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II. Asia
The universities
and their student bodies have grown tremendously in almost all Asian countries.
This has also been a period o building and expansion for Student Christian
Movements. The Asian movements have realized the need for full-time national
staff and an expanded program to cope with the new situation. The last few
years have seen greater developments in this field. Where there is no national
structure, the SCM is engaged in building up e national organization and program.
The Asian movements are at a point in their history where they have to plan in
terms of the work that needs to be done and then think of the finance
and personnel needed, rather than to plan work in terms of resources available.
The visits of the Federation
staff to the area, the consultations of the SCM leaders in 1954 and in 1956 at Bangkok, and the
conference for theological students in Asia in 1956 have
helped the work and witness of the Asian movements. The publication of the SCM
handbook and reports of the Federation conferences in Asia during the last
three years were found to be very useful. The Asian SCMs feel the need for a leadership-training
course and a Bible study conference to be held within the next three years in Asia.
The affiliated
movements are in Burma, China, India, Pakistan, Ceylon, Indonesia, Japan, Korea and Malaya. The Philippines are 'associated'
with provision for affiliation soon. The comment on China may be of special
interest:
The General
Committee rejoiced at the presence of the Chinese delegation at this General
Committee and heard with deep interest their reports concerning student
Christian life in China. We were
particularly impressed with the news of the close relationship of student work
with the churches and with the way in which the continuing Student Christian
Movement is finding new forms of work as it adapt itself to the new situation
in China. The General
Committee hopes that a Federation delegation can pay a visit to China in the near
future.
III. Europe
The General
Committee learned with much pleasure of the increasing contacts between
European SCMs, especially in participation in one another's conference. It
noted a number of concerns, which had been taken up by the European Council in the
past three years, particularly schoolwork, and the care of foreign students.
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It also took note
of the fact that many of the European SCMs are becoming more closely related to
the Church and that in Austria Switzerland, and some of the Scandinavian countries
the Gemeinde pattern of the German SCM is now taking effect to a greater
or lesser extent.
The General
Committee expressed its gratitude to Leila Giles and Alice Otterness for their
general oversight of the area and the constant encouragement they have given to
the European movements. The affiliated movements are in Denmark, Finland, France Germany, Great Britain and Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland. The associate
movements are in Austria, Belgium, Greece, Italy, and the Russian
SCM outside Russia. Plans were made
for future contact with students in Eastern Europe, Iceland, Portugal and Spain.
IV. Latin
America and West Indies
The General
Committee rejoiced in the presence of seventeen delegates from Latin America. This has been the
result of an extensive work of visitations, conferences and mutual
assistance. The past three years saw two regional leadership training
conferences - one in Matanzas, Cuba, December January
1953-4, for students north of the equator, and another at Cochabamba, Bolivia, Christmas 1955-6,
for students south of the equator. In addition, there was a conference for
theological students of South America in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in July 1954.
Conferences are presently proposed in Central America at Christmas 1956, in
Mexico, January 1957 (with a special section for theological students), and in
a year's time a Bible study leaders' training course for South America,
possibly in Brazil. March 1953 saw the inauguration of Testimonium, a
Spanish-Portuguese quarterly journal for Latin American SCMs, and various
study booklets have been published in Spanish. The General Committee finally
noted its profound gratitude for the devoted work of its Latin American
Secretory, Valdo Galland, who during the past three years has visited all
twenty Latin American countries at least once.
The General
Committee endorsed in principle the plan to have an area secretary for Central America and instructed its
financial officers to explore the possibilities of financing this project. The
affiliated movements are in Brazil and Puerto Rico. The associate
movements are in Chile, Cuba, Jamaica, Mexico and Uruguay. Other movements
with which there is contact are in Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Dominican
Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela.
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V Middle
East
The General
Committee regretted the absence of representatives from the Middle East and instructed the
Executive Committee to give special attention during the coming triennium to
developing contacts with this area. Attention should be given to the new
student work being established in Baghdad and to other
opportunities for new work. However, special care should also be given to
supporting existing youth and student work with particular attention to Orthodox
youth and student movements in Syria, Lebanon and Egypt.
