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03.11.2015 20:53:20 2997x read.
ARTICLES
Welcoming Address (Bro. Seregeous Dery, Provincial Superior of Ghana Province)

Brothers FIC – General Conference 2015 in Ghana.
1St  – 13Th November, 2015 at St. Louis Community Wa.
Theme: “Living Consecrated Life through Mission”.
Welcome Address.
The General Superior - Bro. Martinus Handoko and his Councillors and auxiliary staff, Provincial Superiors and General Conference delegates from the Netherlands, Indonesia, Chile, Malawi and Ghana and Secretariat staff of the conference, good afternoon to you all.
Preparations towards this General Conference started shortly after the last Congregational Conference (ConCon) we had in Malawi in August, 2014. Over this period there have been exchanges of emails letters and occasional phone calls both locally and internationally all aimed at ensuring proper planning, early sorting of immigration bottle necks as well as adequate preparation for this conference. The result of these active collaboration and cooperation of all actors in the preparation process is what we witness now as the formal opening of this Congregational General Conference. 
Most of us gathered here have made many flight hours if not days; in travelling from your respective provinces across the globe in other to be part of this important event in the life of our noble Congregation. It is appreciated that such journeys are not only energy and time consuming but also leaves one tired. This notwithstanding, you all seems to have recovered so soon and appear braced for the two weeks of intensive deliberations. 
It is therefore, my honour and privilege to on behalf of the Provincial Council and all the Brothers of Ghana Province to extend our heartiest and warmest welcome to you to Ghana, to Wa and to St. Louis Community. We wish you well and hope that you feel comfortable in this environment, and find our limited accommodation and other facilities conducive for your boarding and lodging. If there is any concern that needs attention please do not hesitate me or Bro. Peter Kuuniabom for the needed help.
Our Congregational Statute Art. No. 32 requires that, the General Council (GC) regularly (if possible every year) meets with the Provincial Superiors (PS) in order to evaluate, re-assess and eventually adapt congregational policy as established by the General Chapter. In pursuance of this, it would be recalled that in August, 2013, the GC met with all Provincial Councils in the Netherlands at Denekamp. During which period we shared our joys and worries as well as our plans for our various provinces during our mandate. We also benefited from a leadership enhancement workshop and discussed issues pertaining to sex abuse of minors and what to do as a congregation to prevent such despicable things from reoccurring. In August, 2014, only the GC and PSs met in Malawi during which time we examined the implementation of the Denekamp meeting resolutions, the last General Chapter resolutions and our respective provincial chapter resolutions.  
This year and today we embark on a similar exercise but with slightly different dimension. This is because, it is not a ConCon but a General Conference which embodies, the GC, Provincial Superiors and delegates from all the five provinces who may not necessarily be Provincial Councillors. This meeting is primarily intended to evaluate the implementation of the 2012 General Chapter resolutions by the sitting GC and there from, map out a further orientation or re-orientation of the entire congregation from now till the next General Chapter slated for August, 2018. 
The GC has chosen “Living Consecrated Life through Mission” as theme for this General Conference. I am confident that while we appraise our performance over the past three years and at the same time reflectively keeping in focus the chosen theme, new issues are certain to float for our attention now or for the future. To this end, it would not be too early to begin to consider how we want our next general chapter to be and what we expect from it. 
As an international Congregation, meetings of this sort not only serve as homing for some delegates. For others, it is an opportunity to familiarize themselves with other provinces which hither were unknown to them in terms physically being there and experiencing the life and culture of the people. For all delegates, it is an occasion to meet familiar and some unfamiliar faces. A time to discussion issues of prime importance for our congregation and the church in our context. 
During this meeting and also at its end, we would celebrate our brotherhood and our ones in diversity. On 21St November, our Congregation would be 175years old. At the same time Ghana Province would be 50years old. These are great land marks worth celebrating. Preparations have begun in earnest in all Provinces and we are particularly happy that some of you have planned to stay back after the conference to witness this celebration.
Inline with our tradition, and as host I wish to once again extend to you our blessing and warmest welcome to our land. I wish to once again accord a special welcome to Bro. Martinus (GS) and his Councillors, the Provincial Superiors and delegates from all the five provinces. It is our hope that you would feel at home and enjoy the short time you will have with us. We hope you can bear with us and adjust to the demands of the dumso – dumso electricity supply situation we experience here. We wish you all good health, malaria free and a pleasant General Conference experience here at St. Louis Community, Wa.
Thank you.
Br. Seregeous Dery
Provincial Superior, Ghana Province.
1St November, 2015





1 COMMENTS
08.02.2016 17:10:11
Hello Bro. Seregeous,
how are you? Long time we met but hopefully I am able to visit you this year. Unfortunately I don't have your e-mail address so it is difficult to communicate. Could you be so kind to send it? Thanks in advance and all the best. Kindest regards,
Annie

ANNIE MANDERS  http://www.eofghana.nl

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