BWA Global Impact Churches and Partners

August 15, 2011

Washington, DC (BWA)--The Baptist World Alliance (BWA) has a formal voting membership of 222 conventions and unions in 120 countries, comprising approximately 180,000 churches. The BWA celebrates our member bodies and their local churches, which are at the forefront of ministry, offering enriching ministries of support.

Some of the strongest churches in our Baptist family choose to relate directly to the BWA in addition to the support they provide through their conventions, unions, and associations. A church in North America that chooses to be in direct relationship with the BWA is designated as a BWA Global Impact Church® while BWA Global Partners has become the designation for those churches, organizations, and persons that wish to relate directly to the BWA, but who are situated outside North America.

Churches that are a BWA Global Impact Church® or a Global Partner are usually mission-focused. These churches are passionately committed to issues of freedom of religion, human rights, and the cause of the poor, expressions that are critical to the mission of Jesus Christ. They recognize that no other international Baptist body provides the level of impact of an international freedom and justice ministry as well as the BWA.

BWA Global Impact Church® and Global Partner churches have an impressive array of domestic and global mission activities. In addition to all their other giving, each has a strong commitment to support Baptist unity through the BWA. Together, donations from the more than 800 Global Impact Churches and more than 50 Global Partners provide a substantial percentage of the BWA's annual budget. These churches provide crucial prayer support and volunteers for BWA ministries.

Churches in partnership with the BWA receive regular reports and have access to resources for prayer and cooperative efforts. The BWA also provides churches with opportunities for hands-on ministry projects. Church-to-church partnerships are encouraged between BWA Global Impact Church®, Global Partner churches, and Baptists in other parts of the world. BWA guests may be hosted by a BWA Global Impact Church® or a Global Partner congregation.

Forms to enroll in both the Global Impact Church® and BWA Global Partners programs can be found on the BWA website at www.bwanet.org. 

Baptist-Muslim Commission seeks to engage contemporary Islam

Kuala Lumpur (BWA)--The Executive Committee of the Baptist World Alliance (BWA) accepted a proposal that the special commission on Baptist-Muslim relations be made a standing commission of the Division of Freedom and Justice.

The commission, formed in 2009 and located within the office of the general secretary, seeks to engage with contemporary Islam on the basis of a mutual acknowledgement of the twin commands to love God and neighbor in order to develop mutual respect, and to promote security, peace and the common welfare.

In addition, the commission will explore and encourage expression of authentic Christian witness among Muslim neighbors, raise awareness, and provide tools and resources so that Baptists around the world can relate positively to their Muslim neighbors.

Nabil Costa, executive director of the Lebanese Society for Educational and Social Development, chairs the commission. He said "living in the Middle East has taught us that interfaith dialogue that is genuine, and initiated with the purpose of building relations that impact the world is not a compromise." Costa said that "it is a process that seeks to bring about positive transformation in thinking and practice."

Costa, a vice president of the BWA, insists that Baptists "need to open ourselves to be challenged by God's word if we are to effectively be light and salt in the communities God called us to be."

The commission held its first formal meeting on July 6 during the BWA Annual Gathering in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. A preliminary meeting had previously taken place in England in February 2011.

Participants in Kuala Lumpur shared stories based on their experiences of engaging Muslim neighbors in different parts of the world such as Bangladesh, India, Lebanon, Nigeria, England and the United States.

Christians and Muslims together make up approximately half of the world's population.

Costa stated that engaging our Muslim neighbors is no longer an alternative. Baptists and all Christians have a duty to learn how to live together with Muslims. Sharing his own experience as a "minority of minorities" living in Lebanon, a predominantly Muslim country, Costa said that for a long time he refused to get to know his Muslim neighbors. He insisted that we educate ourselves about Islam and engage Muslims to find ways to live in peace. A refusal to know Muslims leads to ignorance, hate, and even violence, Costa said. If we do not engage each other we end up killing each other.

More than 300 Baptist leaders and delegates are gathered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from July 4-9 for the BWA Annual Gathering. It involves yearly meetings of a number of BWA groups, including the General Council and the Executive Committee; executive sub-committees and divisional advisory committees; women's, men's, and youth departments; regional groupings; and commissions of the divisions of Freedom & Justice, and Mission, Evangelism & Theological Reflection, and others.

Callam calls for a celebration of multiculturalism

Kuala Lumpur (BWA)--The Baptist World Alliance (BWA) is a special space for the celebration of multiculturalism within the worldwide Baptist family, but it is important that this gift be handled with care.

This was the message delivered at the General Council meeting by BWA General Secretary Neville Callam on July 8.

In his annual report, Callam explained how the 2010 Baptist World Congress was organized to reflect the BWA rich cultural diversity. The attempt to accomplish this was evidenced not only in the various cultural backgrounds of the many presenters, but also in the way the congress program was crafted. The particular way linguistic, liturgical and musical elements were utilized, he said, characterized the blending of a diverse cultural heritage within a communion of love directed toward honoring the triune God.

In any attempt to celebrate this diversity, Callam said, one is in perpetual danger of presenting the variety that exists in parallel streams in such a way as to suggest that each is asserting a competing claim. By mixing the elements closely, without highlighting their geographical source, one was able to evince a mosaic that offered a panorama of riches. This was offered up to the glory of God without the participants imprisoning the cultural gifts within the bounds of what he referred to as "an earthly territoriality."

BWA, he said, needs to work toward the blending of the elements in its cultural heritage in such a way as not to privilege some elements over against others or to emphasize the distinctiveness of the cultural elements chosen by yoking them to their place of origin. Whether this aim was fully realized in the congress, which Callam said he doubted, he called on the BWA to celebrate what the rich cultural diversity its members have received as a gift rather than to engage in what he termed a "display of comparative riches."

In his presentation at the Gathering taking place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from July 4 - 9, Callam shared perspectives from his travels within the worldwide Baptist family since the conclusion of last year's congress, which was held July 28 to August 1. He referred to the wide range of challenges being faced by Baptists and other Christians in many parts of the world and identified some of the creative ways in which believers in Christ are responding to these challenges in the way they fulfill ministry.

Drawing on an insight from David Bebbington's Baptists through the Centuries: A History of a Global People, Callam highlighted some ways in which the BWA is acting as "a significant vehicle for mutual support and the exchange of ideas." This, he said, is part of the vocation of the BWA that must always trump the tendency to overemphasize individualism in all its diverse manifestations.

