Category Archives: Spirituality

The final stretch of the journey of LWF together

Posted on October 24, 2011 by | Leave a comment

A journey is nearing its end. Many of the participants are going to end it with prayer and a celebration.

It was a journey that brought together 100 groups of young people from different places in the world. There were many exchanges on biblical texts and how young people see current problems – surrounding the environment and  justice.

This journey was not always easy. Some groups lost momentum and stopped meeting. The contact between groups was difficult in most cases; it is just not easy to communicate with people you have never met, in a language which is not your native one and using the Internet.

Next Sunday, Reformation Sunday, many groups are going to talk about LWF together in the worship services of their congregations. And they are all going to pray for the partner groups.

We are also going to use this week in order to discuss about the future of LWF together. Tomorrow, there will be a post on some ideas for next year’s program and your comments on it.  Later this week, we are also going to invite applications for coordinators of the program.

So, stay tuned for a week of conversation about LWF together, leading up to the Reformation Day finale.

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Posted in Enviroment, Faith, Justice, LWF, LWF together - the earth needs you, Spirituality, Youth, Youth Ministry, Youth participation

Peace starts with us!

Posted on May 23, 2011 by | 1 Comment

Introduction to the WCC IEPC and Peace with the Earth

Greetings from Kingston, Jamaica! We are participating in the World Council of Churches (WCC) International Ecumenical Peace Convocation (IEPC) along with about 1000 people from around the world and WCC member churches.

The theme of the convocation is “Glory to God and Peace on Earth.” The main objectives for the IEPC are many, but most broadly:

  1. Sharing inspirations and reflections
  2. Network-building, strategy development and other actions.

This is a harvesting event and celebration for the Decade to Overcome Violence. This is not a decision-making body, but rather a group that will crystallize emerging peace issues on the way to the 2013 WCC Assembly in Busan, South Korea.

The four themes of our days together are:

  1. Peace in the Community
  2. Peace with the Earth
  3. Peace in the Marketplace
  4. Peace Among the Peoples.

Today, we will focus on Peace with the Earth.

Part of our life together at the convocation includes bible study. The text for “Peace with the Earth” is Isaiah 11:6-9. Take a look at the text. Share it with your friends. To start your conversation, here are two questions:

What does the ‘knowledge of the Lord’ refer to in this passage?
Is the world painted in this passage possible?

In the daily plenary, the focus was to: Raise awareness on the various threats to creation, present churches’ statements and actions addressing caring for creation, offer theological and spiritual insights from various religious perspectives on peace and creation, and share practical examples on what churches can do on peace with the earth.

As three young people from the LWF, we felt connected to this work, since this same theme, sustainability (with a focus on climate change and food security) was expressed as an emerging issue among the youth at the 2010 Lutheran World Federation (LWF) assembly. Currently, groups of young people from around the LWF communion are reflecting together on bible texts that relate to this theme. Groups are sharing with one another through the worldwide web—a very “green” option!

One of the objectives of LWF Together is to use the outcomes from the bible studies and reflections to work toward sustainability in your own community. Peace with the earth begins with us!

For more information visit www.lwfyouth.org.

In a d’ Lates (Compliments of Peter Powell, Campus Security),

Daniele, Mikka and Sanna

P.S. Come back again soon! During the week, we will take turns reflecting on the remaining three themes.

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Posted in Africa, Asia/Pacific, Church, Ecumenism, Enviroment, Europe, Faith, Justice, Latin America/Carribean, Life, LWF, LWF together - the earth needs you, Middle East, North America, Spirituality, Youth participation

Youth refuse to fulfill quotas…

Posted on April 7, 2011 by | Leave a comment

…but want to participate in the life of the global communion. This is one of the many challenging statements that were given today by young leaders participating in the LWF African Leadership Consultation in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Young people also highlighted the continuing plight of unemployment for many young people. They strongly advised the present church leadership to prioritize the issue if they don’ want to risk an estrangement of young people in their churches.

The young leaders also spoke to the way they see leadership. It should be free of any kind of corruption, free of “leadership conflicts, power struggles, external forces, repression of staff members (conflict managements), nepotism, tribalism … etc.”

Please read the full text of the thought-provoking and challenging message here or as pdf. Continue reading →

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Posted in Africa, Church, Evangelism, Faith, HIV/Aids, Justice, LWF, Poverty, Poverty/Affluence, Spirituality, Youth, Youth Ministry, Youth participation

Praying for Egypt

Posted on February 3, 2011 by | 2 Comments

Our friends from the World Student Christian Federation have invited their members to pray for Egypt and the young people there who are on the streets. Perhaps, we can join. Here is the call by Christine Housel, WSCF General Secretary:

The World Student Christian Federation invites you to join together infasting (skipping lunch or another meal) and prayer tomorrow,Friday, 04 February, 2011, at 12 noon for Egypt.

