Spring of The Living Hope

H O N O R O F S M I T H N .
Z A T H AWNG xiii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The Psalmist (a person after the heart of God) asked God, “What are human
beings, that You think of them; mere mortals, that You care for them?” (Psalms 8:4,
GNB)
The words of the wisest King in the Bible, the Philosopher and the Preacher
echoed: “With all my wisdom I tried to understand everything that happens here on
earth. And God has made this so hard for us humans to do. I have seen it all, and
everything is just as senseless as chasing the wind.” (Ecclesiastes 1:13 & 14, CEV)
“I know the heavy burdens that God has laid on us. He has given us a desire to know
the future, but never gives us the satisfaction of fully understanding what He does.
So I realized that all we can do is to be happy and do the best we can while we are
still alive.” (Ecclesiastes 3:10-12, GNB) “Everything you were taught can be put
into a few words: Respect and obey God! This is what life is all about.” (Ecclesiastes
12:13, CEV)
The Lord Jesus said to His disciples, “I have told you this so that you will
have peace by being united to me. The world will make you suffer. But be brave! I
have defeated the world.” (John 16:33, GNB)The author of the letter to the Hebrews
exhorted, “Let us keep our eyes fixed upon Jesus, on whom our faith depends from
beginning to end.” (Hebrews 12:2a, GNB)
Life is a gift given by grace of God. Life is a chance, a challenge, a calling
and a career. Life is sweet yet bitter. The longer we chew the sweeter it tastes, only
because of the love, goodness and mercy of God.At a certain moment in my life I
was succumbed to ask, “My God, my God, why have Youforsaken me?” Then a still
small voice within me whispered, “Be still, and know that I am God.” After more
than 65 years of sojourn on this earth as a little poor child of theHeavenly Father and
as a humble unworthy servant of the Lord Jesus Christ, I can humbly confess together
with the great Apostle Paul, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, ..” (1Corinthians
15:10a, RSV/NIV) and boldly say, " We rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of
God. More than that, we rejoice in our suffering, knowing that suffering produces
endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, .... "
(Rom. 5:2a-4). Yes, we live in hope, one day at a time.
xiv H O N O R O F S M I T H N . Z A T H AWNG
To all my dearly beloved friends, sisters and brothers in Christ, around the globe
who have passionately taken the burden to kindly contribute your personal articles for
this commemorative volume of mine, I deliberately take each of them as a sign and seal of
your kind compassion, graciousness and empathy to me, and your sustaining ecumenical
solidarity with me (just as I was, I am and I may be).
My appreciation is above measure. My gratitude is beyond words, to each
one of you. Let me join Moses and Aaron in wishing all of you the Biblical Priestly
Blessing:
The Lord bless you and keep you:
The Lord make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you:
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,and give you peace.
Numbers 6:24-26
Smith Ngulh Za Thawng

Yangon, May 2013
H O N O R O F S M I T H N . Z A T H AWNG xv
xvi H O N O R O F S M I T H N . Z A T H AWNG
H O N O R O F S M I T H N . Z A T H AWNG xvii
PREFACE
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He
has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ
from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade – kept
in heaven for you… 1 Peter 1:3-5.
First of all, we would like to give all glory to God for enabling to publish the
“Spring of the living Hope”. Our heartfelt thanks go to each and every one of the
contributors across the globe either in English, Myanmar or Tedim. Your insightful view
on the life of Rev. Smith makes colourful beauty to the ‘Spring of the living Hope’. We
indeed treasure your invaluable words and thoughts based on your long time intimate
friendship, relationship and interaction with Rev. Smith in different capacities.
Rev. Smith hails from a small village called Ciingpikot, Tedim Township, Chin
State in Myanmar. When he was 5, his mum passed away. He was brought up by his
grandparents with his uncle’s family. Though he faced many life challenges since his very
childhood, his deep influence to his village folk is a young active boy with humility, caring
others with sincerity and thoughtful living with God-fearing heart. His God-given skill:
singing has been an ever echoing inspiration especially to his contemporaries. He out-
lives his life by being the first university graduate among his villagers. The Almighty God
heightens his horizon from the dust to a national figure in the Christian ministry, particularly
in the ecumenical movement.
‘Spring’ proves itself to be a ‘real spring’ when it is found amidst the dry desert.
‘Hope’ proves itself to be a ‘real hope’ when it appears amidst the deep desperation.
The analogical expression of ‘hope’ as ‘spring’ isfittingly appropriate to the content of this
book. As a matter of fact, during the past 65 years of Rev. Smith’s life journey, there were
times when his years were deservedly crowned by the undeserved grace of God. At the
same time, there were also times when “My times are in Thy hand” had to be quietly
whispered. However, Rev. Smith could sing together with the Psalmist, “The Lord is my
Shepherd, I shall not want; ... Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow
of death, I fear no evil; ... Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of
my life; ...” (Ps. 23:1, 4, 6a). Rev. Smith could confidently accept the words of wisdom
xviii H O N O R O F S M I T H N . Z A T H AWNG
of King Solomon, “Because the Lord corrects everyone he loves, and punishes
everyone he accepts as a son” (Proverb 12:6). He could also join in confessing with the
Apostle Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in
weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9).Rev. Smith could stand firmly and faithfully with full confidence
in the goodness and grace of God through these years of tragedy and victimization because
he is dead-sure of the inevitable words of his Lord Jesus, “Whoever serves me must
follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honour the one
who serves me” (John 12:26, NIV).
Rev. Smith had striven and continues to strive as a humble, faithful servant of
God to follow “The Master’s Way”:
Not ours to know the reason why, unanswered is our prayer,
But ours to wait for God’s own time to lift the Cross we bear;
Not ours to know the reason why from love ones we must part,
But ours to live in faith and hope though bleeding to the heartNot ours to
know the reason why this anguish, strife and pain,
But ours to know a crown of thorns sweet graces for us gain;
A cross, a bleeding heart and a crown – what greater gifts are given?
Be still, my heart, and murmur not: These are the Keys of Heaven.
(Anonymous)
Each and every moment of such ups and downs of 65 years, Jesus stands
with Rev. Smith instantly and constantly as a real “Springof the living Hope”. This
strength empowers Rev. Smith to be positioned as an icon of humility, honesty and
hope. Our sincere prayer and dedication is that God, whom Rev. Smith firmly
anchored his faith in, be ever present ‘Spring of the living Hope’ in the days to
come, and the essence of the ‘Spring of the livingHope’ be transmitted to the next
generations through this collection of the “Spring of the living Hope”.
Publication Team
Ciingpikot Community
Spring of the living Hope
Yangon, 21st April 2013
H O N O R O F S M I T H N . Z A T H AWNG xix
FOREWORD
I received a letter from Rev. Smith Ngulh Za Thawng in which he requested me

to write a “Foreword” for the book on his life and work in the ministry of Jesus Christ. He
also mentioned that his fellow workers in Christ are contributing articles for the book. I
assumed that the articles will be primarily on his life and works related to various Chris-
tian organizations he served as a full-time worker. When a person is asked to write a
“Foreword” for a book, he has to run through the book and render his “Foreword”
which will embrace appreciation, comment and support. But with this book such a “Fore-
word” is not feasible and in one sense inappropriate to the nature of the book.
My “Foreword” will start with the question: who is this person Smith? My answer
is that he is a Tedim Chin, born at a village called Ciingpikot, Tedim township, northern
Chin State. His mother died when he was only 5 years old. Inspite of the economic
drawbacks, he struggled very hard to complete his studies in High School. By the grace
of God he was able to pursue higher education in his life.
I first met him at our Student Chapel, Bawdigone near Mandalay University. I
was requested by the Baptist leaders that time at the Baptist Headquarters in Yangon to
initiate a Chapel for all Christian students pursuing higher education at the University of
Mandalay where I completed my Bachelor of Arts degree in 1960. When I first saw
Smith at the Vesper Service he looked very simple, quiet and reserved. I did not make an
attempt to find out as to who he was and his family background. Soon I discovered that
he was a regular comer to the Student Chapel and because of his quietness in nature I did
not expect him to get involved in the life and work of the Student Christian Union (University
Christian Fellowship). I was wrong in my calculation on him. He became a very active
member and he was entrusted to lead our choir. Our choir was very strong and we
provided choir items to all churches on special religious occasions in Mandalay. Every
Sunday we sang at Kelly Baptist Church. I was very thankful to Smith for his committed
leadership in the choir and other music programmes.
Judging from his commitment, I felt that he could be a potential full-time leader
for the life and work of the church. So, at the close of the University academic year, I
asked him whether he wish to join God’s ministry on a full-time basis. I remembered that
he simply smiled. It was God Himself who took the initiative to bring Smith into His
ministry. In October 1969, he was one of the candidates in the Leadership Training
Institute (LTI) Programme of the Burma Student Christian Movement (SCM) in Rangoon.
As a trainee he studied theology at the Burma Divinity School (now MIT) for the BRE
degree. Later in October 1983 he was able to further his ecumenical theological studies
at the Ecumenical Institute Bossey of the World Council of Churches near Geneva,
xx H O N O R O F S M I T H N . Z A T H AWNG
Switzerland and then at the University of Glasgow in Scotland, U.K. He came back to
Myanmar in September 1986 with a Master degree in Ecumenical Theology.
Having equipped himself with theological education, he held several responsible
positions in many Christian organizations. To mention a few, he served as the Executive
Secretary for the Comprehensive Leadership Promotion Programme (CLPP) of the
Myanmar Council of Churches (MCC), later as its Associate General Secretary and
General Secretary until the end of 2005.
One may ask what has he contributed, especially in the ecumenical community he
had served for many years. I will say, he has. I will just mention a few of his concrete
contributions to the ecumenical organizations. He initiated a unique programme known as
“Frontier Mission Recruitment Course” for the SCM/UCW. That mission activity was to
challenge Christian students in the universities and colleges in the country to get involved
in socio-economic and political issues of the civil society. The other land-mark contribution
is the promotion of the “Round Table Partners’ Programme” of the MCC. The partners
are members of the World Council of Churches who desired to work with MCC member
churches for development programmes. The member churches have fully benefitted from
the Round Table Partners’ Programmes. It is still alive, at the same time deepening and
enriching the theological concept of “ecumenical sharing” in the common concerns of
human issues.
After his retirement from the SCM, and upon his return from further studies
abroad, he initiated a programme at the MCC known as “Myanmar Ecumenical Institute”.
The purpose of this programme is to promote ecumenical leadership for the member
churches of the MCC. I had the privilege to serve on the Committee for several years.
The training will go for one month (30) days. The subject matters include both biblical
and contextual studies embracing socio-economic, political subjects. Had it not been for
his vision and leadership MEI may not attract the member churches. Today, this programme
is moving on. I still remember what he said about it, that is, “It is worth dying” for
implementing this programme with fellow workers of the Committee.
The Myanmar Council of Churches, originally started in 1914 as the Burma
Representative Council of Missions, never had a building of its own until 9th December
1995 on which date the Myanmar Ecumenical Sharing Centre (MESC) building was
inaugurated with the generous support of EZE/EED and ecumenical partners. I was
privileged to serve as Chair of the MESC Building Project Committee and he as the
Secretary. MESC building could well be regarded as a monument of his ecumenical
commitment and faithful endeavour.
Inspite of trials and tribulations, the grace of God was sufficient enough to recover
him with strong spiritual vitality to encounter and overcome them. In Romans 8:28, St.
Paul said, “All things work for good to those who love God.” Yes, Jesus Christ had done
marvelous things in the life of Rev. Smith. May the good Lord continue to bless him in his
life and work for His glory.
Rev. Dr. A. Ko Lay

25 February 2013
H O N O R O F S M I T H N . Z A T H AWNG xxi
CHRONOLOGICAL AUTOBIOGRAPHY OUTLINE

(Revd Smith Ngulh Za Thawng)
1947 July 1 Born at Ciingpikot village, Tedim Township, northern Chin State,
Myanmar Father, Pa Sian ZaVungh (exp. 1990), Mother, Nu Thang Neem
(exp.1952)
1962 March Passed 7th Standard from Private Middle School, Ciingpikot
1965 March Passed Matriculation from State High School, Tedim
1969 October Finished B.Sc.(Zoology) from Mandalay Arts & Science University
(MASU)
1971 October Finished B.R.E. from Burma Divinity School
(now Myanmar Institute of Theology)
1971 Novem. Appointed as Students’ Pastor, University Christian Fellowship
(UCF), Mandalay
1979 January Executive Secretary, University Christian Work, Burma Council of
Churches, Rangoon
1983 October Attended Graduate School of Ecumenical Studies, The Ecumenical
Institute Bossey,World Council of Churches, near Geneva, Switzerland .
(first student from Burma)
1984 October Postgraduate Studies at the University of Glasgow, Scotland, UK
1986 Septem. Completed M.Th. (Ecumenical Theology), University of Glasgow,
Scotland, UK (First M.Th. graduate from abroad in Burma)
1987 January Coordinator, Comprehensive Leadership Promotion Programme
(CLPP) cum Scholarships Programme Secretary, Burma Council of
Churches, Rangoon
1992 Nov. 22 Ordained at Judson Church, Yangon. Two Episcopal Bishops (Anglican
& Methodist) laid hands together with four Baptist Ministers
1996 May Appointed Associate General Secretary of Myanmar Council of Churches
2001 May Appointed General Secretary of MCC (Service ended 31st December
2005)
xxii H O N O R O F S M I T H N . Z A T H AWNG
Note: Conferred FDCS (Fellow of Distinguished Christian Service), an honorary

Certificate and Gown by the Myanmar Institute of Theology at its Graduate
Service on 8th March 2003
Remark: Appointed as Associate General Secretary of the Christian Conference of

Asia(CCA) w.e.f. January 2006 but he withdrew his acceptance due to the
sad tragedy befallen on him. Since June 2006 he has been teaching at Tedim
Christian College (affiliated to MIT), Holy Cross Theological College
(Anglican), Bethany Theological Seminary (Independent Presbyterian
Church), and Lorrain Theological College (Mara Evangelical Church). (All
are members of ATEM, MCC and CCA)
SOME IMPORTANT/SIGNIFICANT ECUMENICAL CONFERENCES

ATTENDED
A. INTERNATIONAL
1979 July WCC World Conference on Faith, Science and the Future, MIT,
Boston, MA, USA
1981 August WSCF 28th General Assembly, University of San Francisco, San
Francisco, CA, USA
1985 June 75th Anniversary of 1910 World Missionary Conference, Edinburgh,
Scotland, UK
1993 Sept. WCC World Convention on Lay Centres& Movements, Montreat,
N.C., USA
1995 June WSCF 100th Anniversary Seniour Friends’ Gathering, Berlin, Germany
1996 August World Convocation on Viable Ecumenical Theological Education,
Oslo, Norway
1997 Sept. WCC and National Christian Councils Meeting, Geneva, Switzerland
2001 June EED Diakonia Partners’ Meeting, Bonn, Germany
2001 Sept. EATWOT (Ecum. Asso.of Third World Theologians) 5th Assembly,
Quito, Ecuador
2002 August WCC-NCCs Meeting and Faith & Order 75th Anniversary, Lausanne,
Switzerland
2004 May General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland,
UK
B. ASIA REGIONAL
1979 December WSCF Asia-Pacific Regional Standing Committee,
Hong Kong
1981 July/Aug.WSCF Asia-Pacific Regional Committee, Tokyo, Japan
H O N O R O F S M I T H N . Z A T H AWNG xxiii
1995 January OSW-ESP Ecumenical Partners’ Consultation, Yog Jakarta,
Indonesia
1995 January EATWOT Asia Regional Theological Workshop, Tagaytay,
Philippines
1995 June CCA 10th General Assembly, Colombo, Sri Lanka
1997 June Congress of Asian Theologians (CATS), Founding Conference, Seoul,
Korea
1998 January CCA-FABC Asian Movement for Christian Unity (AMCU-II), Bali,
Indonesia
1999 July OSW/ESP Asia Partners’ Consultation, Chiang Mai, Thailand
2000 December SEARSOLIN 25th Anniversary, Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines
2001 July WCC Asia Regional Group Meeting, Colombo, Sri Lanka
2002 May CCA General Committee Meeting, Taipei, Taiwan
2002 June CCA NCC General Secretaries’ Meeting, Tao Fong Shan Centre,
Hong Kong
2002 June CWS-NCCUSA Asia Partners’ Consultation, Chiang Mai, Thailand
2003 August Congress of Asian Theologians (CATS-IV), Chiang Mai, Thailand
2003 October CCA General Committee Meeting, Bangkok, Thailand
2004 February NCC India 90th Anniversary & Quadrennial Assembly, Tirunelveli,
South India
2004 February ECLOF Eurasia-Pacific Regional Workshop, Trichy, South India
2004 July Regional Christian-Buddhist Dialogue Seminar, Tao Fong Shan
Centre, Hong Kong
2004 Sept. CCA NCC General Secretaries’ Meeting, Chiang Mai, Thailand
2005 March CCA General Committee & 12th General Assembly, Chiang Mai,
Thailand
C. SOME LOCAL/NATIONAL ECUMENICAL LEADERSHIP INVOLVEMENTS

1974 – 1978 Honorary Secretary, Mandalay Council of Churches
1975 – 1978 Teaching part-time at Training Institute
(Myanmar Theological College), Mandalay
1980 – 1982 Teaching part-time at Methodist Theological Institute, Rangoon
1987 – 1994 Teaching part-time at Myanmar Institute of Theology (MIT), Insein,
Yangon
1990 – 2001 Teaching part-time at Holy Cross Theological College, Yangon
1996 – 1999 Teaching part-time at Myanma Institute of Christian Theology
(MICT), Insein, Yangon
1997 – 2005 Board member, Yangon YMCA & National YMCA
1999 – 2005 Advisor, Eden Handicapped Service Centre (EHSC), Phawkan,
Insein, Yangon
xxiv H O N O R O F S M I T H N . Z A T H AWNG
2002 – 2005 Board member, Mary Chapman Deaf School, Yangon

2002 – 2005 Advisory Team member, World Vision Myanmar
2000 – 2005 Chair, Leadership Development Programme, Myanmar Baptist
Convention (MBC) (Advanced Leadership Seminar, a new initiative
was launched for leadership promotion of the Language & Regional
Groups and Associations, held annually)
2000 – 2005 Chair, Board of Trustees of the Myanmar Institute of Theology

During this period he saw the following new initiatives & developments:
• BARS (Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies, renamed Liberal
Arts) Programm eventured in October 2000
• Judson Research Centre (JRC) opened in July 2003
• Joint D.Min. Programme with Union Theological Seminary
(UTS), Phillipines, launched in October 2004
• Professorship was installed
• Term of service extended to age 65 with possible superannuation up
to 70
SOME SIGNIFICANT INITIATIVES DURING HIS TENURE AT MCC

(1979 – 2005)
A. WORK CAMPS (2) of University Christian Work Department

(1) Road and Bridge construction at Yezin-Pyinmana,
(2) Fish Pawn digging at Gyochaung, Pantanaw for Blind School (MCFB)
B. FRONTIER MISSION RECRUITMENT COURSE (2) of UCW Dept.

An entirely new initiative for graduating students for incarnational mission
and social action:
(1) Identification with Rural poor communities in PeguYoma area
(2) Basic healthcare for grass-root rural communities in delta region
C. SENIOUR FRIENDS’ DESK opened at UCW office in Yangon

Saya Gideon Shwe served as first full-time Secretary of Seniour Friends’
programme.
D. ECUMENICAL LEADERSHIP COURSE (ELC)

An entirely new venture of intensive one month training for 2nd& 3rd line
leaders of churches started in February 1992 under the Comprehensive Leadership
promotion Programme (CLPP). Courses No.1 – 5 were conducted at Prof. Dr. Hla
Bu Memorial Building. Course No.6 and the followings were held at the MESC
(Myanmar Ecumenical Sharing Centre). CLPP became MEI (Myanmar Ecumenical
H O N O R O F S M I T H N . Z A T H AWNG xxv
Institute) in 1999 and since then MEI continued the annual one month ELC course during
August. The course module is very comprehensive, attempting to introduce all aspects of
the ecumenical movement in its global and contextual perspectives and concerns. (MEI is
intended to be the Myanmar version of the Ecumenical Institute Bossey)
E. ECUMENICAL LIBRARY
Started in 1994 at Prof. Dr. Hla Bu Memorial Building which moved into
MESC building in 1996. Collections of books and articles are mainly in the area of
ecumenical movement and related topics. There are now substantial volumes available
for references.
F. BASIC MEDICAL SUPPLY PROJECT

Initiated in 1994 with the support of EZE/EED from Germany and later
joined by Christian Aid from UK. The project discontinued after 2005.
G. MYANMAR ECUMENICAL SHARING CENTRE (MESC) BUILDING

MESC building project was drafted and the building plan was designed by him
as the Secretary of the MESC Building Committee. After series of intensive discussions
and dialogue, EZE/EED graciously agreed to support. MESC building was inaugurated
on 9th December 1995, and MCC offices were operative by January 1996.
H. MYANMAR (MCC) ROUND TABLE

Since its inception in 1987 in Stuttgart and its first meeting in London in
1990, he played a pivotal role as the connecting thread with the Ecumenical Partners
and WCC for the process and progress of MCC Round Table until the end of 2005.
I. FURTHERING RELATIONS AND COLLABORATIONS WITH CBCM

He played a vital role particularly in the following new initiatives of annual joint
programmes together with the CBCM (Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Myanmar):
(1) Joint Christmas Worship Service and Fellowship Dinner since 1999
(2) National Ecumenical Study Seminar since 2002
(3) Week of Prayer for Reconciliation and Peace in Myanmar since 2002
(Sept.28 – Oct.4)
J. MCC ECUMENICAL SCHOLARSHIPS PROGRAMME

Since 1987 he established cordial working relationships with WCC and
German Ecumenical Scholarships Programmes and facilitated various study and
training programmes in partnership with the following Ecumenical Institutions:
(1) The Ecumenical Institute Bossey, WCC, Switzerland
(2) Selly Oak Colleges, Birmingham, UK
(3) Irish School of Ecumenics, Dublin, Republic of Ireland
xxvi H O N O R O F S M I T H N . Z A T H AWNG
(4) Coady International Institute, Nova Scotia, Canada

(5) Overseas Ministries Study Center (OMSC), New Haven, CT., USA
(6) CORAT Africa, Nairobi, Kenya
(7) Mindolo Ecumenical Foundation (MEF), Kitwe, Zambia
(8) SEARSOLIN (South-East Asia Rural Social Leadership Institute),
Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines.
(9) Asian Social Institute (ASI), Manila, Philippines
(10) Asian Rural Institute (ARI) & Asian Health Institute (AHI), Tokyo, Japan
(11) Centre for Integrated Rural Development (CIRD), Madras Christian
College, Chennai, India
NOTE: He thanked God to see some outstanding leaders among the scholarship-
holders such as the followings:
a) Dr. Saw Wonderful Paw, Founder/Chair, Kaytumadi Fish & Poultry Farm
Co-op., Ltd., Taungu
b) U Zin Aung Swe, Senior Program Officer, Japan ASEAN Cooperation,
Jakarta, Indonesia
c) Rt. Rev. Samuel Htang Oak, Asst. Bishop of Yangon, former Principal of
Holy Cross Theological College
d) Rev. U Kyaw Tun Lin, Principal, Myanma Institute of Christian Theology
(MICT), Insein
e) Rev. Dr. Samuel San Myat Shwe, Principal, Holy Cross Theological College,
Yangon
f) Rev. Dr. L.B. Siama, Principal, Lorrain Theological College & Mission Studies
Centre, Phawkan, Insein
g) Prof. Dr. Saw Hlaing Bwa, Director of Judson Research Centre & Prof. of
Theology, MIT, Insein
h) Rev. Dr. Yam Kho Pau, General Secretary, Myanmar Baptist Convention
i) Rev. Saw Matthew Aye, Director, Kayin Development Network (KDN),
Yangon
j) Sayama Daw Nyunt Nyunt Thein, Principal, Mary Chapman Deaf School,
Yangon
k) Sayama Daw Than Than Win, Librarian, Ecumenical Library, Myanmar
Ecumenical Institute, MCC.
K. VISITS OF DISTINGUISHED ECUMENICAL PERSONNEL TO

MYANMAR:
He played very important part in facilitating the visits of the following distinguished
ecumenical personnel, such as:
(1) DIAKONIA Team (13) members from Sweden led by Director Bo Forsberg
(January 1997)
H O N O R O F S M I T H N . Z A T H AWNG xxvii
(2) Dr. Michael Taylor, Director of CHRISTIAN AID, London, UK (January 1997)
(3) Bishop Rolf Koppe, Chair of Ecumenical Relations, EKD, Germany (January
1997)
(4) Rev. Dr. Gunnar Stalsett, Former Gerneral Secretary of Lutheran World
Federation, Bishop of Oslo & member of Nobel Peace Com. (February 1998)
(5) The Very Rev. Dr. Finlay Macdonald, Moderator of Church of Scotland, Scotland
(October 2002)
(6) Rev. Dr. Konrad Raiser, WCC General Secretary (March 2003) (First WCC-
GS to visit Myanmar)
L. MCC ECUMENICAL TEAM VISITS ABROAD

He organized three visits; one to Europe and another two to Asia
A. ECUMENICAL TEAM VISITS TO EUROPEAN PARTNERS

(April 20 - May 2, 2003)
Team members: Rev. Saw Mar Gay Gyi (President), Archbishop Samuel San Si
Htay (Vice President), Dr. Anna May Say Pa (V.P.), Rev. Daw Moe Moe Ei (V.P.) &
Rev. Smith N.Z. Thawng (GS)
(a) Christian Aid, London, UK
(b) Christian Council of Sweden, Church of Sweden, Stockholm/ Uppsala,
Sweden
(c) Norwegian Christian Council, Oslo, Norway
(d) WCC Headquarters, Geneva, Switzerland
B. ECUMENICAL TEAM VISITS TO LAOS, CAMBODIA, THAILAND

(May 7 - 11, 2003) (Team members: same as above)
(a) Laos Evangelical Church, Vientiane, Laos
(b) Kampuchean Christian Council, Pnompenh/Siemriap, Cambodia
(c) Church of Christ in Thailand, Bangkok/Chiang Mai, Thailand
C. ECUMENICAL TEAM VISIT TO SRI LANKA (July 8-16, 2004)

(Team members: Rev. Saw Mar Gay Gyi, Archbishop Samuel San Si Htay,
Dr. Anna May Say Pa & Rev. Smith N. Za Thawng.)
This visit was intended as a peace study tour, to see and learn from them.
Visited to Colombo, Galle, Chinco, Trincomelee, Trinco, Kandy, etc.
NOTE: MCC Ecumenical Team Visit to China Christian Council (Nan Jing &
Shanghai) was also agreed and planned but had to be cancelled due to SARS
epidemic disease
xxviii H O N O R O F S M I T H N . Z A T H AWNG
HONOR OF SMITH N. ZA THAWNG 1
ENGLISH SECTION
A MAN WHO HANDLED MULTIPLE ACTIVITIES

Abigail
I came to know Reverend Smith in the year 1988 when he accompanied the late
Professor William Paw who was then the Honorary General Secretary of the Myanmar
Council of Churches (MCC) to attend a meeting at the Mother and Child Development
Centre (MCDC) at Insein. The Centre was known as “Sakhantha” which was a project
of the Rangoon YWCA founded by the late Dr. Sein May Chit and funded by EZE from
Germany. Programmes and activities such as health care of mothers and children, day
care for children of working mothers, feeding programmes for malnourished children,
sewing training for jobless young women to earn for their livelihood, etc. were facilitated.
The centre was a rented wooden building and when the owner no longer wished to rent
it Professor Paw initiated to purchase a small plot of land holding a small building right
opposite to the previous site. It was owned by one of his friends from the university. At
the end of the EZE support, YWCA could no longer continue the activities. Then MCC,
in the persons of Prof. Paw and Rev. Smith, took further initiative by organizing and
convincing the church leaders of the Insein-Thamaing Churches Fellowship about the
need and importance of the activities of the centre for the whole community and that they
should take responsibility to carry on the activities. The local churches took responsibility
ecumenically and it is now thriving on with various activities expanding even by conduct-
ing six-month intensive training for community health workers attended from various states
and divisions. Being a church-based non- profit organization, the executive members of
the Sakhantha centre, after repayment of the purchase loan for several years in instal-
ment, put up an appeal for exemption of the repayment loan to the MCC. Through the
effort of Rev. Smith it was granted which was a great relief for Sakhantha.
In the year 1994 MCC administrative authorities felt the desperate need, scarcity
and high cost of medicines for the poor and suffering people. In order to alleviate the
problems MCC held a meeting attended by the MCC executive members, EZE
representatives and the German Ambassador, and agreed to have a Basic Medical Supply
project. The MCC office entrusted the task to Rev. Smith. With the coordination and
cooperation of the Myanmar Christian Health Workers’ Service Association (MCHWSA),
I was assigned to manage the storage and distribution of the medicines. In consultation
4 HONOR OF SMITH N. ZA THAWNG
with the members of the MCHWSA, I put up the list of the most essential medicines to
MCC and Rev. Smith forwarded and submitted to EZE for support. The medical items
were purchased in Bangkok by a partner agency and delivered to MCC by a local agent.
The project benefited many clinics, hospitals, seminaries, mission centres, in all fourteen
states and divisions throughout the country for ten years.
In 2004, MCC was invited to participate in the country 3D Projects, i.e. HIV/
AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. I attended the first meeting and the following meetings
were attended by Dr. U Myo Tint, a senior member of the MCHWSA. MCC decided to
participate in the Malaria Project. It is now continued in four townships in Chin state and
four townships in Kachin state. Prior to the Project, 3D Project authorities assessed the
administrative and financial capabilities of MCC office by interviewing Rev. Smith and
they were fully convinced.
The reason why I mentioned the above projects is to make known the sincere
efforts of Rev. Smith rendered towards the success of the various health projects carried
out by MCC. Rev. Smith and his wife have gone through period of tribulation with
perseverance and faith. Rebecca has a heart of gold and it is so tragic that she was called
to the heavenly home in early age.
In conclusion, I wish to state that Rev. Smith has shown the ability to be engaged
in multiple, varied, simultaneous activities requiring complex, mental, social, emotional
leadership skills.
OUR TRIBUTE TO A GOOD FRIEND OF GENEROSITY

Agneta Magnusson & Olof Lindstrom
Warmest CONGRATULATIONS, dear U Ngulh Za Thawng - or as we are

more comfortable and used to address you Rev. U Smith - on your birthday and to your
retirement! We do hope that you will experience a nice and memorable birthday, and that
you may enter a new blessed period in your life! We pray and do hope that God may be
gracious to you and bless you as well as your whole family! May He always be with you!
It is a rather long time since we met for the very first time! It goes back to the
middle of the 1980’s when we as representatives of the Baptist Union of Sweden and its
Social Welfare Mission and Relief Work visited your country for the first time. This very
first contact with you and our initial visit to your country, was the start of many meaningful
follow-up meetings and cooperation both in Burma as well as in Sweden.
You were from the very beginning a real key-person to us and very important in
our contacts with the Baptists in your country. At the same time, you were a good guide
into the Ecumenical circles in Burma. In the group of significant friends we made in these
visits and in our different fellowships, you have been in focus due to your wide network
and contacts. Your deep knowledge and your willingness to help us, when we visited
Burma have been deeply appreciated. We are glad that you had the opportunity to visit
our country and learn a little of our background – even if your visits just were a few ones.
You have all the time been of significant importance to us in the midst of our
family, friends and colleagues. We want to mention the most Reverend Archbishop Andrew
Mya Han, the Baptist and Ecumenical personality Rev. U Win Tin, Christian leaders like
Rev. Aung Khin and his wife Daw Hla Yi, Rev. U Mar Gay Gyi and other Baptist ministers
like Rev. U Tha Din, Rev. Toe Toe and U Mehn Tun Than.
In a wider Ecumenical field there are personalities we have in mind like Bishop
Samuel from the Ecumenical Sharing Center and the Principal of MIT at Seminary Hill,
Dr. Anna May Say Pa not to forget to mention the warm couple at YMCA or U Tha
Nyan and Daw Myint Myint Khine. When it comes to projects supported from Sweden,
you have always been willing to help. You have guided us regarding the culture codes and
introduced us to the right persons. Your positive support to the development project
focusing on children in need, girls’ education and training for women in Chin State were
special. Together with your beloved wife Rebecca, you also evaluated the program. At
that time, we could not imagine that your strong, caring and supportive wife, mother and
friend Rebecca should pass away just a few months later. We will keep her memory in
our hearts!
We are glad and thankful for all the times God has let us meet! We are hoping and
praying that the future will be days and years of rich blessings and progress to you and
your children with families! Hopefully we may meet again sometime and somewhere!
THAT THEY MAY ALL BE ONE (John 17: 20-23)

