ETHIOPIAN LUTHERAN LEADER SAYS WCC'S FUTURE IS BRIGHT

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> WCC'S FUTURE IS BRIGHT

For immediate release: 29 September 2010 By

Fredrick Nzwili (*) Addis Ababa, 25 September (WCC)? The leader of the
Ethiopian Evvangelical Church Makane Yesus (EECMY) said his church is
looking forward to the future leadership role that the World Council
of Churches (WCC) will  play within the wider ecumenical community.
The comment was made during a 23-27 September visit to the church by
the Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, the WCCâ??s general secretary since
January 2010. The Rev. Wakseyoum Idosa, the churchâ??s president, said
the EECMY is convinced that under the new general secretary the WCC
will assume a larger role addressing the concerns of today, including
global threats to peace, unity and human dignity. â??We are convinced
and feel no doubt that under your leadership, the WCC and member
churches will step forward in the process of doing mission and
diakonia, especially giving due attention to the change and renewal
process to determine the roles and functions of the WCC in the 21st
Century,â?? said Idosa during a dinner reception hosted for Tveit and
his delegation in Addis Ababa.

He said the EECMY felt honoured that

Tveit, himself a Lutheran pastor from Norway, had chosen to visit the
church during an official tour of East Africa. The EECMY holds
membership in both the Lutheran World Federation and the World
Communion of Reformed Churches, as well as in the WCC. Idosa said the
gathering reminded him of Christâ??s prayers for unity and stressed
that Christian unity needs to be paid due attention in ecumenical
relations today. â??Jesus prayed for the unity of the church so that
it would make an impact in the world, and to this end the world needs
to see our unity,â?? he said. â??It is demanded from all of us  that 
we
do everything possible to strengthen the bonds of communion between
all Christians and churches, for unity is central to the identity,
life and witness of the churches. It enables them to promote healing
and reconciliation in their communities,â?? he said.

The EECMY became

a member of the WCC in 1979, after working closely with the World
Council since 1961. The WCC has supported the church in building its
capacity in the areas of education, agriculture and the medical
sector. â??This is the time to focus again on the call to be
oneâ?¦because we have to be one for the sake of the commission we have
received from Christ, for the sake of all the tasks we are called to
do, not to be exclusive but to bring together all churches and their
leaders,â?? Tveit said at the dinner. Tveit had earlier visited the
New Life Young Womenâ??s Rehabilitation Project in the Kazachis area
as well as the Gudima Tumsa Wholistic Training Centre. The
EECMY-operated rehabilitation project aids in restoring the lives of
young girls who have been involved in the commercial sex trade. The
training centre equips mentally disabled children with the skills to
enable them to live full lives. The EECMY started the womenâ??s
rehabilitation project in 2002. It has since helped 190 girls and
women to reclaim their freedom and equipped them with skills that have
enabled them to leave commercial sex work. â??I am able to earn at
least 100 Birr a day after joining the project. Life is better for me
now,â?? said one of the women involved in the project, Ms Meredes
Getachew. At the Kazachis Church, Tveit said the project was an
example of how Christians can help one another keep the dignity that
God has given to all. (*) Fredrick Nzwili is a freelance journalist
from Kenya. He  is a correspondent for Ecumenical News International
(ENI) based in the country's capital, Nairobi. The World Council of
Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a
just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded
in 1948, today the WCC brings together 349 Protestant, Orthodox,
Anglican and other churches representing more than 560 million
Christians in over 110 countries, and works cooperatively with the
Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Dr Olav Fykse
Tveit, from the [Lutheran] Church of Norway. Headquarters: Geneva,
Switzerland.