We will send our prayers to God in our own languages and traditions, and in our own time zones, thereby holding a concerted prayer vigil that will go throughout the day and reflect the diversity of our ecumenical family.

 

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Posted in Asia/Pacific, Church, Ecumenism, Spirituality

Win a trip to Jamaica – and other opportunities for young Christians

Posted on November 26, 2010 by | 1 Comment

The World Council of Churches organizes an International Ecumenical Peace Convocation in Jamaica in May 2011.  Here are some opportunities for young people: Continue reading →

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Posted in Latin America/Carribean, Spirituality, Youth, Youth Ministry, Youth participation

Hungarian Youth: Acting locally, acting globally

Posted on November 2, 2010 by | Leave a comment

by Dénes Horváth-Hegyi

An already five-year-long initiative in Budapest, Hungary, the Thomas Mass (Tamás Mise) borrows for the season 2010-2011 the thematic of the LWF 11th Assembly: „Give Us Today Our Daily Bread”. Rooted from Finland, the youth service uses unconventional liturgical forms to persuade outsiders that Church is able to mediate traditional christian values in a clear, comprehensible and effective way.

The appellation derives from Doubting Thomas, Jesus’ famous disciple who could believe the Resurrection only by touching and seeing. As Jesus finally let him touch his wounds, animators of the Thomas Mass let also participants experience the Gospel not only through the speech and the communion, but through many different interactive tools such as multimedia, creative animations and modernized hymns.

As the „threshold stimulus” of the Youth of today is getting higher and higher in our continuously developing world, Church can not afford ignoring modern forms. Many young people don’t even think of entering God’s house because of the society’s negative stigmatization of the Church which is usually considered as „boring”, „old-fashioned” and „totally not cool”. Also called „the searchers’ service”, Thomas Mass is an amazing initiative to break these stereotypes against the people of Christ. In a country like Hungary, where the Bible’s teaching and the faith were systematically destroyed by atheist ideas during 40 years (in communist times), Christians need to fight against Church-related prejudices after all.

The Lutheran Church in Hungary has fruitful relationships among others with Finnish congregations, and the presence of Thomas Mass shows clearly how ideas from one Church to another infiltrate by brother-like exchanges – without borders. The alternative youth worship is run by the cooperation of six congregations in Budapest, and being brought into effect in several other Lutheran communion in the countryside.

Each time that gathers (every second months) the congregation of the Thomas Mass aims to advocate with his donations a group of indigent people. October’s offering (for the second time) has been sent to children living in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya. (The Daily Bread was the first theme of the season – according to the order of words of the Hungarian translation of Our Father, and referring to the Harvest Thanksgiving.)

We, the animators of the Thomas Mass, hope to become with our enthusiasm credible lights of the gospel so that to make „the doubting Youth” experience the salvation of our Christ. We ask the Lutheran youth of the world to pray for our efforts!

Dénes Horváth-Hegyi

is part of the Thomas Mass animation group

based in Budapest, Hungary

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Posted in Church, Europe, Faith, Life, LWF, Spirituality, Youth, Youth Ministry, Youth participation

Your people are my people! Work and worship in Stuttgart!

Posted on July 21, 2010 by | Leave a comment

After a week in Dresden and a weekend knee-deep in our shared Lutheran history, the participants of the Youth Pre-Assembly arrived in Stuttgart ready to get to work. While some of us are serving as stewards and some as delegates, we all came together yesterday afternoon in the Stiftskirche for a joyful worship service. The church was already crowded with cameras as more and more of our brothers and sisters from around the world found spaces in the crowded pews. In a beautiful, brass orchestra accompanied nod to our collective past worship opened with the always rousing A might fortress is our God. Our first reading was the story of Ruth, who clung to Naomi and promised, “Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; you people shall be my people, and your God my God.” In a service full of moments sure to be carried in our hearts throughout the assembly, we affirmed our faith with the words of Ruth:

God creates all humanity with many languages, cultures, hopes, but one in love.

Your people will be my people. Give us today our daily bread.

Christ reconciles those who are far and those who are near throught the cross.

Christ feeds all the hungry at his table.

Christ opens the door to all who knock.

In Christ we are sisters and brothers.

Your God will be my God. Give us today our daily bread.

The Spirit draws us close into an ever-widening belonging. Even the gleaners are welcomed into the household.

Your people will be my people and your God my God. Give us today our daily bread.

We continued to echo these words throughout our prayers of intercession. We were asked to turn to one another and make Ruth’s promise to our neighbor. As we youth continue to bring our message of sustainability, gender justice, and the role of youth in enhancing the visibility of the LWF, let us live out Ruth’s promise.

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Posted in Church, Ecumenism, Faith, LWF, Spirituality

Contextual theology: a critique

Posted on July 14, 2010 by | 1 Comment

By Rev. Jared Magero, Kenya

Karen Bloomquist is an ordained pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, where she has been professor of theology. She has also served as Director of the LWF Department of Theology and Studies.  Today she presented a workshop on doing theology contextually.