AHN Jae Woong
Today, I would like to share with you briefly what the ecumenical movement is all
about. We all know that the YMCAs have produced so many outstanding ecumenical
leaders in the past. I hope that this unique tradition would continue within this generation
and in the future generation as well.
“Evangelization of the world in this generation” was a dream and a vision of John
R. Mott, a chief architect of the modern ecumenical movement. Although, his dream is
never realized, rather the unfinished mission task at the moment, this vision must be carried
on by generation to come. Many of the ecumenical leaders in those days felt that: “It is the
decisive hour of Christian mission.” As a result, what they did was to work so hard for
recruiting, training, sending, and evangelizing the world through this present generation,
like the YMCAs
Gideon Goosen’s book, “Bringing Churches Together: A Popular Introduction to
Ecumenism” (1993) could be helpful to inform us more about the overall meaning of the
ecumenical movement. Let me borrow here intensively some ideas from Goosen’s
interpretation. The word “ecumenism” or its adjective “ecumenical” has changed its usage
over the centuries. The Greek word “oikoumene” literary means “that which pertains to
the whole inhabited world”. Moreover, Matthew uses it in this sense in 24:14, “This good
news of the kingdom will be proclaimed to the whole world, “oikoumene” as a witness to
all the nations. Initially, it was used in this sense in the life of the church. Thus the first few
councils of the Christian church, like Nicea (325), Constantinople (381), Ephesus (431),
or Chalcedon (451) were called ecumenical councils as they were seen to represent the
whole, universal Church.
There is a second meaning of the word “ecumenical” that which pertains to Christian
unity. Thus the “ecumenical movement” is “the process towards a great expression of
unity and cooperation among all Christians.” Although it refers to Christian unity in the
first place, by extension it is also sometimes used to apply to efforts towards greater
understanding and cooperation between Christians and adherents of the world’s other
religions, for example, Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists or Jews. In this case the expression
“wider ecumenism” or “integral ecumenism” is sometimes used. As all this can be confusing,
I think it is clearer to use the term “interfaith” or “inter-religious” when at least, any two of
the world’s faiths are involved. There is another substantial difference between the
“Christian” ecumenical movement, and inter-religious “religions of the world” dialogue.
The first has Christian unity as its goal; the second aims at better understanding and
toleration between world religions, not organic or any other type of unity, which would be
impossible because of radical differences in belief. When one speaks of inter-religious
dialogue, it is important to point out in passing that the Christian-Jewish relationship is a
unique one because of the related histories of these two faiths.
It is often thought that ecumenism is something which only started in the 20th
century. This is not strictly speaking correct. Although it is correct to speak about the
recent ecumenical movement having its beginning at the 1910 Edinburgh World Missionary
Conference, there were other attempts at Christian unity.
Already in the New Testament times, disunity created problems. We know from
our reading of the letters that there were tensions and divisions among some of the
communities. Paul has to make a strong exhortation to unity, in belief, and practices in 1
Corinthians 1:10-16 because there were factions within the community pulling it in different
directions. Some supporting Paul, and some others were Cephas or Apollos. In Ephesians
4:1-6, and Philippians 4:2-3, the same sort of problems are mentioned. One could find
other examples of divisions and tensions in the New Testament communities, but the
point has been made that divisions and attempt at reconciliation were already there in our
religious history right from the beginning.
One of the most striking and bizarre episodes in the forgotten history of attempted
reconciliations in Christianity was the attempt to heal the East-West schism of 1054 by
the councils of Lyons (1274) and Florence (1439).
What history shows is that there have been many divisions among Christians
since the very beginning, and equally that there have been many and various attempts at
patching up differences. There has been the constant tension within Christianity created
by the forces that work for unity and those that tend to destroy unity.
However, we have to mention the pioneers of the modern ecumenical movement
in many ways, namely the youth and student groups such as the Young Men’s Christian
Association (1844), the world Young Women’s Christian Association (1855) and the
World Student Christian Federation (1895) which later was called, the Federation of the
Student Christian Movements. These young people, not representing any particular
denomination, were pioneers of ecumenism; they nurtured many ecumenical leaders, and
frequently gave people their first taste of ecumenical prayer,. They took an active part in
the conferences that led up to the formation of the World Council of Churches in 1948.
As regards actual church unions much has happened in recent decades. There
has been some good news from all parts of the world. In Canada, in 1925, the Methodist,
Congregational and nearly half of the Presbyterian churches formed the United Church of
Canada (UCC).
The most significant event of the period for ecumenical movement in Asia was the
inauguration of the Church of South India (CSI) in 1947, the United Church of Episcopal
and non-Episcopal Churches. The formation of Church of South India was unique in that
for the first time in history a church that had maintained the historic succession of the
episcopate succeeded in entering into full corporate communion with non-Episcopal
Churches. Also, for the first time since the great cleavages of the Reformation period
there has been a realization of agreement, as the act of church unification in which Episcopal
and non-Episcopal traditions such as Methodist and Presbyterian Churches have been
brought together into the unity of a single church. Thirty years later in 1977, the Church of
North India (CNI) was formed by the union of Anglicans, Presbyterians,
Congregationalists, Baptists, Brethren, Disciples and Methodists.
In Australia, there was also an encouraging sign of vitality in the ecumenical field
with the formation of the Uniting Church in Australia (UCA) in 1977. Here the partners
were the Methodist, Congregational and some of the Presbyterian Churches.
In the United Kingdom, the United Reformed Church (URC) came into being in
1972 with the union of the Presbyterian and Congregational Churches in England. In
1981 they were joined by the Churches of Christ which is a remarkable and unique
union, because this new church now combines infant and believers’ baptism.
Since the 1950’s there have been calls for union among the four main Protestant
churches in France, the Reformed Church, The Reformed Church of Alsace and Lorraine
(ERAL), the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession of Alsace and Lorraine
(ECAAL), and the Lutheran Evangelical Church. In 1960, the Reformed Church in France,
its assembly at Montbeliard, a vote for unity was carried, and at Colmar in 1966 a
common profession of faith was drafted. There was a further call for unity in 1991 at the
annual synod of the Reformed Churches in Orthez. Meanwhile, in 1973, the Leuenberg
Agreement between the ERAL and the ECAAL was aimed at overcoming doctrinal
differences dating from the Reformation. It also provided for communion among more
than eighty European and Latin American churches.
In Uruguay, the Christ Church was the result of the Emmanuel Methodist Church
and the Holy Trinity Anglican Church merging in 1977. In 1981, in what was then the
communist Democratic Republic of Germany, the Federation of Protestant Churches, the
United Lutheran Evangelical Church and the Evangelical Church formed the United
Protestant Church.
W. A. Visser ’tHooft, in his book, “The Genesis and Formation of the World
Council of Churches,” (1982), explained about the background of formation of the WCC.
The inaugural assembly was held in Amsterdam in August, 1948 under the theme “Man’s
Disorder and God’s Design”, was considered in four parts as sections of the meeting.
The four major streams of the WCC has unique role to play from the beginning of the
World Council of Churches. The Faith and Order subject was, “The Universal Church in
God’s Design”, while the Life and Work was, “The Church and the Disorder of Society”.
The interest of the newly created Commission of the Churches on International Affairs
was reflected in the section dealing with “The Church and International Disorder”; the
perspective of the International Missionary Council, and of the Secretariat for Evangelism
which the World Council hoped to set up, was in the discussion of “The Church’s Witness
to God’s Design”. The constitution defined the WCC as a fellowship of churches. Thus in
1948, it was stated very clearly that the World Council of Churches was not a church
above the churches. It was also stated that the coming together of the churches in the
World Council was connected to their calling to be the Church of Jesus Christ. This aims
and basis of the WCC is continued up to this time.
Much of the focus of ecumenism in the 20th century was rightly on the World
Council of Churches, since it was the Protestants who took the initiative in matters
ecumenical in the first part of the century. Let us examine the origin of the main stream of
ecumenism of the World Council. Most writers would place its beginning with the Edinburgh
World Missionary Conference of which included Anglicans, although they are not, strictly
speaking, Protestants. The theme of the conference was, the Mission of the Churches, as
one would expect from the background of those who attended. It later developed into
the International Missionary Council (IMC).
The International Missionary Council (IMC) also encouraged the setting up of
national missionary councils in other parts of the world whenever it had the opportunity.
After the meeting in Edinburgh, the IMC was officially formed in 1921. Then, subsequent
meetings were held in Jerusalem (1928), in Madras, India (1938), and after the Second
World War in Whitby, England (1947), Willingen, Germany (1952), and in Accra, Ghana
(1957). At this latest meeting, it was proposed that it would merge with the World Council
of Churches which met in 1961 in New Delhi.
Matters of doctrine and church order were deliberately avoided by the 1910
conference as the delegates wanted to concentrate on mission. However, one of the
delegates, Bishop Charles Brent, an American missionary in the Philippines was planning
to follow up the question of doctrine in another way later on, as he felt that matters of
doctrine could not be avoided. After seventeen years of correspondence, personal contacts
and preparatory meetings, nearly 400 people, most of them official delegates from over a
hundred churches, came to Lausanne, Switzerland, in August 1927 for the first World
Conference on Faith and Order.
In fact, Life and Work movement was a second tributary of a main stream that
eventually became known as the World Council of Churches led by the archbishop of
Uppsala, Nathan Soederblom. The conviction of the Life and Work movement that
“doctrine divides and service unites” soon gave way to a recognition that decisions about
what kind of social action can be undertaken together have something to do with such
theological issues as what the “kingdom of God” means.
As far as the Life and Work movement is concerned in 1925, some 600 delegates,
plus representatives of Orthodox Churches, met in Stockholm to discuss, “The Church’s
Responsibility for the Total Life of Mankind” - a weighty topic! They met again in Oxford
in 1937, just prior to the Second World War. The theme this time on “Church, Community
and State” with the emphasis on the famous slogan “let the church be the church”. But the
German delegates were forbidden by the state to attend. .
Against this background, the World Council of Churches was officially founded
in Amsterdam in 1948 with 147 churches represented. Now, the World Council has over
349 members in some 115 countries. By the time the WCC was founded, the meaning of
“ecumenical”, long used for that which was accepted by the church as a whole (as in
“ecumenical creeds” and “ecumenical councils”), had been extended to denote the
relationships of different churches and the consciousness of the wholeness of the Church.
The 1951 statement by the WCC Central Committee expanded this further. The term
“ecumenical”, said the Committee, describes “everything that relates to the whole task of
the whole church to bring the whole gospel to the whole world”.
We should recall the reminder of Ruth Rouse that the WCC “neither is nor claims
to be the entire ecumenical movement …. There are many other manifestations of the
ecumenical spirit which contribute to the forward sweep.” Some of these “manifestations
of the ecumenical spirit” outside of the WCC - national and regional ecumenical
organizations, Christian World Communions, specialized international organizations – have
formal relationships with the Council.
Perhaps the ecumenical activities which drew the greater number of participants
are “prayers for Christian unity”, especially the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity,
celebrated in thousands of local communities annually (during January 18-25) using study
material prepared by a joint Vatican-WCC committee, and the World Day of Prayer
ecumenically organized by women each March.
The WCC has no authority to proclaim church doctrine, to regulate church order
to initiate steps towards church union. These are matters for the churches themselves.
The WCC is ready, if asked, to advice or assist in church union negotiation.
I do not want to mention the so many initiatives carried out by the ecumenical
organizations including WCC, in terms of biblical and theological studies, relevant issues,
timely conferences, joint action, resource sharing, interfaith dialogue and cooperation,
leadership formation and performances, ecumenical governance and relationships, and
so on. We cannot easily underestimate the ecumenical heritages in the past. In order to
promote all the ideals and values of the ecumenical movement, we have to devote ourselves
to find new ways of ecumenical commitment in the future.
We have been examining the overall ecumenical movement. Now it is our task to
focus on local ecumenism, in other words, highlight the new ecumenism in our contextual
life’s situation. What can be done by ordinary persons to involve in the ecumenical
movement through their day to day lives? How we can dedicate to nurture the ecumenical
spirit in our time? Here are some simple ways of doing ecumenism in the 21st Century in
the changing context in which we now live.
Let me share with you Jill Hawkey’s summary of her booklet, “Mapping the
Oikoumene” (2004), questions for consideration for better understanding our own practical
consumption.
1. Can we develop a common vision for the work of the whole of the ecumenical
movement which is relevant for the 21st Century and owned by the various
actor?
2. What would our national and global churches look like if we seriously address
the “Lund” question: “Should our Churches not act together in all matters except
those in which deep differences of conviction compel them to act separately?”
3. How can those churches whose only involvement in ecumenism is either through
participation in their National Council of Churches or Christian World
Communions (CWCs) be encouraged to participate further in the ecumenical
movement? How can other actors in the ecumenical movement ensure that they
include these churches in their work?
4. Do we need to reduce the “levels of belonging” for member churches? If so, how
is this best achieved?
5. What is the ideal structural relationship between NCCs, sub-regional fellowships,
Regional Ecumenical Organizations (REOs), and the WCC? Are there aspects
of the work being undertaken by All Africa Conference of Churches which can
assist our reflection?
6. What is the most appropriate structural relationship between WCC and CWCs
that would be more effective if done ecumenically?
7. In the history of the ecumenical movement, where has our collaboration on issues
been most effective? What are the ingredients for successful collaboration and
what is preventing us for working together on issues?
8. What other processes could be in place so that competitive relationships are
avoided? How can we foster stronger personal relationships with each other?
How can ecumenical leadership be developed?
9. What processes can be put in place to promote greater understanding of the role,
mandate and funding criteria of the agencies? How do we broaden/strengthen
the funding base of the ecumenical movement in all its facets?
10.Within the myriad of roles WCC has, what are those that only WCC can undertake
or that WCC is best positioned to undertake?
As we are having our general assembly here in Penang, it is very helpful to examine
M. D. David’s book “A Symbol of Asian Solidarity: A History of the Asia Alliance of
YMCAs”. (1998) David clearly reflected that the noteworthy accomplishment of the
ninth World Conference of the World Alliance of YMCAs was the adoption of the badge
containing the prayer of Jesus “That they may all be one” which became the insignia of the
World Alliance symbolizing the unity, brotherhood and ecumenism of the World YMCA
Movement. It is a true ecumenical spirit depend upon the prayer of Jesus for his followers
“that they may all be one (ut omnes unum sint)” John 17:21. I am very much inspired by
the early YMCA’s leaders who adopted this particular passage and put it into their insignia.
In this sense, YMCA is the pioneer in leading ecumenical movement from the beginning.
I am always advocating that the ecumenical movement should be focused to be
“gospel-centered” and “life-centered”. And also I insist that the ecumenical movement
should be involved in “mission-oriented”, “Peace-oriented”, “justice-oriented”, “service-
oriented” and “value-oriented” programs and activities.
As followers of Jesus, we have to bear in mind that our “common fellowship”,
“common witness”, “common service”, “common renewal” for the realization of the
ecumenical ideals and spirit is the important tasks for our lives.
Let me suggest the following six points as virtues of ecumenical movement.
- Respect life
- Reject violence
- Remove conflict
- Promote just peace
- Protect human rights
- Preserve common values
The YMCAs, as an ecumenical organization or a part of ecumenical movement,
should keep in mind that the following five criteria for program planning, implementing
and evaluating seriously.
- Vision, mission and goals should be clearer
- Mandates, issues and contents should be sharper
- Strategy, target group and implementation should be wiser
- Expected outcome, evaluation and recommendation should be broader
- Budgetary consideration should be proper
I hope that the YMCAs should be closer to the mainline ecumenical endeavors
along with other ecumenical agencies. In order for us to be getting nearer to ecumenical
movement, let us remember what the Chinese sage Guan Zhong once said:
Do not dwell in the past
Do not stay in the present
Change with the trends
Change with the time.
May God go with us on our ecumenical journey! Amen.
THOUGHT AT SMITH'S MINISTRY

Angela Wong Wai Ching
I came to know Smith N. Z. Thawng first in the context of the Asia-Pacific

Region of World Student Christian Federation (WSCF) when he was just a young, vibrant,
and enthusiastic pastor, taking part in one of its early student training programmes in
Bangkok in 1982. In a way, at the time when I did not know much about Burma or
Myanmar, Smith was the embodiment of the country for me. He was the presence of a
country that was practically absent from the world because of the military government’s
close door policy then, through him we learnt about the military enforced closure of
universities, the restrictive activities of the churches and seminaries, and most important,
the resilience and perseverance of the Christian Communities at a time when their faith
was not being appreciated. Because of the difficulties of travel for him, we were not able
to reconnect until much later through some regional and international events such as the
general assemblies of WSCF, Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) and Congress of
Asian Theologians (CATS) in the late nineties. Having served as WSCF’s regional
secretary, chairperson and CCA’s president from mid 1990s to 2000s, I knew just how
precious Smith’s presence had been to each of the ecumenical gatherings, both in terms
of his personal availability and the concerns for peace he brought. It was not until the
2000s when we came to meet a little more often in the events and programmes of United
Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia(UB) when I served on its Board of trustees
and Smith the Chair of one of UB’s partner institutions at Myanmar Institute of Theology.
These recent encounter have been some specially blessed and celebrative reunions for
both of us after the many years of struggle and endurance of difficulties that Smith had
gone through.
Despite the difficulties of his mission and work, Smith has not been a wordy
person from the day I knew him. In fact, I could not remember any long speeches from
him. This, I believe, is only partly due to the issue of language but more so because of his
character. He is, to me, always more a person of deeds than words. During meetings, he
would be attentive, thoughtful and make insightful intervention only when needed. When
he spoke, he was sincere, analytical and to the point. I couldn’t imagine a worse time
when he was caught in an unjust scandal which almost destroyed his life and career
completely. Nevertheless, instead of being defeated, he arose from the difficult times with
dignity and integrity, and earned even greater respect from his international ecumenical
partners and friends with his ever fervent resolve to serve God and his people. Despite
the years of difficulties, Smith has kept up his wonderful warm smiles. A big broad smile
and warm enquiries have been his “Standard” gestures. In his optimistic friendly personality,
I am sure he would be a caring teacher to his students and a supportive leader to his
colleagues. As an old time ecumenical colleague and a friend, I am eagerly looking forward
to celebrate the fruits of Smith’s service in the church and his theological leadership in
Myanmar. I believe that the church and theological education will fly to a new height with
the opening of the country and the immense demand for quality training that follows. With
Smith’s continuous service, the ecumenical ministry had certaingly a lot to offer to the
future of the young people in Myanmar. Unfortunately, your retirement wouldn’t sound as
leisurely as you might have thought, Smith!
THE MAN WHO DID NOT TELL

BUT SHOW ME WHO JESUS WAS
Biak Chhunga
I began to know Saya Smith (as most people affectionately called him while
I was in Burma) in 1989 when I applied for a WCC scholarship to study a Master’s
degree program in United States. At that time, it was still very difficult to get out of the
country. Saya Smith was the coordinator of scholarship program in the office of Myanmar
Council of Churches at that time. When I worked with him for my scholarship applica-
tion, I was greatly impressed by his humbleness, sincerity, English competency, and above
all, his altruism. I found that he has no racial discrimination and wanted everybody, who
were able, to go abroad and have their further theological studies for faculty development
in Burma. Through his diligent efforts, I was able to get into a Master’s degree program
at the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. It was no wonder that under his altruistic leader-
ship a lot of faculty staff and Christian leaders came out of Burma to further their theologi-
cal studies in other countries. I was quite impressed by his personality and said to myself,
“This is the man who did not tell but show me who Jesus is”.
This being my view on Saya Smith, I was so sorry when I learned that he became
an innocent victim of a lottery scam. I sent him some insignificant amount of money to
show that I was standing by him in his ordeal. I also called some of my friends, whom he
used to help to come to the States, to send some support money to him as well. I still am
amazed to learn that when I sent him and a relative of mine in Yangon a small amount of
gift money in the past two-three Christmases, he always equally shared it to my relative
though I told him to take more. To me, Rev. Smith Ngulh Za Thawng is a real servant of
our Lord Jesus Christ.
I really would like to congratulate him on his 65th birthday and am glad for giving
me this opportunity to write a congratulatory note to honor his life and ministry.
REVEREND SMITH NGULH ZA THAWNG WHOM I KNEW

C. Thang Za Tuan
I must confess that I appreciate him highly since I knew his name as an Executive
Committee member of Myanmar Council of Churches, without his awareness or knowl-
edge. As we are of different professions, we seldom spent even a single hour sitting
together. Mostly I know him through others. But also by through an impression I have
and a deep feeling of appreciation that came into my heart unconsciously.
I didn’t remember the exact date and year that I got the news of a Zomi-Chin
assumed the duties of Secretary General in Myanmar Council of Churches in Yangon.
Sooner, I knew that was Rev. Smith Ngulh Za Thawng of Ciingpikot village, Tedim
Township in Chin State. Some recollections came into my mind instantly. All the Lord’s
messengers I knew from that village were committed and devoted pastors. For instance,
Rev. Son Khaw Kham, a senior Pastor who hailed from that village was very pious. His
guidance discourse on our wedding reception in 1977 revealed that he was a Pastor full
of experience and dignity. Likewise, all the school teachers from that village are also
hard-working and exemplary ones. Issuing a lot of notable persons from a village may be
taken as God’s will and to be accepted by all with appreciation.
We intimately and fondly address Rev. Smith Ngulh Za Thawng simply as Saya
Smith in his Christian name by both young and old. He accepts it readily. Probably that
shows his humbleness in one way even though he is a man of high dignity. Once I called
upon him in his residence concerning with a Uni-student’s further study. Instantly he made
me feel at home by seeing his politeness and gentleness. I saw in his countenance his
sincerity, purity of heart and willingness to assist anyone without discrimination whoever
comes to him. No wonder that he rose to assume such a high position in the Lord’s
service. I was told by many that he also received the respect and trust of his staffs in the
MCC Office. We feel proud that we have such a nice Zomi person in the Lord’s highest
service: a humble, empathetic and a magnanimous gentleman.
A trustworthy person is the one whom you can confide and rely on in times of
need. Saya Smith is to be counted on as such kind for he cares all those who approach
him for advocacy or help. He is full of empathy and treated them to the best level he could
offer. He never fails them or ignores anyone. He is a man who fears the Lord and loves
humanity.
By nature, Saya Smith is a softly spoken gentleman. His countenance is always
radiating. He is amicable for he respects and communicates with others adequately. I
assume that he will never have a hot argument with anyone in his daily dealings. Same
wise, his family life will be amiable. Though soft-spoken he possesses a strong character.
Once he has the evidence needed to make a decision, he acts on it without fear or doubt.
In such occasion, he never seeks the counsel of anyone, including his better half. He is
really a man.
Like everywhere else, great man usually faces equally great and unexpected
temptation beyond their expectation. Once Saya Smith was ever tricked by a group of
money fraudulent. He admits his mistake and faces boldly in single-handed. He accepts
that “God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able ...
that you may be able to endure it” (1 Cor.10:13). In such case, Myanmar people used to
cite “pitdainghtaung”(billiken) that God will raise the honest and faithful. He is really a
man.
Another great disaster came upon him. When his beloved and devoted wife left
him and the whole family for her heavenly home, he contained the most hardship with
cheer and good countenance. This is not easy for every man but he could endure it nicely.
That is his exemplariness we could copy from him whenever we face such most difficult
hardships.
This much is what I know Rev. Smith and is neither comprehensive nor complete
of his true nature and character. I regard and respect him highly as an outstanding Zomi-
Chin personality among the few I know among the Lord’s servants.
A PERSON OF PRAYER AND SILENCE,

AND GREAT AUTHORITY
Christel
Some persons of Graduate School of Bossey from the year 1983-1984 are still
very present to me. So are you!
Sr. Heidi and myself had the occasion to participate at all events of the Graduate
School and on the other hand to contribute a little bit to the worship and community life
with the students. As you know perhaps, Sr. Heidi had died in 2002 from a very bad
cancer, supported with a great courage. She had been in her 60th year.
I remember very well your presence during these months in Bossey, where people
from all over the world lived together for some months. There were a lot of challenges to
live together with people coming from so different cultures, nations, confessions,
generations. In my memory, you have been a very peaceful, interior presence, a person of
prayer and silence, and great authority.
We didn’t know much about your country Myanmar (Burma) at that time. But
during all these years, and particularly when we received news about your country, you
have been present in my mind and prayer.
I cannot give really a testimony to your ministry and commitment. But the request
of the Baptist Church, through Rev. Dr. Thang Cin Lian, has touched me and is an occasion
to send you a little sign of communion!
I also remember Ms. Violet who had participated in the Graduate School another
year. Sometimes later on, the group of the Graduate School came for a visit to Grandchamp.
When there were participants from Burma I always asked them some news from Rev.
Smith and Ms. Violet!
By this letter, I would like to assure you of communion of prayer that still is alive!
God’s blessing to you, to your church and your country!
REV. SMITH: A MAN OF ECUMENICAL FRIENDSHIP

Cora Tabing-Reyes
Rev. Smith Ngulh Za Thawng. It was in my work as Executive Director of the

Commission on Christian Education of the National Council of Churches in the Philip-
pines (NCCP), between 1992 to 1998, when I first met him through letters and then in
person. His letters were kind. In person, his smile invited friendship. And always the
meetings were related with development of young leaders through scholarship for studies
such as at the Asian Social Institute (ASI), ecumenical exposure like that of Naw Bay
Bay’s, seminar or trainings in partnership with CCA hosted in the Philippines. He always
made it a point that those who were privileged to travel to the Philippines through his
facilitation came through the ecumenical doors of NCCP and were introduced to the
situation in the Philippines, the work of NCCP and member churches, and were en-
trusted to the care of ecumenical friends like me. This kind of capacity building among
young leaders developed ecumenical friendship because they did not only learn from us
but I also learned from them. And the learning was not only cognitive in terms of knowing
facts and descriptions. It was also affective in terms of feeling what it means to relate as
sisters and brothers amidst differences of culture and tradition-in a growing trust, accep-
tance and respect. Furthermore, it was psychomotor as the ecumenical work back home
was enriched in practice. Surely many learned the value of ecumenical friendship from
Rev. Smith’s friendly ways.
Starting 1999, it was a privilege to work again with Rev. Smith when I moved to
the wider ecumenical ministry in Asia, serving as executive secretary for Women and
Education, which later became Ecumenical Formation, Gender Justice and Youth
Empowerment (EGY). Two projects of Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) through
which Rev. Smith and I were able to promote leadership development in Myanmar were
the Asian Ecumenical Education Exchange (AEEE) Program and the Asian
Ecumenical Course. For years while CCA still had these projects and while he was still
with MCC until 2005, Rev. Smith was able to send students to the Presbyterian Theological
Seminary in Korea and Asian Rural Institute (ARI) in Japan with the help of AEEE for
travel expenses. At the same time there were always participants endorsed by Myanmar
Council of Churches for the Asia Ecumenical Course. Rev. Smith was always proactive
and prompt. His ecumenical friendship sought possibilities and opportunities for developing
the next generation of leaders with wider Asian perspective through education. Rev. Smith,
like an ant, knew where these opportunities were and maximized the sharing among those
who can provide leadership to ecumenical movement in Myanmar and beyond.
Facilitating the sending of participants for seminars abroad was never easy
considering the situation of Myanmar. There was difficulty in communication. Getting
passport was never easy those days, especially for women. I remember observing early
in my term that there was one elderly woman who always attended past CCA seminars
and trainings for women and education. I kindly called Rev. Smith’s attention to the need
for younger women in forthcoming events conducted by EGY. With openness Rev. Smith’s
response was positive. His quiet but deep commitment to leadership development and
perseverance enabled more and younger women participants to overcome impediments
in traveling abroad. His ecumenical friendship has sought equal opportunities for capability
building that leads to true sense of partnership of women and men in church and society.
Thank you, Rev. Smith N. Za Thawng, for your ecumenical friendship! I wish
you many blessings from God’s grace.
A WORD IN HONOR OF REVD SMITH NGULH ZA THAWNG

Dagmar Heller
It must have been in the mid 1990s when I for the first time met Rev. Smith Ngulh
Za Thawng – probably during my first visit to Myanmar in 1996. Since then I met him
many times in Geneva/Switzerland, in Hannover/Germany and in Yangon. With his friendly
and calm character sometimes he appeared even a bit shy, but when I got to know him
more closely I understood his deep commitment to his church and to the ecumenical
movement. And I understood that this was the best way to be of assistance not only to his
church, but in a wider sense to Christians and their situation in his country.
In addition to his studies in Myanmar Rev. Smith studied – as the first student
from Burma (as it was still called at that time) - at the Ecumenical Institute of the World
Council of Churches at Bossey (near Geneva/Switzerland) in 1983/84. He also studied
in Bochum with Professor Konrad Raiser, who later became General Secretary of the
World Council of Churches. He graduated in Scotland with a Master thesis on “Ecumenical
Perspectives on Theological Development in Burma” at the University of Glasgow. During
these studies he made connections with the global ecumenical movement which he was
able to develop and to use when he was back in Myanmar.
He served in the Myanmar Council of Churches from 1972-2005, being the
General Secretary during the last five years. He had understood already as a student in
Myanmar the importance of the ecumenical movement. In the introduction to the paper
which he wrote as a student in Bossey he formulated with strong words his conviction,
which he lived during his professional life and probably beyond: “For me the ecumenical
movement in its deepest sense is not a matter of Christian concern but rather it is the being
and becoming of the Christian faith itself. It is for me a matter of life and death, a vocation
of life.” And it was clear, later on, for him that ecumenical openness and international
contacts – relations with the World Council of Churches and with other churches - were
crucial for Christians living in a minority situation, living in an internationally isolated country,
and in a difficult situation regarding education and formation for students.
Thus, I remember Rev. Smith coming practically every year to the headquarters
of the World Council of Churches in Geneva. But he came not only to Geneva; often
these trips included also other countries. These were trips each time for the sake of his
country and the churches in Myanmar. He used these trips not only for fundraising, but
also for introducing colleagues to the international ecumenical movement. So, he made
sure that the Myanmar churches were represented in the Central Committee of WCC.
And so, he sent every year one or two students to the Ecumenical Institute Bossey for a
course in ecumenical studies and for short term summer courses.
During this time I was privileged to be invited by the Myanmar Council of Churches
as a speaker for a conference on Ecumenical Hermeneutics in 1999, where I experienced
the wonderful hospitality of Rev. Smith and his staff. In turn, I had the possibility to host
him for an evening, when he visited the headquarters of Evangelical Church in Germany
(EKD) in Hannover some years later. And recently I met him again in Yangon at a meeting
of Bossey alumni.
I wish that these friendships may continue, not just as personal relations but as
relations for the best of the churches in Myanmar in their struggle for peace and justice in
the country and in their struggle for Christian unity.
VALUES OF LIFE: IN HONOR OF REVD SMITH N. ZA THAWNG

Dennis S. Maung
As I was informed to write an article in honor of my dearest mentor Rev. Smith

