INSiGHT - June 2020 by Council for World Mission

June 2020

CONTENTS

FOREWORD 01

Member Church News

Humanity Wins

Online conference calls for an economy of life in a time of Covid-19 pandemic

Please, I can’t breathe

AT A GLANCE

CWM joins ecumenical call to end social injustice and racism

DEVOTIONAL Choosing between death and death: A Covid-19 reﬂection

VIEWPOINTS TAKE A LOOK

TAKE A LOOK

Silent No Longer: The Roots of Racism in Mission

Rising to Life with Jesus Breaking out from Babylon

We Shall Rise and Stand Upright

Holy Spirit as a helper leading us to new realities

Towards 2040: The future of the church is not our responsibility

A Widow’s Message

Called to Serve

SEEN & HEARD

YOUR SAY 49

Reﬂections from global consultation on human traﬃcking

Coming Home: Reﬂections on Covid-19

Fear, faith & Covid-19

Serving as a hospital chaplain in trying times

My journey to teaching at TCC

Reimaging Marginality: Covid-19 and the changing fortunes of South Africas foreign migrants

June 2019 | 8

FOREWORD |

“Please, I can’t breathe” ‘I can’t breathe!’ These were the terrified and terrifying words of George Floyd, as he was pinned to the ground by a white policeman in an illegal act of police violence and extra-judicial murder in Minnesota just about two weeks ago. The video of Floyd’s torture and murder has stirred agony and outrage amongst the American community and beyond. This cruel act reminds us of Eric Garner, a black man in Staten Island who died on a sidewalk in 2014 after a police officer had put him in a choke-hold while arresting him. Garner kept yelling that he couldn’t breathe, but the officer never relented. The sight of Police officer Derek Chauvin pinning Floyd to the ground, with his knee to the back of Floyd’s throat, despite the pleas of the crowd and of Floyd himself, frames a life, a death and a system in the United States, and globally, where it is very obvious that the age-long display that black lives don’t matter remains fresh in the psyche and the behaviour of members of the police force. I can’t breathe! These words also speak to the disproportionate number of Black and Minority Ethnic victims of COVID-19, in the UK, the US and beyond. In the UK, Black people are more than four times more likely to die from COVID-19 than White people, according to stark official figures exposing a dramatic divergence on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic in England and Wales.

From the Black Lives Matters website, we read of the situation in the USA: Now, during a global pandemic, the impact of this bias is clearer than ever. This virus is devastating to us. We are the essential workers who keep the country going; we are the mail carriers, delivery personnel, transportation providers, and hospital workers. We cannot just #stayhome. Yet, we represent the vast majority of COVID-related deaths in Chicago, Louisiana, and Michigan — Black people are dying at rates that are two and three times our population share. We have never had access to adequate healthcare in our communities, and many of us don’t even know we have the pre-existing conditions (that) the coronavirus feeds on. Our children historically suffer in our education system and are now at risk of falling further behind due to a lack of access to virtual education programs. https://blacklivesmatter.com/black-lives-matter -global-network-responses-to-covid-19-ethnicity -data/

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/07/blackpeople-four-times-more-likely-to-die-from-covid-19-ons-fin ds

INSiGHT | June 2020

COVID-19 reveals an underclass to our societies all around the world. We find them at the front lines of our health care, social care, domestic, construction and transport services, in overcrowded migrant workers’ dormitories, or on the roadsides, pushed out from the places they used to work, made unemployed without care or compassion. This social underclass is simultaneously created and reviled by the dominant economic and political powers of our day. Black and minority ethnic communities, as well as the migrant workers, are treated as cheap and disposable labour, frequently denied equal rights, wages and dignity. COVID-19 reveals the pandemic of inequality that is all around us. These statistics and realities frame lives, deaths and a system. We live within the very hostile context of two strikingly different worlds – the world of the privileged and that of the underprivileged, the world of the whites and that of the blacks and browns, the world of the haves and that of the haves not. These two

worlds are the outcome of entrenched racism, which fuels systemic violence against black people and ethnic minorities, perpetuates injustices and breeds poverty. I can’t breathe! This desperate cry for help, unheeded, is cause for outrage a vexation of spirit and, indeed, the protest we see in the US and around the world. We must rise up against this pandemic of injustice and the racism and legacies of slavery which underpin it. We, the Christian community, have just observed the season of Pentecost when we celebrated how the Spirit of God is breathed out anew upon the disciples. This act of breathing, upon the grieving disciples, symbolises a new creation, a breaking out of new life in the midst of death, depression and despair. And when God’s Spirit is poured out, she comes inviting God’s people to breathe deeply of the fresh wind of God’s new day so that we can witness to God’s vision of peace-filled community. We must hold on to

these prophetic Pentecostal words of Ezekiel for George Floyd and for us all. They are our mandate as Christian communities, witnessing to evil and injustice with the power and outrage of love. ‘Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath: Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.’ (Ezekiel 37:9, NRSV) Racism and the unjust systems that feed it, at the death and destruction of those choked by its ‘knees on their necks’, may be likened to the valley of dry bones in Ezekiel’s vision. In this valley of death, we hear the voice of God beckoning those being choked to break loose from the clutches of those knees, inhale the life-giving breath of God and declare an end to death and an awakening to life. This is our invitation, to confront these unjust systems, rise up against them, expose them to transform them until all can breathe again.

‘Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath: Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.’

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DEVOTIONAL |

Choosing between death and death: A Covid-19 reﬂection By Rev Dr Sindiso Jele, Mission Secretary, Africa - Council for World Mission

2Ki 7:3 Now there were four men with leprosy at the entrance of the city gate. They said to each other, "Why stay here until we die? :4 If we say, 'We'll go into the city'--the famine is there, and we will die. And if we stay here, we will die. So let's go over to the camp of the Arameans and surrender. If they spare us, we live; if they kill us, then we die." The story is about four Samaritan lepers. During that time; they were considered to be outcasts and were asked to live in the outskirts of the village, in the peripheral of the mainstream life. There is an unverified narrative that links this with Gehazi (2 Kings 5:27) and his sons, I will not do that verification, lest I offend the biblical scholars and it is not the objective of this reflection. Verse 4 shows very logical thinking and also links to the topic ‘choosing between death and death’. The lepers argued: whichever way we go we will die. In the case of COVID-19 and subsequently the lockdown, if you remain in the house you will die of hunger, if you go out the virus will kill you, this is the situation in South Africa as the context of this reflection. As mentioned above, I am using South Africa as the context of my reflection since that is where I am working and resident. I can as well use the whole of Africa or whole world, but the reflection would lose particularity and focus. Out of my reading and reflection on the situation I have the following to share: One of the ways suggested as a non-pharmaceutical intervention in the spread of the COVID-19 is social distancing and washing of hands with clean water and soap. The suggestion is very effective considering how it has slowed down the spread of the virus and flattened the infection curve. However, it seems to be designed with certain people in mind. For the people in informal settlements it does not make sense. See the picture below. Also, the gramma of social distancing, needs a multidisciplinary interrogation, the social workers, and language experts need to come on board. The loose application of the concept of ‘Social distancing’ may lead to social isolation that can manifest itself in terms of cabin fever, depression and mental anxiety.

In settlements like these, it is very difficult to talk of social distancing. The people in these areas don’t have drinking water and talking about washing hands with clean water becomes a luxury. The shelters are tiny and there’s hardly any space for a small family to stay together comfortably; bathing, cooking and even sleeping is problematic. There is no garden space to go outside to without being found to be breaking lockdown regulations of staying within the yard if they are not inside the house. Mention the sharing of ablution facilities as well. The other thing in my reflection that comes out of my experience of the COVID-19 and the reading of the text is the militarisation of intervention and conflict resolution in Africa in general. When the lockdown was introduced, 2,280 soldiers were deployed to help the police to enforce the lockdown regulations. The initial lockdown ended on the 30th of April 2020. A new phase comes into effect and more than 70,000 soldiers will be deployed to enforce the curfew which would be part of the new phase. This is the biggest deployment since the dawn of democracy1. This seems to be the problem in Africa where every intervention is militarised. There is some sense of colonial hangover especially on the use of Africa as the testing laboratory. The former colonisers of Africa still consider themselves as superior and in control of Africa, her people and her resources. As much as a cure or vaccine is a matter of urgency; the colonialist and racist undertones contained in turning Africa into a testing laboratory cannot go unnoticed; this qualifies as a crime against humanity.

INSiGHT | June 2020

There is a growing anxiety among the immigrant workers, they are not feeling safe. The economy will be affected and the foreigners would be affected. The question of social security comes in. The country has seen a spike in domestic violence and child abuse since the beginning of the lockdown. Some cases are a result of abusive partners who have always abused the survivors or victims without being reported while some of it is violence triggered by frustration and stress due to other factors that have risen up as a result of the lockdown. Either way, there is no justification for being violent towards another human being. Children are locked in with their abusers; there is no school to take refuge in or a library to go hide among characters of a book. Men and women are stuck with their partners who are sexually, verbally, emotionally, economically or physically abusive. Hope is there for the physically abused as their scars are proof for a case but the economically, emotionally and verbally abused cannot present their scars to open a case and they have nowhere to run to as they are expected to stay home during the lockdown. This has taught me that a victim’s worst nightmare is to be trapped with your abuser under one roof during lockdown. The choice in between death and death, is if you remain in the house there is an abuser; if you go out, the situation is militarised and there is a virus. Life after the COVID-19 There is an emerging normal that would be defined by screens becoming pulpits. Therefore, these platforms i.e. new pulpits, must be kept sacred as the places where the healing and transformative Word is pronounced. What is said through these platforms must be life-affirming as opposed to promoting extra-large egos, creating celebrity out of the pandemic. Linked to the above, is the digital way of doing ‘church’ which has become the alternative to physical fellowshipping. However it is leaving out some people through the use of the social media platform. The over-digitalisation of preaching and pastoral work will leave other sheep not attended to. The poor are also members of the church and may not be able to afford these gadgets, hence would be left out. Beyond the COVID-19 especially in the period of lockdown, the church must come up with ways to minister to everyone. There would be a new call for the liberation theologies to relook at the colonial hangover that keeps on showing its face. The liberation theology must engage seriously the humanitarian activities in this wake. Humanitarian aid may be politicised, or worse off, used as the evangelising method where the food is given on the condition that you join our political ideology or our church. Final thoughts There are number of lessons that can be drawn from this reflection of 2 Kings 7:3ff in relation: Lesson 1: The way forward must be a negotiated consultation involving all stakeholders 2Ki 7:3 Now there were four men with leprosy at the entrance of the city gate. They said to each other, "Why stay here until we die? Lesson 2: There is radical hope which says ‘yes’ when the situation says ‘no’…Such hope is built on the strong faith in God who never abandons his people. Such faith sees those that the society has pushed to outskirts of life to the centre as in the case with the Army camp. With that hope you can face the Syrian army. Lesson 3: Being a church would need to be redefined and imaged especially how it approaches counselling with the people with anxiety. The people reach a stage where they have nothing to lose, at that time they become dangerous and they are suicidal i.e. ‘If we stay, we will die, if we go we will still die’. Very difficult to deal with someone who has nothing to lose, choosing between death and death, how do we minister with them. The church must emerge after the COVID-19 with such a question.

Prayer from Genesis 18:22-24 (NIV) Leader: The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the Lord. All: Father help us to remain standing in the moments of anxiety Leader: Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? All: Father we plead for your mercy and urgent intervention in cure of the COVID-19 Leader: What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? All: You are a kind God, Lord hear our prayers, Amen

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-52387962

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AT A GLANCE | MEMBER CHURCH NEWS AFRICA South Africa President acknowledges faith community’s “great contribution” combating COVID-19 “The faith community is an integral part of South African life and has made a great contribution in the fight against the coronavirus,” said South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa on a televised broadcast as he led the National Day of Prayer on 26 May. With over 20,000 infections and 500 deaths in South Africa, he recognised the important role of the faith community in the provision of spiritual support and social relief, acknowledging that “much of it has been done under extremely difficult circumstances and with minimal resources.” During the broadcast streamed online and on radio, he spoke about their “responsibility to take care of the spiritual, psychological and emotional well-being of all South Africans”, and his belief that “prayer will comfort and strengthen us as we continue to confront this pandemic.” The President went on to highlight how noble values were exemplified by faith communities in the crisis, as they offered their facilities for quarantine, screening, testing, and school lessons, or as places of shelter for survivors of gender-based violence. In addition, they contributed to charitable works of helping the needy, feeding the hungry and caring for the sick. 05

Mr Ramaphosa also paid tribute to their efforts during the nation-wide lockdown, where they encouraged people to remain focused and consistently reminded people that the lockdown regulations were in place for the common good and the welfare of all. With the move to coronavirus alert level 3 on 1 June, he gave an update on provisions for the religious sector following a meeting of the National Coronavirus Command Council which considered the inputs made by the sector in recent consultations with interfaith leaders. With careful easing of current restrictions, places of worship may resume services for up to 50 people or less, with protocols to ensure social distancing, sanitation, and avoidance of any religious ritual that could pose a risk to worshippers. Religious leaders stage silent protest in Pretoria In a media statement issued by the office of the South African Council of Churches (SACC) General Secretary Bishop Malusi Mpumlwana, the SACC was “shocked to learn of the declaration of the SANDF (South African National Defence Force) on the death of Collins Khosa with absolving the Defence Force members involved in his death.”1 Alarmed by these developments, religious leaders staged a silent protest against brutality by law enforcement officers at St Albans Anglican Cathedral, Pretoria on 7 June. The silent vigil was intended to express their disdain for brutality INSiGHT | June 2020

exhibited by their police and defence forces, and to call for greater accountability and justice for these families. At the same time, they were “standing in the gap for ordinary citizens who are equally experiencing the grief and mourning that this current moment has brought upon us.” In a pastoral letter earlier this year2, the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa (UCCSA) General Secretary Rev. Kudzani Ndebele and President Rev Sikhalo Cele expressed unequivocal support for the life-saving measures introduced by governments. They shared their conviction was that “the church's witness that is expressed through provision of loving, caring service is expected to come alive in a very special way in times like this”, and encouraged their Church “not to allow the circumstances brought about by COVID-19 to define them, but rather, Christians should continue to focus on Christ in ways which their faith and hope in Christ define and strengthen them for the challenges they face.”

Standing in solidarity with the Church and those who have tested positive for COVID-19 and their families, they emphasised faith, prayer, perseverance and God’s sovereignty in working all

things for eventual good, and encouraged their congregation members to “find ways in which we can continue to bear witness to the love of God for all Creation in the midst of our current debilitating circumstances.” Africa Day, which falls on 25 May, is usually a time of celebration of Africa’s diversity and vitality, and to promote African unity. This year marks the 57th anniversary of African leaders coming together from 22 to 25 May 1963 in Ethiopia to establish the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which later became African Union (AU) in 2002. In his Africa Day Message, the Uniting Presbyterian Church of Southern Africa (UPCSA) General Secretary Rev Dr Lungile Mpetsheni acknowledged the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, as international travel bans prevented UPCSA leadership from visiting and holding meetings in countries which UPCSA operates, among other disruptions. In his message, the UPCSA General Secretary called on the church to “stand up and be strong” (Isaiah 52:1) as a reconciled community, to consolidate its position as a denomination of the Church existing in Africa, and be a blessing to Africans. As they joined millions of other Africans in observing Africa Day, he expressed gratitude towards UPCSA congregations which have embarked on life-affirming programmes and projects by providing poverty relief schemes and pastoral

support to those infected and affected by COVID-19, and encouraged them to continue to show support to those in the front line, especially health workers. This came after an earlier message in mid-May, where the Moderator Rt Rev Peter Langerman had commended the UPCSA faithful for continuing to serve under “restrictive and difficult circumstances” in rural, township and suburban congregations in Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa. Met with “dwindling congregational incomes, creeping despair and health challenges”, they persevered in meeting the needs of the community, including conducting online services.

An ordination service was held at United Church in Zambia (UCZ) St Paul’s Congregation in Lusaka Presbytery on 31 May, where around 27 ministers were ordained to the Holy orders of Word and sacraments in UCZ. Ministers in UCZ are trained for six years before this sacred ritual, majoring in Bachelor of Theology and ministerial formation at the UCZ University in Kitwe, followed by practising ministry under supervision. www.cwmission.org

EAST ASIA Over the past few months, churches in Hong Kong have dealt with the implementation of the “Regulations of Prohibition on Group Gathering”, and a new national security law imposed by China. Without physical worship gatherings and personal interactions due to the COVID-19 pandemic and regulations, Hong Kong Council of the Church of Christ in China (HKCCCC) General Secretary Rev Dr Eric So emphasized “the spirituality of pause, silence and wait” in his latest letter to the churches. In a world driven by efficiency and economic activity, pausing is synonymous with laziness and other negative attitudes and traits. The biblical story of Elijah in 1 Kings 17 indicates that Pausing was possibly part of “God’s plan of drought on the Israelites” and a time of preparation for Elijah. Similarly, Pausing is not just crucial to complying with preventive measures during the pandemic, but also to be equipped for our next mission from God. Next, Rev Dr So added that Silence is “a critical exercise for Christian spirituality”, navigating us to restore our intimate relationship with God and seeking His empowerment to be channels of faith, hope and love in our communities. Finally, Waiting “does not imply indolence and leisure”. Instead, it can be recognised as a test of hope in the Christian faith, and the perseverance built on the eternal promises of God.

Presbyterian Church in Singapore (PCS) Moderator Rev Keith Lai urged the churches to discern God’s purpose in the pandemic in his letter to the congregations. Referring to the biblical times of Joel, Rev Lai wrote about how we need to be awakened to God’s judgment; to godly sorrow; and to God’s mercy and “the Lord's message to Joel son of Pethuel can become a modern-day warning call and teaching moment for future generations.” In a subsequent letter to the churches, Rev Lai preached from Habakkuk, who “kept in perfect tension the truths of judgment and mercy”. The Moderator cautioned against fatalism (hopeless resignation that we are helpless) and triumphalism (the dangerous premise that God will always protect us from all disaster if we ask, and fulfil all His promises in the here and now). Many churches have put faith to action, working with various local and international church and government organisations to support COVID-19 relief initiatives. PCS responded to the urgent appeal from the Disaster Relief Committee of Southern Presbytery of Gereja Presbyterian Malaysia (GPM), which faced a lack of medical resources especially in government hospitals, as well as material needs for under-privileged communities. PCS members and the Synod have also contributed financially towards a month’s food supplies for 200 needy families in Kathmandu, following an urgent request from a ministry partner in Nepal. 07

Presbyterian Church in Taiwan (PCT) has donated personal protective equipment (PPE) to PCS, with the assistance of a CWM Partner-in-Mission (PIM) from PCT to PCS Rev Dr Li Hau Tiong. 500 of these medical gowns were delivered to All Saints Home, which provides eldercare services. PCT has also released an emergency donation to CrossReach, a care provider in Scotland, to increase digital capacity among its communities.

