Asian Women Seek Structures That Ensure Visible Inclusion in the LWF‏

Women delegates attending the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Asian region Pre-Assembly Consultation (APAC) commended the LWF'sfar-reaching advocacy for marginalized groups in church and society, but called for urgent changes to structures and traditions that further perpetuate exclusion. "Making women visible is the first step in reducing their vulnerability," said Ms Dora R. Hemalatha, when she presented the women's perspectives on the keynote address by LWF vice president Bishop Dr Munib A. Younan.

The presentation by the bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELJHL)focused on "daily bread as a holy call to justice" in the Asian context. Among other issues in his keynote address, the ELCJHL bishop called the church to take a strong stand "against the feminization of hunger by educating, empowering and enabling women for full membership in all spheres of society."

The keynote address, said Hemalatha, highlighted how the church could work against hunger and related issues, but it would "best rengthened by adding ways in which women in the church in particular can be empowered to overcome these challenges." The women's response underlined the need to provide opportunities"for women to participate, speak, act and take a lead in their own churches starting from the grassroots level."

Cultural, traditional and social restrictions often mean that women are more affected by hunger and poverty than men, reported Hemalatha, women's secretary at the Arcot Lutheran Church (ALC)in India. "Women are deprived of their status in church and society," she added. "During hard times, the women are the first to give something up: With less food to go around, it is invariably the woman who gives up her food to feed the family," Hemalatha said.

This situation also has an impact on women's health, she noted, citing the example of India, where more than 50 percent of women are anemic. "Out of 15 women giving birth, eight deliver premature babies with a low birth weight," said the ALC women's leader.

Objects of Entertainment

The Asian region women also pointed out the need for the church to become more involved in efforts to counter human trafficking, of which a majority of the victims are women and girls. "Trafficking of girls is at an all time high. Women are being portrayed as objects of entertainment, bonded labor, slave trade and feudalism. Men feel that women [have an obligation] to bring money to the family to support the family needs. We should especially talk about how churches can help women to change this situation."

On climate change, the APAC women delegates emphasized that the"impact of our energy-hungry lifestyles are affecting people across the world." They said Dalit and Adivasi (tribal) women were among the most affected as they lack the capacity to deal with climate change. While the women welcomed Younan's invitation to Asian churchesto join the 13 December "bell ringing" to support the global climate change campaign, they urged more serious action beyond this important symbolic expression of solidarity.

"What should we do to change people's life styles in a context in which women and children are the victims of this social issue? What as a church is our response to this alarming issue?" they asked. (See invitation to the ecumenical "bell ringing" initiative on the LWF Web site at: www.lutheranworld.org ) The women delegates said there were some LWF member churches that still did not recognize women's ordination.

"We believe that women bring an essential perspective to all types of ministry -ordained and lay - in an increasingly fractured and fractious world," they stated in their response. "We strongly protest that just doing things to fulfill the policy of the LWF and not giving [a] chance to work in their respective places is not just.

For example, just giving women ordination and not giving them a real chance in the churches to obtain higher positions in the church council and equal status in the church like the male pastors," said Hemalatha on behalf ofthe women delegates attending the APAC. The pre-assembly participants continue deliberations in small group discussions on climate change, human trafficking, and diakonia reaction to exclusion and religious diapraxis.

*** There are certain reports that human trafficking especially women and girls in cargo ships to Papua New Guinea. If these reports are true, Papua New Guinea authorities should take a tougher stance on how to deal with this issue. If nothing is done, it poses a threat to the security of our nation. Hope someone is taking note of this situation as we speak.

Asian Women Seek Structures That Ensure Visible Inclusion in the LWF‏

Women delegates attending the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Asian region Pre-Assembly Consultation (APAC) commended the LWF'sfar-reaching advocacy for marginalized groups in church and society, but called for urgent changes to structures and traditions that further perpetuate exclusion. "Making women visible is the first step in reducing their vulnerability," said Ms Dora R. Hemalatha, when she presented the women's perspectives on the keynote address by LWF vice president Bishop Dr Munib A. Younan.

The presentation by the bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELJHL)focused on "daily bread as a holy call to justice" in the Asian context. Among other issues in his keynote address, the ELCJHL bishop called the church to take a strong stand "against the feminization of hunger by educating, empowering and enabling women for full membership in all spheres of society."

The keynote address, said Hemalatha, highlighted how the church could work against hunger and related issues, but it would "best rengthened by adding ways in which women in the church in particular can be empowered to overcome these challenges." The women's response underlined the need to provide opportunities"for women to participate, speak, act and take a lead in their own churches starting from the grassroots level."

Cultural, traditional and social restrictions often mean that women are more affected by hunger and poverty than men, reported Hemalatha, women's secretary at the Arcot Lutheran Church (ALC)in India. "Women are deprived of their status in church and society," she added. "During hard times, the women are the first to give something up: With less food to go around, it is invariably the woman who gives up her food to feed the family," Hemalatha said.

This situation also has an impact on women's health, she noted, citing the example of India, where more than 50 percent of women are anemic. "Out of 15 women giving birth, eight deliver premature babies with a low birth weight," said the ALC women's leader.

Objects of Entertainment

The Asian region women also pointed out the need for the church to become more involved in efforts to counter human trafficking, of which a majority of the victims are women and girls. "Trafficking of girls is at an all time high. Women are being portrayed as objects of entertainment, bonded labor, slave trade and feudalism. Men feel that women [have an obligation] to bring money to the family to support the family needs. We should especially talk about how churches can help women to change this situation."

On climate change, the APAC women delegates emphasized that the"impact of our energy-hungry lifestyles are affecting people across the world." They said Dalit and Adivasi (tribal) women were among the most affected as they lack the capacity to deal with climate change. While the women welcomed Younan's invitation to Asian churchesto join the 13 December "bell ringing" to support the global climate change campaign, they urged more serious action beyond this important symbolic expression of solidarity.

"What should we do to change people's life styles in a context in which women and children are the victims of this social issue? What as a church is our response to this alarming issue?" they asked. (See invitation to the ecumenical "bell ringing" initiative on the LWF Web site at: www.lutheranworld.org ) The women delegates said there were some LWF member churches that still did not recognize women's ordination.

"We believe that women bring an essential perspective to all types of ministry -ordained and lay - in an increasingly fractured and fractious world," they stated in their response. "We strongly protest that just doing things to fulfill the policy of the LWF and not giving [a] chance to work in their respective places is not just.

For example, just giving women ordination and not giving them a real chance in the churches to obtain higher positions in the church council and equal status in the church like the male pastors," said Hemalatha on behalf ofthe women delegates attending the APAC. The pre-assembly participants continue deliberations in small group discussions on climate change, human trafficking, and diakonia reaction to exclusion and religious diapraxis.

*** There are certain reports that human trafficking especially women and girls in cargo ships to Papua New Guinea. If these reports are true, Papua New Guinea authorities should take a tougher stance on how to deal with this issue. If nothing is done, it poses a threat to the security of our nation. Hope someone is taking note of this situation as we speak.

