In a few days the Second European Ecumenical Assembly will begin in Graz. Two basic questions have guided the preparations for the Graz Assembly:
* How do we as humans create reconciliation amongst ourselves, reconciliation which is lasting?
*What does reconciliation mean for my own life? For communities or churches of which I am a part? In relation to my life up until now?
All concrete efforts at reconciliation between ethnic groups and individuals can succeed only when one does not lose sight of God who is the source of all reconciliation. This is emphasised in the Second Draft of the Graz Assembly Working Document:
Reconciliation makes a claim on our entire lives, but it is more than a job and anything but forced. It remains a source of strength which comes to us from God and preserves us. This is why many of our churches understand repentance and reconciliation as a sacrament, thus as a deep dimension of our existence that we easily lose sight of in the hectic pace of everyday life. Even though in our churches we have given shape to this insight in different ways, it is important to us to underline the aspects we have in common. We insist that Sunday is more than a day off. And in our services of worship we try to keep it holy. We are also testifying in this way that we human beings do not have time at our disposal but must rather recognise and keep to our own place in time. Every baptism points to the unique worth which belongs to every human being. It is fundamental that no person is at the disposition of another. Baptised persons are under God's power and guardianship. In the baptismal water we recognise the presence of the Spirit, who is the source of all life and thus grants a communion which breaks open our confessional barriers. When we join together in celebration of the Eucharist - and would God that we might do this at last, beyond the barriers of our churches! - we are celebrating our participation in the work of the Reconciler who gave his life, so that we might have peace and through his bruises be healed (Isaiah 53:5). (Section A34: "Celebrating reconciliation", pp 16-17)
Church and Peace will use the Graz Assembly as a forum to enter into discussion with representatives of different groups and churches in order to find out how to make our peace witness more concrete and an integral concern of the entire ecumenical network. The Church and Peace Memorandum (see pp 15), which was drawn up during the European Peace Church Consultation in Wetzlar, 14-16 March 1997, is to serve as the basis for this discussion.
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The aforementioned Working Document makes reference to the particularly urgent need for shalom services:
The Basel Assembly formulated a principle which we think should guide future politics for peace: "Non-violence should be seen as an active, dynamic and constructive force, grounded in absolute respect for the human person" (No. 86). In this spirit all action should be taken which aims to open ways to reconciliation or keep them open, even the duties of soldiers. Christian churches and their members should see a special obligation here, for they recognise in this general principle the Spirit of their Saviour Jesus Christ. Thus in Basel the churches were encouraged to set up "shalom services" to offer men and women the opportunity to work for international understanding (No. 80). We think it is time now to ask what has been done with this suggestion, and again urgently request the churches to take it up purposefully. Churches should not invest so much more, financially and in terms of personnel, in military chaplaincies than in their own categories of service conceived especially for the churches' work for peace. In this area all churches can profit from the charisma and the store of experience of the Historic Peace Churches. We dream of church-sponsored centres in every country which offer practical and especially spiritual training in nonviolence. (Section B38: "Shalom services", pp 40)
The articles in this issue illustrate what is taking place to realise this dream.
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Several transitions occurred in the international office in April: an ecumenical worship service marked the end of Gordon Matthews' term as Executive Secretary of Church and Peace and the installation of Christian Hohmann as his successor. We are very thankful to Gordon Matthews for his service with Church and Peace during the past six and a half years and are happy that he is now contact person for the Liaison Centre for Ecumenical Services. The close connection between the work of the Liaison Centre and Church and Peace is illustrated by the sharing of office space at Ringstraáe 14 in Laufdorf.
Terri Miller has been working full-time in the international office since April 17. Sponsored by the Mennonite Central Committee in Tramelan, Switzerland, she is responsible for, among other tasks, the publication of the Quarterly--in collaboration with Birgit Dobrinski and Sylvie Gudin-Poupaert--and will be working on an updated version of the Guide to Members and Friends. We are very thankful for the lessening of the administrative burden in the international office through her work.
This issue is noticeably thicker than usual (!) in order to include all pertinent material since the last issue of the Quarterly. We apologise to all readers in the English-speaking area that the Quarterly has not appeared regularly. We will due our utmost to correct this in the future.
A separate document will be published concerning the Peace Church Consultation in Wetzlar.
Yours,
Christian Hohmann
translation: trm