The East Java Christian Church (''Greja Kristen Jawi Wetan'' (GKJW) in the Javanese language) is a congregation of

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

and

Reformed Reform is beneficial change Reform may also refer to: Media * ''Reform'' (album), a 2011 album by Jane Zhang * Reform (band), a Swedish jazz fusion group * ''Reform'' (magazine), a Christian magazine *''Reforme'' ("Reforms"), initial name of the ...

churches based on

Indonesian Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to: * Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia ** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago ** Indonesian ...

Javanese ethnicity, located in

Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

History

There were two missionary fellowships active in East Java, the ''

Nederlandsch Zendeling Genootschap The Netherlands Missionary Society (Dutch: ''Nederlandsch Zendelinggenootschap'') was a Dutch Protestant missionary society founded in 1797 in Rotterdam that was involved in sending workers to countries such as Indonesia during the Dutch occupation ...

'' (NZG) and the Java Committee. A decree from the NZG head office was signed by the Consul General T. Boetzelaer van Dubbeldam on 15 October 1931. This decree offered the formation of a united church for East Java as a missionary strategy. The General Assembly was an equivalent of a

synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word ''wikt:synod, synod'' comes from the meaning "assembly" or "meeting" and is analogous with the Latin ...

offered by the

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

missionary fellowship, which for over 100 years, oversaw the Javanese Christian congregation. This formation was the suggestion of Dr

Hendrik Kraemer Hendrik Kraemer (born 17 May 1888 in Amsterdam, died 11 November 1965 in Driebergen) was a lay missiologist and figure in the ecumenical movement from Dutch Reformed Church in the Netherlands. He encouraged the Dutch to allow the spread missionary ...

, delegate of

Nederlands Hervormde Kerk The Dutch Reformed Church (, abbreviated NHK) was the largest Christian denomination in the Netherlands from the onset of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century until 1930. It was the original denomination of the Dutch Royal Family an ...

(NHK), which worked for the NZG. His idea was to form a Christian congregation based on the

Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which ...

territory as both a cultural and political movement. The ''Majelis Agung'' (MA) was then registered at the East Indies Assembly as a legal entity, which gave it authority to manage assets and act as an organization acknowledged by the government. GKJW was established on 11 December 1931 in one of the oldest Javanese Christian congregations at the time, Mojowarno. A General Assembly (''Majelis Agung'') united the 29

ecclesiastical court An ecclesiastical court, also called court Christian or court spiritual, is any of certain courts having jurisdiction mainly in spiritual or religious matters. In the Middle Ages, these courts had much wider powers in many areas of Europe than be ...

s (''Majelis Jemaat'', in

or ''Raad Pasamuwan Alit'', in Javanese dialect) in

East Java East Java ( id, Jawa Timur) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia located in the easternmost hemisphere of Java island. It has a land border only with the province of Central Java to the west; the Java Sea and the Indian Ocean bord ...

. The church was under was socio-political pressure from growing Indonesian nationalism, alongside

anti-Christian Anti-Christian sentiment or Christophobia constitutes opposition or objections to Christians, the Christian religion, and/or its practices. Anti-Christian sentiment is sometimes referred to as Christophobia or Christianophobia, although these terms ...

pressure in the country. Its initial session convened 12 December 1931 at the Mojowarno congregation's church. The Javanese Christian delegates were senior activists of Javanese Christian congregation movements. They promoted GKJW independence through organizations such as Rencono Budiyo (founded in 1898), Mardi Pracoyo (1912), Perserikatan Kaum Kristen (1918), and Panitia Pitoyo (1924). Prior to the session, a teacher from Mojowarno named Soetikno presented a home-made wooden gavel. On it is written in Javanese ''manjalmaning resi wadaning Kristus'' (the year of that session, 1931). Since then GKJW has made use of this gavel at every MA session a tradition. The initial session's theme was

Philippians The Epistle to the Philippians is a Pauline epistle of the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The epistle is attributed to Paul the Apostle and Timothy is named with him as co-author or co-sender. The letter is addressed to the Christian c ...

4:4-9, with emphasis on verse 6 which reads, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God". The session was led by Dr. C.W. Nortier as the first MA Head. Raden Poeger was voted secretary, and Poertjojo Gadroen was voted treasurer.

GKJW during the Japanese occupation

During the

Japanese occupation of Indonesia The Empire of Japan occupied the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) during World War II from March 1942 until after the end of the war in September 1945. It was one of the most crucial and important periods in modern Indonesian history. In May ...

(1942-1945), GKJW was under scrutiny because they were interpreted as Javanese people with Dutch affiliations. Several Javanese Christians found it difficult to practice their beliefs, and after the torture of a number of Chinese and Christians at the Besuki Residence, support grew to find refuge within the Japanese government in Indonesia. For this purpose, Raad Pasamuwan Kristen (RPK) was founded in 1943 in East Java. This led to a rift, because both RPK and GKJW had followers. Many Javanese Christian figures were arrested at the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, including Rev. Driyo Mestoko, Rev. Tasdik, DR. B.M. Schuurman, and Yeruboham Mattheus. Because of this both RPK and GKJW were left without leadership until Japan surrendered on 14 August 1945. Reconciliation was achieved through an MA session at Mojowarno on 4–6 August 1946. This reconciliation was symbolized in a communion service on 5 August 1946, which is now recognized as ''Hari Pembangunan GKJW'' (GKJW Awakening Day).

Recent activities

At present, GKJW has around 153,000 members, divided into 136 congregations across East Java. These congregations are coordinated under ecclesiastical courts (''Majelis Daerah''), under the GKJW MA. The GKJW organizational structure is a co-ordination system. Member of the

World Communion of Reformed Churches The World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) is the largest association of Calvinist churches in the world. It has 230 member denominations in 108 countries, together claiming an estimated 80 million people, thus being the fourth-largest Chris ...

GKJW doctrine

GKJW believes in God and in the Holy Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. GKJW believes the Bible as the word of God, consisting of the Old and New Testament, and that the Bible is a witness of His work. GKJW accepts the Credo as a form of faith.

External links

Listing at World Alliance of Reformed Churches

GKJW Citizen Movement Website

References

{{Churches in Indonesia Calvinist denominations established in the 20th century Members of the World Communion of Reformed Churches Reformed denominations in Indonesia Religious organizations based in Indonesia Christian organizations established in 1936