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There is a special grace reserved for those who forego the delights of Hawaii’s beaches and stay for a whole day’s programme, even a Baptist World Congress programme! But this has been an exceptional day for me, one to lift the spirits, enrich the soul and touch the heart.
The morning’s Bible study was led by Pr Pablo Deiros (right), President of the International Baptist Theological Seminary in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He preached on the passage Luke 4:14f when Jesus took the scroll of Isaiah in his hands and spoke of preaching good news to the poor and proclaiming freedom to the captive. He did so expertly and with passion. However, where he connected with people most was when he spoke on the idea that “to preach freedom (v18) we must be free ourselves.” Well, that seems obvious but he told of his early years when as an outwardly gifted young pastor he was doing well, but inwardly all was not well with his life. He spoke of the Sunday afternoon in 1983 when God broke him and filled him with the Holy Spirit, and how that evening God told him to pray for the sick. He did so obediently and many were healed!
Of course, we love stories like that, and often remember them. But we are no different to Pablo and I am not alone in knowing times when outwardly all appears well but inwardly there is an ailment of the soul. My private prayer this morning was to resolve to never inhabit that place a second longer than I need to do so.
The plenary bible study was followed by break out groups, each with somewhere between 200 and 400 people. I went to hear Julie Pennington-Russell, the pastor at First Baptist Church, Decatur, Georgia, USA. I didn’t know Julie other than by reputation and through her story of recent years and in conversation with her and her husband Tim afterwards, I was not disappointed in finding her to be a delightful personality. Julie will be visiting the UK next year, more of which I'll share in due course.
Over lunch I had been invited to attend a meeting of a small group of pastors and academics who are exploring a future edition of ‘Review and Expositor’ , a journal published in the USA. Even a 2-hour planning meeting was stimulating, and I hope some of the ideas for a publication in 2012 come to pass.
This afternoon, as a candidate for some of that special grace I spoke about earlier, I served as Chair of one of the BWA forums under the theme of ‘Pastoral Leadership Amidst Change – how churches minister to unmarried couples”. One of the hopes for BWA in the next few years is that we grapple with serious topics with courage. Today typified that approach. The two main contributors were Kwame Adzam, from Trinity Baptist Church in South London and Bill Wilson, President of the Centre for Congregational Health in N Carolina (left). Kwame will be known to many in the UK who read this blog, a gifted pastor and a man with a real heart for God and people. More about Bill’s organisation can be found at www.healthychurch.org.
These brothers led us superbly, with grace, humility and care on a pastorally sensitive subject. The church can so often 'get it wrong' when it comes to discussing issues like this. I said at the end that the litmust test for me was whether a cohabiting couple would have felt at ease in listening to today's discussion. I believe they would have been at ease, and been touched by the compassion displayed. I’ll blog on this subject in the next few weeks as it merits space of its own, but I’ll draw on the insights we were able to share today, as well as those we gained from an attentive and insightful group of attendees.
This evening’s celebration was extraordinary in its musical variety. Our very able resident American worship group were augmented by a Korean children’s chorale of more than 300 (right), a jazz rendition of a traditional gospel medley, three pieces from Rodney McCann, New Zealand Pastor and opera singer, and a mens acapella choir from Nagaland. If its sounds a strange mix, take my word for it, it worked.
Karl Johnson, General Secretary of the Jamaica Baptist Union, preached powerfully and rounded off the day well with a call to retain our confidence in the preaching of the word. This is proving to be a most excellent Congress!
David Kerrigan
The 20th World Congress of the Baptist World Alliance got off to a spectacular Hawaiian beginning this Wednesday evening (right). The warmth of this Pacific Island people, directed towards the several thousand packed into the Congress venue, was beautifully expressed in a traditional chant used for generations to welcome people to these shores.
At the heart of the chanted welcome are these words:
“We are an island community in the middle of the vast Pacific Ocean. Because of this we are sensitive to the winds that blow around us, to the waves that crash upon our shores, to the rains that fall to nurture our precious lands. We are dependent on one another to survive. All that comes from our Great God is precious to us.”
