Australian missionaries and Korea

The Presbyterian Church of Victoria sent J.H. Davies as a missionary to Korea in 1889, and many others followed. Missionary work was conducted in three main areas: mission schools, hospitals, and the church. Western style hospitals contributed to breaking the social hierarchy, as everybody could receive treatment at the hospitals. The missionaries also established schools to enhance education and teach the Bible. These schools contributed to the development of modern society in Korea.

Rev Dr John Brown, a retired minister in the Uniting Church in Australia, served for many years in Korea, and is attending the WCC. It was good to see him today. He tells me he is registered as one of the Korean delegates, such is the sense of connection with the Korean churches.

Bible study 2 - November 1

Today's Bible Study is on Amos 5:14-24, titled Roll Justice. Appropriate play on the word roll, as in let justice roll down, as well as a drum roll. Animated conversation with a feisty Amos teleported from the 8th century to the 21st century. Great way to tell the story. The questions for discussion: do you identify yourself as a drummer/prophet? Name 2 issues you want to drum about in your context. What can you do to drum up support for justice to roll down like waters and righteousness like an overflowing stream?

The Pacific Islands delegates are providing the music support with traditional drums.
During the feedback from group discussions, the facilitator on stage couldn't hear the feedback from the people so had to come 'among the people', which prophet 'Amos' leaped on as a key learning for a prophet - to come down from on high and be among the people.

(The Bible Studies are available to download from the WCC website)

Ecumenical converation - Day 2 (October 31)

There are 21 ecumenical conversations offered at this WCC Assembly, each taking place over four days. The topic I have chosen is Compelled to serve: the diaconal church in a rapidly changing world. The ecumenical conversation was well organized and tightly structured. I had been asked to be a leader of one of the small groups and the running sheet was carefully detailed. 

The abstract for this particular ecumenical conversation on diakonia is: 

The global context in which churches and specialized ministries ('agencies') work for solidarity and sustainable development is rapidly changing and significantly affects how we engage in sustainable development through diakonia (Christian service). These changes include new demographics (youth); communication technologies; geo-political-financial power shifts; private sector and military as new actors; changed global development architecture; shrinking political space for civil society; interreligious opportunities and challenges; neo-liberal economics and climate change. Responses of the ecumenical movement in the past that have effectively provided solidarity, accompaniment and resources now require new thinking, new approaches and new patterns of cooperation. This conversation invites deep analysis of this changing development paradigm, in which the ecumenical movement is compelled to engage and to witness for and serve God. The sessions will provide a space for theological, ecclesiological and practical reflection on how these change factors affect churches and specialized agencies. Focus will be on the risks, opportunities and new patterns of co-operation. The expected outcome is that we leave the conversation with a deepened understanding that being a diaconal church is not something added but something at the heart of being church together. We will identify together six points of affirmations and/or challenges on how we can better integrate the working relationship between churches and the specialized ministries so that they are mutually beneficial, collaborative and constructive.

On Day 1, there were two speakers who addressed the changing global contexts which impact and inform new paradigms of diakonia and of development. These presentations were aimed to help participants better understand the key elements of a complex environment which most affect and challenge the work we are called to do. They also were asked to give their own definitions of diakonia, development, and changing paradigms of development.

The first was Dr Julia Duchrow, head of Human Rights and Peace desk of the organisation Bread for the World, based in Berlin, Germany. She spoke about some of the existing and emerging trends – the growth in emerging economies (in ‘developing’ countries), the ongoing and enormous disparities in ‘developing’ countries with first world countries. The negative impact of climate change which will guarantee that poverty will continue to rise in the future. She said her organisation was guided by the imperative of holding up human dignity, and promoting sustainability. She noted a concern that there were a significant number of private companies involved in activities in developing countries, with evidence of a greater number of human rights violations and a problem in accountability mechanisms. There was a significantly greater risk that human rights would be violated as a result of the activities of these private companies.

The second speaker was Dr Shushant Agrawal from India, whose work is with CASA, Church’s Auxiliary for Social Action. His was a free-ranging conversation, spoken with conviction and passion. He made the point that diakonia is not a business but a fundamental mission of the church. In the language of many organisations in Europe I have noticed that ‘diakonia’ has been used to describe the work of agencies providing social aid of many kinds, so in some ways describes the activities of these agencies but is disconnected from an understanding of diakonia as core to the church’s self-understanding. Many of the church agencies undertaking work that relates to aid and development are theoretically church based, but largely act independently and do not have a theological framework for their diakonia work.