Callam admitted that, as the BWA moves forward under the theme, In Step with the Spirit, the organization will not be able to attain perfection in the way it celebrates cultural diversity as a gift. He expressed the hope that, in the values that inform the BWA's efforts and the positive Christian motives reflected both in its vision and ministry, the quest for the richness in the cultural diversity of the worldwide Baptist family will be a sign of the way we understand the BWA's God-given vocation.

The crisis in Japan and the pain of God

Kuala Lumpur (BWA)--There is great need for post-traumatic care in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami that affected northeast Japan on March 11 of this year.

Hanae Igata, pastor of Nankodai Christ Church and a board member of the Japan Baptist Convention (JBC) said "what is required of religious leaders now is to share the sadness of the surviving family members through their bereavement, and to walk by their side as they accept that the dead are gone, in order for survivors to live the lives that they have been given."

Igata was addressing a forum at the Annual Gathering of the Baptist World Alliance (BWA) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, titled, "The Crisis in Japan and the Pain of God." The Baptist pastor stated that persons feel as if they are being torn apart. "The dead and the survivors are torn apart," she said. "Victims of the earthquake, victims of the tsunami, and those multiple-stricken as a result of the nuclear power plant disaster."

Hamano Michio, chair of the Research and Training Institute for Mission of the JBC, said "the Japan Baptist Convention has been supporting the stricken areas [using] the motto 'working toward reconciliation'.... We are trying to bridge the gaps between God and mankind, among mankind, and between God, mankind and all creation, and to reconcile them to each other."  The aim, Michio said, is "to help people to have trust in God again in the face of the question, 'Why does God allow all of this suffering to befall us?' 

"We must also reconnect people and have them reconcile to one another.  We must work on establishing relationships [with] God.  We continue our efforts to support the creation of a world in which people in stricken areas and those in unaffected areas can live together," Michio said.

Makoto Kato, executive secretary of JBC, provided details on the earthquake, the tsunami, and the subsequent nuclear crisis. He reported that persons in the affected areas "are gradually moving from shelters into temporary housing." But fishing and farming areas are still affected, including the Tōhoku Region, which produces 30 percent of the nation's rice. Much damage was inflicted along the east coast of this region because of the earthquake.

Kato said that while no Baptist life was lost in the earthquake and tsunami, some JBC and Japan Baptist Union buildings were badly damaged. Churches in the disaster zones served as shelters and Baptists mobilized relief supplies, such as gasoline, kerosene, blankets, winter clothes, heaters, rice, and vegetables. "Now that electricity, gas, and water are slowly recovering, we distribute hot meals to people in the shelters." Baptists are also engaged in clean up operations and repairs.

"We would like to thank all of our brothers and sisters around the world, especially those from BWAid (Baptist World Aid) for your prayers and offerings as you remember the people affected by the great disaster," Kato told the forum. "I pray that Jesus Christ, the Lord of reconciliation will bind us together ...and that we will work together as brothers and sisters for the kingdom of God and His righteousness. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you again, my Baptist brothers and sisters, for your prayers and support."

More than 300 Baptist leaders and delegates are gathered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from July 4-9 for the BWA Annual Gathering. It involves yearly meetings of a number of BWA groups, including the General Council and the Executive Committee; executive sub-committees and divisional advisory committees; women's, men's, and youth departments; regional groupings; and commissions of the divisions of Freedom & Justice, and Mission, Evangelism & Theological Reflection, and others.

BWA to explore talks with Orthodox and Pentecostals

Kuala Lumpur (BWA)--The Baptist World Alliance (BWA) is to engage in preparatory discussions aimed at formal dialogue with Pentecostals and the Orthodox Church.

BWA General Secretary Neville Callam made the announcement at a meeting of the Executive Committee which convened during the BWA Annual Gathering in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on July 7.

The Executive Committee, in its March 2011 meeting in Virginia in the United States, had authorized Callam to identify a small work team "to explore the commencement of BWA/Pentecostal bilateral dialogue."

Callam told the Executive Committee in Kuala Lumpur that the first meeting with the Pentecostals will take place in the city of Birmingham, Alabama, in the United States, from December 13-15.

The BWA team will comprise Timothy George, dean and professor of divinity, history and doctrine at Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham in the US, and chair of the BWA Commission on Doctrine & Christian Unity. Other members of the BWA team are William Brackney, director of the Acadia Centre for Baptist and Anabaptist Studies in Nova Scotia, Canada; Curtis Freeman, professor of theology and director of the Baptist House of Studies at Duke University in North Carolina in the US; Fausto Vasconcelos, director of the BWA Division of Mission, Evangelism and Theological Reflection; and Callam.

A four-person team appointed by Callam will also meet with representatives of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople in Crete in November to discuss the possibility of future talks. Members of that team are George; Callam; Paul Fiddes, professor of systematic theology in the University of Oxford and formerly principal of Regents Park College in the United Kingdom; and Parush Parushev, academic dean, lecturer in applied theology, and director of the Institute of Systematic Studies of Contextual Theologies at the International Baptist Theological Seminary in Prague, Czech Republic.

More than 300 Baptist leaders and delegates are gathered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from July 4-9 for the BWA Annual Gathering. It involves yearly meetings of a number of BWA groups, including the General Council and the Executive Committee; executive sub-committees and divisional advisory committees; women's, men's, and youth departments; regional groupings; and commissions of the divisions of Freedom & Justice, and Mission, Evangelism & Theological Reflection, and others

Baptist regions discuss major plans

Kuala Lumpur (BWA)--The six regional fellowships of the Baptist World Alliance (BWA) met in Kuala Lumpur to discuss matters of particular interest to each region, a number of which are preparing to host major events or undertake major initiatives.

There were discussions on the final preparations for the All Africa Baptist Fellowship (AABF) congress in Lagos, Nigeria, in November of this year. The congress is held every five years and the last AABF congress took place in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2006. A new nominee for general secretary is expected to be presented at the congress for election.  Prospective candidates are currently being vetted. Harrison Olan'g, vice chancellor of Mount Meru University in Arusha, Tanzania, is the current general secretary. Proposed amendments to the constitution will also be voted on at the meetings in Lagos, and the congress will be asked to endorse a special mission initiative planned for Southern Sudan, which is expected to start in 2012.

Kuala Lumpur will host the next congress for the Asia Pacific Baptist Federation in May 2012, following on the last congress in Chiang Mai, Thailand, in 2007. The group also discussed some of the major disasters that have affected the region in recent times, such as the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan and the subsequent nuclear crisis; earthquakes in New Zealand; and flooding and other disasters in Australia.