I commend Karen for giving clear meaning of what it means to contextualize the message of God. According to her, to contextualize is a process of assigning meaning as means of interpreting the environment within which a text or action is executed. The term includes all that is implied in indigenization or inculturation, but also seeks also to include the realities of contemporary, secularity, technology, and the struggle for human justice. She said that theology is more than studying the doctrines that emanates from the bible, is more than ethical reflection, but it is living, dying and being damned, it is to raise questions amidst actions, it is translating what is learnt from seminaries to the present context, adding that theology needs to be dialogical, reconceptualized and interactive.

As it stands today while contextualizing theology, particular social, cultural and ecological situations must be put into account, because interpretation of Christianity’s shape and content interacts with a large number of factors in the context within which they are created.

I accept and agree with Karen that, there is dire need for contextualization in a way that it gives meaning to the present generation. But as Lutherans we have to remember that we are traditional, we are evangelical and we are reformers. We need not run away from our slogan which made us what we are, the sola scriptura which is the norma normans of all our understanding in matters that appertains to salvation of all our souls. In my own opinion, doing theology contextually should not give us room de-link from the truth of the scripture. We need to strive that we give answers to the presently emerging questions and problems without necessarily interfering with the sola scriptura slogan for it is our only pride we have; it gives us our identity.

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Posted in Africa, Church, Spirituality

Tagged

Pre-Assembly Youth Conference – Some participants: Martin Ignacio Diaz Velasquez

Posted on June 23, 2010 by | Leave a comment

Martin Ignacio Diaz Velasquez from San Salvador, El Salvador , represent the Salvadoran Lutheran Church.

What do you wish for in Germany 2010?

I hope that the global communion of our Church at this meeting can strengthen us as young and have a good vision for the future of our church from the experience he had in the assembly.

What are your responsibilities at the Church?

My role in the Church is basically the communications of the youth council, in addition to represent the church in various ecumenical and political spaces, including the representation of the youth of the church in the government.  In the secular spaces of an organization of young artists, called JAC (Youth in favor of Contemporary Arts), because I  write poetry and paint.

What other things do you like to do (sports, hobbies, etc.)?

I like writing poetry and painting, I love art and culture in general,
this year won the second prize honors at the national youth poetry.

What is your favorite verse in the bible?

Romans, 12 1-2 : “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will”.

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Posted in Church, Latin America/Carribean, Life, LWF, Spirituality, Youth, Youth Ministry, Youth participation

African Youth Assume Leadership Roles

Posted on April 6, 2010 by | 2 Comments

During the Africa Pre-Assembly and Church Leadership Consultation in Abuja, Nigeria, young participants representing the LWF member churches in Africa wrote about his experiences, calling for leadership in their communities – read the message below. You can also read the original text here.

Presenting the youth message at the 24-28 March Africa Pre-Assembly and Church Leadership Consultation in Abuja, Nigeria, youth representatives of  The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) member churches in Africa are calling on the continent’s church leadership to accord young adults their rightful place and participation in order to enhance better development of the church.  The 22 young men and women reiterated that the youth in any human society represent the strength and future of humanity.

Their message was based on a one-day consultation held prior to the pre-assembly opening in Abuja. The concerns deliberated included information dissemination by the LWF; roles allocated to youth in the church; leadership conflicts and Christian responsibilities in the church; human sexuality; climate change and food security; and solidarity with youth from the Lutheran Communion in Southern Africa with regard to Word Cup 2010.

The young adults called for recognition and attention within the churches as they play major roles in evangelism and in Bible study and Sunday school teaching. They urged the LWF to ensure implementation especially in Africa of the 1990 Curitiba Assembly decision to have 20 percent participation of young people in the communion’s decision-making processes.

Human trafficking is dehumanizing in all manifestations, insisted the African Lutheran youth representatives. In calling the churches’ attention and action to this issue, the young adults noted that the strongest reason behind human trafficking was poverty and ignorance.

On food insecurity, the youth representatives encouraged engagement in agricultural activities such as dry season farming in order to alleviate the challenges of poverty. It is also important to organize awareness campaigns to provide people with more information and knowledge about the effects of deforestation. Tree planting should be prioritized in arid areas to reduce drought, desertification and flooding, they said.

They said they expected leaders of the LWF member churches in Africa to make efforts at breaking the spirit of division resulting in leadership conflicts, and in building a communion of unity and mutual solidarity among the continent’s churches.

The youth called for “clear leadership on the issue of marriage, family life and human sexuality for our further discussion on this crucial issue.”

To learn more about the Youth Pre -Assemblies visit the site of the LWF Eleventh Assembly.

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Posted in Africa, Church, Faith, Life, LWF, Spirituality, Youth, Youth Ministry, Youth participation