07.02.2005
PEOPLE
In the WARC family
Beyers Naudé
The Reformed world lost a courageous prophet with the death of anti-apartheid activist Beyers Naudé, the World Alliance of Reformed Churches general secretary, Setri Nyomi, said in a tribute in September 2004.
“It is with a sense of sadness that we have received the news of the death of our friend and comrade, Beyers Naudé. We thank God for his life. For decades, Beyers Naudé’s prophetic voice and actions were a thorn in the flesh of those who found solace in the evil apartheid system.
“From the 1960s Beyers was among the few visionaries who were courageous enough to speak boldly and in obedience even if it meant doing so at great personal risk. His prophetic stance and actions were among the inspirations behind the declaration of status confessionis by the World Alliance of Reformed Churches in 1982.”
That declaration by WARC called apartheid a sin and resulted in the expulsion of the Dutch Reformed Church from the Alliance.
Nyomi said Naudé stood in the great tradition of Reformed Christians who could see clearly what was wrong within their own church, even if it meant being disowned by it and in the great tradition of the early apostles who chose to obey God rather than human beings, despite the political costs.
“The World Alliance of Reformed Churches is grateful to God for giving him as a gift for humanity.”
Naudé, 89, was buried after a service in his local Dutch Reformed Church, the once segregated white congregation where in 1963 he denounced the role of the church in the government’s racist policies.
The one-time establishment white cleric who became an anti-apartheid activist was lauded by both Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Desmond Tutu and South African President Thabo Mbeki. Said Tutu, “He gave the credibility of Christianity back to black people in (South Africa).”
Baldwin Sjollema honoured
The first director of the World Council of Churches’ (WCC) Programme to Combat Racism, Boudewijn (Baldwin) Sjollema was honoured by the WCC in a ceremony at the ecumenical centre in Geneva in September 2004.
A plaque was unveiled to pay tribute to Sjollema and the antiracism programme which focused much of its attention and energy during the apartheid era on Southern Africa.
“This is not something we did as one person but as a team,” said Sjollema who last June was decorated by South African president Thabo Mbeki for his commitment to the liberation of South Africa from its racist ideology of apartheid.
Sjollema was born in 1927 in Rotterdam. He joined the WCC in 1957 and worked on refugee and migration issues before being named director of the Programme to Combat Racism. Retired, he lives in Switzerland.
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| Herbert Ehnes |
Herbert Ehnes thanked
Herbert Ehnes, the long-time finance moderator for the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC), was thanked by staff for his dedication, sensitivity and tireless fundraising efforts in a low-key gathering in Geneva in October 2004.
Ehnes, a judge, prosecutor and member of the Church of Lippe in Germany, retired as the moderator of the department of finance after 14 years of service following the 24th General Council. His involvement with the Alliance dates back to 1977.
“As many people who attend an event for the Alliance find out, it can be a lifetime commitment,” said WARC general secretary Setri Nyomi, adding, “but it’s not everyone who responds this way. We are glad you took on this responsibility.”
Ehnes shared some of his many memories from the years of involvement with the Alliance, mentioning in particular his travels to South Africa prior to the Ottawa General Council to discover the true face of apartheid, and getting involved in European human rights issues.
Staff offered Ehnes a number of small gifts as tokens of appreciation for his many years of service.
Bishop Huber visits Alliance
Bishop Wolfgang Huber, chair of the Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), met with Alliance staff briefly in September 2004.
Nyomi updated him on the actions of the 24th General Council at Accra, Ghana, particularly on the Accra Confession, which critiques neo-liberal economic globalization. There was a full exchange on the issue with Huber.
Huber, who is the bishop of the Evangelical Church-Berlin-Brandenburg-Schlesische Oberlausitz, also met with officials from the World Council of Churches (WCC), Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and the Conference of European Churches (CEC).
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| Páraic Réamonn |
Staff news
Former Alliance staff members Páraic Réamonn and Margaret Owen were thanked for their many years of service at a gathering in Geneva in October 2004. Nyomi and representatives from WCC, LWF and CEC paid tribute to them and thanked them for their dedication to WARC and the wider ecumenical community.
Réamonn, a minister in the Church of Scotland, was executive secretary for communications and editor of Update for 11 years. Owen was assistant to the executive secretary for theology for
17 years.
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| Margaret Owen and Setri Nyomi |
In September 2004 John Asling, who has worked in mission and communication for the United Church of Canada for the past 16 years, became the executive secretary for communications.
