On October 22, about 400 delegates to the World Communion of Reformed Churches’ 27th general council elected Karen Georgia Thompson, general minister and president of the United Church of Christ in the United States, as the WCRC’s next president.
In 2023, Thompson became the first woman to lead the UCC.
“To elect a woman as president is a continuation of our seriousness regarding empowering women in leadership and lifting this leadership to the world,” said the WCRC’s current president, Najla Kassab.
Delegates to the meeting in Chiang Mai, Thailand, also elected five vice presidents: Fonki Samuel Forba of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon; Kar Hor Lim of the Gereja Presbyterian Malaysia; Martina Wasserloos of the Reformed Alliance in Germany; Raissa Vieira Brasil of the United Presbyterian Church of Brazil; and Johann Wieusmann of the Evangelical Church in the Rhinelands in Germany, the WCRC’s general treasurer.
In addition, 17 people were elected to the executive committee. The full slate includes 12 women and 10 men, three youth, nine lay people, and 13 ordained leaders representing all regions.
“The election presents a movement forward toward justice, where seven of the younger generation are now part of the Executive Committee,” Kassab said. “Three are under 30, and four are between 30 and 40.” —Presbyterian News Service