Leaders of the Caribbean Baptist Fellowship (CBF) are exploring ways in which the Caribbean can become a mission force. One presentation proposed that Baptists in the Caribbean grasp mission opportunities among Caribbean immigrants in Europe, North America, and elsewhere. Attempts will be made to increase attendance and participation at major meetings, such as the Assembly, which is held every five years. BWA General Secretary Neville Callam encouraged the region to help to revitalize dormant members of the BWA and the CBF in the region.

The European Baptist Federation (EBF), which includes churches in the Middle East and Egypt, received an update on the situation in the region where there has been widespread unrest in recent months. Participants discussed the problem of religious freedom in some member countries of the EBF, such as Uzbekistan, where there will be a joint BWA/EBF human rights visit in September. The future of the International Baptist Theological Seminary in Prague, Czech Republic, was also an issue of major concern. The seminary, which is facing financial constraints, reportedly had a good academic year, with a record 10 students being awarded PhD degrees. The seminary is exploring options on its financial future.

The North American Baptist Fellowship (NABF) discussed ways to deepen its relationship with the BWA. BWA President John Upton, General Secretary Neville Callam, Vice President Harry Gardner, and Randel Everett, chair of the Congress Committee, participated in the discussions. Don Sewell, an NABF vice president, will visit with the Mexican Baptist Convention in July to explore ways of deepening relationships with Baptists in Mexico. It was noted that the 50th anniversary of NABF will be observed in 2014. At least one joint celebratory event will be planned in collaboration with the BWA.

In July 2012, the  BWA Annual Gathering will be held in Santiago, Chile, and the Union of Baptists in Latin America (UBLA) discussed its role in encouraging Baptists from Latin America to attend the meetings. UBLA, which holds its congress every three years, the last in Lima, Peru, in 2009, will also host its next congress in 2012 in Asuncion, Paraguay.

More than 300 Baptist leaders and delegates are gathered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from July 4-9 for the BWA Annual Gathering. It involves yearly meetings of a number of BWA groups, including the General Council and the Executive Committee; executive sub-committees and divisional advisory committees; women's, men's, and youth departments; regional groupings; and commissions of the divisions of Freedom & Justice, and Mission, Evangelism & Theological Reflection, and others.

Lively communication seminar in Kuala Lumpur

Washington (BWA)--More than 40 participants attended a communication training seminar by the Baptist World Alliance (BWA) and the Asia Pacific Baptist Federation (APBF), in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The seminar, planned as part of the BWA Annual Gathering, which runs July 4-9, was aimed at equipping congregations and denominational bodies in the Asia/Pacific region. Subjects covered included news and social media, developing a strategic communication plan, the effective use of audio visual media, and the preparation of news stories and newsletters.

Participants were informed that communication plays an important role in mission, the building up of community, information sharing, promotion, and fundraising, among other uses.  It was noted that the target audience, purpose, cultural mores, and the type of Christian entity, whether local congregation, denominational body, seminary, etc., help to determine a communication strategy.

"Church communication should not exist for its own sake," Eron Henry stated. "It is, or should be, deeply wedded to the mission of the church.  Mission is at the heart of communication," Henry emphasized.

The growing importance of digital technology to the communication process, such as social media and mobile technology was raised by most presenters. Amy Butler, senior pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Washington, DC, in the United States, who made a joint presentation with Tony Cartledge, demonstrated how social media has been an important tool in ministry within her congregation.

Issues raised in the seminar included obstacles faced by Christians in different contexts that pose a challenge in the church communicating its message. These include government restrictions, lack of broadband Internet access, cultural and religious sensitivities, and countries, such as India and Indonesia, which are vast and with multiple languages and isolated rural populations.

Christians who live and minister within a context where they face hostility to their faith should be respectful of the religion and religious sensibilities of others and live exemplary lifestyles, participants concluded. Christians should be careful that they not send out messages that attack the faith of others, but rather share their faith and provide evidence of that faith in love.

Seminar presenters included Tony Cartledge, former editor of the Biblical Recorder, the Baptist state convention newspaper for North Carolina in the United States and a blogger with Baptists Today. He is associate professor of Old Testament at Campbell University Divinity School in North Carolina and chair of the BWA Communications Committee; Julie Belding, a freelance editor and writer who is former editor at DayStar Publications, a New Zealand  evangelical Christian magazine publisher, and past editor at New Zealand Baptist, the national Baptist magazine in New Zealand; and Gillian Francis, director and chief executive officer of Caribbean Christian Publications, publishers of Sunday School and Vacation Bible School materials for 26 countries in the Caribbean and Central America, and editor of the Jamaica Baptist Reporter.

Also presenting were Leo Thorne, associate general secretary for Mission Resource Development for American Baptist Churches USA; and Eron Henry, associate director for communications for the BWA.

"It's a great experience to bring Baptist leaders and communicators together to reflect on our use of media and communication," said Bijoy Sangma, chairman of the communication committee of the APBF. "The skills learned at this seminar will aid in promoting best practices among Baptists in the Asia/Pacific region in their use of media."

More than 300 Baptist leaders and delegates are gathered in Kuala Lumpur for the BWA Annual Gathering. It involves yearly meetings of a number of BWA groups, including the General Council and the Executive Committee; executive sub-committees and divisional advisory committees; women's, men's, and youth departments; regional groupings; and commissions of the divisions of Freedom & Justice, and Mission, Evangelism & Theological Reflection, and others.

Baptists travel to Malaysia for annual meeting

Washington (BWA)--More than 300 Baptist leaders and delegates from around the world are traveling to Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, for the Annual Gathering of the Baptist World Alliance (BWA) from July 4-9.

The Annual Gathering involves the meetings of a number of BWA groups, including the General Council and the Executive Committee; executive sub-committees and divisional advisory committees; women's, men's, and youth departments; regional groupings; and commissions of the divisions of Freedom and Justice, and Mission, Evangelism and Theological Reflection, and others.

One of the first events will be a communication training seminar aimed at leaders and communicators from conventions and unions in the Asia/Pacific region and interested delegates who attend the Gathering. Topics include how-to skills -- writing press releases and news stories; producing a newsletter; news and social media; developing a strategic communication plan for conventions and churches; and using audio visual media for more effective communication.

Included also are three forums that highlight Baptist work and witness in the Asia-Pacific region; the recent crisis in Japan following the earthquake, tsunami and radiation leakage from a nuclear plant; and a discussion on the topic, "The Bible and Religious Pluralism."

Affinity groups for pastors, youth and youth ministry workers, missioners and mission leaders, and Baptists in higher education will also be held, as well as that of the Denominational Leaders Network.

