Protests in Busan

I meant to do a blog post while in Busan about some of the protests that the World Council of Churches faced while we were there... but never got around to it. Every day, we were met with people outside of the convention centre protesting the WCC and our meetings. From what I could gather (from the few signs in English), the main issues centred around inter-religious dialogue and sexual orientation (which is interesting, because the WCC does not have a position on this).

Fortunately, a new friend that I met in Busan - Sheryl Johnson from KAIROS - has done just this. Sheryl combines it with some other powerful moments from the assembly and asks some great questions for us and for our churches about costly discipleship.

But I am left with questions about how to deepen the cost of my own discipleship, and how we as churches in the land called Canada do the same. Will we be so brave when the consequences are so high? Will we be willing to pay the price of lost friends, lost comfort, lost privileges?

Check out the rest of Sheryl's great post.

Our last day in Busan

And we are adjourned! An abbreviated day today, but very full of gratitude, hope, and a sense of mission.

After worship, we had two long business sessions this morning to try and finish up all the stuff with which we had not yet dealt. We adopted a message from the assembly, and approved several statements and minutes from the Public Issues Committee, on topics such as indigenous peoples and the situation in Abeyi in Sudan. While our time was limited, there was quite a bit of discussion about a statement on the Christian presence and witness in the Middle East. We finished these sessions with many thank yous - to the Korean churches and various host committees, to the stewards and volunteers, to the WCC staff. So many people put a lot of work into this event to make it wonderful - I am sure that they are finding some relief in the midst of their exhaustion right now.

Just on random note - my seat in the business hall was right behind those of the delegates from the Orthodox Church of Finland. One of them took a photo of a vote and lo and behold - here I am on the their church's website! Ecumenism is fun.

Father Michael Lapsley gave us some powerful words in his preaching during the Closing Prayer. He spoke of the importance of listening to each other's pain: "When we are able to listen to each other's pain we can become committed to work together for an inclusive justice. Also when we listen to one another's pain the division between "us" and "them" disappears and we all become just "us". Our experience of a common humanity is profoundly deeper than all that divides us or makes us unique and different." He concluded with words from Benedictine Sr. Ruth Fox, which I have included below.

I do not have the energy nor brain power right now to reflect on my weeks in Busan - what they mean for me, for the PCC, for my place in the Church. Those will come in the next few weeks.

For now, packing, going to touch the ocean (which, despite being right outside my hotel, I have not been near yet), dinner, then on a shuttle bus at 5 am tomorrow to start the long journey back to Canada.


May God bless you with a restless discomfort about easy answers, half-truths and superficial relationships, so that you may seek truth boldly and love deep within your heart.

May God bless you with holy anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that you may tirelessly work for justice, freedom, and peace among all people.

May God bless you with the gift of tears to shed with those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, or the loss of all they cherish, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and transform their pain into joy.

May God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you really CAN make a difference in this world, so that you are able, with God's grace, to do what others claim cannot be done.

- Benedictine Sister Ruth Fox, 1985

The last morning of the Assembly

As we gathered to begin our final day this morning, we prayed together:

"During the last supper, Jesus became a servant to his disciples. May we follow Jesus' example of servanthood and bless one another in humility.

For the leaders of the world, that they may put aside their differences and seek the peace of Christ, we pray: Have mercy on us.

For the Church, that we serve one another with a humility which sets aside hierarchies of power, we pray: Have mercy on us.

Release us from the curse of stigma and labels that cast out the unnacceptable, we pray: Have mercy on us.

Deliver us from all that separates us from the love of Christ, we pray: Have mercy on us.

That we may long for the day when all may feast at the table of our Lord, when no one will be an outsider, and all will be loved, we pray: Have mercy on us."

Day 9 - Peace

It's official - I am exhausted. Seriously.

Now that that's out of the way...

We had a very moving plenary about peace this morning. Nobel Laureate Leymah Gbowee told us of her personal healing that was necessary for her to become a peacemaker in Liberia. Instead of being complicit bystanders, Ms. Gbowee told the church (i.e., us) to speak up for peace.

choir and orchestra for worship

Rev. Dr. Chang Yoon Jae, a professor of theology who speaks on society, justice, faith and peace, said that the Korean people are on an exodus journey to peace: an exodus to new peace (moving from unfinished war to permanent peace); an exodus to new light (turning on an internal light of life and peace to move toward a world without nuclear bombs and power); and, an exodus to new earth (to liberate ourselves from fossil fuels and nuclear energy). Using the week's image of a pilgrimage, Rev. Dr. Chang told us to get out of our cars and walk, to leave our comfortable spaces. As he called us to new light, all the lights in the auditorium were turned off and he lit a candle while singing "This Little Light of Mine." A very powerful moment.

There was a strong sense of responsibility in the room - that we are responsible for the lack of peace in our world and that we need to work to remedy that. Agata, an Iranian woman, called for an end to the sanctions that are hurting ordinary people in her country. Fabian, from Costa Rica, said that we should be a church of action and leave behind our differences in order to make the world beautiful. Stanley Noffisinger concluded with a call to engage in "radical, compassionate discipleship."

