Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - Sept. 16/61

Contributor - J. R. Euwema

Title - Migration Conference of the World Council of Churches

Topic - Population

The Reformed Church in America through her association with the Church World Service of the World Council of Churches and the Board of North American Missions, because of her interest in migration especially as it occurs in Canada, has seen fit to send two men as delegate and observer to the Migration Conference of the World Council of Churches at Leysin, Switzerland.

The Conference was held from June 11-16, 1961, the delegate was Mr. Wm. 0. Rotschafer of Grand Rapids, Mich., a member of the CWS program of the denomination and Rev. J. R. Euwema, an Observer, representing the RCA program in Canada. Altogether there were some 200 delegates, observers and consultants coming from thirty countries and representing seventy-five churches. To name a few we need but mention such widely different churches as the Anglcan, the Friends, the Greek Orthodox, Presbyterian, Lutheran and many others.

As was to be expected racial, social and ecclesiastical differences were not in evidence. It was indeed a meeting of brethren in the faith: the faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord of the Church.

The opening statement of the report of the final Plenary Session is of importance. It states: "The society in which the Churches now live and witness is a dynamic and revolutionary society with a consequent intensification of human need and suffering. At this moment in history the world's population is increasing explosively with a resultant accelerating pressure on the whole world in its struggle for the recognition of human rights and for peace with freedom and justice. After the second World War the Churches responded and continue to respond to the needs of refugees seeking 'freedom from fear' and 'freedom from want' and a chance to build their lives anew. Today the Churches are faced with a whole complex of migration on

A world-wide scale and are challenged to devise the Christian answer to the manifold problems this phenomenon poses. Migration itself however cannot be isolated but must be seen in the context of the contemporary world of a technological civilization. The advance of technology in industry and commerce has made all parts of the world. economically interdependent, is causing an increasing proportion of mankind to become mobile and is rapidly creating a world which is one community or one labour market. This is a development which blurs the old-time rigidity of national frontiers and makes it increasingly difficult to distinguish between permanent and temporary migration. As a Consequence new societies are being created in which the native and the migrant play new roles, the one of assimilation and the other of integration.

"Challenged by the situation and the problems it poses, the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches in 1956 resolved:

'To request the Administrative Committee of the Division of Inter-church Aid and Service to Refugees to consider the calling of a special conference of church leaders with consultants representing governmental and intergovernmental agencies and others especially qualified to undertake a comprehensive study of the role and resources of the churches in the field of International Migration'."

The Migration Conferences set as its duty to study the "concern rather Churches regarding migration", "the impact of the migrants upon the life and program of the receiving churches and the reverse impact of the churches upon toe migrant", and the "service to be rendered to the migrant". To accomplish these three goals the delegates were divided into four study groups each with a specific task to be accomplished. The writer of this article was assigned to the study group which was to ascertain the "impact of the migrant upon the receiving church(es)". In each of these study groups much time was spent to bring out the various and often intriguing angles of the Problem and then set out to find solutions to the problems presented. Study periods usually lasted upwards of two hours until some kind of unanimity of viewpoint was reached.

Since this was a conference sponsored by the World Council of Churches it was but natural that much of the interest of the delegates was centered in the various aspects of migration as they pertained to the religious life of the migrant(s). One problem of utmost importance-was this: How should the churches face this vast army of migrants? (Some 50 to 55 million migrants left their homeland during the last decade or so. This number does not include the many more millions who have only crossed state or provincial boundaries, but remained in their own country.) Most of the recent migrants have come from Russia, or Russian dominated countries, from Israel where the Arab is the displaced person, India where millions have migrated from India to Pakistan and vice versa, and more recently also from Cuba.

And the implied second question and problem is this: What should the Church(es) do for such millions of migrants? And the natural correlary: what is the Church capable of doing? It is taken for granted that in accord with the teachings of our Lord, there is a very definite responsibility resting squarely upon the shoulders of the Church(es).

Among the many "findings" of the study groups, these seem to be the most pertinent:

a. The churches, because of their Christian ideals should seek to do all they can for these millions of displaced persons regardless of ecclesiastic, or lack of ecclesiastic convictions. These people are in need of help and in the Name of the Compassionate Christ, the churches in the receiving countries should offer them aid in the spirit of the parable of the Good Samaritan.

b. The churches which have been, or are giving aid only, or mainly to those migrants who have racial and/or religious origins similar to their own and are giving aid to them because ot their similarity of origin, racially or ecclesiastically, are advised to reconsider and reevaluate their practices in the light of the teachings of the Savior. A statement in the final plenary session's report states this as follows:

"Apart from any other consideration Christian love and responsibility require the churches to be concerned about all migrants in need.,,

c. The practice of "proselyting" that is, seeking to lure migrants away from their own religious and ecclesiastical organizations into those that are different doctrine, liturgy and spirit, is to be deplored and discouraged This was seen to be unethical and basically unchristian.

d. The influx of peoples of various and varying cultural, social and ethnic origins into an indigenous, i.e. a receiving church, or denomination cannot but exert and influence, either for better or for worse.

Let us comment on these findings in reverse order.

The influx of migrants into a receiving church, or denomination, will tend to be a living testimony to the fact that the Kingdom of Christ is much greater than any given organization, no matter how large and powerful it might appear to be. This living testimony of the extensiveness of the Kingdom will then cause to make the receiving churches aware of the fact that "in Christ there is no east or west and in Him, no north or south" and we would like to add, no Europe or America, no Asia nor Africa. This unity of faith transcends all racial, ethnic, social, or economic barriers. It not infrequently happens that many of the migrants have a better grip and understanding of their own and even the religious convictions of the receiving church members than the receiving churches. Let us illustrate from the history of the RCA. During the latter part of the XlXth Century and the first quarter of the XXth Century,. there was an influx of many varying ethnic groups into the USA. Many of them united with the RCA. Considering the ecclesiastical life before and after this wholesale influx of newcomers, we would judge that the whole life and program of the RCA has been materially altered through their spirit and attitudes. But we must also realize that the RCA also had a tremendous influence upon them during these last 75 years, or more. So there is a mutual, a reciprocal influence of the two groups: the indigenous denomination, the RCA, and the immigrant associated with the church. The product of the fusion of these two elements has been highly beneficial to both parties.

The problem of "proselyting has been, and probably ever will remain an unsolved problem. This is so too in the sphere of the migrant and the receiving church(es). The helping hand that is proferred the migrant often has something about it that is supposed to lure the migrant into the receiving church or denomination. This practice savors of the attitude of "I-alone-have-the-truth". Let us deplore this as vehemently as was done at the Conference at Leysin, and in deploring this practice seek to help the migrant in the Name of the Compassionate Christ and not use him (the migrant) to increase the statistics of our ecclesiastical organization. If the migrant is in need it is the prerogative of his fellow Christian to give him aid. If the migrant be no Christian himself, but is in need, the requirements are similar, for the believer, the Parable of the Good Samaritan still holds.

We too should be thoroughly conscious of the fact that unless we happen to be an American, or a Canadian Indian, we ourselves, or our forefathers were migrants from abroad. We, all of us, are sons and daughters of migrants - whether we are aware of it or not.

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