Following the two speakers, small groups were asked to identify any gaps or other influences from the changing context which they felt had not been addressed but needed to be named, to identify 2 specific impacdts that these changes have for development and diaconal work in our particular contexts, and to identify 2 implications for cooperation in our service to the rapidly changing world for churches, specialised ministries (agencies) and the WCC. All in 18 minutes! It felt like ‘speed dating’, with strangers in the group quickly trying to address the issues when we knew nothing of each other or our contexts (we only had the briefest of time to introduce ourselves and where we were based). Of course, each group began the process, but it felt like skipping on the surface. My problem with this approach is that it seems that the final result may be summarised into a paper that has come from the group’s efforts, but does not truly reflect the depth of understanding that could be possible. At best, the questions service as a catalyst for ongoing thinking but ineffective to get the most out of the participants. Each group wrote a quick summary of discussion, but not all groups were able to feedback, so the rapporteur will be limited in what they can gather from the group’s discussion. I’ll be interested to see what she comes up with at the end! Her task is to prepare a short narrative report (3-4 pages) and key recommendations to the churches, ecumenical partners and the WCC.

Two new insights I’d like to explore further.

The first speaker spoke about ‘shrinking political space of civil society action’, which was in the ACT Alliance report (ACT Alliance is a global membership based alliance of churches and specialized ministries for Humanitarian Aid, Transformational Development and Advocacy). The ‘shrinking political space of civil society action’ recognizes the significantly smaller opportunities for churches and agencies to be involved in and comment in the political arena. This is concerning (and the opposite to the hopeful framing by Dr Chris Baker at a recent conference on the post-secular city in which he said there were now greater opportunities for engagement in the public and political arena, and that churches may be seen as one of the partners in civil society. More thinking and exploring to be done in this area.

The other insight was provided by James in my small group who works with a Lutheran Aid organisation in the UK. He said there is a bill before Parliament which, if passed, will make it illegal for churches and charity groups and agencies to participate in the political debates in the public arena. This is most disturbing and I will talk with James further about this. I wondered if politicians in other places including Australia are aware of this proposed legislation, and how effectively the church as the ‘irritant’ in the public arena could be shut down from participating in public debate and contributing to thinking in the political arena. Disturbing.

The Early exit today. Skipping the regional meetings. Nice to have a chance to write up reflections and process the day rather than go to bed exhausted.

Business plenary - Day 2 (October 31)

Back to K58 in the meeting hall. Not a lot to report from this session. Waiting for robust discussion and debate, but all seems fairly procedural up to date. And as an ecumenical delegate I'm not able to participate so it's interesting to be an observer. 

Theme plenary - day 2 (October 31)

President of the Republic of Korea

Three key speakers, and a young woman asking insightful questions of each one

We all had to be around at the auditorium and seated by 10.40am, as the Prime Minister of the Republic of South Korea was to be present and address the Assembly. Metal detectors and security in place. His speech was meaningful (acknowledging role of Church in Korea including missionaries). But it was brief, as was his visit. He left straight afterwards.
The plenary had three key speakers briefly address the Assembly. The first speaker was impressive - working on HIV/AIDS in Africa, and passionately advocating for the rights of people to access drugs without the prohibitive prices drug companies used to charge. After the three speakers' presentations, a young theologian from Germany was introduced. Her father is a German Christian, and her mother a Buddhist from Thailand – she claims her diverse cultural heritage with pride, and as a symbol of the changing global context. The 'hyphen' generation. She had three questions to ask each of the speakers. She was superb – intelligent, strong, passionate. I'll add to this post when I collect the details of the speakers. I'd like to see more use of powerpoint to introduce the names of speakers, because it's not always clear to me who people are (maybe more familiar to those who are 'members' of WCC who might be more conversant with the people?).