Asian Women Seek Structures That Ensure Visible Inclusion in the LWF‏

Women delegates attending the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Asian region Pre-Assembly Consultation (APAC) commended the LWF'sfar-reaching advocacy for marginalized groups in church and society, but called for urgent changes to structures and traditions that further perpetuate exclusion. "Making women visible is the first step in reducing their vulnerability," said Ms Dora R. Hemalatha, when she presented the women's perspectives on the keynote address by LWF vice president Bishop Dr Munib A. Younan.

The presentation by the bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELJHL)focused on "daily bread as a holy call to justice" in the Asian context. Among other issues in his keynote address, the ELCJHL bishop called the church to take a strong stand "against the feminization of hunger by educating, empowering and enabling women for full membership in all spheres of society."

The keynote address, said Hemalatha, highlighted how the church could work against hunger and related issues, but it would "best rengthened by adding ways in which women in the church in particular can be empowered to overcome these challenges." The women's response underlined the need to provide opportunities"for women to participate, speak, act and take a lead in their own churches starting from the grassroots level."

Cultural, traditional and social restrictions often mean that women are more affected by hunger and poverty than men, reported Hemalatha, women's secretary at the Arcot Lutheran Church (ALC)in India. "Women are deprived of their status in church and society," she added. "During hard times, the women are the first to give something up: With less food to go around, it is invariably the woman who gives up her food to feed the family," Hemalatha said.

This situation also has an impact on women's health, she noted, citing the example of India, where more than 50 percent of women are anemic. "Out of 15 women giving birth, eight deliver premature babies with a low birth weight," said the ALC women's leader.

Objects of Entertainment

The Asian region women also pointed out the need for the church to become more involved in efforts to counter human trafficking, of which a majority of the victims are women and girls. "Trafficking of girls is at an all time high. Women are being portrayed as objects of entertainment, bonded labor, slave trade and feudalism. Men feel that women [have an obligation] to bring money to the family to support the family needs. We should especially talk about how churches can help women to change this situation."

On climate change, the APAC women delegates emphasized that the"impact of our energy-hungry lifestyles are affecting people across the world." They said Dalit and Adivasi (tribal) women were among the most affected as they lack the capacity to deal with climate change. While the women welcomed Younan's invitation to Asian churchesto join the 13 December "bell ringing" to support the global climate change campaign, they urged more serious action beyond this important symbolic expression of solidarity.

"What should we do to change people's life styles in a context in which women and children are the victims of this social issue? What as a church is our response to this alarming issue?" they asked. (See invitation to the ecumenical "bell ringing" initiative on the LWF Web site at: www.lutheranworld.org ) The women delegates said there were some LWF member churches that still did not recognize women's ordination.

"We believe that women bring an essential perspective to all types of ministry -ordained and lay - in an increasingly fractured and fractious world," they stated in their response. "We strongly protest that just doing things to fulfill the policy of the LWF and not giving [a] chance to work in their respective places is not just.

For example, just giving women ordination and not giving them a real chance in the churches to obtain higher positions in the church council and equal status in the church like the male pastors," said Hemalatha on behalf ofthe women delegates attending the APAC. The pre-assembly participants continue deliberations in small group discussions on climate change, human trafficking, and diakonia reaction to exclusion and religious diapraxis.

*** There are certain reports that human trafficking especially women and girls in cargo ships to Papua New Guinea. If these reports are true, Papua New Guinea authorities should take a tougher stance on how to deal with this issue. If nothing is done, it poses a threat to the security of our nation. Hope someone is taking note of this situation as we speak.

23 Churches Signed for Markham Crusade‏

Dear Friends,

As the year comes to a close, we are doing our final December 5-13,2009 Crusade at Markham Valley High School as part of our 89 Electorate Soul Winning Crusade Plan launched last year by Hon Theo Zerunouc, MP for Finschaffhen.

The 20 member team are at the Crusade sight praying and constructing a 14m X 16m huge stage. While the base is praying and fasting for two weeks towards this masive outreach for the salvation of the Markham people. There is alot of excitement and we are believing God for the healing anointing to manifest so strong that signs and wonders would follow the preaching of the Word.

Under the capable leadership of Kopili Apurel, the crusade stage construction is taking shape for the glory of God.It was transported to the Mutzing station courtesy of Traisa Transport on a Kenworth.

Thank you for praying for us as we win the lost souls for the kingdom. (Luke 15:10,John 3:16)

God bless

Joseph and Susan

23 Churches Signed for Markham Crusade‏

Dear Friends,

As the year comes to a close, we are doing our final December 5-13,2009 Crusade at Markham Valley High School as part of our 89 Electorate Soul Winning Crusade Plan launched last year by Hon Theo Zerunouc, MP for Finschaffhen.

The 20 member team are at the Crusade sight praying and constructing a 14m X 16m huge stage. While the base is praying and fasting for two weeks towards this masive outreach for the salvation of the Markham people. There is alot of excitement and we are believing God for the healing anointing to manifest so strong that signs and wonders would follow the preaching of the Word.

Under the capable leadership of Kopili Apurel, the crusade stage construction is taking shape for the glory of God.It was transported to the Mutzing station courtesy of Traisa Transport on a Kenworth.

Thank you for praying for us as we win the lost souls for the kingdom. (Luke 15:10,John 3:16)

God bless

Joseph and Susan

23 Churches Signed for Markham Crusade‏

Dear Friends,

As the year comes to a close, we are doing our final December 5-13,2009 Crusade at Markham Valley High School as part of our 89 Electorate Soul Winning Crusade Plan launched last year by Hon Theo Zerunouc, MP for Finschaffhen.

The 20 member team are at the Crusade sight praying and constructing a 14m X 16m huge stage. While the base is praying and fasting for two weeks towards this masive outreach for the salvation of the Markham people. There is alot of excitement and we are believing God for the healing anointing to manifest so strong that signs and wonders would follow the preaching of the Word.

Under the capable leadership of Kopili Apurel, the crusade stage construction is taking shape for the glory of God.It was transported to the Mutzing station courtesy of Traisa Transport on a Kenworth.

Thank you for praying for us as we win the lost souls for the kingdom. (Luke 15:10,John 3:16)

God bless

Joseph and Susan

It Is Not a Death Sentence

Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Rwanda Supports Local Groups to Fight AIDS Stigma

"I am sorry I infected you and did not tell you," Innocent Niwsi murmured as he lay dying on his bed. He had summoned the courage to admit to Beatrice, his young, second wife that he was HIV positive and dying. His first wife had also died from an AIDS-related illness.

That was in 2000, when the stigma associated with HIV and AIDS was very high. Niwsi was being treated by a traditional medicine man, which may have accelerated his demise. When Beatrice was finally able to convince her husband to come back home and get proper treatment, provided free at hospitals and health centers across Rwanda, he was already paralyzed, and he passed away shortly afterwards.

