On the road to the World Council of Churches 10th Assembly in Busan

This coming Thursday I’m leaving for the World Council of Churches 10th Assembly in Busan, Republic of Korea (South Korea). It’s a great privilege to be able to participate. The General Assembly meets every seventh year. There will be close to 3000 participants. That is maybe not so many, but we represent millions of Christians all over the globe.

It is my intention to write about this. Mostly in English but there might be some blog posts in Swedish. We’ll see!

The main reason for my participation is the pre-assembly. I met Dr. Fulata Moyo in Malmö last year. I wrote about that on this blog. We challenged each other about the fact that there have been pre-assemblies for women but not for men. The women celebrate their 60th anniversary this year. But why is the fight for gender equality only an issue for women? So, Fulata asked me to moderate a gathering for men as an integrated part of the Pre-Assembly for women and men. About this I will definitely write. At the moment the expectation is that some 500 women and 50 men will meet. We will have separate sessions as well as combined. In preparation for this event I have made new friends. Brothers from New Zeeland, Indonesia, India, Serbia, Finland, Zimbabwe, Malawi, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago have been part of the planning committee. Imagine how difficult it can be to find a suitable time for a Skype meeting?

I will arrive in Busan early Sunday morning. On my way to Busan I will make a stop in Hong Kong and meet a colleague, who is working there as a theologian, just like I do in South Africa. He is also seconded by Church of Sweden. We will certainly have much to talk about. Hopefully I will also write something about Hong Kong, although my stay there is quite short.

Yesterday morning my wife and I worshipped together with our congregation in Eastwood. The General Secretary of the WCC, Olav Fykse Tveit, had written to all Assembly participants and encouraged us to:

…prepare for the assembly by turning to the members of your church so that your presence in Busan will be a testimony to the concerns, hopes and prayers of the community that has sent you and that will welcome you back home at the end of your journey.

Well, I am sent by Church of Sweden, but the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa is my context right now. Therefore it felt natural to ask the congregation for prayers. I know they will pray!