The 27th General Council of the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) in Chiang Mai, Thailand, formally ended on 23 October with a Closing Communion full of music, prayers, words of gratitude, and a collective pledge to persevere in witness supported by each other’s prayers.
After ten days of discerning and deciding, over 400 delegates from across the world gathered to bid goodbye to one another as they return home to some 230 churches in 109 countries across the globe.
Press On
The Rev. Dr Karen Georgia Thompson, United Church of Christ general minister and incoming WCRC president, reflected on the theme of the General Council, “Persevere in Your Witness.”
“Our time together has been full,” she said. “Your presence is valuable and made this General Council a memorable event and, more importantly, an encounter with God.”
The delegates prayerfully acknowledged that they will carry a message to a world that is rife with conflict and suffering.
“Provide us with the courage to live beyond the tears of each day,” they prayed together.
Poetic Expression
Thompson shared lines from a poem she wrote, entitled “Press On.”
“Who are we to grumble?
Why do we despair?
Call the names of those who have gone on before us,
overturning tables before they went.
We are not afraid.
We are witnesses of new hope.
We are crafters of a new future.”
Looking Back and Forward: 150 Years
The General Council took place as the Reformed Communion marks its 150th anniversary; Thompson urged church leaders to take a moment to think of those early Reformers.
“Theirs was not an easy path,” she said. “The early Reformers did not always get it right. They were people like us with their doubts and fears. Like us, they knew God was present with them and they chose—yes, they chose—to follow God.”
Bittersweet Lessons
Thompson asked churches to be willing to look back and count not only the accomplishments but be willing to also identify the failures. “The lessons that are bittersweet point to a different future,” she said. “The truth is, that the hardest moment we feel is the moment we are living because that is at the forefront of our consciousness.”
We are called to be witnesses, she added. “What do we have to testify about? More importantly, how have we seen God at work in the world and at work in our lives? Our world is in crisis. No matter where you come from, there are challenges to be faced. These are challenging times as anxieties and fear abound.”
One of those challenges is a raging climate crisis. “People are being displaced with lands being consumed by the sea,” she said. “This is not the time to be afraid.”
The Call to Prophetic Witness
We will not acquire superhuman strength, Thompson noted. “But we do not journey alone. Our perseverance brought us to this place. When we persevere, we might fail. But God is still with us. When we persevere, we accept that hardships will come, knowing that the Holy Spirit gives life and freedom.”
She acknowledged that the call to prophetic witness is not easy. “The call to follow Jesus is the way of costly discipleship,” she said, before citing additional lines from “Press On.”
“Declaring truth for all to hear,
we are not afraid.
We are witnesses of new hope.
We are crafters of a new future.
We are that new generation.
May it be so.”
Fond Goodbyes
As the Closing Communion ended, the WCRC General Council thanked outgoing general secretary Rev. Dr Setri Nyomi for his many years of service, presenting him with gifts and applause.
“Thank you very much for your love, for your encouragement, and for your partnership in making this ministry possible,” he said.
WCRC outgoing President Rev. Najla Kassab offered words of encouragement to all. “Beloved, we are sent out to the world,” she said. “Let us support each other in prayer, work together, and hand-in-hand as one communion, with the assurance of God’s blessing,” she said.