The PCC delegation to the assembly

This afternoon, I attended a workshop entitled, "From ecological debt to eco-justice: Mining, reparations and earth rights." We began by watching a video produced by KAIROS Canada after a conference they held on mining issues. We then heard first-hand accounts of human and environmental destruction caused by mining companies (many of which are Canadian) in Zambia, Ecuador, the Philippines, and India. As with resource extraction in Canada, indigenous people are disproportionately affected.

We took some time to discuss what our churches can do to respond to these cries from our sisters and brothers and to work for peace: two ideas were to advocate for increased accountability and transparency of mining companies working overseas, and to engage in ethical investing. These are not difficult actions, and should be embraced by congregations.

We discussed a few more of our public issues statements during our business plenary tonight - peace and reunification of the Korean Peninsula, and the way of just peace.

A great day - despite the exhaustion :).

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives.

Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.

John 14:27

Day 8 - Justice

We began the day in worship, talking about justice. We sang a wonderful song - "Until all are fed."

Our Bible studies looked at a story of injustice in the Bible - Naboth's land being taken by Ahab. It was not hard for us to think, in our small group, of examples of this from our own contexts - land being taken from people for mineral and oil development in Nigeria and Canada, farm land being taken from Palestinians, difficulties with finding affordable housing in the UK, Sweden and Korea. How can the church be more like Elijah? How can we speak out against these injustices? How can we stand with those who are having their land taken away?

The Justice Plenary looked more deeply at some of the injustices facing us today, and what the church should be doing about them. Martin Kohr talked about the world financial crisis, unfair trade rules, and climate change. Dr. Julia Duchrow told us that churches must work with civil society organizations to ensure that human rights are respected by governments and multi-national corporations. Bishop Iosif of Patrara reminded us of the basis of our faith: we are to love God, and to love our neighbours. Rev. Phumzile Mabizela said that justice should be at the core of our church. She identified that the church has often silenced voices - an affront to those peoples' dignity - and that the church has used sacred texts to justify gender injustice. She said that the gospel must be re-interpreted for people like her - a village woman living with HIV.

All panelists said that Christians must pray and act for a more just world. Rev. Mabizela challenged us to leave our comfort zones: "Stress those who are comfortable, and comfort those in distress."

The Presbyterian Church in Korea hosted its partners for a lovely lunch. Was interesting to meet Presbyterians from all over the world, and the food was delicious :).

Canadian fellowship at the end of the day

During a business plenary session, we succeeded in electing a new central committee that will guide the work of the WCC until the next assembly. We also adopted statements on the human rights of stateless people and on the politicisation of religion and rights of religious minorities.

Before we discussed a statement on peace and reunification of the Korean Peninsula, the WCC General Secretary read greetings from the churches in North Korea. This is the first time in some years that North Korean churches have not been at a WCC Assembly. They expressed their support for the WCC, and for the peaceful reunification of the Korean peninsula.

The day ended with fun and fellowship as Canadian delegates from all churches gathered together. Much laughter over the menu (pizza = a "non-runny, ready-to-eat dish with heterogeneous ingredients") and much sharing about our experiences at the assembly and about our churches back in Canada.

How long will we sing? How long will we pray?

How long will we write and send?

How long will we bring? How long will we stay?

How long will we make amends?

Until all are fed, we cry out. Until all on earth have bread.

Like the one who loves us, each and every one

We serve until all are fed.
- T. Brown and B. McFarland

Day 7 (part 2) - Dialogue on sexuality

After spending the morning thinking about Christian unity, many of us decided to attend a workshop on what some would say is one of the most divisive issues in the church today: human sexuality.

The first thing to say about this workshop is that the room was packed. People standing at the back, people sitting on the floor. Even that was affirming - churches want to talk about this issue. We recognize that we have different opinions, and we want to be in dialogue.

I didn't really know what to expect. I had read the workshop description, but was a bit anxious about how the hour and a half would unfold. This is not an easy topic for churches. The tone was set from the very beginning, though, when we read this passage from 1 John 4: "God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them."

We heard about a dialogue on this topic between 10 people from Europe and 10 people from the rest of the world, all of whom approached this issue from different places. We heard of their Bible study, of conversations of pain, emotion and beauty... all of which led to the creation of safe space, and participants could then look to find common ground. This can be a model for other churches looking to create an environment in which human sexuality can be discussed.

We then heard from four people about their experiences in different parts of the world.

• A young, extremely courageous transgender Korean woman told her story - a story of rejection from a church, of loneliness and exclusion, of coming back to God's love, and of finding acceptance.
• A theologian from Nigeria, a country where the church agrees with the state's criminalization of homosexuality, talked about how asking, "What does the Bible say?" is not as important as asking "What is the Christian calling?" and "What are the justice issues?"
• A gay Romanian man spoke of the attack on basic human rights in Eastern Europe, and how the creation of safe space for dialogue with churches in this region is next to impossible. He pointed out the value of the WCC - for some people, this is the only forum in which this conversation can take place.
• An HIV-positive South African woman talked about the opportunity that has been presented to the churches with the AIDS pandemic - there is now an opening to talk about sex. She said that dignity and identity are inherent rights from God, and that all people are created in the image of God. I wrote down some wonderful quotes from her: "These are our children. They didn't come from trees. We gave birth to them after having sex." "Sexuality is to the body what spirituality is to the soul." (She actually credited this to someone else but I can't remember who... sorry...) "No one deserves rejection, no one deserves to be discriminated against." "Unity is impossible without acknowledging our diversity."