The Denton and Janice Lotz Human Rights Award will be presented to Wati Aier, principal of the Oriental Theological Seminary in Dimapur in Nagaland state in Northeast India. Aier, who is convener of the Forum for Naga Reconciliation is being recognized for his efforts over nearly two decades in seeking to broker peace between various Naga factions. The conflicts, which began more than 50 years ago, have led to political instability and more than 2,300 insurgency-related fatalities between 1992 and 2009.

Among the commission topics are "The Nature of the Church" by David Wyman of Canada, "The Role of the Seminary in Promoting a Thoughtful Christianity" by Brian Harris of Australia, "Peace and the Mission of God" by Donald Berry of the United States, and a paper by Pablo Moreno of Colombia on the formation of Christian leaders.

Each day begins with worship. In addition, a "Celebration with Malaysian Baptists," a special worship service, is planned for the evening of July 8.

Persons may view updates of the meetings on the BWA website at www.bwanet.org, as well as follow the meetings on Twitter, Facebook and Flickr.

In Memoriam: Andreas Kogoya

Andreas Kogoya, general secretary of the Fellowship of Baptist Churches of Papua (FBCP) in Indonesia, died on May 6, from heart complications. He was 43 years old.

Kogoya became general secretary of FBCP and pastor of the Baptist Church in Mount Wachno Kotaraja, Jayapura, in West Papua, in 2002, and served in both positions until the time of his death.  

He began his involvement in ministry from he was in his teen years, and began working with the FBCP shortly after his theological studies, eventually being appointed as assistant general secretary.

As a child, his family got caught up in the fight for self-determination in Papua. During the war between the Indonesian military and the Free Papua Movement, which  began in 1977 and lasted into the 1980s, the Indonesian military and local militia backed by the military set fire to his village, from which the family escaped.

He earned degrees and diplomas from the Jayapura Baptist Theological Institute.

He leaves wife Esther Wenda and three sons, Charles (12), Endrikus (7), and Krisman (5).

Baptist World Congress report book published

June 14, 2011

Washington (BWA)--The report of the 20^th Baptist World Congress in Honolulu, Hawai'i, has been published.

More than 5,300 persons from 105 countries registered for the congress, which was held at the Hawai'i Convention Center from July 28 to August 1, 2010. Titled, Hear the Spirit: The Official Report of the Twentieth Baptist World Congress, the book-length report offers details of the events and includes Bible studies and full texts of the sermons that were delivered by the main plenary speakers.

An overview section observes that a number of persons described the congress as an "empowering experience," as a "wonderful fellowship," as "refreshing," and as providing "great memories." The overview highlights the preaching and the International Music Fest as particularly inspirational and memorable for many of those who attended.

Other activities emphasized are the Focus Group meetings on theological, ethical and social issues that affect Baptist believers or to which Baptists are called to commit to prayer and action; the children's and youth programs; the Mission in Action projects; the men's and women's rallies; and the Living Water celebration, which culminated a five-year program of training in leadership and evangelism.

Edited by Baptist World Alliance General Secretary Neville Callam, the book is available for purchase at Amazon.com.   

BWA preparing for UN Earth Summit in 2012

June 2, 2011

For Immediate Release

BWA preparing for UN Earth Summit in 2012

Washington (BWA)--The Baptist World Alliance (BWA) is participating in preparatory meetings for the United Nations (UN) Earth Summit that will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2012. The BWA participation is predicated on the need for deeper reflection on the role of religion in the development of a global ethics on environmental care and justice, as it takes seriously the scriptural injunction, "The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it," (Psalm 24:1). This is an especially propitious time for Baptists to reflect on our relationship to the environment in light of the observance of World Environment Day (WED) on June 5. WED celebration began in 1972 and is one of the main vehicles through which the UN stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and encourages political attention and action. This year's theme focuses on the intrinsic link between quality of life and the health of forests and forest ecosystems.   The BWA takes advantage of this important date to remind its constituency of our responsibility as Christians to care for the earth, urging renewed efforts to protect and preserve the environment, inasmuch as the BWA has, through resolutions, statements, and funding initiatives, demonstrated its commitment to environmental care and justice. In 1989, the BWA General Council passed a resolution on the Stewardship of the Earth reaffirming God's creation of all life, and our role as stewards of God's earth. That resolution rebuked "irresponsible patterns of life" such as the depletion of non-renewable resources; worldwide deforestation; pollution of air, land and water; and failure to recycle. The resolution urged the worldwide Baptist community to "pursue a responsible lifestyle, respecting the integrity of creation," and to exert influence "through industry, business, agriculture, government and as persons to protect and restore the delicate balance of nature." In the following year, the 16th Baptist World Congress passed a resolution on Peace, Justice and Integrity of Creation reinforcing the call for Christians to "witness against any form of destructive violence toward persons or any part of God's creation," and calling on Baptists "to commit to the preservation of the creation both as an act of devotion and of stewardship." In 1992, the BWA General Council passed another resolution on the Stewardship of the Earth stressing the need for Baptists to take seriously the implication of God's creation of the world, and of the stewardship given to humankind within that creation. Highlighting problems like the accumulation of radioactive waste, undisciplined use of pesticides, and the depletion of the ozone layer, this resolution asserted that "human sinfulness has developed an exploitative ethic which puts the sustaining of creation in jeopardy." The 1992 resolution referred to the UN Conference on Environment and Development, which was recently held in Rio, recognizing that commitment on the part of governments to remedy the situation was inadequate, challenging the worldwide Baptist community to continue to press governments on the "need for action in defense of tomorrow's world." It also urged all Baptists to adopt responsible patterns of consumption and behavior that do not jeopardize the future of the created order. The UN Earth Summit in Rio in 2012 will reflect and deliberate on the development of a green economy in the context of the eradication of poverty.  In the past few centuries misconceptions of the relation of human beings to nature have contributed to increase irresponsible patterns of behavior that neglect the effects of human actions on the environment. The Bible, however, clearly shows that the earth continues to be the Lord's -- all of it. Our mandate to care for God's creation is more crucial than ever before.

Baptist church collapses after quake, killing 25

May 25, 2011

Washington (BWA)--Several Baptist World Alliance (BWA) groups are providing help after a Baptist church collapsed and killed more than two dozen persons in a village in Myanmar following a severe earthquake on March 24.

