Episcopal Press and News
Development Challenge Engges Anglican Meet
Episcopal News Service. June 21, 1984 [84130]
Lucy Germany, The Texas Churchman
SEWANEE, Tenn. (DPS, June 21) -- There can be no development without transformation, and there can be no transformation without the church. A challenge which formed in the early hours of the Fifth Episcopal World Mission Conference became a text, surfacing throughout four days of intensive speechmaking, discussion and prayer. More than 200 bishops, priests and lay persons gathered on the mountain here June 12-16 to consider the plight of the developing world and their own place in it.
The conference, which was described by the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, the Most Rev. John M. Allin, as "not a beginning but a continuation of strategy and planning" had vivid reminders of that task as leader after leader unfolded the tragedies of nations exploited, suffering, unable -- as one speaker put it -- "to be."
The conference, titled "The Church in Global Development," heard opening words from the Rt. Hon. Edward R. G. Heath, MP, former Prime Minister of Great Britain and a member of the Brandt Commission, an independent worldwide commission formed in 1978 to consider international development issues. Heath warned against taking emotional positions in matters involving world hunger, poverty and militarism. "Emotion makes us vulnerable. We must make an intellectual response so we can analyze," he said. He called this a time for "discovering what we are like-minded about rather than beating ourselves with our past sins." He said five summits had produced little except resolutions and that there was a need for creative solutions such as a new fund being developed by a study group through which transnational corporations would make project support available to developing countries.
The General Convention, in 1982, commended the "Brandt Report" to the Church as "a significant resource in understanding the dimensions of the effects of poverty on global security; the priority need for development aid; and the urgency of addressing such concerns as a just world economic order and the effects of military spending on poverty and hunger."
The Convention charged the Church's national hunger committee and the development office with carrying out the action -- a sign of the importance placed on the issues raised, since not all such resolutions lay out specific task responsibilities.
Heath emphasized that the problem is "not just theirs. It is ours as well. If they don't survive, we don't." Work so far has been inadequate, he admitted, "There has been more materialism and profiteering than idealism and brotherhood."
Using "North" as a symbol for the developed world and "South" for developing nations, Heath traced some of the major disparities between the two: the North's $5 billion in unused factory potential and its protectionist policies; the South's largely agricultural economy diminished in value in a falling worldwide commodities market, dependency on loans to provide basic necessities in the face of rising inflation, difficulties which are augmented by widespread suspicion of transnational corporations and fear of exploitation by Northern interests.
Against this pessimistic backdrop, African, Asian and Latin American leaders poured out their own messages of human misery in a world where "millions die from starvation while in America the affluent die from overeating." Dr. Clement Janda, general secretary of the Sudan Council of Churches, called for an end to "crisis management and pity. What we want is simple justice," he said, a theme which was underscored by the Rt. Rev. David Leake, Bishop of Northern Argentina who said "we must be doers not just donors."
In a dinner speech midway in the conference, the Rev. Canon Burgess Carr, Yale University professor and former general secretary of the All Africa Council of Churches, said "development is the new name for peace." Bold steps must be taken if we are to reverse Africa's problems. The Church must stand in solidarity for the oppressed, he said.
Solutions for the monumental problems which unfolded in the alternating presentation discussion format ranged from fund raising through "a voluntary ten percent cut in the income of all church members in the West," more private sector development projects that tackle ills long-range such as training for subsistence farmers, better programs for contraception -- described by Public Health Consultant Dr. Jean Morehead as "one of five major ways to save lives in the world," improved primary health care for villagers, and focus on improvement of drinking water supplies around the world. One telling statement was that millions of children being born today will never taste a drop of clean water in their lifetimes.
Problems of refugees were blamed on military arms dealing, which exacerbates local political power struggles when what are needed are amicable solutions based on an understanding of human brotherhood.
Speakers also included archbishops and bishops from Uganda, Liberia, Kenya, and the Philippines, as well as officials from Canada, West Germany, Tanzania, Costa Rica, and the United States. The Rt. Rev. G. Edward Haynsworth, executive for world mission at the Episcopal Church Center, summarized the church's task as one which embraces proclamation and service, relief and development. Strategies, projects and programs are necessary and so is justice.
At the conclusion of the program Allin stated: "No welfare program is worth the name unless it enables people to be participants and to know the joy of having their offerings accepted. If we can get the world to understand that... what a difference!"
In the task-orientation portion of the format, participants were asked to go home, make studies of their diocesan resources, determine who is doing what to encourage development projects, and, finally, to take a "next step" reflective of the ideals, vision and understanding of the task set forth by the conference.
In support of this, all major portions of the Conference were recorded on both video and audio tapes and work continues on developing audio-visual, broadcast, and printed resources to support the followup. The Overseas Development Office is reviewing plans for regional conferences to refine the understandings gained and explore additional actions.
Sponsorship and staffing of the event were shared among the Hunger, Overseas Development, Overseas Ministries Public Issues and Presiding Bishop's Fund for World Relief offices of the Church Center along with the University of the South, the South American Mission Society, and the Episcopal Church Missionary Community.