Lutheran Bishop Seyenkulo sees “the potential to change our world for the better”
(Lutheran World Information Center) – The launch of the “Thursdays in Black” campaign of the Lutheran Church in Liberia (LCL) recently included a public call to take action against violence directed at women and girls, as well as an affirmation that such violence “is not always physical. It can be verbal, psychological, economic. It can also involve the environment,” said Rev. Janice Faye Gonoe.
Gonoe, who is the director of the LCL’s HIV and AIDS program, was among 600 people of various ages and backgrounds who marched against sexual violence in Liberia’s capital, Monrovia. The Lutheran church made public its commitment to take part in a worldwide campaign to draw the attention of the broader public and to encourage all Liberians to get involved.
The march on the eighth of November ended at a symbolic site – St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, because in this place, on 29 July 1990, at the height of the 1989–2003 civil war, 600 civilians were massacred. In Liberia, churches and other faith-based communities are credited with a leading role in ending the conflict and in promoting peacebuilding and reconciliation.
Women of the Lutheran church march against violence in the “Thursdays in Black” procession.
LCL Bishop Dr. Jensen Seyenkulo led the “Thursdays in Black” march and the commitment to take action against all forms of violence, as well as declaring solidarity with all whom it has affected. As part of the event, 300 women of the women’s Monrovia district of the LCL convention made a public commitment to participate. Together, the number of those belonging to the movement grew to nearly 1,000 people.
Speaking at the opening event, Seyenkulo said that he had learned about “Thursdays in Black” in his work with the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and the World Council of Churches (WCC). “Joining a global movement that includes brothers and sisters in faith from all over the world helps to emphasize that violence is in fact a worldwide problem,” he said.
“Towards a world without rape and violence” is the theme of “Thursdays in Black.” The LWF, with its Gender Justice Policy, has supported the initiative begun by the WCC in the 1980s, which took the form of a peaceful protest against rape and violence, especially in times of war. Churches belonging to these organizations and their staff are invited to dress in black on Thursdays to show individual support for gender justice worldwide.”
An effective path
Jensen, a member of the LWF Council, said that, in sharing the idea of this movement with his LCL colleagues, they expressed a commitment to support it. As a result, on Thursdays a service is scheduled in the chapel at the church office, followed by a discussion of how to end violence against women and girls and how to be in solidarity with them.
As one LCL pastor put it, participation in the LCL’s “Thursdays in Black” changes one’s views. “I praise God that I am part of this campaign. In the past, society was told that violence is a way of life. We said that a woman is a woman and a man is a man, and whatever a man says will happen, including violence. That was also my approach when I counseled couples in my ministry. When I learned about this LCL work, I understood it differently. I see that everyone is equal and that the attitude toward everyone should be the same.”
Pastors of the Lutheran Church in Liberia march from the University of Liberia to St. Peter’s Lutheran Church.
While the LCL’s Trauma Healing and Reconciliation Program has worked against violence for years, the “Thursdays in Black” initiative offers practical steps to take against violence. The church cooperates with local partners, such as the Liberia Council of Churches, the Inter-Religious Council of Liberia and the Civil Peace Service network.
According to data from Liberia’s Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, more than 890 cases of sexual and gender-based violence were reported in 2017. Of these, 506 were cases of rape and 475 cases involved children. Although discussing these problems in society is not accepted and many cases are not reported, awareness of it and the desire to hold the perpetrators accountable are growing.
Bishop Seyenkulo concludes that: “The ‘Thursdays in Black’ campaign is a simple but effective way to do something that has the potential to change our world for the better. Our hope is that this campaign will help restore the dignity of God’s beloved children.”
The author is a pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and a missionary to the LCL, Rev. Linda Johnson Seyenkulo, in the editorial office of the LWF communications department.MONROVIA, Liberia /GENEVA
Monrovia, Liberia/Geneva
| 13./12./2018.
Source: The Lutheran World Federation