From the President: New leadership during interim

Greetings in the name of Christ,

In the midst of the critical times that the world is facing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we continue to live in hope as a Communion on our journey towards justice, as we move to an interim year led by a Collegial General Secretariat, after Chris Ferguson’s term as general secretary came to an end on 31 August.

I would like to thank Chris, who dedicated seven years of his life to empowering the Communion and witnessing for justice, and wish him and his wife Susan well as they settle into the next phase of their lives.

Also, I would like to invite members of the Communion to welcome the three members of the Collegial General Secretariat:

• Executive Secretary for Communion and Theology Hanns Lessing (Evangelical Church of Westphalia)
• Executive Secretary for Justice and Witness Philip Vinod Peacock (Church of North India)
• Executive Secretary for Communications and Operations Phil Tanis (Reformed Church in America)

Working together as a Collegial General Secretariat, they will collectively attend to the general secretary’s functions for the Communion in this interim year, modeling a new way of sharing responsibility, along with the vital support of the officers, Executive Committee members, and regional leaders.

We look forward to this time which will allow new participation and new imagination in building a stronger communion, with more participation from the regions and more involvement from member churches and leaders in our work and witness together.

The corona situation challenges us to be shaped with new imagination about how to be the church for today, the Communion for today. It calls us to think with imaginative minds towards change through practical steps. We believe that the Holy Spirit will inspire our imagination as we join efforts and live with courage and assurance that we are in kairos time, awaiting new shaping for tomorrow.

As a Communion we strive towards renewed imagination, trusting that our Lord continues to journey with us for a better tomorrow.

Blessings,

President Najla Kassab