PCT’s Seamen’s/Fishermen’s Service Centre (SFSC) collaborated with Workforce Development Agency of the Ministry of Labour to launch an urgent service, where medical masks and safety instructions on hygiene and social distancing were provided for an estimated 3,000 fishermen across the Southern harbours. With 77 squid jigging fishery vessels sailing back to southern Taiwan harbours in May, this outreach effort was critical to protecting migrant fishermen and to mitigate the risk of a coronavirus outbreak, explained SFSC Director Rev Chen Wou-Zang. A fleet of PCT pastors continued their Tunsuzebsa itinerant pastoral ministry in Hsin Yi Township, Nantou County in end April, led by Rev Vava Manqoqo, pastor of Sinapalan Presbyterian Church from Bunun Ciubu Presbytery. These INSiGHT | June 2020

seven Bunun pastors and their family cycled along a 20-kilometre path in the mountains in central Taiwan, to minister to the tribal elderly, church members in need, and local churches along the way.

The Tunsuzebsa event was initially set up for exercise and recreation among pastors interested to cycle in the mountains, and gradually evolved into a prayer and outreach ministry as they stopped to take breaks during their rides. SOUTH ASIA With COVID19 laying bare global and societal inequalities, country lockdowns have posed a severe threat to livelihoods and food security for the poor. Church of South India (CSI) Moderator Most Rev. Dharmaraj Rasalam said that they have offered their institutions especially hospitals and nutrition centres to be used as isolation centres. They have also encouraged church members who own hotels to provide their hotels as isolation centres, bearing in mind that they already are equipped with infrastructure such as kitchens, washrooms, and laundry. Among these efforts were the Dioceses of Krishna Godavari; Cochin; Medak; Karnataka Central; Coimbatore and Kanyakumari’s distribution of

dry rations and provisions to vulnerable groups such as the homeless, rural farmers, sanitation workers, migrants and the transgender community. Besides providing food for tribal families, CSI College of Engineering in Ketti, under the auspices of the Coimbatore Diocese, designed Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for the district collection.

Madhya Kerala Diocese supplied vegetable kits, and some of its youth volunteers helped police and health teams in collecting details of interstate travellers to monitor for COVID19 symptoms. The Madurai-Ramnad Diocese donated medical masks and hand sanitisers, and the Christian Mission Hospital, under its auspices, handed over an isolation ward to the government authorities. In addition, the Kodackal Hospital under the auspices of the Malabar Diocese set apart an isolation ward for those who are under surveillance for COVID19. The Kanyakumari Diocese had also handed over beds including the ICU units of its diocesan hospital to the District Corona Prevention Team, as did Rayalaseema Diocese. The Union Mission Tuberculosis Sanatorium in Arogyavaram Medical Centre (AMC), which was the first sanatorium in South India, provided healthcare, readied medicine

and equipment for respiratory problems, and created awareness of COVID19 preventive measures for the community.

USD) cash relief was gifted to children in another project facilitated by church leaders, committee members and local priests.

Church of Bangladesh (COB) is involved in several COVID19 relief efforts through its various ministries. SHALOM, a development organisation of COB, distributed leaflets about how the coronavirus spreads. To develop more frequent handwashing practice and stem community transmission, SHALOM installed 20 handwash plants in key public places such as fish and vegetable markets and hospitals. Hand sanitisers, soap and masks were given out, together with instructions on effective handwashing and how to maintain social distancing. In addition, 500 food packages have been distributed among families whose livelihoods have been severely impacted.

CARIBBEAN

Similar projects have also been undertaken by the Christian Ministry to Children and Youth (CMCY), after its residential hostels, vocational training centres and daycare centres serving 3,500 children and families were closed during the lockdown. In collaboration with the Compassion International Bangladesh (CIB), food packages and cash gifts were given to 2,300 children, as preparation for school examinations have been disrupted. A taka 2,000 (2.30 www.cwmission.org

United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands (UCJCI) hosts “COVID-19: The Economic Fallout and Recovery” Forum The United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands (UCJCI)’s Church and Society Sub-Committee hosted “COVID-19: The Economic Fallout and Recovery”, an online public economic forum in May. Streamed from Webster Memorial United Church, 1,572 people participated across online platforms as panellists drawn from critical sectors of society gave their analyses of the current economic crisis and what our response should be as a nation, as individuals, as government and the church. They voiced the need for churches to better organise and mobilise people at the community level, going beyond offering care packages to “develop an agenda” around those who are forgotten by society. They also asserted that “the Church has to organise itself to press those who are in the seat of power in the private and public sectors, to respond to the realities of our time.” For example, the Church should therefore seek to sit at the table of discussions on closing the digital divide, they said. In addition, the Church should focus more on equipping its congregants for public advocacy, and holds “the 08

potential to be a building block for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises” through hosting financial and business expos, training, networking, and “educating the citizenry on the message of the Gospel outside of its walls, which is relevant to business”.

At the government level, they saw the need for more capital projects and significant investment in agriculture and digital infrastructure, and for small business leaders to find new growth areas, build staff capacity and craft strategies for absorbing sudden shocks to business. The UCJCI also hosted an online Synodical Family Service themed “Building Strong Families for a Post COVID-19 Society” on May 17. Streamed from Webster Memorial United Church in Grand Cayman during Child Month, the service was intended to inspire and empower congregation members to thrive during the pandemic, and ensure they and their families emerge from the crisis stronger than before. The Children’s Ministry Commission of UCJCI has been creating materials and programmes circulated via WhatsApp every Sunday to engage children in house worship, as the UCJCI endeavours to keep the vision for their growth and development at the heart of the mission of the Church. During 09

these times of curfews and lockdowns, the materials have included a special Palm Sunday series of online-based lessons and activities, a COVID-19 Awareness comic, Superbook and other bible stories, and more. CWM Caribbean and CANACOM hosted “Caribbean voices on rising to life with Jesus”, a Zoom webinar series where speakers identify concrete ways Caribbean churches can respond to the COVID19 crisis in the areas of ecumenism, worship, re-imagining pastoral care, domestic violence, and more. Moderated by CANACOM Education in Mission Secretary Mrs Jennifer P. Martin, the webinar kicked off on 12 June, and the speakers included CEO of Caribbean Family Planning Affiliation Rev Patricia Sheerattan Bisnauth, and Moderator of Presbyterian Church of Trinidad and Tobago Rev Joy Abdul, among others. EUROPE Complying with directives from UK and Welsh governments to contain the COVID-19 spread, the Union of Welsh Independents (UWI) urged churches to discontinue all meetings held in their buildings till further notice. At present, (June 25) with the COVID-19 appearing to be in decline, measures are in place to gradually open church buildings for private prayer and subsequently for limited worship services. Church members were, and still are encouraged to look for spiritual sustenance on resources on the Union’s website and social media platforms. The Presbyterian Church of Wales INSiGHT | June 2020

(PCW) set up a free church service over the telephone for people who are not confident of using the internet. Upon dialing in, callers can opt to listen to a Welsh or an English church service which includes readings, prayers, hymns and a message. UWI General Secretary Rev Dyfrig Rees expressed the wish of the Union “to fund churches through innovation for innovation”, through an upcoming ‘Investment and Innovation Programme’. "The phenomenal growth in the activity of some churches on social media attests to the number of Christians experience a new rebirth in a world of alternative activity because of the virus,” wrote Rev Rees in UWI’s Spring issue of Union Matters. Traditionally, churches had been “tied to their buildings and confident in their pulpit ‘six feet above any criticism’”. Having turned its chapel into a screen and its congregation into faces upon it, churches have “chosen to put themselves on the same level as others, through the medium of the world wide web, and to consider the whole world as the field of all their endeavours”. Believing that “this new activity is symbolic of a far more substantial and deep movement in our midst”, he appealed to them to not “revert to the usual” after this time of contagion. “As with our Lord, the church itself has reached the real world and there it will become a presence working for truth and a voice to announce life in all its complexities to the whole of creation.”

As the lockdown measures in the UK are slowly being eased, United Reformed Church (URC) has released “Ready for the new ‘normal’: A discussion paper for a pandemic recovery and resumption plan”. The resource, prepared after discussions held with local churches and officers serving the church, consists of three sections, beginning with a road map to reflect on how to move ahead. The next section deals with practical questions to help with planning how church can safely resume during the lockdown, such as alternative worship provisions, space planning, dealing with grief and trauma, and risk assessments. The last part of the booklet provides wider questions of principle to mull over, such as whether a physical building is necessary for the church to function, and what worship will look like in the new normal.

enable individuals and local churches to explore questions of community presence and engagement and social justice in our new reality. Prior to that, URC also produced a “Virtual funerals – liturgies and words for our digital world” booklet, which offers a shorter liturgy that can be led by a worship leader online or over the phone, for funerals during the pandemic. There are also texts and ideas for ministers, worship leaders, families and friends, which can be tailored to the needs of each situation. It provided the links of churches offering livestreams of Sunday services, podcast sermons or service recordings, guides on safety pertaining to home visits to vulnerable groups; using technology such as Facebook and YouTube to broadcast worship, Bible studies or meetings; and online worship and learning resources among others. PACIFIC

Complementing this is “New Reality, Same Mission”, a booklet offered by members of the URC’s Church Related Community Work, Mission and Discipleship teams, and Church Action on Poverty. This guide is aimed at stimulating renewed community engagement, and is structured around an established pastoral model and process of “experience, exploration, reflection and action”. At each stage of this pastoral cycle, it offers information and examples to

The Pacific Conference of Churches (PCC) addressed the Standing Committee of Foreign Affairs and Defence of the Parliament of Fiji in a statement earlier this year, with appreciation and support of Fiji’s ratification of the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). Since 1975, PCC has consistently advocated for a total ban of nuclear weapons. Extensive portions of the Pacific continue to be uninhabitable today, and remaining radioactive substances from the French tests will spill into the Pacific Ocean after what looks to be an imminent collapse of Morurua www.cwmission.org

Atoll. In the statement, PCC urged the committee to “to hear the cries of our communities who struggle to sing the Lord’s song as songs of freedom and justice in their own land.” It also renewed the call for “just reparation and compensation” as the Pacific people and environment continue to suffer from the extensive, permanent after-effects of nuclear experiments in their homelands. Victims of nuclear testing are marginalised and the impact on their health, degradation of their environment and pollution of their waters has been largely invisible or left un-addressed. Towards the end of April, the first seeds for the PCC Food Bank was planted in Suva, Fiji situated in direct view of the central Government offices and buildings which housed many of the United Nations' programmes, said PCC General Secretary Rev James Bhagwan. Designed using the concept of crops planted in a secure manner to provide for those who are the most in need, the harvested food will be offered for free at a roadside stall. Some of the crops will be distributed to informal squatter settlements, homes for the destitute and aged care facilities. "Hopefully this project will encourage people to make use of land which is idle, bring fresh, healthy food into diets, reduce the reliance on imports and allow islanders to get in touch with the soil and creation," Rev Bhagwan said. The Tongan and Vanuatu national councils of churches have asked for 10

support to form similar food banks and money will be sent to facilitate these requests, he added. Following Fiji’s first COVID-19 confirmed case in March, some churches took immediate action to limit human-to-human contact, especially in the distribution of the Eucharist. The Pacific Conference of Churches (PCC), which many CWM’s member churches in the Pacific region belong to, shared links to live-stream worship by several Christian denominations, to provide believers with alternative means of worship, prayer and to celebrate life. “We know that the Church is far more than the buildings we worship in – now is a time for us to demonstrate this truth. While many things have been cancelled, compassion and care never will be,” said Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand (PCANZ) Assembly Executive Secretary Wayne Matheson. He was writing to all churches to inform them that all physical gatherings for public services of worship in the PCANZ was suspended from March till further notice, a decision aligned with government restrictions on public gathering and in solidarity with other national churches. Moderator Right Rev Fakaofo Kaio released a pastoral message urging them not to panic, producing weekly videos including prayer, scripture reading and reflections, leading by example on “how to pull close while being apart”. A webpage was specially set up to provide Presbyterian and 11

Uniting Church staff, ministers, chaplains, parishes and presbyteries with guidance on managing the life of their church and communities during this pandemic. Cyclone Harold, a Category 5 Tropical Cyclone, wreaked tremendous havoc on Vanuatu’s northern Islands in April. Unable to send people to aid in recovery due to the COVID-19 border restrictions, PCANZ congregations and church members raised funds in support of the recovery programme by their Church partner Presbyterian Church of Vanuatu (PCV). This was a testament to their faith despite their uncertain economic future, and of the strong commitment to their partner churches, said the PCANZ Moderator. 1

https://mailchi.mp/b589bb854804/media-statement-272020-sacc-ca utiously-welcomes-reopening-of-churches-5017634 2

https://www.cwmission.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/UCCSA-Co vid-19-Pastoral-Letter.pdf

| HUMANITY WINS Rethinking the essential Amid disruptions caused by the pandemic, many workers who have always been a ubiquitous but invisible presence on the streets, in hospital wards, nursing homes, and in homes, have become classified as “essential workers”, now heralded as heroes. With countries under lockdown in the past few months, supermarket and food delivery riders have kept groceries and sustenance supplied to residents in their homes through contactless delivery. Drivers, garbage collectors, workers in sanitation and cleaning services, pest control, logistics, manufacturing, distribution, and security INSiGHT | June 2020

services continue to make their rounds, often armed with face masks and hand sanitisers. There were even workers who lived in a factory for 28 days to make millions of pounds of raw PPE (personal protective equipment) materials to help fight the pandemic.13 In appreciation of essential workers, musicians worldwide have performed for their neighbourhoods on their balconies, among other gestures by individuals and communities. People have run virtual marathons within their homes as fundraisers for those in need of medical care or have lost their jobs. Triumph of the human spirit The holy month of Ramadan looked different for Muslims around the world this year, without community gatherings for evening prayers and breaking fast with friends and family. The Muslim community in Dearborn, Michigan hosted a Ramadan lights competition, turning their tradition of decorating their homes for Ramadan into a friendly, citywide challenge, in hopes of spreading joy.12

Love in the time of COVID19 At least 35 other groups across Canada organised what they call ‘caremongering’ groups to offer help to vulnerable groups and some have gone beyond the usual errands. Computer experts offered to help the less tech-savvy to set up home

offices, one created a video chat to help those undergoing addiction recovery in isolation due to COVID19, a Toronto distillery made hand sanitisers for free, and so on. 3 Hundreds of Calgarians stepped forward with food delivery and shoveling sidewalks through a Facebook group called YYC COVID-19 Volunteers, which was dedicated to helping community members in need in Canada. The group went beyond coordinating volunteer efforts to become a place for people to share their anxieties and be comforted by uplifting messages. 2

Feeding school children Amid fears that the withdrawal of free school dinners would leave three million children in the U.K hungry after school closure, local charity Feeding Britain which runs food poverty schemes explored setting up emergency programmes to provide sustenance to children from early March.4 Schools in Houston and San Francisco provided drive-through meals to students who rely on school lunches as their main source of nutrition.5 With parents and educators working at helping children learn from home, some educational companies such as Discovery Education have made their subscriptions free. Improvising for life When an Italian hospital ran out

of ICU valves, a local business brought a 3D printer to the hospital, redesigned and produced valves in a few hours. By the next day, ten patients had already been accompanied in breathing by a machine using a 3D printed valve. 6 Resurrection power among us A church cell group in Singapore raised funds among themselves for Operation #BoosterShot, to sponsor coffee for healthcare professionals in two hospitals. The cell group later decided to start an online campaign on a crowdfunding site to raise more funds to allow them to expand the initiative to the other hospitals. 8 In another ground-up initiative, welfare packs of hand cream, latex cleaning gloves, pain soothing patches and hand-written thank you cards were packed and distributed, seeing as cleaners were working longer hours as sanitisation efforts were stepped up.9 When face masks were running out, a couple and two of their friends gave away 6,600 free masks they had procured. 10 Also, people have taken to the digital world, submitting online messages of appreciation and tribute to front-line fighters â&#x20AC;&#x201C; doctors, nurses, police officers and many others. 11 1

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/20/business/china-coronavirus-w uhan-delivery.html

https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/spread-love-calgary-acts -of-kindness-during-covid-19-pandemic/ 3

https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/you-re-not-alone-in-this -canadians-are-caremongering-through-the-covid-19-pandemic-1.485 9369 4

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/mar/09/charities-feed -children-if-coronavirus-shuts-uk-schools

https://salud-america.org/coronavirus-care-amazing-acts-of-kindnes s-during-a-pandemic/

https://twitter.com/michalnaka/status/1239316241984049152

https://saltandlight.sg/news/operation-boostershot-cell-group-offershealthcare-workers-boost-of-encouragement-with-free-coffee/

https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/heroes-unmasked-covid-19-

has-unified-us-nation-working-mum-leads-effort-distribute-300 10

https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/heroes-unmasked-singapo rean-couple-and-friends-give-away-6600-free-masks-after-procuring

https://www.straitstimes.com/multimedia/graphics/2020/02/tribute -coronavirus-fighters/index.html?nlblurb 12

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/04/27/us/ramadan-lights-challenge-d earborn-michigan-trnd/index.html?

https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/they-lived-in-a-factoryfor-28-days-to-make-millions-of-pounds-of-raw-ppe-materials-to-help -fight-coronavirus/

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A tribute to Biango Buia, a good and faithful servant CWM received the very sad news of the sudden passing of Mr Biango Buia. Biango died peacefully in the early hours of 6 June, 2020, while still in active service as Acting Assembly Secretary of the United Church of Papua New Guinea (UCPNG). Mr. Biango Buia was a devoted supporter of CWM, who served as a member of the Council (then Trustee Body) and as Moderator of the Pacific region. He served CWM with the best of his skills and passion and we are the better for having had him as part of the team that navigated the journey on which we currently are. Biango was very passionate about the work of CWM, ever ready to speak of the sense of privilege and responsibility he felt for being part of this family; and of his desire and commitment to see the mission understanding of CWM find expression in the UCPNG. The entire CWM family pays tribute to this good and faithful servant of God and of the Church. We offer our heart-felt condolences and assurance of 12

our prayers to his family and the UCPNG in this time of loss and bereavement. We pray that the faith by which Biango lived and the causes of justice he defended, will live on in the lives and action of those he influenced during his lifetime. And I heard a voice from heaven, saying to me, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who from now on die in the Lord.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labours, for their deeds will follow them (Rev 14: 13, NRSV).

