Dear friends,
A month ago the sculpture was moved to the gardens of the World Council of Churches (WCC) in Geneva. The unveiling event (below, photo by Peter Williams) featured staff from the building reading out one of the ten commandments in their own language, as a long cloth was pulled off one of the giant columns to reveal the golden form. The person then went and sat on the seat cut into the base of that column, as the next commandment was recited, and so on. The simple ceremony depicted graphically the act of choosing to dwell – both individually and corporately – inside God’s laws, within God’s hands, and was made more powerful by the international and multi-ethnic nature of the participants.
On Monday, church leaders from around the world attending the Central Committee of the WCC will visit the sculpture as part of their deliberations on church and society that day. The invitation/decalogue sculpture illustrates richly the continuing relevance of the Bible generally, and the decalogue in particular, in providing an ethical framework in the 21st century. In an increasingly relativistic culture, it unflinchingly upholds truthfulness, justice, the integrity of marriage and the family, and the sanctity of human life, while exposing greed and covetousness as the root of so many other sins. We pray that the work of art will help inspire the delegates as they grapple with issues facing churches round the world in working out the mandate to be salt and light in society.
The following week, on September 9th, the possibility of giving the sculpture a permanent place in Geneva will be discussed by the city’s contemporary arts committee, chaired by Mme Michele Freiburghaus. If they give a favourable response and recommend the acquisition of the sculpture, then the city council will look for a suitable location, and Liviu can begin the project to cast the sculpture in bronze. Where the money would come from is still an unknown!
We would appreciate extra prayer for these two events coming up, and will keep you informed how things turn out!
Yours for the patronage committee,
Jonathan Tame
Persona 