Merry Christmas!

Weihnachtabotschaft von Setri Nyomi, Generalsekretär der Weltgemeinschaft Reformierter Kirchen

"Do not be afraid; for see — I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger." (Luke 2: 10 – 12)

Merry Christmas!

As we celebrate Christmas this year, we have another opportunity to celebrate the good news of great joy which the angels announced about two thousand years ago – the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Good news of a great joy? How can this be when we are surrounded by so much bad news? Can we talk about good news of great joy when we are confronted with news of massacre of little children, destruction in Syria, austerity measures leading to major economic challenges for the ever increasing poor in Greece, Spain and other places, the on-going economic and financial struggles of millions in the Global South, conflicts and wars that have left so much devastation, floods and other natural disasters, domestic violence, violence against women, climate injustice and its consequences. The list continues. Can we really talk about good news of great joy this Christmas 2012 and as we prepare to enter 2013?

Yes we can! Two thousand years ago, Bethlehem was a town in a land occupied by the then Roman empire. The people in the land were oppressed politically and economically, and conflicts were not too far away. The shepherds were among the least in status and had the least paid jobs. Their lot included spending cold nights guarding their sheep in fields far away from their homes – we could say they lived in the margins. One could not count them among the privileged in society. Yet they were the first recipients of this good news. Their first response was fear – fear of something strange and unknown. The message of the angels reversed that fear and brought hope.

The church can be God’s instruments for announcing the good news of great joy that the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ brings. This is news that we can bring to those who live in fear and who experience all the bad news and incidents of injustice in the world. This is news for all – including the poor, the marginalised, victims of injustice and those who are suffering everywhere. When the King of Kings was born, he laid in a manger – not in a golden crib in a mansion. The birth of Jesus spells good news and hope. Let us rejoice in it, let us live it, let us proclaim it.

The President of the WCRC, Rev. Professor Jerry Pillay, the leadership of the WCRC, my colleagues in the WCRC office and my wife Akpene join me in wishing you and all your loved ones a very Merry Christmas, and when the year 2013 begins, we hope it comes filled with joy, hope and all God’s blessings.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Setri Nyomi (Rev. Dr.)WCRC General Secretary

 

die reformierten.upd@te 09.1

Das reformierte Quartalsmagazin / März 2009
Jetzt auch online als PDF: Das Magazin des Reformierten Bundes. Die Themen: Friedensarbeit, Calvinismus-Ausstellung in Berlin, reformierte Ekklesiologie, Texte aus dem Reformierten Weltbund, eine Predigt zu Johannes 19, 16-30 von Jochen Denker

die reformierten.upd@te 09.1.pdf >>>
Jörg Schmidt, Generalsekretär des Reformierten Bundes
Eine neue Internetseite informiert über die Aktivitäten der im Entstehen begriffenen World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC), dem Zusammenschluss von Reformiertem Weltbund (WARC) und Reformiertem Ökumenischen Rat (REC).

Barbara Schenck

Größeres Risiko von Gewalt gegen Frauen in der ökonomischen Krise

Der Reformierte Weltbund zum Internationalen Frauentag am 8. März
Geneva (ENI). Women are at higher risk of violence during the current economic crisis, yet the world is paying less attention to their needs, says the World Alliance of Reformed Churches. In a statement to mark International Women’s Day on 8 March, the Reformed churches alliance expresses concern that violent crimes against women, particularly rape and domestic violence, are on the rise at the same time that support for programmes to protect women is under threat. "The world seems to have become almost immunised to the stench of violence against women," said Patricia Sheerattan-Bisnauth, WARC's spokesperson on gender issues, in the 5 March statement.

Barbara Schenck

Churches told to confront ''moral crisis'' in the world economy

''Where are the prophetic voices of the churches?''
The multiple crises confronting the world are fundamentally a moral crisis says the president of the United Nations General Assembly. In remarks recorded for a public hearing on reconciliation in Geneva, Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann asks, ''But where are the prophetic voices of the churches today?''

Setri Nyomi zum Internationalen Jahr der Versöhnung 2009

Generalsekretär des Reformierten Weltbundes warnt vor dem Ausschluss von Immigranten und Minderheiten
Geneva (ENI). Immigrants and minorities in affluent countries are becoming targets of exclusion at a time when the global economic system is facing strains, a global Protestant leader has warned at a gathering in the Swiss city of Geneva. "There has been a resurgence of hate crimes against minorities in a number of nations," said the Rev. Setri Nyomi, general secretary of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, at a 19 February meeting to mark the International Year of Reconciliation proclaimed by the United Nations for 2009.

Barbara Schenck

WARC welcomes statements made at the World Social Forum in Brazil

Reformierter Weltbund begrüßt die Stellungnahmen des Weltsozialforums
The World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) has issued a statement of support in response to a declaration by a representative of the World Council of Churches (WCC) that the global economic crisis offers an opportunity to create a more just financial system.

Quelle: Reformierter Weltbund, 2. Februar 2009

RWB Kommunikation: neue Chefin

Kristine Greenaway: moderne Kommunikationstechniken verbinden
Der Reformierte Weltbund (RWB) hat den leitenden Posten in der Abteilung Kommunikation neu besetzt: Frau Kristine Greenaway von der Vereinigten Kirche von Kanada hat am 5. Januar die Arbeit in der Genfer Zentrale aufgenommen. Sie ersetzt somit John Asling, der die Stelle bis Ende Dezember 2008 innehatte.

Quelle: Internetseite Reformierter Weltbund (RWB)

End the Violence in Gaza

''The rockets from Gaza aimed at Israeli communities are destructive and the suicide bombing incidents cannot be condoned ... We strongly condemn the air and ground assaults from the Israeli Defense Forces leading to senseless deaths ...'' (Reformierter Weltbund)

Pressemitteilung des Reformierten Weltbundes (WARC), 7. Januar 2009

Die Schweiz und die Einigung Europas

SEK für Ausdehnung der Personenfreizügigkeit
Der Schweizerische Evangelische Kirchenbund (SEK) spricht sich für die Weiterführung und die Ausdehnung des Freizügigkeitsabkommens zwischen der Schweiz und der Europäischen Gemeinschaft auf Rumänien und Bulgarien aus.

Medienmitteilung der SEK, Simon Weber, 8. Januar 2009

Gemeinsame Grundsätze zur Pfarrerausbildung

Die theologischen Fortbildung von Pfarrerinnen und Pfarrern soll auch intensiviert werden
Mit einer Konsultation vom 20.-23. November 2008 in Berlin hat die Gemeinschaft Evangelischer Kirchen in Europa (GEKE) einen Prozess zur Verständigung über gemeinsame Grundsätze zur Pfarrerausbildung begonnen.

24.11.2008 Thomas Flügge, GEKE
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