Morning prayer and Bible Study - Day 2 (October 31)

Decided to leave the hotel early and head over to Bexco. Had a chat with Andrew Dutney on the same bus. In a crowd of several thousand, it's not always easy to spot familiar faces, so it was good to chat. We were reminded of Facebook photos of Deidre Palmer's installation as Moderator in the SA - sorry to miss such an occasion. Great to see the way Deidre used the space at Adelaide West UC for her installation (not up on the platform but close to the entrance/exit - I like to think it has a diaconal & missional imperative in the use of space where Deidre is serving the gathered church - represented by Synod members, and responding to the challenges of the day - represented by the proximity to the exit doors leading out of the auditorium. But maybe that's reading too much into it though knowing Deidre such thinking would be woven into the structure and use of space in the installation service).
Anyway, back to Busan and WCC!
The morning prayer introduced new music and then we had the first Bible Study. I was in the English speaking plenary, but there were quite a number of smaller groups in English, Korean and other languages. The first study was based on Genesis 2:4b-17, the tree of life. It was written by Jione Havea, a minister in the Methodist Church of Tonga. He ‘encourages readers to engage Scriptures critically and imaginatively. He is a senior lecturer in Biblical Studies at United Theological College, Charles Sturt University, Sydney. He cited Norman Habel so he was clearly well researched in his interpretation of Gen 2.

He made a really interesting point about the famous painting from the Sistine Chapel of Adam and God reaching out to each other (ET style). He noted that Adam’s limp wrist is not the strength of someone who is capable of tilling and tending the earth, and that the hand he reaches out to God with is his left hand, signifying disrespect. Just what was Michelangelo trying to tell us?

It was an engaging study, with a mixture of input and small group discussion. My small group had two people from the USA (one from Kentucky, one from Kansas) and a man from Iran. He was fascinating.
Our small group discussions were concluded with music - ‘Gangnam style’ which apparently refers to a part of Seoul for the ‘upwardly mobile/nouveau riche’ types. I need to find out more about this story – sounds interesting.

The study finished with the prayer:

God of life, give us the courage to value and protect life
to commit, act and live justly
mindful of differences
for gender and colour divides are deep
but deeper are the currents of inclusiveness
and to do more than pray
for life is your gift to us
for living our gift for all.

God of life, courage and destiny
lead us to justice and peace
that we may affirm who we are. Amen!

Business plenary - Day One (October 30)

After a short break, members gathered again for the business plenary. The 'official' UCA delegation is made up of these lovely 5 people, but there are loads of other UCA folk at the Assembly including Ann Connan, Rev Ken Sumner, Rev Anne Hewitt, Marie Wilson. 

Charity, Chris Walker, Emily Evans, Terence Corkin Andrew Dutney

The usual preliminaries for the opening business meeting (approving list of members etc etc). Interesting to see how the consensus method is used. I thought perhaps not as nuanced at the UCA’s use of the orange and blue cards but will be interesting to see how its used when there are more deliberative and decision making sessions. I was intrigued that people’s comments at the microphones did not receive a response but were simply noted. I found that interesting and expedient in terms of time, but look forward to the response when it may be educative for us all, rather than actioned by a small group that would meet after the session. But I’ll wait to see how it unfolds. Time to head back to the hotel for some rest. Been a long day (12 hours!).

Korean Deaconess community

I caught up with Sr Ree from the Korean Deaconess community I’m visiting on the weekend. She had been at the WCC pre-meeting for women.
We have arrangements in place for my travel to Mokpo, on the south-western coast of Korea. I’ll catch the metro nice and early on Saturday morning to get to the bus station, then transfer to the bus leaving at 8am to get to Kwang-ji at lunchtime, and then be met by Sr Ree and driven another 3 hours to Mokpo. It’s quite a brief visit (24 hours) before I head back to Busan, but looking forward to it very much.

Moderator and General Secretary reports - Day one (October 30)

Moving places again in this vast convention centre – this time in the large meeting hall set up with places for members, and ecumenical delegates. I’m K58! This particular session was the presentation of the General Secretary and Moderator reports. There has to be a better way to do this than to read out word for word what is printed on the page. An Executive summary. Powerpoint? Storytelling about highlights? Technology? (especially since lots of the people there were on their computers, checking Facebook and emails!!). The General Secretary did tantalize by saying he wouldn’t read his report or we’d never get to eat, but his short version still took a long time to go through. Mind you, both presentations had great content, just hard to absorb after the travel and an already full day.

The WCC Moderator, Rev Dr Walter Altmann, noted that ‘many of the WCC’s 345 member churches  have experienced threats to their financial sustainability in recent years. This has diminished their ability to support ecumenical organizations, including the WCC. There has also been a shift of Christianity’s centre of gravity to the East and the South. Christianity has declined in many Western countries and the Middle East, while it has grown in Asia and Africa. Pentecostalism has also grown, but this growth is not yet reflected in the WCC. 

