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West African youth active for gender justice

July 21, 2011 in Africa, Gender justice, Justice, LWF, Poverty, Poverty/Affluence, Youth, Youth participation

The Lutheran Communion in West Africa (LUCCWA) has just ended their seminar on Gender Equality and Economic Justice. Here is the important contribution of the young participants:

Theme: Sustainable Gender equality- the path way to alleviate Poverty in Africa.

We the Youths of this Region strongly believes that if our Churches will get engage into programs that are in line with Sustainable Gender equality poverty will be alleviated in our sub-region.

The Church is the body of Christ that God Himself has commissioned and mandated to manifest His will for man here on earth.

In line with the above mentioned, after extensive deliberations and information on the above subject, the following positions are taken:

1. That the Lutheran Churches use the word of God as a standard yard-stick to inform the society that both Men and Women were created equally by God in His own image to be channels of blessing to mankind. Galatians 3:28

2. That Girl-child is encouraged to appreciate quality education as a pre-requisite toward facing the challenges of the society just as the opposite sex.

3. That the Advocacy Programs of our Lutheran Churches be done in collaboration with Traditional Institutions, to condemn in totality the practices of Gender Inequality in our society.

4. The Church should initiate Economic Empowerment and Skill acquisition programs/projects for Young people and mostly rural Women to develop and alleviate their poverty level.

Faithfully Submitted:

A. Elijah Zina – Liberia
Mfonobong S. Archibong- Nigeria
Wanwu Gray – Liberia
Christopher Ephraim- Nigeria
Doyambe Laonon- Cameroon

 

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What are missionaries?

July 13, 2011 in Africa, Church, Ecumenism, Evangelism, Justice, LWF, North America

This is a guest post by Brian Kokol, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa (short bio at the bottom).

Every two years, longer-term Global Mission personnel of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) engage in “Home Assignment”, which includes two months of visits alongside congregations, universities, and a variety of other organizations throughout the United States. Among other things, Home Assignment is meant to produce a dynamic dialogue surrounding what God appears to be doing around the world, and a result, animate a heightened awareness that mission takes place everywhere and involves everyone.

After two months of driving, flying, speaking, listening, backpack living, hospitality receiving, and Lutheran pot-luck consuming, the following are some lessons learned: Read the rest of this entry →

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Become a eco-justice change maker!

July 6, 2011 in Africa, Church, Ecumenism, Enviroment, Justice, Life, LWF together - the earth needs you, UN

If you are really concerned about injustices around climate change and the ecology world wide, this program might be exactly for you.

The Water Network in the World Council of Churches and the LWF youth desk organize together a multiplier training. Youth for Eco-Justice is a transformational leadership training program for change makers in churches and faith-based organizations worldwide. It starts with a two-week training and immersion in the context of the international climate change negotiations (COP 17) in Durban, South Africa (26 November - 10 December 2011). The participants will initiate and implement a project in their home context in the months following the seminar on a volunteer basis.

For us, this obviously directly connects with LWF together - the earth needs you and is meant for participants who want to bring their contribution to a global stage and dig deeper at the same time.

You can read more information here and apply online here.

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Peace starts with us!

May 23, 2011 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

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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