A liturgy for a reflection on justice and greed ...

Worship in the Ecumenical Centre
Monday, 30 August 2010
Praying for the People and Churches of the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia

~ Heal our times ~ Sauve notre temps ~ Heile die Zeiten ~ Redime los tiempos ~

Welcome

In the name of God
Father, Son and Holy Spirit
Amen

God of life and light and joy
We rejoice in your glorious creation
God of hope and love
We praise you for your love and faithfulness in Jesus Christ
God of compassion and justice
Send your Holy Spirit of discernment upon us
Alleluia!

Sing Thuma Mina 20 Lobe den Herrn, Praise to the Lord
verse 1 German, verse 2 English verse 3 in the language of your choice

Psalm 12
1 Help, O Lord, for there is no longer anyone who is godly;
the faithful have disappeared from humankind.
2 They utter lies to each other;
with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.
3 May the Lord cut off all flattering lips,
the tongue that makes great boasts,
4 those who say, ‘With our tongues we will prevail;
our lips are our own—who is our master?’
5 ‘Because the poor are despoiled, because the needy groan,
I will now rise up,’ says the Lord; ‘I will place them in the safety for which they long.’
6 The promises of the Lord are promises that are pure,
silver refined in a furnace on the ground,
purified seven times.
7 You, O Lord, will protect us;
you will guard us from this generation for ever.
8 On every side the wicked prowl, as vileness is exalted among humankind.

Prayer
Graceful God
You are not hidden in silence.
You have spoken and you speak to us even today.
We thank you and we ask you:
Let us preserve your word and may it bear fruit in our lives. Amen

Sing Thuma Mina 56 Gloria a Dios

Reading from Habakkuk 3:17-19
Though the fig tree does not blossom, and no fruit is on the vines;
though the produce of the olive fails and the fields yield no food;
though the flock is cut off from the fold and there is no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will exult in the God of my salvation.
God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, and makes me tread upon the heights.

Sing Thuma Mina 56 Gloria a Dios

Reading from Romans 8:18-25
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labour pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Sing Thuma Mina 56 Gloria a Dios

Meditation – Dr Rogate Mshana

Sing Thuma Mina 253 Jesus Christ is waiting

Prayers of the people
We pray for all people everywhere working for justice and peace in the world,
send your Spirit to renew and refresh their commitment.

When war and violence threaten lives and destroy communities
May your Spirit of peace teach us:
Blessed are the peacemakers

Sung response Thuma Mina 46
Ore poriaju vereko Ñandejara Ore proiaju vereko Ñandejara

We pray for all seeking to bring practical
and humanitarian aid to people in need throughout the world.
We pray particularly for the people of Pakistan,
for all who have lost everything, for those facing a desperate and uncertain future.
May your Spirit of love fuel practical solidarity between human beings
Your kingdom come

Sung response Thuma Mina 46
Ore poriaju vereko Ñandejara Ore proiaju vereko Ñandejara

We pray this week for people of the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia,
for the witness to unity of the churches
and for all leaders in political life and civil society.
We pray for all facing illness in body mind or spirit.
As we hear the call for justice and against greed
We pray for all who struggle on a daily basis to find enough water or food.
We unite our voice with theirs saying:
Give us this day our daily bread

Sung response Thuma Mina 46
Ore poriaju vereko Ñandejara Ore proiaju vereko Ñandejara

We pray for ourselves, our friends, colleagues and families.
For those facing illness and grief grant solace and balm.
In our lives and in our work grant us your Spirit’s steadfast support
Lift us up when we are discouraged
Comfort us when we are downhearted
Celebrate with us when we rejoice.
At all times
Your will be done

Sung response Thuma Mina 46
Ore poriaju vereko Ñandejara Ore proiaju vereko Ñandejara

Lord’s prayer
We rise to say the Lord’s Prayer each in our own language

Closing responses and blessing

Look at your hands
See and touch the tenderness
God’s own for the world

Look at you feet
See the path and the direction
God’s own for the world

Look at your heart
See the fire and the love
God’s own for the world

Look at the cross
See God’s Son and our saviour
God’s own for the world

This is God’s world
We will serve God in it

The love of the faithful Creator
The peace of the wounded Healer
The joy of the challenging Spirit
The hope of the Three in One
Surround and encourage you
Today, tonight and forever.