The Baptist church in Kyakuni, a mostly Lahu village in eastern Shan State, near the border with Thailand, collapsed after the 6.8 magnitude quake, leaving 25 dead and 57 injured. The relief and development arm of the BWA sent a grant of US$10,000 and the Asia Pacific Baptist Federation, one of six regional fellowships of the BWA, sent US$5,000. The Myanmar Baptist Convention (MBC) dispatched a two-member team to the different areas to do assessment. The MBC mobilized approximately US $11,000 from local churches for emergency relief, and aims to help more than 1,200 families or approximately 6,000 persons in 26 affected communities. Christians in the area are mainly Baptists belonging to minority groups such as the Lahu, the Wa and the Shans.  "There are many teenage children among the dead. The earthquake hit when they were praying," said U Kyar Khu, the head of Kyakuni village, according to the Myanmar Times. "About 200 people were in the church at the time," he said.  "Because it is difficult to reach the road, the injured people were sent to the hospital only the next morning. Although they were in pain they were mourning the dead throughout the night." Kyakuni village, which was destroyed, can only be reached by motorbike in good weather. Extensive damage and fatalities were reported elsewhere. In the 50 most affected villages near the epicenter of the quake, more than 50 percent of buildings were severely damaged or destroyed.   There was extensive damage to roads and bridges, and communication was disrupted. Thirty one churches and monasteries, 11 schools, and one hospital sustained severe damage. An undetermined number of persons died as a result of the quake, but some estimates put the death toll at more than 150. The earthquake was felt as far away as Bangkok in Thailand and Hanoi in Vietnam. www.bwanet.org

The scourge of homelessness

May 17, 2011

Washington (BWA)--For a growing estimated 100 million persons worldwide, the concept of "home" is only a desperately distant idea, despite the Christian principles of sharing and charity.     Recognizing the wide disparity in resources for living in different parts of the world the Baptist World Alliance (BWA) in 1985 urged Baptists everywhere to examine their ways of life in the light of the scriptural injunctions to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, house the homeless, heal the sick, care for the disadvantaged, visit the prisoners (Matthew 25:31-46). The United Nations' Special Rapporteur on Housing (UN Human Rights Council) has declared, "The human right to adequate housing is the right of every woman, man, youth and child to gain and sustain a safe and secure home and community in which to live in peace and dignity."  This right is denied more and more people in recent years as economic recession has created greater disparity between those with access to adequate housing and those with no hope of such housing. For the period 2003-2007, an estimated three million persons were homeless in Europe, one million in France alone. The United Kingdom has more than four persons per 1,000 who are without shelter. An estimated 78 million are homeless in India, and 100,000 sleep on the streets each night in Australia.   In Brazil, experts estimate as many as 20 million persons live in hovels, under bridges and other street structures, or are squatters in clandestine rooms or properties.   In Mexico City, 40 percent of the residents live in what are called "informal" housing.  In Malawi, an estimated 90 percent of the urban population lives in slum conditions.    In the United States, homelessness is estimated at between 600,000 and 2.5 million persons. Among the 200,000 homeless persons in Canada, women and children are the fastest growing group.   For census purposes, only those sleeping on the streets are generally counted as homeless, indicating that insecurity regarding shelter is even more widespread than outright homelessness. Each nation defines homelessness differently. In developed areas, some cultures may define homelessness as the state of lacking permanent, safe housing. Those living in temporary quarters or moving from shelter to shelter are considered homeless, as well as those who live on the street.  In more impoverished areas, a clear definition of homelessness may be undetermined. The causes of homelessness are as numerous as the causes of poverty generally: unemployment and underemployment; unavailability of securable affordable housing; chronic or weakening disease; substance abuse; domestic violence; forced eviction; effects of imprisonment; abuse by government or others with power; war or armed conflict; and disasters, such as earthquakes and hurricanes. In Singapore, in 1986, the BWA passed a resolution commending Baptists to study and take action on homelessness through observance of the International Year of Shelter for the Homeless, a UN designation for 1987, and encouraged action to lessen this social problem.   The BWA has done much to address the problem of homelessness through the ministry of Baptist World Aid in the provision of shelters after major disasters and the resettlement of refugees and other displaced persons. It has, in various ways, such as through resolutions,  urged churches to work tirelessly to alleviate the general effects of poverty that may also lead to homelessness. The demand for action has not diminished, but has only grown more urgent.

Communication training seminar planned for Malaysia

Washington (BWA)--The Baptist World Alliance will host a communication training seminar in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in July.

The seminar will be one of the activities held during the BWA Annual Gathering in Kuala Lumpur from July 4-9, and is aimed at leaders and communicators from conventions and unions in the Asia/Pacific region. 

Presenters include Tony Cartledge, former editor of the Biblical Recorder, the Baptist state convention newspaper for North Carolina in the United States and a blogger with Baptists Today. He is associate professor of Old Testament at Campbell University Divinity School in North Carolina and chair of the BWA Communications Committee.

Other presenters are Julie Belding, a freelance editor and writer who is former editor at DayStar Publications, a New Zealand  evangelical Christian magazine publisher, and past editor at New Zealand Baptist, the national Baptist magazine in New Zealand; Gillian Francis, director and chief executive officer of Caribbean Christian Publications, publishers of Sunday School and Vacation Bible School materials for 26 countries in the Caribbean and Central America, and editor of the Jamaica Baptist Reporter; and Leo Thorne, associate general secretary for Mission Resource Development for American Baptist Churches USA.

Topics to be explored are writing skills - press releases and news stories; producing a newsletter; news and social media; developing a strategic communication plan for conventions and churches; and using audio visual media for more effective communication.

Approximately 60 convention leaders and communicators from Asia/Pacific are expected to attend, in addition to local Baptists from Malaysia and other persons who have registered for the Annual Gathering.

The meetings will be held at the Kuala Lumpur Baptist Church on July 3 and 4.

May 13, 2011

Praying for peace

Washington (BWA)--World Sunday for Peace will be observed on May 22.

The observance carries significance for Christians around the world, and will be especially important as the day falls during the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation that will be held in Kingston, Jamaica, from May 17-25. Burchell Taylor, a vice president of the Baptist World Alliance (BWA), has been invited by BWA General Secretary Neville Callam to represent the BWA at the convocation that is expected to draw approximately 1,000 participants from around the world.

Inasmuch as the BWA has been an advocate for peace many times over many decades, the BWA views it as appropriate that Baptist conventions and unions and their churches have a general focus on peace and offer special prayers for peace on May 22, during worship.

As several countries in the Middle East and North Africa are experiencing turmoil at this time, we encourage our Baptist churches to follow up on a 1981 BWA resolution that called "on Baptists in every land to pray for peace in the Near and Middle East."

In response to the accumulation of powerful weapons that are capable of widespread destruction and devastation, the BWA, in another 1981 resolution, urged its member bodies to "take responsibility within their own nations and states to preserve and propagate peace and to effect the reduction and ultimate cessation of armaments, both conventional and nuclear."

