From Global South Anglican via TitusOneNine:
22 April 2010
Let me firstly extend a personal welcome to Singapore and I trust that our hospitality teams have been taking good care of you. I was privileged to have been at the last 2 encounters – that may or may not be a good thing. Continuity can be very helpful but I realise that staying too long results in excess baggage. If you travel as often as I do excess baggage can be very inconvenient and slows you down.
I just want to bring us back to the last encounter which Egypt so wonderfully organised and the spirit of unity and co-operation of the Global South was riding high. We were really beginning to come together as one in the Lord in the midst of the many issues confronting our Communion. Despite these issues we could take time and reflect on where we are, where we have been and where with the Lord’s leading we would like to head. In Egypt we spent time in the desert and also by the Red Sea. However when we moved in convoys we were lead by motorcycle police and flashing lights rather than cloud and fire – I say this is the natural sense. I do believe we were very much lead by the Holy Spirit when we met in Egypt.
Let me read you the relevant paragraphs from the 3rd Global South to South Encounter Communique.
Extract from the 3rd GSSE Communique
Poverty
37. As the church catholic we share a common concern for the universal problem of debt and poverty. The inequity that exists between the rich and the poor widens as vast sums borrowed by previous governments were not used for the intended purposes. Requiring succeeding generations of people who never benefitted from the loans and resources to repay them will impose a crushing and likely insurmountable burden. We welcome and appreciate the international efforts of debt reduction and cancellation, for example, the steps recently carried out by G8 leaders.
38. A dimension of responsible stewardship and accountability is the clear call to be financially self sustaining. We commend the new initiative for financial self sufficiency and development being studied by the Council of Anglican Provinces in Africa. This is not only necessary because of the demands of human dignity; it is the only way to have sustainable economic stability.
Corruption
40. The holy Church will ‘show forth fruits that befit repentance’ (Matt 3:8). Many of us live in regions that have been deeply wounded by corruption. Not only do we have a responsibility to live transparent lives of utmost honesty in the Church, we are called to challenge the culture in which we live (Micah 6:8). Corruption consumes the soul of society and must be challenged at all costs. Transparency and accountability are key elements that we must manifest in bearing witness to the cultures in which we live.
Following the 3rd Encounter the GSPSC met and in order to action these aspects formally constituted the Economic Empowerment Track.
We have taken the liberty to make copies of the statements and agreements from the 2 consultations of this Track. All these have been posted on the Global South Website and have been provided to each participant’s folder. I hope you have all had a chance to read through this.
At each of these meetings, Kigali in Rwanda in Sep 2006 and Accra in Ghana in Sep 2007 we had participation from 9 to 10 GS Provinces.
The consultations we had were productive and helpful. However being meetings much depended on each participating Province to put into action after returning to home Province. I have heard from some but not been able to get updates from some others. I do know that increasingly our GS churches recognise the urgent need for Economic Empowerment and Capacity Building From broad interaction in the past few years I am encouraged to conclude that all of us are engaged in this is one form or another and in varying degrees. In fact there is a growing view that we have all the material resources we need within the Global South and the potential to develop the other needs.
Let us briefly examine the Action steps proposed and that those in the first group committed to acting on.
1 Establish in each Province an Economic Empowerment Fund. The seed funding will come from our own Provincial resources as our commitment toward economic self sufficiency.
If we would like others to help us then we should at least show we are desirous of doing what we can within our means.
2 Begin developing in each Province a sustainable Economic Empowerment strategy.
Each Province is unique – we need to evolve what will work for us. However we have much that we can learn from each other.
3 Create awareness-raising and implement biblically based teaching on Stewardship.
Absolutely fundamental.
4 Enhance communication and allocate funding where necessary.
The prevalence of handphones and internet has made great leaps in the recent years – and at affordable levels.
5 Where practical to actively harness international initiatives on Poverty alleviation.
Again each Province is unique and programmes vary by continent and country. Just make sure that benefits flow into the community intended to be assisted.