Sing Thuma Mina 108 – Reamo Leboga

A sermon on justice not greed by Rogate Mshana

This sermon was preached by Dr Rogate Mshana in the chapel in Geneva on 30 August 2010
The liturgy and readings can be found here. I should add that Rogate also told a great story that wasn't written down which I'll try to blog about later on.

The faithful have vanished from the face of the earth…….

The faithful are people who show faith, are loyal, show awareness of the truth and are trustworthy. They keep their promises and “walk the talk”. The faithful are those who uphold the truth and stand for the accuracy of facts.
Of course the term “faithful” also refers to those who believe in God. In short they are believers in a given religion.

The text we have said together from Psalm 12 offers us a combination of these definitions of who the faithful are. As faithful believers, we should also seek to embrace the first meaning, by which I mean that as believers in God we need also to be people who show faith, loyalty, keep promises and are trustworthy. What is interesting is that there are many who are not believers but are faithful in the sense that they embrace the values just described.

As Christians we are expected to follow Christ and do all that he taught us through his disciples about what it requires to be faithful. Because we proclaim Christ as the light of the world, we also are expected to be the light to the world – in all matters, in all aspects of life. In today’s unjust economic world, Roel Aaalbersberg speaks about the imperative for the ecumenical movement to lift its lamp from under the bushel and examine whether the current finance and trade rules do justice to the poor, the widow and the stranger. In other words, he writes in the recent WCC publication Justice Not Greed, that we need to examine whether we have been accurate in our understanding of the truth – have we got the facts right?

We have witnessed how, despite the fact that most of the G20 countries claim to be Christian nations they have not been faithful in eradicating poverty and promoting justice in the world even though they control about 85% of the global GDP. We are constantly bombarded with facts about the poverty in the world – and we need to keep these facts squarely in front of us, and confront the powerful of the world with them.

Why though do we not more often also reflect on the wealth in the world and what greed is doing to us as nations and as a global community? We hear continual promises made by politicians (who are sometimes Christians), but they never seem to keep those promises. We know of politicians and CEOs of corporations around the world who are corrupt, but make grandiose promises to end corruption. They never intend to do anything about it. We know of promises made by politicians during elections which are never met. Employers promise good pay and fair treatment of employees but such promises change into what the Psalmist calls “utter lies….with flattering lips and double hearts”. The punishment for this kind of unfaithfulness is grave indeed. The Psalmist prays, “May the Lord cut off all flattering lips, the tongue that makes great boasts”.

My country Tanzania is nicknamed by its citizens as “Bongo Land” (A country in which one has to be clever to survive). Like other countries, systems have been put in place for the survival of the richest instead of addressing poverty. Promises are made by the World Bank and the IMF that the more you liberalize your economies the more you will move out of poverty. But in the 34 years since these policies have been applied in Tanzania up until today, the poor are “despoiled and the needy groan”. Policies are based on the principle that the more the rich gain, the more there will be a trickle down to help the poor. But this has not worked. The rich are not faithful – they are in fact greedy. What they do is to squander their riches in luxuries – they do not allow even crumbs to fall from the table. There is no trickle down.

The promises of the Millennium Development Goals are not going to be met by 2015 because they are based on palliative economics - just enough to keep the poor above water, but even that is not going to become a reality. How long will the international community pay lip-service to poverty eradication? Where are the faithful today?

This is where the ecumenical movement has to stand firm, to take on itself the mandate given by God through the prophets such as Habbakuk, to rekindle the faithful to do the right thing. The ecumenical movement cannot be vague – the prophets were not! The ecumenical movement cannot be double hearted when it speaks about eradicating poverty and working for justice – the prophets were not. The ecumenical movements must not stop calling evil and greed by their name – the prophets did not. Simply put, the ecumenical movement has to be faithful to the mandate that comes down to us as Christians from the prophets and the psalmists and most of all through the life and message of Jesus Christ, the liberator.