Furthermore, in 1982, the BWA urged "that peaceful means be used by national Baptist bodies to influence national governments toward peace and disarmament" and that "The world Baptist community will accept courageously its Christian calling as peacemakers (Matthew 5:9)."

The BWA's consistent call and work for peace should be sufficient encouragement to Baptists everywhere to see peacemaking and peace building as a vocational calling.

There are a number of initiatives taken by Baptists that serve as example and inspiration and which the BWA commend to Baptists everywhere. These include the work of the All Africa Baptist Youth Fellowship in its efforts to promote peace in West Africa. The youth group, among other things, held conferences and workshops on Peace and Conflict Resolution in Africa in Ghana in October 2008 and in Sierra Leone in November 2009. The conferences drew participants from countries that have been affected by internal conflicts and civil wars and focused on the ways youth can contribution to the peace process in their countries.

  

A source of inspiration too are the efforts  of Wati Aier, principal of the Oriental Theological Seminary in Dimapur, Nagaland state, India, who, for almost two decades, worked for peace in Nagaland. His efforts led to the formation of the Forum for Naga Reconciliation in 2008, which held more than 60 meetings, resulting in a reduction in attacks and violence following the signing of the Covenant of Reconciliation in June 2009 and a high level meeting of the leaders of the Naga factions in September 2010.

Groups and persons such as the All Africa Baptist Youth Fellowship and Wati Aier live out the 2008 BWA resolution: "encouraging dialogue between different faith and ethnic groups to promote peace and harmony in society." They "exemplify the spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ and, as reconciled people, [are fulfilling] a ministry of reconciliation in the world."

We pray for peace.

Gereja Di Agimuga Menyatukan Warga Pasca Peristiwa 1977

Jubi --- Kehadiran 4 gereja baru di Paroki Agimuga diharapkan mampu mengobati trauma akibat peristiwa Hak Azasi Manusia (HAM) tahun 1977 di wilayah Agimuga. Sebab peristiwa tersebut telah membuat warga sipil Agimuga hidup terporak-porandakan kurang lebih 34 tahun lamanya.

Demikian diungkapkan tokoh masyarakat Kampung Amungun Distrik Agimuga, Johan Anggaibak. ”Dulu penduduk semua tersebar menempati kampung-kampung ini,” ujarnya berkisah. Diantaranya Kampung Kiliarma, Amungun dan Aramsolki Distrik Agimuga Kabupaten Mimika. Namun akibat peristiwa pelanggaran HAM tahun 1977 warga semua mengungsi.

”Waktu itu ada penduduk yang ke hutan, ada yang ke gunung dan ada yang ke kota Timika,” jelasnya. Lebih lanjut operasi militer yang dilakukan aparat keamanan yang rata-rata bersenjata tersebut sangat keji. Mulai dari penyiksaan fisik, hingga tembak di tembak. Akibat Operasi militer tersebut juga, sejumlah rumah dibakar bersama penghuninya. Sejumlah pesawat dioperasikan untuk menembak dari udara termasuk membuang racun dan bom di sekitar rumah warga dan di lokasi pengungsian.

”Sejak itu, warga kampung (wilayah Agimuga-red) tidak pernah kembali. Sekarang mereka kembali karena ada peresmian gereka Katolik di 3 kampung ini,” jelasnya. Pasca peresmian gereja oleh Uskup Keuskupan Timika, banyak warga dan keluarga korban telah menyatakan bersedia kembali ke kampung halamannya.

Hal senada juga diungkapkan tokoh masyarakat Amungme di Timika, Thomas Wamang. ”Memang setelah kejadian tahun 1977, banyak yang tidak mau kembali ke Agimuga. Tapi belakangan saya ikuti kemauan masyarakat, mereka mau kembali ke kampung asalnya (di Agimuga),” terangnya.

Sebenarnya, wilayah Agimuga adalah wilayah bertanah subur yang cocok untuk pertanian dan perkebunan dan  berpotensi menjadi daerah maju bagi suku Amungme dan warga suku sekitarnya.

Terkait dengan rencana pergerakan masyarakat dari kota ke kampung tersebut, sumber lain mengatakan, wilayah tersebut akan dimekarkan menjadi satu kabupaten baru yaitu Kabupaten Agimuga, seperti yang sering dikampanyekan oleh Bupati Mimika Klemen Tinal, sebagai salah satu calon gubernur Papua pada periode pemilihan Gubernur 2011 hingga 2016 mendatang. (Welly)

ANDREAS KOGOYA: SECRETARY GENERAL THE FELLOWSHIP OF BAPTIST CHURCHES OF PAPUA DIED WHEN HE WAS 43 YEARS OLD

Andreas Kogoya was born in District Magi, Lanny Jaya regency. He was the eldest of three brathers and one sister. His father named Wene Kogoya and his mother Wakerkwa (late). After completing elementary school (SD) and Secondary School (SMP) in District Magi, he went to continue his school on senior high school, in Wamena, the capital of Jayawijaya regency, and then Andreas continue his college at the Baptist Theological Institut in Jayapura, capital of West Papua province. Then married with three sons of Charles Man Kogoya (12), Endrikus Kogoya (7) and Krisman Kogoya (5). Andreas in addition to being the Secretary General on Papua Baptist Church, and also serviced at Hill Wachno Church Baptist in Kotaraja, Jayapura, West Papua. He was died on May 6, 2011; at 02,30 AM at the Abepura Hospital, Jayapura, West Papua. He was died after he got coronary for a week.

Since childhood, Andreas Kogoya actives in church. He actives on Sunday school and youth of Baptist church in the District Magi, in Wamena city and in Jayapura city. After graduating at Baptist Theologi Institut, he was working as a Costar’s at the Centre Office of Papua Baptist Church in Kotaraja, Jayapura-Papua, and then he trusted to handle incoming and outgoing mail in the leadership of Andreas Yanengga (Former Chairman of the Papuan Baptist Church from 1990 to 2002). Later he was appointed a second assistant general secretary of the Baptist church of Papua in the leadership of Andreas Yanengga. Then in a period of Socratez Sofyan Yoman leadership as Chairman of the Papuan Baptist Church, Andreas was appointed General Secretary since 2002-until now.

