20 minute read
A Good Place
Farewell and Reflections by the General Secretary
Time flies when one is having a good time, a true testament of my sojourn as General Secretary of CWM, since 1 January 2011. It has been an intriguing journey and one from which I have learnt a great deal about the church, about the ecumenical movement, about people and myself. My life has been immensely blessed by this journey, and I thank the entire CWM family for the generosity of spirit and goodwill that characterised my experience over these years.
CWM has come a long way over this past decade. We have accomplished much together and there is much to celebrate. We have been inspired and have inspired others to dare to dream of a different world, which, in itself, is hope alive - discontent and determination combined, to resist the forces of death and destruction and to rise to life with the risen Jesus. CWM has been on a daring path – dare to dream, dare to hope, dare to be – radical, subversive and resistant. This is another way of saying we are disciples of Jesus, committed to obediently walking the Jesus way.
These are among the distinctions that define CWM at this time. This is a very good time to hand over the baton of leadership and I do so with deep gratitude for the opportunity and privilege of having been CWM’s General Secretary over such a remarkable decade.
By the time of this writing, my colleague, brother and friend, Jooseop Keum has been named as the incoming General Secretary of CWM. He is no stranger to the family of CWM; in fact, he is part of the family – an ordained minister of the Presbyterian Church of Korea and former staff of CWM. He is passionate about justice, committed to the strategy of working through member churches and deeply grounded in the ecumenical movement. His spirituality of resistance, coupled with his capacity for negotiating spaces for convergence within diversity, are strengths that will serve CWM well in this next phase of our journey. I commend him to you wholeheartedly; I pray with you that his will be a purposeful, fruitful and fulfilling tour of duty.
CWM is at a good place. We have settled location considerations with three offices registered on three continents to weather immigration storms that we might face clearly defined strategy framework, revamped governance and management structures to clearly define the role of Members and that of Board of Directors, and to strengthen our engagement in the contexts of our members
renewed ecumenical collaboration for greater mission engagement and influence strong financial standing with a capital base that has held strong through recessions and now the pandemic clearly stated values, focused justice agenda, deepened appreciation of the place of member churches in the mission strategy of CWM, a Board of Directors, with an effective committee support network and a staff team of professionals, committed to the mission of CWM
Scan or click to read
AFRICA (UPCSA) Moderator discusses challenges of the church nearing the end of his term
Rt Rev Dr Peter Langerman has described challenges facing the church in his second last letter as Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa (UPCSA) Moderator. These include sexism and misogyny, natural disasters, and gender-based violence.
He recounted how their women leaders had objected to a plan to “celebrate” four decades of women ordination during the 2018 Assembly, as the experience had been painful for them. Through this anecdote, he shared that he “long(ed) for a day when we will acknowledge our cruel ministerial gender stereotypes and our entrenched patriarchy, truly repent of it, and shatter the glass ceiling that prevents more women from entering leadership positions in our Church.”
As for the gender-based violence, he stressed the men’s responsibility to call out abusers they are aware of, and that the church should provide temporary places of safety for abused women and children.
He concluded with observations on capacity building, saying: “One of our greatest tasks is the
Induction of Rev Dr Peter Langerman as the Moderator of UPCSA on 8 July 2018. Image by UPCSA. empowering of the Presbyteries to enable them to be the places of healing and wholeness they were always intended to be.”
Among Rt Rev Peter Langerman’s re ections in his nal letter as Moderator of The Uniting Presbyterian Church of Southern Africa (UPCSA), were his observations on how congregations have been faring recently.
The Moderator commended congregations for rising to the challenge of COVID-19, ministering to and providing for the hungry and poor in their communities in areas where governments were simply overwhelmed or unable to do so. At the same time, he reiterated the importance of vaccines, and for senior church leadership to lead the way by getting vaccinated early and making that known in public and on social media.
He also referred to their nancial di culties as a one with a spiritual root, stemming from a lack of respect and obedience towards “God-ordained authority structures” and urged them to address this issue for the survival of the church in future.
