Sunday, August 30, 2009

LWF Congratulates Newly Elected WCC General Secretary Olav Fykse Tveit

Noko Highlights Norwegian Lutheran's Ecumenical Experience

The general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko (left below) congratulates Norwegian Lutheran theologian Dr Olav Fykse Tveiton his election as the new general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC) today, 27 August. The 48 year-old will succeed Kenyan Methodist Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, who has served as the Council's general secretary since January 2004.

Tveit brings to his new position broad experience that prepares him to lead in all the aspects of WCC’s work, said Noko in his statement today. The LWF general secretary noted that the newly elected WCC leader “has worked at every level of the church, from parish life and chaplaincy to national and international positions.” Noko cited Tveit’s leadership in diakonia, advocacy, and in both ecumenical and interfaith relations. "He is a theologian and an administrator. And he is a person of deep faith, modest manner and forthright speech.

All these experiences and gifts will serve him well as he leads the WCC," noted the LWF general secretary."We are especially pleased also that he already knows the WCC very well. As he moves to Geneva to take up his new duties, he will find himself quickly at home," he said. In his statement, Noko pointed out that this was a crucial time in the life of this indispensable ecumenical body.

"The WCC plays a unique and vital role in the ecumenical movement: if we did not have a WCC, we would need to invent one!" he stated. "We look to the Council as the global body where the churches of the world may communicate and cooperate on the basis of a common faith in the Triune God, in the service of Christian unity and the well-being of humanity," he added. Noko said the coming years "can be a time of sowing and of harvest, a time when extra ordinary things can be accomplished by ordinary means."

It would be the task of the incoming general secretary to lead the WCC to grasp the great opportunities that present themselves amid great challenges, he noted. Noko expressed his hope for increased cooperation between theWCC and the LWF, citing the newly created emergency and development work network, ACT Alliance (Action by Churches Together) as one such example for new forms of ecumenical collaboration. Even the challenges posed by the current world-wide financial crisis invite organizations to create new possibilities.

"We pledge to work with the new general secretary in seeking imaginative and faithful ways to bear common witness,"he said. "May God bless him with great energy and the gifts of discernment and generosity in his very important calling in the worldwide ecumenical movement." Noko praised the out going WCC general secretary for his service to "the ecumenical movement and the WCC with loving devotion.

We will miss his gentle presence among us, and we extend our best wishes to him and to his family in all that they do." Kobia is scheduled to leave office at the end of this year. The incoming WCC leader Tveit is an ordained pastor in the Church of Norway. He has been general secretary of the church’s Council on Ecumenical and International Relations since 2002.

He previously worked as secretary for the church’s Doctrinal Commission, 1999-2000, and Church-State Relations, 2001-2002. He served as a parish priest in Haram, More Diocese, 1988-91, and was an army chaplain during his 1987-88 compulsory year of national service. Tveit is a member of the WCC Faith and Order Plenary Commission and co-chairperson of the WCC Palestine Israel Ecumenical Forumcore group.

He is a member of the Christian Council of Norway board of directors and executive committee, moderator of the Church of Norway - Islamic Council of Norway contact group and similarly for the Jewish Congregation contact group. He is a member of both the Inter-Faith Council of Norway and the Norwegian Church Aid board of trustees. The Church of Norway has nearly 3.9 million members and joined the LWF in 1947.

Formally inaugurated in 1948 at its first Assembly in Amsterdam, Netherlands, the WCC is a Christian organization dedicated to the search for Christian unity. Its 349 member churches represent some 560 million Christians. Today’s member churches come from more than 110 countries on all continents and include Orthodox, Anglican, Protestant, United and other churches. A majority of member churches now come from the South.

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LWF Congratulates Newly Elected WCC General Secretary Olav Fykse Tveit

Noko Highlights Norwegian Lutheran's Ecumenical Experience

The general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko (left below) congratulates Norwegian Lutheran theologian Dr Olav Fykse Tveiton his election as the new general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC) today, 27 August. The 48 year-old will succeed Kenyan Methodist Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, who has served as the Council's general secretary since January 2004.

Tveit brings to his new position broad experience that prepares him to lead in all the aspects of WCC’s work, said Noko in his statement today. The LWF general secretary noted that the newly elected WCC leader “has worked at every level of the church, from parish life and chaplaincy to national and international positions.” Noko cited Tveit’s leadership in diakonia, advocacy, and in both ecumenical and interfaith relations. "He is a theologian and an administrator. And he is a person of deep faith, modest manner and forthright speech.

All these experiences and gifts will serve him well as he leads the WCC," noted the LWF general secretary."We are especially pleased also that he already knows the WCC very well. As he moves to Geneva to take up his new duties, he will find himself quickly at home," he said. In his statement, Noko pointed out that this was a crucial time in the life of this indispensable ecumenical body.

"The WCC plays a unique and vital role in the ecumenical movement: if we did not have a WCC, we would need to invent one!" he stated. "We look to the Council as the global body where the churches of the world may communicate and cooperate on the basis of a common faith in the Triune God, in the service of Christian unity and the well-being of humanity," he added. Noko said the coming years "can be a time of sowing and of harvest, a time when extra ordinary things can be accomplished by ordinary means."

It would be the task of the incoming general secretary to lead the WCC to grasp the great opportunities that present themselves amid great challenges, he noted. Noko expressed his hope for increased cooperation between theWCC and the LWF, citing the newly created emergency and development work network, ACT Alliance (Action by Churches Together) as one such example for new forms of ecumenical collaboration. Even the challenges posed by the current world-wide financial crisis invite organizations to create new possibilities.

