July 14, 2010

GENEVA – In about a week's time, Lutherans from around the world will meet in Stuttgart, Germany, for the Eleventh Assembly of The Lutheran World Federation (LWF). "Give Us Today Our Daily Bread" is the theme of the 20-27 July event, hosted by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wuerttemberg.

The LWF comprises 140 member churches in 79 countries, representing more than 70 million Christians. An estimated 1,000 people, including 418 delegates from the member churches will participate in the assembly, held mainly in the Liederhalle cultural and congress center. Occurring normally every six years, the Assembly is the LWF's highest decision-making body.

The Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams, head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, will deliver the keynote address to the Assembly on 22 July. Reports about the focus and challenges of LWF's work over the last seven years will be presented by the President Bishop Mark S. Hanson (presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America), General Secretary Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko; and Treasurer Mr Peter Stoll (Germany).

Asking for Forgiveness from Mennonites

One of the major actions at the Assembly will be the adoption of an LWF statement asking for forgiveness from Mennonites for the persecution of Anabaptists by Lutherans in the 16th century and for the legacy of such condemnations to the present day. This will take place during a plenary session in the afternoon of 22 July, which will include the participation of an international delegation from the Mennonite World Conference led by the organization's president Rev. Danisa Ndlovu from Zimbabwe. Mennonites will respond to the Lutheran repentance with the gift of an old basin used in the characteristic Anabaptist practice of foot-washing.

A service of repentance will immediately follow. Six brief testimonies, given by Mennonites and Lutherans, will bear witness to the persecutions and to present-day seeds of reconciliation and hope. Music will include a 16th century Anabaptist martyr ballad, and a Mennonite choir from Ingolstadt, Germany, will sing. A sign of the cross in olive oil, a sign of healing and peace, will be extended and received by the worshippers.

The Assembly agenda includes three public hearings highlighting the implications of the petition for "daily bread" in the contexts of climate change and food security, illegitimated debt, and HIV and AIDS.

Worship is an important feature of an LWF Assembly. The opening and closing eucharistic services will take place in Stuttgart's Stiftskirche. Each day apart from Sunday begins with Bible study and Eucharist, and plenary sessions break and conclude with evening or mid-day prayers. Deliberation on the meeting's content occurs in so-called "Village Groups," where participants shape proposed commitments and directions which the Assembly acts upon later.

In other business, the Assembly will elect a new president and members of the LWF Council, the governing body which guides the organization's work between Assemblies. At its conclusion, the Assembly will issue a final message setting forth priority areas for the Federation's programmatic work for the period after this meeting.

Preparations

Speaking to Lutheran World Information (LWI) about Assembly preparations thus far, Noko praised the local Assembly Planning Office, the Wuerttemberg church, the LWF German National Committee and other collaborating churches for the enormous efforts that have gone into ensuring a smooth Assembly and hospitality in Stuttgart.

"I am particularly grateful to the host church and German authorities for facilitating entry visas for delegates and other participants from various countries around the world who require such travel documents," he said. A week before the Assembly, one request for a visa that would permit a young person from Botswana to attend had been denied. Ten other visa requests, some of them initially rejected, were still being processed.

The general secretary emphasized an LWF assembly as a place to build bridges as delegates – women, men, young people, lay or ordained – from different parts of the world share experiences and take decisions that determine the organization's future.

The host country is significant for Lutherans, remarked Noko. "For Lutherans, going to Germany is not just going to another country. This is the epicenter of the 16th century Reformation," he said. He commended the local Lutheran churches for coordinating a pre-assembly visitation program that will provide an opportunity for participants to learn about the context of mission in the host region, especially as it relates to the Assembly theme.

Communication

In conjunction with the Assembly, the LWF Office for Communication Services is introducing a preview of the Communio Garden, a Web space bringing together Lutherans worldwide. The pilot project to be launched shortly to will aggregate Assembly-related content on social media such as YouTube, Twitter or Flickr. Members of the communion and the general public can contribute by using the Twitter hashtag #lwf2010 for their Assembly tweets or the tag lwf2010 for their Assembly content on other sites. Relevant blog links should be sent to LWFWeb@gmail.com. Facebook users are invited to become a fan of the Communio Garden page.

See the Assembly Web site for more information and resources including the theme video for downloading and other video reflections; news stories, features, photos and blog feeds; the handbook, Assembly Updates and Study Materials: http://www.lwf-assembly.org/.

Lutheran World Information