Today, 35-year-old Beatrice is a person living with HIV. She married Niwsi when she was just 22 and they had two children, Nadine and Yves. When she was expecting her second child, she started having severe abdominal pains and went to a family planning clinic in the capital, Kigali for a check-up.

While there, the doctors encouraged her to go for counseling and further testing. She was diagnosed as HIV positive, news that hit her so hard that she at first contemplated suicide. But the thought of the impact this would have on her family made her change her mind.

Income Generation

After her husband’s death, the mother of two decided to move to Nyamata in Bugesera district, just half an hour’s drive from Kigali, where she settled in with her mother. Thinking that death was imminent, she preferred to be buried close to her.

Beatrice recalls her first few years in Nyamata, saying she felt like she was "wearing a scarlet letter 'I' for 'infected,’'" as everyone knew her status and avoided her. She was unemployed and living off her mother's small plot that they cultivated together to feed the family.

In 2007 she heard of a local association called Kotwibu, which helps people living with HIV access treatment and other forms of assistance. Upon becoming a member, she received a goat to help her earn some income. The goat was a welcomed gift and it soon reproduced. The sale of the baby goat generated a small income that Beatrice stretched to make ends meet for a while.

Rwanda has an HIV prevalence rate of an estimated three percent in a population of around 9 million people. Kotwibu, remarks Beatrice, is a sign that the AIDS stigma is decreasing in the country, and that there is hope. As an association member, she benefits from resources and benefits such as training programs on HIV prevention, trauma counseling and savings and credit operations, supported by the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Department for World Service (DWS) country program in Rwanda.

She also benefits from medical insurance coverage, learns how to weave baskets, manage a small business, and is encouraged to revitalize her livelihood by selling artifacts produced by the association. She has managed to save some money and plans to increase her savings in order to access credit. In the meantime, she has found a job as a cleaning lady.

Hope

Nine years after diagnosis and despite the difficult and painful experiences, Beatrice is a living testimony that being HIV positive is not a death sentence, and that one can receive treatment and lead a healthy and productive life. She socializes with friends and relatives without feeling like an outcast, and is ready to build a future for herself and her family.

Her children have tested negative for HIV. Beatrice never breastfed her second child on doctors' orders so as to avoid mother-to-child-transmission. But she has no rational explanation as to why her 13-year-old firstborn, Nadine, is HIV negative and simply says: "It is a miracle."

Beatrice actively participates in local and national sensitization campaigns on HIV and AIDS, teaching people how to live with the disease and how to avoid infection in the first place. She is grateful to DWS Rwanda for the training and awareness raising, all of which have enabled her to renew her life and given her hope.

It Is Not a Death Sentence

Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Rwanda Supports Local Groups to Fight AIDS Stigma

"I am sorry I infected you and did not tell you," Innocent Niwsi murmured as he lay dying on his bed. He had summoned the courage to admit to Beatrice, his young, second wife that he was HIV positive and dying. His first wife had also died from an AIDS-related illness.

That was in 2000, when the stigma associated with HIV and AIDS was very high. Niwsi was being treated by a traditional medicine man, which may have accelerated his demise. When Beatrice was finally able to convince her husband to come back home and get proper treatment, provided free at hospitals and health centers across Rwanda, he was already paralyzed, and he passed away shortly afterwards.

Today, 35-year-old Beatrice is a person living with HIV. She married Niwsi when she was just 22 and they had two children, Nadine and Yves. When she was expecting her second child, she started having severe abdominal pains and went to a family planning clinic in the capital, Kigali for a check-up.

While there, the doctors encouraged her to go for counseling and further testing. She was diagnosed as HIV positive, news that hit her so hard that she at first contemplated suicide. But the thought of the impact this would have on her family made her change her mind.

Income Generation

After her husband’s death, the mother of two decided to move to Nyamata in Bugesera district, just half an hour’s drive from Kigali, where she settled in with her mother. Thinking that death was imminent, she preferred to be buried close to her.

Beatrice recalls her first few years in Nyamata, saying she felt like she was "wearing a scarlet letter 'I' for 'infected,’'" as everyone knew her status and avoided her. She was unemployed and living off her mother's small plot that they cultivated together to feed the family.

In 2007 she heard of a local association called Kotwibu, which helps people living with HIV access treatment and other forms of assistance. Upon becoming a member, she received a goat to help her earn some income. The goat was a welcomed gift and it soon reproduced. The sale of the baby goat generated a small income that Beatrice stretched to make ends meet for a while.

Rwanda has an HIV prevalence rate of an estimated three percent in a population of around 9 million people. Kotwibu, remarks Beatrice, is a sign that the AIDS stigma is decreasing in the country, and that there is hope. As an association member, she benefits from resources and benefits such as training programs on HIV prevention, trauma counseling and savings and credit operations, supported by the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Department for World Service (DWS) country program in Rwanda.

She also benefits from medical insurance coverage, learns how to weave baskets, manage a small business, and is encouraged to revitalize her livelihood by selling artifacts produced by the association. She has managed to save some money and plans to increase her savings in order to access credit. In the meantime, she has found a job as a cleaning lady.

Hope

Nine years after diagnosis and despite the difficult and painful experiences, Beatrice is a living testimony that being HIV positive is not a death sentence, and that one can receive treatment and lead a healthy and productive life. She socializes with friends and relatives without feeling like an outcast, and is ready to build a future for herself and her family.

Her children have tested negative for HIV. Beatrice never breastfed her second child on doctors' orders so as to avoid mother-to-child-transmission. But she has no rational explanation as to why her 13-year-old firstborn, Nadine, is HIV negative and simply says: "It is a miracle."

Beatrice actively participates in local and national sensitization campaigns on HIV and AIDS, teaching people how to live with the disease and how to avoid infection in the first place. She is grateful to DWS Rwanda for the training and awareness raising, all of which have enabled her to renew her life and given her hope.

It Is Not a Death Sentence

Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Rwanda Supports Local Groups to Fight AIDS Stigma

"I am sorry I infected you and did not tell you," Innocent Niwsi murmured as he lay dying on his bed. He had summoned the courage to admit to Beatrice, his young, second wife that he was HIV positive and dying. His first wife had also died from an AIDS-related illness.

That was in 2000, when the stigma associated with HIV and AIDS was very high. Niwsi was being treated by a traditional medicine man, which may have accelerated his demise. When Beatrice was finally able to convince her husband to come back home and get proper treatment, provided free at hospitals and health centers across Rwanda, he was already paralyzed, and he passed away shortly afterwards.

Today, 35-year-old Beatrice is a person living with HIV. She married Niwsi when she was just 22 and they had two children, Nadine and Yves. When she was expecting her second child, she started having severe abdominal pains and went to a family planning clinic in the capital, Kigali for a check-up.