His dedication serviced at Baptist Churches in Papua was very good, he was very sincere and diligent works, serving the Lord until the end. His father testified that Andreas since childhood until he died, he was never angry, making his parents heartache. He was a very meticulous in his work. He has done well and ended the game well too. Although as human beings should be recognized that there must be common mistakes made intentionally or not, but the Lord Jesus said that I have to forget your mistakes and have forgiveness your sins. We believed that the Words, God said to him and for us too. You are giving us, you also take it from us, praised the Lord. The struggle had left the service will remain our forward. Presumably at this time, Andreas with you in Heaven.

On behalf of the Papuan Baptist Churches say sorry on the passing of a servant and the servant of Jesus.

Reported by Pares L.Wenda
Staff
May 6, 2011.

ANDREAS KOGOYA: SEKRETARIS UMUM PERSEKUTUAN GEREJA-GEREJA BAPTIS PAPUA MENINGGAL DALAM USIA 43 TAHUN

Andreas Kogoya Lahir di Distrik Magi, Kabupaten Lanny Jaya. Dia adalah anak sulung dari 4 bersaudara. Tiga orang laki-laki dan 1 perempuan. Ayahnya bernama Wene Kogoya dan Ibu-nya Wakerkwa (alm). Setelah menamatkan Sekolah Dasar (SD) dan Sekaloh Menengah Pertama (SMP) di Distrik Magi, kemudian melanjutkan SMA, sekolah menengah atas di Wamena, Ibu Kota Kabupaten Jayawijaya, Andreas kemudian melanjutkan sekolahnya di Sekolah Tinggi Theologi Baptis di Jayapura, Ibu Kota Provinsi Papua. Kemudian Menikah dan dikaruniai 3 orang putra yaitu Charles Man Kogoya (12), Endrikus Kogoya (7) dan Krisman Kogoya (5). Andreas selain menjadi Sekretaris Umum pada Gereja Baptis Papua, Andreas juga mengembalakan Jemaat Gereja Baptis Bukit Wachno, di Kotaraja luar-Jayapura, Papua Barat. Andreas meninggal dalam usia 43 tahun karena serangan jantung di rumah sakit umum Abepura setelah ia dirawat selama seminggu

Sejak kecil Andreas Kogoya aktif di gereja. Dalam kegiatan sekolah minggu dan pemuda gereja Baptis di Distrik Magi, di Wamena dan di Jayapura. Setelah tamat sekolah tinggi theologi baptis bekerja sebagai koster di Kantor Pusat Gereja Baptis Papua, kemudian ia dipercaya menangani surat masuk dan keluar di masa kepemimpinan Andreas Yanengga (Mantan Ketua Gereja Baptis Papua 1990-2002). Kemudian ia dipercaya menjadi asisten sekretaris umum gereja baptis Papua pada masa kepemimpinan Andreas Yanengga. Lalu dalam masa kepemimpinan Socratez Sofyan Yoman sebagai Ketua Gereja Baptis Papua, Andreas dipercaya menjadi Sekretaris Umum sejak 2002-sampai sekarang.

Dedikasi dalam pelayanan di Gereja Baptis Papua tidak diraguhkan lagi, orangnya sangat tulus dan rajin bekerja, melayani Tuhan sampai akhir hayatnya. Ayahnya bersaksi bahwa Andreas sejak kecil sampai dengan ia meninggal, ia tidak pernah marah, membuat orang tuanya sakit hati. Ia orang yang sangat teliti dalam pekerjaannya. Ia telah melakukan pertandingan dengan baik dan mengakhirinya dengan baik pula. Meskipun patut diakui bahwa sebagai manusia biasa pasti ada kesalahan-kesalahan yang dibuatnya baik sengaja maupun tidak, namun Tuhan Yesus berkata Aku telah melupakan kesalahan-kesalahanmu dan telah mengampuni dosamu. Demikianlah Andreas. Engkau yang memberi, Engkau pula yang mengambilnya dari kami terpujilah NamaMU. Perjuangan pelayanan yang ditinggalkannya akan tetap kami teruskan. Kiranya saat ini, Andreas bersama Engkau di Sorga.

Atas nama Persekutuan Gereja-Gereja Baptis Papua mengucapkan turut berduka cita atas kepergian seorang hamba dan pelayan Jesus.

Dilaporkan oleh:

Pares L.Wenda.

May 6, 2011.

A BWA reflection on the family

May 3, 2011

For Immediate Release

Washington (BWA)--In the historic Judeo-Christian tradition, the family is ascribed a place of great significance whatever the location of the society in which it is found. Celebrated attempts have been made to destroy the bonds of family but with little or no success. Notwithstanding this, the question of the form the family should take has not admitted unanimous agreement whether in Jewish or Christian circles. One reason is that the family takes its shape in the social context in which it exists. For many years, some have assumed that the normative form the family should take derives from what was sometimes referred to as "the British tradition" and its Greco-Roman precedents. The so-called "nuclear family" would include a man and a woman, united in publicly attested bonds following socially sanctioned mores enjoying legal recognition. Children - offspring of the husband and wife - would complete the family unit. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, when missionaries took the Gospel to lands far away from their own, they tended to assume that the form of family they had in their home country was to be replicated by the people who would become the benefactors of their "civilizing" efforts. To complicate the situation was the fact that, in some of the situations in which the missionaries served, sections of the civilizing party actually owned human beings and counted these as part of their property. As property belonging to another, these enslaved persons were not entitled to benefit from the protection of the state in the matter of family relations. The result is that the enslaved developed patterns of cohabitation that differed from those of their "masters." With emancipation, what was to be the socially approved situation with the family of the formerly enslaved? In some cases, churches that once accepted into leadership enslaved men who lived with their female partners and children started to require these leaders to participate in the traditional marriage rituals formerly allowed only to their overlords. Forty years ago, Barbadian social and cultural historian, Edward Kamau Braithwaite, popularized the recorded exchange between a missionary and a church leader over justification for the leader suddenly being considered unsuitable to continue to hold office because his recent emancipation from slavery required him to mimic the marital customs of his former oppressors. In the Caribbean, beginning in the 1970s, politicians have collaborated to arrive at definitive answers to the question of the forms the family may take. The result has been a raft of legislations to ameliorate the adverse position of persons living in households in so-called "Common Law Unions." Some people once felt that determining admissible structural forms for human cohabitation that are not based on canonized social conventions is a most challenging undertaking. Is it possible that today far more difficult issues arise whose resolution will take many decades and perhaps even centuries. Many will not dispute the church's responsibility to support the family, recognizing, for example, the contribution of the family to the spiritual formation of people in community. Not surprisingly, the 1989 BWA General Council approved a motion to encourage Baptists throughout the world "to acknowledge and endorse anew the need for the home and the family to be deeply rooted in the Christian faith." When the General Council met again in 1994, the International Year of the Family, the BWA passed a resolution acknowledging that "since family life is under threat in all cultures, Christians must ensure effective marriage preparations, teach family members to communicate with each other, provide relevant models of parenting and benefit from the older generation of Christians."

