Sewanee Conference Explores Mission
Episcopal News Service. July 16, 1987 [87148]
Emmet Gribbin
SEWANEE, Tenn. (DPS, July 16) -- A December 1986 Mission Agencies Conference in Brisbane, Australia served as the springboard for discussion at this year's eighth annual World Mission Conference, held here, June 19-22 on the campus of the School of Theology, University of the South.
The Brisbane Conference, called by the Anglican Consultative Council, was attended by representatives of missionary societies and agencies of nearly all 27 Churches in the Anglican Communion, including four Episcopal representatives: Bishop Furman C. Stough, Diocese of Alabama; Bishop Shannon Mallory, Diocese of El Camino Real; Judith Gillespie, Executive for World Mission, Episcopal Church Center; and the Rev. Patrick Mauney, World Mission Partnership Officer for Asia and the Pacific, Episcopal Church Center, who also served as speakers here.
The Sewanee World Mission Conference was planned to expand the particular subjects covered in Brisbane with further discussion about their relevance to the Episcopal Church. Summaries were made of some of the papers read at Brisbane and then the leaders, in turn, and all members of the Conference, in varied discussion groups, reflected on what was pertinent to the American scene.
Stough summarized three of the Brisbane themes: "Evangelism as Part of Mission," "Development as Part of Mission," and "Ecumenical Sharing in Mission." Since many participants in the Sewanee Conference either were or are missionaries, their personal insights enriched and authenticated the discussions. Places in which they had served included Okinawa, Namibia, Uganda, Botswana, Kenya, Hong Kong, Columbia, Zaire, Honduras, Liberia, Nigeria, Jamaica, Guatamala, Uruguay, Peru and among the Indians in Alaska.
Mallory preached at the Eucharist which opened the Conference and again on Sunday morning, when the Most Rev. John M. Allin, retired Presiding Bishop, was celebrant in the University Chapel. Mallory also spoke and served as moderator for a session titled "Reflections on the Day. Questions? Controversy? Issues Left Adrift!"
Sponsors of the eighth World Mission Conference were the University of the South; the Episcopal Church Missionary Community of California; the South American Missionary Society, USA; the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, USA; and the Episcopal Church Center, whose delegation included a representative of the Presiding Bishop's Fund for World Relief. A panel of speakers from each of these sponsors addressed the Conference at a session titled 'The Global View."
A panorama of other organizations with missionary concerns were represented by speakers, discussion group leaders or exhibits. These included the Foundation for Assisting Church Institutions Overseas, Church Mission to Jews, USA Wycliffe Bible Translators, Jungle Aviation and Radio Service, Bread for the World, the American Bible Society and The Living Church. The Rev. David Warner, executive of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK), England, came from London for the conference, and there were 33 dioceses represented.
A comment by the Rev. Richard Kew of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK) sparked much surprise and some controversy. He said that when the Communists took over China in 1948, there were about a million Christians in the country. Instead of withering under the Communist regime, Kew said, the Christian churches grew prodigiously. Although accurate statistics are very difficult to discover, some China experts now think there are between 50 to 100 million Chinese Christians. Cynthia McLean, a specialist in Chinese church history, rose to dispute these figures. She understands there are now between 5 and 10 million Christians in China. Both stressed there is no real way of getting precise numbers, but both agreed the growth of the Chinese churches while isolated from the rest of Christendom for nearly four decades was a current astonishing example that God is never without his witness.