We salute the life and legacy of Rev Samuel Arends We are grieved to have received news that an outstanding leader and servant of the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa (UCCSA), and fellow worker in the Council for World Mission (CWM), has died. Rev Samuel Arends, who served as General Secretary of the UCCSA from 1988 to 1997, was the father of Rev Alistair Arends, who also served as General secretary of that Church and a Director of Council for World Mission (CWM) until 2016. Rev Arends passed away peacefully, 13

surrounded by his dear family, on 22 May at the age of 90. In the 1980s to 1990s Rev Sam Arends served as Trustee of CWM. During that period, he contributed with profound commitment and unmistakable clarity. He was a clear thinker, a passionate activist for the cause of the dispossessed, a preacher, with a word for the moment, and a trusted friend. He seemed to have perfected the art of speaking the truth in love. As such, he managed to maintain the integrity of the relationships entrusted to him without compromising on his faith, convictions and integrity. We listened to him, a sad and broken father at the funeral service of Alistair, and our hearts warmed with joy as he spoke words of affirmation about his son, punctuated with the light-hearted humour for which he was known. We watched him, sad and broken at the loss of a son in whom he was, obviously, well pleased; but he was also the radiant expression of a proud and confident father at his son’s accomplishment in the ministry where they served as partners. In that moment, we experienced him in the weakness and fragility for which we are known as human being; but equally, with the buoyant spirit, charming personality and generous heart that characterised his life. The CWM family – Directors and Trustees, fellow General Secretaries and member churches and the CWM Secretariat – salute our father, brother and colleague as he takes his departure from this world of “many dangers, toils INSiGHT | June 2020

and snares”. Through it all, he trusted in the grace and love of God; served his fellow human beings with honesty, respect and generosity of spirit; and demonstrated that life is about healthy balance in which family life is integrally interwoven in all relationships and commitments. To his dear wife and all members of his family, the UCCSA and all his close friends and companions on the journey, we offer our condolences and the assurance of our prayers during this time of loss and bereavement. We entrust him into God’s gracious keeping and pray that his soul rest in peace. Peace perfect peace, death shad’wing us and ours? Jesus has vanquished death and all its powers. It is enough: earth’s struggles soon shall cease, And Jesus calls us to Heav’n’s perfect peace So long Uncle Sam! Your faithful stewardship lives on in those you touched; and God’s eternal “well done” and welcome are yours to embrace. In that assurance, we bid you farewell.

Online conference calls for an economy of life in a time of Covid-19 pandemic A series of two e-conferences held on 17 and 24 April, brought together some 25 participants to reflect on the socio-economic-ecological impacts of the COVID-19 crisis and how it offers the world an opportunity to rethink and reshape financial and economic systems so that these actually give priority to ensuring and investing in the health and well-being of communities and the planet. The initiative was co-sponsored by the Council for World Mission (CWM), World Council of Churches (WCC), the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), and World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC). The speakers brought up historical political factors that have led up to

and continue to frame the crisis, as well as the theo-ethical and moral implications and the necessary short and long-term transformations in policies, institutions and systems that are needed to relieve and prevent more suffering, but also, more critically, to tackle the roots of the crisis. “In the harsh light of COVID-19, we see more clearly the great inequality of income and wealth. We see the massive gender inequities and generational disparities of our economies,” said Prof. Dr Isabel Apawo Phiri, WCC deputy general secretary. “Our responses to the pandemic could very well rewrite the world for the better, and

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fundamentally transform the way we live, what we eat and buy, what we produce, how we distribute goods and where we invest,” she added. Council for World Mission general secretary, Rev. Dr Collin I. Cowan, noted that “the shape and magnitude of the pandemic may have obscured us but the writings, which have been on the wall for a very long time, all pointed to some global catastrophe for which we would be little prepared because self-serving nationalism, callous disregard for the poor and xenophobic attitudes and behaviour have kept us cornered, cocooned and ill-prepared for any disaster of this magnitude”. “Our economic systems must prioritise people over profit. We must not forget to protect the livelihood and basic needs of people”, said Rev. Dr Martin Junge, general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation. “COVID-19 is further calling us to a theological and ethical renewal where we address inequality, poverty, and public policies to ensure enough resources and equal access to health services. Now is the moment to reinvigorate this conversation”, added Junge.

The “Economy of Life in a Time of Pandemic“ e-conference sessions were part of and promoted by an initiative of the four organisations called “New International Financial and Economic Architecture (NIFEA),” which seeks to promote an alternative financial system that should emerge from the imagination of the margins, from those who have been left out of social-economic and political decision-making. Rev. Dr Chris Ferguson, World Communion of Reformed Churches general secretary, stressed that the current global scenario calls us “to show up and carry forward the core visions and core themes of NIFEA and that these have to necessarily be transformational,” he said. “We need to raise the questions about debt and taxation. Our next steps, including our short-term steps, cannot be less than radical.” The two sessions led to the development of a common message from the convening organisations, which will also be the basis of advocacy towards key financial and economic institutions such as the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, G20 and United Nations.

INSiGHT | June 2020

Rev Bernard Thorogood 1928 ~ 2020

We remember Rev Bernard Thorogood, with gratitude Council for World Mission (CWM) is saddened by the news that Rev Bernard Thorogood has died. The 92-year-old patriarch, who served faithfully and with distinction, as a missionary of the former London Missionary Society and the first General Secretary of CWM passed away peacefully in a Sydney hospital on 30 April 2020. It was during the 1950s and 60s that Rev Thorogood served as LMS missionary in the Pacific region, mostly in the Cook Islands. At a time when the churches, founded by the early missionaries, were seeking to establish themselves as credible and authentic witnesses to the gospel in context, Bernard Thorogood was a positive source of influence and inspiration for the people. He assisted them to assert their identity and to affirm their place in the great missionary enterprise, which needed to find root in the voices, faces and experiences of the local people. In 1977, when CWM emerged as a partnership of churches, with a strong mandate to enable the churches to become the real beacons of hope and messengers of good news in their context, Rev Thorogood was appointed as its first General Secretary. His visionary and audacious leadership in those pioneering years set the stage for member churches to claim their giftedness and to participate in the sending and receiving of missionaries from everywhere to everywhere. His leadership has also paved the way for a CWM that has flourished to become a highly recognised prophetic presence in the global landscape and within the international ecumenical community. After retiring from the position of General Secretary for CWM, Bernard went on to serve the United Reformed Church as its General Secretary, a position he held until 1992. Throughout all this time and even after his retirement, Rev Thorogood continued to demonstrate an active interest in the life and wellbeing of CWM. Although he was unable to attend our 40th-anniversary celebration in Singapore, in 2017, he was the first of our former General Secretaries to send a message of congratulations to CWM. He continued to share his thoughts about the direction of CWM with the current leadership. Up until as recently as the early part of this year, we received correspondence from him, including his most recent anthology, which carried some rather inspirational pieces and a clear articulation of his discipleship journey and the sense that he had finished his course, kept the faith and was ready for his final destination with the God he served and the future he embraced. Council for World Mission celebrates the life and witness of this great servant of the Church and as our leader emeritus. We remember him as someone who led with integrity, boldness, pastoral sensitivity and prophetic relevance. He gave much and took us far in those early years when we were learning what it meant to break loose from the vestiges of the colonial missionary mentality and power constructs and to redefine ourselves as an organisation of equals irrespective of geopolitical location, numerical strength or financial capacity. The Board of Directors, member churches and the Secretariat of CWM offer our sincere condolences to his dear wife, Joan, his children John and Neil and all other members of the family, as well as the United Reformed Church. We assure you of our prayers for you during this time of great loss, and we encourage you to take comfort in the sure knowledge that Bernard gave as much as he could and that our lives are the richer for knowing him, serving with him and learning from him. For all the saints who from their labours rest, Who Thee, by faith, before the world confessed Thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest Alleluia Alleluia May the soul of Bernard Thorogood rest in peace and may the light of Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s grace be upon him perpetually. www.cwmission.org

CWM joins ecumenical call to end social injustice and racism

United Nations Human Rights Council debate on “current racially inspired human rights violations, systematic racism, police brutality against people of African descent and violence against peaceful protests.”

people, the UN is ensuring that George Floyd and others receive justice for the grievous actions committed against them. We must ensure that each individual has the right to live in freedom with dignity and respect, and to have their human and civil rights guaranteed.

As people of faith, we welcome the debate held by the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on 17-18 June on “current racially inspired human rights violations, systematic racism, police brutality against people of African descent and violence against peaceful protests”, and the call for the establishment of a Commission of Inquiry into the on-going human rights violations of African descendant people in the United States and globally.

Anti-black racism and racist actions are violations of human rights. These acts of racism against African descendant people are well documented historically and in our contemporary contexts. The historic roots of anti-black racism are grounded in the commodification of African lives as seen in the Transatlantic Slave Trade, the East Africa Slave Trade, and the disregard for those who were enslaved and their descendants.

The recent killing of George Floyd in the United States sparked protests across the world and was the catalyst for calls for the UNHRC to hold this debate which was supported by 54 African countries and more than 600 human rights organisations around the world.

The call for change has not been enough. Petitions to their nations’ capitals have not brought about the deep changes that are necessary in countries around the world. As Christians believing in the love of God and the call for justice in the Judeo-Christian scriptures, we join with organisations around the world in calling for change and to the upholding of the human rights of African descendant people.

The world watched for 8 minutes and 46 seconds as a police officer knelt on the neck of Mr. Floyd resulting in his death. George Floyd’s murder points to the systemic and pervasive ways in which racism continues to inflict death and pain on black communities globally. Racism is a global problem that needs to be changed through legislation and intentional actions such as holding countries accountable for the systems that perpetuate inequality and injustice because of racism. The world is responding to these deadly acts of racism. The call for action from the United Nations is timely, it is appropriate and is an acknowledgement of the oppression, marginalisation and killing of Black people. The United Nations International Decade for People of African Descent (2015-2024) was an invitation from the UN for the world to recognise that African descendant people are a group whose rights have to be promoted and protected. Noting that there are over 200 million people of African descent in the Americas, the decade calls for recognition, justice and development. In naming the need for promotion and protection of human rights of African descendant 17

We welcome the words of Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, UN Special Rapporteur on Racism Professor E. Tendayi Achiume, High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, and other speakers in the debate who condemned the murder of George Floyd and the structural injustice and oppression both in the US and elsewhere which allowed it to happen. We salute the bravery of Mr. Floyd’s brother Philonise Floyd who so movingly shared the tragic details of his brother’s last moments, conveying the trauma he and his family are experiencing following the loss of a much-loved member of their family in these circumstances. We call upon the Human Rights Council to investigate the circumstances of his death and the situation of systemic racism and related police brutality, both in the US and other parts of the world, and to ensure accountability for these violations. We call upon the Government of the US to fully cooperate with the investigation.

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We call upon our churches to learn about the ways in which members and congregations can help drive global change to combat racial injustice through the United Nations human rights mechanisms. Additionally, we ask that members: Call for an end to militarisation, police violence, the killings, and all other forms of violence against African descendant people Commit to dismantling racism and discrimination in all forms

Reformed Church in America The United Church of Canada The Episcopal Church United Church of Christ World Communion of Reformed Churches World Council of Churches

Embrace and encourage an anti-racist environment within communities with commitment to accountability Commit to reflection and introspection that will increase personal awareness and ways to be engaged in solving this global problem On behalf of the signatories of this letter, the Permanent Missions to the United Nations at Geneva will be contacted to urge them to support the resolution for the Human Rights Council to create the Commission of Inquiry. Anglican Church in Canada Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Council for World Mission Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada KAIROS Canada National Council of Churches (USA) Presbyterian Church (USA)

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VIEWPOINTS |

Silent No Longer The Roots of Racism in Mission by Peter Cruchley

This article, arising from the work of the Council for World Mission’s Legacies of Slavery project, investigates

the historical roots of racism present in the work of the London Missionary Society (LMS). It offers an analysis of the ways in which a missionary society colluded with Empire in constructing a racist hierarchy that it imposed on White people at home in the United Kingdom as much as it did on African and African descendant peoples. It acknowledges the personal and structural benefits that the LMS and its officers made from enslavement and their efforts to silence calls for emancipation, and offers a class and gender perspective on the forces shaping this distinctively British organisation.

Not a word must escape you in public or in private, which might render the slaves displeased with their masters or dissatisfied with their station. You are not sent to relieve them from their servile condition, but to afford them the consolation of religion. (Instructions to Missionary Smith, 1816)1 The legacies of the transatlantic slave trade shape the experience of millions of people in the world today, through the systemic, traumatic, and intentional persistence of racial injustice manifest in political, social, cultural, economic, and religious life. These legacies cannot be written off as a thing of the past, because they daily impact the opportunities, experiences, psychologies, and security of African and African descendant people globally. While those who live in contexts set around the axes of the transatlantic slave trade live with entrenched injustice alongside White communities typically in denial about these legacies and their own privilege, there is yet a global Afrophobia.2 This means that all cultures have, through encounter with White European empires, learned to dehumanise African and African descendant people, as well as consider lighter skin tones in their own communities as desirable and beautiful. In this way it especially occupies African diaspora communities’ own self-understanding. At the heart of the racism we experience today is the hierarchical construct of race itself by empire that occupies White and Black minds alike.3 This is the perverse spirituality of empire that raises the issue of the missionaries’ collusion with the racism of empire. With this in view, the Council for World Mission – a worldwide partnership of 32 churches – decided to address its legacies of slavery, including those of one of its predecessor organisations, the London Missionary Society (LMS), with four aims in mind: 1. To assess its own story and complicity with the systems of enslavement and empire. 2. To understand better the urgency of achieving racial justice and the issues which intersect with it. 3. To find ways to advocate reparation with its member churches. 4. To discover anti-imperial models of Christian mission in today’s world. Four hearings were organised around the route of the transatlantic slave trade. They took place through 2017 and 2018, in the UK, in Ghana, in Jamaica, and in the United States.4 Each hearing took the same format. We focused both on the historical manifestations of slavery and on contemporary legacies and mixed presentations from academics and encounters with communities.

“Instructions to Missionary Smith,” in Documents on British West Indian History, 1807–1833 (Select Documents from the Public Record Office, London, England, Relating to the Colonies of Barbados, British Guiana, Jamaica, and Trinidad), ed. Eric Williams (Port-of-Spain: Trinidad Publishing Company, 1952), 242.

For further information on Afrophobia, see resources from the European Network against Racism, https://www.enar-eu.org/Afrophobia.

For a discussion of this see, for example, Thomas McCarthy, Race, Empire and the Idea of Human Development (Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2016).

The United States was included, although this has not been an LMS/Council for World Mission context for mission.

INSiGHT | June 2020

Staff of the London Missionary Society meet in a board room in 1914

The London Missionary Society The LMS emerged in the 18th century at a time when the economy, identity, class, and gender were in flux. The agrarian and industrial revolutions were reshaping British life and society. A century of religious radicalism was giving way to a period of religious quietism, where pietism was the key emphasis of religious life. This was proving good for business, as demonstrated by the new and burgeoning Stock Exchange; the City of London was deeply indebted to and profiting from the transatlantic slave trade. It can come as no surprise that the LMS was born in a coffee house on Change Alley at the heart of the Stock Exchange and next to the Bank of England, and that the five men who dreamed up the LMS were oblivious to their consumption of slave-produced coffee and sugar. One of the five men, the Rev. George Burder, outlined his vision of the pious revolution he was stirring: May we not indulge a hope that the happy period is approaching, when the Redeemer shall take unto Him His great power and reign? He must increase. His name shall be great. And is there not a general apprehension that the Lord is about to produce some great event? Already we have witnessed the most astonishing transactions; and it is not probable that the great Disposer of all is now about, by shaking terribly the nations, to establish that spiritual and extensive kingdom which cannot be shaken? Let us then, utterly and sincerely disclaiming all political views and party designs; abhorring all attempts to disturb order and government in this or any other country; vigorously unite, in the fear of God, and in the love of Christ, to establish a Missionary Society upon a large and liberal plan, for sending ministers of Christ to preach the Gospel among the heathen.5

The LMS needs to be seen as a product of English (middle) class sensitivity, in which it anxiously seeks the approval of the establishment while asserting its own lifestyles and vision as the heart of the new world. The LMS is a lesson in the manipulation of all classes by the new bourgeoisie. It brought together establishment figures to give lustre to their movement. The Annual Members’ Meetings, where LMS directors reported to their members, were regularly chaired by political figures such as Sir George Grey (1840), Lord Viscount Morpeth (1841), and William Francis Cowper MP (1842). The missionaries themselves were typically working class and lower middle class. The impact of the class issue is evidenced, for example, in terms of slave ownership. Of all the missionaries that LMS sent in the era of enslavement, only two names appear in the University College of London “Legacies of British Slave Ownership” database that might tally with those of LMS missionaries: a John Edwards in British Guiana (for whom two possible claims are listed), and John Gibson of Jamaica.6 This database exists because the British government set up a fund to pay “compensation” to slave owners for the emancipation of enslaved people, and thus records are kept of all who came forward seeking to claim recompense. No compensation or reparation was paid to those who had been enslaved. The combined applications for compensation by John Edwards and John Gibson amount to anywhere between 21,000 pounds sterling and 110,000 pounds sterling in 2018 terms, depending on which John Edwards claim relates to the LMS missionary. In contrast, the two LMS directors discussed below – William Hankey and Sir Culling Eardley Smith – made claims for compensation amounting to nearly 1.5 million pounds sterling between them.

Assessing the Legacies of the LMS and the Council for World Mission There is evidence of individual and systemic complicity in the economy and theology of racism, as well as the whole White project of colonisation of “Christianity, Commerce and Civilisation,” as the celebrated LMS missionary David Livingstone once put it. 5

For the full vision, see Richard Lovett, History of the London Missionary Society, 1795–1895, Vol. 1 (London: H. Frowde, 1899), 18–23.

They are “John Edwards, Appointed to Hanover Station Berbice 1838. John Edwards British Guiana 18th Jan 1836 | 1 Enslaved | £63 0S 1D” (2018 terms GBP7000), https://www.ucl.ac.uk/lbs/claim/view/7724; also recorded as “John Arthur Edwards, 23rd Nov 1835 | 13 Enslaved | £820 14S 2D” (2018 terms GBP92,000), https://www.ucl.ac.uk/lbs/claim/view/8351; and “John Gibson LMS missionary 378. Sent to Kingston 1838, Ridgemount Mandeville, Davyton; John Gibson Jamaica St James 432. Claim Details, Associated Individuals and Estates 25th Jan 1836 | 5 Enslaved | £128 11S 7D” (2018 Terms GBP14,000), https://www.ucl.ac.uk/lbs/ claim/view/19216.

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June 2019 | 20 8

The then director and treasurer of the LMS, William Hankey, makes an appearance in the 1831–32 parliamentary Investigation into Emancipation, where he is invited to appear as a representative of the LMS, of which he was a director and treasurer.7 This is an extract from the transcript: Has the result of your experience, as treasurer of the Society, led you to the conclusion, from the progress of civilisation among the slaves, that when instructed they have become more obedient and tranquil? Hankey – Quite so; I believe their value, even in the market, has risen in proportion as they have been so instructed; we have had instances of that, a slave has been regarded as more valuable in consequence of his being instructed by the missionaries of our own and other societies.

