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WCC Photo (C) Albin Hillert. Used by Permission
Arusha, Tanzania, March 2018
Youth and young adults display signs of "transforming discipleship" on March 12 during the Missional Formation Plenary at the Conference on World Mission and Evangelism in Arusha, Tanzania. The once-every-10-years conference was organized by the World Council of Churches.
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WCC Photo (C) Albin Hillert. Used by Permission
Bishop Swenson at WCC
Retired United Methodist Bishop Mary Ann Swenson, a member of the World Council of Churches' Executive Committee, speaks at the Conference on World Mission and Evangelism in Arusha, Tanzania held March 8-13, 2018.
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WCC Photo (C) Albin Hillert. Used by Permission
Embracing the Cross
Young adults display a colorful cross during the "Embracing the Cross" plenary at the Conference on World Mission and Evangelism in Arusha, Tanzania March 8-13, 2018. The conference theme was "Moving in the Spirit: Called to Transforming Discipleship."
March 13, 2018
The Conference on World Mission and Evangelism (CWME) – held in Arusha, Tanzania 8-13 March – officially closed with a “sending service” during which participants reflected on their call to discipleship and the significance of such a call in transforming mission in a world of pain, dislocation and turmoil.
In a closing sermon, Rev. Dr Collin Cowan of the Council for World Mission said, if discipleship is context-laden, then we are always being called to a life of contrast, from one pattern of living to another, always going against the grain as a deliberate choice.
WCC Photo (C) Albin Hillert. Used by Permission
Collin Cowan
The Rev. Dr. Collin Cowan of the World Council for Mission speaks at the World Council of Churches' Conference on Mission and Evangelism.
“Jesus pushed boundaries, confronted power, challenged systems of corruption and taught his disciples to go against the grain of cultural norms and practices,” he said. “Jesus was consistently challenging the disciples to appreciate that if they would be impactful and fruitful in a chaotic world, blemished by conflict, controversies and contempt, they needed to open up themselves to change their way of thinking and behaving in every situation.”
The theme of the CWME was “Moving in the Spirit: Called to Transforming Discipleship.” A tradition of the International Mission Council and the World Council of Churches Commission on World Mission and Evangelism, mission conferences are held roughly every decade.
During the sending service, Cowan urged conference participants to embark on a lifelong journey of unlearning and relearning. “As we walk with Jesus and his first disciples we will see that there is much to learn about discipleship with Jesus; it is indeed a journey of partnership with lots of tripping up but never giving up, always trusting the teacher to shed more light and truth,” he said. “Integral to the call to discipleship is the mandate to join Jesus on an extraordinary mission to transform chaos into harmony and to work in partnership with others to preserve the meaning and dignity of all of humanity and God’s creation.”
The ecumenical conference was attended by more than 1,000 representatives from Protestant, Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Evangelical, Pentecostal, and African-instituted churches. From “warshas,” or workshops, to the “sokoni,” or marketplace, the event was wrapped in the spirit of African rhythms, music, and art.
The United Methodist Church was represented by retired Bishop Mary Ann Swenson, a member of the WCC Executive Committee, who spoke during one of the plenaries. In addition to Bishop Swenson, official United Methodist delegates to the conference were:
The eight official United Methodist delegates were:
- Bishop Mande Muyombo, North Katanga Episcopal Area, Democratic Republic of the Congo;
- Thomas Kemper, general secretary, Global Ministries;
- Christian Love Daroy, a missionary in the Longos Dumpsite in the Philippines;
- The Rev. Dr. Roar Fotland, an elder from the Norway Annual Conference and professor at the Norwegian School of Theology;
- Molly McIntire, mission training and volunteer coordinator in the Florida Annual Conference and a member of the Global Ministries board of directors;
- The Rev. Dr. Joon-Sik Park, an elder from the West Ohio Annual Conference, who holds the E. Stanley Jones professor of World Evangelism position at the Methodist Theological School in Ohio;
- The Rev. Dr. Jean Hawxhurst, Office of Christian Unity and ecumenical staff officer for leadership development of the Council of Bishops; and
- The Rev. Dr. Amy Valdez Barker, executive director of the Global Mission Connections unit, Global Ministries.
Among other United Methodists attending the Arusha conference were two representatives of United Methodist Women, both regional missionaries in Africa. Finda Quina engages in youth work from a base in Sierra Leone, while Grace Musuka is a specialist in ministry among women in Central Africa, based in Zimbabwe.
Other United Methodists present as observers, guests, and on special assignments included:
- The Rev. Kyeong-Ah Woo, a Global Ministries missionary and elder of the Northern Illinois Annual Conference who grew up in South Korea, and was seconded to the World Council as coordinator of the conference.
- Joy Eva Bohol, a young United Methodist missionary, originally from the Philippines, who was in charge of a group young adult “stewards” who assisted with conference logistics.
Learn more about the Conference on World Mission and Evangelism
“Arusha Call to Discipleship” issued (WCC press release of 13 March 2018)
Video from the closing plenary
Information from a Global Ministries article by Elliot Wright was used in this report.