Shattered but Revived

In Matthew's account of the trial of Jesus, one memorable moment the evangelist captures presents Pilate washing his hands (Matthew 27:24). The governor's wife had sent him word of a warning she had received in a dream and Pilate appears to have wanted to avoid having anything to do with Jesus.

Throughout the passion narrative, Matthew depicts Jesus as the person in control of the situation. Our Lord is accused, arrested, sentenced, and crucified, but none of this comes as a surprise to the one who comes with royal splendor to accomplish the will of the Father.

Pilate appears to have decided to use the provision of a paschal amnesty as a means of freeing himself from the difficult bind in which he found himself. When this strategy failed, Pilate washed his hands, in a gesture aimed at creating distance between himself and Jesus' sentence of guilt.

Whatever the reason for Pilate's action - and speculations are many - the governor was unable to evade responsibility for what he had done. He, too, had a share in the guilt of those who desired, and made possible, the execution of the Messiah.

Many are the situations in which we may face the dilemma of making difficult choices. Yet, there is no escaping responsibility for the decisions we make. The complex challenges of the decision-making process - developing an accurate definition of the situation, clarifying the loyalties informing our values, applying sound reasoning, and so on - do not release us from responsibility for the choices we make.

Jesus' refusal to choose the path of self-defense did not make Pilate's dilemma any easier. His majestic silence bespeaks his resolute decision to do the will of the Father.    In the circumstances, Jesus decided to remain loyal to his Father, whatever the cost. As it turned out, our Lord faced the terror of the cross. He suffered the death of a criminal!

Yet, suffering does not have the last word when we are guided by the Holy Spirit to make hard choices. On Easter day, Jesus rose from the dead unveiling for our benefit that, sometimes, sovereignty is mediated through brokenness.

When we have to make painful decisions, we may need to remember that, in the end, the purity of our motives and the defensibility of our actions may be vindicated.

Easter reminds us that, from the crucible of harsh choices, we may rise with confidence and joyfully take hold of the future that God unfolds before our eyes. The resurrection of our Lord Jesus reveals that life trumps death and truth shines brightly when, by the grace of God, we refuse to avoid the path of costly discipleship.

Neville Callam

General Secretary

Baptist World Alliance 

North American Baptists condemn burning of Qur'an

April 13, 2011

Washington (BWA)--Baptists in North America have condemned the burning of the Qur'an by an American pastor in the state of Florida.

The Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida, burned a copy of the Qur'an on March 20 following a mock court trial presided over by its pastor, Terry Jones. The burning of the Qur'an led to protests by Muslims in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and elsewhere, leading to loss of life, injury, and property damage. 

The church had previously backed down from a threat to burn the Qur'an on September 11, 2010.

George Bullard, general secretary of the North America Baptist Fellowship (NABF), one of six regional fellowships of the Baptist World Alliance (BWA), has condemned the Qur'an burning, declaring that the "book burning was obviously carried out by a pastor and congregation on the fringe of Christianity, and not within its core."

The BWA Regional Secretary for North America maintained that "a basic tenet of Christian civility is mutual respect for all of humankind, their deeply held faith perspectives, and that which they consider holy; such as their holy books."

Bullard went on to say, "while as Christians we consider the Bible to be the record of the authoritative, inspired Word of the Triune God, we do not live out the spirit of God's Word if we support or are silent about the burning of books like the Qur'an. Such actions sadden Baptist Christians everywhere, and provide an opportunity to express the love of God for all people; especially our Muslim brothers and sisters."

American Baptist Churches (ABC) USA also decried the book burning. Their General Executive Council, made up of national and regional leaders, and which met in Orlando, Florida, in early April, called the Qur'an burning the desecration of a sacred text that violates "the Great Commandment of Jesus to love God wholly and the neighbor as ourselves."

The group, also a BWA member body, indicated that the burning of the Qur'an "is not representative of the larger American Christian community, is an act that we deplore and causes us to reaffirm our historic Baptist commitment to religious liberty for all people and all faiths."

The ABC USA statement avers that "in our religiously diverse world we believe it is vitally important that we all reach out to each other with respect and openness to advance mutual understanding and cooperation among faith communities."

Concern for immigrants

April 6, 2011

Washington (BWA)--The Baptist World Alliance invites its members to exercise continuing concern for the status and treatment of immigrants worldwide. This is not surprising, considering the organization's long history of committed action of settling immigrants in their new countries. After the Second World War, the BWA encouraged the United States government to adjust immigration quotas to allow displaced persons from Europe to come into the country. In the face of opposition from American anti-immigrant groups, who feared that the new immigrants would become a "public charge," the BWA helped to settle more than 5,700 displaced Europeans in the US and 1,700 in Canada between 1949 and 1953. Similar assistance was given to Cuban and Angolan refugees in the 1960s, with the BWA helping nearly 500 Cubans settle in the US by 1962. The undiminished BWA concern for the welfare of immigrants was given expression in a 2008 resolution, bemoaning the "array of cultural, linguistic and economic burdens" faced by immigrants whose presence sometimes "generates political situations of great sensitivity, fear and misunderstanding in host and home countries alike." Because of the parlous state of millions of immigrants around the world, the BWA has urged nations to develop transparent and equitable systems of migration that treat applicants with dignity; to administer laws and regulations with justice and fairness to citizens and immigrants alike; and to renounce xenophobia and the misuse of immigration for political repression and division. The BWA encourages its member bodies to instill an ethic of love that reaches across ethnic, gender and political boundaries; to act as advocates for migrants; to develop ministries of reconciliation and integration; and to freely share resources with those in need. BWA concern for immigrants is based on the understanding that human beings are "fellow sojourners in this world" and the conviction that the way we treat the immigrant in our midst is a sign of the authenticity of our faith. In its 2008 resolution, the BWA affirms a "scriptural mandate to live in love and justice with refugees and immigrants." Baptist pastor and theologian, Delroy Reid-Salmon, in Home Away From Home (2008), says many immigrants seek "a community of faith to which they could belong as members." Churches, Reid-Salmon explains, are sometimes the only social organization in which immigrants can become easily assimilated. This provides a unique opportunity that churches should cherish.

As Baptists, we should remain true to our historical roots, both as immigrants - many Baptists migrated to places where they could practice their faith in freedom - and as hosts who are ready to welcome others.