Hankey spoke about the value of enslaved people in the market because the LMS treasurer owned the Arcadia Plantation in Trelawney, Jamaica, where 300 enslaved persons were forced to work. When the British government offered compensation to the slave owners after emancipation, Hankey made a submission for compensation for abolition worth more than 15,760 pounds sterling in 1836 (1,770,000 pounds sterling in 2019). In the end, only 5777 pounds sterling was awarded, just over a third of the submission. Hankey’s defence of enslavement was out of step with the British establishment reinventing themselves as abolitionists, and Hankey was forced to resign as treasurer; the LMS finally issued a ban on slave ownership by missionaries. But his resignation as treasurer did not mean that he severed his ties with the organisation. The board minutes show that Hankey continued as a director until his death in 1859, that he regularly chaired the directors’ meetings, and that the bank he founded continued to be used by the LMS long after his death.8 The alliance between the LMS, money, and the establishment continued in the person of Sir Culling Eardley Smith, who was treasurer from 1844 to 1863. Smith, the member of parliament for Pontefract, was a prominent evangelical campaigner and religious philanthropist.9 He founded the Evangelical Alliance in 1846. He presented an anti-slavery petition from Pontefract Wesleyans on 5 November 1830. What is not mentioned is that he was a plantation owner in St Kitts. He claimed 5065 pounds sterling, worth 563,000 pounds sterling in 2019.10 Selina Countess of Huntingdon, a leading British Non-Conformist of the era, endowed many Non-Conformist chapels and institutions in England and Wales that were engaged in the LMS. Sion chapel in London’s East End, where the first LMS missionaries were commissioned before they boarded the Duff, the ship that took them to the South Pacific, was part of the Countess of Huntingdon Connexion. She was a slave owner; the enslaved people she owned were inherited from George Whitfield, one of the evangelical heroes of the age. On being asked about emancipation, Selina replied: “God alone, by His Almighty power, who can and will in His own time bring outward, as well as spiritual deliverance to his afflicted and oppressed creatures.”11

LMS: Slave Exploitation and the New Capitalist System As the Rev Thomas Binney, one of the founders of the LMS, put it, “Dissenters are ‘the modern movers and moulders of the world.’”12 During the first 50 years of the LMS, the political aspirations of dissent went through a transformation. Up until the 1790s, Dissenters were seen as politically subversive and socially disrespectable, but after this they became the powerhouse of British political and economic life. Victorian public opinion was educated from the pulpit. The Victorian bourgeoisie were chapel goers; through them, the middle classes began to emerge as well as the industrial magnates of England, Scotland, and Wales. They were steeped in chapel life, especially the work they did through the LMS committees. The missionary imperial project was central to the construction of Victorian middle-class identity.

Class Consciousness: Class and Gender The LMS became a space for women to exercise leadership, and in some cases mission movements provided the early beginnings for suffragette movements. The presence of women caused some controversy, and there is correspondence where male ministers tried to stop this and refused to have women’s missionary meetings in their chapels.13

House of Commons, “Report from the Select Committee of Slavery throughout the British Dominions: with Minutes and Evidence, Appendix and Index,” Parliamentary Papers 1831–32 (721), vol. 20, 307.

Hankey’s plantation remained in the family, and 100 pounds sterling was paid each year from 1836 to 1862 to the LMS and the Colonial Missionary Society (CMS), when 900 acres was ultimately given to the CMS, who sold it in 1954 for 13,240 pounds sterling. CMS was one of the founder members of CWM. This income amounts to a further 600,000 pounds sterling in 2018 terms.

See the online biography at https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1820-1832/member/smith- sir-culling-1805-1863.

Research is ongoing into the legacies of slavery of other directors and supporters.

See John R. Tyson, “Lady Huntingdon, Religion and Race,” Methodist History 50:1 (October 2011), 34.

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Jemima Thompson, an LMS missionary, wrote, “If all Christians are bound to exert themselves in [the] cause, surely the obligation which rests on women is fourfold! They far more than men, owe to Christianity their present free and happy state – while it is on their sex that, in other lands, the hard bondage of heathenism presses with the heavier weight.”14 Missionary outreach to women was expressly designed to extend to “heathen” women those advantages that Victorian women reputedly enjoyed. England’s happy Christian homes were identified as the foundation for missionary endeavour for women. This confirmation of a gender stereotype by the missionary movement invited its confirmation and subversion through women missionaries, who could escape the Victorian idyll of domesticity. They were also able to enter some of the areas traditionally ascribed to men, such as organising meetings, handling finances, and, particularly, speaking in public. Louisa Spicer Martindale (1839–1914) was an LMS director who became very active in the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies and in working for mission and feminism. This opening into feminine autonomy, however, which gave women a stake in the unequal social power of mission and Empire, was at the cost of perpetuating racial and national hegemonies in the British Empire.

Black lives matter demonstration, July 2016, New York City, USA. Photo by Nicole Baster on Unsplash

The liberation of the colonised women was typically ascribed to values and gifts the English women were bringing from outside the colonised cultures. Women missionaries often began boarding schools to rescue children from their heathen families: “Heathen women were considered to have been rendered incapable of being real mothers by the abject conditions of their existence.” As the Ladies Missionary Auxiliary were told in Leeds in 1897 by an LMS missionary, Miss Barclay, “There was no home life in India, there being no mothers in the real sense of the term.”15 Rather than repudiation of White supremacy, missionary feminism represented a liberal variation on an emergent racialist theme. Caring and control was the gendered face of women and Empire, and it went hand in hand with imperial trustees, missionary sisters, and social mothers alike. The LMS actively recruited women missionaries who “have wealth, cultivation and leisure to lay at His [i.e., Jesus’] feet,” “women of education and refinement.”16 Working-class radicals rejected the movement because many saw that the missionary movements did not connect concern for the liberation of foreign souls who were without Jesus with concern for the poor at home. Emma Martin was ejected from an LMS meeting in Manchester in 1844, after which she gave a public lecture entitled “The Crimes and Follies of Christian Mission,” complaining that the supporters of Christian mission “grind the faces of the poor to propagate God’s truth . . . the philanthropic lady, who weeps in the most approved style . . . at the dreadful tale of Chinese ignorance of God” while wearing “a splendid dress over which the weaver’s curse has been poured – over which the sigh of the poor girl expired in its making has been expended.”17 Other radicals maintained that the exploitation of factory children financed the philanthropy of the anti-slavery movement. Some of the Chartists broke up anti-slavery meetings, demanding they look to “emancipate the white slaves before you think of the black . . . Look to the slavery and misery of the New Poor Law.”18 One can observe here that Black emancipation continues to be couched in terms of White disenfranchisement rather than common cause being made between the communities that empire manipulates and divides. This LMS and its network of chapels were complicit in advocating empire. This takes the form of occupying Blackness, certainly, but also Whiteness and doing so by reifying White colonial spirit and power and baptising it as Christian and locating it in domestic life.

Address to the Congregational Union 1848. Quoted in Lesley Husselbee and Paul Ballard, eds, Free Churches and Society: The Nonconformist Contribution to Social Welfare (London: Continuum, 2012), 112.

LMS archives, home, odds box 9, folder 2.

Susan Thorne, Congregational Missions and the Making of an Imperial Culture in 19th-Century England (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1999), 98.

Ibid., 107.

Ibid., 128–29.

18 Ibid.

Ibid., 103.

www.cwmission.org

Preaching the Good News but Preventing Rebellion at All Costs Burder’s vision of LMS preaching the gospel while “abhorring all attempts to disturb order and government” was nowhere clearer and more shameful than in Guyana. Conditions for enslaved people in Guyana were particularly brutal. The White population was outnumbered 20 to 1, so the British plantocracy favoured violence and overwork to suppress the enslaved people of the plantations. In 1823, the British Parliament passed an Amelioration Act, which sought to limit some of these excesses so that Sunday would be guaranteed as a day off. Rumours of this new law reached the enslaved, who took it to mean emancipation. The governor, John Murray, refused to enact this amelioration. The rebellion was instigated chiefly by Jack Gladstone, an enslaved cooper at “Success” plantation. The rebellion also involved his father, Quamina, and other senior members of the LMS chapel, Bethel. The largely nonviolent rebellion was brutally crushed by the colonists under governor Murray. They killed many slaves: estimates of the toll from fighting range from 100 to 250. After the insurrection was put down, the government sentenced another 45 men to death; 27 were executed. The executed slaves’ bodies were displayed in public for months afterwards as a deterrent to others.19 Quamina was caught and publicly executed. Jack was deported to the island of Saint Lucia after the rebellion, following a clemency plea by Sir John Gladstone, the owner of “Success” plantation. John Smith was implicated and arrested after the rebellion; he died from pneumonia in custody before news of a royal pardon for him reached the governor. As a result, Smith, not Quamina, became famously termed the Demerara Martyr. Quamina had written to the LMS in 1816: We find they try every means to stop it in working us [o?]so late at night through all our distress we try to oblige them as far as we can they are more strick [strict] now than ever they was for they are watching us as a cat would for a mouse, blessed be to God that there is not an estate as far as can attend but what have one or two persons that can teach the rest but they are obliged to go thro [through] a great deal of difficult We bless and praise God for his goodness in adding a certain number in our sosiety [society] lately, and we hope the Brothers and Sisters that are with you will not ceace [cease] in praying for us, for we are continually praying for the spread of the Gospel and we hope in a short time God will enable you to send out some more ministers to us how joyful are we to hear how gladly the people in Africa receiving the gospel, we are shriveing [striving?] to build up another house of worship and all the people that can attend our meeting give as much as they can to assist in building it.20

What are enslaved people doing when they write to the LMS asking for notice of the harsh conditions under which they live as fellow Christians committed to the spread of the gospel? And yet the LMS policy was still to leave six days’ enslavement unquestioned and press only for the plantocracy to give the Sabbath day to slaves so they could go to church. It seems that they didn’t understand the appeal Quamina was making. Or, rather, they clearly did, when they replied to Smith and not to Quamina, “Not a word must escape you in public or in private, which might render the slaves displeased with their masters or dissatisfied with their station. You are not sent to relieve them from their servile condition, but to afford them the consolation of religion.”21

Internalised Racism The weight of the LMS advocacy of foreign mission worked on the colonised mind and the colonising mind. “When the Word of God came among us, we were like the wild beasts, we knew nothing . . . I thank the English nation for what we have received at your hands. You are our own friends; we are your children.” These are the words of Tazatzoe, a “Christian Caffre chief,” from the statements he made while on deputation around the UK for the LMS in 1836, raising the profile of and financial investment in the LMS. Hankey chaired the meeting where Tazatzoe spoke.22 Ironically, what went unreported was the claim he added: “If we are the children of England, and if one with yourselves, let us enjoy the privileges of Britons.”

Teaching White Supremacy The LMS ran many successful pamphlet and journal publications, including the Juvenile Missionary Magazine. This was the chief means to influence the minds, attitudes, and giving of the home congregations. In the following, I provide some examples. To Sunday Scholars My dear young friends, in the present age of the Missionary effort, it is the duty of all persons, and especially of Christians, to do their best to aid the cause of God, and even children, especially Sunday School children, should all be active in the work. Several reasons why this cause should engage your greatest energies, and draw forth your earnest prayers. The first, the chief reason, is Gratitude to God that you are not as they are; next, Obedience to his commands; and lastly Compassion for their wretched condition.

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One of George Floyd's brothers visit a makeshift memorial on June 1. Credit: Reuters

No my dear children, just compare your condition with theirs; see what a vast difference lies between you, You live in a country where the true God is worshipped; your parents do not wish to destroy you, but have sent you to a Sunday-School, where you are taught to serve your Creator, you have kind teachers who instruct you, pray for you and endeavour to lead you to Christ, the only Saviour. Then be active and zealous, in all you can, that the Heathen may be taught the same thing. How is this to be done? I will tell you. In order that the Heathen might have a knowledge of the true God imparted to them, a society was formed . . . to send out men to preach the Gospel. In order to send these men, the Society collects money . . . and if you become a subscriber of a halfpenny or a penny a week or month this means you will thus be the means of instruction to the Heathen. If only you pray, “O Lord convert the Heathen!” He will hear your prayer and in answer to your prayer . . . Heathen children may be led to trust in Jesus.₂3

And again, Many heathen parents still sacrifice some of their children to idols, Hindoos who would think it a great sin to kill an insect or harm a bird will yet drown their children in the Gangees . . . Hindoo parents who do this think that their innocent children’s blood will atone for their sins. Is it not well that you were born of Christian race?24

Silent No Longer: Living Beyond the Legacies through Reparative and Restorative Justice Emancipation was sought on an appeal that “Am I not a man and a brother?” The years leading up to emancipation were founded on a vision of the universality of humanity, which the LMS also embraced at its founding. But after emancipation, attitudes hardened. The so-called liberals “expected more” of emancipated Black people than was possible in the conditions they created at emancipation. Freed slaves were expected to work for their masters for free for 25 years. Thus, emancipated people were still yoked to poverty and hardship. As White liberals judged this a disappointment, they began to succumb to the racist supremacy theories of the mind of 19th-century High Empire and social Darwinism. Who taught this racist worldview to all ages, at home and abroad? Missionaries. Through mission, Christianity was offered as a way to access and exercise privilege, as the way for the domineered to navigate the empire and the hierarchies that dominated them. The global nature of racism and xenophobia is intimately tied up with the global White missionary project. As the Council for World Mission has identified these elements in its own life and story, it moves now to consider how to commit itself to racial justice as one element of its reparation.

See Emilia Viotti da Costa, Crowns of Glory, Tears of Blood: The Demerara Slave Rebellion of 1823 (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997).

Excerpt from letter in the LMS archives.

“Instructions to Missionary Smith,” in Williams, ed., Documents on British West Indian History, 242.

Juvenile Missionary Magazine (September 1836), 56

Juvenile Missionary Magazine (July 1837), 227–28.

Ibid..

www.cwmission.org

Rising to Life with Jesus Breaking out from Babylon

by Rev Dr Praveen P. S. Perumalla, PhD, Church of South India - Ecumenical Mission in Solidarity (CSI-EMS) Liaison Officer

sian experiences are not limited to any geographical limits. They are experiences of encounters with the oppressive systems; whither it is colonial, internal colonies, racial or caste oppressions. In the process we discover an intellectual stream at work that challenges perverted authorities over its commitment to social justice. It is public intellectual. A womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s movement in 1980â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and early 90â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in the Telugu language States of South India known as anti-arrack movement had introduced women as public intellectuals. It is not that they were scholars but, they had collectively demonstrated their ability to raise critical questions with the State government at different levels of governance starting from the State capital to the village Panchayat. They had not left any social institution untouched by their questioning such as family, education, business, political parties and governance, etc., Their questions are instruments to analyse lack of social justice in the government policies as the government revenue accrued is through auctioning of arrack. The patriarchal State governance based on contract system is exposed by the women analysing market-led contract system in shaping society. The hour has come to identify public intellectuals, recover its potency to experience Rising to Life with Jesus. Why Public Intellectuals? The idea of nation is dipped in particular colour, quoted with ideology, taken out as a brand of cultural nationalism in India. In the light of this brand the Indian citizens who stand in the tradition of public intellectuals are portrayed as anti-nationals, communists, and their knowledge to bring alternatives is projected as seditious activities. Indifference in the very conception of nation-state seems to be nurtured in the branding of cultural national vs anti- national. It uses religious category in amended legal framework and creates people without a nation within the nation. In an exercise of updating Citizens Register under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 in the State of Assam in India, it is reported that 1.9 million Indian Citizens are turned into people without a nation within the nation. Indifference is evident in exclusion of minorities through changes in legal framework. Replacement of Planning Commission by the National Institute for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog has direct 25

implications over the budgetary proceedings, resulting in non-allocation of funds to the minorities, which was mandatary under the Planning Commission. Such a rationality lacks legitimate political will for social justice and welfare of the marginalised communities. Consequently, the SC, ST sub-plan provisions in the Central budget as well as State budget are eroded. Revising the Indian past using communal lens and re-writing school text books in religious lines is yet another face of deviation from the secular nature of the Indian educational system. A blatant neglect of increasing rate of poverty, violence against women and minorities, increasing malnutrition among women and children creating a cycle of chronic deficiency and deaths among young children and among the women, unemployment, weakening of industrial and agricultural sectors is vivid in a shift of political debates side lining sustainable developmental goals. The foreseen agenda to implement National Register of Citizens (NRC) and intended financial bill by name Financial Sector Development Resolution (FSDR) Bill 2019 creates a fear of turning Indian minorities, secularists, and all those who do not comply with the cultural nationalism ideology into people without a nation within the nation. With such a context of a deliberate move away from human rights, welfare of the minorities, secular fabric of social life and social justice, it is public intellectuals that nurtures to create breathing spaces. Cutting Across the Boundaries by the Public Intellectuals Perpetuating indifference and hate are not limited to particular national boundary. The forces behind create and propagate cultural nationalism across the boundaries. They strive hard to stall every step towards secular and democratic organisation of society that includes constitutional initiatives. There had been attempts across the Asian continent to stall secular and democratic reasoning by forcefully imposing cultural nationalism on its citizens and naming the nations after a

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particular religion. Consequently, the people of the nation are made into people without a nation. Swimming against the stream, public intellectuals had been progressing well in advancing democratic and secular values in their respective nations. A case in point is Nepal. Nepal was under the control of kingdom identified by its dominant religion as Hindu, therefore, Hindu country. It was the public intellectuals of the Nepal who questioned the kingdom authority in the light of prevalent democratic, secular values elsewhere in Asia. Many of them had visited India to learn from the works of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar and making of the Indian Constitution, interacted with the public intellectuals in India. Today we see the fruit of public intellectual glory in the making of Nepal Constitution, giving Nepal a democratic identity of a nation with adult franchise. What constitutes Public intellectuals? Public intellectual streams are very well identified across the globe. Their origin in Asia as well as in Europe is traced to be of similar time frame. It was in the fifth BC that Public intellectuals are located in two different philosophical traditions in the person of Socrates and in India in the person of Buddha. This paper is limited to Public intellectuals to India only. Romila Thapar, a well-known Historian, had rightly identified teachings of Buddha bringing out an understanding of Public intellectuals. She says that the Buddha had identified changes is the then society with the annexing of families to be one of the unites of society. This was followed by claims of ownership of land as private property. These changes are said to be brought about confusion and conflicts in otherwise egalitarian society of equals, equality in access to all resources. In response, people of that time and place gathered together and elected from among themselves one person- the mahasammata, the great elect- to govern them, provide them with laws that annuls the chaos. Such was an explanation on the origin of governance as a social contract, expounds Thapar (The Public Intellectual in India: 2015, p.7). This part of Buddha teachings brings out public intellectuals of the time explicit in their ability to raise critical questions that generated new ways of analysis and understanding of society and alternatives as a way forward.

