October 28, 2010

ARUSHA, Tanzania/GENEVA – The Lutheran World Federation has (LWF) reiterated its commitment to the ACT Alliance, saying it would continue to enhance the contribution of its member churches and related diaconal institutions to the global emergency and development body.

"The LWF understands its participation in the ACT Alliance as an expression of its diaconal and ecumenical commitment," said Acting General Secretary Rev. Martin Junge in a message delivered to the first assembly of the Alliance, jointly hosted by the Tanganyika Christian Refugee Service (TCRS) and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT), 19 – 22 October in Arusha, Tanzania.

"Our joint diaconal action expressed in the ACT Alliance, is a vital expression of this ecumenical vocation and with it an important sign of hope in a globalized but fragmented world," said Junge in the message read by Rev. Eberhard Hitzler, director of the LWF Department for World Service (DWS).

This was the first general assembly of ACT Alliance, created in January 2010 by merging two previous development and emergency relief networks. The LWF is a founding member of the alliance, which works in more than 130 countries throughout the world.

"As we serve people and strive to uphold their rights, we understand ourselves as a communion of churches that participates in God's mission and does so jointly with other churches and their diaconal institutions," said Junge.

He expressed his hope that decisions made at the assembly would translate into a deep transformation of the lives of the poor and of the structures and systems that systematically deny the poor access to their rights.

Opening the assembly, former Tanzanian Prime Frederick Sumaye urged ACT Alliance to use its power within and outside the churches in the global South and North to bring an end to corruption and poverty, and to advocate for justice through capacity building at all levels.

Addressing the 200 participants representing 105 member organizations, ACT Alliance General Secretary John Nduna urged the organizations to listen and learn from one another. "One of the greatest lessons we have to learn is from the people we serve," he said. He pointed out that development should not be approached from a top-down strategy but rather involve people in decision making and in owning the development projects that are implemented.

In his sermon at the opening worship service, ELCT Arusha Diocese Bishop Thomas Laiser urged the alliance to advocate for economic justice at the international arena on behalf of the global South. He connected severe economic hardship with the plunder of wildlife and natural resources, including minerals and forests. He also linked poverty with global warming, corruption and injustices on the international market where agricultural and mineral exports fetched low prices while the price of imported goods continued to increase.

In agreements made at the assembly, ACT Alliance committed itself to improving the speed and strength of co-ordination between member organizations in order to respond more effectively to communities in crisis. It also pledged to prioritize preventative measures in all its work and ensure continuity of care and recovery after an emergency.

The assembly affirmed the alliance's democratic "ACT Forum" structure, in which major decisions on strategy, financial resources and campaigns are taken at a country level rather than at the Geneva headquarters. The role of national members was emphasized, with delegates agreeing to make these country-level forums stronger and better resourced.

Setting the alliance's strategy for the next four years, the assembly affirmed that ending poverty and inequality was not just a goal but an obligation.

ACT Alliance assembly co-host TCRS is an associate program of DWS, LWF's humanitarian relief arm, and has been carrying out emergency and development work in Tanzania since 1964. The ELCT with 5.3 million members is the second largest LWF member church.

More information about DWS work is available at http://www.lwf-assembly2003.org/lwf-interspire/link.php?M=2227&N=221&L=20&F=H.

Lutheran World Information
Written for LWI by ELCT communication coordinator, Ms Elizabeth Lobulu, with additional information from ACT Alliance communications office.