Kirkpatrick says group he leads needs money or its future is bleak The Layman Online Tuesday, October 11, 2005 Clifton Kirkpatrick, the denomination's globe-trotting ecumenical officer, was in Evian, France, this week to lament the state of the world – and the state of the financially strapped World Alliance of Reformed Churches. Kirkpatrick, the stated clerk of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the president of WARC, warned that the alliance's efforts to end poverty, AIDS, globalization and economic justice could be short-lived if it doesn't raise more money. "Unless we take dramatic steps to find new financial resources and to build a new sense of ownership and responsibility for the Alliance in our member churches, we will have no future," he told the WARC executive committee, which is meeting in Evian through Oct. 15. Kirkpatrick has served for years in the leadership ranks of the alliance, the World Council of Churches and the National Council of Churches – organizations that have had to cope with dwindling contributions while trying to promote a liberal political agenda. He has helped convince the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the General Assembly Council to support the ecumenical work at a higher level than any other mainline denomination in the United States. The three groups share common themes – poverty, anti-globalism, anti-capitalism and environmentalism – with little emphasis on their founding purpose: The proclamation of the gospel. All three organizations, like the Presbyterian Church (USA) and other mainline denominations, have undergone financial upheavals and declining commitment from their members. According to a WARC news release, Kirkpatrick told the executive committee, "The world is crying out. Christ is crying out for our Reformed churches to be the vanguard of a movement for justice in the economy and the earth, to live out the missiologies of life, to be the centers of spiritual renewal for a world hungry for the gospel and to be living demonstrations of the unity and fullness of life that God intends for all of humanity." Kirkpatrick stated that Reformed churches around the world must be at the forefront of the movement to end global poverty. "In a world where 24,000 people die each day from hunger and poverty, where countless millions are afflicted with AIDS, where terrorism and state-sanctioned violence are rampant and where we are driving our environment to the potential for extinction, we have our task cut out for us," Kirkpatrick said. "We are indeed called to be God's agents of blessing, God's agents for the fullness of life that this world so desperately needs." Kirkpatrick and the alliance's general secretary, Setri Nyomi, made an appeal to the 40 members of WARC's executive committee to bring justice to the world. Kirkpatrick also voiced strong criticism of the current global climate, saying that the very fabric of the world is being torn apart by the global economic system that makes a mockery of God's promise that there will be enough for all. "It is our calling to enable Reformed churches everywhere to confess our faith in terms of the fullness of life that God intends for humanity and to call our world to repent of the injustice that is creating massive poverty and environmental degradation and to find a new way where we can all live together in dignity and justice," Kirkpatrick said. Despite the organization's financial predicament, Nyomi said that the WARC churches had "an exciting opportunity to make a difference." One of the major difficulties for the Alliance in recent years was operating on a reduced staff, said Nyomi. But he said he remained optimistic of WARC's future and its continuing ability to make a positive difference to the problems of the world. "The challenges facing the world are indeed tremendous. Our institutional challenges, especially with regards to finance, are also many. However, we are convinced that with a vision, purpose and clear priorities, we will be able to overcome these challenges."

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