
Clifton Kirkpatrick told WARC's Executive Committee meeting in Trinidad on 20 October he hoped for a positive response when the issue is discussed during the meeting which continues until 28 October.
One of the key debates at the meeting will be around whether to continue WARC's discussions on moving from a loose knit fellowship to a communion of churches that would have a greater sense of mutual commitment, accountability and vulnerability. "Are we, as Reformed churches, willing to take those steps toward communion with one another? If not, do we truly believe that a loose alliance of churches will have the power to make an impact for Godâ??s justice in the world or faithfully reflect the unity to which Christ calls us that the world might believe?
"I personally hope that at least we on the Executive Committee are ready to give a resounding 'yes' to the question of whether we are prepared to move from being an alliance to being a communion of Reformed churches," Kirkpatrick said in his report to the meeting.
The theme of the WARC Executive Committee meeting is "Called to be a communion: from Elmina to Port of Spain" and much of the focus will be on the impact of the transatlantic slave trade and the continuing enslavement of the poor around the world.
"As a matter of the integrity of our faith, we must say 'no' to slavery in all its forms. While we acknowledge this year the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade by the British Parliament, we are painfully aware that slavery is still with us," Kirkpatrick said.
â??Countless thousands of children are being sold into slavery and prostitution against their will all over the world. Slavery continues to be an active component of war in too many places. To all these forms of enslavement, we must say a resounding â??no.â? ?â??
The WARC president said that today neoliberal globalization enslaves millions around the world and is driving a growing and dramatic wedge between the rich and the poor, to the point where the richest one per cent has more than the poorest 57 per cent.
â??In the Accra Confession we made it clear that standing against this system of inhumanity and injustice is not just a social justice concern but a matter central to the integrity of our faith in Jesus Christ, who came that â??all may have life in fullness.â??â??
WARC general secretary Setri Nyomi, in his report to the Executive Committee meeting, echoed the presidentâ??s words, saying the call for WARC to move closer to a communion of churches is not an end in itself.
â??An increase in the quality of relationships within the Reformed family worldwide is indeed a contribution to the unity of the church of Jesus Christ for which our Lord Jesus prayed. Reformed communion therefore comes out of our commitment to ecumenical engagement and Christian unity,â?? Nyomi said.
â??As Reformed persons, we need to dare to see ourselves as bound together within a communion,â?? he added.
â??May our reflection lead to the building of a communion in which we are truly at the forefront of overcoming the legacies of any form of slavery. Two hundred years after the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade, our oneness should have a strong tone of resolving to leave no stone unturned until all forms of slavery and enslavement are overturned.â??
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The World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) brings together 75 million Reformed Christians in 214 churches in 107 countries - united in their commitment to making a difference in a troubled world. The WARC general secretary is Rev. Dr. Setri Nyomi of thEvangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana. WARC's secretariat is based in Geneva, Switzerland.
Contact: John P. Asling Executive Secretary, Communications World Alliance of Reformed Churches 150 Route de Ferney P.O. Box 2100 1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland tel. +41.22 791 6243 fax: +41.22 791 6505 web: www.warc.ch
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