And with those words of welcome, accompanied by a blend of traditional and Hawaiian praise, the Congress began. The names of 109 countries from which people have come were read out – each in the context of a worship song celebrating God’s praise expressed in every corner of the globe.
The main address of the evening was David Coffey’s last major task as BWA President. David is someone who, it is universally recognised, has served in this role with real distinction. His word this evening from Isaiah 61:1-11 was inspired. Centred on our need to have the Spirit in us – the hallmark of being a child of God, and the Spirit on us – the hallmark of those equipped to be his witnesses. David has indeed served the world Baptist family well, and I look forward to his continuing role as our BMS Global Ambassador.
Earlier in the day, it was meetings of course. Whilst most people are here for the Congress celebrations, around 200 or so are also here as members of the BWA Council (left), we who meet each year. In case you ever wondered what kind of meetings, here is a list which may (or may not) interest you. First there are what I might call the organisational committees – we each serve on at least one of these
General Council
Executive Committee
Committees of the Executive Committee
· Budget and Finance
· Human Resources
· BWA Membership
· Baptist World Aid
· BWA Congress Planning
· Constitution and Bye-laws
Then there are BWA Commissions – we each serve on one of these
Commissions on Mission, Evangelism and Theological Reflection
· Evangelism
· Worship and Spirituality
· Baptist Heritage and History
· Theological Education and Leadership Formation
· Doctrine and Unity
· Ministry
· Christian Ethics
Commissions on Freedom and Justice
· Religious Freedom
· Peace
· Social and Environmental Justice
· Human Rights Advocacy
This Council, Executive, Committees and Commissions meet each year at the Annual Gathering.
My last comment follows on from my encounter with the Hula dancers in yesterdays post – one of my BMS colleagues emailed and commented ‘we wonder who you’re going to meet next?!” Well, of the many friends I met today, none were quite as exotic but they included a good time with Robert Parham of
It was also a real joy to meet up again with Kerry Hilton of Freeset. Kerry and Annie Hilton and their children have lived in one of Calcutta’s largest red light districts for the last 12 years, establishing and growing the Freeset factory to provide alternative employment for those sex workers who long for a better way of living. You can find out more about Freeset at http://www.freesetglobal.com/ and be inspired.
David Kerrigan
Hawaii continues to enchant as this image of the city last night bears testimony.
But away from the natural beauty of the island, and tucked away in the meeting rooms of the huge Hawaiian Convention centre, a number of important gatherings took place today. The BWA Membership Committee on which I’ve served the past five years is, as the name suggests, the route into being recognised as part of the worldwide Baptist fellowship of BWA. Each year several groups apply to join, with varied histories – each unique to its circumstance.
One of today’s privilege moments was to meet a pastor from Vietnamese Baptist Convention who, if formally accepted later this week, will become the first Baptist group from that country to join the BWA. Speaking through a young Vietnamese-American acting as interpreter, he was able to tell us briefly of the beginnings of their story in the late 1950s through the witness of one particular Southern Baptist missionary.
Over the years, and most notably in the 1970s, the group were known to the government but like others they were severely persecuted. As a result their gatherings were restricted to homes, with baptisms held secretly in streams, rivers and even in barrels of water. Today they are nearly 40,000 strong and accepted by a government who had a radical volte-face a few years ago, a change that resulted in part from a Human Rights visit to the country by BWA officials.
There will be other stories like this heard during the week. Some in formal session, others shared in simple conversations with those with the patience to stop and listen.
This evening was special, a meal shared with friends from Lebanon, hosted by our BMS partner from Beirut, Nabil Costa. Others were there from Bahrain and Jordan. Though they are all completely bi-lingual in Arabic and English, so conversation for me was easy and free-flowing, occasionally of course the conversation slipped entirely into Arabic. On those kind of occasions, and they happen frequently in various countries, I find myself mentally sitting back and interpreting, or guessing, the conversation by watching people’s faces. Certainly in the case of jokes, you can tell when the build-up to the punch line is coming! But facial expression and body language can help you discern what kind of conversation is taking place. Over the years I have found such moments really special, a time to sense what’s going on not by listening to the words but by observing with a greater intensity the people speaking.
