CWM

CWM Assembly: a time of mission exploration begins

Saturday, 20 June 2009 14:34

CWM Assembly delegates and guests from Africa, the Caribbean, East Asia, Europe, South Asia and the Pacific have been welcomed and introduced to CWM’s Assembly in Mamallapuram, south India.

CWM Moderator Rev Dr Roderick Hewitt from Jamaica welcomed the delegates and introduced the Assembly as a meeting that is structured around listening to each other. “This Assembly is a gathering of the owners of this mission enterprise to identify concerns that are happening. Our time will be rooted in sharing,” he said.

Aside from taking time to explore mission issues, the  business aspect of Assembly is the CWM’s leadership for the next three years is chosen. CWM’s Moderator, treasurer and deputy moderators have come to the end of their terms. Many new trustees will join the trustee body. The process of selecting new leaders will be that of "calling people to serve who are competent, committed and passionate," Dr Hewitt said.

Our time will be rooted in sharing

The theme Live the good news calls us to live a lifestyle that in every way demonstrates and exemplifies the gospel.

"In that regard, as we experience the awesome dichotomy in India in which means are not distributed equally. We will not close our eyes to the complexities of the context.

Whatever we do in these days ahead of us, we will be good news. That means showing deep respect for our diversity yet living in unity.

Let it not be said that that we symbolise anything else but what the good news is all about.

CWM general secretary Rev Dr Des van der Water welcomed delegates with a prayer of blessing for the week ahead. “My spirit is lifted and I joyfully anticipate our time together,” he said. “I pray that God will bless each other through us.”

In order to ensure that the Assembly has a roots in the experience of the ordinary people of India, delegates spent the rest of the day visiting projects and programmes in which the host church, the Church of South India is involved.

Among the projects visited were programmes to empower self help groups of women and Dalit communities through small loans. Others visited programmes working with children living with HIV and AIDS, projects to uplift people living in slums, and work among the transgender community.

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