The fear of the repercussions to ourselves if we are truly faithful will be overcome by our God. Let us not be afraid. The Prophet Habakkuk reminds us that God, the Lord, is our strength. God makes our feet like the feet of a deer, and makes us tread upon the heights. Let us be faithful and in obedience follow God who is our hope.

Amen

copyright Rogate Mshana - WCC

How heavy is the yoke ...

Worship in the Ecumenical Centre
Monday, 23 August 2010

This service was put together by Manoj Kurian

Words of Welcome

Opening Prayer (stand)
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Glory to you, our God, glory to you.
Heavenly Lord, Comforter, the Spirit of Truth,
Who are present everywhere filling all things,
Treasury of good things and Giver of life,
Come and dwell in us.
Cleanse us of every stain, and save our souls, Gracious Lord.
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
Now and forever and to the ages of the ages. Amen


Psalm 139 (1-18, 23, 24)
O Lord, you have searched me and known me.
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;

you discern my thoughts from far away.
You search out my path and my lying down,
and are acquainted with all my ways.

Even before a word is on my tongue,
O Lord, you know it completely.
You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is so high that I cannot attain it.

Where can I go from your spirit?
Or where can I flee from your presence?

If I ascend to heaven, you are there;
if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.

If I take the wings of the morning
and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me fast.

If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light around me become night’,
even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is as bright as the day,
for darkness is as light to you.

For it was you who formed my inward parts;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
that I know very well.

My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes beheld my unformed substance.
In your book were written
all the days that were formed for me,
when none of them as yet existed.

How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
I try to count them—they are more than the sand;
I come to the end—I am still with you.

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my thoughts.
See if there is any wicked way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting

Song: Here I am, Lord

Reading -Isaiah 58:9–14
Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am. If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil, if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday. The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your needs in parched places, and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail. Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in.

If you refrain from trampling the sabbath, from pursuing your own interests on my holy day;
if you call the sabbath a delight and the holy day of the Lord honourable; if you honour it, not going your own ways, serving your own interests, or pursuing your own affairs; then you shall take delight in the Lord, and I will make you ride upon the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of your ancestor Jacob, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Matthew 11: 28-30
‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’

Message: Whose yoke?
Prayers of intercession

Song: Someone’s crying Lord Kumbaya

Someone’s crying Lord!
Crying, in Pakistan and China
Crying, hungry, homeless and dispossessed
Crying, oppressed and exploited
Crying of shame and exclusion
Crying in the streets, homes, fields and factories
Crying, abused and violated
Hear their cries Lord
Help us to hear their cries too and share the pain
Help us to respond and accompany our sisters and brothers
Someone’s crying Lord, Kumbaya!

Song: Someone’s dying Lord, Kumbaya

Someone’s dying Lord!
Dying because of neglect and callousness
Dying because of greed and selfishness
Dying because girls and women are taken for granted
Dying of preventable diseases
Dying of unhealthy lifestyles
Dying as lives are cut short by natural and man made disasters
Lord, save humanity from untimely death
Lord, help us to save lives
Someone’s dying Lord, Kumbaya!

Song: Someone’s walking Lord, Kumbaya

Someone’s walking Lord!
Walking the talk of justice and equity
Walking to uphold dignity and respect
Walking the path your Son chose
Walking with and living the joy of people
Walking with and sharing the burdens of communities
Walking the path to unity, in faith hope and love
Help us to walk this journey Lord!
Walk with us Lord!
Someone’s walking Lord, Kumbaya!

Song: Someone’s praying Lord, Kumbaya

Someone's praying Lord!
Praying in tears and anger
Praying in frustration and weakness
Praying for strength and endurance
Praying for wisdom and discernment
Praying for good health and peace of mind
Praying for churches and the people of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia
Praying to heal the divisions among people and to ease the burden of history
Praying for the recovery of livelihoods, resurgence of hope and peace in communities
Lord we pray , guide each step we take today
Someone’s praying Lord, Kumbaya! Manoj Kurian

Lord’s prayer
We stand to say the Lord’s Payer each in our own language

Song: I will give you rest

Blessing (stand)
May the blessing of the God of peace and justice be with us;
May the blessing of the Son who weeps the tears of the world’s suffering be with us;
May the blessing of God who calls us to share the burden of the world be with us;
May the blessing of the Spirit who inspires us to reconciliation and hope be with us;
From now into eternity. Amen.