(photo: Emily Evans) WCC Moderator Rev Dr Walter Altmann's report

Rev Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, WCC General Secretary, said: ‘We – the churches – have a legacy as the WCC for which we give thanks to God. Among the dramatic events, severe injustices and crises the world had to face and be rescued from in the 20^th century, significant initiatives were born. The ecumenical movement and the WCC have been instrumental in cultivating better and stronger, deeper and wider, and more mutually accountable relationships’.

He said, ‘the WCC is called on a ‘pilgrimage of justice and peace. The WCC’s work must focus on the areas of unity and mission; public witness and diakonia; and ecumenical formation, with a special focus on youth and young adults’. He strongly affirmed the contribution of young people in the life of the WCC and said, ‘we need you to be with us and join us in our work’.

He cast the vision for the future: ‘God is creating a new day for us: for all in creation living with threats; for us, as people of different faiths or no faith, facing new and unprecedented conflicts between groups identified by religion; for those who live here in Korea as members of a divided people and families. God is creating a new day for the worldwide ecumenical movement, building on our experience of a real but not yet full unity in our faith and life’.

Opening theme plenary - Day one (October 30)

The opening plenary was held in the large auditorium with tiered seating. There was an opportunity to hear from key leaders, including WCC General Secretary, Rev Dr Olav Fykse Tveit (elected WCC General Secretary in August 2009, previously General Secretary of the Church of Norway Council on Ecumenical and International Relations) and WCC Moderator, Rev Dr Water Altmann (President of the Evangelical Church of the Lutheran Confession in Brazil since 2002.

Armchairs were up on the stage in a relaxed but highly choreographed and rehearsed beginning. There was acknowledgement of three new member churches since the previous WCC Assembly – the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land; Independent Presbyterian Church of Brazil; Laos Evangelical Church.

A highlight of this time were the four younger speakers from member churches in Cyprus (Ms Sonia Tzovanni, a law student), Brazil (Mr Thomas Kang, economist), South Africa (Ms Thabile Lolo, Secretary of the youth fellowship) and Fiji (Mr Takape Baleiwai, a steward at the Assembly and now in the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia). Short videos were shown of their home context, and their expectations for the Assembly. There are more than 600 people at this Assembly. The four young adults shared concerns from their different contexts, asking the Assembly what it can do to address the problems of violence, injustice, poverty and climate change. They called for solidarity, reconciliation, advocacy and respect for the environment. 

One of the speakers was WCC President for Latin America and the Caribbean, Rev Dr Ofelia Ortega Suarez, who was the first Presbyterian woman to be ordained in Cuba. 

The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I greeted the plenary in a video message. He reminded the Assembly that the ultimate vision of the ecumenical movement is the unity of the Church and that we are called to recognize all people as ‘unique pieces in a sacred puzzle’.

Cardinal Kurt Koch brought greetings from Pope Francis, who expressed good wishes to and a close pastoral interest in the Assembly.

The mayor of Busan, Hur Nam Sik, also addressed the plenary, welcoming the Assembly to Busan and urging it to share its message of justice and peace. 

The Moderator of the Korean Host Committee, Rev Dr Kim Sam Whan, also welcomed Assembly participants. He is founder and senior pastor of the Myung Sung Presbyterian Church in Seoul, which is active in diaconal ministry and mission in many countries of the world. 

The WCC General Secretary thanked the Korean churches, the city of Busan and the government of the country for their gracious hospitality and all they have done for the Assembly.

This was followed by a stunning performance was presented about the history of Korea, and the contribution of the church in Korea - with lights, sound effects, twirling ribbons and skilful dancing, large panels for projecting images, a range of singing styles including opera, drumming etc. It including a focus on colonization by and independence from Japan, the Korean conflict and the continuing separation of the Korean peninsula. The theme of the Assembly was woven into the vibrant artistic presentation - God of Life, God of Justice, God of Peace.  It was 30 minutes of brilliance. It brought home the years dominated by invasion and war, and the impact of a divided country (North and South Korea). Very moving. Mind you, some people thought it was ‘over the top’ but I loved it. (I recorded most of it on the iphone – not sure about the quality but a good way to capture the moment).

