Aotearoa and Pacific Voices at WCC Central Committee

Representing churches from Aotearoa in such a forum is a daunting privilege and I was grateful to have the company of Rev Tara Tautari (Advisor to WCC) and Maungarongo Tito (Advisor, Te Runanga Whakawhanaunga o Aotearoa: the Māori Council of Churches).

The meeting began with a note of sadness as we remembered Dr Agnes Abuom, the past Moderator of the Central Committee, who died in June 2023. The first woman and the first African to hold this post, Agnes was an inspirational figure: a woman of humble spirit, an indefatigable peacemaker and a beloved ecumenical leader.

As this was our first meeting and 75 percent of the committee were new members, some time was spent on orientation, community building and ecumenical formation.

Relationships are fundamental to the ecumenical movement and I appreciated the chance to hear from and share with members from the Orthodox tradition, young people from Brazil and the Carribbean, ministers from North America and England, women from West Papua and the Marshall Islands and an indigenous person from Sweden. In the words of the WCC’s Pentecost message, “the Spirit of God speaks in gloriously different voices”.

One of the main tasks of the meeting was to develop a strategic plan to guide the work of the WCC for the next eight years. At the heart of this plan lies a commitment to journey together as a fellowship of churches on a pilgrimage of justice, reconciliation and unity.

With this as a guide, it was agreed that the programmatic work of the WCC would be organised into two main areas: “unity, mission and ecumenical formation” and “public witness and diakonia”.

Highlights of this work include celebrating Nicea2025 (the 1700th anniversary of the Nicea Council and Creed), a continued focus on racial equality and decolonialism, peacemaking efforts (in particular a proposed roundtable of the Ukrainian and Russian Orthodox Churches to promote peace in Ukraine), greater support of and advocacy for refugees and mobilising the churches to respond to the urgent issue of climate change.

Those of us living in the Pacific are aware that the climate crisis is a present reality. Pacific members of the committee spoke strongly about this and other issues (also noting increased militarisation in our area and the destructive legacy of nuclear testing). One of the smallest regions of the WCC, we see our smallness as a strength, affirming “our resilience as a gift of God, rooted in indigenous wisdom and celebrated as spirituality of abundance and hospitality”.

The meeting’s decision to establish a new Commission of the Churches on Climate Justice and Sustainable Development offers churches in Aotearoa an opportunity to be engaged in developing and implementing climate-focused programmes. Nominations for membership of the Commission are currently being sought and are due by 30 September.

Our ability to make a valuable contribution to the work of the WCC was affirmed when the committee appointed new members to its existing commissions. Appointments from Aotearoa included Rev Tara Tautari (Methodist) to the Commission on World Mission and Evangelism, Rev Tamsyn Kereopa (Anglican) to the Commission on Educational and Ecumenical Formation and Bishop Te Kitohi Pikaahu (Anglican) to the Joint Working Group between the WCC and the Roman Catholic Church.

Every central committee meeting is an opportunity to address issues of public concern. In order to avoid doing harm, these are carefully cross-checked with local churches and ecumenical partners. The meeting adopted four statements and nine minutes addressing situations like the current crisis in Myanmar, human rights in the Philippines, the suspension of food aid to Ethiopia and the territorial crisis in the Eastern Mediterranean. A full list of these is available on the WCC website, www.oikoumene.org

A final highlight of our meeting was celebrating the 75th anniversary of the WCC in a service with local churches at Saint Pierre Cathedral. It was salutary to remember that the WCC was founded after the Second World War at a time of huge global suffering. Coming together as a fellowship of churches, its vision was to serve the world by staying together, praying together, moving together and acting together in the cause of unity and common witness. The need for the WCC is just as great today as it was then. “For the healing of the nations, we pray with one accord.”