Of course being Hawaii, in the background were Hawaiian musicians and two beautiful young dancers. Having seen us bow our heads to pray before we started our meal, one of the dancers came over and asked me who we were. She was fascinated by the table of Arabic speakers, to learn we were all Christians and share that she herself was a member of a local Pentecostal church! What really intrigued me was her story of how she, as a highly professional Hula Dancer was working with others to incorporate this art form into worship.
Here is a theme dear to any mission practitioner. Too often in the past mission work shared the gospel but also shared a censorious attitude to indigenous arts and crafts, customs and culture. It was good to hear that such an expressive art form was being harnessed in worship. There is nothing like praise expressed to God using indigenous instruments, forms of song and dance. Even in Hawaii, its good to know this insight is being explored.
Meanwhile it was announced today too that the 2015 Congress will be in Durban, South Africa in 2015 – details can be found here. I think an African Congress will be amazing – a riot of colour expressed through a confident African identity in Christ. I am sure this announcement will be well received, and I hope (and believe) that from the outset this will be intentionally an African Congress. What an experience that would be. Bring on the drums!
BWA Council tomorrow morning, then the opening session of the Congress tomorrow evening.
David Kerrigan
Today has been good for developing a theology of feasting. Having enjoyed a hearty breakfast with some of the Brits here, the bulk of the morning was spent with Peter Mihaere, the General Secretary of Tranzsend , previously known as New Zealand BMS. I hadn’t met Peter before today but we had arranged to meet up to compare notes. Interestingly, given that New Zealand is so far away, the connections and similarities with the UK are much greater than for our Aussie cousins. Kiwis look to the UK much more than the Aussies for kindred spirits. As a result, the description of Tranzsend’s relationship with the Baptist churches in the UK was a mirror image of most of our own experiences.
Peter and I joined a wider group of people from other mission agencies for lunch. Many who might normally have met with us don’t arrive until later today but the group pictured here represented Global Interaction (formerly the Australian BMS), European Baptist Mission , Canadian Baptist Ministries , and the Hong Kong Baptist Convention. The particular conversation that was most helpful for me was with the Canadians who, like us, are planning the next phase of their work in Haiti following the earthquake and it seems some of their research undertaken on a recent visit will be most helpful to us.
Our Hong Kong brothers were delighted to hear of how the doors have opened for BMS to return to work in China and marvelled, as others did, at how welcoming our new partner institutions have been.
And it was good to reflect together on how the pioneering C1-C6 analysis for church planting, pioneered by GiA in the mid-1980s, especially in the context of outreach in Muslim majority countries, has gained global acceptance by the mission community. I was able to share that it will form the backbone of resources we hope to share with UK churches in the coming year. If you’re not sure what that is, watch out for a future post here or see our resources in 2011.
Time for another meal and this evening it was good to catch up with Alistair Brown, former General Director of BMS of course and now President at Northern Seminary in Chicago. Alistair’s impact in the 12 years he led BMS will be remembered for many years. He was the right man at the right time and I trust Northern will similarly reap rich rewards from his no-nonsense leadership.
Alistair and I have often reflected on the first time we met. He had just been appointed GD in 1996 and I was working in Asia as our regional secretary. We met up in Bangkok so I could show him some of our work in Thailand and from there we went on to Nepal. Our first evening was spent in McDonalds in Bangkok, opposite the entrance to the night market where some of the city’s seedier clubs are to found. As we sat on the terrace, especially in that context, our conversation turned to the question ‘how lost are the lost’. We talked all evening about our theological convictions, and in retrospect I have often thought that what we were doing was something akin to mental sparring, working out what made the other tick. From that first meeting our friendship developed, one that has been strong enough to withstand occasional times of robust disagreement.
