Reformed churches' partnership fund

The uniting general council (Nairobi, 1970) established a "special services fund". The fund was designed to enable Alliance member churches to apply for small grants for projects that could not be funded by other interchurch aid networks, notably the WCC's commission on interchurch aid, refugee and world service (CICARWS).

The income of the fund came from designated grants by member churches, with an average balance of about CHF 250,000 per year, which did not seem to be sufficient to cope with the expanding needs. The report on "The Alliance in the nineties" presented to the 22nd general council (Seoul, 1989) proposed that the fund should be enlarged, renamed the Reformed churches' partnership fund, and given regular financial and staff support.

The experience gained in operating the fund in the 1990s encouraged the 23rd general council (Debrecen, 1997) to renew the mandate and to continue this service to the Reformed constituency.

WARC, as a fellowship of churches rooted in the Reformed confessional tradition, does not see its primary purpose as collecting and channelling interchurch aid funds. It operates the partnership fund in a unique manner and cannot be compared to other donor agencies.

The name, Partnership fund, reflects the ecumenical movement's guiding principle of the "sharing of resources". The fund receives financial contributions from member churches and other agencies and distributes these funds to those in need. But this activity is only one of many activities and by no means the most important. The sharing of resources among the Reformed family includes both material and non-material resources. Over the years the Partnership fund has established a wide network of communication and mutual support, working towards self-reliance and self-determination; committed to a common discipline of sharing among God's people; participating in the decision-making process between north and south; promoting through words and deeds the holistic mission of the church.¹

The Partnership fund helps member churches, mostly in the southern hemisphere, which are facing particular difficulties. It also assists churches to locate additional funding sources appropriate to projects and collaborates with ecumenical funding structures. Though grants from the fund are modest, they represent WARC’s concern to facilitate sharing of material and spiritual resources within the Reformed church family.

The Partnership fund is overseen by a committee within the Alliance's executive committee, which also sets the criteria for the approval of grants. Between 1990 and 1997, more than six million Swiss francs were granted to member churches in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. This money went to an impressive range of over 200 projects and programmes related to churches, theological colleges and other church buildings, leadership and community development programmes, theological reflection, human rights activities and emergencies. Some examples are:

• The Fisherman's Service Centre, Presbyterian Church in Taiwan;
• The desk for justice, peace and the integrity of creation, Lesotho Evangelical Church;
• Sustainable rural development, Indonesian Christian Church (GKI);
• Legal advocacy for human rights work, United Church of Christ in the Philippines;
• Continuing education courses for pastors, Church of South India;
• A workshop on social communication, Evangelical Church of the River Plate;
• Martung Upah Indigenous Conference, Uniting Church in Australia;
• An extension to Ekwendeni Lay Centre, Church of Central Africa Presbyterian, Malawi;
• Basic leadership training for women, Independent Church of Myanmar;
• Clinical pastoral education, Presbyterian Church of East Africa, Kenya.

An evaluation in 1994 enquired into the social effects of the projects, popular participation, and the involvement of women and youth. It was encouraging to note what was learned in the process and how successful implementation contributed to the life and witness of the people in their local situation. The Reformed churches' partnership fund is privileged to be associated with such activities as the church leadership training programme in the Philippines, which reported: "The programme thrust of empowering the laity will be a turning point in the continuing struggle for our country's journey for total transformation of church and society. The lay formation programme will be a relentless challenge to enlighten, organize and mobilize our lay leaders for church and community action."

Partnership fund project criteria

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