Thapar had presented yet another philosophical steam that opposed the democratic secular steps in society by creating a counter myth, as follows. The Brahmanical sources had reversed the Buddha’s notion of the ‘great elected one’ into the idea of a king, who was divinely appointed, bestowed with all power upon him. The Buddha’s idea of the rule of ‘the great elected one’ leaves no room for violence, (either in the form of sacrifice or killing) which is explained as a righteous governance. Whereas, the Brahmanical idea of the king is full of killing in the battle field to establish kinship. The Bhagavad Gita, religious scripture of the Hindus, is said to be a reflection on the question of condemning violence by the Buddhists and the Jains. This Gita is said to justify killing as an ethical action by the king to expel evil. If it is so, who defines evil? Referring to Lord Krishna’s statement which says that the women, Vaishya and Shudra are born of a papa-yoni, meaning ‘a womb of evil. Therefore, such people are said to be of low birth (The Public Intellectual in India: 2015, p 8-9). The Biblical tradition does point to the changing society in which demand for a king comes from the Israelites. But God’s word discourages them from imitating the worldly system of kingship and invites them to strengthen kinship relationships. Because of the stiff- necked demands of the Israelites, God allows them to have a king with a strong instruction…. When you have come into the land that the LORD your God is giving you, and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, “I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are around me,” you may indeed set over you a king whom the LORD your God will choose. One of your own community you may set as king over you; you are not permitted to put a foreigner over you, who is not of your own community. Even so, he must not acquire many horses for himself, or return the people to Egypt in order to acquire more horses, since the LORD has said to you, “You must never return that way again.” And he must not acquire many wives for himself, or else his heart will turn away; also silver and gold he must not acquire in great quantity for himself. When he has taken the throne of his www.cwmission.org

kingdom, he shall have a copy of this law written for him in the presence of the levitical priests. It shall remain with him and he shall read in it all the days of his life, so that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, diligently observing all the words of this law and these statutes, neither exalting himself above other members of the community nor turning aside from the commandment, either to the right or to the left, so that he and his descendants may reign long over his kingdom in Israel. Deuteronomy 17: 14-20. It can be inferred from the above discussion that the public intellectuals view social contract as a moral ethic of responsibility towards the community and creation of law to lead people from every form of chaos into a peaceful living; without asking for the sacrifice of the minorities for the sake of peace for the majority. Any violation or deviation on the part of the authority, whether of the State or religion, such an authority is subjected to analysis of their political obligations (The Contract of Mutual Indifference, Norman Geras, 1998:27). Social Contract and Mutual Contract: A Problematic Concept Social contract and mutual contract are not the same and this paper limits the scope of discussion to the kind of problems posed by both of them. Firstly violence on selective minority groups is inadequately registered by rest of the minorities as well as by a wider society, which is expressively shown in lack of the latter group’s critical interventions. How to do we make different quarters of the civil society rise to arise for the occasion? We need to draw from our experiences, whether they are success stories or stories of failure. Thapar offers remarkable responses by the public intellectuals in the 19th century in their response to the anti-Semitism that can be characterised by suspecting Jews in every matter. This time, it was French army that suspected its own army captain, who was Jewish by name Dreyfus, for leaking army secrets to the Germans. The acts of anti-Semitism resulted in wrongly impeaching a dignified army officer which was brought to the public notice in the writings of Emile Zola, which carried huge support from writers, artists and 26

academicians, all of whom jointly came to be called ‘intellectuals.’ Subsequently Dreyfus was declared innocent after examining anti-Semitic mood of the time critically. Ever since public intellectual is recognised as distinctive, a ‘Dreyfus Affair’ ((The Public Intellectual in India: 2015, p 5). Similarly, in response to the CAA, NRC, in Assam, it is said that around 700 activists, film makers and academicians had represented over the matter in writing to the government of India as a greave concern. The list goes on if only one pays attention to the active mode of public intellectuals. Dreyfus Affair is vibrant in different parts of Asia, including in Palestine/ Israel. When Thapar had a story to tell about public intellectuals in the context of anti-Semitism that is affirmative and universal, somebody else had a story to tell from the holocaust annals. It is Narman Geras who raised the question along with many about the silence of society over the anti-Semitism, holocaust experiences of the Jews. The violation of some by others, their public humiliation, dispossession, deportation, enslavement, torture, murder, in the sight or with the knowledge of many more others who could but do not act to stop it, who stand by, look on or look awaythese are the poles of extremity from which we begin (p.27) Referring to the Auschwitz, Treblinka, Sobibor and Belzec and other sights of death camps for the Jews and others, Norman joins with the holocaust survivors to raise the question of how fellow human beings are silent spectators over the torture and humiliation in public. His question does not correspond to the public intellectuals for the following reasons, as presented by Norman. His question has no claim over universalism like public intellectuals. His question is not referring to any philosophical categories of the past that can be carried forward into future, unlike the public intellectuals. Further, his question does not carry any political analysis with an intention to call forth political obligation. Instead, it is a question of moral responsibility towards fellow beings. Norman names such a phenomenon ‘mutual indifference.’ If you do not come to the aid of others who are under grave assault, in acute danger or crying need, you cannot reasonably expect others to come to your aid in similar emergency; you cannot consider them so obligated to you. Other people, 27

equally, unmoved by the emergencies of others, cannot reasonably expect to be helped in deep troubles themselves, or consider others obligated to help them (p.28) Norman calls such a dead wood response towards fellow humans at the time of troubles as mutual indifference. The responses by one’s self when the others are put to public humiliation and torture before one’s eyes is based upon counting what extent the fellow human beings are useful or helpful to one’s self. Baas Wielenga and others had reflected upon the thesis by Norman and located indifferent behaviour of many to the dire poverty and violence suffered by the masses. Baas say that mutual contract is the central point in creating either indifference or not. “If I don’t come to aid of someone who needs help, how can I expect from others to come to my aid when I need it.” Therefore, Bass concludes saying that the modern society is based on contract of mutual indifference. Based on mutual indifference fellow citizens see the humiliation and tortures suffered by fellow and yet they go for shopping, entertainment, keep busy in making profits, selling and buying, as though nothing has happened. Indifference is a negative emotion of rejection, agreeing to the kind of violence by the fellow citizens. How to overcome it? There is no shortcut answer to the above loaded question but to fall back on our learning from our failures. An imagination of Martin Niemöller seems to be in place. As a member of the Confessing Church, he raises a critical question, which in my opinion can be counted under public intellectuals for it refers to the past in view of the present, holding universal applicability. At the same time his question also points at movement for an individual to go beyond one’s self from mutual contract into a realm of solidarity. The persecution of the Jews, the way we treated the occupied countries, or the things in Greece, in Poland, in Czechoslovakia or in Holland, that were written in the newspapers. … I believe, we Confessing-Church-Christians have every reason to say: mea culpa, mea culpa! We can talk ourselves out of it with the excuse that it would have cost me my head if I had spoken out. We preferred to keep silent. We are certainly not without guilt/fault, and I ask myself again and again, what would

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have happened, if in the year 1933 or 1934 - there must have been a possibility - 14,000 Protestant pastors and all Protestant communities in Germany had defended the truth until their deaths? If we had said back then, it is not right when Hermann Göring simply puts 100,000 Communists in the concentration camps, in order to let them die. I can imagine that perhaps 30,000 to 40,000 Protestant Christians would have had their heads cut off, but I can also imagine that we would have rescued 30-40,000 million [sic] people, because that is what it is costing us now. Martin Niemöller 6 January 1946 at Frankfurt. The experience of Babylonian captivity is not that hard compared to the Egyptian slavery. The tendency is to find one’s own way to prosperity and comfort without giving room for solidarity. A response to indifference as an experience of breaking out of Babylon is traced from the prophetic book of Jeremiah 9: 22-24. Thus says the LORD: Do not let the wise boast in their wisdom, do not let the mighty boast in their might, do not let the wealthy boast in their wealth; but let those who boast boast in this, that they understand and know me, that I am the LORD; I act with steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth, for in these things I delight, says the LORD. (NRSV) Prophet Jeremiah is identified as a weeping prophet, for the book of Jeremiah has poetry of lamentations. These poetries are prophetic utterances about Israel, which is common for the eighth and seventh century prophets. The uniqueness in Jeremiah is adopting Mosaic tradition through incorporating Deuteronomic works, explains Walter Brueggemann, particularly from Deuteronomy 32 as well as Ephraim tradition of Hosea (An Introduction to the Old Testament 2003: 177-190). There is an image of God’s love for the Biblical Israel, at the same time God’s wrath over betrayal of God’s word. Therefore, the book of Jeremiah dwells upon Torah and not upon the Temple in Jerusalem cult. Jeremiah Chapter 9 includes prophetic oracle, call to repent and embarrass Torah. An important word in 9th chapter is ‘Know God’ (v3, 9, 24). To know God is contrasted with not living according to the teachings of Torah. “…because they have forsaken my law that I set before him, and have not obeyed my voice, or walked in accordance with it” (v13). The prophetic books of eighth and seventh century BC addressed injustice as pertinent issue. The book of Jeremiah is said www.cwmission.org

to be a work from seventh century BC. The issue of justice is very much part of the prophetic book of Jeremiah. Jeremiah 9: 6 says “Oppression upon oppression, deceit upon deceit! They refuse to know me, says the Lord.” Therefore, to know God is practice justice. To keep the teachings of Torah is to keep justice. There is material dimension, moral responsibilities and faith dimension to practise justice. Material deprivation because of injustice is idolatry. In the midst of injustice, the suffering brothers and sisters of Israel sought for solidarity from the fellow Israelites. But, a quarter among Israel was indifferent to the pathos of their fellow Israelites. It is something like experiencing death in the midst of life. Similar experience of indifference is reflected upon from the Holocaust history by Baas who explains “(t)hen death confronts us not as a border experience at the end of life, but as an abyss beneath us in the midst of it (“Covenanting Against Indifference.” (Unpublished) Sep’ 2000). In the words of Jeremiah… “Death has come up into our windows, it has entered our palaces, to cut off the children from the streets and the young men from the squares.” Jeremiah 9: 21 The prophetic book of Jeremiah address indifference among the Biblical Israelites to the sufferings of their fellow Israelites by allowing injustice to prevail. Therefore, death to prevail in the midst to life. The call of Deuteronomic work that guided Jeremiah calls back Israelite into a fellowship of love and equality where kinship relationships are visited again with a commitment. The theological theme “Rising to Life with Jesus and Break Out from Babylon” enables us to recognise God’s work in the stream of Public intellectuals in Asia; reminds us to strengthen the stream of Public intellectuals against the currents of dominant myths, call for legitimate governance. Engage for the sake of democracy and secularism inspired by liberative texts and Public intellectuals, cutting across the borders, create networks of peace in the continent. Deal with the social leprosy of indifference nurtured by mutual contract. Cultivate sisterhood and brotherhood in neighbourhood to defeat the powers of death under our feet.

We Shall Rise and Stand Upright By Peter Cruchley and Michael Jagessar

Psalm 20:8

These words of the Psalmist remind us that rebellion is also one of the legacies of Slavery; and it is central to how Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s people meet oppression and injustice. In the face of war horses and chariots and all the paraphernalia of militarised police and state violence, David announces Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s commitment to the uprising of the oppressed.

The violent racism of these days is rooted in 400 years of White colonial history in North America, as it is in the 500-year history of the transatlantic slave trade, and the wider practice of European and US empire, globally. White power has had its knee in the backs of its colonial subjects, lifting it only to allow its co-opted lieutenants to place their weight there instead. Council for World Mission (CWM) knows this acutely because of our legacies and complicities in enslavement, and especially our connivance with violent racist repressive power during the life of our forebear, the London Missionary Society (LMS). These moments of uprising in the US, and the UK as well as in related struggles, like Hong Kong, transport us to Demerara, Guyana, nearly 200 years ago in 1823. On Saturday 16 Aug 1823, Quamina, a Deacon of the LMS chapel, Bethel, came to see the LMS missionary, Rev John Smith. He came to Smith to seek support, for Quamina along with other enslaved people working the Guyana Plantations who could bear their oppression no longer. Quamina came because he and his fellow enslaved people had heard that the King of England had authorised the emancipation of enslaved people; but they observed that the Plantocracy and Governor Murray were refusing to comply. Smith received them sympathetically, but told them to go home and wait for their freedom to be granted. Quamina returned to his son, Jack, and Quamina along with fellow deacons of that chapel and others began the Demerara Rebellion. Governor Murray immediately declared martial law and put down the uprising brutally using a mix of Colonial militia and Plantocracy vigilantes. This is an extract from what he wrote in his communique to the British Government: The Lieutenant-Colonel having in vain attempted to convince these deluded people of their error, and every attempt to induce them to lay down their arms having failed, he made his dispositions, charged the two bodies simultaneously, and dispersed them with the loss of 100 to 150. On our side, we only had one rifleman slightly wounded. (Other contemporary accounts put the number at nearer 400 rebels were killed)

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Will we rise up and stand upright? Or will we go home, stay quiet and do as we are told?

Quamina was executed along with some of the other LMS deacons and chapel folk, and their bodies publicly displayed to dissuade any further such rebellion. Quamina’s son, Jack, was deported as the case quickly became an embarrassment to the owner of the Plantation, where Jack was enslaved, Sir John Gladstone, father of the British Prime Minister, Sir William Ewart Gladstone. Smith was very instrumental in educating the slaves, against the will and wishes of the plantocracy; and he is to be credited for his part in enabling the courage of the enslaved people to come to the fore. However, he failed to rise up and stand up with his chapel, with the people with whom he shared the good news of life and liberation in Jesus Christ. Why was this? He clearly succumbed to the pressure of the LMS, empire’s co-opted partner; because he had already received a letter of instruction from the LMS: Not a word must escape you in public or in private, which might render the slaves displeased with their masters or dissatisfied with their station. You are not sent to relieve them from their servile condition, but to afford them the consolation of religion … Will we rise up and stand upright? Or will we go home, stay quiet and do as we are told? Outrageously the power figures, especially the white power figures, like the LMS and Smith took the latter in 1823. So, what about now? CWM has agreed that we must repent for our part in the transatlantic slave trade; but our repentance for the legacies of slavery is a mere sham and our Christian witness as a partnership of churches is at stake if we fail to press for radical change to the systemic manifestations of racism in our life and world; and if we fail to stand with those whose lives, bodies and rights are treated as though they don't matter. Maybe the question for us at this critical juncture in history, is not why are people on the street protesting; but why are we not? The world and the communities in which we are located, are waiting to believe us – to see our words embodied in action! Babylon’s might is arrayed around us. So, this is the moment to rise with David; to affirm that the Shepherd walks with us “through the valley of the shadow of death”; and that the Shepherd sets in the midst of our foes, a table of comfort and encouragement for all who rise up for dignity and justice.

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Holy Spirit as helper leading us to new realities By Lynnette Li

his year’s Pentecost is different. Drastically different. This is a watershed moment that offers to reflect upon our mission and witness as disciples of Christ. Global trade, movement and manufacturing is significantly slowed or forced to a standstill. Many of us have been sheltering in place for several months by now. Many have not had the opportunity to gather as communities of faith in worship, service and fellowship. The global pandemic of Covid-19 has forced us to worship and connect with each other creatively. And perhaps some might say, that this is an opportune time to reflect and re-imagine how our call to be followers of Jesus the Christ is lived out. In the midst of the global pandemic of Covid-19, we find sanctuary in the safety of our homes. This strikingly mirrors the experience of the early disciples who stayed hiding in the aftermath of Jesus’ persecution and crucifixion. Like the early disciples, we face a mix of uncertainty, fear and grief – for the lives we were accustomed to have changed and may not return. And like the early disciples waiting in the upper room for a more hopeful and hope-filled future, we find ourselves waiting.

At Pentecost, it reminds us of how Jesus told the disciples that a helper, the Holy Spirit, will be sent to teach, guide and remind them of his teachings (John 14:26). For the disciples, who had travelled on dirt roads and rough seas with Jesus, this meant their journey of discipleship continues. Those words of the promise of a helper were words of assurance that they would not be alone to navigate uncertain journeys in Jesus’ absence. Those words brought comfort in a time when their very association with Jesus could lead to severe hardship and persecution. The word “helper”, or “parakletos” in Greek, is defined as ‘called to one’s aid’1. The word parakletos is used to describe an advocate, aid, comforter and helper. We are told that the helper who would empower, advocate, guide and accompany. We are told that the helper energised and animated the disciples to do extraordinary and miraculous things. There is great welcome, humility and celebration to receive this helper – the Holy Spirit. Yet, when it comes to helpers in our midst such as domestic workers and migrant workers, societal attitudes and treatment are different. The book of Acts captures the drama and

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excitement of the day of Pentecost. It captures what it was like when the Holy Spirit filled the upper room where the disciples had gathered. And when the Holy Spirit descended into the room, there was a plurality of languages spoken and heard. For many this was beyond amazing. It was bewildering! For some, the speaking of languages from far and wide was ridiculed. For others, this moment of speaking in variety of languages by the disciples was dismissed, unwelcomed and considered a public display of drunkenness (Acts 2:5-13). This was when the Apostle Peter quotes the prophet Joel In the last days it will be, God declares, I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. Even upon my slaves, both men and women,

reaction and reception to their words? Is there celebration and welcome to the embodiment of the Spirit in all, even those considered least among us? Or is there ridicule, contempt, denial or refusal to acknowledge that the generosity of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit goes beyond our prejudices and biases? The embodiment of the Holy Spirit on all flesh makes us re-think, re-imagine and reconsider what radically inclusive and hospitable communities can look like. The pouring out of the Holy Spirit on all flesh is a destabilising and defiant movement against the dehumanising ways of racism, colourism, xenophobia, sexism, heteronormativism, ageism, ableist, classism, casteism, nationalism, elitism and all form of systemic oppression. The pouring out of the Holy Spirit on all flesh forces us to recognise the intrinsic worth and dignity in every human being. This is what transformative power does! The power that reveals our culpability and complicity in systems of oppression that causes suffering of another. The power that calls us to dismantle patriarchal and hegemonic ways. The power that is liberates and frees all to be who they are without conforming to gender, social and cultural norms! Pentecost allows us to move into new realities of freedom, liberation and just-living - a reality of the fullness of life beyond empire. Can we allow the Holy Spirit, as helper lead us into such a reality?

In those days I will pour out my Spirit; And they shall prophesy. Acts 2:17-18; Reference Joel 2:28-29, NRSV The Apostle Peter reminds us that the outpouring of God’s Spirit on all flesh is an act of radical inclusion. This notion is tremendously revolting to some as “all flesh” would include those who are in the fringes of society. When those who are in the margins proclaim prophetic words that reveal the brokenness of society, what is our response,

Reference: NAS Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible with Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek Dictionaries. https://biblehub.com/greek/3875.htm

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Towards 2040 The future of the church is not our responsibility By Rev Dr René de Reuver, General Secretary of Protestant Church in the Netherlands (PKN)

church lives from grace, from God’s gifts. ‘We “ The are not called to save the church – God himself will take care of that’

he beginning of 2020 marks the start of a new decade. A time to look back and look ahead. Also, as a church. How have we been, personally and as local congregation and what are the developments of the church as a whole? Where do we want to go to, what do we hope for? What do we pray for? What visions do we have for the coming decades? In the first twenty years of this century, a lot has happened for the former Reformed Churches in the Netherlands, the Dutch Reformed Church and the Evangelical-Lutheran Church. 2004 is the year these churches united. December 11, 2003 was an important day for these churches. All three synods decided independently to merge on that day. After this, members of the synods from the three churches came together in the Domkerk in Utrecht, in the presence of Queen Beatrix, to thank God for this choice to continue together. For many this was a day of joy, but for some, especially members of the Dutch Reformed Church, it also was a day of sadness because of the schisms that happened as a consequence, sometimes even across families. Merger The finalisation of the tiring merger process changed the outlook of the church. The Protestant Church in the Netherlands created a missionary department and a youth movement. A missionary movement started. Many congregations started to think about a movement outwards, trying to make contact with people who are not familiar with the Christian faith or became estranged from it. Local congregations started to pioneer, city communities focused on young people and ministers went searching for new ways of being church. Other congregations felt strengthened in their efforts to improve the quality of life in their village or city district, in their diaconal efforts, in organising missionary courses such as Alpha or in Bible study groups. During this process pioneering spots evolved: new ways of being church for people who are not or are no longer involved in a church. Always as part of – not in competition with – a local congregation, which supports the initiative financially and prayerfully. Now, fifteen years after 2004, some of these spots have grown into small, independent congregations (‘kerngemeenten’) within the Protestant Church.

