WSCF General Committee Tutzing, 1956

Appendix VI

WSCF General Committee Tutzing, 1956

Extracts from a Report by Frank Engel

Survey of Movements

One of the most exciting reports received by General Committee was that of the Sub-Committee on Survey of Movements. It ran to 12 pages, so can only be summarized here.

I. Africa

The General Committee recorded its great joy at the expansion of existing work in Africa and the opening up of many new opportunities there. It expressed its deep gratitude to David Head for the work he has done as Traveling Secretary in British West Africa and for the way in which he has devoted his energy, imagination and sympathy to building up the SCMs in his charge.

The General Committee noted the great need for a leadership-training course in West Africa. It heard with great pleasure of the Ibadan Consultation and of Valdo Galland's recent visit to Africa, during which many countries received a Federation visit for the first time. It emphasized the immense possibilities of this new field of work and rejoiced that one of the new Vice- Chairmen of the WSCF is from this area, symbolizing the growing importance of the African continent in the work of the Federation.

The affiliated movements in Africa are in Nigeria, where there has been rapid expansion in schools and universities, and in South Africa. The associated movements, growing towards affiliation, are in the Gold Coast and Sierra Leone. Twelve other parts of Africa, with which there are contacts or possibilities of work, are Belgian Congo, Brazzaville, Cameroons, Dakar, Dahomey, East Africa, Federation of the Rhodesias and Nyasaland, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Madagascar, Sudan and Togo.

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The Australian Intercollegian, March 1957. 82

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. 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.

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.

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.

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.