"We pledge to work with the new general secretary in seeking imaginative and faithful ways to bear common witness,"he said. "May God bless him with great energy and the gifts of discernment and generosity in his very important calling in the worldwide ecumenical movement." Noko praised the out going WCC general secretary for his service to "the ecumenical movement and the WCC with loving devotion.

We will miss his gentle presence among us, and we extend our best wishes to him and to his family in all that they do." Kobia is scheduled to leave office at the end of this year. The incoming WCC leader Tveit is an ordained pastor in the Church of Norway. He has been general secretary of the church’s Council on Ecumenical and International Relations since 2002.

He previously worked as secretary for the church’s Doctrinal Commission, 1999-2000, and Church-State Relations, 2001-2002. He served as a parish priest in Haram, More Diocese, 1988-91, and was an army chaplain during his 1987-88 compulsory year of national service. Tveit is a member of the WCC Faith and Order Plenary Commission and co-chairperson of the WCC Palestine Israel Ecumenical Forumcore group.

He is a member of the Christian Council of Norway board of directors and executive committee, moderator of the Church of Norway - Islamic Council of Norway contact group and similarly for the Jewish Congregation contact group. He is a member of both the Inter-Faith Council of Norway and the Norwegian Church Aid board of trustees. The Church of Norway has nearly 3.9 million members and joined the LWF in 1947.

Formally inaugurated in 1948 at its first Assembly in Amsterdam, Netherlands, the WCC is a Christian organization dedicated to the search for Christian unity. Its 349 member churches represent some 560 million Christians. Today’s member churches come from more than 110 countries on all continents and include Orthodox, Anglican, Protestant, United and other churches. A majority of member churches now come from the South.

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LWF Congratulates Newly Elected WCC General Secretary Olav Fykse Tveit

Noko Highlights Norwegian Lutheran's Ecumenical Experience

The general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko (left below) congratulates Norwegian Lutheran theologian Dr Olav Fykse Tveiton his election as the new general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC) today, 27 August. The 48 year-old will succeed Kenyan Methodist Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, who has served as the Council's general secretary since January 2004.

Tveit brings to his new position broad experience that prepares him to lead in all the aspects of WCC’s work, said Noko in his statement today. The LWF general secretary noted that the newly elected WCC leader “has worked at every level of the church, from parish life and chaplaincy to national and international positions.” Noko cited Tveit’s leadership in diakonia, advocacy, and in both ecumenical and interfaith relations. "He is a theologian and an administrator. And he is a person of deep faith, modest manner and forthright speech.

All these experiences and gifts will serve him well as he leads the WCC," noted the LWF general secretary."We are especially pleased also that he already knows the WCC very well. As he moves to Geneva to take up his new duties, he will find himself quickly at home," he said. In his statement, Noko pointed out that this was a crucial time in the life of this indispensable ecumenical body.

"The WCC plays a unique and vital role in the ecumenical movement: if we did not have a WCC, we would need to invent one!" he stated. "We look to the Council as the global body where the churches of the world may communicate and cooperate on the basis of a common faith in the Triune God, in the service of Christian unity and the well-being of humanity," he added. Noko said the coming years "can be a time of sowing and of harvest, a time when extra ordinary things can be accomplished by ordinary means."

It would be the task of the incoming general secretary to lead the WCC to grasp the great opportunities that present themselves amid great challenges, he noted. Noko expressed his hope for increased cooperation between theWCC and the LWF, citing the newly created emergency and development work network, ACT Alliance (Action by Churches Together) as one such example for new forms of ecumenical collaboration. Even the challenges posed by the current world-wide financial crisis invite organizations to create new possibilities.

"We pledge to work with the new general secretary in seeking imaginative and faithful ways to bear common witness,"he said. "May God bless him with great energy and the gifts of discernment and generosity in his very important calling in the worldwide ecumenical movement." Noko praised the out going WCC general secretary for his service to "the ecumenical movement and the WCC with loving devotion.

We will miss his gentle presence among us, and we extend our best wishes to him and to his family in all that they do." Kobia is scheduled to leave office at the end of this year. The incoming WCC leader Tveit is an ordained pastor in the Church of Norway. He has been general secretary of the church’s Council on Ecumenical and International Relations since 2002.

He previously worked as secretary for the church’s Doctrinal Commission, 1999-2000, and Church-State Relations, 2001-2002. He served as a parish priest in Haram, More Diocese, 1988-91, and was an army chaplain during his 1987-88 compulsory year of national service. Tveit is a member of the WCC Faith and Order Plenary Commission and co-chairperson of the WCC Palestine Israel Ecumenical Forumcore group.

He is a member of the Christian Council of Norway board of directors and executive committee, moderator of the Church of Norway - Islamic Council of Norway contact group and similarly for the Jewish Congregation contact group. He is a member of both the Inter-Faith Council of Norway and the Norwegian Church Aid board of trustees. The Church of Norway has nearly 3.9 million members and joined the LWF in 1947.

Formally inaugurated in 1948 at its first Assembly in Amsterdam, Netherlands, the WCC is a Christian organization dedicated to the search for Christian unity. Its 349 member churches represent some 560 million Christians. Today’s member churches come from more than 110 countries on all continents and include Orthodox, Anglican, Protestant, United and other churches. A majority of member churches now come from the South.

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