WCC-US Conference annual meeting: churches focus on African "journey of hope"

Dr William Temu

Church and ecumenical leaders gathered at the WCC-US Conference's 10-12 October 2005 annual meeting in Chicago gave special attention to the situation of Africa as part of their preparations for the WC's 9^th Assembly in 2006, which will gather under the theme “God, in your grace, transform the world”.

“To put it simply, there have been historic transformations of Africa since the time of the WCC’s 8^th assembly on the continent in 1998,” said Dr William Temu. The Tanzanian director of management at the WCC’s headquarters in Geneva, and former head of Africa regional programmes in the council was speaking at an 11 October banquet dedicated to a new vision for Africa.

At the 8^th assembly in Harare in 1998, WCC member churches pledged to give priority attention to Africa, faced with the “scourge” of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, but, since the end of apartheid and the release of Nelson Mandela in 1994, experiencing new hope in its own future.

Using the metaphor of an ecumenical “journey of hope” Temu reported how the WCC's “Africa Focus” had galvanized churches and ecumenical organizations throughout the continent in practical actions to empower Africans to transform their own situations, in such diverse areas as peace-building, HIV/AIDS prevention, education, and work with women and children.

“The ecumenical focus on Africa provides an inspiring example of how the WCC and the ecumenical movement, including individuals, can make their own direct contributions to journeys of hope in Africa today,” Temu stated. “The challenges facing Africa require a wide range of partnerships with a shared commitment to create a better future for Africans, especially the children and young people. This kind of accompaniment is what the 8^th assembly called for, and this vision must continue to be upheld.”