It is my happy privilege to greet each of you on behalf of the executive committee. We are assembled to observe the centennial of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches in an international consultation.

Our theme, "the glory of God and the future of man", has already stimulated the minds and the pens of theologians from Princeton to Djakarta and many places between. Much of the best of their work-product will be available to us here. I do not presume to anticipate their contributions, but I would observe quite simply as a layman that this theme chosen by the executive committee seems to be a promising one.

The first element of the theme, "the glory of God", recalls one of the finest aspects of our theological heritage and perhaps our most significant contribution to Christian thought. Its timeliness is emphasized by the emerging recognition of differing understandings of the doctrine of God in the thought of churches active within the ecumenical movement.

The second element of the theme, "the future of man", has prompted negative comment in some circles in my own country, because of the use in the English language of the masculine word "man" in the generic sense. When we move beyond this threshold problem, we recognize that this element of the theme adds its forward looking emphasis for all of humanity. Here our centennial observance moves beyond the usual pattern of honouring the founders and the achievements of the past. Here we have the opportunity to plan ahead, not only for mankind in a global sense, but for our Alliance in particular...

Presidents of the predecessor bodies of this World Alliance of Reformed Churches have frequently made a detailed report of their experiences at the conclusion of a term of service. I shall forego that exercise. I shall only say that when I was elected at Nairobi seven years ago, I succeeded presidents who were free to travel widely in the interests of the confessional body because they were retired or semi-retired. I warned then that my duties as stated clerk of the general assembly of my church would preclude extended travel exclusively in the interests of the Alliance. I did promise to give attention to confessional concerns in connection with other travel and to undertake a limited amount of travel for the Alliance itself. On that basis I have been able to engage in fruitful conferences with member churches in 30 countries and have participated in meetings of the two organized areas, Europe and North America and the Caribbean. In all of these, I have found a growing sense of identification with this worldwide confessional family. As the expression of that familial relationship, the Alliance must discover and develop the most effective means of nurturing and strengthening that very sense of identity.

In recent years the Alliance has sought to do this through its executive committee, the general secretariat, and the departments of theology and cooperation and witness.

The department of theology has undertaken its task not so much by engaging directly in theological work but rather by stimulating such work within the member churches. It has coordinated such efforts and collated the results.

The department has also organized reformed participation in many dialogues with representatives of other traditions. Particularly notable is the publication of the reports of three such dialogues, I) the "theological conversation" in Europe between the World Baptist Alliance and ourselves, 2) the "theology of marriage and the problem of mixed marriages" by the secretariat for promoting Christian unity of the Roman Catholic Church, the Lutheran World Federation and ourselves and 3) the "presence of Christ in church and world" by the secretariat for promoting Christian unity and ourselves. New possibilities for dialogues are anticipated in several geographical areas as well as worldwide.

The department of cooperation and witness has sought to realize the familial nature of this confessional body through media communications, through stimulation of a wide variety of projects by two or more member churches and through the administration of a modest fund to express solidarity within the Alliance membership without encroaching on the function of interchurch aid, consciously left by the Alliance to the World Council of Churches. In this department are centred the Alliance's interest in participation of women and younger church members in the life of their churches. This department is also concerned about the issues faced by member churches when human rights are denied or abridged by governments or paramilitary groups.

The Alliance has attempted to maintain communication with and among member churches through publications, correspondence and visits by representatives of other member churches and by members of the staff. Among the printed material of general interest are Reformed World, the theological bulletin in French and German, and the Reformed press service in English, French, German and Spanish. Correspondence has been particularly effective in maintaining contacts among women and younger church members.

The World Alliance of Reformed Churches has repeatedly emphasized the commitment of its member churches to the unity of Christ's church, and hence to the ecumenical movement. It has encouraged its member churches to participate in schemes for organic union and has urged united churches to maintain membership in the confessional bodies to which the antecedent uniting churches were related before union. The Alliance has actively supported its member churches in efforts to eradicate historical obstacles to fellowship as in the Leuenberg Agreement between Lutheran and Reformed churches in Europe. Indeed, the Alliance has understood its own service and its very existence to be "provisional", anticipating a time when it would be needed no longer.

I affirm that principle. However, on the basis of my own participation in two general councils and in the work of the executive committee, I am convinced that the need for the Alliance is greater today than when I began such participation and I anticipate that its useful service will be needed for many years. While I cannot foresee specific future opportunities, developments already evident in connection with present program will require an even more effective World Alliance of Reformed Churches for the predictable future.