United Church of Zambia (UCZ)’s conservation farming programme o cially opens
A Conservation Farming programme in Chisamba District, Central Province was o cially opened by the Provincial Permanent Secretary Bernard Chomba in early May. In this joint venture, First Quantum Minerals shared conservation farming expertise with Chipembi College of Agriculture, the United Church of Zambia (UCZ)’s agriculture training institution for un-employed youth, retirees and more.
Compared to conventional farming, the Conservation Farming system uses simple, sustainable methods to produce higher yields so that subsistence farmers can sell surplus for pro t, a step towards and alleviating poverty and malnutrition. The week-long programme also trained participants from several provinces in Village Banking management and how to make environmentally-friendly charcoal as an energy source.
Image by UCZ
Image by UCZ
Continue to develop mission from the margins, says Hong Kong Council of the Church of Christ in China (HKCCCC) General Secretary
In the second of a series on future challenges and opportunities of Hong Kong, the HKCCCC General Secretary Rev Dr Eric So emphasized Mission to the Poor, a mission strategy that has been pursued by HKCCCC churches for decades.
Referring to earlier mission statements that highlighted the need to engage and serve under-privileged and marginalised communities, he voiced his hope that mission in the community would continue, and all HKCCCC churches would work closely on developing mission from the margins.
Rev Dr So also o ered some re ection questions for HKCCCC leaders, such as how HKCCCC and churches in Mainland China can mutually share insights in mission and ministry to continue e ective Christian mission in both areas. acquire skills to support themselves. It has continued operating within safety guidelines during the pandemic.
Also in the Church of Bangladesh (COB)’s latest newsletter issue was Bollobhpur Hospital's Nursing Training Centre in Kushtia Diocese, where another batch of students have completed their examinations and training.
Image by HKCC.
Church of North India (CNI) Calcutta Diocese’s Project enables small-scale businesses
Amiya Mondal who received help from Reverend Paritosh Canning, the bishop of the Calcutta diocese of the Church of North India, at Bishop House. Image by Gautam Bose.
The Calcutta Diocese of the Church of North India (CNI) has carried out its “The Neighbour” project to help at least 175 families whose livelihoods have been hard hit by the pandemic. Launched earlier this year, each family received seed money to help them start small businesses. These included cycle vans or kiosks for small food businesses, and sewing machines and accessories for tailoring units.
Bishop Paritosh Canning of the Calcutta Diocese expressed that they initially tried to meet immediate needs of food, clothes and money during the pandemic lockdown and Cyclone Amphan, followed by deliberating over how to support them through skill development thereafter. If successful, there are plans to continue this project beyond a year in a di erent format.
Equipping youths in Church of Bangladesh (COB)
The Nabokoli Beauty Parlour is a Church of Bangladesh (COB)’s Christian Ministry to Children & Youth (CMCY), which assists female teenage dropouts to
Nabokoli’s Beauty Parlour. Image by COB.
Nursing students. Image by COB.
PACIFIC
Paci c Conference of Churches (PCC) resource on COVID-19 vaccinations
As part of the pandemic response, the Paci c Conference of Churches (PCC) have released a resource covering biblical re ections on vaccination, its rationale, and common questions and information on COVID-19 vaccines. Mindful of the in uence and role of religious leadership in communities, Fijian and Tongan church leaders were pictured receiving the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine. Additionally, it includes a call to religious leadership of all faiths
to build trust, debunk myths and misinformation in their communities, and contribute to decisions accepted in their own contexts. View and download here:
https://tinyurl.com/mcxryba9
Paci c youths challenged to envisage future and work towards building a dynamic Paci c
During the opening of the Regional Youth Ecumenical Council (REYC), Paci c Conference of Churches (PCC) General Secretary Rev James Bhagwan encouraged youths to adapt, evolve and grow while retaining what was good and true from their indigenous spirituality and culture.
In his speech, Rev Bhagwan challenged them to envision a future for the Paci c region and collaborate to build a dynamic Paci c, where culture is evolving without limitations placed on it. "How can we leapfrog from pre-modern to postmodern, from pre-contact oral culture – where we sing, we dance, we weave, into a world where we are now coding?” he asked.