My words cannot do justice to the love and support I felt in the room for these four individuals, regardless of what church we were coming from.

We met in small groups afterward to discuss our reactions, our frustrations, our hopes. My feelings at the time were profound gratitude to the four people for sharing their stories, but also guilt - the church, of which I am a part, has caused such hurt, and continues to do so. These four people had put faces to that hurt. We are supposed to be loving, inclusive communities, and we have failed.

This workshop gave me hope too, though. We know that this is a challenge for us, and so many people were there to start the conversation. It needs to continue (someone said, "90 minutes is not going to do it."), and I think that the WCC can offer a safe space in which this work can take place. The facilitator said that safe space is created when you take a risk to enter it, when you share truthfully, and when you listen actively. And as mentioned in this morning's session, it will take passion, patience and hard work to find common ground between the churches on human sexuality.

But we have now taken the first step...

Day 7 (part 1) - "... that all may be one"

Oh, my friends.  My heart is very full after today. It was a wonderful day in Busan.

The theme of today was unity. In worship and Bible study, we talked about Pentecost, and considered that unity can exist in the midst of diversity. That is on clear display this week - there are many differences between the people who are gathered, and yet we are trying to find areas where we can be unified.

The Unity Plenary this morning was quite moving. We heard from four speakers about our journey, as churches, toward Christian unity. We have come a long way, but there are still great divisions. One of the most obvious of these is that we cannot yet share the Eucharist around the same table.

• Metropolitan Nifon of Târgoviste, from the Romanian Orthodox Church, reminded us that Jesus loved all of the people he met, regardless of their religion, and that sometimes the greatest challenge to Christian unity is within our own constituencies. Patience, passion and hardwork will be required for unity.
• The Rev. Dr. Neville Callam, from the Baptist World Alliance, said that churches should work to address the conflicting moral issues we have so that we don't entrench societal divisions.
• Alice Fabian, from the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa, told us that there has been much work toward unity in South Africa, but that there is still work to do. She told us of two previously separate Zulu- and English-speaking congregations, using the same building, that have recently joined together to be one congregation.
• Bishop Mark MacDonald (a Canadian you may remember from yesterday's post) told of his ministry in the far north of North America, saying, "At 50 below zero, denominational differences disappear." He talked about the harsh conditions of the north (both human and environmental), and how people in the north are reminding the rest of us how to live faithfully on the land.

The conclusion of the plenary was a very special moment. A small group sat on the stage, in a semi-circle, facing away from us. They began singing Ubi Caritas from the Taizé Community, and we all joined in. The lyrics mean: Where true charity/love is, there is God. The people in the semi-circle then said "By this, everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another." in many languages. We then concluded with Laudate omnes gentes (Sing praises all you people, sing praises to the Lord). It was a truly wonderful moment.

Day 6 continued...

In my rush to post yesterday, I forgot to mention two very meaningful moments from the day:

- The Assembly received greetings from Rabbi David Fox Sandmel of the International Jewish Committee on Interreligious Consultations. He concluded with these powerful words:

While we disagree about whether the Messiah is to come or come again, we are, in the felicitous phrase of the Christian theologian Clark Williamson, "partners in waiting." Until that day, we can and must work together to alleviate suffering, promote justice and repair our world for the reign of God. Ken yehi ratzon, may this be God's will. Amen.

- Eight new presidents of the WCC were elected last night. The North American President will be Bishop Mark MacDonald from the Anglican Church of Canada, a non-status Indian and the first indigenous president for the region. I am very excited by Mark's election. The Anglican Church has more information about the role of presidents and about Mark himself.

Day 6

I am finally getting used to this routine - sleeping until a semi-normal hour of the day, and the days at the convention centre seem to have kind of a rhythm to them now. I will be an expert at this just as it's time to come home...

It was a good day today - we are really getting into the meat/tofu (take your pick) of the assembly. The first plenary session this morning was focused on a new document the WCC has put together on mission - Together Towards Life: Mission and Evangelism in Changing Landscapes. I will be the first to admit that the concept of evangelism can make me a bit uncomfortable, but there are some interesting things in this document. It talks about how what we proclaim must match how we live out our lives ("practice what you preach," if you will) and that eco-justice should be a big part of mission.

The part that stood out the most for me is a paradigm shift in the way we think about mission. We often think of "missionaries" from the west/north going to the south, but this document talks about "mission from the margins." It says:

People on the margins have agency, and can often see what, from the centre, is out of view. People on the margins, living in vulnerable positions, often know what exclusionary forces are threatening their survival and can best discern the urgency of their struggles; people in positions of privilege have much to learn from the daily struggles of people living in marginal conditions.

Cool, eh?

