II.     Connect--Encounter--Help, mission 21 a mission for tomorrow

      As mentioned above that within the fellowship we share vision. Vision like"the pillar of cloud and by night as pillar of fire" to guide the fellowship as a mission movement.  Vision is inspired by the Word of God that understood within the real context. In our context, Presbyterian Church in Taiwan implements program Reading the Bible with new eyes. People read the Bible according to their own context. In Minahasa Church(GMIM) there is a program called follow-up worship. This worship done in small groups, to elavorate vision they are inspired from cultic worship to be an action plan. Then the groups become action groups when they implement their plan into real action. From the point of view of Korean theologian, Gospel is preached not as pre-packaged Gospel in order to let people to see things behind the reality. Learning from those experiences we can say that connect in our context means process of sharing of vision to do common action.

      Encounter means that fellowship is not a matter of how to gather people but how to go to meet with other people. In the process of encounter dialogue is an important element, because in the era of civil society dialogue is needed. We need dialogue since we face the growing of religious fundamentalism in this secularized society. Fundamentalism cannot fulfil human hope to create relation and cooperation among people and between religion and science. Dialogue will be one of strategic ways to prevent fundamentalism growth. Dialogue creates understanding, friendship, trust, common challenge and common action. We need dialogue to exchange or share messages, to help each other to take responsible decision, to revitalize broken relationship within community, and to lead all parties into the genuine life in which we know ourselves by knowing the other. Dialogue implies dialogue of life and dialogue of idea.

      That is why interfaith dialogue becomes essential program among our partners in Asia. This concern had been implementing variously within the local churches, individual level, and among young people. Kalimantan Evangelist Church, Minahasa Church and other churches in Indonesia reported about trainings for Christian, Muslims and other believers on how to deal with conflict and build relationship. In the level of Asia Fellowship, on 9th to 11th November 2005, in Bandung, Indonesia was held a program called INTERFAITH YOUTH ENCOUNTER under the theme:'"One Spirit in Differences". The grogram was a collaborative program of Pasundan Christian Church(GKP), Ansor Youth Movement in West Java, and Asia Fellowship of Mission 21. Ansor Youth Movement is a youth organization of nahdlatrl ulama, the biggest Muslim organization in Indonesia. More than 200 young people from various religious groups in West Jave, including representatives of youth from Taiwan, Korea and other parts of Indonesia participated in the historical meeting. It is expected that the encounter will be followed up by this general assembly by considering suggestions from Youth Assembly.

      Interfaith dialogue from below we believe can neutralize the negative impact of Joint Regulation of Indonesian Minister of Religious Affair and Minister of Internal Affair on Worship Building and Forum of Religious People that issued on March 24th,2006. By creating dialogue then birocratization of license for constructing worship building in Indonesia can be neutralized. We appeal your support and prayer for Indonesian churches in this uneasy time.

      When we talk about dialogue of life, then we also talk about the substance and the process of help. Helping the other should be seen as subject-subject relationship. In short word we can say: helping in dialogue and dialogue in helping. Dialogue then will be the main strategy for the future mission in the era of civil society. For this reason, on January 25th,2006, I joint religious leaders from North Sulawesi: Mgr. Josef Suwatan, MSC, Chatolic Bishop of Manado; K.H. Arifin Assagaf, one of Moslem leaders from North Aulawesi to meet Grand Attorney of Indonesia, Mr. Abdurachman Aaleh, to appeal for postponding execution of death sentence of Fabianus Tibo, Dominggus Da Silva dan Marinus Riwu. They were accused as masterminds of Poso conflict by killing hundreds people. According to Suwatan cs, if those three are really the masterminds of Poso conflict, then after they were in jail, there would not be more conflict or violence in Poso. In reality, violences are still happened even in Palu, the capital of Central Sulawesi, untill now. By executing them, says their written ststement read by Nico Gara, then the real masterminds of Poso conflict will be hidden. The Statement closed with a suggestion for setting up an Independent Fact Finding Team to investigate Poso case. The Grand Attorney responded their appeal by promising that he will coordinate with the Indonesian Police Head to investigate names mentioned by Tibo cs. On March this action followed-up by sending a letter of appeal to the Indonesian President, Mr. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono concerning Tibo case. This movement now being supported by various elements of communities in Indonesia, including here, in North Sulawesi.