The assurance of things hoped for ... A sermon by Peter Prove

The following is a sermon by Peter Prove, director of the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance
Preached as a Monday morning reflection at the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva on 9 August 2010
You can find the order of service and Bible reading here.

This week in the ecumenical prayer cycle, we journey again in prayer to Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia. We underline our relationship with our sisters and brothers in Christ in those countries. We express our solidarity with the peoples of both countries in their challenges and struggles. And we affirm again with the author of the book of Hebrews that “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen”.
This classic definition of the irreducible essence of faith was originally offered to an early Christian community struggling with persecution, marginalization and fear; a community in need of support; a community - like so many of us still today - yearning for concrete reassurance that the madness and lostness we see all around us and within us are not the last truth about the world, but only the next to last truth.
Reassurance is given in the example of Abraham, who obeyed when he was called to go out from his place, not knowing where he was to go, but looking forward to the city which has foundations whose builder and maker is God. It is given in the example of Sarah, who by faith received power to conceive - and to become the mother of a nation - though she was long past the age of child-bearing. And though they did not reach the promised land, they saw it from afar, and died in faith as “strangers and exiles on the earth”. They did not think of the home they had left, but desired “a better country, that is, a heavenly one.” Such is the nature and example of faith.
In my own home country of Australia, a political revolution has taken place - a revolution at least by Australian standards. A sitting Prime Minister was brought down, to be succeeded by his deputy and giving Australia its first female Prime Minister. This welcome and historic sign of the growing maturity of Australian politics and society seems, however, to have a darker shadow. The issue at the crux of the political upheaval in Australia was the previous Prime Minister's proposal for a 20% 'super-tax' on mining industry profits. Though a reasoned debate might have concluded that the nation and people of Australia have a perfectly legitimate claim to a greater share of the proceeds of exploitation of its natural resources, mining industry lobbying and political influence ensured that no such debate would need to take place.
And now an election campaign is in full swing, driven largely by slogans and rather less largely by policy choices. Except of course for the fact that the super-tax proposal has been quietly shelved by our first female Prime Minister. And anyway, there is a certain irony in a nation founded on dispossession being dispossessed of the wealth of its soil. The historic apology delivered by our former Prime Minister to the Aboriginal Peoples of Australia still lacks adequate practical consequence.
It's confusing. In which direction is the better country?
In Aotearoa New Zealand a public debate is raging over large-scale foreign (i.e. Chinese) acquisition of dairy farm properties. A small competitive nation that sought greater access for its products in large emerging (i.e. Chinese) markets is now challenged by the flipside of liberalization. In this context, racism bleeds all too easily into the debate about national sovereignty. And again, national sovereignty becomes a contested concept from the perspective of the Maori people, who have seen the legal commitments of the Waitangi Treaty repeatedly and blithely disregarded.
It's confusing. By what path may we approach the land of God's promise?
The question is, do we really desire a better country, as Abraham and Sarah did, or are we content with the one we have? Do we look forward to the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God? Do we have faith in God's promise, and are we willing to go out, leaving our familiar homes, not knowing where we are to go, but trusting in God's promise to lead us there? Are we willing to be strangers and exiles on the earth, and to die in faith, not having received what was promised but having seen it and greeted it from afar?
Such a faith is not an antidote to reality; it is not belief in spite of the evidence. It is trusting in, looking towards, and setting our hearts upon things which are real, are known, and are urgently hoped for - knowing that the hope of heaven is not separate from the hope for a transformed world. The trials and confusions of today - this very day - are connected to the promised land just across the horizon. We step forward in faith not because we know the path, but because we trust in God's promise. Because we desire a better country, a heavenly one.

copyright Peter Prove

God of Kiwis and Kangaroos - an order of service for prayers for Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia

The prayers in this order of service were written by Lucy D'Aeth. The service was led by Jill Hawkey and the preacher was Peter Prove. I particularly love the God of Kiwis and Kangaroos in the final blessing.