N. Za Thawng, I immediately remember some selected moral and spiritual values he has
implanted in my life. Even though there are many good things to write about him as I have
experienced when I was in Mandalay University and working with him in University
Christian Fellowship Department under the auspicious of the Myanmar Council of
Churches, I would like to present some selected values I have gotten from him.
Simplicity: Rev. Smith is living a very simple life. His attitude is peace loving and non-
violence. He is a quiet man with dignity being able to control his tongue. I have never
heard him shouting to anybody throughout my days with him. He is able to control his
desires too. The way he talks, acts and moves are very simple. Even the way he dresses
is simple. None among us who had been associated with him will never denied this fact
that Rev. Smith is simple. He is the man of simplicity. As Jessie Sampler said, “Simplicity
is the peak of civilization” a simple man is a civilized man. I learnt the value of simplicity
from him.
Honesty: Rev. Smith is too honest to everything he did. He is so kind to everybody. I

learnt honesty and kindness from him but unfortunately I could not come up to the level of
my mentor. I am trying to be honest but it is very difficult to fulfill it in this day. Honesty is
good attitude but too honest may cause us unnecessary pain as William Shakespeare
commented, “every man has his fault, and honesty is his.” My mentor has been honest in
everything he did. Therefore finally he unfortunately became the innocent victim of the hi-
tech in this century. However honesty sustains him to survive the best of his life. His
honesty, acceptance and recognition in the midsts of crises are the values I must learn
from him.
Accountability: So far as I know he is accountable and transperant to his superiors in his

works and achievements. I have never heard about his anomalies and cheating. He was a
national leader of Burma Student Christian Movement. He has extraordinary experiences
of international participation in all sorts of programs. He used to report back in detail to

his superiors about all his international and national participation upon his return to his
office. This is what we mean to say accountability and transparency. This is what we all
need to learn from him. This value seems to be missing in the church and in the public
sector on this day.
Prayer: Everyone who knows him well will never deny that Rev. Smith is a prayerful
man. I still remember how he prayed for friends who were in trouble. He fasted and
prayed for days especially for friend who were in prison to be released from bondage
and chain. Finally our friend was released from prison. Prayer is one of his weapons to
fight the Devil. I learnt how to pray through him.
Worship: He led us to worship the living God every morning when I was in Mandalay
University. We used to conduct morning devotion everyday at that time. There was
unity in worship and prayer. All members were actively participated in worship.
Sometimes the Bawdigon Christian Chapel was fully packed on Sunday vesper service
so that some members were standing outside of the Chapel. It was to testify of how
his leadership in worship was so effective. He also organized English worship service for
students who were willing to improve English proficiency. It was done on Wednesday
morning devotion. It usually was so good and helpful for student like me. He also taught
us gospel songs including his own lyrics and tune. He used to compose gospel songs too.
Care and Counseling: He also made special care and effort for those who were in
needs. He always encouraged us not to give up in our efforts and pursuits for education.
His cottage was home for students away from home. We truly enjoyed his kitchen. We
cooked together and ate together. He could carefully watched us out so that none of us
be left out unattended. He speaks little but acts many. Let me say that he is a man of/in
action.
Ecumenical spirit: The life and the service of Rev. Smith is full of ecumenical spirit.
Denominational bias is not his schedule. He always prioritized church unity, peace, integrity
and justice. His perspective over humanity is truly humane. What I noticed in him was that
gender equality has already been conceived in his philosophy and ideology long before
gender issues and feminism had been introduced as one of the programs of Church
organizations. The emphasis in his ministry had been ecumenism. He is able to get along
with every human being regardless of race, color and class. His particular involvement in
the ministry was ecumenical movements in Burma, Asia and the World starting from
Burma SCM in 1960s. This is his legacy that every minister in Burma should learn and
emphasize in our ministry.
Leadership Development: He has been always mindful in leadership development of
the Churches in Myanmar. Therefore he always looked for sponsors for further studies of
Myanmar Church leaders. He sent number of scholars to different countries to be trained.
Fortunately more or less many of Myanmar local Church leaders and Churches’
organizational leaders today are the recipients of scholarship through the recommendation
of Rev. Smith Ngulh Za Thawng. I honestly believe that the recipients themselves may
acknowledge him in this regard. Above all, God knows everything. Therefore, all of us,
who are fully or partially beneficiaries of Rev. Smith’s efforts should acknowledge the
sincerity, the simplicity, the honesty and his unreserved help to us until the last breath of
our lives. All the leaders of the Church in Myanmar should carry on this kind of purposeful
opinion and noble attitude.
May the good Lord bless Rev. Smith Ngulh Za Thawng throughout his life for the
light and life of other people.
PASSIONATE THEOLOGICAL EDUCATOR AND PASTOR

Dietrich Werner
Rev. Smith Ngulh Za Thawng for me is the oldest and in former years most close
friend from Myanmar I had met in earlier stages of my life. What first brought us together
was the Graduate school of Ecumenical Theological Studies in the Ecumenical Institute of
Bossey in 1983/1984. In that winter half year we lived together in Petit Bossey, the
second campus of Bossey Institute, share the daily walks from Petit Bossey to the Cha-
teau, the early morning worship in the beautiful chapel, the fascination lecture program
with prominent figures of global ecumenism under the leadership of Prof. Adrian Geense
from Holland at that time, the intercultural learning processes amongst the Bossey stu-
dents, the national presentations (Smith Ngulh Za Thawng did an unforgettable one on
Myanmar) and cultural evenings and the excursions to Grandchamp and Rome which
have left a lasting impression on us as young theologians, amongst them one of he last
lectures from Visser ’tHooft and lectures from Samuel Amirtham and Hans Goedeking at
that time.
His great knowledge on Burmese culture and tradition, his deep commitment to
Christian unity and the cause of ecumenism and his hopes for improvement for the politi-
cal situation of Myanmar had always impressed and inspired me. Combined with his
distinguished manner, humble attitude and warmth for relationships he remained the em-
bodiment of cultural traditions and leadership patterns of servanthood for many years for
me. Our journeys crossed again during some parts of my working period as junior lec-
turer and university assistant at the Ecumenical Institute of Bochum university which lasted
from 1989 to 1993 Smith Ngulh Za Thawng had been in relation to Oekumenisches
Studienwerk in Bochum which was the major scholarship organization of German prot-
estant churches for younger lecturers in different fields from countries of the South. The
house we lived in during these four years was not too far from Girondelle 78 where the
whole community of international students related to OSW used to stay. Meeting with the
international students was part of my life both in the Ecumenical institute of the university
as well as in the local church of Thomaskirchengemeinde which was opposite to the
OSW Building. Although the study program of Smith after the German language course
then brought him to other places we maintained contact through a number of years and I
remember occasions when we were together at seminars occasions or I had to interpret
a presentation on Myanmar for him to a German audience.
I realize that throughout many of the subsequent years when Smith became
General Secretary of the Myanmar Council of Churches I always was proud to have
related to him in so early years and knew his qualities as a leader and devout Chris-
tian with good visions and hopes for a brighter future of joint witness of Christian
churches in Myanmar. We have met again in Yangon during one of my visits to Asia
in early 2011 once I became international Programme Coordinator of ETE for WCC
in Geneva. And it was moving for me to see how throughout all the difficult experi-
ences he had to go through and cope with how it is still with the same deep Christian
commitment an hope that he has still continued to give his witness in new ways and
as a passionate theological educator and pastor of his church.
It is not without deeper meaning that one of the last occasions where we could
work together in terms of research and publishing has brought us back again to the key
concerns which have brought us together already in the very early stages: Smith Ngulh Za
Thawng in 2012 contributed one the key articles to the contribution from WCC-ETE for
the forthcoming 10th assembly of WCC in Busan, South Korea which will consist a huge
“Asian Handbook on Theological Education and Ecumenism” (800 pages, to be pub-
lished in spring 2013). His article reviews the journey of Ecumenism in the churches of
Myanmar and it is significant and meaningful that there was nobody as qualified as him to
have provided the proper historical and theological knowledge for this article which
together with some other 90 papers will hopefully inspire many future generations of
younger Asian theologians and pastors to learn from what earlier generations have built
up and prepared in order to be obedient to the promise and prayer which Jesus has
taught us: “ that they all may be one, so that the world may believe” (John 17:21).
CHRISTIAN PILGRIMAGE
Do Sian Thang
[In honor of Rev. Smith Ngulh Za Thawng, a selection from the Bible and
the Holy Land Course, 2000 May 3-30, conducted during Smith’s AGS-service
at the MCC.]
Jerusalem: Historically, Jerusalem was thus situated because of water, for people
gathered around water. Yes, the main issue there is who control water. [In March
1967, Syrians bulldozer marched to divert the Israeli spring, source of Galilee. Reaction
is the Israeli troop fired them. Egypt blocked the Gulf, Suez. The issues is who control
water!] And Jerusalem is a story of three faiths: Judaism, Islam and Christianity. Entering
from the East, the city is symbolized by three towers: Hebrew University, Augusta
Victoria Hospital and Church of Ascension; each meaning, learning, healing and
worshiping. Sight into the east is Jordan valley, Judean desert where Jesus’ temptation
took place. Hence, reflected is the desert spirituality that refers to life of monks, which
never means life of escape; rather desert is a place where God can be encountered.
Bethlehem: Culturally, priority of importance is noted: the birth/Christmas for the West;
resurrection/Easter for the East. Even there is a pendulum swing with regard to the
birthplace. According to Luke, from North to South, whereas for Matthew, from South
to North. The former may emphasize Bethlehem as the theological symbol of King
David; the latter tends archaeological. Nevertheless what matter is the fact that Jesus was
born! We are told that there are three Christmas celebrations: Roman Catholic, 25
December; Orthodox, 6 January; Armenians, 18 January. Entering into the Church of
Nativity, interestingly remarkable site is that of icons, meaning not idols, rather windows
to God’s presence, according to Orthodox spirituality.
Wilderness: Life in desert may have three features; viz., anxiety/awakeness:

vulnerability/awareness; uncertainty/awe. Even IBM [International Business Machine]
illustration is used:
I = In sha’ allah if God wills it
B = Buqra some other time
M = malesh it does not matter
This is to say that the IBM metaphor became totally different from the Western
sense today. Well, desert life refers to both inspiring and terrifying. The desert wisdom is
that which is a point of encounter between two opposites. Sinai[sin, sai:n] contains both
struggle and stillness; is characterized by two pillars, cloud/water during day time and fire
during night time. In Sinai/Sin, fire and water go together. That is: nomadic life, life of
camping, is both engaged and disengaged; has both opportunity and responsibility.
Mt. Sinai symbolizes “to see God’s glory.” The mountain is the foundational point where
covenant was made. Each of us has our own mountain, to see at least God’s back, if not
God’s face. The mountain symbol points to God’s presence in terms of God’s revelation
in God’s creation; Gen. 1. Hence, eschatological mountains; that is our experience of the
presence of God is both known and unknown; is ambivalent.
Water from the Rock as to traditional understanding is a miracle; rather, the meaning
needs focus, i.e., God is providing. Also manna and quail are much seen in certain areas
there today.
Red Sea [Helnan Five Star International Hotel] In celebration of the Eucharist,
presented is Mishnah, saying: 1st assigned leader stepped into water; feet, knees, waist,
neck deep; nothing happened. At his face deep, water divided! Here is faith!
Galilee/Galilean: Feature is both fertile and volcanic. Indeed the Galileans have
volcanic and energetic attitude, honor is highly regarded than money while the Judeans
prefer money to honor. Back in the time of Solomon, he had a good relation with Hiram,
and even 20 cities of Galilee were given to Hiram. The Jews were colonizing the Galileans
[where is the voice of the voiceless?] Hence, a tension between Judean and Galilean! The
fact is that Jesus was a Galilean. His identity is that of Galilean soil, water and air.
Regarding the nature of faith and covenant, the Galileans are Mosaic, whereas the
Judeans, Davidic. The latter is dynastic and power-centered; the former is more
concerned with obedience and justice.
Synagogue: is a place where the internalizing and personalizing of the word of God took
place. Indeed Judaism is a Synagogue-centered community. The Synagogue is located at
the hightest point in the village that the poor can easily be seen [Mishnah]. Jesus definitely
chose the Synagogue community which is not necessarily a building but that of relations
and programs.
Ancient Boat: In 1986 January, archaeologists, scientists and volunteers worked

together day and night; after ten days the ancient boat stood; crane lifted to shore in
March 1986. 65 tons of chemicals were used for conservation of the wood to dry.
Eleven types of wood were used. After ten years of conservation, the boat was ready to
greet its next millennium! Significant is the headline: from fishing boat to warship!
Contextual Notes: Canon Naim Ateek, Founder of SABEL [to meet the gospel with
Palestinian], author of Justice only Justice [1989]: Palestinian no longer means
terrorism. Our voice is being heard. Even secular Jewish scholars silently support us. One
Knesset member said: why not share the land with Palestinian? Naim continues: the Jews
use the Bible to kick out Palestinian, whereas the Bible is for use to include Palestinian!
Supposed that the Israel may understand her own history; but she does not. Praise God
that secular Jewish historians do! Hope is kept towards new leadership in Palestine.
Daniel Rossing, a Jewish scholar, draws the between’s: one of the four, between
heaven and earth. Jerusalem the holy city is the closest place on earth to heaven and to
hell [hinnom] as well. Rossing said Zionist and Knesset make themselves decision
makers, whereas God is the one to decide. Rossing referred to Hillel, I am supposed to
take care of myself… should not be paralyzed by the betweens or the contrasts. For my
survival, Holocaust never happens again!
The Rt. Rev. Riah Abu El-Asal, Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem, spoke on
Christian-Muslim Relations, saying, Arab Christians are Pre-Muslim Arabs [Acts
2.11ff] Actually Mohammed was influenced by Arab Christians: he was married in a
Christian Church. In a sense Islam brought nothing new to our Christian faith. The
western invasion left the East [Arabs] feel exploited. Very recently, March 2000,
Pope John Paul II came, asking for forgiveness. Sorry, it was already late. In sum:
we have no other history than Palestinian Arab history. For 1400 years, Christian-
Moslem relation is cordial.
Linda Gradstein, an Orthodox Jewish feminist, stated Jewish feminism is not
theological but legal; the underlying factor is shekinnah, bride [Hosea]. Accordingly
feminism is a way to solve problems like divorcing and binding. A lot of changes
took place: reading of Torah in synagogue with men side by side, appearing of
women at the Rabbinical court.
Holocaust Memorial: Yad [hand] Vashem [memory]

We stood beside a carob tree which is metaphoric: redemptive in terms of food supply
and justice; moved to the open platform: The Ghetto Uprising the Last March. Two
opposite artifacts are facing us: on the right, the helpless, the victims onto their way to
death; on the left, brave young ones, angelic with hope and honor. Written in between is:
In thy blood, thou shall live!
In memory of the six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust,
Donated by Leon and Ann Jolson, survivors of the Warsaw Ghetto
The headline: From Holocaust to Rebirth comes along with four levels, in writings and
artifacts:
The Destruction
Resistance
Immigration to Israel
Rebirth
Road to Emmaus:
We read the gospel as our story [text in context]. History becomes mystery: His
story becomes my story. Emmaus, E-motsa in Arabic means “to go out.” The scene
is clear on the reality that Jesus was not dictating them; rather he let them have their
own story. And we are supposed to see ourselves as the anonymous disciple. The
area there, Benedictine Monastery of the Resurrection, is that of Palestinian
community and is agricultural!
[DTS/St. George’s College/Jerusalem/31 May 2000]

SERVUS SERVORAM DEI

(The Servant of God's Servants)
Do Suan Mung
It was in the mid 1960s that I first came to know, albeit scantly and vaguely, of
Rev. Smith Ngulh Za Thawng (from now on I will use his nickname, Sia Thawng) when
he was a student at Tedim State High School. So far as I can recall, he was actively
involved in the Tedim Baptist Church.
In the summer of 1970, a group of teachers and students from Mandalay University
Christian Fellowship (UCF), led by Saya Maung Maung Din made a gospel trip to Tedim.
And Sia Thawng was a prominent member of the group which performed a fascinating
drama and presented several numbers. One of the songs, “When The Saints Go Marching
In” especially enthralled me. The song had been adapted to Burmese, with some of their
own improvised lyrics. The particular lyrics they chose emphasized the importance of
unity and oneness among the different ethic groups as we live in and serve the Lord Jesus
Christ. They went on from Tedim to Gawsing village for a leadership training. Somehow,
I have always had a very fond memory of their trip.
I began attending Mandalay Arts and Science University in 1972, a year after Sia
Thawng was appointed Pastor of Mandalay UCF. During my years at Mandalay University,
I had the privilege of being discipled by Sia Thawng through observing his life and also
learning from him as I went through many life experiences. Having not been a serious
student, I believe I spent more of my time at the UCF center than in classroom. What
drew me there was the genuine warmth of Sia Thawng’s welcome and his benign demeanor.
Gradually, UCF center was becoming my home away from home.
One example of the care Sia Thawng showed me was when I suddenly got sick
with a high fever one day while visiting the UCF center during one of my early days at the
University. Sia Thawng gave me one tetracycline capsule and a small bowl of chicken
soup. After this, he saw me to bed whereupon I instantly fell asleep. When I woke up
about an hour or so later, I was amazed to see my fever totally subsided and I felt
completely fine. Having been a frail person all through my life, I have seen all kinds of
doctors and specialists, but I have never once received a treatment as effective as the one
Sia Thawng gave me on that day.
Being a caring and loving Pastor, Sia Thawng would frequently make hospital
calls and home visitations. And he often took us along with him which we considered
was a tremendous privilege. I never forget one hospital call we made in my early days at
the University. When we entered a certain ward, Sia Thawng unexpectedly asked me to
lead in prayer for the patients. Never having had an experience of praying in Burmese
before, I stumbled, mumbling and repeating the same phrase over and over until I made
an abrupt stop without a formal conclusion. Understandably, a blush of embarrassment
crept up my face. On that day, I learned an important lesson- I should always be prepared
and ready for any unexpected demand. I also realized that I needed to learn to pray in
Burmese as someone who wanted to be involved in the activities of the UCF.
There were of course many more pleasant and unforgettable experiences. Attending
evening devotions was always a joy and a blessing. Many a times, we would stay late at
night at the center having a wonderful time of fellowship singing old songs and chatting.
Sia Thawng would then slip out unnoticed and return with some snacks. In retrospect, I
believe we might have been oftentimes annoying and even disruptive as we would go in
and out of the center at will. However, Sia Thawng never showed even a hint of dislike or
nuisance.
In those days, we would always look forward to attending new house dedications,
thanksgiving services and house meetings. These were special times where we enjoyed
not only fellowshipping with local Christian friends but also the delicious refreshments
usually offered by the hosts. One place we often would go to was the then Major Khai
Mun Mang’s place at the foot of the famed Mandalay Hill. Although his place was a long
distance from the UCF center, we did not have difficulty going there because he would
always provide the transportation. Sia Thawng was loved and highly esteemed by Major
Khai Mun Mang.
I will never forget one gospel trip we made to Pyinmana with Sia Thawng as our
leader. When we got to Pyinmana, we first worshipped at a local Baptist Church and had
fellowship with the believers there. Afterwards, we did a bit of sightseeing and visited
Yezin Agricultural University and then the nearby Yezin Dam. While at the Yezin University,
we got to fellowshipping with Yezin UCF students singing songs and playing games. I
don’t even remember the kind of game we played, but I still remember that we played the
game in groups and I happened to be in the same group with Sia Khawm Pau, a long time
friend from my home town and Hannah Thynn, another dear friend from Yezin Agricultural
University who, in the prime of her life, went home to be with the Lord in 1999. For some
strange reason, we excelled in the game and were asked to sing a song to which we
readily complied and sang a short chorus "I’ve Got Peace Like A River". On that trip to
Pyinmana, for one reason or another, I was in no mood for a hasty return to Mandalay.
There was another memorable incident which involved Sia Thawng, Hannah, me
and a few other friends. Hannah and her friends were visiting Mandalay from Pyinmana.
When they were to return to Pyinmana, I, along with two other pals, planned to bid
farewell to our dear friends at the train station. As planned, we got up very early, put on
our best attire to impress the girls and rushed off to the train station. As a matter of fact,
I got dressed up in a pair of borrowed pants since I did not have an appropriate one.
When we got to the train station, lo and behold, there was Sia Thawng standing by and
praying for the girls. We badly wanted to say at least a few words to our friends but just
didn’t know how to proceed. So, instead, we just waved them from afar and returned to
the hostel, feeling empty. Those were good old days and just reminiscing of them makes
me feel nostalgic.
I believe it was in 1976. We, the Mandalay UCF conducted a one-night evangelistic
meeting with preaching and singing. Sia Thawng hand-picked the speakers for the night
and I felt honored to be one of them. I preached a simple gospel message. I believe the
Lord gave me power and freedom in delivery that night that the experience subsequently
bolstered my prior dedication to be in the full-time ministry. The singers that night included
famous artists like Saing Htee Saing and Salai Sun Ceu. It was a joyous occasion and a
spiritually fruitful night.
I received my initial divine call to the ministry in 1975. Along with a couple of
friends we made a gospel trip to a number of villages and towns in the Tedim and Tonzang
areas. On the night we got to Tonzang I preached a message entitled, “The Law and
Salvation”. Right in the middle of my preaching, the Lord spoke to me through a still small
voice calling me to be in His ministry. The voice was inaudible but louder and clearer in
my innermost than my physical ears could hear. So I made a private and personal dedication
of my life for the Lord’s service there and then. Later on, a couple of experiences followed
which reinforced my calling as has been mentioned one particular instance above.
In my senior years at MASU, I once again fell sick for an extended period. One
day Sia Thawng came over and prayed for my healing as well as for my future ministry. In
his prayer he used phrase like, “Your servant, your anointed one, etc.” which, to me, was
prophetic for what the future would hold for me. Right after the school was over, under
the leadership of Sia Thawng, we went down to Rangoon to attend a seminar at Judson
Chapel. There were several lectures at the seminar, but I can recall only Saya U Tin
Maung Tun who came along with Ko Thet, a gifted Christian singer who later became my
acquaintance. There was a candlelight service and dedication on the last nigh wherein I
made a public dedication of my call to the ministry.
Ever since I graduated from MASU some 35 years ago, Sia Thawng and I rarely
made contacts with each other purely due to our own paths of life. I am thankful that
providential circumstances have now brought us back together once again. I am profoundly
grateful to Sia Thawng for who he is and what he has meant to me. Here are a few
observations on Sia Thawng’s life made through my association with him then and now.
First and foremost, he lives a holy and moral life. He does not smoke nor drink
nor ever indulge in any other worldly practices. When he was Pastor of Mandalay UCF,
he was still single. Even then he was extremely careful in his relationships with the opposite
sex to the extent that nobody ever detected his interest in his future wife, sister Rebecca
Htu Nan who was a student and a very active member of the UCF. Sia Thawng is not
sinless, but is blameless morally.
Secondly, he is dutiful and faithful to his call and exceptionally efficient in the
execution of his duties. He is reliable and trustworthy.
Thirdly, he is spiritually perceptive. I know this from my personal experience. His
perception regarding my future life and ministry all came true. During my junior year, in
the course of one conversation, he predicted that a nationwide spiritual awakening was
coming. Today we witness the fulfillment of that prediction.
Fourthly, Sia Thawng is broad-minded and nonjudgmental. In my latter years at
MASU, some of my friends and I switched from attending Kelly Baptist Church to an
Assembly of God church owing to some factors. We knew in our hearts that Sia Thawng
would not be in favor of this move. But on his part, Sia Thawng never showed signs of
resentment or even disapproval.
Finally, Sia Thawng is a man of true humility. He is one of the most humble men
I’ve ever met in my entire life. He lives a very simple life and never craves to live in luxury.
He never looks for positions, power or prestige. I would like to compare his life with that
of St. Francis of Assisi(AD 1181-1226). His is a contented life.
Sia Thawng is one of a very few people who have given me inspiration and
aspiration to my life and ministry. In his own distinctive quiet way and style, he has exerted
a great influence on my life for which I will forever be grateful.
SERVUS SERVORAM DEI (The Servant of God’s Servants) was the title
Pope Gregory the Great ascribed to himself which I believe aptly depicts Sia Thawng.
He truly is SERVUS SERVORAM DEI.
BRIEF REFLECTION ON REVD SMITH N. ZA THAWNG

Duleep de Chickera
It is a great pleasure for me to send this brief reflection on Rev. Smith N. Za

Thawng as he celebrates sixty five years of the gift of life given to him by the grace of
God. I congratulate my dear friend on his sixty fifth birthday and wish him God’s com-
panionship and peace all the days of his life.
I am also grateful that a group of friends and colleagues have come forward to
commemorate this important milestone in his life in such a fitting way.
My association with Rev. Smith goes back many years and is connected with our
participation in the ecumenical movement. In addition, our two countries, Myanmar and
Sri Lanka had so much in common that our friendship was further strengthened with the
common challenges we faced in the witness of our respective Churches. We were both
members of small, modest Churches in predominantly Buddhist countries both of which
had been caught up in violent, protracted, national conflicts.
From the beginning Rev. Smith impressed me as a gentle, gifted and committed
person with quiet and wise ways. As General Secretary of the MCC he always displayed
a passion for the collective witness of the Body of Christ and worked hard to equip and
hold the Churches together in the daunting circumstance that the Myanmar was going
through. On several occasions his sensitive and integrated qualities helped him to steer
and guide ecumenical gatherings towards the common goal of a shared obedience to the
One Christ.
I was extremely happy to be able to meet Rev. Smith and renew our friendship
during my most recent visit to Myanmar in August this year. On that occasion he interpreted
my sermon at the Judson Baptist Church, Yangon after which we enjoyed a delicious
meal at the invitation of the very wise, gracious and much respected Revd Arthur Ko
Lay, the Chief Pastor of the Church.
This occasion filled my mind as a vision of ecumenism as I sat to gather my
thoughts for this reflection. For Ecumenism in its simplest and lasting form is the friendship
we develop and sustain in Christ and with one another through our common work, worship
and the sharing of food at the table. Our confidence that Rev. Smith will continue to
journey as a co-pilgrim towards this vision through the changes and chances is a great
encouragement to all of us.
May he and his dear children be filled with loving kindness and fulfillment in
Christ always.
FOND MEMORIES OF GOODNIGHT SMITH

Eh Wah
I don’t remember exactly when he first enrolled as a student in the Bachelor of

Religious Education (B.R. E) program. Those were the early days when the Burma Di-
vinity School (Myanmar Institute of Theology) offered the program for laymen and lay-
women who were college graduates and wanted to serve Jesus Christ in their own pro-
fession or work wherever they were. The classes were taught in the evening of week
days.
Smith Ngulh Za Thawng came in with a group of university student workers
(UCF) who were prodigies of the late Thara William Lay. That group consisted of only
young men that included Gideon Shwe and the late Henderson Ba Win. It was not until
1964 that I was assigned to teach the BRE students, and the UCSF group that I
subsequently taught was unforgettable. They were then single young men, and except for
Smith were so-so student. There was one evening when he wrote a note asking for leave
of absence and signing it “Goodnight, Smith.” From then on to me he has always been
Goodnight Smith. Even when he was General Secretary of the Myanmar Council of
Churches he was Goodnight Smith in private moments. His ministry with the university
students had prepared him for greater service. When he was elected General Secretary
of the MCC he assumed his office with quiet dignity and efficiency. I never saw him flap
or raise his voice although the work load was heavy. The member churches of MCC
trusted his leadership, and so did many people who asked for airfares to enable them to
go abroad for further study.
He was humble and contented to serve the Lord in his own country. As far as I
know he never expressed a desire to go abroad to further his education, although he
could have created opportunities to do so. Without doubt he was interested in upgrading
his formal education. In the period between 1962 and 1978 when our church leaders
had no opportunity to go abroad for further study, the Association for Theological Education
in South East Asia (ATESEA) had made it possible for our leaders to pursue their Master’s
degrees within the country. Many started the program but only a few were successful.
Goodnight Smith was successful in earning M.Th in Theology. Based on that success he
privately continued to upgrade his education and must have read many books.
It was in 1997, if my memory serves me correctly, that a group of us traveled

from Myanmar to South Korea for the Congress of Asian Theologians (CATS) held in
the city of Suwon. Our group comprised of Rev. Dr. Simon Pau Khan En, Rev. Maung
Doe, Rev. Ruth Daniel, Rev. Dengthuama, Rev. Smith Ngulh Za Thawng, and myself.
Rev. Smith did a great job of presenting a paper at the Congress. We had a good time
with participants from other Asian countries. But what was most unforgettable was the
experience we had on reaching Incheon (Seoul) airport. Our little group was detained by
immigration officers who obviously suspected us of looking for jobs in their country. We
were detained for six hours because the immigration officers could not contact our Korean
sponsor who had gone to church since it was Sunday. We suffered the indignity with
humor. The officers went through our suitcases and became most suspicious when they
discovered the new, unmarked Bible in Rev. Maung Doe’s bag. Actually the poor man
had taken out a new copy of the Bible from the Library of the Holy Cross College
thinking that his own was too worn and well-used. Being from Burma we were not
certainly given a warm welcome by the Immigration Department of the South Korean
Government! It was not funny, but our Burmese humor got us through.
Rev. Smith, like most of us, has had his share of sorrow and disappointment.
Neither has he pretended to be not affected by the downs in his life. He was candid, but
obviously hurt when he told me about his daughter and her child. Then when he went
through the financial fiasco at the MCC it must have broken him and his family. I was just
a bystander then, but there was deep pain in his eyes each time that I saw him. On the
surface he appeared calm and collected, but I am certain he was in agony. He was able
to put on a calm, brave front because of his trust in the goodness and the mercy of God.
I was not present in the country when his beloved wife was taken away from him.
This severely shocking blow must surely have depleted him, but having gone through
trials and temptations at different points in his life I am sure the good Lord has continued
to comfort and sustain him. It is my belief that he trusts in the Lord as his Rock and
Redeemer and has never let go of Him.
As we grow older we all consider the years ahead of us. What will they bring?
Do we have the strength and courage to endure more pain and problems? As Christian
ministers we have the assurance of knowing that God holds the tomorrows in His hands,
and that we need not be groping in the dark. We have experienced God’s goodness and
blessings, and therefore can look with hope toward the future.
May God bless Goodnight Smith on reaching his 65th milestone, and may God
richly bless all members of his family (note: I am writing this article thousands of miles
away and do not have access to the exact time when Goodnight Smith was a student at
MIT of when he did his MIT).
[Editors’ Note: Rev. Smith Studied BRE in 1969-1971(BIT), and he finished a course
in Christian Ethics with SEAGST in 1978, but he got his MTh degree from Glasgow
University in 1986].
AN OPEN LETTER TO THE REVD SMITH NGULH ZA THAWNG

Elizabeth S. Tapia
I am writing this note from the city of New York, far away from my homeland, the
Philippines. While hurricane Sandy is wreaking havoc in the area, I just want to send this
note to bring you greetings of Christ’s peace and best wishes on your reaching sixty-five
years of fruitful years. Belated Happy Birthday! I say Mabuhay (Filipino greeting which
means may you have long, abundant life)! I thank God for your blessed life, commitment
to Christ and abundant ministry, and most of all for your multiple loves: love of your
country, family, church and the ecumenical community.
When I reflect on the occasions I met you as a pastor, theologian and an ecumenical
leader, the words of St. Paul come to mind: “Let love be genuine, hate what is evil, hold
fast to what is good, love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing
honor. Do not lag in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere
in prayer” Romans 12:9-12. I believe that in your long and dedicated service, you certainly
bear these marks of a true Christian as written by St.Paul.
We are both members of the Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians
(EATWOT), and you graced our General Assembly meeting in 2001 in Quito, Ecuador
with gentle strength, wisdom that comes from your Myanmar/Burma context, and brotherly
love. We were happy that in spite of the great distance and travel restrictions (just after 9/
11), you were patient and persevered in prayer.
We first met at the 1997 founding Assembly of the Congress of Asian Theologians
(you from Myanmar, me from the Philippines). I’m glad our paths met again in 2004
when you and your beloved late wife, Rebecca Htu Nan, visited Bossey Ecumenical
Institute (Switzerland) and our faculty residence on campus. Alan, my spouse, and I were
happy to host you briefly, and we were blessed by your visit, your stories of ministry as
General Secretary of Myanmar Council of Churches. I knew then that you did not only
study ecumenics at Bossey and Glasgow, you lived, taught and worked ecumenically
wherever contexts you find yourself placed.
When I was I teaching at Union Theological Seminary (Philippines) I met and
taught several students from Myanmar. Dr. Dennis Shu Maung, whom you know, was
teaching there also, and the seminary was blessed with the presence of this small but
dedicated group of Christians (Baptists) from your country. We are blessed by your
spirituality. When you informed me of your wife’s passing, you wrote that she departed
with the Lord very quickly and peacefully. “This earthly life, you emailed me, is just a
pilgrimage”.
Faith, courage, grace, gentle strength, prayerful perseverance, servant and
prophetic leadership as well as ecumenical praxis: these are some reasons I celebrate
your life and ministry, and the equally faithful community you have in your homeland.
Praise be to God! Be well and thank you, Brother Smith, for your friendship. May you
have many more years of mabuhay pilgrimage!
MY GOOD WISHES TO
THE REVEREND SMITH NGULH ZA THAWNG
Finlay A J Macdonald
I am very pleased to express my good wishes to the Reverend Smith Ngulh Za