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An ageing church At the same time the church keeps shrinking and aging – only 8 percent of the practicing members is under the age of 40 – and church buildings have to be abolished. Those are painful numbers. That other institutions are also shrinking is scant comfort. In many places this shrinkage leads to forced efforts to keep all activities running and under control for as long as possible. As a result, less people have to do more and more, volunteers are overburdened and get exhausted. A situation like this resembles a fyke net: the net closes more and more until there is no way out. The forced efforts block the search for new ways. Something new will then be received as ‘we have to do even more’. On the other hand, the church have been encouraging congregations for some years now to return to their core activities. To look with open instead of cramped hands for what is of value. For what people feel called to do. For what keeps them going. Central in this is the conviction that the church lives from grace, from God’s gifts. We are not called to save the church – God himself will take care of that – but to live from his grace and to be there where He can be found. If possible, together with others. Isolation As a missionary church, the Protestant Church has consciously chosen for diverse forms of being church. Our complex society, in which old institutions are less and less appealing to people, asks for this. The secular context asks old questions anew. One of them is the question of the ministries. Reflection on this is ongoing. Not in an inward churchly discussion, but driven by the challenge to be, in a diverse way, there where God lets himself be found. The time of isolation is over. We need each other more than ever. The future of the church in our country is uncertain. No one can predict what the church will be like in twenty years. What we see is that many are looking for meaning and spirituality. Big issues such as evil and guilt, loss, fear, suffering and death are more topical than ever. In this context the church searches for the movement of the Spirit. The gospel is not intended for a small group, but for everybody. God cares about the whole world: ‘For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.’ (John 3:16, ESV) Following Jesus, the church is called to be present in society, especially in its frayed edges. To be there where people get lost or drown in loneliness – literally or figuratively. To stand up for vulnerable lives. For a creation that is weighed down by depletion and pollution by humans. To be welcoming, even if that feels uncomfortable and costs a lot. Jesus himself shows us how to do that. What that cost Him, the gospels tell us. I believe that we can go ahead in confidence. Because: the future of the church is not ours. God himself takes care of the church. To know this de-stresses, relaxes and inspires.

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by Nem Hniang

Mrs Nem Hniang is presently the women’s secretary of Chin Synod, PCM and is a single mother with one son. She has never given up her women’s ministry even though she is a widow. She is a creditable PCM woman among many people who criticise her for being a widow and she never stops raising her voice for the rights of women in PCM.

I was born in Falam township, Chin

State. My parents are Mr. Hrang Vung and Mrs. Tling Men. My mother was a government corporation office staff. Our family moved to Taungphila Ward - Kalay township, Sagaing Division in 1976.

Road to Education I successfully completed my B.A (History) study in the year 2000, and a Bachelor of Religious Education (BRE) from Tahan Theological College (TTC) in 2007. My marriage life has been blessed by God through giving me a son, who is now doing his matriculation. My mother passed away when I was in ninth grade. Two years later saw the demise of my father and my two brothers. I struggled with life with my young son; life was depressing and very difficult. At that time, it was very difficult just to imagine what the future could hold for me. While my head was bowed down to earth with very little hope for the future, I was advised to take the BRE night study course at TTC. Since I joined the BRE course, life became more positive and my spirit was revived; I could spend valuable, enjoyable time among church members and friends. Matthew 11:28, which says “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest”, became true in my life since then.

Ministry I have been serving as the Women’s Secretary of Chin Synod, PCM from 2007 until now. Initially, when my application for this ministry was accepted, I felt a little regretful because I looked at myself and saw very little in myself. With a heavy heart, I prayed unceasingly before I started the ministry. What I realised 35

later on was that thinking lowly of myself only brings shame on myself. I should have known better - that God is always with me.

Vision The person I looked up to in ministry was the late Pastor Man Za Cing from Leipi Baptist Church, Kalay Township. We used to serve together at Kalay Council of Churches Women Fellowship (KCCWF) as office bearers. She was the President then. One day we held a meeting at her house because she was sick. Her sickness did not stop her from calling for the meeting. “It must be very painful and difficult?” I asked because we found out that she was already in a very serious condition. She answered me, “I was sick already by the time I was elected as president. My thinking was it is better to serve with sickness than simply staying at home sick and doing nothing”. Her answer really touched me; she was one of the best role models to look up to.

Thoughts on ministry I really enjoy serving the Lord and labouring for His Kingdom as well as for my country and people. The good thing about not having a husband is that I can serve in ministry freely without any restriction from others. It feels good that I can participate in many organisations without any extra burden from household matters. I really enjoy being part of many ministries through my utmost commitment. Bullying and strong words are no stranger to a widow like myself. Sometimes such experiences can be very difficult to bear. But now, there is nothing to be worried about because it is God whom I serve. And in serving God, there are only blessings to be received. Now I just try INSiGHT | June 2020

to accomplish whatever ministry has been given to me, doing my level best. In chapter 4 of the gospel according to John, we read that Jesus asks a Samaritan woman for water to drink. God knows what we have, we only have to give what we have, and God will give us the water of life.

Workplace I really love my work place because I am surrounded by supportive co-workers who are very committed and good Christians. I feel very fortunate to work in a workplace that is full of church leaders who are trustworthy and reliable. A long time ago, I used to work at a car transportation office. Since that was a business place, money was everything. At times, in order to get the highest profit, we had to communicate with people using small lies and dishonesty. What I learnt from my current workplace is, Christians should be very careful in choosing the type of job we apply for; money should not be the major factor in our decision. One thing that makes me sad is that there is gender prejudice in the workplace. Men and women should work and think together in good harmony. It makes me very sad when I see women sometimes sharing poor opinions of fellow female workers. For example, calling and shouting at a woman, “you are so silly and stupid” could cause that person to develop an inferiority complex. Therefore, appreciating each other for what we accomplish is very necessary and important. Otherwise, we will not be able to improve ourselves. This is the same for church leadership; if we really want to promote the role of women, we don’t necessarily need men to vote for us. We women can vote for ourselves and materialise our

Falam, Myanmar. Photo by Mohigan.

visions. Just like a family is completed by the togetherness of the husband and wife, we can also improve the church ministry even more by the good cooperation between men and women. A doctor was once asked if men or women had a better brain. “Which man and which woman?” he answered. His point was the brain ability did not depend on the gender, but on the environment and the community lived in.

The Importance of the Church The church is very important as it is the closest refuge we can go to in times of need and sorrow. Sometimes it seems we have an even closer relationship with our fellow church members than our actual relatives who are in different local churches or denominations. Something which bothers me is that certain people care too much about others' opinions. They care so much to the extent that they sometimes can't even discern which side is right. We have to remember that church ministry is not a family business. The focus should be on God's mission and not on individual interest or relatives' benefits. Such selfish acts could slow down the mission of the Church as a whole. Lessons: Poor opinion on the female gender has to be eliminated everywhere. Let's increase cooperation with other church organisations and government-recognised organisations. Even if we can't participate in person, let's give our greater support to those who can. While we pray for the future of the country, some think that being involved in secular affairs is very unspiritual thing to do. That is a very wrong concept in our society. We need to be more respectful when we address our ministers or any

church office staff. Let's call them with their rightful title. If we don't respect our church ministers, no outsider would do that for us. It is so true that showing genuine respect towards someone can change that person's life. Some PWS units might have to change their mindset regarding the nature of the relationship between PWS and the main church body. It is very important to note that PWS and the Church body are not separate or different entities. In the same way that PWS is ours, so is the Church. Mutual support would bring the best outcome. Having regular family devotion time is a very important activity for all Christian families. We shouldn't serve just to fill up our free time, but we should offer the most precious of our time to serve God. Just like how we feed our body to get strength for everyday living, so we have to strengthen our spiritual life by spending family devotion time together. That is the best family management tool. Let's pray for wisdom so that we can offer good guidance and parenting for our children. The closer we bring our children to God, the further they will be from sinful things. To build a profound love between husband and wife is also very important. A bible verse which gives me strength every time I read it is Psalm 118:8, "It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man". Nothing else on earth is worthy to put our faith in. Nothing will last forever. Not long ago, we never thought the earth’s soil could get rotten. When the flood came in 2015, it destroyed all of our crops. Even the human being whom we trust the most will eventually perish. Therefore, let's just put all of our trust and faith in the LORD who sent His Begotten Son for us. Then our life will become peaceful and we will find eternal joy. www.cwmission.org

“Just like a family is completed by the togetherness of the husband and wife, we can also improve the church ministry even more by the good cooperation between men and women”

by Lalbiakhnemi

Lalbiakhnemi is the only female pensioner (former women’s secretary) of Phai Synod, PCM. She grew up among Burmese-speaking people and hardly speaks her mother tongue - Mizo. But she came to Phai Synod and served her synod since she knows that language barriers will not make her stop serving God and women in the church.

I was born in a famous, beautiful town called Pyin Oo Lwin. For the glory of God, I have spent most of my good life serving God especially with Christian Women’s ministry. Currently I am holding the following ministerial positions: (1) Vice Chairperson of Presbyterian Women’s Society (PWS), Tahan Venglai Unit, (2) President of Presbyterian Women’s Joint Conference (PWJC), Phai Synod, (3) President of Kalay Christian Women’s Fellowship (KCWF). As for my educational background, I completed my G.Th (1989-1992) and B.Th (1995-1997) study at Tahan Theological College.

The reason why I pursued theological study was to dedicate my whole life to serve God. I started ministry when I became the Women’s Secretary of Phai Synod in 1999, the post I worked in till I got my pension in 2016. Currently I live in Tahan town with my family. My husband’s name is Mr. Suithanga. God has blessed our marriage with a beautiful daughter, Jenny Lalengmawii. Many of God’s people have inspired me a lot. The one who inspired me the most is Rev. Moe Moe Eih, a minister from the Upper Methodist Church. I admire her very much for her great commitment in her ministry and for being a respected, influential pastor. Some of the things which made me admire her were the way she looked in her minister dress, her neat and perfect Eucharist performance as well as her good and spiritually touching preaching. I once told her, “I want to be a minister like you!” I would like to share the reason why I dedicated myself for God’s ministry. Back when I was in my old town, May Myo (Pyin Oo Lwin), I met a minister. After he prayed for me, he told me, “You are chosen to serve God. If you deny or hesitate by walking out on God’s ministry, God will call you out anyway through certain hardships in your life.” At that time, however, I

didn’t believe him; furthermore, I didn’t want to commit to the ministry. Afterwards, difficulties and hardships always followed me in everything I did. Finally, I gave in and answered God’s call to serve. Phai Synod supported my entire study expenses. Since I was born and raised in a Burmese community, I couldn’t speak the Mizo language (which is the first language in our church ministry) very well. During the final year of my study I asked God to make me fluent in the Mizo language. God answered me with a question, “Do you want to be fluent in language, or instead have my words come out of your mouth?” At that time, my vision was enlightened and I began to realise that in order to serve God, my commitment was sufficient: God is able! During my entire 17 year career, God’s unceasing care has been unbelievable, so great towards me. In all of my preparation for training sessions and preaching, God always filled me with necessary knowledge and experiences relating to the topics I was preparing for. I would then share my experiences in the training sessions, from which I myself gained lots of empowerment. When I visited the local churches, the Lord helped me understand the true nature and condition of those churches, and gave me insight into how to empower their weaknesses as well as ways to bring unity among those who were not united. My Lord always provided me with words to speak out in those situations. Sometimes after being well-prepared to preach, God would suddenly change the topics and words I was supposed to preach. I can only wonder how much my God has been guiding and protecting me throughout my ministry!

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On some occasions, out of my high expectations for a better future, I might have used harsh and strong words for the purpose of encouraging unity among women leaders. Every time I did something like that, I felt sorry that I might have hurt their feelings. So I prayed to God to heal their hearts and to bring peace upon all of us. It was only later that I found out that those tense moments brought better mutual understanding and a closer connection among us. Thinking about the place where God has put me now, I am happy and full of joy. I believe God has honoured me so much. Knowing that there are lots of things in our ministry we still need to improve on, I feel sorry that my full-time ministry has come to an end. I believe God has recognised and blessed my humble contribution in the ministry for many reasons. God has been using the words from my mouth to touch people’s hearts. I have also never really faced big troubles with my physical health so far, and my family (my husband and children) has been very supportive of my ministry, especially my husband who has been a tremendous help and encouraging partner. Even though I am just a working staff of a single Synod (Phai Synod), I have had the huge privilege of visiting all ten synods and mission fields of the church. In 2001, when I visited the Rakhine mission field, I gave four training sessions in different places. One of my biggest struggles at that time was that there was no toilet at all; we had to go to the nearby bushes to answer nature’s call. Additionally, there were lots of bugs in our sleeping places. Those were new experiences for me and I found them very difficult to adapt to. However, when I think back on those moments, I realise that those are the best memories which made my life more interesting and joyful. I will never forget those beautiful memories I recognise that things changed very quickly during the period of my ministerial service. When we visited our ministry fields previously, sometimes we had to go on foot, sometimes on local ox carts, bicycles, cars, trains, ships and even boats. These days, we can now make visits with nice cars. But I can confess that the experiences in the past with rough transportation were my best experiences. Another thing I had to struggle with during rural visits was the food. The food was for the most part a cultural shock to me because what we ate in the field was very different from what we had every day at home. An amazing fact was that I never had any stomach problems because of food. When I think back on all of these, I can only praise God’s unfailing love and care throughout my ministry. My dream for the future of women in the church is this, that most of us housewives, who are the ones managing, teaching, guiding and arranging things in our household, can show and carry over what we do in our own household to the wider environment (the church and society). This is so that we will become more important and productive contributors in church ministry and community development. During my ministry, I gave several trainings in different local churches on certain topics that people received great benefit from. Some of those topics are: The motto and calling of PWS: Only when we realise our calling as the women’s society of the church will we be able to improve and move forward. The importance of ministry at the global level: Since we are a small number even at the national level, only when we hold hands with other churches and women’s ministry bodies in the country will the world hear our contributions. The importance of mothers in a Christian Family: This is the most frequently taught topic in my ministry. With more detailed and constructive sub-topics, we learn how women can become more effective and productive contributors in the church and community. Child Care (Parenting): Due to poverty and the lack of proper education, there are many mothers who have difficulty in their parenting journey. We train and empower those mothers, meeting their needs with different topics.

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Leadership: In spite of their great contributions in the family, women are given few leadership roles both in the church and the community. This results in lower status and seemingly less confidence among women to stand up and take up leadership when needed. Therefore, we organised women leadership trainings on several occasions. Economics: Wherever we may live, women need to know how to properly manage family finances. Though our income could be very little, it is still very important that we have knowledge and experience of how to generate income lawfully. Women empowerment: No doubt the church and community are run in a very patriarchal tradition; women can easily be oppressed and exploited. Therefore, it is a very urgent and important agenda for us to protect the rights of women according to the teaching of the Bible and universal human rights. With a thankful heart, I testify that my life and everything I have done are gifts from the almighty and merciful God. Through the church, I have served my Lord this far. The church is my father and my mother; I will be forever grateful to the church for giving me the chance to serve my Lord. My message to fellow women: I want to say that our families and the world are in the hands of the mothers. It is the mother who will make sure the family she is building is a true Christian family. From that point of view, we the mothers are the ones who make the world a better, peaceful place to live in. One thing we need to give much attention to is child abuse, which is now a big issue around the globe. To protect our children from abuse and drug addiction is now a big task for all mothers. Let us remember that if we hold hands, pray and stand together, we can protect the safety of our childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s future. We know we have strong and effective womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rights and protection laws, so let us study them and use them to help and liberate all the women around the country who are suffering and being oppressed in many ways.

INSiGHT | June 2020

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TAKE A LOOK | Here are what reviewers have to say:

“This book contains extraordinary material. It is a brilliant mix of interpretation and realisation by outstanding thinkers, activists and intellectuals from many walks of life and origins as to what a world at peace requires. The language and its scope is fascinating and gives one hope that with such clear minded people spread across our globe progress towards peace for all humanity and success thereof is indeed possible.” — Dr. Denis Halliday, former Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations who resigned from his 34 year old career in the UN in protest of the economic sanctions imposed on Iraq by the Security Council

The newly launched “Resistance to Empire and Militarisation” gathers critically reflective articles by 25 leading and emerging scholars/practitioners from religious and non-religious backgrounds, representing three generations of survivors of imperial invasions and genocidal massacres across the globe. The authors interrogate and expose the oppressive religious and secular ideologies and mechanisms of the modern empire and its allies that cause desecration of lives and the earth through various means, ranging from psychological operations to the brute force of advanced technological warfare. Offering perspectives from the Middle East, East Asia, South Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Pacific and the Caribbean Islands, the authors address topics such as mass killings, starvation, rape, militarised prostitution, torture, forced disappearances, land grab, displacement and the destruction of nature, while articulating people’s inherent collective aspiration for liberation that is expressed in multiple languages of faith as well as in secular humanist strands. They help evoke and sharpen the alternate consciousness among peoples in furthering resistance, and in envisioning and building a non-imperialist future for us, for our children, and for our planet. These are testimonies of truth and liberation, written with a prophetic urgency.

“This book, which is based on the authors’ concrete actions and commitment for liberation, clearly shows that the fundamental causes of ethnic and regional conflict, poverty, socio-economic and gender inequalities, discrimination, exploitation, and environmental destruction, in the non-Western, Three-Fourths World, are imperialism and militarism. At the same time, the authors invite us on a journey of overcoming imperialism and militarism to save humankind and nature, and to a life of peace, restoring our divinity and humanity.” — Prof. Kim, Sung-Jae, President of Kim Dae-Jung Nobel Peace Prize Memorial, Distinguished Professor, Hanshin University, Former South Korean Minister of Culture and Tourism

“An exceptional book in three senses: one, in the conception of empire and militarisation as an encompassing reality that goes beyond the use of force to show its political, ideological and cultural dimensions. Two, a reflection that covers phenomena and studying the experiences of resistance to empire in the countries of five continents. Three, in the variety of authors that includes prestigious academics as well as resistance activists, who have in common a vision committed to fighting the devastation of human life and the earth that has been perpetrated by imperialism and its basis and reason for being: capitalism.” — Magdalena Galindo, Professor in the Faculty of Economics, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

For more information, email empowerment@cwmission.org 41

INSiGHT | June 2020

The first book from Discernment and Radical Engagement (DARE) 2019, which is edited by Miguel A. De La Torre and Mitri Raheb, is now available for pre-order. In Resisting Occupation- A Global Struggle for Liberation, international scholars discuss the radical denial of human flourishing caused by the occupation of mind, body, spirit, and land. They explore how religious perspectives can be, and often are, constructed by occupiers to justify their actions, perpetuate exploitation, and domesticate indigenous landholders. In the name of Christianisation and civilisation, which has proven to be a global phenomenon beyond time and space, a consistent domestication process is established. The colonised are taught to want, to yearn for, and to embrace their occupation, seeing themselves through the eyes of their colonisers. Writing from different spots around the globe, the scholars of this book demonstrate how occupation, a synonym for empire, is manifested within their social context and reveal unity in their struggle for liberation. Recognising that where there is oppression, there is resistance, the contributors turn to religion. While questioning the logic, rationale, theology, and epistemology of the empire’s religion, they nonetheless seek the liberative response of resistance – at times using the very religion of the occupiers.