Morning Prayer at the Ecumenical Centre
Monday August 9th
Ecumenical Prayer Cycle: Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia

Welcome

Gathering
L: In the name of the Creator, the fountain of life,
the name of Christ, the pulse of life,
and the name of the Spirit, the breath of life. Amen

People: Holy! Holy! Holy! Earth is filled with God’s presence.

L: Christ, we come into your presence today
To worship in this sanctuary called Earth

P: A planet filled with your presence,
quivering in the forests,
vibrating in the land,
pulsating in the wilderness,
shimmering
in the rivers.

L: God, reveal yourself to us in this place
and show us your face in your creation.

Song: Where mountains rise to open skies (see sheet)

Reading: Hebrews 11: 1-3: 8-16
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.

By faith, Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he stayed for a long time in the land he had been promised, as in a foreign land, living in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. By faith, he received power of procreation, even though he was too old- and Sarah herself was barren-because he considered him faithful who had promised. Therefore, from one person, and this one as good as dead, descendants were born, “as many as the stars of heaven and as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore”.

All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them. They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth, for people who speak in this way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of the land that they had left behind, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; indeed he has prepared a city for them.

Reading: Luke 12: 32-40
“Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes: truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat and he will come and serve them. If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.

But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour”.

Song: Tama Ngakau Marie (Thuma Mina, No 47)

Reflection

Intercessions
Creator God,
We thank you for this new day and this new week. As we meet together on this summer morning, we remember our sisters and brothers across the globe in their winter evening and we thank you for the beautiful lands of Aotearoa and Australia – for the mountains and rivers, forests and beaches, the unique creatures and plants which shout the promise of these distant lands.
We remember before you all who call these lands ‘home’, that you may work through them to transform histories of suffering, violence and exile into communities of justice and peace.
God, in your mercy : Hear our prayer

God of justice and power,
We ask your blessing on all who make decisions about land use and resource management. We pray for politicians, business leaders, tribal elders, researchers and all who shape our planet’s future. Forgive us for our violent denial of indigenous wisdom, which taught us to treat our lands as our nurturing mother. Challenge the greed and despair which leads to the rape of this fragile planet; inspire us all to reverence and awe, that we may know your Spirit enlivening us as we journey into your promised land of justice and hope.
God, in your mercy : Hear our prayer

Gentle and surprising God,
Appearing when we least expect you, holding us in your web of love; weaving our diversity into your wholeness; we offer you our working week – our comings and goings, our deliberations and our efforts, that all may work to your glory. We pray for our colleagues, our families and our neighbours – all who make up the fabric of our daily lives. We pray for people of faith throughout the world, that through us, you may bring your promise of justice and joy, healing and hope to the whole world.
We ask all prayers in the name of Jesus Christ, our brother and our saviour.
Amen

Song: When the road runs out (see sheet)

Blessing
May the God of Abraham and Sarah bless us with hope,
May the God of kiwis and kangaroos surprise us into creativity,
May the pulsating, shimmering God, ever old and ever new, be with us, breathe through us, inspire and guide us, this and every day.
Amen

Education and research that brings blessing - speech by Alexander Schieffer

EDUCATION AND RESEARCH THAT BRINGS BLESSING
by Dr. Alexander Schieffer
TRANS4M Center for Social Innovation, Geneva, Switzerland
www.trans-4-m.com

Brief Speech given at the Morning Service at the World Council of Churches
August 2, 2010

I. OVERVIEW: REINVENTING RESEARCH AND EDUCATION

The vision of our Geneva based organization TRANS4M Center for Social Innovation is to reinvent education and research so that it innovatively engages with the burning social issues that a society is facing. Education and Research that truly responds to the burning needs of a society, for us, can be called “education and research that brings blessing”.

When we talk about “blessing” then we suggest, however, to not only focus on the burning needs of a particular society, but also on the gifts (the “blessings”) that each society, each culture has received. Research and education, as we understand it, needs to build on and activate these particular gifts. In other words, the often isolated emphasis on “poverty”, to our mind, dramatically overshadows the existing wealth in a particular context, be it in form of local knowledge, wisdom, values or relationships.

