November 24, 2003
by Carol J. Fouke-Mpoyo

Yaounde, Cameroon - The World Council of Churches' outgoing and incoming general secretaries today (Nov. 24) hailed the long- standing and enduring bonds between the WCC and Africa's churches, whose modeling of "economies of affection" and collaboration is much needed by the global ecumenical movement.

Addressing the 8th Assembly of the All Africa Conference of Churches, meeting here Nov. 22-27, the Rev. Dr. Konrad Raiser and the Rev. Dr. Samuel Kobia also extended challenges to Africa's churches to make ecumenism real "on the ground" in local communities and to join forces for radical structure change in the "almost intolerable" living conditions of Africa's working poor.

The two spoke at a plenary "AACC Celebrates World Ecumenism," at which many bonds of affection were evident as the Rev. Dr. Mvume Dandala, AACC General Secretary, hailed Dr. Raiser for his "extensive commitment to Africa" manifested during his tenure as WCC General Secretary. Dr. Kobia, who succeeds Dr. Raiser on January 1, was for his part welcomed as the first WCC General Secretary from Africa.

The AACC presented plaques of tribute to Dr. Raiser and to Melaku Kifle, seconded by the WCC to the AACC as Acting General Secretary during the past 18 months despite the financial stresses and cutbacks burdening the WCC at the time. Said Dr. Kobia, "(He) led the AACC through a process of institutional renewal and ecumenical confidence that has rekindled hope for AACC." Dr. Kobia was presented with a Bible.

Dr. Raiser, in his address, reviewed the challenges facing global ecumenism, including the pressure for "pragmatic organizational and structure changes" in order to "increase 'relevance' and 'attractiveness' by adopting 'looser, lighter and more flexible structures.'"

"Clear goals and objectives are important," he said, "but we must avoid the appearance of being resource driven. We are the trustees and carriers of a vision ... expressed in the prayer of the Lord that all may be one and in the story of the great feast where all - from East and West, North and South - are gathered around the table."

"There is a growing tendency among religious organizations, including those involved in the ecumenical movement, to seek wide visibility and strengthen their distinctive profile; they are thus seeking to adapt to the competitive rules of the global context," Dr. Raiser said.

"The mission of the ecumenical movement, however, calls for increased cooperation and partnership, for mutual support, instead of maximizing growth and influence at the expense of other partners," he said. "It favors multilateral instead of bilateral relationships and is best expressed in conciliar structures rather than strengthening denominationalism."

The ecumenical movement's quest for unity is not an end in itself, Dr. Raiser continued. "Unity at the expense of justice and the acknowledgment of the dignity of people is not the unity that our Lord prayed for." He described the "acute sense of the need for the churches to overcome their separation, which can be easily exploited for political purposes" - a longing he said he has felt in many of his visits to Africa, including his recent visit to Angola.

During a discussion period, Dr. Raiser challenged Africa's churches to make ecumenism real "on the ground" in local communities. "On many of my visits to Africa, I was sad that it took my visit for local churches to come together and that it wasn't happening without my visit," he said, drawing applause from the Assembly.

Dr. Kobia traced the WCC's contributions from its beginnings as "a new space in which all churches feel at home....For the first time, many African leaders attending the various meetings of the WCC were able to connect with Africans in the diaspora. Women and youth also have found a place to be at home."

The World Council of Churches' accompaniment the anti-apartheid movement "was one of the greatest contributions the WCC has made to Africa and the world." South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission is a model that's being picked up elsewhere in the world. The WCC-crafted ecumenical response to the HIV/AIDS crisis now is being implemented on the ground in Africa's subregions, he said. Note also was made of the WCC's work for peace in the Sudan.

Dr. Kobia spoke of the important model Africans bring to broader global ecumenism "in their emphasis on the relational dimensions of life, enabling us to listen in more depth. The African legacy of economies of affection has made us able to survive even with the challenge of HIV/AIDS. We want to bring this strength into the (wider) ecumenical movement."

Like Dr. Raiser, Dr. Kobia also pressed for an ecumenism that reaches into the grassroots and works for justice. "The churches are called together to be creative and not driven by ideological but theological imperatives for radical structural change in the living conditions of the working poor," which for many in Africa "are almost intolerable," he said.

"They ought to establish parish networks of social study groups and awareness building initiatives that will strengthen the ecumenical movement from below. It is vitally important that we bring theology back to the people, and craft new themes of spirituality that are congenial to our unique experience and place in the world."

Both Dr. Kobia and Dr. Raiser emphasized the importance of "ecumenical formation" of each succeeding generation, saying it takes hard and constant work to transmit and renew the ecumenical vision with the passage of time.

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