Sowing the Gospel of Peace: Missionary James Watkin at Karitāne and Wellington, 1840-1855

<p>Wesleyan missionary James Watkin established the first mission station in the South Island at Karitāne in May 1840 and in 1844 he shifted to Wellington, where he remained with his family until 1855. During this time Watkin recorded his mission work in his journal, a key primary source for this research. While his efforts as a missionary have been considered particularly in texts covering New Zealand mission and South Island history, this thesis focuses on how James Watkin’s work helped to encourage physical and moral peace where he was located. Key elements of this work involved running church services for Māori and Europeans, and commencing schools at which Māori were taught literacy in their own language. By these avenues, Watkin diffused among his hearers the Christian teachings which encouraged peaceful conduct and moderation over violence and excesses which proved detrimental to the wellbeing of the community. Through more direct interventions, Watkin helped to defend young and lowly members of society from violence intended or practiced against them. This diffusion of Christian teachings and Watkin’s direct interventions encouraged peace within the community. Secondly, missionaries aimed to foster peace amidst times of war by assuming the role of mediators and encouraging chiefs to adopt Christianity, by which means peaceable sentiments could be fostered within their tribe. By visiting each area of his circuit and organising church gatherings, Watkin helped to facilitate peace within and between tribes, as Wesleyan Māori from various areas assembled to participate in church activities where amiable sentiments were fostered. This thesis proposes that by these various avenues, the Reverend James Watkin contributed to the fostering of peace in the community and in times of war.</p>

Sowing the Gospel of Peace: Missionary James Watkin at Karitāne and Wellington, 1840-1855

<p>Wesleyan missionary James Watkin established the first mission station in the South Island at Karitāne in May 1840 and in 1844 he shifted to Wellington, where he remained with his family until 1855. During this time Watkin recorded his mission work in his journal, a key primary source for this research. While his efforts as a missionary have been considered particularly in texts covering New Zealand mission and South Island history, this thesis focuses on how James Watkin’s work helped to encourage physical and moral peace where he was located. Key elements of this work involved running church services for Māori and Europeans, and commencing schools at which Māori were taught literacy in their own language. By these avenues, Watkin diffused among his hearers the Christian teachings which encouraged peaceful conduct and moderation over violence and excesses which proved detrimental to the wellbeing of the community. Through more direct interventions, Watkin helped to defend young and lowly members of society from violence intended or practiced against them. This diffusion of Christian teachings and Watkin’s direct interventions encouraged peace within the community. Secondly, missionaries aimed to foster peace amidst times of war by assuming the role of mediators and encouraging chiefs to adopt Christianity, by which means peaceable sentiments could be fostered within their tribe. By visiting each area of his circuit and organising church gatherings, Watkin helped to facilitate peace within and between tribes, as Wesleyan Māori from various areas assembled to participate in church activities where amiable sentiments were fostered. This thesis proposes that by these various avenues, the Reverend James Watkin contributed to the fostering of peace in the community and in times of war.</p>

‘The farm that became a great problem’: Epworth Mission Station and the manifestation of mission in crisis in post-independence Zimbabwe

Mission stations were created to radiate the light of Christianity to the surrounding communities. However, as time passed, what was meant to be the light became an eyesore to the noble intentions of the initial founders. Epworth Mission Station brings together the manifestation of a failed mission vision, as exemplified by the challenges and the squalid conditions of what was once a promising mission. This study explores the origins and challenges faced at a mission station and in particular Epworth of the Methodist Church in Harare. It looks at the challenges of the 19th-century mission approach in a post-colonial era. With the changes in political and religious terrain in Africa, mission work has suffered.Contribution: Using qualitative methods, which included desk research, archival and ethnographic approaches, the researcher sought to uncover the latent sources and nature of the mission problems and ended by suggesting what new approaches can be used to salvage respectability of mission in a post-colonial era. These include missional orientation and decolonisation of the African mind.

Eucharistic interdependence: A biblical theology of support raising

Missionary support raising is at the nexus of theology, mission, and money. How do denominations fund mission work and missionaries? What does that funding reveal about missiological mindsets? How do we feel about missions and money? What is the calling, both for the individual and the corporate body, in terms of funding missions? Ultimately, the answers to these questions should be based in the deepest-held truths of the Christian faith. Therefore, this article proposes a biblical theology of support raising. First, the biblical case generally provided by current literature is described. Second, that “case” for support raising is expanded by examining fundamental underlying assumptions that can be summarized as “eucharistic interdependence.” Finally some of the “hard questions” of support raising are looked at through the lens of this eucharistic interdependence framework.

Sollicitudo omnium ecclesiarum: Kepedulian Dan Kerjasama Gerejawi Untuk Tanah Misi Dan Di Tanah Misi

The concern to the situation and condition to all other members of the Church and the collaboration for the welfare of the entire Church is the expression of communio (communion) which is the character of Christ Church. The arise of Church in the mission land and its development which like the mustard seed is the fruit of the concern and collaboration of the missionaries showed by the community and Church which have been founded along the history. Considering Church resources are always limited, every form of across continents concern and collaboration should be done effectively. In the process of the evangelization in the mission land, these concern and collaboration encounter various forms of initiatives; starting from the simple, spontaneous, sporadic and individual to the consistent, coordinated organizations. These concern and collaboration often find frictions, conflicts of interest, impartialities, and injustice; especially concerning the implementation of the power of jurisdiction in the mission land and the submission to the superiority of the mission leaders. The negative excesses are seen and observed objectively and corrected to attain the more effective concerns and collaboration for the sake of the development of the mission work. The apostolic see is the central organ has explored and successfully founded an effective and sustainable missionary collaboration system, from the commissio to the mandate system. Nowadays, the missionary concern and collaboration across particular churches have not been centralized, but assigned to each local communities and particular Churches, to develop mutual collaboration according to the mutual need and projects through the written agreement to mutual minister