Estimated members of the Synod,
Most appreciated Moderator, General Secretary,
“The Spirit is pleading for us, and God who searches our inmost being knows what the Spirit means”, St. Paul comforts us, “who do not always know what we ought to pray” and who need the Spirit to “come to the aid of our weakness” (Rom 8:26f).
Therefore, the fellowship of EMS is first of all a praying community. Members of the EMS family in Ghana, India or South-Africa and all the other churches share many concerns with your church – even without having detailed information on the daily work of PROK.
They act in solidarity and pray for you. The Spirit takes up every prayer for the Church in Korea as well as every prayer from the PROK congregations for the sisters and brothers in the worldwide fellowship.
We are still overwhelmed by the hospitality, PROK – as PCK – have shown when our Mission Council came together in Gwangju in June this year.
We felt every hour being part of a dynamics of the Spirit in this country, which is inspiring and a signal of hope.
It was obvious that trust and friendship have been built since almost two generations between the churches in Korea and member churches of EMS.
We have shared so many experiences of sorrow and joy and tried to look together at new challenges. That has bound us together.
Every twist of challenges and concerns has strengthened the spirit of togetherness and built up new expressions of solidarity.
The Mission Council was – as one example- so very moved to concelebrate with you the weekly Monday Prayer, sharing the experience of dedication for peace and reconciliation, that is so very much needed all over the world. Here again, we felt how much EMS is a praying and solidary community.
We are grateful for every thread you weave within the EMS community, beginning with this word of greeting and your presence in our bodies, Mission Council or General Meeting, but most of all for the joint programs that nurture our life of a Christian community.
At the moment, Ms. Karina Schumacher is one of these crucial knots in our network. We are thankful for the substantial contributions for the work with children in war-torn Syria.
We praise God for the many threads that are woven between you – and other churches in Korea - and members of EMS and other members of the Ecumenical family and ask this Synod to support the ongoing testimony of Christian solidarity in mission worldwide.
We pray God for a successful meeting of that Synod, which we attend through our prayers and in the unity of the Sprit. I greet you in the name of this Spirit, who makes our missionaries of Jesus Christ, and include the greetings of Rev. Marianne Wagner, our EMS chairperson, to whom the church and people of Korea are so very dear,
Rev. Jürgen ReichelGeneral Secretary EMS
[이 게시물은 관리자님에 의해 2016-11-03 21:39:53 총무 칼럼에서 이동 됨]