6 Begin to actively develop inter Provincial economic partnerships.
As GS we have Provinces better resourced than others. We are one Body so let us help one another intentionally and unconditionally.
7 Convene an Economic Empowerment consultation in 2007 with participation by every Global South Province.
We convened in 2007 in Accra, Ghana. At the conclusion of Accra we submitted to our Primates the proposal to meet annually or bi-annually with specific targets.
8 Increase active engagement of both public and private sectors in improving the economic livelihoods of our people.
Let us share within our Diocese and Provinces. Urban churches will inevitably have more resources than rural churches. This aligns with income distribution patterns. Today the Forbes wealthiest person comes from the Global South.
The Ethical Economic and Financial Covenant is also fundamental to sustaining our capacity building efforts. This has been distributed earlier in the folders and I would like to suggest that we consider reaffirming this in our regional group discussions.
We acted on action step 7 by convening in Accra in Sep 2007. We were privileged to have the Archbishop of West Africa as our host. We were also privileged to have Archbishop Okoh from Nigeria who just recently succeeded Archbishop Akinola as Primate of all Nigeria. Our Prayer and Congratulations Your Grace as you lead our largest Province.
Accra for me was exciting. We shared our own walks in the area of Economic Empowerment. Each one of us presented a paper on a selected topic. And we spent time dreaming on behalf of our Provinces with the intention of bringing this to reality with the Lord’s blessing and in His time.
The initiatives commonly employed in Economic Empowerment and Capacity Building include micro finance and small enterprise, agricultural projects – very often with higher efficiency and yield improvement, skills development, land redevelopment and infrastructure development. One very valuable resource common in GS Anglican Provinces is land – it is vital we are good stewards of this highly prized asset.
Let me share with you some of the dreams – I hope we have begun turning these dreams into reality.
Uganda – considered the primary resource being her members numbering at that time 10 million. The goal was to encourage each member to give $1 more per year which would bring in $10 million more for the church yearly.
Congo – recognised that civil conflict was a very challenging reality. Despite this there was a desire to establish micro finance initiatives that would improve the livelihoods of members and their communities.
Nigeria – looked at a model that would provide the Province with operating income so that Dioceses could spend their surpluses for further church planting. The income would come from redeveloping a commercial building for rental income and also establish an endowment fund that would provide regular income stream.
Perhaps in the discussion time on this plenary we may want to do a quick evaluation of the extent our Provinces have moved forward in the area of capacity building and economic empowerment.
Let me briefly share a some goals for my Province -
PSEA has formed a Provincial Partnership with CPM.
Our Churches while being self supporting would most likely still be working toward being a fully tithing church. We are currently self sufficient but if we had access to more resources by truly being obedient we may be able to help others even more.
Our action steps from Kigali point us back to 3 scriptural principles guiding us as a Church and as members of the Body of Christ.
The first is Tithing and Stewardship-
Are we teaching the principles of Biblical Stewardship and Tithing? Are we and our members tithing.
A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord. Lev 27:30
Action steps 1, 2, 3, 4, relate
The second is The Greatest Commandment
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbour as yourself. Matt 22: 37,38
If we faithfully follow this then all the above action steps will apply as well as action steps 5,6 and 8.
If we follow the second commandment we will look at those amongst us in need and act on it. We will also look at our fellow Provinces who may have need and act on it.
The third is Generosity encouraged
At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality. 2 Cor 8:14
Again we can relate action steps 5, 6 and 8
A Provincial partnership today may turn around in the years ahead. As an example, Province A helps Province B today. Some time later, Province B having strengthened may be the in position to help Province A. Perhaps we might even be bold enough to relate this to our wider communion where the older and more resourced Provinces of the decades past could be tangibly helped or need the vibrancy from the South.
May I hand over now to my co presenter Bishop Albert Chama.
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