Name: Rev. Paul Gardner

Nationality: Jamaican

Church: Moravian Church in Jamaica

Function: President of Moravian Church

Participating as: Central Committee member

First ecumenical encounter: Steward at WCC Central Committee 1991 or 1992

In Jamaica we have conflicts, but not rooted in religious ideology. The church has a critical role to play both in the prevention as well as the management of conflicts. Conflicts are not necessarily a bad thing – they can lead to revolutions and to positive changes in structures and systems. The church has a responsibility to witness to the world on the position of truth, justice and peace – to assert itself on behalf of reconciliation and harmony, not just quick, simple resolutions that are no more than putting band-aids on a sore.

We are not forceful enough in my context on environmental issues. The church should be supportive of those efforts because we have serious environmental concerns, such as the erosion of beaches, depletion of water resources, and elimination of mango groves. There is a connection between those issues and the economic health of our people and economy. Economic development is necessary but one-sided development won’t work – it must be in concert with environmental protection. There are good groups at work – we need to support them and not duplicate their efforts.

The biggest challenge to churches and the ecumenical movement is relevance. Churches and religious institutions have to take a look at their reason for being. There are a number of parallel organizations that have emerged over the last 20 years that are doing some of the things we have been doing and are doing them better. We need to recalibrate how we function, but we have to be careful that in the re-examination we don’t become an organization that can’t be seen and heard.