Madang - Day One (October 30)

Madang is a large space set up with booths for various agencies and areas of WCC’s work. The madang serves as a space for encounter and sharing, celebration and fellowship. There are booths and exhibits, a performance space, and opportunities for workshops and other side events. I was fortunate to see the last part of a performance by some of the Pacific young people with traditional dance and music. I so love the enthusiasm of the dancing in cultures like Tonga, Fiji, Kiribati, Samoa etc. The small group of dancers - Pasifika Oikoumene - have been preparing for the performance for the last two weeks under the mentoring of Rev James Bhagwan from Fiji and Apisaloma Toleafo from American Samoa. The group was formed by the WCC in collaboration with the Pacific Conference of Churches (PCC) – a fellowship of churches that began in 1961. Young people were nominated to attend the Assembly by their churches, with one male and female chosen from each of the 10 islands to take part. Over the last two weeks, the group has spent time together in Fiji, Seoul and Busan as part of an ecumenical formation group – exchanging ideas, forming relationships, learning about each other’s churches and learning dances from each other’s islands to perform at the Assembly. It’s been quite a hard slog for the young people, some of whom had never danced in public before. They would get up at 5am (that’s early for Pacific folk!) and practice in every spare moment they had.

Rev James Bhagwan (Fiji) said: ‘we may be small in terms of number, but we make up for that in heart. The ocean doesn’t separate us; it joins us together. It’s important for us to be here because we feel we have to have a presence, to get our voice heard. There are so many issues that might get forgotten in a large setting like this Assembly. There are issues such as the very real impact of climate change. When we talk about climate change, we’re talking about some of our people who are literally losing everything, including their identity. We have tried to create a situation where these young people can bring the attention of the Assembly to the Pacific; to move the spotlight. And when the spotlight is on them, they are able to relay the message of the Pacific islands’.

Lunch - Day one (October 30)

No meals are provided at WCC, so there’s an opportunity to find food from local eateries. Emily Evans and I went across to a huge shopping centre across the road. But first we went past protesters, apparently angry that WCC encourages dialogue with Muslims (and other faith traditions), and supports the rights of gay people. The protesters were respectful but clearly some were passionate about their viewpoint. There is certainly a large police presence around Bexco to keep it safe for so many foreigners gathered in one place.

Emily (About FACE 8 alumni) took me up to the food court  in a massive shopping centre (past the Trevi fountain replica – kind of a copy of Las Vegas copying European treasures). You order by number (a bit of guess work to figure out what each picture represents). The thin metal chopsticks take a bit of getting used to (I thought I was good at the regular wooden variety but requires fine motor skills to master the thinner metal ones – hard to grasp and slippery. I saw a couple of local ladies holding them high up very daintily. Hmmm, not something I can manage so I’ll improvise as best I can!

I ordered a dish that had a LOT of noodles. Nothing like a lot of carbohydrate to get through a long day! And they were slippery noodles to manage with slippery chopsticks. But I didn’t starve (I’m also very determined!!).

WCC - Gathering Prayer - Day 1 (October 30)

Bexco foyer - huge!

the huge auditorium for day 1 - gathering prayer

Great expectation was in the air with people gathering in the huge space set aside for worship at Bexco Exhibition and Convention Centre (it’s massive!). The booklet for this morning’s prayer has English, French, Spanish, German and Korean translations – a reminder of the global gathering of people from many continents, countries and communities. We were called to begin our gathering by the striking of a large Korean drum. There was an entrance procession of WCC leadership to begin. During the lamentation prayers, several participants from an ecumenical theatre group in the Philippines – Teatro Ekyumenikal - were at the front, on their knees as a physical symbol of lament, rubbing ash on and tipping it over themselves.
The prayer began: ‘God of life, we come to place before you the sufferings of the world and the concerns of our lives. In the midst of scepticism and doubt, tiredness and hardship, we beseech you, O God, hear us and have mercy’.
Prayers were offered for (and from) Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, North America, and the Pacific. I felt like joining the ashen people at the end of the long litany of lament, such was the nature of the cries and hopes expressed.
At the end of each section of the prayer of lament, the WCC Assembly delegates sang ‘Senzenina’, a short response meaning, ‘What have we done?’ The word ‘Senzenina’ and the music was traditional Xhosa and Zulu, made popular during the South African anti-apartheid movement.

The gospel reading (the road to Emmaus from Luke 24:28-35) was chanted in Aramaic.

