wfn.org | A “new beginning” for Reformed churches

["Daphne Martin_Gnanadason" <Daphne.Martin_Gnanadason@warc.ch>]

>Uniting General Council 2010 
>News Release 
>18 June 2010

>A “new beginning” for Reformed churches 
>By Charles Honey, UGC News Editor
>For Maria McDaid, Friday’s opening of the Uniting General
>Council culminates nearly a year of excited anticipation.
>“I was looking forward to meeting people from every part of the
>world,” says McDaid, a 25-year-old UGC steward and Sunday School
>teacher from London, England. “We’re different denominations but
>we’re all Christians. It’s a privilege to be here.”
>Many of the 1,000-plus global church members expected to gather
>Friday morning at Calvin College no doubt feel the same, as they
>prepare to usher in a new era of Reformed church history. 
>In ceremonies at Van Noord Arena, an estimated 400 delegates
>will officially form the World Communion of Reformed Churches
>(WCRC) ­­-- a worldwide affiliation of 80 million Christians from
>108 countries coming together as one body in Christ. 
>A merger of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) and
>the Reformed Ecumenical  Council (REC), WCRC will nurture
>fellowship among its 230 denominations and advocate for justice
>in the world, leaders say. The gathering of the world’s largest
>Reformed Protestant network will continue through 26 June.
>Friday marks “a new beginning for Reformed churches around the
>world,” says Setri Nyomi, WARC general secretary, “where Reformed
>churches say to the rest of the world, ‘We are united, we are
>ready to continue playing the prophetic role that God has called
>us to as witnesses to the Lord Jesus Christ, and to call people
>to make a difference in the world.’ ”
>For REC General Secretary Richard van Houten, the word
>“communion” is key to WCRC’s identity.
>“Naming ourselves ‘communion’ is an incredible step forward,”
>van Houten says. “Communion means we belong together in a very
>deep sense. We are all part of the family of God.”
>Like all families, WCRC may have disagreements over issues. But
>members hope their common Christian commitment will fulfill the
>UGC theme, “unity of the spirit in the bond of peace,” while
>taking firm stands on justice issues.
>“I hope that communion and justice can walk hand in hand,” says
>Judi Fisher of the Uniting Church of Australia, WARC’s Pacific
>Region Vice-President. “We have a pivotal moment to offer that
>kind of loving, caring persona that resonates with the gospel and
>calls for an end to violence in all its forms.” 
>Over nine days, delegates will deepen their new fellowship with
>worship and Bible studies while tackling tough issues such as
>women’s rights, economic oppression and environmental
>degradation. One of the weightier matters will be the Accra
>Confession, a strongly worded justice statement adopted by WARC
>in 2004.
>The conference will stress the rights of Indigenous peoples and
>the church’s historic mistreatment of them. Tribal chiefs will
>welcome delegates Friday with a drumming ceremony, and on Tuesday
>delegates will gather at Ah-Nab-Awen Park for a Pow Wow following
>a keynote address at Calvin College by American Indian leader
>Richard Twiss.
>Other high points include a celebratory worship service Sunday
>afternoon, election of officers and Friday’s official creation of
>WCRC. The “birth moment” will occur in the afternoon, when
>delegates are expected to approve a constitution for the new
>organization. 
>“It’s not the first step toward a global church as much as it is
>a recognition that the church is global,” says Peter Borgdorff,
>REC President.
>It will be a historic event in the same city where WARC and REC
>leaders first broached the idea of merging four years ago. They
>hope WCRC infuses renewed energy into Christian cooperation by
>bringing together historically divisive Reformed churches.
>“It’s wonderful for a tradition that’s usually been known for
>splitting to say, ‘We really can be one,’” says WARC President
>Clifton Kirkpatrick. “We’re entering an era where there’s a new
>sense we belong together in the church of Jesus Christ.”    

The Uniting General Council 2010 in Grand Rapids, United States
(June 18-28) marks the merger of the World Alliance of Reformed
Churches and the Reformed Ecumenical Council to form the World
Communion of Reformed Churches. 

>Contact: Kristine Greenaway
>Executive Secretary, Communications
>World Communion of Reformed Churches

UGC News Room – Calvin College - Hoogenboom Center Room HC 204 
Cell phone: 1-616-826-5540 or 1-616-826-8636
email: kgr@warc.ch
web: www.reformedchurches.org (
http://www.reformedchurches.org/#_blank )