Thawng on the occasion of his 65th birthday. I have had the pleasure of meeting Smith
and his wife, Rebekah, on two occasions.
The first was in October 2002 when I visited Myanmar as Moderator of the
General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. My wife and I shall never forget the personal
kindness he and Rebekah extended to us during that visit, which also included Jill Hughes,
our Asia Secretary at the time. I had always wanted to travel to Myanmar as my father
was one of that generation which saw military service in Burma during the Second World
War. Ten years on my wife and I still remember many highlights of that visit and particularly
the time we spent with students in the various seminaries. The following year (2004) we
were grateful for the opportunity to repay some of that generous Burmese hospitality
when Smith and Rebekah came to Scotland to attend our General Assembly in Edinburgh.
Smith’s address to our General Assembly was well received and made a deep impression
on all those present.
I gladly acknowledge the distinguished service Smith has given to the Christian
Gospel within Myanmar, particularly through his role as Secretary for thirteen years
of the Myanmar Council of Churches. He has also played a valuable role internationally
through the world wide ecumenical movement. His steady witness, and the witness
of all Burmese Christians, under very difficult circumstances over so many years, is
something from which all churches can learn.
During my visit to Myanmar in October 2002 I had the privilege of meeting Aung
San Suu Kyi privately at the Residence of the British Ambassador. I was also present in
June 2005 when, to mark her 60th birthday, the City of Edinburgh granted her the freedom
of the city and a magnolia tree was planted in her honour in the city’s famous Princes
Street Gardens. Such gestures symbolise continuing and valued ties between our two
countries.
I sense that things are beginning to change in Myanmar and pray that the freeing
of Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest may be the harbinger of better days to come for
all the people of your beautiful country.
Most gladly I salute the Reverend Smith Ngulh Za Thawng’s faithful Christian
service.
FESTSCHRIFT SMITH NGULH ZA THAWNG

Gerhard Köberlin
There was a time when it was impossible for students from Burma to meet freely
with other students abroad. It was in 1979 when I then had the privilege to meet the first
Burmese theological student through World Student Christian Federation in Geneva. We
Europeans relied heavily on those rare ecumenical encounters, and were grateful for
growing friendship with Burma.
Some ten years later the urgent appeal from NCC Burma reached us in West
Germany. What could our churches do in the time of the revolt on the Burmese streets in
1988? First of all, we needed friends to talk with, in order to develop common prayer
and action. It was Rev Smith who helped us in West Germany. We relied on understanding
each other, although our context differed so much. We could write our telexes on the
spot, Smith could not. But we found ways to meet and talk. So we arranged for clear
lines of ecumenical communication, with the help of many other strings of the ecumenical
network around the world. I was happy to come to know Rev Smith as the liaison person
for us. We did not need to use much talk. We understood quickly.
Then came the time when all of us had to learn the new-old word “Myanmar”,
and the new context of the Myanmar churches. The precious relationship between the
ecumenical institutions in Germany and Myanmar through Rev Smith was one of the life
lines to interpret this situation. In consequence we Europeans had to find a position of our
churches vis-a-vis the boycott policy of the European Union. We always were cautioned
by Rev Smith not to interpret the very complex situation in his country too simplistically
by yes or no.
I was happy to share with Rev Smith the concern for the generation “after the
coming change”. Can German churches help with theological education for Burmese
students even before any signs of change? We made realistic offers for places and funds
for study in Germany. However, it took nearly twenty years after 1988, for the first
theological scholarship student to come to Germany. Again, we did not need to go into
many details. Rev Smith raised the important questions in a way that German churches
could quickly respond. How wonderful to be able to rely on ecumenical friendship!
My deepest gratitude to Rev. Smith was building up when he made the German-
Burmese dialogue possible in 2009. A group of Christian friends of Myanmar in Germany
wanted to step over the boycott policy. They wanted to find relationship across the
border. They travelled to the Myanmar Institute of Theology in Yangon and had a most
intense week of study together with teachers of the MIT on issues of common concern.
Rev. Smith made this dialogue possible. Many friendships developed. Further exchange
was growing, on matters of theology, inter-religious dialogue, on understanding the history
of Myanmar, and of Christians therein.
For me the jubilee of Rev Smith is a jubilee of mutual ecumenical support, of
dialogue, and of undeterred struggle against political resignation. Thank you!
A PASTOR AND A CHAPEL BOY IN MANDALAY

H.D. Suan
It was one hot summer morning in March 1972. I was staying at the Arya Samat
Hindu Lodge in downtown Mandalay with Vial Kap from Mualluum. I was transiting
there on my way to Meiktila to enroll as a boarding student at the Tatmadaw Children’s
High School to finish my matriculation which I failed from Tedim High School. I had less
than 100 kyats in my pocket. I left home without any preparation or prior contact with the
school. Although I had full confidence without any sound reason, my situation was actually
like walking in the moonless night without any light, without clear determination, without
direction and full of uncertainty.
That morning, we were trying to venture out the city. When we were about to
step out of the Lodge, we met U Thawng incidentally near the exit door. He came to see
someone who was staying at the same Lodge. In fact, we did not know each other very
well although we are close cousins on both parents’ sides. As far as I could recall, my first
encounter with him was in our native village, Ciingpikot when I was still in Middle School.
One day, I was walking passed Pi Uap’s house (U Thawng’s grandmother) on my way to
my aunt Nu Ngulh Zam’s house. He was clearing some weeds along the fence and we
greet each other, introducing ourselves. He came back from Mandalay Arts and Science
University on summer vacation. He was the only university student from the village at that
time, so he was well-known and became a role model for young students of the village.
Since that brief encounter, I did not meet him or hear anything about him until that morning
in Mandalay.
I did not realize that, that unexpected meeting with U Thawng on that morning in
Mandalay had turned my life to a new course of direction. I did not know that God had
a perfect plan for me at that very moment. When he saw us, he recognized me and asked
what we are doing there, and what our plans are. After hearing our situation, he told us to
stay with him and continue our education from his home. It did not take much time for us
to consider his proposal, and we happily accepted the undeniable offer. Then, we moved
to Bawdigone UCF Chapel the same day where I stayed, studied and grow up to be a
mature man for the next 6 years.
I passed matriculation the same year with Arts subject combination. When U
Thawng and I discussed about continuing University education, we decided to choose
History major at the Mandalay Arts and Science University taking into account the financial
constraint and my interest in the subject. Then, I stayed on with him for another five more
years until I finish my B.A and moved to Yangon to seek job opportunities at the end of
1978.
My days in Mandalay with U Thawng were perhaps the most crucial formative
years in my life in nurturing my spiritual as well as intellectual capacity. During these years
I have been able to build a strong bond of relationship with him. He had become like my
immediate elder brother, like my parent and close counsel. That close relationship has
been even strengthened further after he married to A Htu who also was our close friend at
the UCF. My wife, Ju, and our children always consider their family as of our own. The
children of both families consider each other as their next of kin.
He is well known for his calmness and cool manner. He hardly speaks unless he
deems it necessary. But at heart, he always cares for others, often times even surpassing
his limited resources and capacity, causing me concerns. We had hosted, accommodated
or give temporary or medium term shelter to all those who are transiting Mandalay or
coming for medical treatment or with other reasons. For example Ko Sai Hti Seng was
staying with us for about one year in 1977 after dropping out from the University. As
student Pastor, our house is the house of every UCF students. They will come and go and
even check my kitchen as they wish.
He was the head of the household and I do the house keeping. He had never
interfere in my realm of responsibility including shopping, cooking and managing our
house. Not a single time had he complain or comment about my rudimentary cooking for
the whole six years that we live under the same roof. One day, I cooked a curry dish with
extra chili in it. When he ate the first mouthful of curry with rice, he suddenly got hiccup
and could not continue to eat. I forgot that he could not stand hot dishes. He didn’t say a
word and finally left the table. But, it was the last time that I tried my favorite hot curry for
him. He also endured my myriad of extracurricular activities that required me to be
absent from my home duty for many times. On those occasions, he had to take are of
himself without any complaint.
His salary at that time, as a student Pastor, must have been very small amount,
and hardly sufficient enough for a person like him with much extra expenditure. Not
withstanding this, he never refuses any one who came for his help. He always put the
interest of others ahead of his. He never told me about financial difficulty. He has never
given me a headache.
By the time I left Mandalay to seek greener pasture in Yangon at the end of 1978,
he was already happily married to A Htu. I left him with confidence under the loving care
of A Htu, an extraordinary wife and God-given life-long companion with the additional
reinforcement from Kam (Khual Cin).
The next year, they also moved down to Yangon as U Thawng took new
responsibility with the SCM. I had briefly stayed with them once again, but found my new
accommodation as I also joined the MOFA in August 1979.
SOME THOUGHTS OF APPRECIATION

ON THE OCCASION OF SMITH NGULH ZA THAWNG'S
65th BIRTHDAY
Hans-Bernd Zöllner
I can’t remember exactly when and where I met Smith for the first time. It must
have been some years after my first visit to Burma in 1984. He was not yet a Reverend at
that time. I served as minister for the German Speaking Protestant Congregation in Thai-
land. The headquarters of the EKD, the umbrella organization of the German Protestant
Churches had informed me that part of my assignment was to visit the neighbouring
country twice a year. My main duty was to look after the Germans living in Burma - there
were quite a lot of them in the country, mostly experts helping the socialist government to
better the living conditions of the people. Besides that, I was asked to communicate with
the Burmese churches. My first contact was the Lutheran Church on Theinbyu Street
which was founded by a German mission in the late 19th century. Later I paid a courtesy
call to the Burma Council of Churches (BCC) which was located in the YMCA building
on Maha Bandoola Street at that time. I suppose that I met him there for the first time, a
meeting that was somewhat inevitable since Smith had studied in Germany for some time
under Konrad Raiser who in 1993 became General Secretary of the World Council of
Churches. I was very much impressed about the theological insight of this Burmese lay
theologian.
From my talks with Smith I concluded, that Ethics must have been his favorite
theological subject. I admired the consciousness and diligence of his analyses both
of the situation of the Church and the political situation in Burma and later Myanmar.
I remember that he very much pondered if it could be justified that the Ecumenical
Sharing Centre on Pyay Road could only be built by giving the government at least
some share of the funds from foreign countries among them Germany. Later, I was
impressed of his sober analysis of the political options after the 1988 uprising. One had to
tolerate the repression of the military government if more bloodshed was to be prevented
was the conclusion he reached according to my memory.
I was privileged that my meetings with Smith concentrated on talks about an

exchange on such questions and theological topics. I had no mandate to do business with
the BCC and later MCC. The utmost I did was to channel some medicine from Bangkok
to Rev. Andrews senior and junior and after 1988 to the MCC as well. Smith always
declined an answer on my question what I could take along with me for him on my next
visit. Only once he conceded to my verbal pressure and said that some vitamine pills for
his children would be welcome.
Over time, some kind of friendship between us came into being. I have to stress
“some kind” because we never talked about our relationship and as a result of my
experiences in Thailand I was – and still am – that the term “friend” may carry a very
different meaning in different cultures and even if both partners are Christians. Anyway, I
had very much the feeling that I was the one who received more than I could give in our
relationship.
Since I was able to continue to visit Myanmar after my return to Germany as a
researcher of Myanmar history, culture and politics, my contacts with Smith and his family
continued as well. I usually come twice a year to Myanmar and some kind of ritual has
become a regular feature of each visit, an evening dinner at Smith’s home. The first of
these events took place in the Lanmadaw YMCA building where Smith lived, now it’s the
place opposite Hledan Market. Together with the talks I very much enjoyed the food
prepared by his late wife Rebecca and now by his daughters Elisabeth or Esther.
Finally I would like to mention that I am very happy that Smith and me could help
to establish a small new venture of cooperation between the Myanmar and the German
churches besides the tracks of official relations. Some German friends, most of them like
me retired from church services, had the idea to use a holiday trip to Myanmar to have
some exchange with theologians of the country. I was the one who forwarded the idea to
Smith and he contacted Prof. Bwa at the Myanmar Institute of Theology (MIT). As a
result, in January 2009 a five-day dialogue programme was held at Seminary Hill in Insein
which resulted in a number of other joint ventures including younger people as well.
I am very much looking forward to my next visits to Myanmar and to see Smith
again and I am sure that these visits will further help us to bridge the many gulfs still
separating the worlds in which each of us lives – and hopefully with the assistance of the
Holy Spirit.
AN ECUMENIST FROM START TO FINISH

Heidi Hadsell
I first met Smith at Bossey in, I think, 1983, when I was a tutor in the graduate
school of the Ecumenical Institute. I remember Smith then as a hard working student,
who was quite genuinely serious about the importance of ecumenism. Smith had no doubt
that his time at Bossey, his studies, and the network of friends he made there, would be a
strong foundation upon which he would build his ministry and leadership when he re-
turned to Burma. Once we both left Bossey I didn't hear from Smith for a number of
years. In 1997 I became the Director of the Ecumenical Institute. It wasn't long after I
assumed my new position that I heard from Smith who, by then was the head of the
Council of Churches of Myanmar. He wrote to me because as a life-long ecumenist, he
was eager to obtain for the pastors in the Council of Churches with whom he worked,
the substantive, transforming experience in ecumensim that he himself had had many
years before. Faithfully, while I was at Bossey, and I am sure, once I left, every year
Smith encourged one of the young Christian leaders to apply to the graduate school. And
every year we had an application from that young leader, who would then invariably be
accepted into the graduate school and come to Bossey. Smith, the ecumenist from start
to finish, made sure that individuals from various denominations had the chance to go. I
realized he was quite carefully and patiently and quietly seeing to the preparation of new
generations of ecumenical leadership in Burma.
Fast forward in time to Fall 2012. I am at Hartford Seminary, an ecumenical
Christian seminary in the United States, with a long standing and well known program in
the study of Islam and Christian Muslim relations, as well as other programs of study for
those who will be working in interfaith contexts. Oneday I received an email from Smith,
of perhaps the first communication was a letter. I smiled as I realized who it was from,
happy to hear from Smith, and I also smiled because I knew without a doubt that my old
and dear friend would be inquiring about possibilities for young Christian leadership from
Burma to study at Hartford Seminary. Sure enough, his letter was exactly as I had come
to expect. He expressed his support of a young student leader who wants to study with
us both because the seminary is ecumenical, and because of the interfaith studies it pro-
vides, which seem only more urgent everyday.
The fact that Smith is now retiring in no way leads me to suspect that he will not
continue to identify emerging leaders and connect them with opportunities near and far
that will help shape them as ecumenical Christian leaders, able to lead their congregations
and organizations into warm and cooperative relationships with those from other Chris-
tian denominations. In addtion these emerging leaders will be able to help their people
think through and construct relationships with people of other faiths and to experience
these relationships in fresh and creative ways. Clearly, it is through Smith and others like
him that the patient, often unseen work of ecumenism, as well as its soaring vision, is
accomplished. We can thank God for Smith, for his leadership, his faithful service to
generation of new leaders, and for his ability to help others acquire the learning and
experiences he knows are needed for ministry in a rapidly changing, ever more complex
world.
A BRUISED REED WILL NOT BREAK

Henriette Hutabarat Lebang
It is my pleasure to welcome the publication of the autobiography of Rev. Smith

N. Za Thawng, a dear friend in Christ. Smith, as known by many ecumenical friends, is
quiet but hard working person. I have known him from the time I served as Associate
General Secretary of CCA during 1991-2001. At that time, Smith was the General Sec-
retary of Myanmar Council of Churches (MCC) and a member of the CCA General
Committee. We met often in the CCA meetings and other ecumenical gatherings.
In the time of difficulty in Myanmar, Smith, with many dedicated friends, unceasingly
prayed and worked for peace with justice for the people of Myanmar. I remember clearly
that in his position as General Secretary of MCC, Smith articulated well the concerns and
cries of his people to the wider ecumenical fellowship. In such times, Smith and other
friends stood firmly, regardless of the harshness of the situation in Myanmar, inspired by
the power of the cross to faithfully follow the steps of Christ. No matter how big the
challenge, they held to the promise of God as announced by the prophet Isaiah that “…
a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench”.
(Isaiah 42:3). That Jesus Christ, truly the servant of God will faithfully bring forth justice,
had become and still remains their source of hope in the time of struggle.
The ecumenical family and the world welcome the new developments in Myanmar
as the government recently began the process of reformation in the country. Many changes
have happened and signs of hope have emerged on the horizon. It is our hope that this
will truly be a breakthrough for Myanmar which can pave the way towards a genuine
reconciliation and democratization in the country. As the large stone, that for many decades
has hindered the people of Myanmar from enjoying the fullness of life, has begun to be
removed, we will continue to uphold the churches and people of Myanmar in our prayers,
and accompany the churches to participate in this democratization process.
Again, for such a time as this, Myanmar needs trustworthy leaders with deep
commitment and integrity to serve the people, to heal the wounds and to facilitate
reconciliation among the warring groups. I am delighted to learn that Rev. Smith N.
Za Thawng, as a former activist of the Student Christian Movement, continues his
commitment to facilitate and nurture the ecumenical leadership development for justice
and peace, especially among the younger generation. I do pray that the spirit of God will
always be upon the life and ministry of Rev. Smith Za Thawng. Congratulation, Smith, for
this publication!
MISSION IN THE MIDST OF RELIGIOUS PLURALITY

Hope S. Antone
A Personal Note:
I am very happy to be part of this book to honor the Rev. Smith Ngulh Za
Thawng, a friend and co-sojourner in the ecumenical movement. This paper is an
updated version of a paper I had presented at a theological consultation of the
United Church of Christ in the Philippines on the theme, “Proclaiming the Gospel
in a Pluralistic World towards a Dialogue of Life.” I think it can resonate with Rev.
Smith’s ecumenical commitment, not only as a leader of the ecumenical movement
in Myanmar but also in Asia and the world. I am offering it as a sharing of my
reflection on the contextual reality in the Philippines, w ith the hope that my brothers
and sisters in Myanmar can also find some useful insights.
Plurality as a Characteristic of Asia

I usually describe Asia as plural rather than pluralistic because plural and plurality
simply describe the reality of diversity whereas pluralist and pluralistic describe an attitude
of commitment to one’s tradition and openness to learning from and dialoguing with other
traditions.
I like the way J. N. J. Kritzinger of South Africa defines mission:

I understand Christian mission to be an inclusive complex of activities aimed at
the anticipation and provisional realization of God’s reign in history. It includes
evangelism but (it) is much wider. Mission is the “cutting edge” of the Christian
movement, embodying a way of life that refuses to accept the status quo and
keeps on trying to change it, being pushed and pulled by the Spirit of God towards
the final dawning of God’s reign.1
1
J. N. J. Kritzinger, “The Function of the Bible in Protestant Mission” in Scripture,
Community, and Mission, ed. Philip L. Wickeri (Hong Kong: CCA & CWM, 2002), 18. This
definition is adapted from Nico Botha, Klippies Kritzinger and Tinyiko Maluleke’s “Crucial
issues for Christian mission – A missiological analysis of contemporary South Africa” in
International Review of Mission 83 (January 1994, 21).
This definition is broad enough to encompass the many different things that we do
and call mission. It is also clear enough about the two-fold goal of “anticipation and
provisional realization of God’s reign” in our time. We in the Philippines can resonate with
the idea that mission is “embodying a way of life that refuses to accept the status quo and
keeps on trying to change it, being pushed and pulled by the Spirit of God towards the
final dawning of God’s reign.” This is not really a new definition for Filipinos. In fact,
many of our own church workers are actually living this out right now, with all its attendant
risks.
When I was trying to articulate a theory of education in religion that would be
relevant for Asia, I had to seriously consider the problematic of such a context. What
stood out for me as a big concern was the plurality of ethnicity, religions, cultures, languages
and the difficulty or inability to deal with such differences more positively and creatively.
In trying to address the issue of religious plurality biblically, theologically, and culturally, I
needed to re-visit, deconstruct and transform traditional mission orientations that have
prohibited us, Asians, from having meaningful relations with Asian people of other faiths.
In this paper, I will try to focus on the Philippine context, and how plurality needs to be
handled positively and creatively, in order to carry out our missiological task today.
Plurality in the Philippines

Is religious plurality an issue in the Philippines? I remember writing an essay in
high school proudly claiming, “The Philippines is the only Christian nation in Asia”. Now
I know that I should only say, “The Philippines is a predominantly Christian nation in
Asia”. According to a website on “Religious Groups in the Philippines”, the following is
a rough breakdown of the religious population in our country2:
1. Roman Catholic - 80% (1998)
2. Other Christian Denominations Combined - 8.7% (1990)
3. Muslim/Islamic - 7% (2001)
4. Indigenous Religions - 1.2% (1990)
5. Buddhists - 0.1 % (1990)
6. Atheists (did not identify religion) - 0.3 % (1990)
At 15, I became a teacher in the Daily Vacation Church School of the Dumaguete
City UCCP and the teacher’s manual produced by the National Council of Churches in
the Philippines on the theme, “Building Community,” helped to broaden my perspective
about people of other faith communities. During one of the sessions, an excursion was to
be made to worship places of various faith communities in the locality. There was no
mosque in Dumaguete at that time but the manual helped us to see people of other faiths
2
According to this website on google.com, the figures are taken from different sources and
do not add up to 100%. The members/adherents outside of the country are not included in the
count. The percentage breakdown is based on the Year 2002 Philippine population estimate at 78
million.
as our neighbors. It helped me to think of my three maternal cousins who married Muslim
men from Mindanao in a different light.
During my college years, my family was facing a difficult situation: my eldest sister
was getting engaged to her classmate, a Buddhist from Thailand! This was a shock to my
father whose fellow pastors kept telling him not to allow his daughter to be yoked with an
unbeliever. There were heated discussions about that relationship – until we agreed to
meet with the man and were somehow changed (humanized, I should say) by that encounter.
My formal introduction to Muslim-Christian relations was made possible during
my seminary training at Silliman University Divinity School. I had the privilege of
participating in the SUDS-UTS summer program on Muslim-Christian Dialogue under
the supervision of Bishop Hilario Gomez in Marawi. That learning experience included an
intensive course with Dr. Peter Gowing at Dansalan as well as life encounter with some
communities in Mindanao.
When I started teaching religious studies at Silliman University High School, and
religion courses at Silliman University, I had some Filipino Muslims and Thai Buddhists
among my students. It was impossible to dismiss them or overlook them, no matter how
few they were. Of course we all know that global events (especially since 9.11) have
shown us how religious differences and our ignorance of them can be used to fuel animosity,
hatred, and violence. We know however that all this is mere cover-up for the oily truth
about the so-called war on terrorism and its twin, globalization, that are at the root of the
conflicts we are facing globally today.
Nevertheless, the reality of religious plurality is very real. Although we do not
affirm it whenever we claim that “the Philippines is the only Christian nation in Asia”, it
doesn’t mean that our nation has always been homogeneous. Our claim only reflects the
attitude of the majority, an attitude that somehow diminishes all others, especially the
minority groups. Christians in minority situations in other countries of Asia are suffering
from this attitude of majoritarianism from the majority of the population in their respective
countries.
There are serious issues about plurality behind innocent questions raised by
Filipinos who encounter people of other faiths. A Filipino couple who came back from a
tour in Bangkok told of how they cried on their knees praying for the Thai people to be
converted to Christ. Then they asked my father: “Why is Thailand more blessed than the
Philippines when it is a Buddhist country?” In Hong Kong, a number of our Filipino
domestic helpers have taken upon themselves the task of converting their “unbelieving
employers”. “How can I convert my Chinese (i.e. Buddhist) employers so they will be
saved?” One asked during a sharing by other Filipinas who have some “success stories”
of ‘converting’ their employer. These are just a few examples of how religious plurality
does affect us, Filipinos, one way or the other.
Historical Visit: General Attitudes to Otherness and People of Other Faiths

Although the history of Christianity in Asia is often associated with Western colonial
expansion, some Asian historians assert that there has been a widespread presence of
Eastern Christians (named differently as Syrian, Armenian, Nestorian, etc.) in various
parts of Asia long before 1500 CE.3 It has been claimed that during the New Testament
time, trade links between the Middle East and some countries in Asia were made possible
by sea to the Indian subcontinent and beyond, and by land to China. Those trade relations
resulted in the establishment of Arab, Jewish, Persian and Armenian settlements in parts
of Asia.4 The tradition of the arrival of the apostle Thomas in southwestern coast of India
(now Kerala) is linked to the well-established Christian community of Syrian origins in
India from around 200 CE. It is interesting to note that the early “St. Thomas Christians”
were known to have very good relations with Hindus around them – otherwise, how
were they accepted into the caste structure as second in line, next only to the Brahmins.5
As they incorporated many Hindu customs and practices into their religious observances,
maintained ecclesiastical contact with the patriarch in Syria, and celebrated the liturgy
handed down by tradition, the description is that they are “Hindu in culture, Christian in
religion and Oriental in worship”. So in the beginning, long before colonial times and
closer to the time of the early church, there was a relationship of co-existence and
tolerance between the early Asian Christians and people of other faiths.
What followed the trade relations however was the growing desire of Western
powers for political control in Asia to facilitate trade. As colonizers brought some clergy
from their homelands to provide religious services to their Western settlers in Asia, some
clergy saw huge potential for spreading the gospel. By this time, Western Christian theology
was characterized by triumphalism and intolerance, resulting from Christianity’s becoming
the official religion of the Roman Empire.6 Thus, came about the unholy alliance of
colonization, westernization and evangelization. Hence, while missionary activities brought
about humanization of Asian societies, on the one hand, through education, medicine,
technology, etc., they also caused, on the other hand, brutal suppression of the religions
and cultures of the peoples of Asia. Failing to understand the religions and cultures of
Asia, Western Christianity has treated them as mere paganism, superstition, or misguided
attempts to grasp the divine. This attitude fits the typology of Exclusivism, which makes
an absolute claim to truth, thereby denying its possibility to be with others.
3
John C. England, The Hidden History of Christianity in Asia (Delhi: ISPCK and Hong
Kong: CCA, 1996), 1-2.
4
S. Wesley Ariarajah, “Christianity and People of Other Religious Traditions,” in A
History of the Ecumenical Movement in Asia, Vol. 2, ed. Ninan Koshy (Hong Kong: WSCF-AP,
APAY, CCA, 2004), 141.
5
Ariarajah, “Christianity and People of Other Religious Traditions.”
6
Ariarajah, 142-3.
Every new religious movement has the inclination to be exclusive, making strong
claims to set itself apart from others and to highlight its distinctive identity.7 Thus,
Christianity’s exclusive claims and tendency are found in various passages of the Bible, as
the apostles were bearing testimony in the wake of attacks from Jewish exclusivism and
other religions of the day. Later, with the increasing influence of Islam, Christian exclusivism
became intensified, denouncing anyone who did not follow Christ as infidels, heathen and
pagan. This exclusivist attitude is further demonstrated by the Roman Catholic axiom,
“extra ecclesiam nulla salus” (outside the church, no salvation). Protestant theologians
like Hendrick Kraemer and Karl Barth sustained this exclusivist tendency in their own
way. While accepting that God works among those outside biblical revelation, Kraemer
regarded it as general revelation while the special revelation of God is only in Christ Jesus
alone. Barth thought of all other religions as results of human yearning or striving, whereas
God’s revelation through Christ was God’s self-manifestation.
In the history of Christian mission, Christianity has for the most part projected
that exclusivist stance towards other religious communities, with the end-goal of
Christianizing the world. Today many Asian theologians have realized that this exclusivist
position is one of the reasons why Christians have difficulty in relating meaningfully with
Asians of other faiths. It is what makes a number of Christians feel guilty that they are not
able to bring their non-Christian neighbors to church.
Later, when some Christian missionaries realized that Christianity does not have
a monopoly of goodness and that there is in fact some element of goodness in other
religions, they took on an inclusivist stance. Inclusivism affirms the reality of many
traditions and truths but claims that one’s way is the culmination of all others. God is
present and at work in other religions, along with Christianity, for God’s love and grace
are not exclusive to any particular religion only. Yet, salvation is still finally through Christ,
who is the only way to salvation.
One manifestation of the inclusivist tendency is the regard for anybody who lives
in the Spirit of Christ as an “anonymous Christian”. This label is based on Karl Rahner’s
coinage of the phrase, “anonymous Christianity”. Others claim that there is a latent Christ
in the other religions, which are but a preparation for the gospel.8 Thus, in the inclusivist
view, Christianity is still the paramount religion, which is not on equal plane with others.
Since Christianity is seen as the full realization of truth, it is seen as the judge of all other
truth.
Today, many Asian theologians have realized that the goodness in other religions
should not be judged by our Christian standards or labeled our Christian labels. They
think that making Christianity the umbrella above all other religions is a form of religious
imperialism. In a sense, inclusivism is not much different from exclusivism especially in
7
Yap Kim Hao, Doing Theology in a Pluralistic World (Singapore: Methodist Book
Room, 1990), 78.
8
Yap Kim Hao, Doing Theology in a Pluralistic World, 89.
terms of the centrality of Christ, its rigid truth claims, and its absolute Christology. So just
like exclusivism, inclusivism is closed to other possibilities of truth, and to dialogue with
others of contrary views.
Pluralism, a typology that swings away from both exclusivism and inclusivism,
affirms the plurality of religions, their common search for truth, and their different
ways of salvation. Unlike relativism with which it is often confused, pluralism includes
both commitment to one’s own community/tradition and an openness to those of others.
Diana Eck, an American who had been a missionary to India, presents pluralism as the
“ability to make a home for oneself and one’s neighbors in that multifaceted reality of
plurality and diversity”.9 The Pluralist is one who stands within and is committed to the
struggles of one’s particular community, while recognizing that others also have their own
communities and commitments, but that they all must live with each other’s particularities.
Thus, the pluralist’s challenge is ‘commitment without dogmatism and community without
communalism.’ Briefly, religious pluralism is religious openness to others along with one’s
own commitment.
In my book, Religious Education in Context of Plurality and Pluralism, I
have given some descriptive names to the three typologies to remember them more
easily. Exclusivism is the attitude of “one against all” and it reeks with religious
arrogance, if not, sheer closed-mindedness. Inclusivism is the attitude of “one above all”
and it seems to have an air of religious imperialism. Pluralism is the attitude of “one with
and among all” and it is marked by religious commitment and openness.10
There is yet another perspective on pluralism. Reflecting on today’s context,
Indian theologian Felix Wilfred asserts that pluralism is the hallmark of Asia and that it is
something that can counter the current globalization project, with its ideology of
homogenization and program of uniformity. The program of homogenization is the agenda
of the powerful for their own interests, with total disregard for the plurality of cultures and
traditions. Hence, pluralism is, according to Wilfred, “the defense as well as the hope of
the poor against the powerful who stand for an agenda of pseudo-unity.”11
Bible, Plurality and Pluralism

• Creation itself, as we can see around us and read in the Bible (Gen 1 and 2) affirms
that God wills plurality, not uniformity. We are all different but we are also interdependent
and interconnected. There is a place for everything – flower, insect, bug, plant,
weed, etc. in God’s garden and we need each other.
9
Diana L. Eck, Encountering God: A Spiritual Journey from Bozeman to Banaras
(Boston: Beacon Press, 1993)
10
Hope S. Antone, Religious Education in Context and Plurality (Manila: New Day
Publishers and Hong Kong: CCA, 2003), 31-32.
11
Felix Wilfred, “Our Neighbors and Our Christian Mission: Deconstructing Mission
without Destroying the Gospel” in The People of God among All God’s Peoples: Frontiers in
Christian Mission, ed. Philip L. Wickeri (Hong Kong: CCA & CWM, 2000), 98.
• The story of the building of the tower of Babel (Genesis 11) reflects a desire for unity
and power based on homogenization – a picture of globalization! God responded by
creating different languages, thus, declaring that homogenization is not the best basis
for understanding and unity. The story of Pentecost reinforces this idea of understanding
even with and in spite of our differences.
• Although the universality of God’s love for all people and nations is clear in many
biblical passages (e.g. the command to both women and men to be stewards – “have
dominion over” – of creation in Gen. 1:27-28; call to Abraham and his descendants
to be a blessing to the nations in Gen. 12:3c; and the story of the final judgment in
Matthew 25), the exclusivistic attitude/tendency of the Jews tended to diffuse it
somehow. Nevertheless, the stories of the Syro-Phoenician woman (Mark 7:24-30,
Matthew 15:21-28), the Samaritan woman (John 4:1-24), and Cornelius (Acts 11)
show how “the other” do remind us of the universality of God’s love.
• The universality of God’s love shines on everything and everybody regardless of our
differences in religion, race/ethnicity, culture, language, ideology, sex/gender/sexuality,
age, class, ideology, etc. As church, entrusted with God’s mission, it is our task to
see to it that such differences are not used to dehumanize or violate certain groups of
people, but to enable them to bear witness to that universal love.
• Since all people are God’s people, we need to be open to the possibility of different
expressions of mission (e.g. work for humanization, peace and justice, equality and
dignity, integrity of creation) by people of other faiths and/or ideology. Wasn’t Cyrus
the Great acknowledged in the Bible for doing something that was seen as humanizing?
Revisiting Mission, Evangelism and Ecumenism