A full day tomorrow - Congress Committees get going. First meeting 7.30am!
David Kerrigan
When I four or five years old - I know the age because of where we lived at that time – I used to go out into the street and look up at the clouds and think these were the things that people flew in. So few were planes in the sky in those days, and so far from an airport did we live, and we didn’t have a TV, that I suppose I had never seen a real aeroplane either on the ground or in the air.
Today air travel is commonplace and so within the space of fifty years we have all – or nearly all – become frequent travellers. In the days when only the rich and famous flew the skies, air travel must have been a very classy affair. Today it certainly isn’t, but it would be churlish to bemoan too loudly the annoying intrusion of security checks, the deprivation of space in economy class, and the mind-numbing experience of what someone in my family once called ‘sitting inside a hoover for 10 hours!”
Air travel has changed our world. That’s literally true in terms of the contribution air travel makes to global warming. But it has changed mission too. In days long gone, mission involved long journeys by ship. Costs were high so when you went, you stayed away for five years. No-one visited you, and you didn’t make visits back home. Though we were not of the generation that went by ship, even in the 1980s mail came slowly, but when it arrived it meant so much. I still have many of the airmail letters we wrote to family members in the 1980s from our time in Bangladesh. E-mail and internet hadn’t been invented, and in those pre market-globalisation days a packet of Angel Delight arriving in a jiffy bag was heaven on earth!
Mission has changed too because often today people have visited the places where missionaries work, sometimes on holiday. And if they haven’t visited then David Attenborough or Judith Chalmers has and through them we’ve all made had a vicarious outing to some of the remotest corners of the world.
And of course, air travel has meant that mission is now something everyone can share in. Short-term mission has exploded, made possible by cheaper air travel for all. Except, it isn’t for all, is it? When was the last time you saw people like you and me on a short-term mission visit from Kenya to UK, or Cambodia to the USA? Sure, the needs of these various countries are different, but the disparity is caused by economics and not by the absence of mission need.
I have a love-hate relationship with flying. Having travelled now to nearly 70 countries (I wrote down the list whilst flying a couple of years ago) I have lost count of the number of flights but it runs to many hundreds as some visits can be as many as 5-6 flights. Most have been uneventful, which is no bad thing, and whilst the thrill of travel has worn off long ago, its still a great privilege to arrive in a country far away and begin to see what God is doing there. In part, that is what the coming days are about, and I hope to share some of those stories.
Well, by kind favour of United Airlines I have arrived in Hawaii after 20 hours of travel. Now I’m here I’m looking forward to the week, meeting old friends and making new ones from around this amazing world of ours. Its late on Sunday evening and my first meeting is tomorrow morning. I just hope I’m awake!
David Kerrigan
The Baptist World Alliance 2010 Congress begins next week at the Honolulu Convention Centre (right) in
Those who know me will be aware that I have a pathological dislike of conferences, though I sense that asking for understanding on this occasion will be a waste of time. I’ll try and blog as often as I can over the next week or so, especially when the Congress begins on Wednesday 28th, 10-hour jet lag permitting. (“There he goes again – looking for sympathy – there is none forthcoming!”)
This time five years ago, it was our turn to host the Congress here in the UK and my small part in that was to oversee what was called the Home Office team handling visa and immigration queries. Frankly, everything went smoothly in the beginning. Our meetings with UK Visas couldn’t have been more helpful but then 6 weeks before the event we started getting calls, often from the pavement outside a British Embassy somewhere in the world. “They say we need another letter…” was usually the plaintive cry, or in some cases “we’ve been turned down – can you do something!” In many cases we were able to help and were greeted in
In
So, what’s the point of getting several thousand Baptists together from around the world, once every five years? It’s easy to be critical of large events, not least when you look at the expense, the carbon footprint, and frankly a location that isn’t ideal. It’s good for North Americans and South-East Asians, less good for those from Europe, the Middle East, and Latin Americans, (two flights), but frankly fairly useless for Africa. But the decision is made so there’s no point in crying over what might have been. Our brothers and sisters in
This Congress will mark the end of David Coffey’s 5-year term as BWA President, a role he has carried out with great distinction. More of that next week. He will be succeeded by John Upton, Executive Director of the Baptist General Association of
It will also be Neville Callam’s first Congress since he became BWA General Secretary and, knowing Neville for the humble and private man he is, I am sure he will be feeling some apprehension until the event actually starts. But Neville’s imprint is on the Congress, a very eclectic group of speakers, seminars and worship leaders – a commitment to express the global dimension of the Baptist network.