I attended a workshop this afternoon to learn about a dialogue process that has been taking place since the last assembly between European and Latin American churches. These two groups had some disagreements at the last assembly about globalization, so they took it upon themselves to begin a dialogue process to work through some of these issues. Quite neat to see how common ground can be found when we sit down and talk to one another, but amazing to think of the effort required just to agree on something like definitions.

At a second workshop this afternoon, we met in regional groups to discuss what churches might do to counter "the spirituality of consumerism." As you can well imagine, this is a difficult question in the North American context. As one member of our group (an American with roots in India) pointed out, shopping is a hobby in North America. We talked about how education and advocacy would be important, and how small steps could be encouraged - things like ethical investing, and using credit unions (my "socialist banker" husband will be so pleased!).

All in all, a full and thought-provoking day. It occurred to me at one point that I am quite amazed that in all of the organized chaos, and in all of the people, relationships that are actually able to develop. The first few days, it seemed like I was meeting someone new every five minutes and then not seeing them again. But now, with my Bible study group that I see every day, with the group with whom I spent the weekend in Seoul - it is amazing that in so big a group, it is possible to get to know people quite well. Cool. I had imagined that I was going to get a lot out of this experience, but I did not anticipate this.

Days 4 and 5 - Seoul

This weekend was all about the Korean churches' generosity, hospitality, and organizational capacity. Seriously. Basically, 600 of us travelled from Busan to Seoul for the weekend and the Korean churches took care of all the details.

We left Busan early yesterday morning - a long bus ride to the train station. There was an entire train just for WCC delegates, which was pretty neat. It was cool and pouring rain when we arrived in Seoul... ugh. But everything was very well organized and we were on assigned buses (28 of them!) within minutes.

Police stopping highway traffic for us

We had a police escort as we travelled to the de-militarized zone (which sometimes stopped several lanes of traffic so our bus convoy could stay together... I felt like royalty!). Our destination was actually Imjingak, a park about 7 km from the DMZ. (And by the time we got there, the rain had stopped :).) The most interesting parts to me were a fence that was covered in ribbons with prayers or names, and the Bridge to Freedom, where former prisoners of war crossed into South Korea after the signing of the armistice agreement that ended hostilities. It is blocked today, and people can no longer pass through it to get to the north.

Wall blocking the way on the Bridge to Freedom

We then travelled to Myungsung Presbyterian Church in Seoul for dinner and a Korean cultural night. This was my first experience visiting a "mega church," and I'm not sure that my words here will do it justice. We were met by several people from the congregation, as well as traditional Korean drummers and dancers. They were performing in a plaza of sorts that is surrounded by the church's buildings (yes, buildings. with an s.). We used an escalator (!) to go down to the cafeteria of the church, where they proceeded to serve all of us a wonderful buffet dinner, complete with lobster and smoked salmon. (No crust-less egg salad sandwiches in sight!)

Myungsung sanctuary (photo: WCC)

The Korean Cultural Night was an amazing display of talent - traditional dances, an amazing performance by a children's choir, wonderful pieces from a full orchestra, soloists and choir, and a short musical about the history of Korea. All of this done in their sanctuary, which I think probably seats more people than some good-sized cultural centres in Canada.

The delegates split into groups after the performance, based on where we would be attending church on Sunday morning. Six of us were headed to Somang Presbyterian Church, so our guides took us on a bus to the Gangnam neighbourhood of Seoul (yes, that Gangnam). They put us up in a lovely hotel for the night, and then we were off to church the next morning.

Somang (meaning "hope" in Korean) is another mega-church, though smaller than Myungsung. Here are some of the figures we got from our guides:

• the church has 70,000 members
• almost 1,000 Sunday School teachers
• two libraries (one for adults, one for children)
• seating for 2,500 in the sanctuary (and it was full for the service we were at - one of six every Sunday)
• at least 100 people in the choir for the service we attended
• it took 30 people to collect the offering

Sunday School class at Somang

I'm not sure that I have yet wrapped my head around these numbers and how exactly a church like this would function. That said, the service format was very similar to that of my church in Ottawa, so it was fairly easy to follow. We had a lovely lunch with our hosts afterward, and we were then back to the train station for our return to Busan.

A very full weekend, but we were treated so well by our hosts and every small detail was taken care of. It was amazing.

Day 3

Oh sigh. I am coming down with a cold and am wishing for some of the comforts at home! Despite not feeling 100%, still an interesting day in Busan.

• The theme for worship and Bible study this morning was a passage from Amos that includes the phrase, "let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like a ever-flowing stream." Such a powerful image to me. We talked, in Bible study, about how we as the church can foster this justice and righteousness - how can we make this happen in the world?
•  In the small, small Presbyterian universe, I probably shouldn't have been surprised to meet Rev. Iro, a Presbyterian minister in Nigeria who is a good friend to the Presbyterian Church in Canada and PWS&D. I now have many greetings to pass along when I return to Canada :)
• The plenary for the day focused on Asia. There were two speakers I found particularly interesting - one speaking about collaboration between South and North Koreans to build an Orthodox church in North Korea, and one speaking about providing health care in a small hospital in rural India. Very moving voices of witness.
• A discussion on the proposed unity statement of the assembly somehow morphed into a discussion on sexual orientation - clearly not an issue on which the church is unified. It is a challenge even to create a safe space in which to discuss these issues.

