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.
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).
No comments:
Post a Comment