While there, the doctors encouraged her to go for counseling and further testing. She was diagnosed as HIV positive, news that hit her so hard that she at first contemplated suicide. But the thought of the impact this would have on her family made her change her mind.

Income Generation

After her husband’s death, the mother of two decided to move to Nyamata in Bugesera district, just half an hour’s drive from Kigali, where she settled in with her mother. Thinking that death was imminent, she preferred to be buried close to her.

Beatrice recalls her first few years in Nyamata, saying she felt like she was "wearing a scarlet letter 'I' for 'infected,’'" as everyone knew her status and avoided her. She was unemployed and living off her mother's small plot that they cultivated together to feed the family.

In 2007 she heard of a local association called Kotwibu, which helps people living with HIV access treatment and other forms of assistance. Upon becoming a member, she received a goat to help her earn some income. The goat was a welcomed gift and it soon reproduced. The sale of the baby goat generated a small income that Beatrice stretched to make ends meet for a while.

Rwanda has an HIV prevalence rate of an estimated three percent in a population of around 9 million people. Kotwibu, remarks Beatrice, is a sign that the AIDS stigma is decreasing in the country, and that there is hope. As an association member, she benefits from resources and benefits such as training programs on HIV prevention, trauma counseling and savings and credit operations, supported by the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Department for World Service (DWS) country program in Rwanda.

She also benefits from medical insurance coverage, learns how to weave baskets, manage a small business, and is encouraged to revitalize her livelihood by selling artifacts produced by the association. She has managed to save some money and plans to increase her savings in order to access credit. In the meantime, she has found a job as a cleaning lady.

Hope

Nine years after diagnosis and despite the difficult and painful experiences, Beatrice is a living testimony that being HIV positive is not a death sentence, and that one can receive treatment and lead a healthy and productive life. She socializes with friends and relatives without feeling like an outcast, and is ready to build a future for herself and her family.

Her children have tested negative for HIV. Beatrice never breastfed her second child on doctors' orders so as to avoid mother-to-child-transmission. But she has no rational explanation as to why her 13-year-old firstborn, Nadine, is HIV negative and simply says: "It is a miracle."

Beatrice actively participates in local and national sensitization campaigns on HIV and AIDS, teaching people how to live with the disease and how to avoid infection in the first place. She is grateful to DWS Rwanda for the training and awareness raising, all of which have enabled her to renew her life and given her hope.

Act Together to Tackle Water Crisis, Faith Groups Urged

African Leaders Warned of Climate Change Impact

Africa's growing water crisis demands leadership and common action among faith groups, says Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko (left), general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF).

In his keynote address to religious leaders and other participants attending the Third Summit of the Inter-Faith Action for Peace in Africa (IFAPA), Noko emphasized that clean water was available to few Africans.

"Envisioning a Peaceful Africa: Water for All," is the theme of the 17-21 November summit in Botswana's capital, Gaborone. The first of its kind to include participation from government and business leaders, the conference is expected to harness future collaboration among stakeholders on peace and development in Africa and address climate change.

"There is an urgent need for the public sector to play an active role in the creation of awareness and education on the correct use of water. Water is a paramount issue. Conflict and peace both hang on this issue. None of the three categories of stakeholders convened in this summit - religious communities, governments and the private sector - can undertake their responsibilities without this essential commodity," said Noko, who is IFAPA's president.

Established in October 2002, the pan-African body focuses on active engagement of religious leaders in conflict resolution and peace building on the continent.

Building Block

Noko reminded the 70 delegates from various faiths and sectors of society about the central place of water in religious practice and belief. "Water is, first and foremost, a primary building block of life, which all religious traditions hold sacred."

He pointed out that "despite the growing water crisis in many parts of Africa, religious leaders and communities [...] appeared to lack awareness of the challenges associated with water resource management and ownership.

"Water certainly qualifies as a common problem in the African context, given the process of desertification in many areas, and the general lack of adequate water source infrastructure and management facilities throughout the continent," he said.

The LWF leader cautioned that the water crisis in Africa was worsening with growing population, increasing industrialization and particularly climate change, which experts predict will hit Africa hardest of all, exposing up to 250 million people to increased water stress and reducing rain-fed farm yields by up to 50 percent by 2020.

"The impact of climate change can also be seen already in the death of rivers in many places in Africa, with once important sources of water for communities and nations having vanished," said Noko.

Water - Our source of Life

The IFAPA summit will launch the Southern Africa Development Community "Mothers' Cry for a Healthy Africa Campaign," following a similar move in East Africa, to affirm women's critical role in issues that deal with peace and security. "In launching this campaign in this region, we are not simply re-stating the facts that make Africa unwell, but we want to do something to change the situation. And this campaign is not only by and for women, but by and for all daughters and sons of Africa," noted Noko.

While reminding delegates that conflicts remained a challenge to the continent’s stability and development, the IFAPA president emphasized that Africa’s future lies in its own hands. "We have always said that poverty in Africa is a contradiction because this continent is rich, very rich. The problem lies in realizing that we Africans have to take the lead in the management and distribution of this wealth for the good of our children and future generations," he added.
Botswana's Minister for Labor and Home Affairs Mr Peter Siele said his government continues to cooperate with faith-based organizations to find solutions to social problems facing the Southern African country.

"Through structures such as the interfaith dialogue in Botswana, religious and faith-based organizations can now speak with one voice and this will greatly facilitate cooperation and dialogue between the government and religious communities," he said.

Act Together to Tackle Water Crisis, Faith Groups Urged

African Leaders Warned of Climate Change Impact

Africa's growing water crisis demands leadership and common action among faith groups, says Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko (left), general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF).

In his keynote address to religious leaders and other participants attending the Third Summit of the Inter-Faith Action for Peace in Africa (IFAPA), Noko emphasized that clean water was available to few Africans.

"Envisioning a Peaceful Africa: Water for All," is the theme of the 17-21 November summit in Botswana's capital, Gaborone. The first of its kind to include participation from government and business leaders, the conference is expected to harness future collaboration among stakeholders on peace and development in Africa and address climate change.

"There is an urgent need for the public sector to play an active role in the creation of awareness and education on the correct use of water. Water is a paramount issue. Conflict and peace both hang on this issue. None of the three categories of stakeholders convened in this summit - religious communities, governments and the private sector - can undertake their responsibilities without this essential commodity," said Noko, who is IFAPA's president.

Established in October 2002, the pan-African body focuses on active engagement of religious leaders in conflict resolution and peace building on the continent.

Building Block

Noko reminded the 70 delegates from various faiths and sectors of society about the central place of water in religious practice and belief. "Water is, first and foremost, a primary building block of life, which all religious traditions hold sacred."

He pointed out that "despite the growing water crisis in many parts of Africa, religious leaders and communities [...] appeared to lack awareness of the challenges associated with water resource management and ownership.

"Water certainly qualifies as a common problem in the African context, given the process of desertification in many areas, and the general lack of adequate water source infrastructure and management facilities throughout the continent," he said.

