10.08.2004

Keep HIV/Aids on list of priorities, executive told

Don’t shy away from encouraging the use of condoms in the fight against HIV/Aids, the 24th general council of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) was cautioned Tuesday.

A number of delegates told the meeting in Accra, Ghana, they were concerned about a recommendation in a policy committee report encouraging WARC to get its member churches to affirm that using contraceptives is not sinful.

They were concerned that encouraging the use of condoms would lead to promiscuity. Rose Teteki Abbey of Ghana, however, said it was important for the council to say it is okay to use contraceptives, including condoms.

“Too many churches are silent on this subject. I don’t think we should leave our women alone on this. Abstinence, being faithful and condoms are all important. If people were following the first two, we wouldn’t need the third.”

The general council agreed to pass the recommendation on contraceptives to its executive and general secretary along with dozens of other priorities for its work over the next seven years.

The council also asked its newly elected executive to include the rights of gays and lesbians in its justice work, a recommendation that drew some concern from delegates who said it would affect their evangelistic and interfaith efforts.

“It will be very difficult to share the gospel with Muslims,” said Istafanus Bala Bahago of Nigeria.

Peter Holtrop of the Netherlands, one of the moderators of the session, told the delegates that while sexual orientation is still an issue where there is no consensus within WARC, there have been some statements on human rights for gays and lesbians.

“We have made some small progress,” he said.

Council also highlighted the following working priorities for the executive: unity in the Reformed family, youth, spirituality and Reformed worship, leadership development and Reformed theology and heritage, along with networking, finance, communications and relations with ecumenical bodies.

It also called for more work on the covenanting process on economic and ecological justice, gender justice and peace.

“Programmes need to be geared not just to conferences, papers or events but also to building an ongoing impact with other partners around those concerns,” the council said in receiving the report of the policy committee.

But delegates heard that the long list of priorities has to be balanced with the financial and human resources available. Only 54 per cent of WARC member churches have paid their annual membership dues and the Alliance is running a deficit.

A recommendation to the executive calls for WARC’s leaders to contact churches that are not paying. Treasurer William McComish encouraged members to try and pay something, no matter how small.

“We are not going to exclude anyone because of the lack of financial resources but some major churches could pay more and are not,” he said.

John Asling, August 10 2004