VI. North
America
The two affiliated
movements are in Canada and USA. (Canada has a single,
well-organized SCM. The USA has a multiplicity
of denominational movements, which are struggling towards greater unity under
the United Student Christian Council.)
The General
Committee heard from Herluf Jensen a detailed report about recent changes in
the USCC. We studied several constitutional changes, notable a new statement
of Aim and Basis and a number of articles defining USCC's new status as a
'related movement' of the National Council of Churches, maintaining, however,
adequate guarantees of autonomy and decided that these changes do not alter the
full affiliation of USCC with the Federation.
We learned further
that by mutual agreement the Student Volunteer Movement had become the USCC
Commission on World Mission and had therefore ceased to be a member movement of
USCC, although retaining its corporate identity. In this connection, we note
with interest that USCC, which originally had seventeen member movements, now
has, as a result of merger and consolidation in the past twelve years, twelve
member movements, and we heard that further conversations are at present under
way concerning a merger among several more of the member movements.
VII South Pacific
The General
Committee received a report on the further development of relations between Australia and New Zealand and Asia. It noted in
particular the acceptance by both these countries of an invitation to
participate in a consultation of Asian secretaries. Kyaw Than's visit to this
area in 1954, the first visit of a Federation secretary for six years, was a
notable and valuable event which could well be repeated in the near future.
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The General
Committee rejoiced to hear of the close association of the Australian SCM with
the Indian SCM including the training of an Indian SCM secretary, Arun Sircar,
in Australia, and Australian
assistance to the Indian SCM staff budget. It heard also that there had been
great concern for student evangelism and that missions had been conducted in
four university centers.
The General
Committee was asked to examine the proposed new constitution of the New Zealand
SCM, which attempted to put the aims of the movement in a more challenging
fashion than before. Upon studying these changes, the General Committee was of
the opinion that they were fully in harmony with the purpose of the WSCF. It
heard also of nation-wide missions, which had been conducted under New Zealand leadership, and of
the creation of the NZSCM fellowship, with 600 senior members, both of which
were signs of a strengthening of the movement.
General Recommendations
1. General
Strategy/or Mutual Assistance
The General
Committee makes the following
observations about the Federation's general strategy concerning mutual assistance in the
three years immediately ahead.
a. The special
attention given to Asia by the WSCF over
the last decade is just beginning to bear fruit. This is a time when the Asian
SCMs need more help and support. But at the same time the Asian Movements
should begin making a long-range policy of gradual financial independence.
b. Latin America. The emphasis
should be upon consolidation of beginnings, which have been well made, and on
coordinating the various missionary initiatives. This area will be a major area
for financial assistance in the coming period.
c. Africa. In West Africa, well-established
Movements continue to need assistance as they move towards increasing
self-support. A striking feature of this General Committee is the realization
of enormous new opportunities for student work elsewhere in Africa. The coming three
years offer us a period for further exploration and preparation of the
substantial mutual assistance program which Africa will require in future
years.
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d. Middle East. The coming three
yeas should be a period of travel and exploration in this area. Major questions
of ecumenical policy will have to be faced and cleared as we think of Student
Movement growth in this area.
e. North America. The emphasis must
be on continued consultation with mission agencies to develop among them a
deeper knowledge of the situation of the Student Movements of the world and
their peculiar opportunities and needs. Emphasis must also be nut on the assistance,
which other countries can give to these vast North American movements in
understanding the Federation, largely through providing visitors.
f. Europe. The emphasis in
the coming period should be on stimulating interest among the European
Movements in the Federation's programs of mutual assistance.
g. South Pacific. These Movements should
be helped to break down their sense of isolation and enabled to feel that they
really belong to the Federation. Opportunities for developing new work in the
islands of the Pacific should be continually explored.
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