The LWF leader cautioned that the water crisis in Africa was worsening with growing population, increasing industrialization and particularly climate change, which experts predict will hit Africa hardest of all, exposing up to 250 million people to increased water stress and reducing rain-fed farm yields by up to 50 percent by 2020.

"The impact of climate change can also be seen already in the death of rivers in many places in Africa, with once important sources of water for communities and nations having vanished," said Noko.

Water - Our source of Life

The IFAPA summit will launch the Southern Africa Development Community "Mothers' Cry for a Healthy Africa Campaign," following a similar move in East Africa, to affirm women's critical role in issues that deal with peace and security. "In launching this campaign in this region, we are not simply re-stating the facts that make Africa unwell, but we want to do something to change the situation. And this campaign is not only by and for women, but by and for all daughters and sons of Africa," noted Noko.

While reminding delegates that conflicts remained a challenge to the continent’s stability and development, the IFAPA president emphasized that Africa’s future lies in its own hands. "We have always said that poverty in Africa is a contradiction because this continent is rich, very rich. The problem lies in realizing that we Africans have to take the lead in the management and distribution of this wealth for the good of our children and future generations," he added.
Botswana's Minister for Labor and Home Affairs Mr Peter Siele said his government continues to cooperate with faith-based organizations to find solutions to social problems facing the Southern African country.

"Through structures such as the interfaith dialogue in Botswana, religious and faith-based organizations can now speak with one voice and this will greatly facilitate cooperation and dialogue between the government and religious communities," he said.

Act Together to Tackle Water Crisis, Faith Groups Urged

African Leaders Warned of Climate Change Impact

Africa's growing water crisis demands leadership and common action among faith groups, says Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko (left), general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF).

In his keynote address to religious leaders and other participants attending the Third Summit of the Inter-Faith Action for Peace in Africa (IFAPA), Noko emphasized that clean water was available to few Africans.

"Envisioning a Peaceful Africa: Water for All," is the theme of the 17-21 November summit in Botswana's capital, Gaborone. The first of its kind to include participation from government and business leaders, the conference is expected to harness future collaboration among stakeholders on peace and development in Africa and address climate change.

"There is an urgent need for the public sector to play an active role in the creation of awareness and education on the correct use of water. Water is a paramount issue. Conflict and peace both hang on this issue. None of the three categories of stakeholders convened in this summit - religious communities, governments and the private sector - can undertake their responsibilities without this essential commodity," said Noko, who is IFAPA's president.

Established in October 2002, the pan-African body focuses on active engagement of religious leaders in conflict resolution and peace building on the continent.

Building Block

Noko reminded the 70 delegates from various faiths and sectors of society about the central place of water in religious practice and belief. "Water is, first and foremost, a primary building block of life, which all religious traditions hold sacred."

He pointed out that "despite the growing water crisis in many parts of Africa, religious leaders and communities [...] appeared to lack awareness of the challenges associated with water resource management and ownership.

"Water certainly qualifies as a common problem in the African context, given the process of desertification in many areas, and the general lack of adequate water source infrastructure and management facilities throughout the continent," he said.

The LWF leader cautioned that the water crisis in Africa was worsening with growing population, increasing industrialization and particularly climate change, which experts predict will hit Africa hardest of all, exposing up to 250 million people to increased water stress and reducing rain-fed farm yields by up to 50 percent by 2020.

"The impact of climate change can also be seen already in the death of rivers in many places in Africa, with once important sources of water for communities and nations having vanished," said Noko.

Water - Our source of Life

The IFAPA summit will launch the Southern Africa Development Community "Mothers' Cry for a Healthy Africa Campaign," following a similar move in East Africa, to affirm women's critical role in issues that deal with peace and security. "In launching this campaign in this region, we are not simply re-stating the facts that make Africa unwell, but we want to do something to change the situation. And this campaign is not only by and for women, but by and for all daughters and sons of Africa," noted Noko.

While reminding delegates that conflicts remained a challenge to the continent’s stability and development, the IFAPA president emphasized that Africa’s future lies in its own hands. "We have always said that poverty in Africa is a contradiction because this continent is rich, very rich. The problem lies in realizing that we Africans have to take the lead in the management and distribution of this wealth for the good of our children and future generations," he added.
Botswana's Minister for Labor and Home Affairs Mr Peter Siele said his government continues to cooperate with faith-based organizations to find solutions to social problems facing the Southern African country.

"Through structures such as the interfaith dialogue in Botswana, religious and faith-based organizations can now speak with one voice and this will greatly facilitate cooperation and dialogue between the government and religious communities," he said.

Dialogue between Lutherans and Roman Catholics Has Paid Off‏

"It was one of the most moving days in my life." With these words, the Presiding Bishop of the United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany (VELKD) Bishop Dr Johannes Friedrich (Munich, Germany) recalled the signing of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (JDDJ) between the Lutheran World Federation (LWF)and the Roman Catholic Church ten years ago in Augsburg, Germany.

In his greeting at a festive ceremony on 30 October in the Golden Hall of Augsburg town hall, Friedrich said, "Today we are celebrating the fact that the decades of patient dialogue between Lutherans and Catholics have paid off and we can now together subscribe to a differentiated consensus in the doctrine on justification.

There are thus no longer any church-dividing differences regarding what is for Lutherans the central core of the biblical message." On Reformation Day in 1999, the LWF and the Vatican agreed - In a festive act of worship in Augsburg - that the mutual condemnations on the crucial question of justification, repeated for centuries, were no longer the subject of present teaching in the respective churches.

The World Methodist Council affirmed the JDDJ at their 2006 assembly in Seoul, South Korea. Going beyond theological dialogue, the VELKD presiding bishop emphasized spiritual ecumenism. "All that is already possible in the broad field of spirituality, prayer and worship must be done together to the praise and glory of God."

Friedrich underlined that "with the Joint Declaration we can say together that it is an indispensable criterion seeking to focus all the church’s teaching and practice on Christ." He added that the festive ceremony was an opportunity for “committing ourselves” to open up the message of justification again and again for the present day.

"I am grateful for the opportunity together to recall the importance of the Joint Declaration and to soak up new motivation for ongoing work on the questions it raises." At the ceremony on 30 October, Bishop Dr Walter Mixa of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Augsburg stated in his greeting: “Of course, Augsburg also stands for an eventful history with respect to church unity.

The year 1530, with the Augsburg Confession (Confessio Augustana), marked a final attempt to avoid church division between Roman Catholics and Protestants. Unfortunately this attempt failed. Nevertheless, Augsburg does not just stand there as a city of division but also as a symbol of successful efforts to bring Christians of different denominations closer to one another again.”

In his greeting at the ceremony, Augsburg's Lord Mayor Dr Kurt Gribl emphasized that the day on which the JDDJ was signed ten years ago had been a day of hope for many Christians the world over. This day in 1999 had not represented an ecumenism of the lowest common denominator, but the endeavor to perceive and recognize other confessions in their full form and uniqueness.