I will end with inspiring words that we heard from the Archbishop of Canterbury:

"When we look to God, our eyes are turned outwards to his world, and we hear again the command, as Pope Francis said, to be a poor church for the poor. The children of Christ act instinctively to love those who suffer, as he loves us. If justice faints, hope fades. But when justice is loved, and lived, the poor have hope and the whole world begins to sing."

Some of us are off to Seoul today for the weekend to visit churches there. Looking forward to that, and to a ride on a high-speed train :).

Day 2

Another great, full day in Busan, so just a few highlights before my head hits the pillow (total lie - I have more reading to do before I can sleep!):

- Our first Bible study was this morning. It was nice to meet in smaller groups and to have great discussions with people from different areas of the world and from different denominations/confessions.

Photo: World Council of Churches

- The South Korean Prime Minister stopped by for a visit. Very cool. Just for all the #parlnerds out there, he is "His Excellency," and he is not the head of state - that's the President.

- UNAIDS' Michel Sidibé spoke passionately about about successes in the movement to eradicate HIV and AIDS, and implored us to help address the unequal access to treatment across the world. In addition to an issue of resources, he also said that unequal access comes because of discrimination. In many places around the world, those who are homosexual, injection drug users or sex workers must hide and do not seek treatment. He spoke so eloquently, asking the church to offer compassion and support regardless of our beliefs/thoughts on those behaviours.

- In the business plenary, the draft statement on the politicization of religion and rights of religious minorities was discussed. Some countries are mentioned in the statement. Later in the day, Canadian delegates discussed petitioning the assembly to add Canada to the list of countries, given the legislation before the Quebec legislature right now. I am hopeful that we will be included, and that it can be considered by lawmakers in that province.

- We had the first of four small group "ecumenical conversations" today. I am in a group discussing "Economy of life: Overcoming greed to eradicate poverty." Some very interesting discussions about what an economy of life looks like and how greed is a barrier to that.

- As per my earlier post, the North American delegates met together tonight. We talked about the biggest issues facing our region right now, and it was interesting to see the divide between the US and Canada - even though we are so close together. American delegates mentioned violence and migration as issues, and those just aren't as prevalent in Canada, I don't think. Others mentioned were issues facing indigenous people, climate change, and how our actions affect those in the rest of the world.

A personal reflection on the theme

In the evening today, all of the North American delegates met together. There were representatives from the Anglican Church, the Roman Catholic Church, various Protestant and Orthodox churches, and the Society of Friends (Quakers). A Canadian - me - and an American were asked to present our reflections on the theme as an introduction to conversations in small groups. Here is what I said.

Most of you don’t know very much about me. You know that my name is Laura, I’m from Canada, I’m Presbyterian.

So I wanted to start today by telling you something else about me. I figured that would be a good place to begin – we can get to know each other a bit better.

So... I can be a tad indecisive sometimes. Most of the time I’m okay, but if you catch me at the wrong moment, deciding what I’m going to wear today or what I’m going to eat for dinner can be a bit much. Making a big decision always takes a lot of thought and reflection.

As you might expect, I have some strategies I use that help me to make decisions.
- I pray
- I make pros and cons lists
- I think about my priorities and which choice lines up most closely with those
- Sometimes I will try to fool myself into thinking that I’ve picked one of the options for a day just to see how that choice sits with me.
- My now husband even bought me one of those magic 8 balls early on in our relationship.

To be completely honest with you, this is what I thought about when I was reflecting on the theme before us this week. This prayer is another tool for me to consider when making decisions.

God of life, lead me to justice and peace. When I have two (or more) choices before me, God, lead me toward the one that will foster justice and peace in your world.

I thought about other decisions that are made every day too.

For my job with the Government of Canada, I spend much of my days watching parliamentary debates in Canada’s House of Commons and Senate. I wonder how many of our parliamentarians wake up each day thinking about how their decisions for Canada and for the people of Canada could lead us, as a country, toward justice & peace.

And of course, I think of the church. I think of my home congregation, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian in Ottawa. I think of The Presbyterian Church in Canada. I think of Christ’s church around the world. How are we asking God to help us make decisions that lead us to justice and peace?

This is a very concrete, tangible thing for me. I see it as a question of the church’s place in the world.

It is not only how we are seeking God’s help in leading us to justice and peace, but how are we serving as an example for the rest of the world?

The decisions we make as a church – are we demonstrating what the path to justice and peace looks like for those outside of the church?

I think of the relationship in Canada between the church and Canada’s first peoples. After a difficult history of assimilation in residential schools that took Aboriginal children away from their families, churches apologized, asking forgiveness from God and from the Aboriginal people who were so hurt by these policies.

Truth and reconciliation commissions across Canada are being held to hear the important stories of those who were profoundly hurt by the churches’ actions in these schools.