He recommended thinking critically and creatively about inherited ideas and conventions, and considering how to take indigenous knowledge, ancient principles and wisdom into the future.
Image by PCC.
PCC’s prayer appeal for those a ected by St Vincent volcanic eruption
Paci c Conference of Churches (PCC) General Secretary Rev James Bhagwan has written to Paci c church leaders seeking prayer for a ected communities following the La Soufrière volcanic eruption in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. This came after he received a request for prayers of solidarity from the Caribbean Council of Churches’ General Secretary Gerard Grenado.
Government o cials from neighbouring Caribbean countries had pledged support, especially in receiving evacuees from St. Vincent, and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) also expressed its readiness to assist. At least 6,000 people had been evacuated, with some received by private citizens of other Caribbean countries who opened their homes.
In his letter, Mr Grenado appealed for prayer for the safety of the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, for those who have lost their loved ones and their homes and for the continuing generosity of spirit and action by Caribbean states who have manifested the practical love of neighbour.
Image by PCC.
Image by PCC.
Challenging Patriarchy in the Paci c
Paci c Conference of Churches (PCC) General Secretary Rev James Bhagwan has lauded the critical role and contribution of women’s organisations in challenging patriarchy and holding male leaders in churches and faith communities accountable.
He was speaking at a Paci c Women’s Triennial Conference on gender-based violence (GBV), where he highlighted the e orts of national members of PCC in this issue. “Our role is to support their work such as addressing the ordination of women, bringing GBV into theological training. Our gender team is working on ensuring there is good decision making and working with church leaders on addressing the cultural and traditional drivers of patriarchy,” said Rev Bhagwan.
Also in the pipeline are plans to support development of Paci c Women Theology and collaborations between feminists and women theologians, he added.
Image from Reweaving the Ecological Mat (REM), a project undertaken by the Institute for Mission and Research based at the Pacific Theological College in Suva, Fiji.Image by PCC.
The United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands (UCJCI)’s healing ministry for children
For close to a century, UCJCI has embraced children-at-risk through its ministry of Pringle Home for Girls, and Mount Olivet Boys’ Home, where individual cases arrive through Jamaica’s child protection system.
With the aim to develop faith, restore hope and transform the lives of hurting children, Mount Olivet Boys’ Home nurtures and provides for 40 boys in a secure, family-oriented environment. In the Pringle Home for Girls, their holistic development is facilitated by professional intervention in counselling, social skills training, education and recreation.
The charges in both homes are also nurtured spiritually, and integrated into the life of the Church. In addition, they are involved in farming for sustenance and for sale, joining employed farm hands in planting crops and rearing livestock.
Pringle Home for Girls. Image by UCJCI.
Mount Olivet Home for Boys. Image by UCJCI.
United Reformed Church (URC) releases new collection of praise songs and protests for George Floyd anniversary
Galvanised into action by COVID-19 and George Floyd protests, retiring United Reformed Church (URC) minister Rev John Campbell wrote new hymns and songs of protest, partly to express the emotions of his 95% black congregation.
Seeing a handmade bouquet of sun owers and thistles outside Tottenham Police Station during a BLM protest, he thought that sun owers stood for the creative, underappreciated spirit of black people, and the thistles represented the struggle to ensure that Black Lives Matter.
Image by URC.
Image by URC.
a new collection of praise and protest songs for this rst death anniversary of George Floyd. This booklet of songs can be sung to the tunes of well-known hymns, and includes audio and video les, as well as sheet music and PowerPoint slides that can be downloaded free at:
https://tinyurl.com/2mtt2bvm
URC among faith groups urging Home Secretary to rethink new immigration plan
The United Reformed Church (URC), together with several Christian faith groups, have signed a joint letter urging the Home Secretary to rethink the government’s New Plan for Immigration (NPFI).
While they welcomed the new UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS) and looked forward to resettlement targets to be announced in future, they felt that it could not be done at the expense of an asylum system that o ers protection to those who need it.
