Even though migration is at the heart of God’s mission, migrants continue to be targeted and demonized, unless they come from dominant colonial communities. Indigenous people continue to face violence and denial of land and cultural rights. Many of Council for World Mission (CWM)’s member churches are in contexts where migration has pluralized their communities and some of our churches are in contexts where Indigenous people are present. We also have some Partners in Mission who are ministering to migrant churches.
With racist and nativist powers and policies threatening communities all around the world, some churches have become at risk from such action, and other churches tacitly support such action. In light of this, CWM’s A New Face (ANF) 2020, to be held Aug 17 – Sept 25, will be a programme developed for and focusing on ministers from indigenous, minority ethnic and migrant communities.
By inviting ministers from such communities, we hope to share theologies, experiences and agendas which participants can use in their work and in their own struggles with majority/colonial cultures both inside and outside of church.
At the same time, this will build on the work CWM has begun in the Legacies of Slavery project, helping us to explore the practical dimensions of mission and racial justice and alerting us to other dimensions of the legacies of slavery and colonization within our member churches.
This year’s ANF Programme will be delivered in partnership with Trinity Methodist College, Auckland, a context where the indigenous Maori people continue to fight to reshape Aotearoa/New Zealand in ways which reflect its Maori heritage and identity. ANF is built around seminar input, exposure visit, shared reflection and personal study, and will culminate in a Pacific Legacies of Slavery Talanoa to bring fresh voices and perspectives from across the region’s academic community.
The application deadline is April 6th 2020.
Please refer to Programme details for more information.
Download the application form here.