The Great Commission according to Matthew (28:18-20) needs to be seen in its
context, where Jesus was viewed as the expected Messiah and fulfillment of Old Testament
prophecy by a largely Jewish audience. According to Preman Niles12, the ‘authority entrusted
by God’ in heaven and on earth needs to be seen in view of the one ‘doing the will of
God’. The command to ‘go and make disciple of all nations’ means to bring under the
rule of the compassionate one. Doing baptism, a common ritual for membership into any
community, in the three-fold name must have been a way to differentiate the community
of the Messiah from other communities, hence, it was a matter of identity. “Teach them to
obey all that I have commanded” must be seen in view of Jesus’ being the new Moses
who was greater than Moses. To go and do what Jesus commanded was to welcome
non-Jews into the community of the Messiah and ‘nations’ meant people in whose midst
they lived but whom they had considered ‘other’ to them. Thus, the commission was
12
Summarized from notes from three Bible studies that D Preman Niles, former general
secretary of the Council for World Mission (CWM), led for a General Committee meeting of the
Christian Conference of Asia in Bangkok, Thailand in 2003. The ideas are contained in his new
book, From East and West: Rethinking Christian Mission (St. Louis, Missouri: Chalice Press,
2004).
given to the Jewish community who had accepted Jesus as Messiah and whose mission
was to be a genuine community of the Messiah – i.e., a welcoming, compassionate
community, focused on doing the will of God, and through whose lives as witnesses, are
faithful missionaries to the peoples right in whose midst they lived.
The gospel account through Luke 24:47 and Acts 1:8 sees God’s will and reign
at work in human history, a fulfillment of scriptures. Jesus’ ministry is portrayed as crossing
borders – from Galilee (local) to Jerusalem (national seat of power), through Samaria
(Gentile territory), to Rome (seat of imperial power). With the leading of the Spirit in
mysterious and unexpected ways, it is open to non-Jewish people (e.g. Cornelius). Thus,
mission includes being open to the leading of the Spirit, being ‘converted’ or transformed
by the other in mutual sharing.
The account by John 20:20-23 does not emphasize any commission but depicts
the missionary God who sent Jesus, who in turn sends the disciples. The interdependence
of Son-Abba/Father, disciples-Christ, and the role of the Spirit as Advocate assures the
continuation of the work – i.e., to love one another that they may all be one. Hence,
mission is related to peace-building. As the Spirit breathes to them the gift of peace the
disciples become ambassadors of peace.
The account of Mark 16:15 does not have a commission statement, except in the
longer ending, which is often taken as a later addition. Instead there is stress on Jesus’
suffering and death, the role of the suffering servant rather than an exalted identity with
marvelous power. Jesus is portrayed as Messiah of the ochlos (ordinary people), with
alternative values and characteristics which truly exhibit the values of the reign of God.
Compassion for (solidarity and identification with) the ochlos means breaking lines of
untouchability and crossing boundary to create community. While suffering the most and
utterly powerless, the ochlos have the capacity to care the most. Hence, for Mark, “to
proclaim the good news to the whole creation” is for ordinary people to carry out the
good news of God’s compassion for the whole of creation.
It is important to see the contexts in which the different commissioning statements
were made. Although there are some differences resulting from the differences in time,
context and audience, the common thing is that the mission of Christ is really the mission
of God (Missio Dei) – i.e. the turning of God towards God’s peoples in compassion and
love. Therefore, our participation in that turning towards God’s peoples should also be in
compassion and love.
There is a need to re-visit biblical bases of evangelism (or evangelicalism) and
ecumenism because of the current perceptions that have put them at odds with each
other.
Evangelism comes from the Greek evangelion or good news. The ‘good news’
of Jesus Christ is not only about his coming to die on the cross for our sins, but more so
to demonstrate God’s will for fullness of life for all (John 10:10). For Jesus, living a full life
before death was so important that he went about healing, feeding, feasting, exorcising,
befriending, apart from teaching and preaching about the reign of God. Through Jesus,
we have come to know God’s will for fullness of life! And that is real good news! When
we think of good news we need to think of the unconditional love of God for all expressed
in Christ’s coming that we may have life in its fullness.
Likewise, Ecumenism needs to be re-visited at its word-meaning, ‘whole inhabited
world as God’s household’. Such a meaning signifies that there is more to ecumenism
than being a movement towards Christian unity. In Ephesians 1:9-10, we read of the
mystery of God’s will, which is to “gather up (unify) all things in (Christ)” in heaven and
earth. . If we read the surrounding verses, we can see that this statement refers to Christ’s
breaking down the dividing wall between Gentiles and Jews into a “new humanity” who
are not strangers/aliens but members of God’s household. But followers of Christ also
need to manifest that unity, which is not to diminish identity. The prayer of Jesus (John
17:21) speaks not of a loss of identity (between the Abba/Father and Son) but a relationship
of sustaining love (on the part of the Abba/Father) and complete obedience (on the part
of the Son). In Genesis 1:1-31, we can see that plurality is part of God’s design. It
discloses unity through interdependence and interconnectedness, equality of the sexes
(gender justice), and partnership of humankind and with all of creation. So, ecumenism
can be thought of as the movement towards unity of churches and Christians as they pray
and work together for the unity of humankind and of all creation. The promotion of unity,
cooperation or improved understanding between denominations is part of it. So is the
religious initiative towards a worldwide unity.
Our evangelical conviction then is that the good news of life in its fullness is for
all, hence, the call is for all to participate together to help make that become a reality. Our
ecumenical commitment is that we can meaningfully and effectively participate together
if, while being rooted in our own faith communities, we are open to learning, working and
living with other faiths and groups.
Implications of Pluralism/Evangelism on Mission

What does taking pluralism as an attitude and approach entail for us as a church?
1. Pluralism calls us to re-visit our mission orientation as a church. Sri Lankan
ecumenist Wesley Ariarajah speaks of four shifts in mission thinking in the wake of religious
plurality. These are: (a) from an exclusive to an open [he uses ‘inclusive’] understanding
of God’s mission knowing that God is already present and active in the world; (b) from
conversion to healing knowing that God intends total salvation for all rather than simply
winning souls; (c) from majority to minority knowing that the Bible speaks of the minority
community as a sign of God’s presence in the world; and (d) from mere doctrinal issues
to deep spiritual concerns knowing that the search for meaningful and authentic spiritual
life includes the quest for justice and peace.13
2. Pluralism challenges us to read the Bible critically knowing that there are always
diverse voices – usually from the powerful majority, sometimes from the struggling minority,
and also from the unheard or forgotten voices of the marginalized and outcast. Discerning
the word of God among these various voices becomes more challenging but in Jesus the
Christ we have a model of one who humbly learned to relate with the other. Consequently,
we will also be more attentive to minority and silenced voices in our time, knowing that it
does not always follow that the majority has the truth. In fact, pluralism has also encouraged
us to visit other sacred texts – and to learn from them as well.
3. Pluralism also calls us to critically evaluate our concepts and practices of
evangelism, which is often seen as the partner of mission. Evangelism is usually understood
as the zealous preaching and dissemination of the gospel, which is the ‘good news of
salvation from sin and damnation,’ made available through the death of Jesus the Christ.
But is it not a much better news to know that Jesus came so that we may have life in its
fullness and that this includes salvation not only for the soul but for our whole being from
sinful structures and systems that violate life?
4. Pluralism also calls for shifts in our understanding and practices of ecumenism
for while it comes closely to ecumenism, the latter has also been understood differently
through history. In a number of write-ups, I have named the four needed shifts in ecumenical
thinking: (a) from competition to cooperation of denominations; (b) from
condemnation to dialogue with other faiths; (c) from isolation to collaboration
with civil society; and (d) from disintegration to integrity of creation.14
5. Pluralism definitely calls for a shift in our Christian Education and the general
theological education. While it remains important for our constituency to be nurtured in
the first language of Christian Education [i.e. the tenets of our faith], there is a need
for a broadening into the second language of Religious Education [i.e. the language of
dialogue and conversation with other faiths].
6. Pluralism reminds us to be humble and patient, knowing that the arrival of God’s
reign, does not happen out of our doing, but it is something that we await from God and
which grows of itself. Indian theologian Felix Wilfred describes the tendency to think that
we are the possessors and architects of mission with a clear blueprint and schedule for
executing, so that when things do not fall in line, there is anger and indignation.15 This, he
said, needs to be tempered with spiritual freedom from anxiety and restlessness resulting
from much reliance on human efforts for mission. Instead, we should remember that
God’s wondrous ways of grace are sometimes beyond our comprehension and calculation.
7. Pluralism calls us to cultivate the spirit of tolerance and peace for just as the
parable of the tares/weeds speaks of allowing the righteous and the ungodly to thrive
together, we need to remind ourselves that ultimate judgment is reserved for God alone.
We also need to overcome the tendency to think in terms of friends vs. enemies; believers
13
Summarized from S Wesley Ariarajah’s “Christian Mission: The End or a New
Beginning,” unpublished paper presented at the Meeting of the United Methodist General Board
of Global Ministries, October 1998.
14
Hope S. Antone, “Bridging the Gaps between Mission, Evangelism and Ecumenism”
in CTC Bulletin, Vol. XXI. No. 1 (April 2005), 17-24; “Mission and Evangelism with an
Ecumenical Vision” in Windows into Ecumenism: Essays in Honour of Ahn Jae Woong (Hong
Kong: CCA, 2005), 130-9.
vs. unbelievers; saved vs. unsaved;for us vs. against us, which often leads to demonization
of the other. We need to cultivate the spirit of tolerance and peace within our community
and to bring it to bear upon our relationships with neighbors in the wider society.
8. Pluralism challenges us into a life of dialogue, not only in our speaking, but in our
doing and in our whole being. Fr. Tom Michel of FABC named some forms of dialogue
when he shared at the Second Congress of Asian Theologians. These are: dialogue of
being a positive presence among others for the simple sake of being together; dialogue of
doing joint actions in response to life and death issues affecting people regardless; dialogue
of ideas through sharing and exchange for mutual understanding and widening of horizons;
and dialogue of experiences through sharing of deep human and religious experiences
for mutual enrichment in faith and spirituality.16
REFERENCES USED:
Antone, Hope S. “Bridging the Gaps between Mission, Evangelism and Ecumenism”
in CTC Bulletin. Vol. XXI, No. 1 (April 2005).
_________. Religious Education in Context of Plurality and Pluralism. Manila:
New Day Publishers and Hong Kong: CCA, 2003.
Eck, Diana L. Encountering God: A Spiritual Journey from Bozeman to Banaras.
Boston: Beacon Press, 1993.
England, John C. The Hidden History of Christianity in Asia: The Churches of the
East Before 1500. Delhi: ISPCK and Hong Kong: CCA, 1996.
Koshy, Ninan. A History of the Ecumenical Movement in Asia, Vol. II. Hong
Kong: WSCFAP, YMCA, CCA, 2004.
Michel, Tom. “The Challenge of Interfaith Dialogue,” in CTC Bulletin, Vol. 16, No.
1 (November 1999), 14ff.
“Religious Groups in the Philippines”, a website accessible through google.com.
Wickeri, Philip L., ed. Scripture, Community, and Mission. Hong Kong: CCA &
CWM, 2002.
____________ ed. The People of God Among All God’s Peoples: Frontiers in
Mission. Hong Kong: CCA & CWM, 2000.
Windows into Ecumenism: Essays in Honour of Ahn Jae Woong. Hong Kong: CCA,
2005.
Yap, Kim Hao. Doing Theology in a Pluralistic World. Singapore: Methodist
Book Room, 1990.
15
Wilfred, 88.
16
Tom Michel, “The Challenge of Interfaith Dialogue,” in CTC Bulletin, Vol. 16, No. 1
(November 1999), 14.
TO HONOR THE ECUMENICAL MINISTRY OF REVD SMITH

Huibert van Beek
To got to know Revd Smith Ngulh Za Thawng in the 1990s, when I was Execu-
tive Secretary in the Office of Church and Ecumenical Relations of the World Council of
Churches. One of my assignments in that office was about the relationships with the
national councils of churches (NCCs). The Myanmar Council of Churches, an associate
council with the WCC and affiliated with the WCC’s Commission on World Mission and
Evangelism, was of course part of the network of councils related to our office. Although
my memory fails me as I try to remember when and where we met for the first time, I
know for sure that it clicked from the beginning between Smith and me. I appreciated his
quiet, profoundly spiritual personality, and his dedication to the life and witness of the
churches.
In 1999, two years before he became general secretary of the Myanmar Council
of Churches, Smith applied for the position of Regional Secretary for Asia at the WCC,
which was vacant at that time. The WCC has a long history of regional offices, or regional
desks as they were usually called. They used to be located in the Division on Inter-
Church Aid, Refugee and World Service formed in1960, which in 1971 became a Sub-
unit known as CICARWS (Commission on Inter-Church Aid, Refugee and World
Service), and was turned into Unit IV: Sharing and Service, in 1992. The role of the
regional desks (for Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle
East and the Pacific) was very much in the area of inter-church aid, whereas refugee and
world service (disasters and emergencies) were entrusted to specialized desks. The regional
secretary had the task to oversee inter-church aid projects in his or her region, to relate to
the churches and national councils in the region, to the donor agencies in the so-called
developed countries, and to promote ecumenical cooperation and sharing of resources.
Each regional desk had at its disposal a fund from which priority projects could be financed.
A regional screening or project committee existed, which decided on criteria and selected
projects submitted by the churches and NCCs. The priority funds were supplied by the
agencies. If a project could not be qualified as priority, it could be recommended by the
regional secretary for funding by the agencies outside the priority fund.
By the time Smith applied for the Asia Desk, much of the old system had already
evolved towards new concepts such as country programs, capacity building, reflection
on diakonia etc. The task of the regional secretaries was becoming more relational in
nature than project management. As I was myself responsible for relationships as the
main area of my work, I welcomed these developments. It was, and still is, my conviction
that the quality of the community formed by the churches is at the heart of the ecumenical
movement and the search for Christian unity. I knew that the same vision was inspiring
Smith in his work with the Myanmar Council of churches, and that this motivated him to
be a candidate for a post from where he could serve the churches in the Asia region. He
was short-listed and came to Geneva for interviews. It so happened that I was made a
member of the interviewing staff team set up for this vacancy. I felt that someone with the
spiritual depth and attention for the life and concerns of the churches like Smith was the
person we needed for the position. In my view that corresponded with the emphasis the
WCC was giving at that time on the fellowship of its member churches. Smith was not
appointed. Other considerations, just as valid as my arguments, prevailed. And far be it
from me to make any judgment. I am recalling this only to pay tribute to Smith, to the
vision he represented and to his dignity.
Some years later, on one of my visits to Myanmar, Smith invited me to his home.
He had told me, and I had read about it in newspaper articles on Myanmar, that residential
areas were on purpose located at execessive distances from the centre of Yangon, to
discourage people from going to manifestations or similar events in the capital. The area
where Smith lived was no exception. I still remember the long ride at dusk, and the drive
back in the tropical night. That was by car because of me, the guest, but I knew that the
ordinary people of Myanmar, and Smith was one with them, had no choice but to depend
on public transport. It taught me a lesson of the daily constraints, restrictions and hardships
so many of our ecumenical friends in the global South have to cope with. Being invited to
the home of a colleague and friend is one of the joys and privileges of working in the
ecumenical movement, especially in situations that are culturally, politically and economically
so different from one’s own context.
During the years Smith was General Secretary of the Myanmar Council of
Churches, and until my retirement from the World Council of Churches in 2004, we
were several times together in meetings or on other occasions. It is now already close to
ten years ago that we saw each other last, and we know that opportunities to meet will be
less and less, as we both grow older. But friendship remains, and that is what matters.
May God bless you Smith, as you continue your teaching ministry, sharing your rich
experiences, your knowledge and your spiritual wealth with the younger generation who,
we all hope, will serve the church and its Lord in a new Myanmar. We all rejoice with
you, and with the churches and the people of Myanmar, in the changes of democratization.
As you said in your own words, in one of your recent messages: Myanmar is determined
to be on the way towards democracy. Fear and uncertainties remain, but we are confident
that the God of history is in control.
CONTRIBUTION FOR A COMMEMORATIVE VOLUME

FOR REVD SMITH NGULH ZA THAWNG
ON THE OCCASION OF HIS 65TH BIRTHDAY
Konrad Raiser
Revd Smith was my first foreign student as Professor of Ecumenical Theology at

the Ruhr University of Bochum in 1984. In fact, already before I had assumed my teach-
ing responsibilities at Bochum and left my former position as Deputy General Secretary
of the WCC in Geneva, Prof. Kyaw Than had signalled to me that Revd Smith had been
selected by his church for continuing studies in Theology in Europe and would come to
Bochum, in order to learn German and then take up studies with me. I had known Prof.
Kyaw Than from his longstanding involvement in the WCC and respected him as a mem-
ber of the WCC Central Committee. Therefore, I gladly accepted his request to make
arrangements for the studies of Revd Smith.
To my recollection, Revd Smith arrived at Bochum in the fall of 1984 and enrolled
in the German language course offered by the Ecumenical Studies Centre at Bochum.
After we had met, I suggested a kind of reading course for him alongside his German
language studies, so that he could become acquainted with some of the current ecumenical
literature. When we then explored the possibilities for him to engage in formal studies for
a theological degree, we found out that the certificates for his previous theological studies
in Burma did not meet the German requirements for admission to formal University studies
with the purpose of obtaining a degree. After some further explorations we discovered
that the University of Glasgow was offering a one year course leading to a Master degree
in Ecumenical Studies. They were prepared to admit Revd Smith to this course.
Thus, after having completed his language studies in Bochum, he left for Glasgow
to complete the required residential studies during one academic term. He then reached
an agreement with his advisor in Glasgow, Prof. Davidson, that he could return to Bochum
for the preparation of his master thesis. If I remember correctly, he spent the summer
term 1985 in Bochum working on his thesis. During these months we had frequent meetings
to discuss his work and he became part of the group of students working for a Master or
Doctoral degree under my supervision. I also remember his several visits to our house
and we still have a beautiful piece of art from Burma which he presented to us on one of
his last visits to our house. I did not keep a formal record of all the degree programmes
which I supervised during these years and therefore I do not remember the topic of his
thesis. His work was finally accepted in Glasgow and after two years of studies in Germany
and Scotland he could return to Burma with his theological degree in Ecumenical Studies.
We did not hear much from each other during the following years. But when I
returned to Geneva in 1993, after having been elected as General Secretary of the WCC,
I learned that Revd Smith had meanwhile assumed the responsibility of General Secretary
of the National Council of Churches in Burma. When he visited Geneva in this capacity in
the following years we met again and could renew our friendship. During my last year as
General Secretary of the WCC I could pay an official visit to Burma/Myanmar as part of
a visit to several Asian countries in March 2003. The programme for this first visit of a
General Secretary of the WCC for more the 25 years was arranged by Revd Smith and
he accompanied me throughout the five days of the visit. On one of the evenings he
invited me for dinner together with his family and I was very happy to meet his late wife
and his children about whom I had heard so much in our previous contacts in Bochum.
I have always appreciated the quiet wisdom and the deep ecumenical commitment
of Revd Smith. He has given very determined leadership to his church, to the National
Council, as well as to the ecumenical movement in Asia. I feel privileged that I have had
the opportunity to work with him and to establish an ecumenical friendship with him. I
pray that his continued service as an ecumenical leader may be richly blessed.
REVD SMITH NGULH ZA THAWNG

Kyaw Than
(The term ‘Saya’ is a traditional Burmese term meaning ‘teacher’

and indicating love and respect )
During the years (1979-1984) I had the privilege to launch an ecumenical program
for the Chin State in Burma. It was called “Training Institute for Christian Participation in
National Development” TICPIND.
Through one Col. Khun Nawng, then, a member of the State Council, I had the
opportunity to meet the Depuy Prime Minister who then was in charge of national
development plans. I well remember how Col. Khun Nawng, a committed Christian
leader knelt and prayed in his sitting room after we discussed the Training Institute Plan.
I described before the Deputy Prime Minister about my development plans. My plan
was to choose a region in Burma where development had not taken place. Burma was
looked upon as a least developed nation in the world. With a generous contribution from
Das Diakonische Werk (DDW) from Germany I felt confident to launch a program to
contribute toward the social, economic and comprehensive development of a region in
Burma. I was led to focus on the Chin State in the northwestern frontier region of Burma,
bordering Manipur lying toward India. The Chin population was among the least developed
people in a country, looked upon as mentioned above, the least developed nation in the
world.
It will be appropriate for me to indicate a few contributing factors in my preference
to think of the Chin people for the project to be launched. My father was a well-known
person in the Upper Chindwin Forest Division which borders the Chin State. Because he
was one of the rare Burmese persons who understood the so-called Working Plans he
got posted to work in that Division repeatedly. There was only a middle school for anglo-
vernacular education in the administrative headquarters of that Division. I secured the top
position in the academic standard of that region. Hence I was awarded the so-called
‘Chindwin scholarship’ which took care of my tuition and boarding through the high
school years till my matriculation. It was only a small pocket money that I needed for my
parents to send me each month. That scholarship and my father’s posting in that Division
related me to the Upper Chindwin River area and made me aware of the Chin tribal
people among whom my father worked and with whom I constantly mixed at that time.
When I went to study after matriculation, I met one U Sum Mang, the son of the Chin
Chief of Zahau tribe (a prominent Chin group) and we became very close friends. His
brothers and other Chin students also became my comrades. This friendship lasted through
university days and continues even when we are far away from one another in distant
countries.
This long preface is to underline my special friendly relations with Chins and also
the reason for my preference to launch the Development Institute and Program for the
Chin people. Revd Smith Ngulh Za Thawng belongs to a younger generation of Chin
students.
But I got to know him and had the joy to commend him for further studies in
Germany where he was readily received by my ecumenical and academic friends. He got
the equivalent of a Master’s degree and came back to serve both in Burma Student
Christian Movement and the National Ecumenical Council of Churches. The physical
base of his service was at Dr. Hla Bu Memorial Center next to the Student Christian
Center, along the famous “Pyay Road’ opposite Judson Church, well-known for its high
tower, and location for worship and activities of the academic communities surrounding
it. On occasions, Judson Church could accommodate about a thousand worshippers
comprised of students, graduates, faculty members and families long connected with the
university colleges surrounding it.
Revd Smith Ngulh Za Thawng has been part of the pastoral team serving Judson
Church. A whole series of succession of pastors had served the congregation even before
the rather large chapel was erected in 1932. The Church and the Student Christian Center
have been the location for worship and activities for all these years, and recently during
the last week of October 2012 these became the setting for celebration of the Centennial
of Burma Student Christian Movement. During that time Revd Smith was the only Judson
Church pastor present to join in observation of the centennial, as the other pastors were
away promoting and raising funds for the celebration of the two hundredth anniversary of
the arrival in Burma of Adoniram Judson with his wife Ann Hasseltine in July 1813.
In my personal opinion, Revd Smith is well placed in that he has come from the
Chin tribal group known in history for its commitment to the solidarity of the Burmese nation.
Other tribal groups had tried to find ways of segregating from mainland Burma and the
majority Burman sector. The Chins also form the ethnic group which had greatly accepted
the gospel, as about 90% of the highland Chins belong to the Baptist Church of Burma.
I may add a personal note to this. When I was working out to implement the development
program among them I was asked to bring the message one Sunday. It was at Hakha, the
capital city of Chin State. Worship was in the city hall. It was full. The gallery was also
full and as I looked up from the pulpit I was beginning to feel afraid that the gallery might
collapse under the weight of the worshippers crowding out on the gallery above the
congregation below !
In the six and half decades of his life, Revd Smith, since his maturity, had served
in different forms of Christian ministry (i.e. among the university communities as well as
the congregation of Judson Church). It is my sincere wish that the Lord whom he serves
will continue to bless him with strength, health and wisdom so that the generations that
will follow may see him as a beacon for their own spiritual journey.
MY TRIBUTE TO REVD SMITH NGULH ZA THAWNG

Lal Tin Hre
I feel I am so reluctant to receive a kind invitation to write a tribute to Rev.

Smith Ngulh Za Thawng, to be published in honor of his 65th anniversary. I had known
him by reputation as Saya Smith for many years before I was privileged to meet him
personally. I had only known that he served the Myanmar Council of Churches (MCC)
as General Secretary. Words of appreciation and admiration about Rev. Smith also reached
me from many people who know about him and his ministry in MCC. Before I draw
some few lines of tribute may I pinpoint some occasions about how I was fortunate to
have made personal contact with Rev. Smith.
In 2002, I got a chance to meet him personally at his office, having been brought
there by one of our fellow Presbyterian pastors by the name Rev. Ngaih Sa Vung who
planned to study in the United States for his Master of Theology degree. He had brought
a letter of request from the Administrative Secretary of the Presbyterian Church of Myanmar
asking financial help for Rev. Vung’s airfare. Rev. Smith was so busy he could not spend
time with him in his office. Yet within a few months time, Rev. Vung got a positive reply
from Rev. Smith that the request was approved.
Another occasion I still remember when I sat together with Rev. Smith was early
in 2004 at the Executive Committee meeting of ATEM. The Higher Theological Education
Committee (HTE) has set up a rule for doctoral applicants in which one of the criteria
read, “A doctoral applicant must be about 40 years old”. I was one of the applicants,
and the youngest one at 43 years old. The HTE meeting viewed all the applications and
decided that all the applicants were not eligible for doctoral studies because of our age.
The issue was discussed seriously in the EC meeting. Some members, including Rev.
Smith, strongly proposed redefining the word “about.”The rule finally was amended
to “from about 40 years” “to 45 years”. Then I was eligible to go for a doctoral
program in Lutheran Theological Seminary, Hong Kong through ATEM channel.
During my days in the Lutheran Theological Seminary, I continued to keep in
touch with Rev. Smith and informed him about my life, especially in some special events
I faced in related to my studies. I was always happy to receive his words of appreciation
and encouragement.
Since the time I joined the ATEM office in April 2009, Rev. Smith became one of
my intimate colleagues, though I strongly regarded him as my mentor and a father-like
figure in my ministry in ATEM. We also worked together in Bethany Theological Seminary,
Bogone-Insein on a part time basis. As a result that I had more time to spend with him
and learned many things from him.
I do not have much knowledge about his full biography but let me describe
some of my impressions about Rev. Smith since my first meeting with him.
Simple Living, highly thinking: The first impression I receive from Rev. Smith’s life
and work is captured in an English saying, “Simple Living, highly thinking”. As far as
I see him, Rev. Smith never get involved in a life of pretense or luxury. Instead, his dress
is very simple, and his lifestyle is plain and direct. It seems to me that he is an enemy of
the ostentatious, the pompous, the contrived and the needlessly complicated. Rev. Smith
set a good example of servanthood to his colleagues and his church. On the one hand,
Rev. Smith’s way of thinking is high, deep and wide. His leadership depends on the
‘bigness’ of his vision, a vision that includes foresight as well as insight. Peter Block’s note
on the job of leader is seen in the life of Rev. Smith when he says, “The leader’s job is to
elicit that vision and allow it to contribute to the organization's vision of tomorrow”.1
Good Memory: I have been deeply impressed by the uncanny memory of Rev. Smith.
He was always able to remember the dates, places of meetings and the final decisions on
various issues, not only about matters related to MCC but also in other sectors where he
was involved. I still remember once when I was told by my pastoral theology professor
who said that “a pastor should try to remember at least the names of important persons in
the congregation. If you are not good in memorization, then please keep a small note
book in order to call them in their names.” Rev. Smith is an outstanding man in this area.
Ecumenical spirit: The term ecumenism means and embraces the ‘“whole household”
of God. It concerns all churches and their relationship with each other as well as the
relationship of Christianity and other faiths.2 As Rev. Smith is one of the products of
Bossey Ecumenical Institute, Switzerland, his training in Bossey equipped him thoroughly
in the spirit of ecumenism. He is truly a “man of Bossey.” Discrimination never characterized
his ministry whether in terms of denominational background, ethnicity, or gender issues
throughout his ministry in MCC and beyond.
1
Peter Block, The Empowered Manager (San Francisco: Jossey Bass, 1991), 123.
2
Donald K. McKim, Westminster of Dictionary of Theological Terms (Kentuckey:
Westminster John Knox Press, 1996), 86.
He is one of the leading fathers in the journey of ecumenical movement in Myanmar,

and is fit to work in the office of MCC which is the only ecumenical body in the country.
His long service in Myanmar Council of Churches and the rapid development of different
departments under the umbrella of MCC are good evidence of his ecumenical spirit. I
would not be wrong to state that Myanmar Council of Churches developed to its present
stage in large measure [could able to reach this stage] because of the skilful and able
leadership of Rev. Smith from 1979 as Director of University Christian Fellowship (UCF)
and as General Secretary of MCC until 2005.
Theologian: A Reformed theologian Donald K. McKim defines “theologian” as “One

who does theology or makes theological statements”.3 If this definition is correct, Rev.
Smith’s enormous theological contributions bear witness that he is a great theologian. I
still remember one of his theological statements from his closing speech at the first
Consultation on Christian Leadership in Myanmar Context for the Mission in the
21st Century, a consultation jointly sponsored by the “Four Bodies Network”4 (Myanmar
Council of Churches, Association for Theological Education in Myanmar, Myanmar
Evangelical Christian Fellowship and Myanmar Christ’s Mission Cooperation), held from
12-15 December 2003 at Traders Hotel. There he said, “Our (Christian) faith is not an
individual faith, rather, it is a faith of community transmitted from one generation to another”.
How true is his theological statement!!
A good number of his theological articles and introductory notes and prefaces
(or preface) in many publications clearly betoken that Rev. Smith is a great theologian.
I consistently appreciated his introductions and prefaces to many books because he
was able to locate precisely the core message of the books he introduced.
A man of faith and mature in spirituality: “Faith” according to Heb. 11 is composed

of the core traits of Christian life such as, assurance of things hoped for, the conviction
of things not seen (v. 1), humble living (v. 24), integrity (v. 25), vision (v. 25),
decisiveness (v. 27), obedience (v. 28) and responsibility (v. 29). Rev. Smith’s life and
work have been exemplified by these characteristics of faith. He also is a man of prayer,
enjoys in talking with God in every realm of his life. His prayer concerns were never
confined to his own will and needs but always extended to all of God’s and its needs.
One of my criteria for a spiritual person is ‘the love of the creation and the visible
church.’ I compare the spirituality of Rev. Smith to the spirituality of Francis of Assisi
(1181/82-1226) who today is recognized as an early ‘saint of ecology’. While some
forms of spirituality are strongly world-renouncing, St. Francis saw the creation as a
3
Ibid., 279.
4
The name of the network has been changed from Four Bodies Network to Myanmar
Christian Forum since 2011.
genuine gift of God to be cherished, but did not seek to possess the gifts of creation
selfishly. Francis rather honored creatures by addressing them as “Brother Sun”, “Sister
Moon”, and “Mother Earth”.5 Rev. Smith’s life of prayer, meditation, spiritual disciplines
and the intimate relationship with other people and the world are proofs of his maturity in
spiritual life.
His Serenity and a life of silence: Another impression I receive from the life and way
of Rev. Smith is his serenity and a life of silence. No human being is free from difficulties,
hardships, tragedy and misfortunes. But these darker realities are inseparably a part of
the whole spectrum of the human condition, both bad and good. All human beings
repeatedly face various kinds of trials and afflictions. I am sure that Rev. Smith also has
not been exempted [is not free] from such kind of embarrassments and trials. Many
setbacks and sufferings would have been a part of his life’s journey. However, his serenity
and silence when facing difficult times stood as a good example for other Christians who
have been facing similar problems. He kept appropriately quiet in times in which he might
have spoken out. In silence he listened rather to the voice of God. Alister E. McGrath
rightly said, “Silence has been of major importance within Christian spirituality, not least
because it liberates the mind and the imagination to focus and center on God’s living
presence”.6 This is what Rev. Smith does!
In conclusion, I deeply appreciate the wise arrangement to honor Rev. Smith
Ngulh Za Thawng who is worthy to be given honour and recognition upon reaching
the age of 65 years. This is my sincere prayer for Rev. Smith’s remaining years:
“May the Lord keep Rev. Smith safely, grant him good health, enrich his life, let him
continue to be a blessing for others, and multiply his good deeds and commitments
to stand as examples for the generations to come”.
5
Simon Chan, Spiritual Theology: A Systematic Study of the Christian Life (Downers
Grove: Inter-Varsity Press, 1998), 180.
6
Alister E. McGrath, Christian Spirituality (Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 1999), 107.
BURMA KALEIDOSCOPE: SMITH NGULH ZA THAWNG