“The documentary, CUT BACK: facing ageism, brings to light the often subtle and the not so subtle sting of ageism. With her focus on the workforce director Patricia Sahertian takes a look at a diverse group of people across the nation who have been affected by age discrimination. In their own words, they tell their personal story about how ageism has touched their lives. The stories are interspersed by comments from lawyers, advisers, employment specialist and many more who are trying to make a difference about the effects of ageism.”

With over 10 million Africans who were forcibly subjected to the Atlantic Slave Trade to the Americas and Europe, this appalling form of historical human injustice protrudes sorely in great global scale and its lasting repercussions that can be still seen throughout the world today. Anthony Hazard tells us why. https://bit.ly/2QHP3UY

https://bit.ly/2JciXg5

Robert Reich provides the middle class his voice, speaking on behalf of them on the issues of the widening income gap and how it has a devastating impact on the American economy. The film follows the man on his journey of great personal adversity, navigating through obstacles in finding protection for those who aren’t capable of protecting themselves from the inequalities of powerful and obscenely rich.

“Hillary Clinton and Anne-Marie Slaughter discuss the cultural norms at the center of the worldwide gender pay gap, including the ‘motherhood penalty.’” https://bit.ly/3dwAoG7

http://inequalityforall.com/

The book can be pre-ordered at https://rowman.com www.cwmission.org

“Produced by Blackside, Eyes on the Prize tells the definitive story of the civil rights era from the point of view of the ordinary men and women whose extraordinary actions launched a movement that changed the fabric of American life, and embodied a struggle whose reverberations continue to be felt today. Winner of numerous Emmy Awards, a George Foster Peabody Award, an International Documentary Award, and a Television Critics Association Award, Eyes on the Prize is the most critically acclaimed documentary on civil rights in America.”

Probably Tomfoolery pens in poetic prose, written in children’s book fashion, telling of how the world we’ve known was thrown into a flurry of uncertainties when a virus came our way. Rendering us defeated within our enclosures, and from our old ways and bad habits that were also ruining the planet from which we were too blind or in denial to honestly acknowledge. The Great Realisation points us to the silver lining of this rather difficult episode for humankind, and how we should treat it as an opportunity to heal as a planet in hindsight of 2020.

https://bit.ly/2UD062N

https://bit.ly/35Cyct1

Up to 5 million Filipino children are made victims of child labour as their country is plagued with economic injustices, landlessness and war. It is such a common sight that everywhere you turn, you’ll be able to spot children, forced to work in deplorable conditions and environments for wages that could barely sustain them and their family on a daily basis. International Labour Organisation delves into the treachery of such economic ills and what could be done to help the children from such immoral treatments.

Amarildo Silva is a Brazilian artist who ingeniously came up with a perfect recycling effort to save the planet and at the same time take the strays off the streets. By collecting and repurposing used tires by turning them into works of art that are able to accommodate and bring comfort to the plentiful of strays on the streets of Brazil happens to solves to issues at a go. https://bit.ly/2wuYjFg

https://bit.ly/33NEZ2g 43

INSiGHT | June 2020

Timeline uncovers the untold story of how the United Kingdom became the greatest slaving nation in human history. The unpleasant truth of how a great nation so intertwined in its dependence of slavery that it wouldn’t be the country it is if slavery was to disappear from the economic, social and cultural aspects in its society https://bit.ly/2UxMSEM

Amid the Coronavirus lockdown in Italy, many Italians took to performing music for their neighbours on their balconies to keep the spirits of their communities up and positive. The multiple scenarios can be viewed via the link provided below. https://bit.ly/3ajOfO3

SEEN & HEARD |

Into The Eyes of Racism (A Sonnet) I looked into the eyes of racism, All I found was insecurity. I looked into the eyes of prejudice, All I found was pretend sanity. I looked into the eyes of bigotry, All I found was savage inanity. I looked into the eyes of hate, All I found was delusion of purity. I looked into the eyes of disparity, All I found was mindless conformity. I looked into the eyes of apathy, All I found was spineless vanity. I looked a lot and observed plenty, It's time to burn bright against brutality.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x2022; Abhijit Naskar

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“

If we can’t begin to agree on fundamentals, such as the elimination of the most abusive forms of child laboUr in the world, then we are not ready to march forward into the future.

“

– Alexis Herman

INSiGHT | June 2020

12 June | World Day Against Child Labour

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Wounded Moon by Sia Figiel Tonight, the fires of revolution continue to burn across cities on the asphalt where the blood of another black man. George Floyd is freshly caked under a wounded Moon Grieving stars fall into the mouths of ordinary wo(men) whose demands for justice are met by a deaf-toned president shamelessly holeing up a bible before a church after calling governers weak jerks who must dominate with agression and violence

spurring the virus of hate across a nation where the coloured and the other are moving targets asphyxiated under historyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s brutal boots - to serve and protect And the wounded Moon looks down from the heavens Her sorrow an imprint on the rage and the fury and the tears and the cries ascending above the tear gas above the sirens End! This! Now!

INSiGHT | June 2020

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YOUR SAY |

REFLECTIONS FROM GLOBAL

CONSULTATION ON HUMAN TRAFFICKING By Rev Vavatau Taufao, of the Congregational Christian Church Samoa (CCCS)

Sad to say, we the Samoans didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see Human Trafficking as a major issue in our country and thus, our church had not made any attempt for prevention and protection of our people from Human Trafficking till we received an invitation from CWM for Global Consultation. As one of the requirements to attend this consultation, I had sent some of my colleagues in our office to call the police and other NGOs in Samoa to enquire about Human Trafficking. Even though there were no records of any reported cases, MWCD (Ministry of Women and Culture Development) and MSBS (Ministry of Samoa Bureau and Statistics) raised the possibility of Human Trafficking in the form of Child Adoption. Another case in concern is that of a respected member of community in Samoa, who was believed to have targeted vulnerable people who had limited education and literacy, and he was arrested and charged by the New Zealand police in December 2018. We had fruitful discussions and sharing in this consultation, where we saw that human trafficking takes place where humanity is being ripped of its human dignity, and individuals are stripped of their self-esteem and self-respect. We have seen some heart-breaking statistics and understood the challenges before the church to restore human dignity of each individual created by God. We need to look at ourselves, our role to stop this inhumane practice. I commend and applaud the proactive work of CWM to organise this consultation which opened our eyes to this emerging challenge faced by our own people, and also commend all the presenters for their preparations and everyone for their inputs and sharing over these three days of Consultation. In my capacity as the General Secretary of CCCS, I have been challenged by the consultation to raise public awareness of its lasting impact in our community, by encouraging local television programmes to address this issue. This includes Youth and School Debates, Documentary notices and Reflections on known real cases from other Pacific areas. As the General Secretary of the church as well, I will encourage our Christian Education department for to be more proactive and creative in developing curriculum that introduces the issue to our children and church youths. I will make an effort in CCCS committee meetings, to highlight issues that can be associated with seasonal labourers which is now gaining popularity in Samoa.

INSiGHT | June 2020

COMING HOME:

REFLECTIONS ON COVID-19 By Karen Francis

Throughout the years of working with CWM, there were moments I welcomed with unfettered joy – my arrivals in Jamaica. My work involves travel, sometimes spanning several days. I have had the privilege of visiting several countries and been enriched by their citizens. But nothing gives me greater satisfaction as the moment the wheels of the aircraft touch down in Jamaica. I suspect others share my joy because it is common practice for passengers on these flights to erupt into applause when the wheels hit the tarmac. I recalled those feelings as I read the desperate pleas of my country men and women who want to come home to Jamaica. The problem is our borders are closed by the Government of Jamaica in order to protect public health. Having resided outside of Jamaica for some years, I have always been smugly assured that I can choose to enter my own country whenever I want. Such assurance is even more meaningful when I consider the twists and turns of visa application processes and requests to remain in some of the countries I chose to visit. Coming home is simply a matter of getting on a plane, passport in hand and walking through the open doors to immigration and customs. Not anymore. COVID-19 has changed that. So, I have great empathy for Jamaicans who are away from their homeland and unable to return because the borders are closed. The cries of the community in exile in Psalm 137: 1-4 are haunting, “By the rivers of Babylon, where we sat down, there we wept, when we remembered Zion”. The circumstances leading to the exile of the Israelites are not the same for my country men and women who want to return home. However, the emotional posture of sadness in these circumstances coincide with the picture of despair I imagine as the COVID-19 ‘exiles’ remember Zion/Jamaica. These are men and women who long for the place to which they belong, where memories, family, and friendship

beckon. I imagine them saying, “How can we sing the Lord’s songs in a strange land? How can we be happy, be content, be patient, at ease in a land not our own while we wait?” This situation is made worse by the acts of discrimination against the ‘foreigner’ in places around the world. How might the communities of faith in the CWM family re-position the church to relate to the ‘foreigner’ in their midst? Many of us have never been in a strange land other than on vacation or work assignment where the time to return home is planned and known. Perhaps we could spare a thought, prayer and do some work to help those who are lonely, despondent, longing for home? They may feel unable to sing the Lord’s song. How can we incarnate hope for them in their circumstances? The principle of hospitality which we esteem in CWM summons us to welcome another and extend open arms to those who are not near their homes. Perhaps acts of kindness and advocacy could help students and migrant workers to know they are not alone. Such a response confronts the inclination to selfish, xenophobic exclusive behaviour which denies resources being shared with those who look and sound different. Could outreach initiatives seek to understand the ‘foreigner’s’ peculiar challenges rather than simply offering a package based on our preferences? Could our acts of fellowship celebrate the culture of the ‘foreigner’ rather than requiring them to conform to the practices of the place of ‘exile’? We have within us God’s creative genes which can be employed to devise strategies and initiatives to respond to the needs of the ‘brothers and sisters from another mother’ as they yearn to go home.

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FEAR, FAITH & COVID-19 By Wayne Hawkins

The COVID-19 pandemic impacts on us all and reveals the deep divides between us. While for some catching the virus will mean a measure of discomfort and isolation for too many catching COVID-19 is fatal. Where some only need to put into place sensible social distancing measures others put their own lives at risk to discharge their duty of care as health professionals and key workers. Some have incomes that are secure where others find themselves in dire circumstances as their businessâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shutdown and the economy contracts. Where some are taken up with daily tasks others have lives and plans overturned with cancelled examinations, applying to university but not knowing if it will open or not, postponing weddings and prolonged separation from families and friends. Where we might complain about the inconvenience and tediousness of it all, other experience the falling apart of carefully constructed routines through which they cope with a stressed filled life. For my family we are pleased to have the children at home where we are supporting their learning through on-line lessons. We are fortunate to be able to keep functioning except for the feeling of isolation from friends and family. Working from home means different patterns of working and a proliferation of on-line meetings to maintain contact with colleagues and replace face to face engagements. But what I am finding most disconcerting is the way in which social isolating goes against other deep impulses and desires. I have friends who have lost loved ones and what one most wants is to put an arm around them or place a hand on their shoulder; but we know that this would be irresponsible. In this time of crisis to be with our families and friends offering support but the most helpful thing I have been able to do is collect some shopping and leave outside their home for them to collect when I am at a safe distance. As people of faith we believe that isolation is one of societies most pressing problems and we know when we pool our resources, skills and insights we are stronger together â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a value that CWM seeks to embody - but right now social isolation is the most necessary and safest thing. It can feel as if COVID-19 has dismantled the habits of community and society that we know are best, but it has also promoted us to appreciate and cheer on those in health and key worker posts who for years have been unappreciated. COVID-19 plays into some of our deepest fears â&#x20AC;&#x201C; being isolated from family and friends, the withdrawal of communication and ultimately our fear of death itself. But here is where our Christian faith comes into its own, when all the certainties we took for granted disappear Christianity inspires faith that love is stronger than death and goodness more powerful than evil. Christianity is the trust that on the cross Jesus drew us into his outstretched arms and that in the resurrection God raised Jesus to life and demonstrating that love is stronger than death. The cross shows us that love includes terrible suffering, pain and even loss; but the resurrection shows that love conquers all. In this we discover that nothing can separate us from the love of God.

INSiGHT | June 2020

SERVING AS HOSPITAL CHAPLAIN IN TRYING TIMES By Rev Dr Sangkhuma Hmar

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, I have continued to minister to the sick and the bereaved in challenging circumstances. My job is to provide a range of services including visits to patients, providing pastoral and spiritual care to families and patients who are at the end of their lives and bereavement to those who have sadly passed away. I have undergone special training and worn personal protection equipment (PPE) over my clerical shirt and dog collar. There is some personal risk but I don't really think about that. I think this is what Christians should be doing; helping, supporting, listening and being on the journey with others. I wanted to share with you briefly what this time has been for me. Seeing patients to go through this unthinkable ordeal is heart-breaking and painful. They have not seen their family in weeks and feel isolated and lonely. Families are at home waiting to hear from the hospital and they will often feel helpless. Staff are dealing with extremely stressful situations that change every day. As a chaplain in such an unusual time, it is my role to try to support patients and staff and to make space for them to share their fears and feelings. I am also supporting the staff dealing with the emotional challenges and end of life care as they find themselves needing to be mindful of the spiritual and emotional needs of patients. The psychological and emotional repercussions for doctors and nurses would outlast the pandemic. I also support staff either by offering a listening ear as they discuss their working day or to talk about more personal issues. Again, it is important to support staff: they feel they need to appear to be stronger. Everybody is waiting, how it will come, what it will look like, and they are the same as patients; they have got family and children. The common concerns have been that anxiety, what the UK will look like after this, job security, mortgages, families and relationships. But my conversations with staff have not all been filled with anxiety and worry. Many are grateful they have got a job, grateful they are going into work, feel that they fulfil their purpose and appreciate the noble works that they are doing. In addition to supporting Christian patients, I go the extra mile to support people of other faiths of Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME), as well as patients who do not have a religious belief but who would like someone to talk to. (Muslims have their own chaplains.) Remember, spirituality is not about a belief in God, it is whatever brings meaning to your life. I offer empathetic listening, a faithful presence, space to talk about patients' life stories or I help patients to discover renewed meaning in their lives and spiritual peace. Please continue to pray for me, and other chaplains as we provide support for patients and staff in Heath, Llandough, Neath Port Talbot and Morriston hospitals in South Wales during trying times. Let us also pray for doctors, nurses and carers who sacrifice their lives as front liners. We owe them all a debt of gratitude!

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MY JOURNEY TO TEACHING AT TCC By Rev Helen Harray, Partner in Mission (PIM)

Rev Helen Harray is serving as a Partner in Mission (PIM), facilitated by CWM in support of our member church - Presbyterian Church in Myanmar (PCM). CWM’s PIM programme is a coordinated approach to sharing people between member churches and, in some cases, with the wider ecumenical community. The term ‘Partner in Mission’ refers to an individual who serves in a context outside of his/her own nation and member church, using skills, experiences and gifts which are needed in the new context that they serve. Part of the challenge to any church is to be truly missional rather than simply being a settler church and ministering to one’s own. During those years we thought and wondered a lot about doing cross cultural mission and how to encourage young people to step out into a different context with the love of God, whether within their own country or abroad. It was another step then for me and Wayne to think maybe we can go ourselves and stimulate the church to be involved with us. And so, in 2015 we began to explore that possibility and wonder where a connection could be made.

It’s interesting how life comes full circle. Well that’s what I feel at this point in my life’s journey. I was born into a family of teachers and once declared I would never be one myself. But on leaving school I sensed God nevertheless calling me into this profession. After doing a BA in English Lit and History, I attended Auckland Teachers’ College for a year and accepted a job in a High School down country for the next 5 years or so. It was there that I met my farmer husband and we were married in 1981. I loved teaching and I always wondered why they paid me for it every month, but now being married we decided to have children and I left full time teaching for motherhood and new adventures in different parts of New Zealand. Underlying my love for teaching was an another deeply held desire and that was to serve my Lord Jesus in any way I could. I began to study theology part time by distance, whilst bringing up 3 children. Eventually I made my way into the ranks of Presbyterian minister of the PCANZ. For the next 12 years I pioneered a student church called Studentsoul and once again found myself teaching, training and inspiring emerging adults from 18-24. Following this I became a Co-Pastor at Leith Valley Presbyterian in Dunedin, NZ.

As it happens God was many steps ahead of us and He had it all sorted. The presence of Myanmar nationals in our home church studying theology at Otago University, gave us the necessary impetus at the end of a 6-month trip in 2015, to visit their hometown in the Chin Hills and see what life in Myanmar was like. Then at the random suggestion of Dr Anna Sui Hluan who was showing us around, we visited TTC and the seed was sown that perhaps there were some open doors here for us to help out. It took another 2.5 years for us to finally arrive in July 2018, but there we began our time in Kalaymyo, serving God amongst the TTC community. God has a sense of humour. For despite declaring I would not be a teacher and then becoming one and despite expecting that I would engage in teaching pastoral care and develop some sort of counseling ministry at TTC, I have again ended up teaching young people between the ages of 16 and 24. Neither did I expect that at this time of my life and career, I would be teaching English again. When I first arrived, I was simply asked to teach ‘speaking and listening’ as the native speaker. This definitely threw me in the deep end and I had to call upon all of my resources and skills. But my natural rapport and enthusiasm for this age group also surfaced and I was glad to be of service in helping them learn communicative English. After the initial semester however, I began to understand a little bit of the bigger picture of education in Myanmar and the dreadful impact that a military regime had upon decades of students forced to study by heart and in the process become passive and disempowered in critical thinking and speaking, as well as in actually understanding what they were learning. I have now heard some horrific stories of

INSiGHT | June 2020

Beginning of 2019 Academic Year

corruption and abuse of power in the education system that continue to this day. At first, I couldn’t believe that students I was teaching could have actually matriculated in English when they could barely understand or speak to me. The sad truth is that only 30% of the country pass English and even then, their standard is very low. I understood then that most of the students were still functioning in the patterns ingrained into them at school and needed a lot of help to make better progress. I began to speak about the need to change our methods of teaching so that we could address some of these needs and the faculty member in charge of the BA Program trusted me with a different approach. The TEFL training and research that I have done tells me that students learning English as a second language ought to be in an integrative environment. In other words, you don’t learn English by learning grammar or any other aspect of language, in isolation, without application. For most people here learning English is simply learning grammar, without being able to apply this into a real conversation. Or learning about novels by reading extracts, not reading the whole book and by ‘by hearting’ the answers to the questions that the teacher has supplied. In one such ‘text’ book I read, the answers to the comprehension questions bore no relationship to the text actually supplied. In actual fact we learn best when reading, writing, speaking and listening, as well as grammar, vocab and pronunciation, are all being integrated together. How can you write or speak without grammar? But grammar on its own is repetitive and boring. Subsequently, we re-tested all our students to find their actual level of ability in English and reorganised the classes to enable each student to be learning at their own level and then added the Inter-Change textbooks as a framework for bringing all aspects of learning language together. It was a vastly different approach for many but it worked a bit better. A new academic year dawned in June, 2019 and I now found myself Head of the BA program at TTC. I also had 2 full-time teachers and several part-time staff. There were 30 students in 4-year groups, at many different levels of English skill. (Over the year, 3 young men were married and left the program and the 3 in their final year graduated.)