I shall cite only a few examples. Developing relationships with other World Confessional Bodies and with the World Council of Churches require a strong Alliance. New opportunities for dialogue with other traditions may be anticipated. The recent invitation by the Pan-Orthodox consultation to the Lutheran World Federation that a worldwide dialogue be undertaken has come to my attention. Such dialogue will be impoverished if the Orthodox, for whatever reason, are under the impression that the Lutheran partner can represent the entire spectrum of theological thought stemming from the Reformation. Limited resources have required the Alliance to exercise discrimination in entering into dialogues, but the significant contribution of the Reformed tradition must not be lost.

About ten years ago the World Council of Churches began to articulate the need for greater involvement of the world confessional bodies in the ecumenical movement. This sensitivity first became evident in the work of the council's structure committee, but that committee did not make any specific proposals for that involvement in its final report. More recently the Commission on Faith and Order has taken this up and is now projecting council sponsorship of a forum for interconfessional dialogues to meet first in the spring of 1978 and to be followed later by a joint consultation between the world confessional families and the World Council of Churches. The new emphasis on collaboration in planning and conduct of these efforts requires full participation by a strong World Alliance of Reformed Churches.

The supportive services which the Alliance and its member churches render to each other are of mounting significance. In to-day's world, even the largest member church is a minority within an increasingly secular society. Many of our member churches are miniscule minorities in communities largely non-Christian. We need to understand better than we now do the problems confronting such churches and to assist one another in our common task of witnessing to the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in such trying conditions.

The potential of the Alliance for making a unique contribution to the understanding of a worldwide problem has been demonstrated anew with the publication in 1976 of the results of our study on "The Theological Basis of Human Rights". The demand for the report has required reprints and now the publication of the report and selected working papers in book form has been achieved in separate projects in Germany and in the USA At this time when human rights are being abridged in more and more countries and some governments as well as paramilitary groups regularly resort to torture, this study which was six years in completion has already proved invaluable. A strong Alliance will always be engaged in a number of studies on a variety of topics, completing them from year to year. Some like the human rights study will meet a need wider than our own family.

The familial relationships within this confessional body can be nurtured best by personal contacts. As opportunities for visits to member churches by members of other churches and by the staff become possible, they must be seized. By well coordinated visitation, an already strong Alliance can be further strengthened where added strength is most needed. I could continue to mention other areas where the Alliance requires greater strength, but those already described illustrate the need for a strong Alliance to-day.

The limiting factor in recent years has too often been lack of resources. Two options appear to exist. On the one hand we can tailor our program to the funds available. The hazard of such a course is that declining services and activity will attract even less support in a downward trend which will breed further decline. A second option is to plan a modest but vigorous program to respond to opportunities before us. The Alliance has earned over the years a reputation for good stewardship of resources entrusted to it. I believe that the member churches will respond if convinced of the need for the projected program and challenged to support it on the basis of suggested guidelines which are obviously fair.

Moreover, I anticipate the need for additional funds for matters not included in our budget projections. We must begin now to plan for and to provide the necessary resources for the 21st general council. I am convinced that the member churches must meet from time to time, through their representatives, to make the necessary policy decisions. Fortunately the member churches overwhelmingly approved the scheme for electing a new executive committee proposed by the outgoing one. I am certain that such ad hoc procedures cannot be repeated many times without placing severe strains upon our sense of identity as a confessional family. Finally, the days ahead are certain to bring new opportunities, not even now foreseen, to which we must be in a position to respond.

The former Presbyterian Alliance and the International Congregational Council have become one Alliance in fact as well as in name since the uniting assembly at Nairobi seven years ago. The significance of that union of world confessional bodies is just now beginning to be appreciated. We knew then that our task was not yet completed. The years have taught us that the task is still unfinished. Many of the questions we had considered at Nairobi were unanswered when we adopted the "Message of Member churches" on August 30, 1970. Some of these we posed in that Message:

"... How can we express our experience of God's covenanting purpose without contributing to the inflation of churchly claim? How can we learn to rejoice again in being together as Christians without substituting cosiness for mission? How can we move beyond words and sentiments into effective strategy for living reconciling and liberating lives?"

Our response then, is equally apt to-day. It was simply:

"We cannot. We can only rededicate ourselves and cry out to God with whom all things are possible. Relying on God's promises, we trust that He will not leave us to our own devices, but will stir us up, will direct us in ways we do not yet discern, and will equip us for the service of reconciliation and liberation in his world."

Dr William P Thompson is an American lawyer who serves his church, the United Presbyterian Church in the USA, as general secretary. Dr Thompson was elected president of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches in 1970 by the uniting general assembly of this body at Nairobi and has held office until the end of August of this year.