Oikotree ceremonial launch to be hosted by PfL

Peace for Life will host the formal launching of Oikotree, a new ecumenical project that aims to identify and live out spiritualities that put justice at the heart of faith.

The event, which will take place in Manila on 11 to 16 December, is being jointly organised by the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC), the Council for World Mission (CWM) and the World Council of Churches (WCC).

New movement for economic and ecological justice

Oikotree is a product of years of dialogue and collaboration on the issue of economic and ecological justice among three of the largest international ecumenical organisations representing the worldwide community of churches. In 2007, WARC, CWM and the WCC agreed to create Oikotree as a common space where those seeking to live faithfully in the midst of economic injustice and ecological destruction can raise their voices and work for alternatives to the current unjust systems.

Oikotree invites the participation of local churches, congregations, individuals, communities of faith, regional ecumenical organisations and social movements to build platforms of dialogue, critical reflection and activism for justice in the economy and the earth.

The term ‘oikotree’ is derived from Revelation 22 with its reference to the tree of life “and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations”.

The movement aims to take two parallel ecumenical processes to a further level of people’s participation and activism: the Covenanting for Justice in the Economy and the Earth (known as the Accra Confession), initiated by WARC in 2004 and carried forward jointly with CWM; and the Alternative Globalization Addressing Peoples and Earth (known as the AGAPE process), initiated by the WCC in 1998 and which, through the Poverty, Wealth and Ecology study framework, is now being pursued with greater focus on ecological debt, wealth creation and their relation to poverty and ecological injustice. (See Oikotree concept paper.)

Oikotree hopes that after five years of working together, the movement will have achieved:

Greater clarity on the spirituality of life
Shared understanding on the theology of oikonomia
Shared understanding of mission of transformation
Sharing good practices of alternatives to the neo-liberal production and consumption systems
A strong covenanting for justice movement

Peace for Life, which maintains active links with WARC, WCC and CWM at the international level, welcomed their invitation to host Oikotree’s ceremonial launching as an opportunity to address, both locally and internationally, the issue of ecological justice—one of PfL’s emerging priority concerns.

Oikotree colloquium

The launching ceremony will be preceded by a “Colloquium on Social, Economic and Eco-justice” where participants will share their experiences on how theology, mission and spirituality can truly empower people for social and eco-justice. The colloquium will address the following questions:

What is the theological basis for churches’ engagement in the struggle for justice in the economy and the earth?
Is the church’s engagement in the struggle for justice in the economy and the earth, merely a social engagement or the central mission task of the church?
What kind of spirituality is needed for the Covenanting for Justice movement?

In responding to these questions, participants are expected to bring to the colloquium their praxis on social and eco-justice issues. Group discussions will identify areas of common and individual actions. The colloquium is also expected to draw up a commitment and common action document that will emphasize a new way of doing Theology, Mission and Spirituality.

Launching the movement

The founding event will begin with sharing stories from participants about their work on economic and ecological justice. It will be followed by a signature-signing ceremony where the founding participants will affirm the following core values of Oikotree:

Living faithfully through engaging in the struggle for justice in the economy and earth
Engaging in a Spirituality of resistance and transformation
Formation of life sustaining justice-affirming communities, which embrace creation and humanity
Advocacy of economic and ecological justice and support for alternatives to an ecologically destructive economy
Resistance to neo-liberal corporate globalization, patriarchy and empire
Accompaniment with people and communities struggling to overcome economic and ecological injustice
Solidarity in the struggle to change the systems that are destroying humanity and earth
Promote inclusivity, diversity, openness and transparency

Around 30 international participants, who in their respective contexts are already engaged in the work of Covenanting for Justice and the AGAPE process, are expected to take part in the event.

The programme will include field visits and encounters with ecumenical related movements in the Philippines, aimed at gaining insight into the nature, dynamics and challenges of movements for justice as well as for making connections.

The Philippines, where the secretariat of Peace for Life is based, serves as ideal venue for the historic occasion because of the significant work of local ecumenical related movements for economic and ecological justice. The Philippine context would give Oikotree the kind of learning, momentum and opportunity needed for theologians and other Oikotree participants to be motivated and get connected with the high level of activism of Philippine churches.

The event will also feature the launching of the Oikotree website and, as a final act, the planting of an “oikotree” with the inscription, “The leaves of this tree are for the healing of the nations”.

For more information, please contact the PfL Secretariat,

or the WARC Geneva office through:

Ms. Ming Patthey

Administrative Assistant to Rev. Patricia Sheerattan-Bisnauth

Church Renewal, Justice and Partnership

World Alliance of Reformed Churches

150, rte de Ferney, PO Box 2100

1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland

Tel. (41.22) 791 61 56 or 61 38

Fax (41.22) 791 65 05

Oikotree – putting justice at the heart of faith (concept paper) (January 2008)
Communiqué: Spirituality and Justice Movements (May 2008, Cuba)
Justice Movements and Spirituality: A View from Cuba (Mark Taylor, May 2008)
An Ecumenical Faith Stance Against Global Empire (Manila Declaration, WARC, July 2006)

External links:

News Release: Oikotree – putting justice at the heart of faith (WARC Update, March 2008)
The Accra Confession Pamphlet (WARC, 2007)
Covenanting for Justice in the Economy and the Earth Project: History and Overview (WARC)
Living Out the Accra Confession (WARC-CWM joint statement, May 2006)
Alternative Globalisation Addressing Peoples and Earth (AGAPE): A Call to love and action (WCC, September 2005)
AGAPE: A Background Document (WCC, April 2005)
Poverty, Wealth and Ecology – A Background to the Study Process (R. Mshana, November 2007)
News Release: Seek spirituality that energizes and sustains justice movements (WARC, 26 May 2008)