WCC shares message with Baptist World Alliance congress in Brisbane, Australia

The World Council of Churches (WCC) sent a message to the quinquennial congress of the Baptist World Alliance, which meets in Brisbane, Australia, from 7 to 12 July under the theme “Living the Good News.” Rev. Merlyn Hyde Riley, vice moderator of the WCC central committee, shared the message on behalf of WCC general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay.

The message reflects on the congress theme and on what it means for the world today. It says that the challenges facing the world make it “all the more important” for the congress to meet, so that participants can build up one another’s faith, strengthen their ties to the Lord and to each other, and join in solidarity with Christians everywhere. It also names groups the message asks the church to serve: the wounded and weary, those persecuted for their faith, migrants and refugees, and the marginalized and alienated.

Against a backdrop of conflict, violence and war, the message calls for the church to proclaim peace “in the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour.” Serving migrants and refugees is a form of hospitality, the kind of practical care for strangers that the congress is being asked to embrace (Matthew 25:35).

The message also describes a broader setting of “a climate catastrophe, poverty, hunger, the senseless killings of thousands and thousands of people daily, mainly women and children.” It says the church is called to offer “the hope, light, life and love we have in Christ” in that setting.

The message closes with a prayer for the delegates, that “the God of Life” would enlighten their minds, enflame their hearts and strengthen their resolve to live the Good News “through deeds of justice, peace, and love.” It expresses the hope that they would be led by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in their deliberations and decisions.

Source: Read the original report