CWM

Sunday, 22 March 2009 10:01

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CWM is gearing up for Assembly in India – a week to celebrate and strengthen partnership in mission

In June, four representatives of each CWM-member church gather in south India for the CWM Assembly to celebrate and share our partnership in mission, explore current issues, and to appoint Trustees for the next three years

Live the good news

CWM general secretary Rev Dr Des van der Water introduces the theme of Assembly 2009

The theme, “Live the good news” draws on the concept of witnessing to emphasise mission as being, becoming or living – and not merely as project or programme.

This emphasis challenges models of mission that pander to a tick-box, sound-bite culture, are driven by a results-oriented outcomes based approach, or are motivated by the ideologies that employ the language of soul-conquering for Christ.

The Greek word “martur” is translated as “witness”. It is from this that we derive the English word martyr. To be a martyr for Christ means that one is willing to lay down one’s life for the sake of the Gospel.

But the meaning of martyr also goes way beyond a one-off act of martyrdom – it speaks of a consistent attitude of humility, selflessness and sacrificial living, a certain way of being and a way of life.

One of the major global mission challenges today is that of fostering an environment of integrity in human relationships.

Live the good news reminds us that unless our words and our deeds resonate with the integrity of the gospel message it brings the gospel into disrepute.

The model for Christian integrity is of course the work and person of Jesus Christ.

Jesus did not only proclaim the good news of God, he was also the Word become flesh and who made his dwelling in our midst (John 1.14).

Christ was the embodiment of God’s Word. In him there was no division, double standard or duplicity. In the words of our theme, as Jesus of Nazareth he lived the good news.

Assembly is a key moment in the life of CWM. Though it is not a business meeting – the only decisions are to appoint Trustees, Officers, a Treasurer and Moderator for the next three years – it is a chance to pause and reflect on the past three years, to consider the changes in CWM’s mission, the life of its member churches and the local and global environment in which we work.

As the largest of CWM’s meetings, for many it is also a unique chance to experience worship and life in a globally diverse setting. Each church sends four delegates, including at least one woman and one youth representative.

The mix of youth and experience, of experience of God’s work in rich and poor situations, rural and urban, and within very different theological frameworks is a rare opportunity to see a snapshot of CWM’s work and to be able to talk, learn, to question and to be questioned.

Presentations, corporate worship, Bible study, visits, group discussions, and the chance to talk with people involved in mission from around the world adds up to great opportunity.

The discussions and the prominent themes and concerns of the Assembly may also set a context for the new Trustee Body to direct the work of CWM into the future.

India South India, where the Assembly is held, offers a great opportunity to learn about God’s work. Our host, the Church of South India (CSI), appropriately works under the motto “That they all may be one”. The church is primarily a union of Anglican, Methodist, Congregational, Presbyterian, and Reformed churches in South India.

The CSI confronts pressing issues of living and working in a multifaith environment, in which extremes of poverty, the rights of Dalits – the lowest in the Hindu caste system – and Tribal peoples are pressing issues. The work of the church in education, healthcare, evangelism, uplifting the oppressed and working for the rights of women is a rich context from which to begin exploring the work of CWM worldwide.

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