INTRODUCES AN UNFOLDING MYANMAR TAPESTRY
Lance Woodruff
Six days to visit a country I had not experienced. How could I get a clear view of
anything. Burma, not yet Myanmar, was a confused array of ethnic groups and broken-
ness. Like a once beautiful vase which fell and shattered into myriad pieces, all sharp-
edged. Able to wound. Yet…
I came to Rangoon and Mandalay in 1971 for AD Magazine (published by the
United Church of Christ, which commissioned Adoniram Judson before he became Baptist
and the Presbyterian Church). This led me to meet Revd Smith Ngulh Za Thawng at
the UCF Chapel at Mandalay University.
The Lushai Presbyterian Church led by Rev. Lal Rawng Bawla asked me to
preach at St. Gabriel’s Congregational Church. I spoke of my hiding from, seeking, and
listening to God, of work with Burmans such as U Thaung Tin of the YMCA in Saigon
and U Kyaw Than of the East Asia Christian Conference, and as an attempting Christian
in Africa, in Vietnam, Laos and Thailand. Rev. John Thet Gyi of the Burma Christian
Council opened doors to Revd. Smith.
In Thailand I worked for the Asian Institute of Technology and students – Protestant
and Catholic, Buddhist and Muslim - were welcome in my home. As a student at
Presbyterian-related Macalester College I was active in student fellowship. I was a
freshman when a senior, Kofi Annan, advised me to grow beyond my middle-class white
liberal racism to study in Africa and learn not to fear people of colour. Going to work at
the United Nations, Mr. Annan invited me (and 1500 other students), to meet India’s
Jawaharlal Nehru in November 1961, the week that Burma’s U Thant became Acting
Secretary General.
Following his advice I went to Africa, living with people of varied religions, races
and cultures. Afterward in 1965, at University of Toronto Vietnam event a Student Christian
Federation friend asked me to consider work in Asia for both American and Canadian
churches, in a Vietnam that was already deeply in war, with itself and with America.That
journey, that vocation, carried me to Burma, where Rev. Bawla said I must meet Saya
Smith at the University Christian Fellowship Chapel in Mandalay.
As a young Presbyterian I had not heard of Adoniram Judson, but as an American
Presbyterian understood that public participation in the political process was part of my
responsible citizenship, and before God. I think today that Judson’s vision continues to
impact the future of Myanmar, not in the least through visionaries such as Saya Smith.
In 1969 the Student Christian Movement in the United States ceased to exists, in
part due to the politics of the war in Vietnam, the widening divide between so-called
‘liberal’ or ‘evangelical’ churches.
But the land which was once called Burma opened its doors for refugees from
India and from Indochina, from Assam, Laos and Vietnam. Rev Bawla emigrated from
Assam, came to lead Burma’s Lushai Presbyterian Church.
When I met Smith I saw a man who stood out from the others. I saw a man of
quiet action in sympathy with students, immersed in teaching, leading, learning, befriending
and shepherding university students. Like a sculptor, to helped shape students, helped
them identify and recognize themselves and their vocations in God’s eyes. Students like
my friend Revd Pa Ni Maung in Bangkok.
Surrounded by students, young men and women from varied ethnic communities,
they exemplified much of what the Student Christian Movement had come to mean for
me. In meeting Saya Smith I saw in him a soul mate.
Revd. Smith appeared to recognize and nurture sparks of the spirit, in others.
Like the young Adoniram Judson as a student in New England, he seemed to see no
inherent boundaries between the roles of ‘student’ and ‘adult’, in the university, in the
church, in society. Buddhists and Muslims too are brothers and sisters.
Neither Rev. Smith’s personal history nor his work was then known to me, but
years later when I worked for the United Nations, I met Smith again, at Christ Church,
Bangkok, a crossroads on the way to Myanmar. Smith greeted me, but I was foggy. He
called me by name 20 years after we had last met!
In Smith I see a man not only of memory but of vision, of imagination, and of
action. An idealist who sees the God-given diversity of others.
AD Magazine was eager to meet an indigenous church which had been planted
and taken root without western missionaries. I had studied the missionary impulse
and missions – including Baptist, Congregational, Methodist, Presbyterian and Anglican
at Stony Point near New York City, working with other missionary trainees as a prison
chaplain. I wrote on missionaries for the 1970s (when that meant the future!).
In Burma was curious to see a church without missionaries. In 1967 when I first
met U Kyaw Than, he invited me to view the complexity of Asia. In a sense the arc he
drew from me the was continued by Saya Smith, to my first full-circle in Asia - in Assam
when I, a Christian joined an Indian friend, a Hindu, at a hilltop Hindu temple overlooking
Guwahati. We prayed in the new year amid distant fireworks that reminded me of battle.
Ten years ago I taught in Yangon in a mainly Muslim international school, often
visiting Myanmar Institute of Theology and my friend Rev. Smith. I see him now as one of
God’s artists, like Russian artist Mark Chagal, a man who took unsightly and dangerous
shards of shattered glass and crafted them into a beautiful cathedral window in France,
where danger and difference come together, meet, providing beauteous channels of God’s
light into the darkness of our daily lives.
THE TEAR OF REVD SMITH NGULH ZA THAWNG

(ICON OF MARA CHURCH UNIFICATION)
HIS CONTRIBUTION TO MARA EVANGELICAL CHURCH
L. B Siama
It was in 1989 (right after nation-wide demonstration) that I first met Rev. Smith
Ngulh Za Thawng. As a B.Th student from Mara church at MIT, our church leader did
apply scholarship from Myanmar Council of Churches, and I was graced to be one of the
recipients. The Rev. Smith one rainy day came to MIT to give me that scholarship. At
that time I did not know who he was. After receiving scholarship, I requested him to have
tea together but he replied me, “No, thank, I had already.” From then onward I hap-
pened to meet him. One day he was invited to speak at MIT prayer day, I still remember
his message was “small is beautiful.” I later come to know that his message on “Small
is Beautiful” is none other than his stand to side with the small, the least and the down-
trodden to upgrade, promote and help so that the small may also come up along with the
big and the strong.
I admire Rev. Smith for his honesty, humility, sincerity, personality and stability in
his career. He speaks slowly and lowly but thoughtfully and thoroughly, never harming or
offending neighbors. I notice that while he was serving Myanmar Council of Churches as
general secretary, the door of his office was always closed but always full of visitors
queuing outside and inside waiting to meet him.
I am very glad to have this golden chance to honor Rev. Smith through this article.
His contribution to Mara Evangelical Church and Mara Community cannot be fully
described here. Among many, his greatest contribution to the Mara Church is his
contribution to the unification of two Mara churches – namely, Mara Independent
Evangelical Church (MIEC) and Mara Independent Church (MIC). These two suffered
church split for 16 years. Because of the tear of Rev. Smith, these two churches merged
in 1987. Because of his contribution, he is known as ICON OF MARA CHURCH
UNIFICATION in our Mara community. His tear shed for us cannot be forgotten. Our
memory of this tear cannot be deleted from the hard disk of the Mara church. Thus I
would like to honor him as ICON OF THE MARA CHURCH UNIFICATION. The
tear of Rev. Smith once shed has been still speaking to our Mara churches today.
A Brief history of the Mara Evangelical Church

The Mara is one of the ethnic groups living in Chin State, Myanmar and in Mizoram
State, Northeast India. In the early period, Mara was known to the outside world as
Mara, Lakher, Shendu or Shandu, Maring, Zyu or Zho, Tlosai, Khongzai, etc., but they
called themselves Mara, meaning southerner who moves from the North to the South
in search of green pasture and fertile land.
Before the Independence of India in 1947, and of Myanmar in 1948, the Maraland
was ruled by the British. However, after the independence of these two countries, the
Maraland was politically divided into two parts – India Maraland and Myanmar Maraland;
thus ruled respectively by different governments - India and Myanmar.
East Maraland (Myanmar Maraland) is located in the northwestern site of the
Union of Burma. It is bordered by Matu and Zotung in the east; Haka and Thangtlang in
the north; West Maraland and Bangladesh in the west; and Khumi and Arakan State in
the south. The East Maraland falls under three different townships -Thantlang, Matupi
and Paletwa. Thus so far the Maraland has no even a town.
The West Maraland (India Maraland) lies in the loop of the Kolodyne river and
situated in the southern part of the Mizoram. It is flanked on the north and east by the Lai
Autonomous District of Mizoram and on the east and the south by the Chin State of
Myanmar. The West Maraland has its own administration in the name of “Mara Autonomous
District Council” (MADC) under the India Government.
The total population of the Mara is about 85,000. India Maraland has 50,000
Maras living at 50 villages while Myanmar Maraland has 35,000 living at 61 Mara villages.
There is no other racial division in Myanmar Maraland. The principal language is Mara.
The Maraland is isolated from other parts of the country and of the world, due to
the difficulties of communication and transportation. There are only very narrow lanes
crossing the land. Motor Vehicles are hitherto unseen. One must travel on barefoot carrying
his luggage on back loads. Jeepable roads that direct to Rezua-Chapy-Lailenpi, and
Rezua-Chapy-Darling-Sabawngpi-Sabawngte are under construction. There is one post
office and two Radio Receiver Telegraphic stations. Electricity is still a foreign term in the
land. Kerosene and pinewoods are used for lighting. Government Newspapers are not
available. There is no hospital or clinic in the land. One has to walk at least three or four
days to reach hospital in the town. All the Maras are cultivators, farmers who adopt the
traditional system of shifting cultivation.
Christianity is the dominant religion in Maraland. Full percent of the population is
Christian and 85% of Maras belong to Mara Evangelical Church and the rest belongs to
other churches. The whole Maraland was claimed as Christian land on September 26,
1957 when the church celebrated her Golden Jubilee of the arrival of the Foreign Missionary
to the Maraland (1907-1957).
The Coming of Christianity into Maraland
The Christianity came into the Maraland in 1907 with the first founding missionaries
the Rev. & Mrs. Reginald Arthur Lorrain from London. They were neither sent nor financially
sponsored by any particular denomination or society. They themselves were the founders
and first missionaries to the Mara people.
In order to reach the gospel to the Mara people, the Lakher Pioneer Mission
(LPM) was founded on February 11, 1905 by R.A. Lorrain in London. The Motto of
the Mission was “Founded on Prayer, Launched by Faith.” R. A. Lorrain described the
LPM as Inter-denominational, he probably used this term because they were neither
sent nor financially sponsored by any particular denomination or society. The LPM was
supported by his friends from different denominations who had mission-minded. The
term “inter-denominational” also expresses the nature and work of the LPM’s ecumenical
involvement.
The LPM had the holistic mission through Literature Mission, Medical works,
School and education, Itinerating, Social and family work. It received some helps from
All Nations Missionary Union, British and Foreign Bible Society, Religious Tract Society,
and the Scripture Gift Mission. Some time, R. A. Lorrain had a hard time for the shortage
of money.
The Lakher Pioneer Missionaries who worked for the Maras were:
Missionaries Years of service
1. Rev. Reginald Arthur Lorrain 1907 - 1944
2. Mrs. Maud Louisa Lorrain 1907 - 1960
3. Mrs. Maud Louisa Marguerite
Tlosai Lorrain 1909 - 1968
4. Miss Gladys Ramsey 1921 - 1928
5. Miss Yule Mark 1923 - 1924
6. Rev. Albert Bruce Foxall 1928 - 1977
7. Miss Gorst 1928 - 1929
8. Miss Irene Hadley 1928 -1934
9. Mr. Jelly with his three children 1931
(Mary, Susan, and Johnny)
10. Miss Violet Lorrain Foxall 1938-till now
Bible Translation
R. A. Lorrain also reduced the Mara dialect into writing in 1908, and compiled
two sets of dictionaries Lakher-English Dictionary and English-Lakher Dictionary
containing 7,000 to 8,000 words each. A complete Lakher Grammar was published. His
Lakher Primer for use in school has been printed by the Assam Government for the
Mission free of charges.
Lorrain started translation of the Bible into Mara language in 1909, translating the
Gospel According to John from Authorized Version and completed in 1912. In 1922, the
22 books of the NT were translated and printed. At the same time he started the OT
translation of the Book of Psalms and the Book of Job. In 1928, the whole NT was
published in the Mara language for the first time. R.A Lorrain died on February 1,1944 at
Saikao in Maraland. All the tasks left were continued by his son-in-law Albert Bruce
Foxall Lorrain who joined the LPM in 1928. He continued the OT translation and
completed the whole OT translation in 1951. In March 1956 the first complete Holy
Bible in Mara dialect came out of the press. It was three years before the Mizo Bible was
published.
The Birth of the Mara Evangelical Church

The birth of the Mara Evangelical Church can be traced as five phases.
The First Phase is about “the Mara Church in India” (1907-1957). After
three years of hard labor, the LPM got the first convert named Mr.Thytu on September
16, 1910, the second convert Mr. Chiahu in 1911, and the third convert Mr. Laila (the
Mara poet) in 1914. Rev. R.A Lorrain organized “the Soldier of the Cross” from the
native Mara believers who traveled throughout the land, preaching the gospel of Jesus
Christ. The Lakher church experienced series of revivals in 1934, 1950, 1957 and 1960.
Thus by the year 1956 the entire Mara people was won over to Jesus Christ. Thus this
was known as the Birth of the Lakher (Mara) Church. This first phase of the church
was about the birth of the church in the West Maraland through the work of first
missionaries. The church was administered directly from Lorrain villa where the missionaries
settled at Saikao. This period ends with the celebration of Gospel Golden Jubilee at
Sabyhpi in 1957, the year that the whole Maraland was baptized into Christianity.
The Second Phase is about “the Preparation to establish Mara Church in
Myanmar (1957-1967). The period can be called decisive period for self-government
of the church in Myanmar Maraland. The Lakher Church changed her name from time to
time due to the demand of church administration. Up to1960, the Mara church was
commonly known as the “Lakher Church, or the Lakher Pioneer Mission Church.” As
the Lakher Church became a full-fledged self-supporting church, her name was changed
as ‘the Lakher Independent Evangelical Church (LIEC) in March, 1960. The term
Evangelical is used to signify her calling to evangelize and professing her evangelical
faith, and the word “Independent” to express our commitment to become self-supporting,
self-reliant and indigenous church. In 1967, the term Lakher was changed into Mara. As
the one Mara church was under two governments, the church in Myanmar felt a need to
have her administrative office in Myanmar. Thus this period (1957-1967) can be called
“a preparatory period for the establishment of the Mara Evangelical Church in Myanmar”.
The Third Phase can be called” The taste of One church” (1967-1970).
From 1907-1967, the India Mara and Burma Mara Church walked and worked together
under the name of MIEC. In 1967, the Myanmar Mara Church had now its own
Headquarters Office at Sabyhpi. There was no schism or division among the Mara church.
We tasted the unity of church among the Maras. All the Mara people were in one accord.
The Fourth Phase can be called “Separation” Period (1970-1986). This
period can be called “Separation Period” covering 16 years of church history. In 1970,
after three years of establishment of Office in Sabyhpi, the MIEC suffered a split into
two, due to the fact of having different opinions upon the location of the Church
Headquarters Office. The first group MIEC was led by the Rev. Teitu who established
Headquarters Office at Sabyhpi, and the majority of the members were in this group.
And the other group Mara Independent Church (MIC) was led by the Rev. Sachai who
located the Headquarters Office at Lailenpi. The MIC was lesser in members than MIEC.
These two rival church groups created ill-feeling among the Maras. Social and familial
relationship was affected. Some church buildings were closed down by the local government
authority due to unceasing dispute upon ownership of church buildings. Communion
services could not be taken together. Though they were Maras, they treated themselves
as the Jews and Samaritans. That was why Elder Joshua, the then Assembly Secretary of
the Mara Evangelical Church remarked:
It is not problem for other denominations to be split, for they belong to different
nationalities or tribes. But for the Mara, it is a problem and a sin too, because as
soon as we are divided, we speak evil against others; we have ill-feeling towards
each other; we even refuse to welcome other members into our home. It affects
even husband-wife relationships. We preach about love, yet we are controlled
by hatred. We are therefore so sure that it is not the will of God that the Mara
church should separate, even if we do, we yearn and long for each other because
of our Mara identity.
From 1980 and onwards, leaders from both sides began to review and reflect
past Mara Church history. They were very sure that one day in the very near future, these
two churches would merge in one Mara church. Therefore they shared their vision for
church unity with young pastors. They planned to have dialogue. Efforts for reconciliation
between the two parties took several years. But the church could not reach the unification
of the church.
The tear of Rev. Smith Ngulh Za Thawng (Icon of Mara Church Unification)
As it has been said, the Mara Church leaders made every effort in order that the
two Mara churches might come to merge. Several meetings have been called upon.
Dialogue between the two parties took place several times. Yet there was no visible
unity. At the request of the Mara Church leaders to Burma Council of Churches, Saya
Thang Tin Sum was sent by BCC (Now MCC) to Mindat to have some investigation
and interrogation with Mara pastors. Every local church also made every effort to
become one church. As a result of efforts, in 1986 January, a Joint Committee was
successfully organized and convened at Lailenpi. This joint meeting proposed different
samples for the united Mara church. The resolutions of the Joint meeting was submitted
to their respective assembly meeting in this 1986. In 1986 May, the second Joint meeting
summoned at Sabawngpi decided to have first Joint Assembly to be held in February,

1987 at Lailenpi.
In February 1987, the first Joint General Assembly of the two Mara churches
was held at Lailenpi with the theme, “How good and pleasant it is when brothers live
together in unity” (Psalms 133). Many youth choirs were invited. Both men and women
(children and adult) participated to hear and see what the general assembly would decide
upon the unification of the two churches. Worship service was conducted at Lailenpi
church building while the general assembly meeting was held at the Headquarters Office
building of Mara Independent Church. All youth enjoyed the singing with expectation of
unification. They had hope, they had human resources. All pastors and church elders
were in the meeting hall to heal the wounds of split for 16 years. But for three days, the
assembly could make no resolution to become one. Since the final decision to become
one could not be reached, it was pended to sit the meeting right after the Sunday morning
worship service. Some assembly members decided to go back home for the expectation
could not come true. For the three days, a delegate from Myanmar Council of Churches
said nothing.
When the general assembly was resumed after Sunday morning worship (February
12, 1987), the debate was hot. No agreement could come up. One faced to the east and
another to the west. A hot debate on reconciliation took place at Joint Assembly at
Lailenpi. Hope to be one seemed impossible. Both parties could not compromise upon
the location of the office. All were silent, for they did not know what to do. Finally the
delegate from Myanmar Council of Churches (MCC) stood up. When he rose up to
speak, he could not speak out, his tear came down and wept before church leaders. He
tearfully said, “My colleague church leaders, do not look at for yourselves alone, but
for your young ones who are singing at the church building.” He could not continue.
His tears from his heart flowed through his eyes. God blessed the tears that touched the
hearts of the hardened members of the meeting, flowing to wash the hearts stained with
church split-spirit. The MCC delegate was no other but the Rev. Smith Ngulh Za
Thawng.
A drop of tear healed the 16 years old wound. After his speech, a resolution was
passed to merge the two churches under the name of Mara Evangelical Church (MEC) in
1987. The separation between the MIEC and MIC ended after 16 years (1971-1987).
The fifth phase of the church starts at the first combined General Assembly
held at Lailenpi in 1987. They merged on the resolution that “the MEC shall have two
General Assembly Offices at Lailenpi and Sabawngpi.” This is the birth of the Mara
Evangelical Church in Myanmar. Though the wound was healed, the scar remains as the
church history continues to challenge the churches today.
Now the Mara church stands by her own feet. We taste church unity through the
Rev. Smith Ngulh Za Thawng. He is the historic person in the Mara church history. His
contribution cannot be forgotten. Thus he is to be called, “the Icon of Mara Church
Unification.”
From Isolation to International Ecumenical Relation (WCC membership)
Due to the fact of difficulties in communication, the Mara church has been isolated
from other parts of the world, and the church was silent in the ecumenical affair for many
years. The Mara church longed for church unity because of her bitter experience of
church split for 16 years. Church leaders made every effort to reach spirit of oneness in
Christ not only in Mara churches, but also with International ecumenical bodies. Now the
Mara church becomes :
1. A member of Myanmar Council of Churches (MCC) on 1st May, 1987.
2. A member of Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) in 1989.
3. A member of World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) in 1993.
4. An Associate member of World Council of Churches (WCC) on 3rd February,
2001.
5. A member of Lutheran World Federation in 2010.
This is my belief that the church can break the wall of isolation by having ecumenical
relations to other churches. To be the church is to have fellowship with other churches
through relationships. When the writer became the administrator of the Mara Church, he
did make an attempt to get involved in the international ecumenical body to break the
barrier of isolation.
When I shared my dream for ecumenical participation with Rev. C. Thaulei
(Executive Secretary, Mission & Ecumenism Unit, MCC) in June, 1999, he fully supported
me and told me about his meeting with Mr. Hubert van Beek while he was in Bossey
Ecumenical Insitute. He gave me WCC application form for membership. Then I met the
Rev. Smith Ngulh Za Thawng (the then Associate General Secretary of MCC) to
consult as to the application of the WCC membership. He strongly encouraged me to
apply. Since the Mara church was below 35000 church members, he recommended us
to apply for Associate membership only. After I have learned all these information, I
proposed an agenda to apply the WCC membership to MEC Executive Committee held
on August 4, 1999 at Lailenpi. MEC/EC 008/99-03 gladly voted to apply for the WCC
Associate membership. Along with the strong recommending letter from MCC, I submitted
all duly filled application form to the WCC through MCC under the guidance of Rev.
Smith.
When I reported the EC minute of our application to WCC membership to the
General Assembly in 2000, some church elders didn’t support us because they thought
that WCC is Antichrist which bears the number 666. We therefore asked Rev. Thang Tin
Sum, the MCC delegate to the Assembly (2000), to explain us about the WCC whether
it has something to do with Number 666. He took almost one hour to talk about WCC
and explained why the WCC was misunderstood as 666. Only after then, the church
elders agreed with us.
In 2000, a team of WCC representatives comprised of Ms. Woraporn

Tharawanich of the Church of Christ in Thailand (a member of the Central Committee of
WCC), Archbishop Mahn San Si Htay (the then Bishop), General Secretary of the
Myanmar Council of Churches, and Mr. Hubert van Beek, WCC staff visited us on
December 2, 2000. In the meeting, Rev. L. B. Siama (the then general secretary) was
asked the reasons for seeking membership of the WCC.
I answered:
“We are motivated to join the WCC to share our bitter experience of church
split for 16 years with other churches and how we achieved our unity, and to
experience oneness in Christ, to learn from other churches around the world
and to benefit from opportunities of education and training of church
leadership.”
I then presented the book entitled “A Short History of the Mara Evangelical
Church” for the WCC-MEC meet : 2000. In this booklet, I attached all copies of application
form duly filled, the MCC recommending letter, our correspondences with the Rev. Hubert
van Beek, WCC and MCC corresponding letters on our regard for church record. This
meeting was attended by Rev. HC. Bizo (Moderator), Rev. L. B. Siama (GS), Rev. C.
Sitlo (ES), Rev. F. Nokha (ES), Rev. Victor Ve U (ES), Rev. Cr. Chhaithia, Rev. Satu Ve
U, Rev. KT. Chhaza (Mission field Director), Htp. Teihra (Yangon Church Elder), and
missionary trainers and trainees. The “Dawlei (Darling) Missionary Choir” presented
special choirs..
Then Mr. Hubert van Beek of WCC reported their finding on Mara Church to
the Central Committee held in Potsdam, Germany. There Mara Evangelical Church was
accepted as an Associate Member of the WCC on 3 February, 2001 at Potsdam,
Germany.
From Maraland to Geneva (Attending the Central Committee of WCC)

Having been accepted as an Associate member of WCC, I was invited to
attend the WCC Central Committee Meeting held in Geneva, 2002. The Rev.
Smith Ngulh Za Thawng arranged for me in order that I may be able to attend the
WCC Central Committee in Geneva, 2001. And I was firstly invited to attend the Central
Committee held on 29th January - 6th February, 2001 in Potsdam, Germany, but I could
not attend because my passport was denied. And I was invited second time to attend the
Central Committee of WCC held on August 24 to September 6, 2002 at Geneva, God
opened the door and I could attend the meeting in 2002. With Rev. Smith and I shared
the same room at Ramada Hotel, Geneva. He guided me to open the way of meeting the
General Secretary of WARC, and other ecumenical leaders at Geneva.
From Geneva to London ( A visit to Christian Aid in London)
The Rev. Smith did one more thing. He arranged for me that I might be able to
visit London from where our first oversea missionaries came to Maraland. With his
arrangement, the Christian Aid in London took all my itinerary schedule and expenses
during my stay in London. My participation in such international ecumenical fellowship
opens our eyes to bring about the unity of the church.
From Maraland to Armenia (Scholarship for a Mara Medical Student)

Rev. Smith has a heart of giving. In 2002 Mr. Taing San (Now Dr. Sasa) was
selected to study medical college in Armenia as India and Armenia exchange program.
Mr.Taing San of Lailenpi is the first medical student among the Maras. He studied and
passed his Matriculation class in Yangon. Since all universities and colleges were closed
down in Myanmar that time, he crossed the border to study his secondary class in Shillong,
India. He passed with flying colors and stood first division. Thus he was selected to study
at Armenia Medical University. As he did not have enough financial sources to study, I, on
behalf of MEC, requested the Rev. Smith to kindly help him cover his travelling and
tuition fees in Armenia. The Rev. Smith was filled with joy to hear that Mr. Taing San got
such chance of medical studies, he said that he would write some recommending letter to
an organization to request him get some scholarship. With his strong letter, Mr. Taing San
got scholarship for three consecutive academic years. With the help of Rev. Smith, Mr.
Taing San now becomes DR. SASA.
From Yangon to Manila (WCC scholarship)

In 2004 the general assembly gave me study leave for Doctor of Ministry program
in Philippines. Here again the MEC approached Rev. Smith to kindly help us get
scholarship. The Reverend was never hesitated to do what he could. After discussing my
vision and plan, he got up and opened the drawer. He turned the files, and gave me a
form. This is none other than WCC SCHOLARSHIP FORM. He asked me to fill it up,
and I did as told, and gave him back. After some months, I received information that I
was provided WCC scholarship to study at Union Theological Seminary, Manila.
His teaching at Lorrain Theological College

The Mara Evangelical Church established the Lorrain Theological College and
Mission Studies Centre in 2003, Yangon. At the inaugural service, the Rev. Smith was
invited to speak but he could not participate for unavoidable reasons. He kept this in his
memory. In 2008, when we approached the Saya to kindly help us in teaching at our
College, he warmly welcomed us saying, “I am so sorry that I could not come at the
inaugural service of your college in 2003, yet I decided to help in teaching one day. I am
very glad to have this opportunity to participate in teaching at your college. I deem it as a
part of my ministry in the Mara Evangelical Church.” Since then, the Rev. Smith has been
teaching at our college till today.
Conclusion
The Rev. Smith is seen as the best example and icon of church unity in the Mara
churches. His honest and simple way of living inspires all Mara pastors. He was admired,
being recognized and will still be regarded as Guru for Mara church unification, for he
opened a new chapter for the Mara church history. As rich in ecumenical experiences, he
could see the secret of unity. In venturing church unity, he goes beyond the boundary of
faith and order, respects the uniqueness of each denomination.
I would like to honour the Reverend Smith as follows:

Dear respected Saya,
You are a Guru for us
You are our Icon for church unification
You have done great things to our church
Your tear shed will not be in vain
You will remain in the hearts of Mara forever.
We Maras honor you, admire you, and love you.
IN HONOR OF REVD SMITH NGULH ZA THAWNG

Lillian Kha Nau
I felt greatly elated when I was asked to share some of the great experiences in
working with Revd Smith Ngulh Za Thawng in the past years. I’d known him for more
than 30 years when he joined the work force at the Myanmar Council of Churches(MCC)
in Yangon. He was married to Daw Rebecca Htu Nan and their first son was raised up in
Yangon. Since I lived in Kamaryut Township and attended the Judson Church, I saw the
family most regularly at the Judson Church on Sundays. I came to know more about
Saya Smith as a students’ worker with the MCC. As I was also working with the Univer-
sity Christian Fellowshi(UCF), I met him quite often and had admired him as a conscien-
tious student worker. He always spoke in soft tones and had never heard him raising his
voice. With a very pleasant personality, everyone who had a contact with him liked him
and admired his nature.
As a worker of MCC, he was also greatly involved with various committees
where his helps were needed. As he has a pleasant personality, I had never seen him in
anger or raised his voice. He was given an assignment to work with the university students.
The Student Christian Union(SCU) used to be confined to the Yangon University for
many years but later when more colleges were opened in the country, his duties were
extended also to other colleges throughout the country.
The Myanmar Student Christian Movement(SCM) associated with the World
Student Christian Federation(WSCF) and I once travelled with him to participate at the
Seniour Friends Conference of WSCF’s 100th anniversary in Berlin, Germany with the
theme “Community of Memory and Hope: Celebrating the Faithfulness of God” during
22nd June to 1st July 1995. I admired him for his contributions toward this world-wide
movement as he had contributed the work of SCM in Myanmar at the world-wide
conference. I am very sure that he might have also done the same kind of contributions
wherever he was delegated by the MCC to let the world know how much Myanmar had
been involved in a world-wide spheres of ecumenical movement. His contribution toward
the world-wide movement and meetings have been well appreciated and recognized by
all.
He was appointed as MCC General Secretary from 2001-2005 which was well
recognized and appreciated by all member churches. With his sincere motives, both young
and old approached him for various issues. As an ordained minister, he still uses his time
whenever the need arises, he sings in the choir and renders his services, whenever and
wherever is needed. God has showered a lot of blessings on him to be a faithful follower
of Him. May the good Lord continue to use him in various capacities according to his
ability in the ministry.
TRIBUTE TO REVD SMITH N ZA THAWNG

Martha G. Butt
I recall my first meeting with Rev. Smith N. Za Thawng. I was impressed by his
intelligence, friendliness and his passion for helping the young people of his country who,
at the time, had very few opportunities to further their education.
In the late 1990’s, when Payap University was in its early stages of
internationalization and looking for international students, I was put in contact with
Rev. Smith in Yangon. Rev. Smith became excited about working with Payap because he
knew there were students in his country who were looking for places to study. Payap
was able to secure funding from the United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia
for comprehensive scholarships for 5 students from Burma. Rev. Smith helped us to find
qualified candidates for these scholarships. I travelled to Yangon to interview potential
students at the Ecumenical Center.
Once the students were offered the scholarships, the next task for Rev. Smith
was to help them secure passports and visas (not easy at that time). But with his
determination, all five received their travel documents.
At that time, Payap’s degree programs were only taught in Thai. Thus, the five
students needed to study Thai for one year before beginning their degree programs.
They were all very determined to succeed, but they also had “down” times when they
were not sure they could “make it”. Rev. Smith never gave up on them. I remember one
time when he came for a visit to encourage them to persevere because this was their
“chance of a lifetime”. The students listened to, trusted and respected him. Over the 5
years that this group of students studied at Payap, I saw and communicated with Rev.
Smith regularly. My husband, John, and I developed a close friendship with him. We
admired his commitment to God and his people.
Rev. Smith invited John to come to Yangon for a few days to teach pastors from
around the country at the Ecumenical Center. It was a wonderful experience for both of
us. We also had a chance to meet with the parents of Payap’s Burmese students. They
were so interested in hearing about the progress of their children. I have great memories
of the night we all went out for a delicious dinner and cultural show.
Rev. Smith was the cement that held this program together. With Rev. Smith’s
encouragement and the financial support from the United Board all five students
completed their undergraduate degrees. One of them also went on for a Master’s degree
at Payap.
Throughout this time, during which there were many challenges facing the people
of Burma, I was in awe of the way that Rev. Smith could maintain his optimism and belief
in the future generation. He was selfless in that even though he had children whom he
could have recommended for the scholarships, he did not. He was fair and kind. He had
a deep faith that God would get him and his people through difficult times and situations.
It has been a number of years since I last saw Rev. Smith, but I am looking
forward to a reunion with him in December 2012. May God grant him good health
and happiness as he enters a new phase of his life.
A DISTANT BUT DEVOTED AND UNEXPECTED FRIEND