His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of all Armenians

His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of all Armenians, gave the sermon (in Aramaic, with printed translation). It was titled ‘The Message of Blessing’ rather than a sermon – interesting focus!

This phrase took my attention (speaking about ecumenical initiatives in the Armenian church): ‘Unity in the essentials; Liberty in the non-essentials; Love in all things’. Good wisdom.

He also made this point: ‘It is clear that society in the modern era has very little use or concern for the poor among us – whether they are poor in material needs or poor in spirit. By contrast, it was Jesus who blessed the poor. It was Jesus who offered up his brief life and ministry to bring comfort to the poor in spirit, and relief for the material and spiritual impoverishment of mankind. It was Jesus, extending the legacy of the Hebrew prophets, who made these values a central concern for the entire human family – indeed, who made such concerns the very measure of our humanity. The church is to be the vessel of Christ’s ‘nearness’ in the world.

He also spoke about peace.

‘Peace remains an elusive reality in our world. We believe that this realization is the most terrible and demoralizing surprise of the 21^st century. At the turn of the millennium, we all had more positive, more hopeful expectations for the world, than what we see around us today. Especially painful are the civil unrest, intolerable violence and active warfare being carried out in the Middle East – especially in Syria and Egypt. Surely our hearts go out to all the people suffering under lawlessness and violence. We pray for all families regardless of ethnicity, faith, creed or race; and we implore God to bring an end to all conflicts, so that reason and dialogue can prevail'.

He spoke about the plight of Christians in the Middle East who have been singled out be extremists. ‘Since the time of the Apostles, these Christian communities (including Armenians) have lived productively and at peace throughout the Middle East, contributing to their adopted lands. Christians have historically played the role of peacemakers in the region. And their treatment is a test of justice in their respective countries: a test of whether basic human rights are honoured by the local authorities and the majority populations. The Christians succumbing to violence in the Middle East are the witnesses of martyrdom in our own day’.

‘This reality speaks with special force to the Armenians. The torments of our Christian brethren are all too familiar to our people. In the year 2015, Armenians in Armenia, Nagorno-Karabagh, and in every nation on earth will commemorate a tragic anniversary – one hundred years since the greatest cataclysm of our history: the genocide of the Armenians, committed by Ottoman Turkey. Four generations have passed since 1915; but the memory of our time of horror remains alive. And the quest for justice – if only through the simple act of official recognition and universal condemnation – will not die’.

‘This should stand as a reminder that the violence and misery in our world today will cast dark shadows into the 22^nd century and beyond. We are grateful that in recent years the WCC, our sister Churches, and more than 20 countries have made official statements recognizing and condemning the Armenian Genocide. But imagine the pain and misery that could have been spared – not only for our people, but for the later victims of genocides in Europe, Cambodia and Africa – if the world of a century ago had taken action to prevent the atrocities, massacres and ethnic cleansings of 1915’.

‘As churches, we must protest the crimes going on before the eyes of the world today. And we must speak forcefully for a universal doctrine of human rights: whether it involves the fight for life itself in Syria and Egypt, or whether it is a struggle for the right to self-determination of a free people in the Republic of Nagorno-Karabagh. We must assert, with one voice, that the violation of these basic rights will not be tolerated in any part of the world; because without a foundation of justice and human rights, the peace we seek will be only temporary and fleeting’.

In drawing the sermon to close, he then referred back to the Bible reading about the risen Jesus joining the despondent disciples on the road to Emmaus. ‘That is a message we must embrace as the church – as the Body of Christ on earth. Our quest to promote justice and peace – and every human good – begins by meeting our people on the road. We must approach them with compassion; share their journey; help them with their burdens. Acting among them with the presence of Jesus Christ’.

We then sang ‘Peace must be dared’ (this phrase based on a quotation by Dietrich Bonhoeffer) and written by Shirley Erena Murray.

Peace must be dared, it is a great venture,
Peace must set out with hope as the crew
Peace must take hold and sight a new landscape,

Peace must take risks when chances are few:
Chorus:
People of God, whatever your label,
look to the Way, the Truth and the Light,
See in the life and challenge of Jesus,
all that makes peace, and all that makes right!

