Persevering in My Witness: Reflections on Serving as a Steward at WCRC
- clairenicea
- Nov 16
- 8 min read
World Communion of Reformed Churches 27th General Council "Persevere in Your Witness" | October 14-23, 2025 | Chiang Mai, Thailand
Last month, I had the honor of serving as a steward at the World Council of Reformed Churches (WCRC) 27th General Council in Chiang Mai, Thailand. They meet once every seven years, and this was their 150th anniversary. Participating in Council was like being part of a ten-day pentecost—a once-in-a-lifetime experience of the beautiful diversity and unity of the body of Christ that will leave you needing just as long of a sabbath (if not longer!). Because WCRC puts such a strong emphasis on diverse representation—ordination status, age, gender, and region—I had incredibly rich conversations with delegates from all walks of life about women leadership in the church, what healthy masculinity might look like, how the church is handling conflicts surrounding the LGBTQIA+ community, the impact and implications of increasing AI usage, and the need to address the rapidly growing far-right movement, especially among youth. I didn't know much about the organization beforehand, but considering that the name is World Communion of Reformed Churches, I figured that it would be rather reformed-centric. However, though they take pride in their reformed roots, I was happy to learn that one of their main taglines is "to be reformed is to be ecumenical."
This year's theme was "Persevere in Your Witness," which I thought was so relevant in an age of pervasive cynicism, despair, and apathy, especially among youth in my contexts of South Korea and the US. How do we keep hope alive when we are daily bombarded by news of more violence, more suffering, and more inhumanity? How do we keep the faith when that violence, suffering, and inhumanity manifest in and touch those closest to us and even our very selves? What is the point of trying to make things better if it seems like nobody cares? These are the questions my generation is asking, questions that drive, inspire, and haunt us. If we cannot find a way to address these questions, the church will not be relevant to them. But in an age of increasing online connectivity and offline isolation, joining this council with 500 other brothers, sisters, and siblings in Christ, worshiping together, eating together, learning together, and having fun together gave me five hundred more reasons to persevere in my witness. The body is alive. I felt it. I lived it. And I must be faithful in my part if I am to have integrity before my family in Christ. I am convicted.
I saw many familiar faces and made new connections as well!
From top left, clockwise: Rev. Dr. Setri Nyomi, outgoing Interim General Secretary of WCRC; Rev. Philip Peacock, newly elected General Secretary of WCRC; Rev. Dr. Allan Boesak, anti-apartheid activist from South Africa who has preached at my church; Rev. Jooseop Keum, General Secretary of the Council for World Mission and friend of my father's; Luciano Kovacs, PC(USA) and formerly WSCF—I went to Agape Ecumenical Center through his connection!; Rev. Dr. Amelia Koh-Butler, my translation team boss and Mission Secretary for Council for World Mission
Cuba Reunion! 🇨🇺
I ran into my friend from Cuba who I met when I visited the Movimiento Estudiantil Cristiano de Cuba (MEC/SCM) with the World Student Christian Federation-US in 2023. And I made a new Cuban friend from the movement as well!
Thai Tea & Khao Soi
These were both delicious. If it weren't for Thai tea, I'm not sure I would have gotten through council.
Favorite Moments
Taking communion with hundreds of other Christians from around the world at the same time in the same room.
Pulling out my rusty Spanish to help a delegate from Venezuela find her phone, then switching to Korean to greet the Korean delegates, flexing my limited Mandarin to my Thai friend, and reverting to English mode for my stewards debrief all in the same ten minutes.
Hearing justice framed as "relinquishment" by Dr. Collin Cowan. Instead of the perpetrators of injustice coming up with the solutions for reparations and repair, perhaps giving up the authority and power to make such decisions in a top-down way is what justice truly calls for.
Sharing my favorite Taizé song "Magnificat" with my friend from Cuba, who said he wanted to take it back to his church and teach it to them 🧡
Watching a skit of the prodigal son story told through a female perspective with a mother and two daughters. I teared up at the reconciliation scene 😭
Singing "Silent Night" with my sister from Syria because Christmas hymns were the only English praise songs she knew 🎄
Hearing a male Samoan pastor say that in his culture, "Women are the apple of our eye." He said this during the "Reimagining Masculinities" workshop as he was explaining that women are traditionally centered, revered, and treasured in his culture. Hearing this made me cry. And this made me realize how many more messages I have received throughout my life and continue to receive on a daily basis that women are not respected, not important, and not cherished—we are secondary. That his words, with his gentle, humble, and sincere tone, touched something deep in my soul made me realize how rare it is to encounter that kind of posture. I thought I had overcome the patriarchy within, as I consider myself a feminist, but there are still wounds there. The truth is, I have a long way to go. We have a long way to go. Especially living in Korea for the past year, it is painfully clear how far we still have to go.
Steward Life
I loved serving as a steward! I had the best roommate, a sister from Colombia, and we served on the translation and interpretation team preparing translations of documents and making sure the interpreters had the materials and support they needed as they provided interpretation in five languages: Spanish, French, German, Korean, and Indonesian.