The dual focus on “burning needs and shining gifts” is hence at the very heart of our approach to research and education. But that is only the starting point. We need to go deeper and understand the major characteristics of an education and research that ultimately results in social innovation. For us there are four core characteristics, or the “four trans”

II. CORE CHARACTERISTICS OF “EDUCATION THAT BRINGS BLESSING”

Achieving innovation requires the stepping out of comfort zones, to move beyond existing borders. This “moving beyond” is reflected in “the four trans”: transdisciplinary, transcultural, transpersonal and transformational. I shall now introduce each of them:

1. Education and Research to bring “Blessing” need to be transdisciplinary: engaging with complex social issues requires not only that we simultaneously draw on the large variety of social sciences disciplines, but furthermore, that we bring these different disciplines in creative interaction with each other. Thereby we transcend conventional disciplinary borders. To foster such processes, education and research programmes need to purposefully bring together representatives from such diverse disciplines, and equally curriculum design needs to reflect this “trans-disciplinarity”.

2. Research and Education to bring “Blessing” need to be transcultural:
Until now, the vast majority of e.g. business, economics and development education, as well as research methods and methodologies are invented, developed and designed by the west, primarily by the US and Europe. For us, the starting point of all our educational and research processes is, however, the firm rooting in the cultural and social contexts we are active in. Once participants are strongly connected to their own “local identity” we facilitate the creative interaction between local and global knowledge perspectives, thereby entering the territory of innovation. Again, we find innovation in the “trans”, in the “in between” of various cultures, belief systems, faiths, in between the local and global

3. Research and Education to bring “blessing” need to be transpersonal:
For education and research to have a strong impact, they need to go beyond their existing individualistic orientation. It can’t be any longer about “my personal upgrading”, about “my degree”, about “my PHD”. In our Masters Programme on Social and Economic Transformation, for example, each participant engages, progressively, in individual, organizational and societal transformation.

4. Research and Education to bring “blessing” need to be transformational:
The final and all-encompassing feature of our programmes is their “transformational” character. Each programme takes the participant and his or her organization through a trajectory “from fundamental research to transformative action”.

How then do we put these core features in practice?

III. EDUCATION THAT BRINGS BLESSING, IN PRACTICE

We started our work by offering masters and doctoral programmes, in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Jordan, UK and the US. These programmes focus on social and economic innovation and are designed along the core features that I introduced. In each case we from TRANS4M Geneva work together with universities who accredited these programmes. Our friend and colleague, Dr. Sam Rima, for example, invited us into Bethel University, with whom we now offer a Doctor of Ministry Programme for Social and Economic Innovation.

We recognized, however, that the programmes themselves are not enough. What is further needed, is a more fundamental, institutional transformation on the level of the university. In other words, it is not enough, that the programmes are transdisciplinary, transcultural, transpersonal and transformational; much more, the university itself need to be reconceived along similar lines. This is a big step, but a university, that stands on these four pillars, has shifted from a “degree factory” to a “catalyst for societal renewal”. We call these universities “universities-4-humanity”. Imagine, the “blessing” that education and research could bring, if universities saw themselves in such new light, authentically serving humanity.

We are currently about to set up a global (or better: transcultural, and trans-faith) movement of such “universities-4-humanities”, each of them concerned with transforming the society they are lodged in. Major players within this movement are the Muslim based Heliopolis University for Sustainable Development in Egypt, the Buddhist based Sarvodaya Institute for Higher Learning in Sri Lanka, the more secular oriented School for Transformation of Deutsche Telekom in Germany and the Christian based Chinyika Village Learning Center. The Village learning Center in Zimbabwe, by the way, is the direct result of a project that came out of our Southern African Masters Programme. This project lead to food security of initially 20.000 and ultimately close to 200.000 people in Zimbabwe.

With all these Universities-4-Humanity we work together to co-create a new institutional approach to universities, so that these can truly serve society. Together, we co-creators of Universities-4-Humanity see an enormous potential to increase the potential blessing that research and education – reconceived in this new light – could bring to the world. Imagine! Perhaps we can even work together with you here, with ECLOF, with the WCC or other organizations present.

Imagine!!