Crosses and creeds have nailed us and failed us,
Powers of the state betray and connive,
Wickedness wins while good people falter,
Weapons and words destroy and deprive.
Chorus:

Peacemakers work with passion and purpose
Peacemakers stand and argue their case
Peacemakers give their blood and their being
Knowing the cause, the courage, the grace.
Chorus:

And still we had more in this opening worship – the Korean choir (in traditional Korean dress) sang the anthem, ‘God of Life’ by Ruy Hyung Sun (based on the Korean folksong, Arirang’). Very stirring and strong, and a reminder of the opportunity for hope even in the midst of challenges - to dream that the God of life can indeed lead us to justice and peace.

And then the Intercessions, punctuated by a short sung refrain, ‘God of life, lead us to justice and peace’, followed by the Lord’s Prayer in many languages (always stirring), and the sending word:

Go in peace:
be of good courage;
hold fast that which is good;
render to no-one evil for evil;
strengthen the faint-hearted;
support the weak;
help the afflicted;
honour everyone;
love and serve the Lord,
rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit.

And we finished with a great traditional Caribbean tune (‘Junkanoo’) with the words for the song, Now Go In Oeace (words by Michael Mair, Mission and Discipleship Council of the Church of Scotland):

Now go in peace, now go in love from the Father above.
Jesus Christ the Son stay with you till the day is done.
Holy Spirit encircle you in all you think and do.
Once again, God’s blessing be with us. Amen.

Then it was time for lunch……

WCC 10th Assembly - the logo

When we finally arrived at our hotel, we were greeted by a large banner to welcome us to the 10th Assembly of the WCC. The logo has a particular elegance one would associate with Asia. The logo components are:

The birds of peace stand for our mission to fulfil and spread peace across the earth.

The small tree evokes life, liberates our hopes, makes our spirit fly, helps us to reach heights and be free.

The rocks represents the desert, the dry lands, and the chains that have been clipped to our ankles.

World Council of Churches Assembly: a taste of things to come (October 28th)

My flight to Busan (South Korea) for seemed to be full of delegates to the World Council of Churches. Many languages and cultures and modes of dress, and many people struck up animated conversations while waiting for the transfer to the hotels. I had a good chat with Rev Willie from Cook Islands. He spoke about the gathering of Cook Island church members, held in Melbourne this year for the first time. He said there are many thousands of people from the Cook Islands now living in Australia and New Zealand, many of whom who have not connected with churches in their adopted countries. Rev Willie was previously a General Secretary of the church in the Cook Islands, but now travels quite a lot visiting his dispersed church members and encouraging them in their life and faith.

The people on my flight were just a taste of things to come, with 5000 or so people from around the world expected to attend the WCC meeting (including 90% of WCC’s 345 member churches) exploring the 2013 theme: ‘God of life, lead us to justice and peace’.

While I flew, 120 delegates from 16 nations aged between 19 and 77 took the “Peace Train”, travelling together from Berlin (as a symbol of a reunified Germany) to Busan - diverse cultures committed to the common welfare of each other. The group travelled 20 days across Europe and Asia. Their objective: to send out a signal against the division of Korea - and for peace in the country which has been split for 63 years. The project is part of a peace initiative of the National Council of Churches in Korea which aims to raise awareness of the East Asian country’s continuing division and to campaign for its reunification. 

Welcome to Korea

from Rev Dr Kim Sam-Whan (WCC organizing committee)

‘Eoseo Oshibshio’.
This is Korean for ‘Welcome with pleasure’. It is literally saying, come quickly, which shows the utmost hospitable and welcoming hearts of Koreans when hosting guests. With this heart, we welcome every one of you who comes to Busan for the 10^th Assembly of the WCC.

It was through Busan that missionaries came to Korea in the 19^th century. Busan is also an historic city in terms of the political development of Korean society. During the Korean War (1950-1953), the South Korean government momentarily took refuge in Busan, and in 1960 and 1979, students and people in Busan sparked democratization movements against dictatorships.

Both the Korean Government and the City of Busan have been so cooperative in supporting the process of the Assembly. It is our prayer and strong hope that the Busan Assembly would be an historic and significant Assembly, proclaiming a message of life, justice, peace, and hope to the world including churches in this time of history.

I hope that during your stay in Busan and Korea you enjoy the comfort, the Korean culture, and in particular, the Korean food which is regarded as a slow and healthy food. Generally speaking, Koreans are kind and friendly to foreign guests, therefore, I also encourage you to enjoy fellowship and friendship with the Koreans you might meet during your stay.

Once again, from the bottom of my heart, I welcome you to Busan.
Eoseo Oshibshio!