Workload increased with responsibility for staff and students, as well as developing curriculum and new syllabus. We continued to develop the program with the integrative methodology that I outlined above. We found excellent Myanmar resources, in English, for minor subjects such as Gender Perspectives, Social Science and Planet Earth BBC, from Mote Oo Education in Yangon, which the students really enjoyed. The Learning Skills Manual was particularly helpful. All these resources and many more can be downloaded online for free or bought for a very reasonable price from Mote Oo. Strangely enough they were developed by a fellow New Zealander in conjunction with local Burmese educators. During the semester break, I and a fellow teacher from NZ undertook some teacher training with my staff and 8 others from other schools, a first for TTC and a sign of things to come maybe. Alongside Phonics training, we trained them in teaching reading and literature as well as writing skills. As a result, we have brought creativity and colour into the classroom, as well as group work and some self-directed learning. My role continued to be biased to teaching ‘speaking’ and over the year I developed a Phonics syllabus tailored toward ESL learners. My belief is that if a student knows how to pronounce the sounds of English, they will both speak and read aloud with confidence. As a result of Burmese teachers who themselves are not confident in English speaking, most students never practice speaking. Hence the major aims of the course are to develop understanding and confidence in public speaking, reading fluency and confident conversation. As I write now from lockdown in NZ, I can say I have used my time well to marshal all my ideas and resources into 3 printable manuals for beginner, intermediate and advanced Phonics. This represents a lot of research into the efficacy of phonics in teaching English, as well as searching for suitable resources for ESL learners. There are multitudes of resources for Kindergarten and Primary age learners, but what if your students are 16+ and mostly male? I am now looking forward to being able to train more teachers in using these manuals and improving their own pronunciation and speaking skills.

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RE-IMAGING MARGINALITY COVID-19 AND THE CHANGING FORTUNES OF SOUTH AFRICAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S FOREIGN MIGRANTS By Rev Dr Buhle Mpofu

Police remove foreign migrants from the Central Methodist Church in Cape Town, Sourth Africa, Thursday, April 2, 2020. The migrants, who had been sheltering there for months, refused to leave the church and had previously demanded that South Africa relocate them to other countries, including the United States and Canada, because they had been victims of xenophobic threats in South Africa last year. (AP Photo)

The global impact of corona virus has dominated recent developments alongside the invidious protests against racism sparked by the horrendous death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis, United States of America (U.S.A). We have seen a renewed call for justice as Black Lives Matter (BLM), an international human rights movement originating from African-American community, mobilise people to stand up against racism and hegemonic structures that institutionally sustain remnants of White supremacy. Despite fears for the spread of coronavirus during protest marches, global activists have seized this opportunity to organise solidarity marches and demand institutional reforms in the justice systems and an end to racist and unjust practices. The protests have also demanded decolonisation of global institutions and some protesters have pulled down or defaced statues of colonial figures like Winston Churchill in London, and Rhodes in Southern Africa. Those agitating for transformation recognise these statues as representations of symbolic and institutional violence against victims of colonialism. As coronavirus and this global call for change reset the world, it is important that focusing on the legacies of colonialism be expanded to help us address all forms of injustices created and sustained by the empire, including the challenges experienced by migrants, refugees and asylum seekers. One of the legacies of the colonial borders was the creation of disparities between racial, ethnical and indigenous groups of people through restricted movement, limiting economic opportunities for

segregated Black people. This is clearly visible in the US and in South Africa. For example, COVID-19 has exposed these racial inequalities as it disproportionately devastated minority communities in the USA. In South Africa, infections were severe and had catastrophic socio-economic consequences in poor black communities in Cape-Town. In responding to a global call for justice and restoration of human dignity for Black and minority groups who have been exploited by generations of White supremacists, it is critical that we also pay attention to situation of migration as most migrant workers were left stranded as governments implemented urgent measures to curb the spread of corona virus. This is one example of how authorities can be supremacist and reflect the colonial hangover mentality which thrives on segregation and exclusion. Global responses to COVID-19 were marked by lockdowns which restricted movement to limit the spread of the virus and enforce social distancing measures. Closing of borders and restricting movement impacted negatively on migration flows, and meant that most migrant workers were abruptly removed from their places of work when their companies closed without necessary arrangements for their welfare and safety. Refugees and asylum seekers fleeing wars and violence were left stranded in transit communities where they are often framed as a security threat and sometimes criminalised as undocumented. Criminalising movement for people seeking safety and ignoring their plight is not anything new for the time of COVID-19, this has become a symbolic representation of institutional

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violence perpetrated against the poor by the empire. Covid-19 simply laid bare these systemic injustices. In South Africa the government moved to stifle migration in 2018 after the cabinet approved locating the department of home affairs within the security cluster alongside justice, police, military and correctional services. A white paper on international migration conflated migration legislation and policy with national security, proposing stringent measures to restrict migration to highly skilled people or capital and thereby criminalise certain forms of migration. In essence, the passing of the Border Management Agency Bill by the National Assembly ensured the creation of a centralised authority with sweeping powers over South Africa’s ports of entry, including policing and customs. More attention needs to be given on how these policies will facilitate transformation within the context of justice and respect for human dignity so that they do not impede the ‘rainbow’ nation’s vision of a just society. The ideal of a rainbow nation was a vision of Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu who opened up a way to reimage South Africa as a society that would bring a fresh meaning to the celebration of human life in all its individual uniqueness and thus demonstrate a key aspect of ‘aesthetic existence’. This was after a painful past marked with segregation and oppression of the majority black people during the apartheid years. From 1994 under the leadership of the first black democratically elected President Nelson Mandela, the South African government emerged with an ambitious plan to bring about transformation and deliver justice to previously oppressed black communities. This plan prioritised focus on job creation (with full participation of foreign migrants in the economic sector) and alleviation of poverty, through provision of social grants and free housing under the Rapid Development Program (RDP). Despite challenges with corruption and poor service delivery, Mandela’s vision of a rainbow nation was inclusive and sought to deal with poverty and socio-economic inequalities through inclusive economic policies which promoted the integration of foreign migrants. In an article published with Alternation Journal in 2019, “Migration, xenophobia and resistance to xenophobia and socio-economic exclusion in the aftermath of South African Rainbowism” I examined the different articulations of South African ‘Rainbowism’ through interrogating the place of migrant in the various structural or economic development policies from Mandela’s Reconstruction Economic Development (RDP), through Mbeki’s Growth, Employment and Redistribution (GEAR), Zuma’s Radical Economic Transformation (RET) and more recently, Cyril Ramaphosa’s Thuma Mina (Send me) dispensation. This paper identified major constraints regarding

paternalistic approaches to the situation of migration in South Africa and COVID-19 has laid these limitations bare. Mapping the changing fortunes of migrants in South Africa during the last 25 years of democracy, I also contended that while many migrants moved to South Africa because it presented hope for democracy, civil protections from ethnic division and inclusion, the opportunities and recognition of migrants remains an elusive dream. Following Mandela’s retirement after a successful five-year term in which he championed the historical Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC)- which brought political stability after the fall of apartheid, Thabo Mbeki took over with laudable economic policies which ensured development. He was considered a good liberal economist despite his term being marred with controversial HIV/AIDS denialism and euro-centric capitalist policies which protected White supremacy. Mbeki is popular for his iconic speech, ‘I am an African’ and advocated integration of African migrants into the South African society and economy. His government was so keen in protecting migrants and African states that he went as far as denying that there was a crisis in Zimbabwe after making one of his regional peace and reconciliation trips to the crisis hit Zimbabwe at the time when he was the chair-person of the Southern African Development Corporation (SADC). His second term was short-lived after he suspended deputy President Jacob Zuma for alleged corruption and fell into the hands of his political opponents who felt that economic transformation was slow and blamed him for targeting Zuma. Who was perceived to be pro-poor. Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma dramatically ascended to the South African presidency in May 2009 on a wave of popular euphoria and sympathy from voters who were frustrated with declining economic growth and slow transfer of wealth to poor. There was rising unemployment and poor service delivery protests which were often accompanied with xenophobic attacks on foreigners and foreign businesses. Migrants in South Africa are often accused of taking jobs for locals despite evidence from studies which suggest that the majority of foreign migrants create jobs for themselves and employ locals. With Zuma’s endorsement as the leader of the African National Congress (ANC), came the Radical Economic Transformation (RET) program aimed at transforming the economy and dismantling institutions that sustain white supremacy and monopoly. The ANC’s policies of radical economic transformation emerged as a mechanism that would circumvent the structures of sustained inequality, and provide the poor with access to social and economic upliftment, as imagined in Mandela’s dream of a thriving rainbow nation. Zuma’s period was characterised by state capture and allegations of corruption, violent protests with very little progress toward the realisation of the dream of a rainbow

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nation. The worst xenophobic attacks in 2008 and 2015 took place during the presidency of Zuma and very little was done to bring perpetrators of xenophobic violence to book despite churches and ecumenical bodies calling for justice. In 2017 the ANC re-assessed economic conditions and later adopted new policies within the rapidly changing context as the government struggled to account for two decades of democracy while the Black majority were still landless and getting more impatient with slow transfer of wealth to address poverty and inequality. Growing protests, demands for land and agitation against government charades on poor service delivery and economic exclusion, led to increased scapegoating and violence directed to African migrants perceived to be ‘stealing jobs from South Africans’ and eroding the few opportunities available to locals. This narrative forced the government into an ideological shift against foreigners and the change in mood from inclusion to marginalisation of fellow African migrants in the economic development programs. The result was that we now see such discourses translated into institutionalised violence against fellow Black Africans. During the periods of Mandela and Mbeki, xenophobia was insidious, but it now assumes an invidious ideological basis supported by political rhetoric which portray migrants as a problem, making them vulnerable to xenophobic attacks and excluded from economic participation, schools and other public services. These are structural injustices that have been worsened and exposed by the devastating corona virus pandemic. However, there was a sense of renewed hope towards reviving the dream of a rainbow nation when Cyril Matamela Ramaphosa took over as the President with the agenda for moral restoration as he was considered one of the ANC leaders who are ‘clean’ from corruption. He was tasked with reversing economic misfortunes when unemployment was at 27% and public health care had deteriorated and uncapable of coping with the growing burden of patients. There were reports of foreign migrants blamed for overcrowded hospitals even from some of ANC leaders, despite statistics which indicate that migrants are a negligible number in South Africa as opposed to narratives which cast them as an ‘overflow’ in the country. This issue took a centre stage as debate on migration dominated political campaigns during the 2019 national elections and most political parties highlighted migration as one of the major focus areas in their policies and party manifestos. These manifestos were influenced by developments in the US where President Trump was pushing for the construction of a wall on the borders with Mexico. Most notably, the Democratic Alliance (DA), the main opposition partly considered to be white supremacist, claimed that its plan was to “secure borders” because ‘the impact of porous borders and an ineffective, mostly corrupt Department of Home Affairs (DHA) has created a

situation where it is not possible to be aware of the numbers of people who come in and out of the country. The DA further claimed that they are “... the only party which is willing to tackle the challenge of xenophobia and ‘illegal’ migration head on and provide leadership on what they considered a ‘difficult and indeed emotive issue.’ Some recommendations from the opposition manifestos highlighted the need to ensure legal migration into South Africa and effective policing of borders and rooting out corruption in the immigration processes. These recommendations resonate with the draconian Border Management Agency Bill which was passed by the National Assembly to ensure the creation of a centralised authority with sweeping powers over South Africa’s ports of entry, policing and customs. Most opposition parties insist on the idea that tightening control of the country’s borders will address the socio-economic problems and xenophobia with some political parties such as the Freedom Front Plus even blaming South Africa’s poor economic performance and declining socio-economic conditions on the presence of foreign migrants. After President Cyril Ramaphosa emerged as the source of hope in the restoration of the dreams and vision of a rainbow nation, he inspired the nation by invoking the lyrics of a song from the late struggle and music icon Hugh Masekela, “Thuma Mina” (Send Me) in a desperate effort to restore confidence in the government and as a call to unite South Africans. Unfortunately, his inaugural speech did not extend a call for renewed collective nation building to foreigners resident in the country, as he acknowledged diversity but narrowly addressed “fellow” South Africans as reflected in the excerpt from his speech below: In our magnificent diversity, and despite our many differences, the people of this country answered the call of Thuma mina (Send Me). In their multitudes, South Africans asked not what can be done for them, but what they could do for their country. In ways both large and small, both public and private, South Africans set about building a better nation (State of the Nation Address, May 2019). Despite constitutional provisions that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, united in diversity, migrants are often neglected and marginalised in South Africa. This socio-economic privileging of citizens over ‘all people’ who live in the country, impede on the realisation of a just and humane post-apartheid society and was recently evident in a proposal by the Finance Minister Tito Mboweni. The Finance minister called for locals to be favoured in employment opportunities as one of the strategies

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for the country to emerge from the COVID-19 crisis. For Mboweni, "[t]he proportion of South Africans working in any restaurant must be greater than that of non-South Africans”. Similarly, when the President announced a R5Billion stimulus package to revive the economy and support companies and unemployed South Africans who were not receiving any grants during the coronavirus lockdown, migrants were excluded from receiving government support. This was despite well documented evidence that the majority of people affected by the lockdown were non-South African migrants who work in the informal sector. Churches and NGOs had to provide food parcels to millions of starving migrants- some of them stuck in the country after the borders were closed on short notice. More than two decades after the fall of apartheid, these actions echo a dark history of colonial and apartheid legacies reflected in disingenuous policies that protect neo-liberalism at the expense of dismembered Black majority. The post-COVID-19 unpredictable future of migrants in South Africa has been made darker by ambiguous government's policies laid bare by the impact of coronavirus pandemic. A shifting ‘rainbowism’ towards anti-immigrant policies and divisive rhetoric reflected in political discourses, all cast the South African dream of a rainbow nation as evasive and elusive. There is no clear program to promote the inclusion of migrants in the South African economic development strategy and foreign migrants continue to be marginalised. They live on the margins of South African society, under constant threat to xenophobic attacks and violence even in the face of a global coronavirus pandemic. We therefore need to reimage marginality as a survival strategy. Reimaging marginality Given the global activism demanding institutional reforms to end racism and decolonise global institutions, Covid-19 also presents an opportunity to reimage our communities and life affirming narratives as counter resistance to marginality and exclusion in the context of migration. Like migrants, refugees and asylum seekers, there are millions of the world’s poor peoples who are ostracised and live on the margins of society - so we need to appropriate a new meaning to marginality, exclusion and rejection. The terms marginality, exclusion, rejection and ostracism can be used interchangeably and attempts to distinguish them and demonstrate that there is no significant difference. They all indicate a situation that threatens humanity’s fundamental need for belonging. Variables of marginality and exclusion range from socio-economic, political, racial, ethnical, religious and even socio-cultural and gender exclusion. Exclusion is fundamentally a state in which individuals or groups lack effective participation in key activities or benefits of the

society in which they live. In the context of Covid-19, the exclusion and marginalisation of migrants meant that they could not participate in key prevention activities as they had to navigate a public health emergency with limited resources. They were exposed and posed a serious threat to the government’s response as they struggled to survive in their marginalised neighbourhoods with no state support during the lockdown. They risked being arrested for defying lockdown or being infected while they scrambled for food in crowded places where NGOs distributed food parcels. Therefore, for migrants and refugees in South Africa marginality resonates with their experiences as they are often pushed to survive on the margins of society where they create their own safe spaces and develop survival strategies. Historically speaking, South African communities thrive in marginality as they are still racially and ethnically arranged and such arrangements facilitated activism in the poorly serviced majority black townships which led to the fall of the apartheid system. In essence, migrant communities also create their own spaces of struggle against injustices in the face of limited entitlements or access to resources and public services. South Africa is clustered into “causal complexes” or “marginality patterns” - the racial, ethnical and tribal divisions and practices that are still prevalent in society. It is in this context that marginality can be reimaged as ‘a site of resistance’. The work of Bell Hooks (1990), Marginality as a site of resistance proposed that exclusion of segregated Black Americans be “looked both from the outside-in and from the inside-out to focus attention on the centre as well as the margins of their communities in order to give meaning to their experiences of segregation. Hooks’ development of ‘a particular way of seeing reality’ as a lens to examine segregated migrant communities helps us envision discrimination and marginality as a site of radical possibility - a space of resistance which is central to creating a counter hegemonic discourse, with the ability to transform the world. Therefore, marginality should not always be seen ‘as a sign marking the condition of pain and deprivation’ but rather as a position and place of resistance which is crucial for the oppressed, exploited, and colonised people. In seeking justice from the margins, reimaging marginality in this way restores human dignity for the vulnerable peoples and dehumanised people such as migrants, refugees, black people and the poor. Recognising their agency and framing marginality in this way will give meaning to their protests from the margins, disrupt order of the day and ensure radical transformation for oppressive institutions which sustain political, economic and ideological systems of empire.

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HIS NAME WAS DR LI WEN LIANG

Dr Li Wenliang is an ophthalmologist with the Wuhan Central Hospital. He first identified and warned of an imminent outbreak similar to the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) which was later officially named as Covid-19. The sharing of his warnings to the public did not go down well with the Chinese government and he was charged for making false comments on the internet and causing distress and panic to the population. Unfortunately, Dr Li died from contracting the very same disease he had tried to warn the people about. Although he was painted as a rumour monger by the authorities, many Chinese people see him as the bearer of truth in which his whistle blowing effort was to expose the falsehood of the Chinese government, from keeping the reality of the situation from the Chinese population at large. Rest in Peace Posters of Dr Li Wenliang, who warned authorities about the coronovirus outbreak seen at Hosier Lane in Melbourne, Australia. Hosier Lane is known for its street art. Photo by Adli Wahid via Unsplash.

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INSiGHT - June 2020

Articles inside

Reimaging Marginality: Covid-19 and the changing fortunes of South Africas foreign migrants

Reflections from global consultation on human trafficking

Called to Serve

Coming Home: Reflections on Covid-19

My journey to teaching at TCC

Serving as a hospital chaplain in trying times

Fear, faith & Covid-19

Choosing between death and death: A Covid-19 reflection

Silent No Longer: The Roots of Racism in Mission

Towards 2040: The future of the church is not our responsibility

Rising to Life with Jesus Breaking out from Babylon

We Shall Rise and Stand Upright

A Widow’s Message

Holy Spirit as a helper leading us to new realities

FOREWORD