Keri Wehlander of Nanaimo, British Columbia has been named the winner of the Hymn Text Competition. Wehlander’s submission, "From the Waters of Creation", set to the tune of Nettleton, was selected by the Joint Anglican Lutheran Commission (JALC) following the review of almost one hundred submissions. The competition was created to develop a new tune, familiar to both the traditions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) and the Anglican Church of Canada (ACC) who will be gathering for a joint day together while in Winnipeg in June for their respective National Convention and General Synod meetings.

Upon announcement of the winning submission, the JALC issued the following:

Keri Wehlander of Nanaimo, British Columbia, has written, "From the Waters of Creation", set to the tune Nettleton. "One of the strengths of the hymn," writes the Rev’d Dr Richard Leggett, one of the members of the Joint Commission charged with selecting the winner, "is its evocation of the many saving acts of God associated with water and God’s continuing work among us. I particularly appreciate the recurrent phrase that God’s grace continues to flow in the world. "

"From the Waters of Creation" will be sung at the joint gathering of the Anglican Church of Canada General Synod and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada National Convention on June 21 in Winnipeg.

Deep thanks go out to all who made submissions. "We received entries from across the country, from men and women, clergy and laity, young and old. The quality was high. I was particularly struck by the Canadian character of the imagery throughout the hymns," commented Eileen Scully, the General Synod staff person who served the Joint Commission’s project.

For further information, please contact:

Trina Gallop
Manager of Communications, ELCIC
(204) 984-9172 

In less than two months, delegates representing the parishes of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) will gather in Winnipeg, Manitoba for the 11th Biennial National Convention of the ELCIC. Over the next few weeks CONVENTION NOTES will share information and highlights on the upcoming gathering.

, Manager of Communications
302 – 393 Portage Ave. Winnipeg MB R3B 3H6
204.984.9172
tgallop@elcic.ca

The second article in this series is on the ELCIC and Anglican Church of Canada (ACC) joint day which will take place on June 21, 2007. This article is written by the Rev. Paul Johnson, Assistant to the Bishop for Ecumenical Relations. Further information, including specific information for delegates, is available on the ELCIC website at www. elcic.ca (click on the link to 2007 National Convention).

On the threshold of the 100th anniversary celebration of the 1910 Edinburgh World Mission Conference, widely regarded as the symbolic starting point of the modern ecumenical movement, World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia offered a sober analysis of the past century’s achievements and failures, and called for an "ecumenically responsible evangelism". 

Speaking today in Edinburgh, Scotland, at a meeting to prepare the 100th anniversary celebration of the landmark event, Kobia affirmed: "We need a new Edinburgh and can only hope that the celebration we foresee for 2010 will be a step in that direction."

Such a re-edition depends on involving today’s newer and most dynamic mission movements, Kobia said. These "are to be found among Christian traditions not represented in any of the formal fora that exist as a consequence of the structures of last century".

Only after acknowledging Christianity’s new face, the result of the "spiritual revolution brought by the Pentecostal and charismatic movements and churches," can a "fruitful theological dialogue on priorities and disciplines in mission" be envisaged.

In that sense, it is particularly urgent that mission "be understood and practised in a way that does not lead to an increase of hatred and violence". New forms of "non-aggressive evangelism" must keep "the bold witness to Christ and God’s kingdom in creative tension with respect for men, women and children of all convictions".

For Kobia, "ecumenically responsible evangelism" means "a proclamation which, while critical of human pride and sin, makes it clear that God wants peace and not war, life and not death, unity and not division, forgiveness and not vengeance".

Reflecting on the famous Edinburgh motto "the evangelization of the world in this generation," the WCC general secretary acknowledged that 100 years later, the number of Christians in the world is proportionally the same: roughly a third of the world population.

"Realistically speaking, it doesn’t make sense to just repeat the Edinburgh watchword," Kobia argued. Instead, and in view of the extent to which both the world and the landscape of Christianity have profoundly changed since 1910, he proposed to focus on "this generation’s mission in a globalized world".

According to Kobia, this course should include "the healing of Christian divisions, building communities of healing and reconciliation, challenging all justifications of violence, striving for peace as God’s gift, and sharing the gospel in Christ’s way".

Amongst wounded memories in need of healing is the rift between "Christians of the evangelical mission family and Christians of the conciliar or ecumenical mission family". "We should find a way to confess mutual exaggerations and disrespect" so as to favour "an authentic reconciliation process" if any progress in co-operation around 2010 and beyond is to be achieved, Kobia said.

The WCC general secretary is halfway through a 24 April – 4 May visit to the UK and Ireland.

Can a woman forget her nursing child,
or show no compassion for the child of her womb,
Even these may forget,
yet I will not forget you.
–Isaiah 49:15 (NRSV)

What a pleasant surprise it was to visit Sweden for the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Council meeting and get some relief from North American news. The North American mood, since September 11, 2001, has been one of doomsday dread. The rationale for the Iraq war was built on that mood. The US demands for beefed-up Canadian security were based on that mood. There is a sense in the air that if one is not watchful every minute, life, as we know it, will be snatched away for good. Apocalyptic religious views such as those expressed in the Left Behind series by Tim LaHay add to the doomsday dread.
 
How much more Easter-centred was the mood in Europe! The gathering there celebrated a mixture of experiences, some undeniably dangerous, but others life-giving. Life is not an all-or-nothing battle. Christians who have been dealt life-crushing disasters continue to re-emerge as hopeful and dedicated evangelists for Jesus Christ. The LWF community offered the opportunity to reason through our faith together.

God, who created us out of sheer grace, has permanently adopted us in love. Nowhere do I find the Easter message more profoundly spoken then in the prophesies of Isaiah, who did not know Jesus, but who knew the promise in which Jesus trusted. Eternal life is not a future promise, but a reality in which we already exist. I disagree with those who believe that death is an illusion, but death, real as it is, cannot prevent God from preserving us in God’s own self for all of God’s life.

Let us not be ground down by doomsday worries. Let us celebrate life in fearless trust and give ourselves over to the celebration of life eternal! Easter always calls us forward into the future.

Thanks be to God!

National Bishop Raymond Schultz
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada

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The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (www.elcic.ca) is Canada’s largest Lutheran denomination with 174,555 baptized members in 620 congregations. It is a member of the Lutheran World Federation, the Canadian Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches.

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