The General Secretary of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC), Setri Nyomi, has praised a Church in Thailand for its active mission outreach work to the Thai community.
Following his first visit to the Church of Christ in Thailand from 20-23 April, Nyomi said, “The Church of Christ in Thailand is indeed engaged in an impressive ecumenical ministry. They provide health care and education to the Thai society, to both Christians and non-Christians alike.”
During the historical visit, Nyomi addressed a gathering of church leaders, as well as visiting several churches, worshipping in a Bangkok congregation, and visiting the Bangkok Christian College.
Nyomi paid tribute to the Church for its role it is currently playing in the Thai society during his address to church leaders. He stated that the Church was setting an example in Christian unity and responding to the challenges of Thailand with a prophetic spirit.
Thailand is only now emerging from a political crisis, and referring to this, Nyomi asked, “What does it mean to be in God’s mission at a time like this? We need one another to be effective instruments of God in multilateral mission today.”
As a challenge to the Church in its mission, Nyomi also called for advances to be made to adopt the Accra Confession – a statement of the 24th General Council of WARC. The Confession states that Reformed Christians should remain silent or refuse to act in the face of neo-liberal economic globalisation.
Sint Kimhachandra, General Secretary of the Church of Christ in Thailand received the address warmly and responded, “The churches in Thailand are very much committed to doing something about the adverse effects of globalisation.”
Kimhachandra also noted that the current economic and political systems were degrading and devaluing the lives of the world’s population.
He added that some of the key challenges that society today was facing included environmental degradation, broken families, traffic chaos, poverty, corruption and HIV/AIDS.
Raising the topic of suffering and poverty caused by economic globalisation, Nyomi stated, “It is important to remember that we cannot stay silent or refuse to act. Many of us in Asia and Africa suffer as a result of the global economy. Some have literally died. Others have their marriages falling apart. Yet others have found themselves unemployed. Many face very difficult financial circumstances. We have many in our streets who do not know where meals are going to come from.”
The Church of Christ in Thailand is a WARC member Church, which resulted from missionary efforts of Presbyterian, Disciples and Baptist churches. The denomination has a long-standing commitment to education and health.
Nyomi greeted plans by the Church to find teachers whose mother-tongue is English, for assistance in its secondary schools.
WARC is a fellowship of 75 million Reformed Christians in 218 churches in 107 countries.
Daniel Blake
Christian Today Correspondent