During the 27th General Council of the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC), delegates engaged in a series of workshops that invoked conversations on various issues, from reimagining masculinity to missions amid crises.
The Council for World Mission (CWM) led several workshops that presented on The Onesimus Project (TOP) and Transformative Ecumenism Movement (TEM) while also contributing to discussions on ecological and economic justice.
A call to reparative reconciliation
In a moving address that provided a backdrop for the creation of TOP, Rev. Dr Roderick Hewitt, chair of the core working group, invoked the dark side of mission history that spawned the painful legacy of slavery, sounding the call to “never forget the rock from which we have been hewn.”
Evolving from CWM’s Legacies of Slavery (LOS) Programme, TOP draws inspiration from the biblical story of Onesimus in the Epistle to Philemon. It seeks to confront and redress the roots of racialised inequalities and injustices within the CWM family of churches and beyond—addressing both historical and modern forms of slavery.
During the workshop, three dedicated TOP funds were highlighted: the Reparatory Justice Fund, the Healing of Memories Fund, and the Modern-Day Slavery Fund.
“CWM is prepared to put its money where its mouth is,” Hewitt declared, emphasizing that mission requires “risky engagement with the vulnerable.” He challenged participants, asking, “Are people brave enough to do this work?”
Embracing a journey of transformative change
Running parallel to the TOP workshop was the Transformative Ecumenism Movement (TEM) workshop, jointly facilitated by Dr Deenabandhu Manchala and Rev. Dr Jaeshik Shin.
The workshop traced the origins, purpose, and progress of TEM from its inception in 2013 to its global launch in Kenya in 2023. It provided a clearer picture to the WCRC delegates the roles of the movement – calling the church into solidarity with movements from the margins, women, and youth in order to resist the life-denying powers of empire.
“The focus on a people-based, justice-oriented, and change-driven ecumenism evoked great interest among the nearly 110 participants who attended three sessions,” said Manchala. “I was encouraged by the desire to explore possibilities for ecumenical engagement beyond institutional confines. TEM was indeed received as a new pathway for those seeking change in the church and the world.”
Echoing this sentiment, Shin remarked, “The number of participants was more than I expected, with a good mix from both the Global South and North. It has given me a very promising impression!”
“There is no economic injustice that does not spill ecological blood”
“We stand amid the ruins of a system that has mistaken the domination of nature for development, and the destruction of communities for progress,” said Rev. Daimon Mkandawire, CWM Mission Secretary for Ecology and Economy, during the workshop “Campaigning for Justice in the Economy and the Earth.”
The workshop reaffirmed the prophetic insights of the two-decade-old Accra Confession, which recognized the injustices of modern economic systems and their devastating effects on the earth—framing these as matters of faith and discipleship.
Participants engaged in deep reflection, concluding that the ultimate question is not whether the world will survive but whether the church will remain faithful in this kairos moment.
“The question,” Mkandawire mused, “is whether the church will stand where Christ stands—with the crucified earth.”
