Churches Plan Wider Work With Migrants

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30192, 25 July 1963, Page 15

Churches Plan Wider Work With Migrants

Proposals to increase its work among refugees and immi®rarntB. especially those sponsored by the World Council of Churches, were adopted by the annual meeting in Christchurch yesterday of the Neticnal Council of Churches. New Zealand will ask the world council's division of inter-church aid. refugee, and world service to appcin* a full-time executive resettlement officer to maintain contact with migrants during their settling-in period in New Zealand.

The council will approach the Mtoes’er of Immigration, probably in a deputation, to ask that the Immigration Advisory Council should include representatives of the churches which are concerned with migrants This body was at present concerned with giving economic information to the Minister, and included trade unicm, chambers of commerce, manufacturers' associations and other groups. but the churches should have a place on it, said the associate general secretary (tlie Rev. D M. Taylor). A resettlement committee will be formed as soon as it is known whether a resettlement officer of the World Council of Churches can be appointed. A further step will be the convention of an inter-church consultation on migration, possibly extending invitations to interested secular bodies. The council also discussed the adoption of Hong Kong orphans by New’ Zealand families, and decided that more help would be afforded to Hong Kong if whole families were sponsored to settle in New Zealand. It was unfortunate for the

many terrwlies who had applied to adopt Hone Kong orphans that the scheme had been so limited and the arrival of the children so protracted. but there were in fact very few institutions in Hong Kong which had children legally eligible for internatjonal adoption. said the general secretary (the Rev. A. A. Bratfi).

“There is a large waiting list for the children who are eligible far adoption, mostly from established and prosperous Chinese families in the United States," he aaid. ’We could render a more useful service by selecting family units, of which there are many awaiting the chance to come to New Zealand." The council's decision will be referred to the Minister of Immigration. Television The co-director of the council's commission on television (the Rev. G. Delland) asked whether the Church was successfully comm uni carting its faith through television. Mt Da Hard said that some reviewers in the press were unsympathetic to church programmes. “If they have strong opinions. they are reflecting a section of the public, and we should take notice of them. The honeymoon is over, and we are now up against ‘Doctor Kildare* and ‘A. for Andromeda.’ We must get programmes with impact.’’ he said. Laymen’s Committee A committee of four laymen will be appointed to make suggestions *o the executive of the council for inter-church co-operation in the training of the laity. The committee has been given the power to add to its

members. Representatives from the Anglican. Presbyterian, Methodist, and Baptist churches will art prerent constitute the committee.

New Programme The 1964 annual meeting, to be held m Chrietohuroh. wiM be held over a weekend. to allow more lay members of the chrtwohee to attend the business sessions. If this experiment is judged successful, the council may meet in a different city each year, to extend its influence through the country. An exchange preaching programme will be held in eity churches during the week-end of the meeting. Officers Elected Officers elected were:— President, the Bishop of Waikato (the Rd. Rev. J T. Holland); vice-preaidenrt, Mrs D. Johnson (Society of Friends); executive. the Bishop of Christchurch (the Rt. Rev A. K. Warren), Canon H. M. Cocks (Church of England), the Rt. Rev. M. W. Wilson, the Rev. R. N. Rogers (Presbyterian), the Rev. J. D. Grooott, the Rev. W. S. Dawson 'Methodist), the Rev. R. M. O'Grady (Church of Christ). Brigadier L. Miller (Salvation Army), the Rev. A. H. McLeod (Baptist), the Rev. P. Threapl eton 'Congregational); general-secretary, the Rev. D. M. Taylor (from March 1. 1964); treasurer, Mr B. England; auditor, Mr L. W. Broadhead.