(ARTICLE IN HONOR OF REVD SMITH N. ZA THAWNG)
Martin Conway
I feel delighted, indeed not a little honoured, to be asked to contribute to this

volume since my contacts with the Revd. Smith happened many years ago now. More-
over, since I suffered a nasty stroke 18 months ago, I dare not be sure that I remember
as well as I should what happened on the two occasions when we met.
But these, especially the second, were quite unexpected occasions, for which
I remain deeply grateful.
The first was in the mid-1980s, when I accompanied a small group of students
from the seminary of the Church of England on the edge of Oxford where I was then
teaching, to a national Congress of the British Student Christian Movement in the
beautiful city of Edinburgh. I had worked twenty years earlier for the British SCM
from London as its international officer and then for six years for the World Student
Christian Federation from Geneva, so I had heard occasional news from Burma/Myanmar.
But I had never met anyone, let alone a Christian, from there, so it was with real interest
that I sat down one day with Smith, and discovered that he was in the middle of a year
studying at the theological faculty in the city of Glasgow, not so far from Edinburgh. I had
lived in Glasgow in my holidays from school and university studies in the 1940s and 50s,
but had had as good as nothing to do with the theological faculty. It was sheer delight to
meet him.
That is all I remember, but it became much more significant because it led to the
second - and even more unforeseeable - occasion some years later. By the later 1980s
my wife Ruth and I had moved from London to the city of Birmingham in central England,
and had settled into a rather different style of life centred on my duties as President of the
Selly Oak Colleges. We received students from many countries, in my time there (1986
to 1997) never fewer than 70 at any one time, but the only one from Burma I can remember
from the earlier years was Daw Lillian Kha Nau, of the YWCA and much else in the
Myanmar Council of Churches. Given her ability to impart wisdom from her experience
so as to enrich the teaching that was being offered, her presence was most valuable to
Selly Oak.
On one Sunday in the early’ 90s my wife and I were at home - not usually the
case on a Sunday morning - when, surprisingly, the doorbell rang. When I opened it,
there were five or six people in a semi-circle, all men and standing back from the
door so as to welcome me into their company. This was totally unexpected. Moreover,
it was only after some moments that I recognised Smith N. Za Thawng among them, and
so could guess that they were from Myanmar. Moreover they were all, apart from him,
rather senior figures in their own churches. I hope I am right in reporting that there was no
Anglican bishop among them - certainly several were Baptist, though they had come to a
London conference on behalf of the Council of Churches. It was soon explained that they
had found that they had nothing to do during the Sunday, so Smith had suggested they go
up to Birmingham and greet me in Selly Oak - which they most charmingly did.
Again I must confess that I quite forget how long we spent with them. Also what
they wanted to discuss with us, beyond the inevitable and hardly new questions about
exactly what the Selly Oak Colleges were and how they functioned. But what stays
lastingly in my mind and heart is the gesture of those men in the sunlight of a Sunday
morning, standing in a half circle outside the house door to greet me in an appropriately
Christian way. It is a deeply moving scene of Christians of very different backgrounds
and cultures nevertheless demonstrating to one another that the love enabled by God in
Christ can overcome all our familiar worldly embarrassments.
So I warmly salute Revd Smith, whatever the difficulties in later years, and all of
you in the Council of Churches for your lasting faithfulness to the promise of God in
Christ.
Editorial Note:
According to Revd Smith, the Church leaders mentioned were the late Prof.
William Paw, Rev. Dr. U Aung Khin, Rev. Dr. U Win Tin and himself attending the very
first MCC Round Table Partners' Meeting in London, January 1990.
ECUMENICAL COMMITMENT OF REVD SMITH N. ZA THAWNG

Matthews George Chunakara
On the occasion of the publication of a festschrift in honour of Revd Smith N. Za

Thawng by his friends and well-wishers, it is with great pleasure that I am jotting down
my recollections about my long association with Rev. Smith as well as my appreciation.
I have had opportunities to associate closely with Rev. Smith for more than two
decades since I started working with the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) in Hong
Kong. My first meeting with Rev. Smith was early in the 1990s, when I was working in
Bangalore, India as the Associate Director of the Ecumenical Christian Centre (ECC).
Rev. Smith visited us at the ECC at that time to explore possibilities for exchange programme
and training for young ecumenists from Myanmar at the ECC. His visit was arranged at
that time through the Association of Christian Institutions for Social Changes in Asia
(ACISCA). Rev. Smith was on the staff of the Myanmar Council of Churches (MCC) at
that time with responsibility for training. Subsequently he became the associate general
secretary of the MCC. Although Bishop San Si Htay was the general secretary of the
MCC at that time, Rev. Smith was the key person mainly responsible for relations with
international ecumenical relations as well as for internal administration.
I have had more frequent opportunities to closely work with Rev. Smith since I
became the Asia Secretary of the World Council of Churches in 2000. As the Asia
secretary was the coordinator and facilitator of the Round Table of the MCC which was
created for ecumenical sharing of resources for MCC, it became necessary for me to
deal more closely with MCC and its leadership. Bishop San Si Htay was the General
Secretary, but Rev. Smith was the main contact in MCC for our relations with the MCC.
Subsequently Rev. Smith was elected as the general secretary of the MCC.
When the political situation in Burma was not at all congenial for an ecumenical
organization like MCC or other ecclesial bodies to function properly in Myanmar, Smith
demonstrated a very mature and prudent leadership in handling delicate matters, especially
Church-State relations. It has been not so easy to relate with everyone and coordinate
the work in church and society in Myanmar in those days as the country was in such a
strictly socially and politically controlled situation. My visits to Myanmar those days and
even my meetings at the MCC headquarters were difficult on different occasions due to
the political uncertainties and suspicions by military governments of a religious body like
the MCC or its member churches. However, Rev. Smith has been trying to keep the
balance and handling the ecumenical and ecclesial matters of churches and ecumenical
organizations with such great care and sensitivity. He provided leadership in various aspects
of church and ecumenical work in Myanmar as a guide and mentor of the ecumenical
movement in Myanmar. His advice and counsel always helped various ecumenical
organizations. In Myanmar especially the Student Christian Movement (SCM), theological
institutions as well as different denominations that were scattered in different parts of the
country. Smith could ensure better coordination among different ecumenical bodies in the
country trough the MCC and also tried to ensure a sense of ownership of the ecumenical
movement by its members.
His contributions in the area of ecumenical leadership development of young
people in Myanmar cannot be ignored. He played a key role in initiating the Myanmar
Ecumenical Sharing Centre through which he tried to organize numerous training programme
for young Christian youths in the country. He was also instrumental in negotiating with
different international organizations in arranging and facilitating scholarships for young
people from Myanmar to study in Europe, Asia and Africa which helped to train many
young ecumenists from Myanmar and provide them with international exposures, especially
when Myanmar remained almost a closed door society where international travel of
Myanmar citizens was restricted and scrutinized by the authorities.
Smith had good ecumenical and ecclesiastical understanding. His long association
with the SCM and the World Student Christian Federation, numerous opportunities for
participation in international ecumenical events and conferences, studies overseas, etc.,
especially under eminent personalities like Prof. Dr. Konrad Raiser at the Bochum
University, Germany helped him to grow in ecumenical spirit. It helped him to admire the
values and significance of the ecumenical ethos. The ecumenical experiences he gained
through various ways over the years, especially since his formative years helped him to
contribute to the development of the ecumenical movement in Myanmar.
Despite the fact that there were certain difficulties that Smith and the MCC faced
towards the end of his tenure as the general secretary, the ecumenical leaders within the
country and outside always valued and acknowledged the commitment of Rev. Smith to
the ecumenical movement. Even after relinquishing his services as the general secretary of
the MCC Smith continues his ecumenical mission of leadership development in the church
and ecumenical movement and theological education in Myanmar.
The wide knowledge and extensive experiences Rev. Smith gained over the years
is still being used for building up the future leaders of the ecumenical movement in the
country.
I pray for God’s richest blessings and guidance that will help him to continue his
mission and commitment to church and society in Myanmar for many more years.
A SINGER OF GOSPEL SONGS

Ngul Cin Thang, MEGST, Yangon
This is an appreciation to the Revd Smith Ngulh Za Thawng. There are many
individuals senior to me in all walks of life, with whom I have been in touch. One of them
is Smith Thawng. He is from Keizang Baptist Church, Ciingpikot Village, Tiddim. He had
been senior to me at Tiddim High School, at Mandalay Arts and Science University and
in the Ministry of the Lord.
I remember some members of Gospel singers among the senior students of my
High School days at Tiddim among which are Kim Khaw Suan of Lawibual, David
Thang Za Pau of Kaptel, Ngai Za Thang of Pangmual, Lian Khan Thang of Tuimui, along
with Smith Thawng. I also remember some of the songs they sang in the mid sixties: Little
Pine Log Cabin, Never Grow Old, Do Not Doubt His Love, I Shall Not Be Moved, and
a few others.
When I joined the Mandalay Arts and Science University, he was in his third year
for his B.Sc. (Zoology) degree under Prof. Dr. Frederick Delphin and Lecturer Dr. Robert
Tun Maung. He was the choir leader of the University Christian Fellowship (UCF) while
the Revd Arthur Ko Lay was chaplain. During those days some of his co-singers were
David Young, Hendrick, Richard Thet Gyi, Augustina of Kalaw and Florence Pau of
Falam.
On one Sunday while we were in the No. 3 Burma Army Training Depot on
University Training Corps summer camp at Meiktila, I joined these UCF boys to the
residence of an officer by the name of Saw Haris of Agriculture and Rural Development
Corporation (ARDC) for lunch. The host entertained us by playing different kinds of
music with a single guiter, much talented. Two daughters of the host were UCF choir
members … Mu Mu Haris and Htoo Htoo Haris, while the younger daughter Lu Lu
Haris was in High School. My classmate Saw Gayda Kittim Ku was also there. On
another Sunday, I had the opportunity also to accompany Smith to the residence of his
uncle, Pilot Suan Kai of Burma Air Force in Meiktila.
One summer time, two brothers … Hang Khan Pau and Hau Lian Kham came
to Mandalay from Rangoon (now Yangon). Some members from Mandalay UCF joined
and they sang “Halelujah” chorus of George Frederick Handel. The singers on that day
were Hang Khan Pau, Hau Lian Kham, Smith Thawng, Tual Khan Pau, and Florence
Pau. A few years later, I met with Smith at Mandalay airport just before he left Lashio to
attend the funeral service of S. Hang Khan Pau. How faithful he was to the deceased!
Since Smith became chaplain of Mandalay UCF, his tribal name Ngulh Za Thawng
had been totally silent for a few decades. He was known as Sya Smith. This Smith had
had a poor health. Against his talent in singing, his medical doctor advised him not to sing
any more. I recall my memory while Sya Smith was in Ward-C of Mandalay Civil Hospital.
But, he did not take any note of physical weakness for the Lord’s Ministry. During those
days, his close friends and relatives like Lian Khan Thang and Hau Do Suan were much
helpful to him, among many others. While in Mandalay, Sya Smith usually wore trousers
with a leather belt but in Yangon I never saw him again in western dress.
While he was Coordinator of Leadership Promotion Department in the Myanmar
Council of Churches (MCC), a few lines of his recommendation was much effective for
my admission to M. Min program at the Trinity Theological College in Singapore, because
I did not write TOEFL examination nor the College entrance examination. The Scholarship
was transferred from another field of training. In another field of his work while working
with the MCC, it was a regret that one of his efforts, the Central Library building project
of ATEM on the campus of Insein Seminary Hill, the foundation of which was laid in
1992, has not yet been realized until today. He never murmurs for weakness of any
partners in the Ministry.
It was on 11 December 2005 when the Tedim Baptist Church in Yangon gave a
lunch in honor of Revd Smith Ngulh Za Thawng (for his appointment as Associate General
Secretary of the Christian Conference of Asia) and his wife Rebecca Htu Nan at Asia
Plaza Hotel, which was attended by some forty church leaders of Tiddim dialect group in
Yangon. I sang one of the songs which he composed during his high school days at
Tiddim, to honor him. One stanza of the song in Tiddim dialect runs:
Keugaw gam singteh polo tui omlohna ah,

Dangtaak in cimawh ka sihdek laitak in;
Topa’n kei-ading nunna ciktui hong pia a,
Tua mun lungdam in ka tungzo ta.
Chorus: Nuntakna mun ahi, singtehte vullohna,
Bawngnawi khuaizu lenggah anpha omna ah;
Dahnate nusia ta in, lungdam in la ka sa ding,
Khan’ tawntng nuamsa ta ding.
After retirement from the ecumenical Ministry with the Myanmar Council of
Churches, Revd Smith could give more time in other fields of Ministry. One significant
work was that he drafted and edited the Constitution and Bylaws of the Tedim Christian
College in Yangon, among other Institute of Theology, Insein. He always works hard for
the Lord even amidst difficulties at home. He is still strong and active at his late sixties. At
worships now he still sings bass which is against the advice of his medical doctor since
some forty years ago.
HE DID FOR OTHERS, NOT FOR HIMSELF

Ngurliana
I felt really honored to be invited to write a brief article on the autobiography of

Rev. Smith Ngulh Za Thawng who I personally admired as my teacher and as one of the
Christian National Leaders in Myanmar. Being a human, Rev. Smith, like others, will have
strengths and weaknesses in his personality. Out of many issues, I will briefly write only
three points because of word limitations.
Personally, I was well acquainted with him first while I was doing my Bachelor of
Divinity Programme at the Myanmar Institute of Theology in 1989-1992. At that time, he
was working as a part-time lecturer and I was one of his students. He taught us Ecumenism
and Church and Society. His theological visions and reflections on the subjects he handled
were extremely useful, contributing wider theological issues for the younger generations.
I would like to emphasize one issue which is crucial for me. It was his practical example
of “I-Thou Relationship.” in his life and teachings. It is this relationship which cultivates
justice to his students and all people.
Rev. Smith is, in my opinion, one of the best leaders in the promotion of theological
education in Myanmar. While he was serving at Myanmar Council of Churches, especially
Human Resource Development, his help towards scholarships for those who wanted
their further studies abroad. With his initiations and guidance, different denominations
were blessed with graduates, particularly Master Degree holders from Western and
ATESEA Schools. There are many more to mention in these respects.... One thing I
would like to mention is, “He did for others, not for himself.” He had often been
advised to do a doctorate programme, but he served for others to do their doctorates.
One of my friends who is from a Tedim tribe told me that, he approached Rev. Smith for
his further studies with the hope of getting special favour as Rev. Smith also was a Tedim.
But Rev. Smith asked him to wait and queue up like other applicants. This is a clear
indication of his spirituality which maintains justice in the midst of multicultural and multiethnic
context of Myanmar. In fact, this qualifies him as one of the most trustworthy national
leaders.
As Church representative, I very often attended MCC Meetings, BGM, and
other national meetings where Rev. Smith was the leading person, serving as General
Secretary of Myanmar Council of Churches. His resourcefulness in decision making was
really remarkable and worthy of notes. This is a clear indication of his commitment and
devotion to his works, really worthy of honour. I was told by some friends that Rev.
Smith encountered quite a lot of difficulties when he was about to do his study at Bossey
and overcome all these. He also had, as a human being, encountered lot of hardships,
trials and problems while serving at MCC. He is not a man of escapism, but a gentleman
who faces all these with faith in Christ. In all these, I see how God of the Poor is with
him, guiding and leading in his life.
MOST REVD SMITH NGULH ZA THAWNG

Nicholas Mang Thang
I have been privileged and proud to honour Most Rev. Smith Ngulh Za Thawng
by greeting him, “A Very Happy 65th Birth Day and Ad MULTOS Annos.”
First and foremost, I would like to thank the Lord, in particular for his vocational
Ministry as Evangelist, Pastor, socio-Pastoral Motivator and Churchman for the past
many years. Therefore, I would rightly like to say with the Psalmist, “Give thanks to
Yahweh for He is good, for his faithful love endures forever” (Ps. 136:1-2) and “Acclaim
God, all the earth, sing psalms to the glory of his name, glorify him with all your praises,
say to God “How awesome are you! Your achievements are the measures of your power,
your enemies won your favour, all the earth bows down before you, sings psalms to you,
sing psalms to your name” (Ps. 66:1-4).
It was wonderful to recall that Rev. Smith and myself met comparatively quite
often as colleagues and Churchmen at the joint ecumenical sessions because once we
both were General Secretaries for the respective MCC and Catholic Bishops’ Conference
of Myanmar (CBCM). It was amazing that both the Chins happened to be called by God
at his service and the same time to be the “General Secretaries” among God’s Chin ethnic
people, for the good of all peoples in Myanmar.
Intentionally or un-intentionally, we met two or three times abroad, happened to
attend the same international consultation workshops inThailand and in the Philippines.
I know that Rev. Smith is still really concerned with social development project
for all the people of Myanmar, in particular the Chins. I was once incharge of socio-
Pastoral Development projects for CBCM, and Rev. Smith had the upper hand in getting
“scholarship” at the Asian Social Institute (ASI) for MCC.
I wish to mention something still quite mysterious to me is that Rev. Smith Ngulh
Za Thawng is personally spiritual man. He seems to have a habit of praying in the Church.
Philippines is practically a Catholic country and all the Catholic Churches have the presence
of the “Eucharistic Jesus” in the tabernacle, where Rev. Smith would personally meet the
Lord face to face. I thank the Lord, among many others, for choosing Rev. Smith, an
indigenous tribal Chin, an Evangelist, Pastor and Churchman. In regards to all my prayers
and wishes, may I quote the words of St. Paul, “Remember the service that the Lord
assigned to you and try to carry it out.” (Col. 4:17).
A TRUE SERVANT LEADER

Pa Sang & Kyin Myaing
Here are the way we have known and seen about Revd Smith N. Za Thawng
since 1982 till today.
He is a man of very:
- Gentlemen
- Generous
- Devoted on the responsibilities
- Enthusiastic in spiritual life
- Kind and affectionate hearted
- Deep sympathetical minded to the needy ones
- Factual
- Timely
- Responsible
- Firm and stable in head and mind and
- Reliable
He usually does things systematically.
A man able to hand helping hand as soon as possible to the people who need
help at anytime, anyplace, wherever, as long as he is informed.
He is a real leadership hearted, taking risks for other people who needed:
- To save
- To protect,
- To stand for,
- To back up or help.
He is really self-denied person for the mission of Jesus Christ.
He is a true Servanthood Leader.
IN HONOR OF
REVD SMITH NGULH ZA
THAWNG
Park Kyung Seo
“Revd Smith NZT has been my very

old junior friend and one of my best Ecu-
menical Colleagues from early 80’s up to
present. Let me congratulate and respect on
Revd Smith NZT’s contributions in the area
of Ecumenical Discipline and Ecumenical
Solidarity, especially during the time of
Myanmar’s very difficult periods in social and
political life. He has been given us always very
mature and balanced advices regarding his
own nation, during my time of Asia Secre-
tary of the World Council of Churches
(1982-1999).
I am sending this greeting from
Seoul very happily with my former capacity
as Ambassador at large for Human Rights,
ROK as well as my current capacity as
Distinguished Professor, Ewha Women’s
University, Seoul, Korea. May God bless
Revd Smith and his family members and
let us be proud of having Revd Smith in
our Ecumenical Common Journey.
AN ECUMENICAL PIONEER
Prawate Khid-arn
Retirements are the door to start great things.

The world continues open for God’s work.
Take it as a new beginning and find new endeavors.
I am delighted and pleased to write this message at this special time of retirement
of one of our ecumenical friends- Rev. Smith N. Za Thawng.
To Rev. Smith, I am personally grateful to salute you for your dedicated work
towards the churches in Myanmar, in Asia and the international ecumenical family. I will
not forget you for the dedicated works you have done so far for the Christian Conference
of Asia (CCA) especially during my tenure in this organization (1994-2010). I wish you
a great future ahead after your retirement!
To ecumenical friends, Rev. Smith had been respected as an outstanding advocate
in churches in Myanmar, the regional and global ecumenical movement. As an ecumenical
pioneer, he began his involvement in the ecumenical movement during his student days.
He became the Student’s pastor for University Christian Fellowship (1971-1978) at
Mandalay University, and the general secretary of Burma (as now called Myanmar) Student
Christian Movement (BSCM) from 1979-1983. As an ecumenical leader he adequately
provided a leeway on how the Burma Student Christian Movement can be enabled to
reach the grass root people in a way that it will become the voice of the voiceless and
disenfranchised people of Myanmar.
During 1987-2005, Rev. Smith took over the leadership in Myanmar Council of
Churches (MCC) in various positions and responsibilities; as Coordinator for
Comprehensive Leadership Promotion Program (1987-1996), Associate General
Secretary (1996-2001) and General Secretary (2001-2005).
In his international ecumenical journey, Rev. Smith was actively involved in various
roles and positions namely Regional Standing Committee of the World Student Christian
Federation Asia-Pacific Region (1979-1981), Member, Church and Society Working
Group, WCC (1983-1990), Founding member of Congress of Asia Theologians (1997),
Member of Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians (1995-), Member, CCA
General Committee (2000-2005), Member of Advisory Team, World Vision Myanmar
(2002-2005).
At the time of his official retirement in 2013, he continues serving as a teacher in

various theological colleges such as Tedim Christian College (Baptist), Yangon, Holy
Cross Theological College (Anglican), Yangon, Bethany Theological Seminary
(Presbyterian), Insein, Yangon, and Lorrain Theological College (Mara Evangelical),
Phawkan, Yangon.
He specialized in the areas of contextual theology, youth ministry, social
development, environmental concerns and human rights concerns and these are all
reflected in all aspects of the mission of the Myanmar Council of Churches. As an
ecumenist Rev. Smith contributed substantially to strengthen the relationships of
churches and Christian organizations at local, national, regional and international
levels.
His critical and analytical point of view on cultural, political and economic issues
on many occasions affecting the majority of people of Asia was enough to inspire other
ecumenical leaders and colleagues to deepen their involvement to the ministry and mission
set by Jesus Christ. Nonetheless, his preferential option for the cause of the poor, deprived
and oppressed people of Asia and of the world served as another guiding principle on
how an Asian ecumenical movement will develop a theology rooted on the concrete
situation of the oppressed and struggling community of Asia.
REVD SMITH - AN ECUMENICAL INTERMEDIARY

BETWEEN DIFFERENT CULTURES
Reinhard Koppe
I met Reverend Smith for the first time in 1983 during my visit to (formally called
- Burma) Myanmar. Later, when he studied theology at the University of Bochum under
the supervision of Prof. Konrad Raiser (the former General Secretary of the World Council
of Churches) we had the chance to meet several times and to intensify our relationship.
He completed his studies at the Ecumenical Institute in Bossey/Switzerland and in Glasgow/
Great Britain in order to obtain his Master of Theology. The Ecumenical Scholarships
Programme (ESP) through ÖSW in Bochum/Germany sponsored his studies from 1983
to 1986. For his further work it was very important to obtain this broader ecumenical
experience.
During the 1980s I worked with the Association of Church Development Services
(AGKED) in Stuttgart in Germany. Together with the World Council of Churches (WCC)
we organised a worldwide consultation on Human Resources Development in the churches.
The Burma Council of Churches became an active member of the follow-up process of
this consultation.
After his return to Myanmar, Rev. Smith became the Scholarship Secretary and
I took over a similar responsibility as Head of the Scholarship Department of Diakonisches
Werk/Bread for the World in Germany. We had the chance to work together intensively
during the 1990s. The key priority was to identify the education and training needs of the
Churches in Myanmar in various fields of development work and for further theological
studies abroad.
During this cooperation I appreciated the ability of Rev. Smith to develop clear
concepts, while respecting the different requirements of the churches. He had great
sensitivity in bringing the “right people to the right place”. He strongly opposed decisions
if he had the impression that personal interests or benefits were in the forefront and not
the institutional interests. He was very sincere and committed, making sure we followed
the criteria we had agreed upon. And as a benefit of his studies in Germany, he also
developed a good understanding of the requirements of the German and other Church
development organisations from Western countries.
Later on, he was elected to serve as General Secretary of the Myanmar Council
of Churches. He made use of his broad experience when cooperating with the World
Council of Churches and the supporting Church development organisations all over the
world. In that capacity he really became an ecumenical intermediary between different
cultures. And the work of the Churches in Myanmar benefited from his experience,
connections and knowledge.
I had also the privilege to organise different workshops with Rev. Smith, dealing
with various issues of Human Resources Development, education and training as well as
self-evaluation concepts. Not only within these activities, but quite generally, I always
appreciated his seriousness, honesty and calm nature. He did not speak loudly, but
quietly, concretely and convincingly.
During my visits to Rangoon, I also had the chance to visit various Sunday services.
I still remember one very impressive sermon he delivered in his church. The subject of the
sermon was “unconditional love”. From a theological perspective, he critically reflected
the personal relationships we have with other human beings. It is often our tendency to
base our behaviour and our reactions towards others on certain conditions. In that context,
Rev. Smith formulated an opposite viewpoint, that especially in the family or with friends,
love has to be “love without conditions”. This message helped me later on, when I was
reflecting my personal relationships.
I am grateful that I have had the chance and the privilege to meet Rev. Smith and
to work with him for the benefit of the people of Myanmar and for the strengthening of
ecumenical relations between the Churches in Myanmar and Germany.
From Germany, I would like to send all best wishes for him and his family for his
65th birthday. May God bless him, the Churches and the People of Myanmar.
IN RECOGNITION OF A VERY SPECIAL PERSON,

Roger Walker
It is a real delight and honour to make this small contribution to the commemora-
tive volume of Rev. Smith’s autobiography.
My first meeting with Rev. Smith was in Yangon in 1990 when World Vision
International was evaluating whether it could work in Myanmar (Burma) under the
environment that prevailed at that time. Rev. Smith provided a most insightful Christian
understanding of the National situation, reflecting deep wisdom and Christian faith. His
encouragement was instrumental in World Vision establishing an enlarged official program
in Myanmar that has continued to serve the people of Myanmar since 1990.
During the period 1999 until 2007 while living in Myanmar, I would often seek
advice from Rev. Smith on complex challenging issues and always found he was able to
provide hope and encouragement that would most often lift my spirit. He would often
provide unique insights into issues being considered.
Rev. Smith also displayed a sensitive strategic approach to engaging National
Government leaders in having a positive understanding of the correct role of the Church
in the life of the Nation, as well as engaging in building understandings across religious
divisions, seeking to promote peace and reconciliation at the local and national levels. He
was very effective in his ecumenical ministry.
With humility, he consistently displays he is a follower of our Lord Jesus Christ,
one who knows the forgiveness of God and His Grace in his everyday life experiences.
And as such is a strong inspiration to many.
Rev. Smith is a very devoted family man.
During our visit to Myanmar in June 2012, it was wonderful to have fellowship
with Rev. Smith and to be encouraged by the time of sharing of our life’s journeys, including
times of sorrow and of happiness, and rejoice at the positive changes that are taking
place in the Nation.
I consider Rev. Smith as one of my dearest friends and pray he continues to be
available for God’s special ministry and a Blessing for over many years to come.
READING THE ''JUSTICE" MESSAGE OF AMOS

WITH MYANMAR CHRISTIAN EYES
Samuel Ngun Ling
This article is being contributed in giving my great honor to the life and works of
the Rev. Smith Ngulh Za Thawng whom I have since my student life in MIT known and
most respected among Myanmar church leaders as a great leader whose life had for
years demonstrated full immersion in the promotion of ecumenical movements among
Myanmar Christian churches, thereby serving in the ecumenical circle for decades first as
Associate General Secretary and finally as General Secretary of the Myanmar Council
Churches. To me, Rev. Smith is an obedient, sincere, and honest servant of God, whose
life and works have always meant doing good things for God and His peoples.
Cry for Justice

When one reads the whole message of prophet Amos, he or she will apparently
see the aggressive concerns and cries of the prophet for the prevalence of justice in
the land of Israel. Originally, the justice message of Amos was addressed not only to the
prophets and their contemporary religious leaders of Israel at that time, but significantly to
the whole nation of Israel. God’s primary purpose of the message was not to bring doom
to the nation, but rather that the nation of God may turn from her sin to establish justice in
the land, so that the land may in turn enjoy the goodness of the Lord and the fullness of
life. “Seek me and live ...., Hate evil and love good and establish justice in the gate,”
cried prophet Amos.”1
Actually, the popular expectation of the people and nation’s leaders in Amos’
time was quite affirmative or conformed to the future promises of God to Israel that were
recorded in the traditions of the past. Peoples strongly expected the glorious day of
Yahweh, when all promises of God to Israel were to be fulfilled, and when Israel would
triumph over all her enemies. With this hope and expectation, the nation’s development
and prosperity were interpreted as a sign of God’s favor. However, in contrast to peoples’
hope, Amos saw in the nation only darkness and disaster. Here, two kinds of hope emerged
1
Amos 5: 4.15.
as the crisis point – the prophetic, truthful hope in God, and the un-certain, false hope
in human capacity. Against this background, Amos daringly predicted the coming of
doom, darkness, and God’s judgment over the nation of Israel. Through his message, we
see that Amos forcefully and aggressively preached on justice and righteousness of conduct
rather than on the issues of faith and worship, particularly the cultic practices. Amos
severely condemned the external cultic practices of religion that de-emphasized or even
distorted the internal justice values of individual religious life.
Justice that upholds Nation

What Amos tried to convince his people and nation through his message was
what the religion of Yahweh essentially meant to them. To re-read the challenges he made
to his people and nation’s leaders would include questions such as “Is not justice the
essence of religion? Are not the cultic practices, rituals, sacrifices and music merely the
external forms of a religion?” Out of these profound convictions, Amos finally called for
the end or cessation of such an external, shallow belief of a religion that has often neglected
the internal relations with God and His people. The heart of Amos’ justice message was,
therefore, the conviction that only a nation in which the justice flows like a river can be, in
a true sense, a people in covenant with God. So for Amos, the future of Israel wholly
depended upon her in-depth relationship with God. This means that being divorced from
the justice of God, the nation of Israel might quickly perish or suffer from doom. In a
wider sense, it can be said that the falls and collapse of nation states would significantly be
due to: first, the morally corrupted acts of individuals such as dishonesty of the judges,
cruelty of the nation’s leaders, and exploitations of business peoples or landlords. Second,
the collapse of the nation might be due to lack of undertaking justice-responsibilities by
both political and religious leaders of the country. In other words, one could say that the
leaders of Israel’s nation in Amos time had completely forgotten that God’s justice and
holiness upheld their nation in the past.
Carefully reading into the heart of Amos’ message of social justice, one can see
how serious Amos was about moral corruptions that pervaded his nation. He put the
whole system of society, with its political, judicial and cultic institutions in question and
raised an aggressive voice against poverty and exploitation, wealth and wickedness, and
corruption, at all levels. One of the very sad things that had happened to the poor in his
time was the fact that the rich bought the poor and sold them for a pair of shoes, although
the sacrifices they made to God in the temples were not denied by the priests.2 The
religious leaders, the priests of Amos’ time kept deliberately blind themselves so as not to
see the realities of the situation. Having seen such a terrible situation, especially for the
poor and the marginalized, Amos painfully felt the need to stand for justice against all
kinds of exploitations and injustices that swept over the nation. He rose up and denounced
all ritualistic external showroom of religion that had often overlooked the suffering of the
2
Amos 2:6-7.
poor people. Amos’ demand was vividly the fact that justice and righteousness are to be
carried out in right conduct, and in the right relationship with one another for God’s
delight. Moreover, the loss of freedom and dignity that were once given to many poor
and marginalized people in the time of Amos now became the reason for the Lord, God,
to annihilate all achievements of political and religious leaders of that time. The period of
Amos could, therefore, be regarded as one of the kairos moments in human history when
God demanded his people for justice praxis - namely, in the case of Amos, socio-
politico-religious transformation, that is, to overhaul the whole structure of religious,
social, and political institutions.
The Challenges of Amos’ Justice Message