And in spite of my protestations about disliking big events, I do look forward to meeting up with partners from all round the world. I have appointments in the diary with many of them and eagerly await what will be warm conversations and times to encourage one another and pray together.
One of those friends is Robert Parham, founder and executive director of ethicsdaily.com, a great website which shows to the world the compassionate and radical face of American Baptists. Robert has kicked off his Congress Reflections with a piece about the future of Baptists in the 21st Century – you can read that here and I heartily commend the website to you as a regular place to drop in.
So, if all goes to plan, my posts for the next 10 days or so may be different in tone, more newsy and who knows even more frequent. That’s if I can stay awake (I know I know… cut the calls for sympathy…)
Aloha!
David Kerrigan
I’m half way through a ‘holiday at home’ fortnight. With fabulous weather, what better way to relax than with the wider family on days out.
Over the last few days Janet and I have been on our own so we went off to
As the seat of Anglicanism it has a certain cachet and historically, with its links to Augustine and the murder of Thomas Becket, it breathes ‘history coming to life’ in a way that my experience of schoolboy ‘1066 and all that’ never quite managed. Of course, it would have helped if I had paid attention! But whatever the reality, Canterbury Cathedral is well worth a visit.
The following day, heading back up to
Designed by Sir Norman Foster and built on the site of the old Baltic Exchange, it has always impressed from a distance. But up close and personal it’s an absolute beauty!
There are so many outstanding views of the tower, which may seem surprising because of the density of buildings in the area. But it’s the very proximity of these other structures that allow the Gherkin to shock and surprise. Turn a corner and there it is! Lose sight of it behind one building and you can pick up its reflection in the windows of another. It stalks you as you wander through the streets!
The photograph (above) of St Helen’s Place, is so striking simply because of the juxtaposition of scale and style. I have no idea how town planners, who deny permission for one building because it is out of sympathy with others, find a way to approve a design that is so contrasting with its much older, pre-modern surroundings. But I’m so glad they did. I couldn’t pull myself away from the spot as I marvelled at what Janet said was reminiscent of the spaceship from Independence Day hovering over the cities of LA, New York and Washington. A great image!
The photograph (right) is one that caused me to think most. One of the closest buildings to the Gherkin, bottom right in the photograph, is the church of St Helen's Bishopsgate. Christians have met on this site since 1210AD though the church building was ‘reordered’ most recently in the early 1990s following the IRA bomb that destroyed the Baltic Exchange.
It’s all too easy to compare and contrast architecture and purpose, and maybe reflect on whether the Gherkin will be standing in 800 years time. But I resisted the temptation to play host for too long to glib thoughts about God and Mammon (except here) and found myself thinking how much poorer our life would be if the Norman Fosters of this world didn’t use their creative gifts to enrich our public spaces.
We must not see the world in terms of secular and sacred. Indeed, to speak of ‘the world’ as if it is something other than God’s gift is to deliberately damage our spiritual understanding of ‘the world and everything in it’ with the equivalent of a self-inflicted poke in the eye with a sharp pencil.
This building, with such care taken over the reflection of light on the ground, the nurturing of feather-light trees to contrast with the strong curved lines of the tower, and the shades of glass chosen to give life to a spiral that takes the eye ever higher – all of this is pure delight Over the centuries those who have designed and crafted our cathedrals and churches used such skills, and concepts, and language to portray their understanding of the God whom they worshipped. The magnificence of Cathedrals spoke of the awesome nature of God. The rood screen was an architectural device to state clearly the division of clergy and laity. Closer to home, the centrality of the pulpit in Baptist Churches was itself a statement of profound theological significance as the centrality of scripture was emphasised over the place of the altar of sacrifice.
