SOUTH ASIAN CHURCHES

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 27987, 6 June 1956, Page 8

SOUTH ASIAN CHURCHES

FELLOWSHIP SOUGHT WITH N.Z. ADDRESS BY REV. A. A. BRASH The churches in South-east Asia, striving for unity, needed fellowship, staff, and financial assistance from the churches in Australia and New Zealand, said the Rev. A. A. Brash, secretary of the National Council of Churches, in an addiess at Canterbury University College last evening. Mr Brash recently visited Singapore, Siam, Indonesia and Borneo. “On the other hand, we need what the Asian churches have, more than they need what we have,” he said. “We need their alertness to the evangelistic task and their closeness .to God.” In all the South-east Asian churches he visited. Mr Brash said, he found that they knew little about one another, and now wanted to co-operate in the evangelising of Asia. They wanted a different pattern of missionary help—fraternal workers to build up the church that already existed there. The churches in South-east Asia planned to establish a fellowship throughout Asia, and had extended an invitation to the churches in Australia and New Zealand to join it, said Mr Brash.

“The important point is that New Zealand has been invited to Asia by the Asians to a meeting of Asian churches in Bangkok,” he said. “If the New Zealand churches have been asked to co-operate closely with the Asian churches, what is that going to mean?” Mr Brash said he was firmly convinced that these churches needed what Australia and New Zealand could give them. They needed to feel that they belonged to the world family of Jesus Christ because they were such small churches in the midst of millions of Moslems. They needed practical assistance from Australian and New’ Zealand men and women in key position's. “We cannot enter into this cooperation without it costing us a great deal,” he added.