It took us some time to get on the path to peace and justice. We have come a long way in working toward right relationship with Aboriginal people in Canada, but we must continue to pray and to act.

God of life, lead us to justice and peace.

I think of the Aboriginal women in Canada who have gone missing or have been murdered. An astonishingly high number. A national disgrace that is not being addressed by those in power.

At a vigil I attended a few weeks ago, on the steps of Canada’s Parliament, the sister of a woman who had been murdered thanked us for being there.

“Thank you for coming,” she said. “Sometimes it feels like no one cares.”

What can the church do in this case? How can we be led to justice and peace, and how can we encourage others to join us on that path?

I pray that our meetings here, that our discussions together, that our worship will invigorate and encourage us so that we continue praying, when we return home to all kinds of circumstances:

God of life, lead us to justice and peace.

 

First day of the Assembly

BEXCO - where we're meeting

A wonderful beginning to the Assembly today.

We started with an orientation session this morning, and then moved into the opening prayer. This was the highlight of the day for me. Some particular poignant moments:

• Worship opened with a gong. Cool.
• The procession in, led by someone holding up a cross, was quite moving. With so many people there (5000!) and a lot of busy-ness around me, it was very moving to see this common, simple symbol that had brought together Christians from across the world. Something we all have in common.
• The time of confession during the service included "cries and hopes" from various regions of the world. This was incredibly powerful. I would love to share them all with you, but I'll just share the North American one so you can get a flavour. It's at the end of this post.
• Beautiful Korean music and instruments.
• Reciting the Lord's Prayer together, but each in our own language. An amazing, diverse, unified chorus.

The opening plenary this afternoon brought greetings from the Korean Host Committee chair, the mayor of Busan, His Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, and Pope Francis. The plenary concluded with a wonderful artistic presentation about the history of Korea and the Korean church. This was also a highlight for me.

Then we moved into the business plenary - reports from the moderator and general secretary, and then referring some other reports to Assembly committees for closer examination.

Ready to get down to business...

One of these reports is dealing with the public statements that the Assembly will make on certain issues. The list is interesting - things like the Christian presence in the Middle East and peace on the Korean peninsula. Delegates brought forward their own issues as well - climate justice and nuclear energy (particularly in light of the disaster in Japan) were a few that were mentioned. It will be interesting to see what statements come out of this work - stay tuned!

Now back at the hotel, getting ready for tomorrow. These are long days! Will try and keep up with the blog, but sleep may call... I'll do my best :).

More bibimbap for lunch today

Cries and Hopes from North America

Lord, have mercy on us,

for we mine the resources of our own lands and those of the south,

leaving in our wake environmental devastation.

Christ, have mercy on us,

for we demand cheap goods,

heedless of the sweatshops and child labour required to serve our selfishness.

Lord, have mercy on us,

for we are addicted to a culture of violence,

numbing ourselves to the increasing number of victims at home and abroad.

Hear our cries.

Grant us hope.

Made it!

After so many months of thinking about Busan, I am finally here!

I fit in one more palace visit this morning in Seoul, as well as a walk to the Canadian embassy. Always nice to see the maple leaf :).

When I arrived in Busan, I met up with some of the other delegates from the Presbyterian Church in Canada, one of whom speaks Korean... this makes going out to eat much easier (although it also takes some of the adventure out of it!). We had a nice meal together. With that, as well as a quick Skype call with my family at home in Ottawa (both man and cat took turns on the webcam) this morning, I have spoken more words today than in the past three or four days combined, I think. Weird.

And now I'm here. Finally. And I'm feeling... overwhelmed. A little intimidated. Excited. The next 10 days will be interesting, that's for sure.

In the meantime, check out this view out my hotel window - not bad, eh? Life is good, friends.

Hey Seoul sister...

I only have one full day in Seoul as part of my trip, and today was it! It was a very full day. I am exhausted now, but I am counting on that to help me deal with my jetlag. It was a bit of a whirlwind, but I had some great experiences:

- a lovely walk along Cheonggyecheon, a restored stream / public recreation area. The area has a bit of a controversial past.

- strolls through markets and shopping areas (with thousands of other people. seriously. thousands.): artsy-craftsy Insadong, regular ol' Namdaemun Market, swanky Myeong-Dong (with some of the same stores we have in Canada).

- a tour around Gyeongbokgung Palace. I cannot get enough of the colours painted on these historic / traditional buildings. Breathtaking.

- a trip to the top of Namsun Mountain in a cable car.

- a tasty Korean lunch - bibimbap - while sitting on a cushion on the floor, and a delicious dinner of tofu and vegetable soup with kimchi on the side.

A truly wonderful day. I may have time for a few more things tomorrow morning, and then it's off to Busan.

On my way to Busan

We have a word in our house for the feeling you get when doing something like preparing for a big trip - terri-citement. Half terrified, half excited. I'm not sure I was ever really terrified this week, but there was definitely a lot of anxiety. Worrying about my connecting flight, getting from the airport to my hotel in a city I don't know at all, finding vegetarian meals when I'm surrounded by a language I don't speak. I know it's all going to be fine, but these worries add up!

