Contribution of women to the Reformation journey

LWF WICAS and the English speaking congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Geneva are celebrating the Reformation Day by giving visibility to the contributions of women from the past and the present to the Reformation journey. The views in the XV century of Argula von Grumbach (in Germany), Marie Dentière (in Switzerland) and of many contemporary women that made the theological reflection grow, will be at the core of this event.

How LWF encompasses the process to make visible women’s participation will be presented by Rev. Dr Martin Junge, LWF’s General Secretary. The presenters will be Rev. Roswitha Golder, former coordinator of the movement “Witnessing Together and honorary pastor at the Geneva protestant Church and Ms Ana Villanueva, Executive Assistant to the LWF General Secretary.

Location Details:

Evangelical Lutheran Church of Geneva

Rue Verdaine, 20

1204 Geneva

Co-organizer

• English Speaking Congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Geneva

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“From Peace in the Home to Peace in the World: Make Education Safe for All,” is the theme for this year’s focus. The period begins on 25 November with the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and continues until 10 December, Human Rights Day.

According to UN Women, one third of women globally have experienced physical or sexual violence at some point in their lives. More than 125 million girls and women alive today have been subjected to female genital mutilation across countries in Africa and the Middle East.

In keeping with the communion's pledge to gender justice, LWF presents a series of short videos featuring LWF President Bishop Munib A. Younan, LWF General Secretary Rev. Martin Junge and member church leaders, emphasizing the messages that violence against women is not only a life issue but one of faith, and also that both men and women must unite and work toward building a healing community.

Get Involved!

Join an ever-expanding network of faith-based organizations, individuals, and groups in building a groundswell of support for actions that will end all gender-based violence worldwide.

Follow the campaign: #16days

Department: Department for Theology and Public Witness

Programs: Gender Justice and Women Empowerment

Visit Girls website

Partners:

International Women’s Day (IWD) on 8 March represents an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women worldwide.  

The 2016 theme is a “Pledge For Parity” — in other words a pledge for gender justice. It is a time to reflect on how far we've come and just how far we still must go before women around the world truly achieve gender justice.

Whether they are engineers brightening up their village in Mauritania; women who are seeking ways to escape camp life in Iraq; or women who just have a knack for electronics in Jerusalem, the LWF celebrates the vastly different ways in which women are striving to achieve their professional and personal goals, making a difference for themselves, their families and their communities.

Get Involved

Use your voice via social media using the following hashtags

• #genderjusticematters
• #pledgeforparity
• #IWD2016

Interact with us on:

- Twitter

- Facebook

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The training will lean upon professionals and experienced staff and upon participatory methodologies to enable participants to:

• Increase the effectiveness of their work by getting acquainted with UN mechanisms such as the Committee and the CEDAW Convention. Participation at the 67th CEDAW session in Geneva and workshops for drafting shadow reports during the training will enable participants better to use this mechanism.
• Design local advocacy actions that reduce women and girls' vulnerability by adequately addressing issues of sexual and reproductive health and rights.
• Explore successful strategies to relate to lay and religious leaders, authorities and other civil society actors.
• Articulate strategies to promote the crucial role of women in building peace and security in contexts of conflict/post-conflict, political or civil instability.

Partners

Finn Church Aid, Mission 21, Swiss Peace, World YWCA, World Council of Churches, Church of Sweden.

Language

English with interpretation available in Spanish.

Schedule

Download the schedule

In order to confront poverty in Africa, we need to address the perceptions of women and children that are held by men, as well as the practice of violence itself. Anything that violates the rights of women and children needs to be dealt with. Lasting change can only take place when both men and women discuss the problem and resolve to eliminate violence and when children are fully protected from violence.

This workshop aims to engage participants in discussion about the connection between poverty, gender justice and the rights of children. It will include a theological and social-economic basis for developing a comprehensive approach towards eradicating poverty.

Held in collaboration with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Malawi. Partners include Bread for the World, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Lutheran Communion in Southern Africa, the National Smallholder Farmers' Association of Malawi, ECOLIFE Tanzania, Sonke Gender Justice (SA).

This event connects the work of LWF member churches to gender and child rights issues articulated in the UN Sustainable Development Goals (see LWF Council resolution on SDGs).

Africa subsite

Agenda

Following the women’s meetings at each of the four regional pre-Assemblies, the formal women’s pre-Assembly will build on the common visions and goals of the Lutheran women’s network.

It will be held in Windhoek on 6-9 May 2017.

Delegates will not only celebrate the achievements of the women’s network but build on common visions and find ways to ensure full participation of women in the communion.