      This action, in my understanding, is as part of our commitment we stated in Taipei Assembly, January 2003, which we contributed some money for advocacy of Rev. Rinaldy Damanik and sending a letter of solidarity to him who were in jail at that time. Allow me to convey statement of deep gratitude from Rev. Rinaldy Damanik, to all of you for supporting him in prayer and fund in his difficult time. Since Novermber 2004, when he was still in jail, he has been electing as the President of Central Sulawesi Christian Church.

      One thing can be noted here, in term of help, when our Asia Fellowship partners in Asia , participate in helping victims of Tsunami disaster in Aceh Province and Nisa, North Sumatera Province.  

III.     Perspective for Working Together and for the Asia Fellowship of Mission 21

      In the light of the meaning of fellowship for connecting, encountering, and helping; then one of the important steps to be traced is how to improve, intensify, extensify and to socialize dialogue among ourselves and the other people. To improve dialogue implies the quality of dialogue need to be improved. To intensify and extensify implies how to reach young generation and other elements in grass root level. To socialize implies how to make dialogue become part of life of people where we are.

      In the level of decision making, we create policy and strategy to implement dialogue of life and dialogue of idea In the level of member churches will be implementation of dialogue among mission 21 family and dialogue with other people.  

IV.    Communication

      One of important functions of this General Assembly is as a learning community. In the last general assembly we have shared our concerns in our respected countries. That is why this GA becomes main communication among members of the Fellowship. Other means of communication is via internet. i.e. web-site and e-mail. Our vice President, Mrs. Pan Li Ju has been asked to provide our web-site (www.pct.org.tw//mission21asia). It has been operating in collaboration with Presbyterian Church in Taiwan. E-mail is the cheapest and fastest means of communication we have been using. Until the first week of April 2006 I received 277 email. We also provide a group i-mail address asiamission21group@yahoogroups.xom . Please use this group email address by sending your e-mail addresses to my address as moderator (ngara_2000@yahoo.com) then we will put them into the list. To integrate your email addresses into the group address, you need to reply the email be sent to you, then automatically your email address, be integrated.  

V. Organizational Report

1. The assembly has elected following Committee:

1.1. Executive Committee
    -   Rev. Chua Yen Yen
    -   Mrs. Pan Li Ju
    -   Pastor Yuanita Awiassi
    -   Pastor Iris Wan
    -   Rev. Nico Gara
    -   Dr. Lee Hong Jung
    -   Rev. Sopirid Masandu
    -   Rev. Supriatno

1.2. Officers
    -   Rev. Nico Gara (President)
    -   Mrs. Pan Li Ju (Vice President)
    -   Dr. Lee Hong Jung (Secretary)
    -   Pastor Iris Wan (Treasurer)

1.3. Representatives of Asia Fellowship at the Assembly of Mission 21
    -   The President Rev. Nico Gara
    -   The Women Coordinator Rev. Chua Yen Yen
    -   The Secretary Dr. Lee Hong Jung.

      Since Rev. Dr. Lee Hong Jung moved to CCA, then Rev. Gwang Jin Bae become secretary. The assignment of Rev. Gwang Jin Bae done by Executive Committe Meeting in Basel, June 2004, as Secretary and representative as well is an interim office and representative (in accordance with Articles of Association No. 57). Since we still have 3 year ahead of our term, then we endorse Rev. Gwang Jin Bae to this assembly as definitive secretary of Executive Committee and representative for General Assembly of Mission 21.

 2.   The Taipei assembly also accepted four additional partners as part of the Asia Fellowship of Mission 21 Partners: Sangihe & Talaud Church (GMIST), Presbyterian Church in Korea (PCK), Presbyterian Church of the Republic of Korea (PROK) and United Church of CHrist in Japan (UCCJ).  

3.    In this assembly there are candidates of partners intended to joint our fellowship. Those are: Taloud Church and Common Synod of Churches in North and Central Sulawesi as associate member. In accordance with the Articles of Association No. 4 and 5, organizations are qualified to become members should be recognized and admitted by Mission Synoid of Mission 21. But our assembly (Art No. 5, 37-39) has power to invite associate members. Talaud Church is an autonomous church which previously belongs to Sangihe & Talaud Church . Common Synod of Churches in North and Central Sulawesi also is long period partners of Mission 21. In other words, de facto they are part of Mission 21 fellowship. As stated in the Mission 21 constitution, the candidates will be endorsed by Excutive Committee to the Mission 21 Mission Synod that supposes to be held in June 2006 in Basel, Switzerland.