We, 71 delegates representing 19 churches of the Reformed tradition in Southern Africa, greet you in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. From October 19 to 22 2000 we met in Kempton Park, Johannesburg, under the auspices of the Southern Africa Alliance of Reformed Churches (SAARC), to reflect on our understanding and practice of mission in unity as it has been, and as our present times demand.

Celebration

We began by recognizing and celebrating the times when the Church has played a significant role in sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. Over the centuries the gospel of abundant life in Christ has flourished and taken deep root in our countries. We are grateful for the manifold ministries carried out by Reformed churches, including evangelism, health work, education and the promotion of social justice. We give thanks for the role churches have played in processes of political liberation of Southern Africa during recent decades. And we rejoice with the former Presbyterian Church of Southern Africa and the Reformed Presbyterian Church of South Africa as they recently overcame past divisions and formed the Uniting Presbyterian Church of Southern Africa.

Challenges

But we recognize that Christ's mission is not yet complete. - we met at a time when:

the effects of apartheid in South Africa are still deeply felt;
the scars of genocide in Rwanda have not yet healed;
civil wars continue in Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo;
unresolved land issues are leading to division and death and are crippling the economy in Zimbabwe;
economic injustice goes hand in hand with ecological degradation;
and political instability and the pandemic of HIV/AIDS are devastating the lives of millions.

A time also when:

many of our people have lost the hope and meaning which faith in God brings;
many of our churches are incomplete as women are denied their place as equal partners in ministry and mission;
in many instances, our young people are not taken seriously as the church of today.

Moreover, we recognize that, through all of this, it is often our children who suffer most.

These realities challenge us to reclaim our heritage, both African and Reformed, which affirm that God intends abundant life for all and indeed invites us to share in God's mission as demonstrated in Jesus Christ, especially to those who are impoverished, marginalized, and denied full humanity.

Invitation to our churches

In the light of our discussions at this consultation, we invite our churches to endorse our common confession, affirmations and commitment.

We confess:

That our tradition and the churches we represent have not fully engaged in mission in Christ's way;
That we have often failed to acknowledge and act on Jesus' preferential option for the poor;
That we are guilty of the sins of disunity and have failed to overcome the status quo of Reformed divisions;
That there has been a lack of Christ-like charity to one another and to believers of other traditions.

We affirm:

That Christ calls us to be one in his name and to form one confessing and witnessing communion;
That our tradition challenges us, and our realities force us, to work and witness together in order to implement programmes that transform and contextualize:

the ways in which we train and employ our women, men and young people for ministry and mission;
the style and content of our worship;
the ways in which we prophetically respond to the needs of the societies in which we live.

We commit ourselves:

To make known in word and deed, and in ways appropriate to our time and contexts, the good news of Jesus Christ;
To redress the past wrongs our work and witness have brought about, and where possible, make restitution and reparation;
To give fuller expression to the oneness given in Christ as locally, nationally and as the Southern Africa region of the Reformed family of churches, we urgently seek to heal our divisions;
To reshape and strengthen our churches' critical engagement with state structures and civil society in order to bring about:

economic justice and the eradication of poverty in the light of increasing trade globalization and the mounting debt burden of the South;
responsible stewardship and redemption of the environment;
wholeness for individuals and communities affected by AIDS, violated by sexual and other forms of abuse, displaced by war, political repression and dispossession of their land, and disempowered by the uneven access to modern technology.

Ways forward

As participants we have identified the following issues requiring urgent reflection and action:

HIV/AIDS - confessional, educational, pastoral and medical programmes;
Poverty reduction, job creation and redistribution of wealth;
Gender issues and partnership of women and men;
Youth ministry;
Evangelization;
Theological education - new models, focus areas and target groups;
Reconciliation.

We undertake:

To develop in our own communities or areas of work, as we are able, projects which address one or more of these issues;
To consider for further action in particular the projects for mission action that were developed by the interdenominational country groups during the consultation;
To urge the relevant bodies in our churches to take up these issues in conjunction with other member churches of SAARC, and wherever possible, also in cooperation with the wider Reformed and ecumenical family;
To urge the SAARC Executive Committee and Secretary to monitor the implementation of common projects addressing these issues.