During our stewards' orientation, we reflected on what being a steward meant to us. I wrote "being present, attentive, curious, patient, taking care of self by resting as needed, maintaining a posture of openness." I was very concerned about being able to live into "taking care of self by resting as needed" as I have not been good about taking breaks in the past. However, looking back post-conference, I am surprised by how well I did! I've really grown in that area, and it makes me proud and hopeful that I can grow in other areas as well.
After orientation, they took us to a night market, which Thailand is famous for, and we rode there squished into a red cap (like a taxi) in which the back door is left open! We belted "Goodness of God" the whole way there, and (perhaps that's why) we all made it in one piece ❤️🩹
Passionfruit smoothie was only $1! 😵
Night Safari
After the conference, we had one last day together as stewards before going home. This was our designated "fun day." We went on a night safari where we hopped on a bus and saw lions, tigers, and elephants, oh my! They also had an area where you could pet and hold different animals, including capybaras! It was my first time seeing one in real life. Now I get why people think they're so cute!
My Thai friend really wanted to take me to a Korean BBQ place in Chiang Mai, so we and a bunch of other stewards went, and several of them tried Korean food for the first time!
Church Visit
On Sunday, we all visited different local churches. I visited Nong Buoa Sam "Center of the Lotus Pond" Church, where we were hosted with extravagant hospitality and the most delicious meal. This church was voted "Church with the Most Beautiful Grounds," and we could see why!
Chicken soup & Coconut Ice Cream
This coconut ice cream had to be specially ordered a week in advance, as they harvest fresh coconuts to make the ice cream.
Exposure Trip
In the middle of council, we had an exposure trip day where we got to visit different Christian organizations and projects around Thailand. My group went to Huai Hong Khrai Royal Development Study Center, an 1982 initiative of King Bhumibol Adulyadej to help train the local people in sustainable agriculture, forestry, and watershed management practices. We saw an incredible video that showed how the land had been transformed from a dry, sparse piece of land into a dense, lush forest over the past forty years. We also toured their frog farming facilities and learned about how frogs are used in that area as a source of protein and as a natural pesticide. On the way to the intensive farming demonstration area (first picture), we passed a plot of aloe vera. I learned that the Thai name for aloe vera is "crocodile tails"—so apt!
Nicea Today
2025 marks the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicea, the first ecumenical meeting of Christian bishops in 325 CE, from which we get the Nicene Creed. As such, there have been several conferences over the past year to discuss what Nicea means to us today. The WCRC launched a new book Receiving Nicaea Today during the council, and I was randomly assigned to distribute the books (free PDF available online). Now, some of you may have noticed that the title of my blog is "niceainkorea." Have you ever wondered why? Well, it's very simple. My middle name is Nicea. Why? Because my father is a big church nerd who was, and still is, passionate about the ecumenical movement.
I never understood the significance of my name until... Well I may never fully understand the significance of my name, but I understand now what "ecumenism" is. And I have also come to understand, painfully, the state of the broken and divided church. We, as individuals, families, communities, and nations, are broken. The violence of this world breaks us down and draws us into its vicious cycle, making us think it is the only way to survive, to keep us safe. It is a logic that we internalize and reproduce. It is a lie that we make true. It is an illusion that we project even onto God, making Him into a divine dictator and merciless judge, who surveils, micromanages, and keeps score. We make a God in our broken image. It is a God far, far removed from the Heavenly Father of Jesus, who called his son beloved, with whom He is well-pleased. The God of unconditional love who affirmed Jesus before he began a single day of ministry. The God who came not as a warrior in a chariot, but in a barn as a baby. Who killed for no one, but died for everyone. The Bible is a big book written long ago that is filled with many stories and many people. As such, there are endless ways to interpret it. But as a Christian, having only one Lord—Jesus Christ, he is my standard for faithfulness to God. He provides the unmistakable, ultimate example of true love: loving one's neighbor as oneself, even to the point of sacrificing one's life. Jesus showed us that love is possible even in a violent world. And I believe him. And when we believe and follow his example, we start a new cycle of love that slowly erodes the logic of violence. I understand the ecumenical movement to be precisely about spreading this cycle of love. We are not captive to these group boundaries of class, race, gender, state, or denomination. We believe in the universal message of Christ, the unity of believers, and the power of love to reconcile our broken body to one another. Because we believe this, we act as though it is true. And because we act as though it is true, we make it true "on earth as it is in heaven." Being a part of general council gave me this deep, tangible experience of the power of the ecumenical movement, and having experienced it, I cannot forget it nor can I deny it. It will stay with me forever, a sign of the world to come, keeping me from the temptations of cynicism and despair, and encouraging me to persevere in my witness on the straight and narrow path of love.
Wow. This beautigul. Thanks for sharing in this thoughtfully written blog. Thanks for your contribution to the WCRC General Council.
That was really really beautiful! Thank you for all you brought to and did for the General Council!