And so I have tried over the past few days to find a little internal calm, for peace within me. God of life, lead me to (justice and) peace. Those around me have helped. An email from my brother telling me what's fun to do in Seoul. A delicious meal last night with the love of my life at my favourite restaurant. A quick call with my parents after that, reminding me to enjoy myself in the midst of everything. A (very!) early morning ride to the airport from a dear friend. Guest passes to Air Canada lounges from another dear friend to make my long journey a bit more comfortable.

I am very thankful for the peace that comes from a few deep breaths and from being surrounded by love.

Flight #1 is already behind me, and I am hanging out (in the Air Canada lounge!) in the Vancouver Airport. The excitement is starting to drown out the anxiety.

Next stop - Seoul!

A commissioning

Six more sleeps until my long journey to South Korea begins! Emergency granola bars and skittles have been purchased, I've started to think about starting to pack, and I have some South Korean wan in my possession.

As another part of my preparation, my church family at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Ottawa had a short commissioning for me during worship this morning:

Leader: St. Andrew's, do you promise to accompany Laura and other representatives to the Assembly of the World Council of Churches with your prayers?

Congregation: We are on the way with one another and with the God of life sensing a clear purpose. Jesus asked us to be the church together. We don't just look to ourselves, but to those who need the church to be a just and inclusive community, offering a witness about Christ, showing courage, and giving hope. As the congregation of St. Andrew's, we promise to be the church that Jesus prayed we be: caring for all life which is threatened by injustices. We recognize the significance of churches to "be together" on this journey towards peace, and we support you, Laura, with our prayers, as you travel on our behalf.

Leader: Representatives of churches will engage in open and accountable conversations about issues important to the church today such as mission and evangelism, faith and order, justice, peace and unity. Laura, we send you with the church's blessing that you may participate in these conversations on our behalf. Justice and peace are not reached overnight; they need to be worked on, moved toward. You represent us as our part on this pilgrimage, an image which offers a link between spirituality and work that is urgently need in the world today. Laura, do you agree to be our pilgrim and travel to Korea - Busan, to attend the Assembly and engage with other Christians in prayer and dialogue; and do you promise to engage all of us when you return from this pilgrimage of justice and peace?

Laura: I do, God be my helper. 

Prayers and travelling mercies for all those who have already arrived in Busan, or who will be journeying this week.

Giving thanks

In honour of (Canadian) Thanksgiving...

We are thankful for these and all the good things of life. We recognize that they are a part of our common heritage and come to us through the efforts of our brothers and sisters the world over. What we desire for ourselves, we wish for all. To this end, may we take our share in the world's work and the world's struggles.

- JS Woodsworth

Now that I look at it, this seems a wonderful prayer as Christians from around the world prepare to meet in Busan to consider how we might take our share in the world's work and struggles.

Experiencing Busan... from your couch (or pew)

My dad - ever the conscientious father - texted me this week to inform me that The Presbyterian Church in Canada's website now included some of my thoughts on going to Busan, as well as the address to this blog. So, welcome Canadian Presbyterians! Thanks for stopping by.

I was happy to provide a short paragraph to church offices about how I'm feeling at this point in my preparations for Busan. One of the biggest challenges in going, I think, will be to communicate with churches here at home about the experience before, during and after. That's how we, as the PCC, as congregations and as individuals, become more engaged in the work of the World Council of Churches, right? And how we, even from our little corner of the world, can work for Christian unity. I guess that's part of the point of this blog - so that you can share in my preparations and experiences.

The WCC has also prepared a resource for congregations, which I would highly recommend to you and your churches. Pilgrimage to Busan is a six-part study that includes guides for leaders and participants that, "explores themes of Christian unity, justice and peace..." Guides for leaders and participants are included - so much of the work is already done for you! Check it out and let me know what you think. The WCC has also put together songs, prayers and other resources that you can use in worship or study. Take this opportunity to engage as much as you can with this exciting event... and avoid the jet lag! :)

Constitutionally speaking...

Of the long list of things I need to read before I leave for Busan, this week's task was to tackle the World Council of Churches' Constitution and Guidelines for the Conduct of Meetings. While it doesn't sound like the most intriguing reading ever, there were parts of it I found quite interesting.

- First, there is the possibility that a point of order could be raised during a meeting. As every good #cdnpoli #parlnerd knows, these can be the most interesting parts of a debate! It warmed my parliamentary heart :).

- Check out page 5 of that Constitution for a list of the criteria a church must fulfill in order to be considered for membership in the WCC. Very interesting to think about what makes a church a church. What are our standards?

- As a bonafide #parlnerd (my husband and I were given an updated copy of Robert's Rules for a wedding present, okay? Seriously.), it was fascinating to look at the WCC's consensus decision making model that's used in meetings. "...the Council can bear witness not only by its programmes and resolutions, but also by the way it does its business. It can shape its rules and procedures in such a way as to express a faith “made effective in love” (Gal. 5:6). This means that member churches, as well as representatives of those churches, will treat each other with respect and will seek to build one another up in love (cf. 1 Cor. 13:1-6, 14:12)."

What a great way to demonstrate the compassion and respect that is rooted in our faith. I am looking forward to seeing how this actually plays out in a meeting.