Not all hopes had been fulfilled since then or "could be fulfilled in one decade after centuries of separation," said Gribl. Yet "many doors have opened," he added. In other addresses the President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (PCPCU), Walter Cardinal Kasper (Vatican) and LWF General Secretary Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko paid tribute to what the JDDJ had been able to achieve ecumenically.

Prof. em. Eberhard Juengel (Tuebingen) delivered the key note lecture on “What Does Our Happiness Have to Do with Our Blessedness?” He emphasized that “for Christian theology -seen from its core, i.e. the articles on justification - the issue of human happiness is unavoidable.” For Martin Luther, the meaning of "God‘s incarnation was to make true human beings from unhappy, proud gods, to people who recognize that they are sinners dependent on God‘s grace,"stated Juengel.

"The gospel of God's becoming human leads the person wanting to be like God back to the humanity of the homohumanus," Juengel explained. He pointed out that "the content of happiness cannot be pinned down. It is indefinable. Feeling happy is not just another experience, it is one we have along with other experiences - thus an experience with experience."

"Anyone who has found their home in truth," Juengel continued,"will no longer ask questions about something like the meaning of life. For the happy ones, there is no point in asking about meaning." For Juengel, “human happiness consists of being able to say an unqualified yes to oneself and to all that is.

Human blessedness, however, consists in still being able to say yes even when you have reason to complain: Ach ja – you then sigh. The Ach [alas] does not detract from the yes. It does not make it a less absolute yes, but gives it depth.”

The celebrations marking the tenth anniversary of the JDDJ signing will be followed on 31 October by a symposium with lectures by the long-serving bishop of the Evangelical Methodist Church in Germany Dr Walter Klaiber (Tuebingen) and the former chairperson of the German Bishops' Conference Karl Cardinal Lehmann (Mainz). Cardinal Kasper and Dr Noko will give short closing addresses.

The LWF general secretary and the PCPCU president will be the main celebrants at concluding festive ecumenical service in the Augsburg Cathedral, which will be followed by a reception in the Michael Sailer hall.

Dialogue between Lutherans and Roman Catholics Has Paid Off‏

"It was one of the most moving days in my life." With these words, the Presiding Bishop of the United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany (VELKD) Bishop Dr Johannes Friedrich (Munich, Germany) recalled the signing of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (JDDJ) between the Lutheran World Federation (LWF)and the Roman Catholic Church ten years ago in Augsburg, Germany.

In his greeting at a festive ceremony on 30 October in the Golden Hall of Augsburg town hall, Friedrich said, "Today we are celebrating the fact that the decades of patient dialogue between Lutherans and Catholics have paid off and we can now together subscribe to a differentiated consensus in the doctrine on justification.

There are thus no longer any church-dividing differences regarding what is for Lutherans the central core of the biblical message." On Reformation Day in 1999, the LWF and the Vatican agreed - In a festive act of worship in Augsburg - that the mutual condemnations on the crucial question of justification, repeated for centuries, were no longer the subject of present teaching in the respective churches.

The World Methodist Council affirmed the JDDJ at their 2006 assembly in Seoul, South Korea. Going beyond theological dialogue, the VELKD presiding bishop emphasized spiritual ecumenism. "All that is already possible in the broad field of spirituality, prayer and worship must be done together to the praise and glory of God."

Friedrich underlined that "with the Joint Declaration we can say together that it is an indispensable criterion seeking to focus all the church’s teaching and practice on Christ." He added that the festive ceremony was an opportunity for “committing ourselves” to open up the message of justification again and again for the present day.

"I am grateful for the opportunity together to recall the importance of the Joint Declaration and to soak up new motivation for ongoing work on the questions it raises." At the ceremony on 30 October, Bishop Dr Walter Mixa of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Augsburg stated in his greeting: “Of course, Augsburg also stands for an eventful history with respect to church unity.

The year 1530, with the Augsburg Confession (Confessio Augustana), marked a final attempt to avoid church division between Roman Catholics and Protestants. Unfortunately this attempt failed. Nevertheless, Augsburg does not just stand there as a city of division but also as a symbol of successful efforts to bring Christians of different denominations closer to one another again.”

In his greeting at the ceremony, Augsburg's Lord Mayor Dr Kurt Gribl emphasized that the day on which the JDDJ was signed ten years ago had been a day of hope for many Christians the world over. This day in 1999 had not represented an ecumenism of the lowest common denominator, but the endeavor to perceive and recognize other confessions in their full form and uniqueness.

Not all hopes had been fulfilled since then or "could be fulfilled in one decade after centuries of separation," said Gribl. Yet "many doors have opened," he added. In other addresses the President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (PCPCU), Walter Cardinal Kasper (Vatican) and LWF General Secretary Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko paid tribute to what the JDDJ had been able to achieve ecumenically.

Prof. em. Eberhard Juengel (Tuebingen) delivered the key note lecture on “What Does Our Happiness Have to Do with Our Blessedness?” He emphasized that “for Christian theology -seen from its core, i.e. the articles on justification - the issue of human happiness is unavoidable.” For Martin Luther, the meaning of "God‘s incarnation was to make true human beings from unhappy, proud gods, to people who recognize that they are sinners dependent on God‘s grace,"stated Juengel.

"The gospel of God's becoming human leads the person wanting to be like God back to the humanity of the homohumanus," Juengel explained. He pointed out that "the content of happiness cannot be pinned down. It is indefinable. Feeling happy is not just another experience, it is one we have along with other experiences - thus an experience with experience."

"Anyone who has found their home in truth," Juengel continued,"will no longer ask questions about something like the meaning of life. For the happy ones, there is no point in asking about meaning." For Juengel, “human happiness consists of being able to say an unqualified yes to oneself and to all that is.

Human blessedness, however, consists in still being able to say yes even when you have reason to complain: Ach ja – you then sigh. The Ach [alas] does not detract from the yes. It does not make it a less absolute yes, but gives it depth.”

The celebrations marking the tenth anniversary of the JDDJ signing will be followed on 31 October by a symposium with lectures by the long-serving bishop of the Evangelical Methodist Church in Germany Dr Walter Klaiber (Tuebingen) and the former chairperson of the German Bishops' Conference Karl Cardinal Lehmann (Mainz). Cardinal Kasper and Dr Noko will give short closing addresses.

The LWF general secretary and the PCPCU president will be the main celebrants at concluding festive ecumenical service in the Augsburg Cathedral, which will be followed by a reception in the Michael Sailer hall.

Dialogue between Lutherans and Roman Catholics Has Paid Off‏

"It was one of the most moving days in my life." With these words, the Presiding Bishop of the United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany (VELKD) Bishop Dr Johannes Friedrich (Munich, Germany) recalled the signing of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (JDDJ) between the Lutheran World Federation (LWF)and the Roman Catholic Church ten years ago in Augsburg, Germany.

