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Out of the question: The World Call?
Your answers
In 1927, my church’s PCC discussed something called “The World Call”. What was this? The World Call was a notable missionary initiative taken by the Church of England in the mid-1920s. After the formation of the Missionary Council by the Church Assembly, its first chairman, Bishop St Clair Donaldson, of Salisbury (formerly Archbishop of Brisbane), brought to it fresh vision. The World Call was his idea. He masterminded a successful campaign. Highly informative preparatory material was produced. Donaldson is reported to have divided the world mission field into major regions — the Far East, Africa, India, etc. — and enlisted commissions from the English dioceses to compile comprehensive reports on needs and opportunities overseas. His own diocese was responsible for the dossier on India. By 1925, the first four were published. A national conference was held in London, to which 3000 delegates came from all over the country, from every diocese. Cosmo Lang, at that time Archbishop of York, addressed the meeting on the theme “Now or Never”. “Read the reports quickly,” he said, “and you will hear behind you all the time a voice sounding like a bell with impressive persistency — now or never. The chance is here: it may be seized or lost for ever” (quoted by Roger Lloyd in The Church of England 1900-1965). His rallying call must have sent the delegates back with an unmistakable message — the world calling the Church. People in the pews became actively involved. With two additional reports in 1927, study groups and PCCs met regularly to discuss the World Call and respond to it. The reports that constituted the agenda for this call to missionary endeavour were highly praised. The editor of the contemporary Crockford wrote: “It may be doubted whether any Church has ever possessed so complete a summary of its foreign work and opportunities.” Not the least of the outcomes was an increase of vocations for work in the overseas mission field. (Canon) Terry Palmer Magor Monmouthshire Your questions Does sharia law, wholly or in part, exist as a text book or a series of text books in English? C. H. questions@churchtimes.co.uk |
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