In the statement, they called for principles of welcome, protection and integration to be embedded into government policies, and said that to penalise people who have no choice but to ee their homes is to abandon the very principles of international protection.
Instead of reducing the plight of asylum seekers to a statistic, they should recognise common interests of family, community and faith, and embrace the diversity which makes communities dynamic and vibrant.
A year since George Floyd’s tragic death, Churches Together in England (CTE) organised a “#CandleOfJustice: a moment of action” initiative on 25 May. Churches and Christians were encouraged to light a candle, pray for racial justice at noon, as well as commit to take steps towards racial justice.
There was also an evening church service of re ection by senior church leaders from Britain and Ireland, and The United Reformed Church (URC) were among churches participating.
United Reformed Church (URC) among global faith leaders calling for equitable vaccine distribution
The United Reformed Church (URC) is among faith leaders around the world urging for global vaccine equity and an end to vaccine nationalism, where wealthier countries gain rst access to and hoard In a joint statement issued through Christian Aid, over 140 faith leaders called for a “people’s vaccine” – referring to People’s Vaccine Alliance, a coalition of organisations campaigning for a COVID-19 vaccine that is patent-free and widely produced.
Emphasizing a joint responsibility to care for one another, they said: “we can each only be well, when all of us are well. If one part of the world is left to su er the pandemic, all parts of the world will be put at ever-increasing risk.”
United Reformed Church (URC) among founding members of campaign coalition “Together with Refugees”
Two in every three women and children that the UK accepts as refugees now, would be turned away in future under proposed new government rules, according to Together With Refugees, a new campaign coalition that aims to inspire hope and win deep change in the UK’s approach to refugees.
The campaign coalition consists of more than 100 national, local, refugee-led and grassroots groups including The United Reformed Church (URC). In a statement, they said that this di erent approach ensures “people can live in dignity while they wait to hear if they will be granted protection, and empowering refugees to rebuild their lives and make valuable contributions to their communities.”
Simeon Mitchell, URC Secretary for Church and Society, added that during a time of hostility towards immigrants, it is important to set out a positive alternative vision of a better approach. “How we treat people seeking refugee protection is about who we are. By being part of this campaign, we are saying that we stand alongside those seeking safety and sanctuary in the UK, and want to them to experience respect, fairness and kindness,” he said.
For more information, visit
Image by AFP.
At its Annual Members’ Meeting, held electronically on 15-17 June 2021, Council for World Mission (CWM) reflected on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on peoples and countries around the world, with particular attention given to vaccine distribution. We issue this open letter out of deep concern for a more just and globally coordinated response to the pandemic, in general, and to the vaccine distribution, in particular.
CWM notes that the COVID-19 pandemic has, more than ever, exposed the inequalities within and between nations. Our own global community has witnessed an increase of deaths on the margins, due to shortage of medical infrastructure and supplies, governmental corruption, unemployment, fanaticism, mental health crises, fear, profiteering from the crisis, decisions about who should be left to die, hunger and so much more that we do not yet know.
In an agreement at the June 2021 G7 summit, hosted in the United Kingdom last week, leaders committed to sharing at least 870 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine directly, to deliver at least half by the end of 2021. They also reaffirmed their support for the COVAX scheme as “the primary route for providing vaccines to the poorest countries.” The G7 countries – Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States – have so far purchased over a third of the world’s vaccine supply, while making up 13% of the global population[1]. Governments in these wealthier countries, including the UK, are already planning for the booster doses that are needed for their own populations to remain protected.
The COVAX scheme hopes to distribute enough vaccines to protect at least 20% of the population in 92 low- or medium-income countries, starting with healthcare workers and the most vulnerable groups. Even if COVAX meets these goals, they would fall far short of the level of immunity that experts say is needed to end the pandemic. The WHO has suggested that figure is at least 70%.
Its initial goal was to provide two billion doses of vaccines worldwide in 2021, and 1.8 billion doses to 92 poorer countries by early 2022[2]. COVAX has so far shipped 87 million COVID-19 vaccines to 131 participants[3] (including G7 nation, Canada[4]).
