Delegates from all over Africa met in Abuja, Nigeria, at the end of February and the beginning of March and agreed that it was time to come closer together as a Reformed family.

Representatives of Presbyterian and Reformed churches from 24 African countries resolved to form an all-African WARC "area" - the Alliance of Reformed Churches in Africa (ARCA) - and appointed a continuing committee to study how best this might be done.

This first Pan-African conference of WARC member churches was called by the Presbyterian Church of Nigeria, under the leadership of Rt Rev Mba Idika, moderator of the general assembly, and Rev Uma Onwunta, principal clerk.

Mba Idika, moderator of the general assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Nigeria
Mba Idika

"We are Reformed Christians in context, but not in exclusionist isolation," Setri Nyomi, general secretary of the Alliance, told the conference. "We belong together as a Reformed family, even though we come from a variety of cultural backgrounds. We are enriched by diversity, but committed to unity."

In his keynote address, he highlighted three characteristics and challenges of Reformed Christianity in Africa.

African Reformed worship is characterized by joyfulness. "Dancing with joy in the presence of God is a recognition that we are in the presence of God who stands with us in our difficulties," he said. "With God, the forces of evil will not have the last word."

Sometimes, however, "we feel uncomfortable because we are not too sure whether Reformed people should be that joyful," he added. "Thank God for our young people who from the mid-20th century have kept challenging us in this area." Embracing and integrating the elements of joy enriches African worship.

African Reformed reflection on the word of God finds meaning in the image of Moses leading his people out of bondage in Egypt into freedom. It draws on the story of Nehemiah and his people: as Africa experiences broken institutions, broken systems, the legacy of colonialism and the effects of economic injustice, Reformed Christians feel called by God to rebuild their communities and societies. But "we need to ask ourselves whether as Reformed churches we have been faithful to God in being instruments of transformation and reconstruction," he said. "We have to ask difficult questions in our theological reflection which will help us to be more relevant to Africa."

Reformed Africans address the internal and external forces that impoverish people and deny them health and education. Mission rightly includes a stress on evangelism, but mission is more than that. "Being the voice of the voiceless, engagement in the messy business of being prophetic with all the risks that carries for the church, need to be central parts of our understanding of mission as well as the more traditional elements," Nyomi emphasized. "Where we see the signs of suffering all around us and all we can do is relief work, and not the work of challenging the forces of evil, we will be shirking our responsibility."

A fourth challenge was that of healing Reformed divisions. "Can we engage in our mission in more united fashions?" he asked. "Can we think of coming together as Reformed churches in Africa in view of all the challenges that face us?"

Kenyan delegates with Setri Nyomi

Acknowledging the real difficulties in presenting a common front, participants in a final communiqué called on their churches

to take the African context seriously in proclaiming the gospel,
to relate the curriculum in their seminaries more closely to African experience,
to intensify evangelism and unite in mission,
to foreground the prophetic ministry of upholding human rights, ensuring democratic governance, empowering people, and promoting holistic development,
to affirm the value of ethnic identities, but to reject destructive ethnocentrism in all its forms,
to work with governments in fighting HIV/Aids,
to make deliberate efforts to include young and old, lay and ordained, women and men in church decision-making,
to minimize religious conflict by reaching out to people of other faiths in dialogue, and
to be living examples of the gospel values they preach.

Echoing a widespread desire for genuine global partnership, they resolved to be "not only a receiving, but a sending and sharing family of God's people".

Solidarity from the worldwide Reformed family was shown by representatives of Canadian, Dutch, Scottish and US partner churches, which supported the conference. The WARC executive committee was well represented at the conference by André Karamaga, one of the WARC vice-presidents, and African committee members Bukelwa Hans, Lydia Adajawah, Ruth Ngaari and Coutinho Moma. Also present were John Gatu, a leading figure among African Presbyterians, and Majaha Nhliziyo, coordinator of the WARC area structure in Southern Africa - the Southern African Alliance of Reformed Churches (SAARC). The continuing committee of the conference will work closely with SAARC in implementing the decision to form a pan-African area.