REFORMED ECUMENICAL COUNCIL

In the year 2000, the Swaziland Reformed Church was invited to apply for membership of the Reformed Ecumenical Council (REC). Member churches come from 24 countries in all the continents of the world. General meetings are held every four years. In between these general meetings, four standing committees have special mandates and programs which they have to attend to. These committees are the following:

  • The Commission for Mission and Diakonia which covers communication media, sharing resources through diaconal services, and exchange of information on current missionary work.
  • The Commission for Theological Education and Interchange which helps emerging churches with theological training. It also assists the Council in clarifying common theological issues.
  • The Commission for Youth and Christian Education which was created to encourage and develop leadership for youth programs. Christian education of all varieties is also monitored and encouraged under this commission.
  • The Commission for Human Relations was created to formulate strategies to deal with racism and ethnocentricism in our personal and institutional lives.

In July 2000, Dr van Wyngaard attended the general meeting held in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. He later submitted a report on his view of the role of the Swaziland Reformed Church within the REC, which was then printed in the Mission Bulletin of December 2000. This report is available on the internet for those interested in reading it. It indicates the different facets of the work where we believe we will benefit through our affiliation with the REC as well as places where we believe we have something to offer to the rest of the member churches.

Further information on the REC can be found on their web site.

The welcoming dinner during the meeting of the Reformed Ecumenical Council in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, in July 2000

On 11 August 2001, Prof. Pieter Potgieter, First Clerk of the REC and moderator of the Dutch Reformed Church, visited the SRC. In this photograph we see the moderator of the SRC, pastor Philemon Gama, together with the moderator of the Dutch Reformed Church, Prof. Pieter Potgieter
Return to "Ecumenical Relations"