UNICEF – a major partner in the COVAX scheme – suggested that as many as 1 billion doses may be available for donation by the G7 countries by the end of 2021, without significant delay to current plans to vaccinate their own adult populations[5]. This pledge, therefore, to deliver 435 million doses by year-end falls far short of this capacity.
More than two billion doses of coronavirus vaccines have now been administered globally, in over 190 countries. While some countries have fully vaccinated a large proportion of their population, however, many more have only just begun, and in some cases are still waiting for their first doses to arrive.
The Council for World Mission notes the words of World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, following this pledge:
Many other countries are now facing a surge in cases – and they are facing it without vaccines. We are in the race of our lives, but it’s not a fair race, and most countries have barely left the starting line. We welcome… announcements about donations of vaccines and thank leaders. But we need more, and we need them faster. [6]
We also note our concern regarding the necessity for multilateral development banks to urgently release funding to help countries prepare their health systems for a large-scale rollout of vaccines in the coming months. We would hope that this release of funds does not take the form of further debt for already pressurised economies.
In the light of these facts, and the continuing inequitable distribution of vaccines globally, and in line with its core values, the Council for World Mission respectfully urges the United Kingdom and other G7 nations to:
1. radically rethink their financial contribution and sharing commitments towards controlling this pandemic • avoiding buying more than their own populations require • avoiding profiteering at the expense of life 2. use the COVAX scheme, rather than distributing vaccines directly, to ensure proper process 3. where relevant, reinstate their commitment to a UN foreign aid budget target of 0.7% of GDP
Council for World Mission is a worldwide partnership of Christian churches comprising 25 million Christians in 50,000 congregations in 32 member churches in over 30 countries in Africa, the Caribbean, East Asia, Europe, the Pacific and South Asia. The 32 member churches are committed to sharing their resources of money, people, skills and insights globally to carry out God’s mission locally.
Our core values are justice in relationships, mutuality, equality and interdependence, generosity of spirit and unity in diversity. We are committed to seeing people thrive in life-flourishing communities.
Signed:
Rev Lydia Neshangwe, Moderator
Rev Dr Collin Cowan, General Secretary
Members of Council for World Mission
Church of Bangladesh (COB) Church of Jesus Christ in Madagascar (FJKM) Church of North India (CNI) Church of South India (CSI) Churches of Christ in Malawi (CCM) Congregational Christian Church in American Samoa (CCCAS) Congregational Christian Church in Samoa (CCCS) Congregational Federation (CF) Congregational Union of New Zealand (CUNZ) Ekalesia Kelisiano Tuvalu (EKT) Etaretia Porotetani Maohi (EPM) Gereja Presbyterian Malaysia (GPM) Guyana Congregational Union (GCU) Hongkong Council of the Church of Christ in China (HKCCCC) Kiribati Uniting Church (KUC) Nauru Congregation Church (NCC) Presbyterian Church in Myanmar (PCM) Presbyterian Church in Singapore (PCS) Presbyterian Church in Taiwan (PCT) Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand (PCANZ) Presbyterian Church of India (PCI) Presbyterian Church of Korea (PCK) Presbyterian Church of Wales (PCW) Protestant Church in the Netherlands (PKN) Union of Welsh Independents (UWI) United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands (UCJCI) United Church in Papua New Guinea (UCPNG) United Church in the Solomon Islands (UCSI) United Church of Zambia (UCZ) United Congregational Churches of Southern Africa (UCCSA) United Reformed Church (URC) Uniting Presbyterian Churches in Southern Africa (UPCSA)
1https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-55795297 2https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork/covax-explained 3https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-55795297 4https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-55932997 5https://www.unicef.org/coronavirus/covid-19-vaccine-dose-donations-g7-letter 6https://www.who.int/news/item/13-06-2021-g7-announces-pledges-of-870-million-covid-19-vaccine-doses-of-which-at-least-half-to-be-delivered-by-the-end-of-2021 7https://www.who.int/initiatives/act-accelerator/covax
