The 17th Quadrennial General Assembly of the Asian Church Women’s Conference.

I attended as Church Women United Aotearoa New Zealand (CWUANZ) representative. It was interesting to learn that the 10th ACWC General Assembly had been held at the College 3-8 November 1994, and chat with some of the women who had attended.

The opening worship was led by Dr Chiu Kai-Lu on the theme “Women Caring for God’s Earth” drawing from Romans 8:20-23. Climate changes impacts climate related disasters. There is a purpose for nature. and we are not left without hope. We must work for eco-justice. The whole of creation has been groaning – can we hear the cry?

Country reports gave updates on ACWC projects, programmes and scholarships in their communities. We also reported on how we promote FLC in our communities. One of the major areas for discussion was the future of ACWC – how we provide for our young women, promote the ongoing and important work, and provide financial stability. Recommendations will be followed through by the new Executive Committee. In response to a suggestion by younger members, a Facebook page was immediately created.

During the Assembly final business session, a Statement of the 17th Quadrennial Assembly of ACWC was agreed. “God is not God only for human beings but of all creation, thus, broken relationships must be restored. We confess that humankind has not cared for the earth with the self-sacrificing and nurturing love that is expected of us. According to the homily of Dr. Kai-Li Chiu, “sin becomes the distortion of the cosmic balance which happens when human beings transgress the planetary boundaries set by God and place themselves at the center of the world.”

We pray for a renewal of the spirit of God in us women, enabling us to draw from the wellsprings of our inner being, and learn from our Indigenous friends. We join women in the church, in educating our community, through Bible study and prayer to achieve the mandate given to us in balancing the world to life.

We sincerely seek the strength of the Holy Spirit to help us:

Accept Challenges to be a Worthy Christian.”

Meeting in Hsinchu, Taiwan, was a very special time especially with respect to WDP. Most recently, WDP Taiwan brought a powerful liturgy to the world, which was celebrated in March 2023 by approximately 150 countries in 100 languages around the world. It was lovely to meet Nancy Lin and acknowledge her leadership during the 4 years of preparing the material. Special mention was also made of Yin-ting Lai, a talented young woman, who wrote two amazing songs for the programme! (“I Have Heard about your faith…” and “Offering”) Taiwan is our prayer partner for the next four years, and this networking was invaluable.

Katie Reimer, Executive Director of WDPIC, who is based in New York, updated the Assembly on the Palestinian Christian sisters who wrote the programme for 2024. Their theme is ‘I Beg You … Bear with one another in love” based on Ephesians 4:1-7, which will be celebrated worldwide on 1st March 2024. One of the women from WDP Palestine lost three family members in the bombing of the Saint Porphyrios Greek Orthodox Church in Gaza. WDPIC asks that we join our hearts in prayer especially with our Palestinian Christian sisters during this time of war and devastation.

“God of Peace and Justice, we cry out to you with broken hearts and deep anguish for what has unfolded in Israel and Palestine. It is difficult to find the words to express the weight of this moment. We rest on your Spirit, who intercedes with sighs too deep for words. We ask that you heal every wound, and you give us wisdom for how to stop this cycle of violence. We pray especially for women and children, who are particularly vulnerable in times of war. Move our world quickly towards peace and justice. Amen”

A new WDP initiative, a Young Women’s pilgrimage to the Holy Land, had been planned. The trip was postponed because of the outbreak of violence in Israel and Palestine, however, the 14 young women chosen, which includes young women from Tonga and Australia, continue to communicate regularly.

Lynne Scott
ACWC National Representative
Church Women United Aotearoa NZ