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World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay thanked the delegates for a good assembly and commented positively on various aspects of the proceedings. “It was an honour and privilege to serve as chair of the assembly,” he said. “What I appreciated most was the numerous comments from delegates and regions stressing that ACT Alliance must retain its Christian identity and witness,” said Pillay. “I reaffirm this view—we undertake the ministries of development, humanitarian assistance, and advocacy because of our faith in Christ and the call to exemplify his servant nature as we help create a better world for all people and creation.”
He added, “We are not just another nongovernmental organization down the road but our premise and point of departure is Christ. In this regard, I also appreciate the recognition and position given by ACT Alliance at the assembly and hope that our collaboration and cooperation will continue to be strengthened in the years to come.”
Pillay also added that the WCC was glad to assign some of its staff to assist with the assembly. “This is no doubt a sign of good collaboration and relationship that prevails between the WCC and ACT Alliance,” he said. Pillay thanked the leadership, congratulated the newly-elected governing board, and wished ACT Alliance God’s continued blessings as they move into the future.
Newly-elected ACT Alliance moderator Nicolás Rosenthal delivered an address that acknowledged that we are at a critical point in human history—but also that we did not appear here unexpectedly.
“There is no more time for lukewarm responses,” he said. “We need to get out of our comfort zone, which is not very comfortable to say the least, but to which we have become accustomed. Wars and economic and gender inequalities, overconsumption and climate disaster mark our time.”
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Rudelmar Bueno de Faria, ACT Alliance general secretary, and Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay, WCC general secretary.
Albin Hillert/ACT
ACT Alliance general secretary Rudelmar Bueno de Faria, in closing remarks, thanked all the members and all the representative from the forums and reference groups that traveled to Indonesia for the assembly.
“Thank you very much especially to YAKKUM and to the Indonesia forum for the volunteers that have been amazing in providing this space of welcoming, of care, of solidarity, for embracing a global community and also making us understand better how a nation that is multi-religious and multicultural lives in peace and solidarity,” he said. “We need to do that for the world as a whole.”
In its message, the 4th ACT Alliance General Assembly described the common task of all Christians to manifest God’s unconditional love for all people.
“As a global ecumenical coalition of churches and faith-based organisations with over 150 members in more than 127 countries, we gathered in Yogyakarta, Indonesia for our 4th General Assembly in 2024 with great appreciation to our hosts YAKKUM. ” reads the message. “As faith-motivated actors deeply rooted in our religious values and universal human rights principles, we are called – now more than ever – to be beacons of hope and strong advocates for dignity, justice, peace and full respect for human rights and the environment.”
"We reflected deeply and committed our network to protect and expand civic space and address the escalating threats to human dignity and rights as a result of protracted conflicts and crises. Together we work to advance gender justice and equality, advocate for social, economic and climate justice and strive for a just, inclusive, sustainable and peaceful world, and call on duty bearers to be accountable to rights holders. We are inviting others to collaborate with us,” the message reads.