In his greeting at a festive ceremony on 30 October in the Golden Hall of Augsburg town hall, Friedrich said, "Today we are celebrating the fact that the decades of patient dialogue between Lutherans and Catholics have paid off and we can now together subscribe to a differentiated consensus in the doctrine on justification.

There are thus no longer any church-dividing differences regarding what is for Lutherans the central core of the biblical message." On Reformation Day in 1999, the LWF and the Vatican agreed - In a festive act of worship in Augsburg - that the mutual condemnations on the crucial question of justification, repeated for centuries, were no longer the subject of present teaching in the respective churches.

The World Methodist Council affirmed the JDDJ at their 2006 assembly in Seoul, South Korea. Going beyond theological dialogue, the VELKD presiding bishop emphasized spiritual ecumenism. "All that is already possible in the broad field of spirituality, prayer and worship must be done together to the praise and glory of God."

Friedrich underlined that "with the Joint Declaration we can say together that it is an indispensable criterion seeking to focus all the church’s teaching and practice on Christ." He added that the festive ceremony was an opportunity for “committing ourselves” to open up the message of justification again and again for the present day.

"I am grateful for the opportunity together to recall the importance of the Joint Declaration and to soak up new motivation for ongoing work on the questions it raises." At the ceremony on 30 October, Bishop Dr Walter Mixa of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Augsburg stated in his greeting: “Of course, Augsburg also stands for an eventful history with respect to church unity.

The year 1530, with the Augsburg Confession (Confessio Augustana), marked a final attempt to avoid church division between Roman Catholics and Protestants. Unfortunately this attempt failed. Nevertheless, Augsburg does not just stand there as a city of division but also as a symbol of successful efforts to bring Christians of different denominations closer to one another again.”

In his greeting at the ceremony, Augsburg's Lord Mayor Dr Kurt Gribl emphasized that the day on which the JDDJ was signed ten years ago had been a day of hope for many Christians the world over. This day in 1999 had not represented an ecumenism of the lowest common denominator, but the endeavor to perceive and recognize other confessions in their full form and uniqueness.

Not all hopes had been fulfilled since then or "could be fulfilled in one decade after centuries of separation," said Gribl. Yet "many doors have opened," he added. In other addresses the President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (PCPCU), Walter Cardinal Kasper (Vatican) and LWF General Secretary Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko paid tribute to what the JDDJ had been able to achieve ecumenically.

Prof. em. Eberhard Juengel (Tuebingen) delivered the key note lecture on “What Does Our Happiness Have to Do with Our Blessedness?” He emphasized that “for Christian theology -seen from its core, i.e. the articles on justification - the issue of human happiness is unavoidable.” For Martin Luther, the meaning of "God‘s incarnation was to make true human beings from unhappy, proud gods, to people who recognize that they are sinners dependent on God‘s grace,"stated Juengel.

"The gospel of God's becoming human leads the person wanting to be like God back to the humanity of the homohumanus," Juengel explained. He pointed out that "the content of happiness cannot be pinned down. It is indefinable. Feeling happy is not just another experience, it is one we have along with other experiences - thus an experience with experience."

"Anyone who has found their home in truth," Juengel continued,"will no longer ask questions about something like the meaning of life. For the happy ones, there is no point in asking about meaning." For Juengel, “human happiness consists of being able to say an unqualified yes to oneself and to all that is.

Human blessedness, however, consists in still being able to say yes even when you have reason to complain: Ach ja – you then sigh. The Ach [alas] does not detract from the yes. It does not make it a less absolute yes, but gives it depth.”

The celebrations marking the tenth anniversary of the JDDJ signing will be followed on 31 October by a symposium with lectures by the long-serving bishop of the Evangelical Methodist Church in Germany Dr Walter Klaiber (Tuebingen) and the former chairperson of the German Bishops' Conference Karl Cardinal Lehmann (Mainz). Cardinal Kasper and Dr Noko will give short closing addresses.

The LWF general secretary and the PCPCU president will be the main celebrants at concluding festive ecumenical service in the Augsburg Cathedral, which will be followed by a reception in the Michael Sailer hall.

Reformation Sunday Sermon Calls for Truth That Sets Free

LWF President Hanson Affirms Restoration of Human Relationship

During Sunday morning worship on25 October, the President of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Bishop Mark S. Hanson challenged Lutheran church representatives from around the world to tell the story of "the truth that sets free" as they lead the organization into the future.

"The truth that makes you free isn’t some idea you have to discover [nor] some religious proposition to which you must give a cent or some personal decision you must make," Hanson told the LWF Council members in his Sunday morning sermon at the chapel of the Ecumenical Center where the LWF Secretariat is located.

Martin Luther - the man who was at the forefront in Reformation

The LWF governing body began its meeting on 22 October, and will conclude on 27 October. This year’s theme is “Upholding Human Dignity: Confronting Human Trafficking.” The Eucharistic service was celebrated in the context of Reformation Sunday worship. It included a symbolic affirmation of baptism, during which participants dipped their fingers into a bowl of water and made a sign of the cross on the hand of the neighboring person, saying, "Remember you are baptized."

The LWF president said, "The story we tell is about writing anew script," an embodied narrative centered in Jesus, and in God’s reconciling love and mercy. He pointed out that while Christ sets free from bondage to sin, death and the devil, this"liberation is not a kind of release, banishment, sending you out on your own," but rather "forgiveness and your incorporation, your restoration into the abundant life of God's household."

Hanson underlined that great freedoms had been experienced because of curiosity to discover the truth about DNA, distanced galaxies, diseases and what sustains diverse eco systems. However, he explained, an unintended irony that had resulted out of this was that modernism also includes its own skepticism.

He expressed concern that people not only lived in a culture of deception that refused to see the truth, but that "we constructal ternative truth [and] narratives, seemingly so plausible, so believable that we end up deceiving ourselves." Hanson spoke of narratives of economic recovery in the USA based on stock market indices yet unemployment there averaged 10.5percent and over half the world's population lived in poverty.

"We deceive ourselves that our consumption does not destroy the environment, that the Israeli occupation brings security rather than breeds resentment. Or that the perpetuation of white manpower and privilege is some how based upon God's intentions for humanity," he added. He cited some of the stories that could be told about the life and work of the LWF, its Council members and advisers as well as staff, and the implications for freedom and reconciliation.

The 1999 signing of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification between the LWF and the Roman Catholic Church was an act of being released from burdens of condemnation. Similarly,a proposed statement for action on the legacy of Lutheran persecution of "Anabaptist's" which will be considered during the current Council meeting signified healing of memories.

The breaking of the silence on HIV and AIDS is to release people from the chains of stigmatization and discrimination, restoring them to life in community, the LWF president explained. He described reflections at the June 2008 Council meeting in Tanzania under the theme "Melting Snow on Mount Kilimanjaro: Witness of a Suffering Creation," and the symbolic climate change action of forming the figure '350' at a morning prayer on 24th October, as a call "for the release of creation from our destructive consumption and to restore sustainability to life."

