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On the way to eco-justice

November 29, 2011 in Ecological Justice, LWF together - the earth needs you

How can we get closer to ecological justice? Just asking this questions is not enough for 32 young Christians gathering in Durban, South Africa, since Sunday. They are part of Youth for Eco-Justice (or Y4EJ), a program jointly organized by the World Council of Churches and the Lutheran World Federation.

The training aims at empowering the young participants and their communities to get even stronger in their efforts to achieve more justice among human beings and between humanity and nature. The participants use events around the Durban Climate Change Summit (COP 17 of UNFCC) to learn more and then to plan concrete actions for their home contexts.

For the 8 Lutheran participants it is at the same time the conclusion of the 2011 LWF together - the earth needs you.

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Peacemakers wanted!

November 10, 2011 in Life

German churches invite young people to a Peace Academy in Dresden, Germany, around Pentecost 2012 (25-28 May). This international gathering of young people from 16-27 years old explores themes of peace and reconciliation globally. They are also going to present approaches how peace can be achieved, like de-escalation classes.

The academy invites people from Germany but this year especially from other countries. For participants from outside Germany, there is no attendance fee and even a travel subsidy may be paid.

For more information look at this flyer (pdf) and visit the homepage.

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Ideas for LWF together in 2012

October 25, 2011 in LWF together - the earth needs you, Youth, Youth Ministry, Youth participation


It was an experiment. For the first time, the Lutheran World Federation invited youth groups around the world to share their hopes and dreams by partnering to groups in other parts of the world (as you can see in the short video above).

But how can this experiment move on and take on concerns that were raised? Here is the idea.

More languages actively supported: The last guide book is already available in five languages. Besides that, there would be volunteer language coordinators for six languages or so who would help run the program and are able to support the youth groups in their respective languages.

Not one, but three programs: There would be three different types of LWF together:

  • LWF together intensive: This is similar to the setup in 2011. Three youth groups from different continents work together for a longer period of time. This form is for groups that have a better endurance but will be rewarded with friendships and deep learning.
  • LWF together camp: In the Lutheran communion, there are many youth ministries that organize camps of different sorts: Some just for a weekend, others for several weeks. In this segment, LWF provides resources for leaders of camps in order to help them prepare their programs and offer a way to connect their work with the wider communion.
  • LWF together action: Every month or so, a youth group suggests an action that they are doing in their own context. That might waste cleaning, a special worship service or something completely different. They are inviting other youth groups to do the same in their context. This way, ideas and concrete actions spread around the world.
These are some of the ideas we are discussing. It would be great if you could give your input below. What do you think about these ideas for the LWF together next year?

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The final stretch of the journey of LWF together

October 24, 2011 in Enviroment, Faith, Justice, LWF, LWF together - the earth needs you, Spirituality, Youth, Youth Ministry, Youth participation

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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