On Wednesday, about 400 delegates to the World Communion of Reformed Churches’ 27th General Council elected the Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia Thompson, general minister and president of the United Church of Christ in the United States, as the WCRC’s next president. “To elect a woman as president is a continuation of our seriousness regarding empowering women in leadership and lifting this leadership to the world,” said the WCRC’s current president, the Rev. Najla Kassab. Delegates also elected five vice presidents: - The Rt. Rev. Fonki Samuel Forba of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon
- Kar Hor Lim of the Gereja Presbyterian Malaysia
- Rev. Martina Wasserloos of the Reformed Alliance in Germany
- Raissa Vieira Brasil of the United Presbyterian Church of Brazil
- Johann Wieusmann of the Evangelical Church in the Rhinelands in Germany, the WCRC’s general treasurer
In addition, 17 people were elected to the Executive Committee: - Rev. Robert Waihenya Ngugi, Presbyterian Church in East Africa
- Rev. Wouter van Wyk, Dutch Reformed Church (NHKA)
- Addo Beatrice Kumeah, Presbyterian Church of Ghana
- Tibonge Ng’ambi, United Church of Zambia
- Yu En Wang, Presbyterian Church in Taiwan
- Rev. Dane Dea Kumala, Christian Churches of Java
- Rev. Paul Francis Ravichandran, Church of South India
- Rev. Alesana F. Pala’amo, Congregational Christian Church of Samoa
- Rev. Izett Sama Hernandez, Iglesia Presbiteriana en Cuba
- Rev. Jihyun Oh, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
- Kupa Munikwa, United Church of Canada
- Rev. Maria Beszedes, Reformed Christian Church in Serbia
- Dr. Victoria Turner, United Reformed Church UK
- Rev. Milciades Pua Gomez, Presbyterian Church of Colombia
- Karina Arntzen, Evangelical Church of Rio de la Plata
- Rev. Rafat Fathy, Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Egypt, Synod of the Nile
- Rev. Adon Naaman, Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Syria
Three members of the Executive Committee — Vieira Brasil, Ng’ambi and Pua Gomez — were re-elected. The full slate includes 12 women and 10 men, three youth, nine lay people and 13 ordained leaders representing all regions. “The election presents a movement forward toward justice, where seven of the younger generation are now part of the Executive Committee,” Kassab said. “Three are under 30, and four are between 30 and 40.” SOURCE>WCRC/https://www.youtube.com/@WCRC/videos |