Peace

Yesterday was World Peace Day. Our prayers for peace are needed now more than ever.

Travelling to Korea

The WCC's 10th Assembly will be held from October 30 to November 8 in Busan, South Korea. Since I was going to be flying to Busan via Seoul anyway, I decided to go a few days early so that I would have a day or two in the capital before I headed south. I just booked my hotel room for those two nights in Seoul (exciting!!), so I have been thinking this week about South Korea itself and what it means to be going there for the assembly.

Map from National Geographic

Logistically, I have a lot of time in planes and airports ahead of me. But I'm okay with that - who doesn't love a good airport?!? And I am looking forward to being on another continent - I have never been to Asia before.

I think it is also interesting, though, to think about what it means for the Church to meet in South Korea this year. The last assembly, seven years ago, was held in Porto Alegre, Brazil. So we are, quite literally, meeting on the other side of the world. This, for me, shows the spread both of Christianity and of the work of the WCC.

The WCC has also thought about what it means to have its assembly in this location.

I am keen to see what effect the meeting location will have on our discussions in Busan. Taking a look at previous assemblies (and seriously, you should take 15 minutes and watch this video - it is amazing to see the evolution of assemblies, of the make-up of the WCC, of the issues that are addressed), it is cool to see the strong Christian statements on current events that emerged. How will our presence on the Korean peninsula influence our discussions, for example, about unity?

Finding unity in diversity

One thing I am really looking forward to in attending the World Council of Churches' 10th Assembly is the diversity of people that will gather, and seeing the things that unify us. Check out the list of WCC member churches - it is incredible! (There are 22 different Presbyterian churches alone on that list!) I am looking forward to the fellowship with those from Orthodox churches, for example - my path doesn't cross with these churches as much as it does with some of the others found in Canada. I am sure that I will learn a lot about their traditions.

I'm looking forward to being with those from all around the world - the church holds a different place in different countries' societies, and it will be interesting to gather with people from each continent to talk, worship and pray together. Those coming from regions where the church is growing, for example, (and they do exist!) will have different ideas or insights than those coming from churches where membership is declining.

Some things might not necessarily be easy. A clear example for me is the place of women in the church. That isn't even something that Canadian churches can agree on, let alone different denominations from different countries. It will be challenging for me to have some of those conversations, I think.

And yet, there will be things that bring us together. Things upon which we can all agree. Things where we can stand together, as a church, and make a statement about Christianity in this time and place. And it will be good and joyful and empowering to see what those are. I'll let you know :).

 A prayer on the way to Busan

On the way to Busan,

may we walk humbly with you, God of life.

On the way to Busan,

guide us as we gather, pray and deliberate as disciples of Christ.

On the way to Busan,

lead us in thew ay of justice, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

On the road to Busan, South Korea

God of life, lead us to justice and peace

It is Labour Day... a day which is normally a bit sad, I think. Back to the normal swing of things, summer behind us. It always goes so quickly! I am quite fortunate this year, though - I am looking forward to a big adventure in October and November. Amazingly, I have been selected by The Presbyterian Church in Canada to attend the World Council of Churches' 10th General Assembly in Busan, South Korea.

The general assembly is still weeks away, but preparations have been underway for quite some time. Assemblies are only held every seven years, and are an opportunity for the 350+ WCC member churches, partner organizations and other churches to come together from all corners of the world. Officially, "the assembly has the mandate to review programmes, to issue public statements and determine the overall policies of the WCC, as well as to elect presidents and a Central Committee that oversees the council's work until the next assembly."

(If you have 15 minutes, there is a wonderful video that looks at the nine previous WCC assemblies, the circumstances under which they met, and the powerful, unified Christian statements that came out of them on issues like the Vietnam War and apartheid in South Africa. Amazing.)

And I have a lot of preparation to do as well! I have not attended a general assembly in the past, nor any meeting of the WCC, so this will be a very new experience for me. There are pages of reports to review, but I am also taking some time for personal reflection on the theme of the assembly - God of life, lead us to justice and peace - and on some of the issues that will be discussed.

So I am hoping that if I start blogging about my preparations now, I will keep at it over the next few months and will be ready to jump in with both feet when I arrive in South Korea.

But it is just Labour Day and I am just easing in to this... so I am starting with a YouTube video :). The WCC has put together a set of reflections people have made on the theme of the assembly, so I am using this as a springboard for my own preparations.


My favourite statements made in the video:

"The theme... is needed... because of the call of the people to the churches, the challenge to the churches, to right the injustices of the poor, the oppressed, and the marginalized."

Rev. Diana Ann Tana, Methodist Church of Aotearoa New Zealand

"When we take up this theme together, and do not talk about differences of religions, but care for the justice and peace for everyone, then we can be together, we can struggle together."

Rev. Dr. Soritua Nababan, Huria Kristen Batak Protestant (HKBP) Indonesia

"No justice without life and peace. No life without peace and justice. No peace without justice and life."

Ms. LEE Eun Young, Korean Methodist Church

"God of life, lead us to justice and peace." What does this mean to you?