Equally important are faith reflections on gender and power,signifying God’s restoration of human relationships that are“not based upon domination and male power and privilege.” Hanson said he had cited these examples as part of story that needed to be told, as it was "the story of God incarnation in Jesus Christ, the story of God’s reconciliation and forgiveness, the story of our continuing reformation."

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Reformation Sunday Sermon Calls for Truth That Sets Free

LWF President Hanson Affirms Restoration of Human Relationship

During Sunday morning worship on25 October, the President of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Bishop Mark S. Hanson challenged Lutheran church representatives from around the world to tell the story of "the truth that sets free" as they lead the organization into the future.

"The truth that makes you free isn’t some idea you have to discover [nor] some religious proposition to which you must give a cent or some personal decision you must make," Hanson told the LWF Council members in his Sunday morning sermon at the chapel of the Ecumenical Center where the LWF Secretariat is located.

Martin Luther - the man who was at the forefront in Reformation

The LWF governing body began its meeting on 22 October, and will conclude on 27 October. This year’s theme is “Upholding Human Dignity: Confronting Human Trafficking.” The Eucharistic service was celebrated in the context of Reformation Sunday worship. It included a symbolic affirmation of baptism, during which participants dipped their fingers into a bowl of water and made a sign of the cross on the hand of the neighboring person, saying, "Remember you are baptized."

The LWF president said, "The story we tell is about writing anew script," an embodied narrative centered in Jesus, and in God’s reconciling love and mercy. He pointed out that while Christ sets free from bondage to sin, death and the devil, this"liberation is not a kind of release, banishment, sending you out on your own," but rather "forgiveness and your incorporation, your restoration into the abundant life of God's household."

Hanson underlined that great freedoms had been experienced because of curiosity to discover the truth about DNA, distanced galaxies, diseases and what sustains diverse eco systems. However, he explained, an unintended irony that had resulted out of this was that modernism also includes its own skepticism.

He expressed concern that people not only lived in a culture of deception that refused to see the truth, but that "we constructal ternative truth [and] narratives, seemingly so plausible, so believable that we end up deceiving ourselves." Hanson spoke of narratives of economic recovery in the USA based on stock market indices yet unemployment there averaged 10.5percent and over half the world's population lived in poverty.

"We deceive ourselves that our consumption does not destroy the environment, that the Israeli occupation brings security rather than breeds resentment. Or that the perpetuation of white manpower and privilege is some how based upon God's intentions for humanity," he added. He cited some of the stories that could be told about the life and work of the LWF, its Council members and advisers as well as staff, and the implications for freedom and reconciliation.

The 1999 signing of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification between the LWF and the Roman Catholic Church was an act of being released from burdens of condemnation. Similarly,a proposed statement for action on the legacy of Lutheran persecution of "Anabaptist's" which will be considered during the current Council meeting signified healing of memories.

The breaking of the silence on HIV and AIDS is to release people from the chains of stigmatization and discrimination, restoring them to life in community, the LWF president explained. He described reflections at the June 2008 Council meeting in Tanzania under the theme "Melting Snow on Mount Kilimanjaro: Witness of a Suffering Creation," and the symbolic climate change action of forming the figure '350' at a morning prayer on 24th October, as a call "for the release of creation from our destructive consumption and to restore sustainability to life."

Equally important are faith reflections on gender and power,signifying God’s restoration of human relationships that are“not based upon domination and male power and privilege.” Hanson said he had cited these examples as part of story that needed to be told, as it was "the story of God incarnation in Jesus Christ, the story of God’s reconciliation and forgiveness, the story of our continuing reformation."

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Reformation Sunday Sermon Calls for Truth That Sets Free

LWF President Hanson Affirms Restoration of Human Relationship

During Sunday morning worship on25 October, the President of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Bishop Mark S. Hanson challenged Lutheran church representatives from around the world to tell the story of "the truth that sets free" as they lead the organization into the future.

"The truth that makes you free isn’t some idea you have to discover [nor] some religious proposition to which you must give a cent or some personal decision you must make," Hanson told the LWF Council members in his Sunday morning sermon at the chapel of the Ecumenical Center where the LWF Secretariat is located.

Martin Luther - the man who was at the forefront in Reformation

The LWF governing body began its meeting on 22 October, and will conclude on 27 October. This year’s theme is “Upholding Human Dignity: Confronting Human Trafficking.” The Eucharistic service was celebrated in the context of Reformation Sunday worship. It included a symbolic affirmation of baptism, during which participants dipped their fingers into a bowl of water and made a sign of the cross on the hand of the neighboring person, saying, "Remember you are baptized."

The LWF president said, "The story we tell is about writing anew script," an embodied narrative centered in Jesus, and in God’s reconciling love and mercy. He pointed out that while Christ sets free from bondage to sin, death and the devil, this"liberation is not a kind of release, banishment, sending you out on your own," but rather "forgiveness and your incorporation, your restoration into the abundant life of God's household."

Hanson underlined that great freedoms had been experienced because of curiosity to discover the truth about DNA, distanced galaxies, diseases and what sustains diverse eco systems. However, he explained, an unintended irony that had resulted out of this was that modernism also includes its own skepticism.

He expressed concern that people not only lived in a culture of deception that refused to see the truth, but that "we constructal ternative truth [and] narratives, seemingly so plausible, so believable that we end up deceiving ourselves." Hanson spoke of narratives of economic recovery in the USA based on stock market indices yet unemployment there averaged 10.5percent and over half the world's population lived in poverty.

"We deceive ourselves that our consumption does not destroy the environment, that the Israeli occupation brings security rather than breeds resentment. Or that the perpetuation of white manpower and privilege is some how based upon God's intentions for humanity," he added. He cited some of the stories that could be told about the life and work of the LWF, its Council members and advisers as well as staff, and the implications for freedom and reconciliation.

The 1999 signing of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification between the LWF and the Roman Catholic Church was an act of being released from burdens of condemnation. Similarly,a proposed statement for action on the legacy of Lutheran persecution of "Anabaptist's" which will be considered during the current Council meeting signified healing of memories.

The breaking of the silence on HIV and AIDS is to release people from the chains of stigmatization and discrimination, restoring them to life in community, the LWF president explained. He described reflections at the June 2008 Council meeting in Tanzania under the theme "Melting Snow on Mount Kilimanjaro: Witness of a Suffering Creation," and the symbolic climate change action of forming the figure '350' at a morning prayer on 24th October, as a call "for the release of creation from our destructive consumption and to restore sustainability to life."

Equally important are faith reflections on gender and power,signifying God’s restoration of human relationships that are“not based upon domination and male power and privilege.” Hanson said he had cited these examples as part of story that needed to be told, as it was "the story of God incarnation in Jesus Christ, the story of God’s reconciliation and forgiveness, the story of our continuing reformation."

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