These lofty principles cannot be attributed to Sir Norman Foster, as far as I know, at least not in religious language. On his website he simply states “we believe the quality of our surroundings can improve the quality of our lives”. Well, I would think everyone believes that too and therefore I thank God for people who have the skills to make it happen.
You can find some more photos here but above all I’d encourage you to visit and see this awesome building for yourself.
David Kerrigan
I haven’t blogged for weeks – a really busy month has robbed me of the time and space for the kind of reflection (and energy) that gives me something to write about.
Finding God in a busy world is something I have returned to on and off over the years.
I’ve led one or two devotional days on the theme, but done so from the perspective of a fellow traveller rather than with any pretence of expertise. I have tried to share how I have encountered God in both expected and unexpected places.
Formal Christianity offers many moments for encountering God, through sermons, times of worship and devotional reading. We must not become jaundiced about this, especially if we are in leadership or if we have been Christians for many years. What once thrilled us can become mundane unless we work at reinvigorating our relationship with God. What once thrilled us can still thrill those younger in the faith. A cynical pastor is a sad thing!
But if God is someone we encounter on Sundays alone, then our understanding of God will be seriously deficient. Finding God in the everyday is not a luxury to be experienced as an occasional treat but a real necessity if we’re to live lives that accurately reflect our declared belief in the God who is in the world. This is the God who cares about our lives and loves, our work and our worries, our hopes and dreams, our successes and failures. This is the God who walks with us to the summit, and is there to meet us in the depths. This is the God who moves in harmony with us.
Twenty years ago I was reading J V Taylor’s wonderful book The Go-Between God and came across the drawing above – The Trinity by William Blake. I thought it was absolutely stunning and I still do. It was a moment of profound encounter. I tracked it down to the British Museum, and in the days before the internet asked if they had a poster (no); was it on display so I could visit (no – it was in their archives); could I get a photograph of it (yes - £80 – in 1991 that was a lot) which I paid and I have the photograph hanging at home since. And incidentally, it triggered a fascinating conversation with the man who framed it for me, a man of no apparent faith but who marvelled at the energy captured in the simple, swirling lines!
Music is an obvious place to find God also. What is it about music that causes the human spirit to soar like an eagle one moment and plumb the depths in the next? It can be orchestral, rock, vocals – take your pick! Only two weeks ago I went to a concert featuring Peter Knight’s Gigspanner. Peter Knight was once the Steeleye Span fiddle player and their musicianship was of the highest order, and truly mesmerising. (You can see one of the tracks they played here but understand the percussion especially is nowhere as intense as on the evening.) In the midst of such rhythmic music, momentarily you can be ‘lost’ and at that same moment be ‘finding’.
Then there are books – and for me, few surpass Hemingway, except maybe Steinbeck, and for me his greatest work The Grapes of Wrath. I defy anyone who has read the whole book and who doesn’t know the ending to reach the last two pages and not well up in tears at the raw humanity, and the echoes of divinity in what is recounted there. God is to be found in those pages for sure, and in the works of so many wonderful novelists and playwrights.
In truth there’s so much – after a while its impossible not to find God! Carlos Santana playing Samba Pa Ti, Roger McGough’s poem Let me die a young man’s death; Meryl Streep in Sophie’s Choice, Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto, and just those moments when you lean back from the table and watch your friends laughing. But now I’m just being indulgent.
You may say that all I’m describing are moments when we are moved emotionally. And to some extent that’s true. But this is the rhythm I spoke about earlier. Its as our human spirit rises and falls, we can, by an act of the will and with a sensitised heart, find that the Spirit of God moves in harmony with us, allowing us to find God in the everyday.
David Kerrigan
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