Diversity Meets Creativity, Churches Needs Meet Solutions

The World Café during the Youth Pre-Assembly in Ondangwa, Namibia was an exhibition of the Living Reformation Projects where diversity met creativity and churches needs met solutions.

All the participants of the Youth Pre-assembly (YPA) got a chance to experience and to learn about 11 projects from different countries - which means various regions and churches of the LWF community. They came from Ghana, Tanzania, Philippines, Germany, Brazil, Norway, Colombia, India, Finland, and Congo.  Those youth-lead initiatives are just a peak of an iceberg of the 55 Living Reformation Projects which take place all over the world. That’s the result of the LWF’s youth program called Global Young Reformation Network. All projects are focused on the three communions’ main topics: Salvation-Not for Sale, Human Being-Not for sale and Creation-Not for sale.

A few people can make a difference – with these words I would summarize many of the projects. I was astonished when I heard about how some of the ideas grew into big church's campaigns. When young reformers were telling their stories with voices and eyes full of passion, I felt motivated to 'steal' some of their best practices.

Three of them stuck in my mind. The Brazilian project, that empowered youth to take diaconal action. The Colombian guide for youth leaders - really well prepared and published - considering the theme being Lutherans. And last but not least, a website from Finland (lutheristi.fi) that reaches teenagers with the reformation story, which was told in a very modern way.

Wondering why those three, I must say that all of them, no matter what part of the world they come from, could be implemented also in my context. That fact shows that we are a global communion that faces similar challenges.

The World Café was a very inspiring place, a meeting point of many cultures and ideas. Yet, with the same goal: to worship God.

And that was the most important thing to me – meeting energy that is focused to give praise to God by serving and taking care of others! That gave me a kick to action!

Arkadiusz Raszka - theology student and young reformer from the Evangelical Church of Augsburg Confession in Poland.

See all Living Reformation Projects here