The pre-Assembly will ask what it is that women want to achieve at the Twelfth Assembly and beyond in order that women build their common dream. Discussion will be centered on leading the communion to increased visibility of women’s contributions to the Reformation journey, their theological reflections and to acknowledge women’s gifts and commitment to church life. At the same time it will address barriers in the achievement of gender justice in church and society and ways in which the network can be nurtured beyond 2017.

Women’s Pre-Assembly Agenda (pdf)

The Lutheran World Federation is pleased to support The International Alliance of Women and the World Council of Churches a guest lecture by Torild Skard, Norwegian politician, researcher and author of Women in Power: half a century of female presidents and prime ministers worldwide. The lecture will be followed by a panel of distinguished speakers on the subject of women in top leadership and decision-making positions

Whilst women around the world are slowly winning better representation in top leadership positions in political and social spheres, they still face many barriers preventing them fulfilling both their potential and contribution to national and global social, political and economic development goals. Recognition of the relationship between women’s leadership roles and women’s empowerment, global development, prosperity and peace has pushed this issue further up the global development agenda.

Skard is an author and senior researcher at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, Leader of the Norwegian Women’s Rights Association and member of the International Alliance of Women, former Assistant Secretary General of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Director for women’s questions in UNESCO, Paris, and Regional Director for UNICEF in West and Central Africa. Skard has written extensively about issues related to the United Nations and development, women and children.

Programme

17:30 - Drinks reception, welcome by Madame Esther Alder (Conseillère administrative de la Ville de Genève)

18:00 – Welcome and introduction - Dr Isabel Phiri (Associate General Secretary, World Council of Churches), Joanna Manganara (President International Alliance of Women), Simone Ovart (President, NGO Committee on the Stauts of Women, ZONTA International)

18:10 - Keynote speech and Q&A - “Women of Power” by Torild

18:55 - Panel presentations and discussion - Dr Catherine Bosshart (Executive Secretary, International Federation of Business and Professional Women), Dr Fulata L. Moyo (Programme Executive for Women in Church and Society, World Council of Churches), Rev. Dr Elaine Neuenfeldt (Secretary for Women in Church and Society, Department for Theology and Public Witness, the Lutheran World Federation), Sara Llort (Interim Secretary General, World Young Women’s Christian Association). Moderator: Dr Isabel Phiri (Associate General Secretary, World Council of Churches)

19:55 - Closing statement and vote of thanks - Joanna Manganara (President International Alliance of Women)

Autographed copies of Women of Power will be on sale for 25CHF, a 35% reduction off the normal price.

Thursdays in Black was started by the WCC in the 1980s as a form of peaceful protest against rape and violence – especially taking place during wars and conflicts - and was revived at the 2013 WCC assembly. The campaign focuses on ways in which individuals may challenge attitudes that cause rape and violence.

The Lutheran World Federation is pleased to support this initiative and encourages congregants of member churches to dress in black in Thursday to mark their support for gender justice the world over.

According to UN Women, one third of women globally have experienced physical or sexual violence at some point in their lives. More than 125 million girls and women alive today have been subjected to female genital mutilation across countries in Africa and the Middle East.

Thursdays in Black - WCC site

Every Thursday

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The LWF is developing an ecumenical strategy. It will provide a framework for the LWF’s future engagement in bilateral dialogues and the wider ecumenical movement.

The ecumenical strategy document will be developed in close cooperation between the Department for Theology and Public Witness and an advisory group representing the seven LWF regions, plus a staff member from the Institute for Ecumenical Research in Strasbourg. It is expected to be presented to the LWF Council in June 2018.

As it is very crucial that future LWF ecumenical dialogues are linked to the ecumenical work and challenges of the member churches, they received a questionnaire on the ecumenical relations of the member churches. The results of this survey will serve the advisory group when developing the LWF ecumenical strategy.

Read the Program

16 Days of Activism to Overcome Gender-Based Violence

When it comes to violence against women, a discourse grounded on human rights principles, the national laws and the judiciary mechanisms to face this scourge is necessary to address key dimensions of gender-based violence. However, a unified voice from faith communities and a clear engagement from their leaders are also needed to emphasize that women are not only equal before the law, but also made equal in the image of God.

Religious and lay Christian and Muslim leaders who are part of the campaign “precious in God’s eyes” affirm that overcoming sexual and gender-based violence is rooted in an understanding of justice rooted in faith and not only a private issue or a task for political or legal instances.

By being part of the “Precious in Gods Eyes” Campaign, faith communities say NO to human trafficking, rape, domestic violence, child and forced marriage, honour crimes, female genital mutilation and other types of abuse.

How to join?

You are invited to affirm that every human being is precious in God's eyes – and that includes women and girls. Download the Pledge Card  and post your pledge in the Facebook event or on social media, using the hashtag #16Days.