Amos’ justice message challenges “the selling of the righteousness for money;”
“the selling of the needy for a pair of shoes;” “trampling the head of the poor and turning
aside the way of the afflicted;”3 and “turning aside the needy in the gate.”4 I would like to
make reflections on some issues of the message as follows:
Selling Righteousness for Silver: Political Injustice

How to sell righteousness for money? Who can sell the needy for a pair of
sandals? Who are those who trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth? Who
turn aside the way of the afflicted? Who are the man and his father who go in to the same
girl?5 These people could be none other than power-holders and wealth-possessors,
for they obtained powers unjustly through different means and forms for their own selfish
purposes. Such decades-long abuses of political and economic powers have played a
significant role in promoting the culture of militarism in my country, Myanmar. When
military government seized power in the form of military coup d’etat (1962), that power
was a kind of violent seizing of peoples’ power by a small elite military group which has
not been elected democratically. Such a dictatorial form of seizing power is always
connected, in many ways, with hidden functions of various political and economic injustices.
It is in such a power-afflicted situation that power-abuse has developed continuously as
a culture of military regime, escalating exercises of political power violently and unjustly,
with an intention of justifying its rulers for doing violent activities in the name of national
development, peace and reconciliation. Myanmar experienced the longest military rule in
the world today as it already took about 50 years since the Ne Win’s government took its
power in 1962. In such a long militarized situation, where military power and ethnic rights
are in constant conflict, people have often tended to overlook the root causes that lie
behind the conflict. Actually, there were no necked conflicts as such but many ethnic
3
Amos 2:6-7
4
Amos 5:12
5
Amos 2:6-7
conflicts arose because of the result of mismanaged, scandalous, and corrupt social,
economic, and political powers or systems of the ruling government.
In the past, the military regime did not understand how peace needs to be sought
alongside justice. What they mean by peace and development is certainly none other than
subjugating people to a certain degree of control under the military rule. Militarism has
been understood as an armed force to be used as a means for controlling people with
conflicts in the name of peace and development, that is, without paying attention to demands
of the poor majority who struggled for their own freedom, rights and survivals. Strictly
speaking, what militarism means in my country is definitely oppression of minority peoples
and also denial of peoples’ rights to life. Hence, many have come to oppose to military
rule as an evil system that has terrorized, threatened and repressed the wills of people
with force in a very unjust and violent way. But every act or movement of those who have
opposed existing socio-political systems of the military regime are being interpreted as an
act of counter violence, neglecting their rights and wills for freedom from their struggles
against central power. With regard to such a case of whether it would be legitimate for
ethnic Christians to take an armed revolution against the prolonged tyranny, the central
government would be a serious theological debate. Liberation theologians in Latin America
made a distinction between three types of violence:6 (i) the institutionalized violence – the
violence which is institutionalized in the very structures of the dominant social order; (ii)
the repressive violence, which is used to defend the first one; and (iii) counter violence as
indicated earlier. In the same vein, human rights activists have also categorized violence
in two forms: unjust and just forms of violence. By the former, they mean a violence that
goes counter to the trends of human history or that enslaves humankind. By the latter,
they mean a violence that liberates people and human history.7 The unjust violence appears
when the military force is mistakenly exercised to terrorize or threaten people against
their wills. The question here is: how to encounter militarism or military power when it has
threatened life, has accelerated fears, and has created ambiguity and various other types
of moral confusions, in which justice is uprooted from its existence.
No Delight in Your Feast: Religious Injustice

By religious injustice, we mean all kinds of discriminations, negligence, exclusion, isolation,
classification, oppression, and exploitation on the basis of religion or belief. In many
cases, religious injustice means religious oppressions and discriminations. A great religious
injustice that was committed by the religious leaders at the time of prophet Amos was not
only turning away from the truth and justice of God but also abusing of their religion,
6
Rosino Gibellini,The Liberation Theology Debate (Maryknolls, New York: Orbis Books,
1986), 47.
7
For instance, in Myanmar history, the nationalist movements under Independence hero,
General Aung San (father of Aung San Suh Kyi) and other nationalists such as Saya San and U
Wissara since the Anglo-Burma wars (1826-1855) throughout colonial period (1855-1947) represented
liberation movements that have demonstrated ‘just violence’ in over a century-old history of the
British Burma.
employing it as a showcase or a tool to maintain their external religious status quo. To

look at Myanmar situation with the eyes of such Amos’ justice message, there appears
various forms of discrimination, oppression, exploitation and even ethnocide on the religious
ground.8
Favored Religion:
Such a religious discrimination has often happened in a situation where a religion
of one group is given a special status or favor over religions of other groups. Religious
discrimination in Myanmar has much to do with the idea of favor-ism or favoritism of
the majority’s religion. To make this idea clearer, I would like to give Buddhism in post-
colonial Myanmar as an example. Post-colonial Buddhism in Myanmar took a form of
resurgence because of its closer and stronger connections with transitory socio-political
powers and roles.9 The present military government repeatedly makes a claim to peoples
of all faiths saying that there is freedom of worship and no discrimination on religious
grounds.10 But Buddhism, which before was a religion simply favored by the state, is now
not only reaffirmed by the present military government, but also enjoys a special
distinctiveness or status11 over other religions, and has the state’s backing in all its
activities. What this special status of Buddhism means is the continuity of the socio-
political power of Buddhism pointedly sanctioned against the freedom and movements of
other religions in the country. The ideology of this “favored religion” tends to minimize the
freedom of other "un-favored religions" while it claims to embrace all religions to flourish
together peacefully and harmoniously. The net result is that the concept of “favor-ism or
favoritism” brings about religious discrimination or injustice between different religious
adherents in the country, along the ethnic/racial line. This is the ground against which the
minority ethnic Christians (un-favored adherents) and the majority Barman Buddhists
(favored adherents) encountered each other in a conflict, leading to a breach of
communication between them. This conflict resulted consequently in an identity crisis,
when an ethnically Barman Buddhist becomes Christian. Because, for a Barman Christian
who was converted from a Buddhist background to become a Christian is to abandon his
or her socio-cultural identity. It is again based on this wrong conception that many Burman
Buddhist nationalists have misinterpreted becoming Christian as an act of disloyalty to the
Buddhist society and nation.
8
For instance, a government servant who is Christian may be denied his or her promotion to
a higher rank because he or she is a Christian, while a Buddhist gets free access to a higher position.
For further information on religious discrimination, see Religious Persecution: A Campaign of
Ethnocide Against Chin Christian in Burma, published by Salai Za Uk Ling & Salai Bawi Lian
Mang (Ottawa, Canada: Chin Human Rights Organization, 2004).
9
The successive military governments named themselves, the one as State and Law Order
Restoration Council (SLORC) and the other as State and Peace Development Council (SPDC).
10
The New Light of Myanmar (in English) (5 January 2003): 9.
11
Mirror (Kye-mun) Burmese Newspaper (20, 21, 22 August 2002).
Un-favored Religion:
As a result, almost all typical Myanmar Buddhists tend to look at Christianity and
its adherents with this nationalist eyes as an alien element that is connected with Western
cultural imperialism, and hence think of Christianity as an imported Western religion being
associated with the colonial schemes and movements of the past from which it took the
whole nation about a century to gain its full independence.12 In that context, it was the
British colonization that made Christianity in Myanmar culturally alien and socio-politically
undesirable for typical Myanmar Buddhists who always consider their “Buddhist faith the
very raison d’être of their state.”13 Christianity continues to remain an alien and undesirable
element in the eyes of the Buddhist nationalists in post-independence period. Hence, the
growth of Christian churches in Myanmar continue to be looked at enviously and
suspiciously as being part of Western cultural interference in the country’s internal affairs,
and as being associated with the missionary agencies or churches serving as sponsoring
bodies. In response to these challenges, the Baptist churches which represent the majority
Christian populations in Myanmar have developed three self-dependent principles: self-
support, self-propagation and self-governance in order to deconstruct and reconstruct in
a new way with the aids of available Myanmar resources. Such a deconstruction and
reconstruction process would be a great challenge that the Myanmar churches would like
to undertake.
Trampling Upon the Poor: Social Injustice

Social justice is the recognition of the rights and obligations of individuals and a
society. One of its goals is full participation in the institutions and processes of society.
The reverse of this action such as exclusion and marginalization of the poor is the form of
social injustice.14 Social injustice in Myanmar may have to do with issues such as women
trafficking, child labors, and discriminations on the basis of race and religion. Myanmar
women experience male-dominated patriarchal cultures that are inextricably connected
with the existing Buddhist, Christian, and primal faith traditions. It was through these
faith-based patriarchal cultures that Myanmar women were acculturated to subjugate
their roles as inferior to men. Myanmar Buddhist girls are not normally allowed, for instance,
to go through a ceremony of what is called in Burmese, shinpyu - a ceremony of initiation
into Buddhist novice-hood. Myanmar Buddhist women are not qualified candidates for
entering Nirvana, and to be a woman is considered a result of bad karma (deeds) in the
12
Myanmar was invaded by the British in 1825, 1852 and 1885. Since (1885) then the
whole country became the province of India until 1937. Regained independence on 4 January
1948, at 4:20 am under the leadership of General Aung San, Myanmar joined the United Nations
the same year and became a member of ASEAN in 1997.
13
G.E. Harvey, British Rule in Burma, 1824-1942 (London, 1946), 25-26.
14
Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms, by Donald K. McKim. (Louisville, Kentucky:
Westminster John Knox Press, 1996), 152.
past life. Christian women are no exception in that their ministerial ordination is still rejected
by many church leaders. Religion and culture have, therefore, strongly dominated both
the Buddhist, Christian and primal religious Myanmar women’s lives so that even educated
women will support a view that they are less worthy than men, and that they feel that they
do not need liberation from male dominance.15
Violence against women is experienced often as a result of rapes deliberately
committed by military personnel in certain regions. For instance, in regions where minority
ethnic people reside, there are often reports of incidents of rapes and other various forms
of sexual violence committed by military men and their counterparts. Many Myanmar
women dared not report such incidents of sexual assault or violence. One reason is
because of the fear of being tortured by those rapists, and the other is because of the
pressures of Myanmar (Buddhist and primal religious) culture of shame on sexual matters.
There have been verbal reports, unrevealed rumors or secret talks on a number of cases
of sexual harassment against women that are believed to have happened between military
men or officers and women office workers or young attractive girls in several ethnic
regions. Some young girls in certain ethnic regions have been said, for instance, to have
been systematically persuaded into sexual harassment by military men through secret
sexual brokers who were well-paid. Due to increased militarization and anti-insurgency
measures in some Thai-Myanmar border regions such as Wa and Shan states, women
are increasingly vulnerable to rape or forced to marry military men.16 In such a situation,
rapes often took place when women were caught outside a village or porter camp, when
women were forced to porter, and when they were forced to stop at military checkpoints.
In such a case, since women’s bodies were often viewed (by the male armies in this
context) as sexual objects of self-enjoyment, “physical violence against women has become
an important gender-related dimension.”17 This violence against women becomes almost
like a universal culture of militarism. Hence, rehabilitation of the lives of prostitutes,
promotion of the social status of tortured, raped, despised women, securing the security
of assaulted and oppressed women, protecting the rights of outcast, dispossessed and
discriminated women and spiritual care or counseling for HIV/AIDS victimized women
have become the most challenging theological issue and a highly demanded mission task
of the church in Myanmar today.
15
Anna May Say Pa, “Birthing an Asian Feminist Theology in the Face of the Dragon: A
Burmese Perspective,” in RAYS MIT Journal of Theology, vol. 3 (February, 2002), 21.
16
See License to Rape, a research book on women’s issues by the Shan Human Rights
Foundation and the Shan Women’s Action Network (published in May, 2002).
17
Reinhold Traiter-Espiritu, “Violence Against Women’s Bodies,” in Women Resisting Violence:
Spirituality for Life, edited by Mary John Mananzan and et al., (Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Books,
1996), 69.
Turn aside the Needy: Economic Injustice
By economic injustice, we mean an unequal or imbalanced distribution of wealth,
properties, lands, resources, and denial of individual rights or accesses to education,
business, and livelihood. Minority ethnic Christians, particularly the hilly peoples, have
experienced a variety of economic hardships during the past decades of economic
repression under the military rule. The extreme poverty, combined with corrupted moral
and socio-political suppressions, have kept folk peoples in hopelessness and anxiety for
their future. Fear, anxiety, uncertainty, and hopelessness have dampened peoples’ moral
obligation to uphold truth and justice.
Being isolated for decades from the world community and its academic inquiry,
the university education in Myanmar had begun to collapse since 1988.18 The University
education system especially its curriculums, courses, poor instructions, lack of textbooks,
outdated and limited resources, all have resulted in poor quality university education.
When universities and colleges were officially reopened in 2000, after a twelve years long
collapse (1988-2000), many university and college students and teachers were deliberately
dispersed and relocated in the suburbs with poor transportation and communication facilities.
Since many poor students could not afford commuting with those distant colleges located
in suburban areas of the cities, many young people have given up their university education.
Teachers would engage themselves more in giving private home tuition than teaching in
the Universities and colleges as they can earn three times of their monthly salaries by
private home tuitions.
Let Justice run down like Water (Amos 5:24): Eco-Justice

The book of Amos is concerned not only for social justice but also for eco-
justice in the land. Amos chapter 5 emphasizes the social aspect of the justice message of
Amos while other chapters especially chapter 2, 4 and 8, stresses the theological
significance for eco-justice such as the issues of creation, land and space and their relation
to social justice. Amos 4:13 says, “For behold¸ He who forms mountains and creates the
wind, .... and makes the morning darkness, who treads the high places of the earth – the
Lord God of hosts is His name.”
Eco-justice is a perspective that combines concerns of ecology and justice, focusing
on the use and care of the limited resources of earth in ways that are just and beneficial for
the human community. The core of Amos message in 5:21-24 calls for justice to roll
down like waters and righteousness like an everlasting stream. It denounced the cult
strongly for it emphasized only the external and ritual sides of religion. His demand was
that justice and righteousness be carried out in the right conduct, and in the right relationship
18
Before 1960s, Myanmar (Burma) prided herself having a literacy rate of more than 90% and
in placing high value on youth education. Since 1988, literacy rates began to decline to 83%.(See
World Almanac, 2002). As universities were closed from 1989 through 2000 many students (estimated
300,000 students in 2000) are waiting for acceptance.
with one another for the delight of Yahweh. Justice and righteousness for Amos are closely
connected with right conduct in society. The loss of freedom of many fellow citizens was
a terrible crime in Amos’s eyes and it became the reason for the Lord to obliterate all the
achievements of the religious leaders. Thus Amos gave a clarion call that just as the earth
needs water so also the society must be watered by justice and righteousness in order to
bring in a peaceful life. Theologically speaking, the issues of creation, land and space are
fundamental and foundational to biblical themes of liberation, justice and peace. Throughout
the history of the church, bringing justice to humanity, creation, and land were never two
agendas, but were always one agenda with two aspects. In fact, bringing justice to creation,
land and space is equally bringing social justice to human dignity.
Amos questioned the whole system of society with its political, judicial and cultic
institutions and raised his prophetic voice against oppression, wealth and wickedness,
and corruption at all levels. In other words, Amos strongly opposed the commercialization
of justice and religion. In the time of Amos, for instance, the problems of poverty,
oppression and social conflicts could not be understood, without understanding the issues
of land, space and creation. A similar situation existed for the Psalmist who says, “When
there is justice in the land, the fields and forests and every living thing will dance and sing
for joy” (Psalm 96:11-12). Space and time are being defiled when the rich buy the poor
for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals. Time is polluted when keeping the wages of
a laborer until morning. But time and space are being blessed when we love our neighbors
as we love ourselves. A nation shall be blessed only when the practice of justice is fully
realized in its land. Eco-theology or eco-spirituality is a theology of seeking justice in all
aspects of human life.
I very much agree with Jurgen Moltmann when he says, “we shall not be able to
achieve social justice without doing justice for natural environment and in the same way,
we shall not be able to achieve justice for nature without doing social justice.”19 In this
sense, one cannot do adequate theology without relating to the issue of land, space and
creation. A theology that addresses humanity alone and leaves the rest of the cosmos un-
addressed would be an incomplete theology. Theology becomes impotent or weak when
it addresses only humanity and leaves the rest unrelated to humanity. Theology must be
inclusive of all human agendas. Moltmann continues to discuss an authentic Christian
liberation theology under four categories. A genuine liberation theology must, he says,
always be:
(1) in the struggles for economic justice against the exploitation of man;
(2) in the struggles for human dignity and human rights against political oppressions
of man,
(3) in the struggles for peace with nature against the industrial destruction of the
environment and
19
Jurgen Moltmann, The Future of Creation, 1979, 110-112.
(4) in the struggles for hope against apathy in asserting the significance of the
whole in personal life.
Talking about eco-injustice, it should be noted that eco-injustice together with
the concerns of social injustice occurs in a community due to the following reasons: (1)
because of human selfishness, greed and an exploitative attitude toward nature and mother
earth; (2) because of human religious misconceptions and negative attitudes toward nature
and creation, and (3) because of economic and political exploitation of natural resources
and human environment in the name of development. I would like to highlight the above
three points in the following.
The first reason has to do mainly with human nature. There are bad moral seeds
inherent in human nature such as selfish ends, greed and ignorance, and indifference.
These moral behaviors are very basic to various environmental and social crises today.
Many people, especially Christians, are not only greedy but are even exploitative of
natural resources. Gandhi of India had once said, “The earth can provide for our need
but not for our greed.” Human greed for more possessions depletes natural resources
and eco-life systems. An ecologist once shouted out asking who is to blame for the
onrushing environmental crises, and answered, yes, “I have met the enemy and that enemy
is in me.”
The second reason has to do with our own religion. I am quite in agreement with
what Lynn White, an American eco-historian, said that the root of eco-injustice is largely
religious and so the remedy must be also religious. So for Lynn White, Christianity bears
a huge burden of guilt for the eco-injustices. What Lynn White points out here as the main
root cause for eco-injustice is the Judeo-Christian mistaken idea of man’s dominion over
creation based on Gen.1:28. We, many Christians, after we become Christians, begin to
freely exploit nature and environment without any thought of what can happen to them
and to humanity. Christianity itself failed to teach us about eco-justice, especially Christian
ethics toward human environment and nature. The third reason is related to ethical concern.
Without ethical concern for nature, there can be no eco-justice. The biblical concept of
right and wrong does not end with man to man ethical relations, but it extends further to
man-nature ethical relations. According to Roderick Nash, an ecologist and theologian,
“ethics must underlie the environmental concerns if it is really to succeed in transforming
human’s thought and actions. Conservation of environment must become a matter of
morality, not merely a matter of economics or of aesthetics or even of law.” Eco-justice
is a matter of moral concerns than a matter of economics. Nash continues to point out
that the root problem in the man-nature relation is not really what man makes, but the
moral attitudes man has towards nature. Hence, in order to achieve eco-justice, an
environmental ethic, which is to seek the inner transformation in the individual to bring out
a sound environment and eco-justice, would be a necessary and demanding factor.
People today are exploiting and destroying nature and environment because it is
the way we think, we believe and we behave. In fact, unless we change our erroneous
views and conceptions on nature and creation today, we may not be able to achieve eco-
justice. We need to change from nature- conquering view to a nature-reverence view

with regard to the integration of God’s creation. In the view of eco-theology, human
beings are no longer seen as the crown of creation but rather they are seen as part of the
living organism. The profound study of this human-nature relationship is called ‘deep
ecology.” The central idea of deep ecology is that human beings are part of the earth
rather than apart and separate from it. Deep ecology is a holistic approach to experiencing
oneself as part of the living earth and finding his or her role in protecting the planet. This
idea is also part of what is called “the Gaia Hypothesis,” a theory named after the name of
the ancient Greek goddess of the earth. “The Gaia Hypothesis” maintains that the earth is
alive as living systems and that human beings are part of it. This theory emphasizes a life-
centered spirituality and the interconnected web system of God’s creation.
Finally, I would like to recommend the churches to:

(1) Reexamine our mistaken theological conceptions and worldviews on our
relations to nature and humanity and find theological, social, economic and political
solutions for the root causes.
(2) Revisit scriptures or the Bible to learn from it what it teaches about eco-
justice. We have studied the Bible for centuries without knowing about eco-justice,
about earth keeping, and about human relation to environment. It is therefore
important to read the Bible with open eyes to see eco-problems.
(3) Reinvest in public education. Public education is most important for the
achievement of eco-justice in society. Local church and communities have the power
to bring about social and environmental change. Educating our people in a way that
they become eco-justice and social justice activists is very important and most
powerful.
Seek Me and Live (Amos 5:4): The Quest for a New World
The aforementioned issues have compelled Myanmar churches to rethink how to
do their mission and theology in a new way in the midst of those challenges. Would a new
world be possible for the peoples in Myanmar? Despite the prevalence of political injustice,
economic corruption, and various religious oppressions, we wish to find in such a situation
of hopelessness a glimmer of hope to make our dim future brighter. We believe that hope
in Christ is a hope that transcends all difficulties, that enriches possibility of a new world
and life, and that empowers us to resist life-threatening power of global evils. When doing
mission and theology in Myanmar, we hope to deal not only with liberating poor people
from economic poverty, but also with empowering peoples to courageously face and
overcome the hard realities of life. The churches are called for to engage themselves
aggressively in combating the oppressive structures and evil systems of militarism and
globalization that ruin Myanmar society. The following are suggested future actions to
help build a new world in this troubled land.
(i) Sharpen our vision and hope for holistic liberation and fullness of life, and
strengthen our theological voice as an instrument of liberation
(ii) Take a stand against death-dealing evil forces in politics, economy, social and
religious life, and identify alternatives to a better life and a new world
(iii) Work for a religious liberation, develop a spirituality of peoples’ struggle for
justice and equality, and think of our theological work as part of our people’s
cry against injustice
(iv) Engage in a dialogue on practical issues at the grassroots level and network
with peoples’ movements (workers, farmers, indigenous peoples, fisher folks,
urban poor)
(v) Draw upon the common values of religions to struggle against militarism and
globalization and envision religious communities for building together a
common future
(vi) Define the roles and rights of women and children in the context of violence,
trafficking, labor, migration and ethnic conflicts and develop them as an integral
part of peoples’ struggle for liberation
(vii) Translate all challenges into specific calls and actions at community and national
level
In conclusion, let me give a final remark on Amos’ justice message, the content of
which has been highlighted earlier in the beginning. In time of prophet Amos, once
corruption prevailed, the whole nation, people and land fell apart, and faced misery of
life. The nation, people and land have become polluted when the powerful and the rich
bought the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, and when the wages of
laborers were unpaid until the next morning. But, even in this context, it seemed that a
new world is possible when justice is left to roll down like waters. With this inspiration in
mind, a new world in our land is possible when justice prevails in this land. A genuine
spirituality of any religious community is a spirituality that seeks justice, peace and holiness
in all aspects of life. Justice is the central theme of God’s salvation in all religions. It is
also the ultimate goal of both Christianity and all living faiths. As God or ultimate Reality
is just, so are we to be just. As our God or ultimate Reality is holy, so are we to be holy.
Hence, together with Amos, let us do justice, and let it roll down like waters in the land so
that we make a new world possible.20 Finally, our great challenge as Christians in Myanmar
is to build a new world with new structures of policy that pay serious attention to everyday
life issues which the people have often encountered in this land.
20
Deut. 16:20.
A PERSON OF GRACE, DIGNITY AND HUMILITY

Sandy Sneddon
I first got to know Revd Smith N. Za Thawng when I took my

post as Asia Secretary of the Church of Scotland’s World Mission
Council in 2003. The following year my colleagues in the Church and
Nation Committee presented a major report on Burma to the General
Assembly of the Church of Scotland and Revd Smith and his late wife
Rebecca were invited to come to Edinburgh. Revd Smith was invited to
address the General Assembly, the highest court of the Church of Scot-
land, and I still remember the power and emotion of his speech, but above
all the grace, courage and dignity of the man. While his country and his
community were living under incredible pressure and facing difficulties
and challenges Revd Smith spoke of how Christians in Burma had to love
their enemies until they become friends. It is sometimes too easy to recite
the teachings of Jesus, it is always more challenging to live them out.
The following year I was able to visit Burma for the first time and
Revd Smith accompanied me and made arrangements for me to meet
with different church leaders in Yangon. He and his wife took me for
meals and showed me around the city. It was a pleasure and a privilege
for me to have a guide and friend like Revd Smith and his friendship has
been a blessing to me in the past few years.
Revd Smith has faced difficult times, too, and yet he remains
a person of grace, dignity and humility. When he wrote to tell me of
the passing of his dear wife Rebecca in 2011, he wrote with obvious
sadness but there was no trace of self-pity. A request that his friends
should pray for him and his family at a time of grief and loss was all he
asked.
My friendship with Revd Smith N. Za Thawng has enriched
my life and as he celebrates a significant birthday I wish him every
blessing.
MY BROTHER SMITH (A CHEERFUL GIVER)

Saw Paw Lu
During my lifetime, I have written about two men. The first man was Rev. Po
Khaing of Tharrawaddy. He was the first Pastor of Tharrawaddy Karen Baptist Church.
To complete my Bachelor of Religious Education I had to submit a thesis so I chose to
write about a minister who had sacrificed his whole life for God's ministry, as an ideal
pastor and hoped that his life will be an example for people who are interested to serve
the Lord as a pastor or minister.
The Second man was my own beloved father Rev. Josie Byu also from
Tharrawaddy. Rev. Josie Byu’s biography was written in Karen one year after his
death , in Burmese two years after his death and in English three years after his
death by myself. I was really happy to write my father’s biography. I hope those who
read about my father will be encouraged and inspired.
Now Rev. Smith Ngulh Za Thawng is the third man whom I am writing about at
his age of sixty five. He is still serving the Lord faithfully as a faithful servant in God’s
ministry. He is my brother in Christ. I love him as my real brother and I am well pleased
with him. The first question is “How do you know Rev. Smith?” After graduating from
RASU (Rangoon Arts and Science University) as I was serving as a tutor in the Geography
Department, we often met each other at University Christian Fellowship (UCF) programs,
such as services, meetings, fellowships, dinners, seminars or trainings. I also knew him
because he was a student pastor of UCF. When I recalled back my memory, I felt that
the Holy Spirit introduced us to know each other well. At that time he was young and
active and so was I. Moreover at that time I knew that he eagerly wanted to dedicate his
whole life in God’s ministry to serve the Lord faithfully and mightily in future ministry. I
also as young tutor, made up my mind to serve the Lord as much as I could from the
corner of my side. Thus Smith and Paw Lu became united in UCF work, without some
one introducing us. I remember, once, we met at a vocational guidance training for the
fresh graduates in 1971, October at Kyundaw Road at the Anglican Religious Training
Centre (Hanthawaddy – Yangon), it made us more intimate in the Lord’s service. Our
close relationship started from that moment in God’s love, that’s all I know.
Once my brother Smith made a strong decision at a special consecration service,

he had witnessed. Rev. U Ba Hmyin (Judson Church Pastor) invited the graduates to
come to the front at an alter call. Smith said, although he had already made up his mind to
be a captain in the military service in his future life he moved slowly to the front and
consecrated himself to the Lord and said “O Lord here I am, please use me in Thy
service.” While saying that, tears were rolling down his check. He finally gave his life as
good soldier for Christ, until now. I am a Karen while my brother Smith is a Chin. But I
never feel that he is Chin and I am Karen, there is no ethnic barrier between he and me.
He married Daw B. Htu Nan a Kachin-Shan woman and God gave them four children. I
know that they lived as a happy Christian home. In summer their children used to come to
us and I had to teach them English, Mathematics, and Bible stories. They all are smart,
clever and obedient. In the end of the week on Saturdays my children used to visit my
brother Smith’s family to watch T.V program.Therefore, the relationship between these
two families is not as two families but as one.
Brother Smith is a cheerful giver. He loves to donate, share, contribute and give
to others who need help. When we visit him at his office (General Secretary of Myanmar
Council of Churches), outside his office door, there are many people such as poor people,
beggars, needy people, waiting for help from him. Though he is an V.I.P he used to get
out from his office, then meets or talks to those people and gives them cash or in kind and
also his sweet smile.
Once a female minister said as she has to study abroad in USA, she needs
round trip air ticket for that trip, then she visited Rev. Smith to give her advice or
help. And he said, “Don’t worry, I will do it for you,” then he arranged everything
for her. How wonderful my brother Smith is. How many times he had arranged such
a matter in similar ways for others also, we cannot know.
In 1979 as I had to transfer to Lashio University as head of Geography
Department, brother Smith’s family helped me cheerfully, for I had never been to
Lashio before. As his wife B. Htu Nan was from Lashio her brother (Brother-in-law
of Smith) B. Naw Li (Immigration Officer) came to meet me at Lashio railway
station, then made everything perfectly for me to stay in Lashio. They had done
good things to me, so how can I forget this in my life? When I lived in Judson Centre
compound, we often encountered some problems and I had to solve them as I was
the estate warden. I used to solve the problems by shouting, scolding, and getting
angry. But sometimes when brother Smith was with us, the way he solved the
problems was far different from my nature or manner. Softly and tenderly, he handled
all the matters. Therefore, my wife used to say “See— how different is the handling
of problems between Smith and Paw Lu. I noticed, people want to pay more respect
to the one like Smith, as he solved all problems with a smiling face and peaceful
manner.”
I remember, when my brother Smith was a chairperson of the Board of Trustees
of MIT (Myanmar Institute of Theology) he once gave a graduation message for BARS
(Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies) Students in October 2005 that I could not forget
and the message that he delivered is still in my mind. He stated that BARS stands for (Be
Always Ready to Serve), giving words of encouragement for young people of today.
Through his message we can know that he is a man who helps others, who is always
ready to serve. “ The son of man did not come to be served, but to serve” (Matt. 20:28).
His purpose was to become a captain in the military service but it is clear that
God himself needs him to be a chief commander in his service. It is a great pleasure and
blessing for me to write about my brother Smith, he who still serves the Lord at the age of
sixty five. I hope God will continue to bless him and use him more in the future ministry.
A FU NAMED SYA SMITH

Thang Khawm Pau
My mind went back over three decades to recollect my sweet memories of

college life at MASU (Mandalay Arts and Science University) and UCF (University
Christian Fellowship). If anyone asked a college student to say what made his or her
college life memorable, there would be a variety of answers.
If a skillful cardiologist performed open-heart surgery on a youth they might
find that the heart would be normal. However, who can say what is normal for a
youth when their heart is like a Ping-Pong ball bouncing from one love affair to
another. Only God can know the true condition of the spiritual heart.
In those days some young men and women came from godly Christian homes.
For the ones who called themselves Christians, UCF was just a place where they
listened to the singing of Christian artists during a stage-show once a year. However,
UCF was also a place where true Christian students from various Divisions and
States met and could fellowship in the bond of Christian love.
Rare were the opportunities for one to know Sya Smith. He was a humble
and very simple servant of the Lord. As for me, I did not have a lot of life experiences
apart from UCF.
When I was a freshman, Sya Smith was my student pastor. It was good to
see him again at the UCF chapel. I had the privilege of meeting him when he came to
the Tedim area with the UCF gospel group. I recall Htar Htar Yi, Augustina, Violet
Kyi, Mr. Kam Suan Mang and Mr. Smith were part of the group as well.
On the first night at Cope Memorial Baptist Church they introduced
themselves telling their major subjects, where they came from, what denomination
they belonged to and more. It was very interesting to hear such testimonies from a
Christian group found at a college. As a college student at UCF, life seemed interesting
for Christians.
I felt that night was the second touch I had received from the Lord about going to
college. He gave me a new vision to finish high school and join the college. The first one
was when I was a boy about seven or eight years old. I saw my uncle’s friends when they
came home for summer vacation from Rangoon University. What handsome young men
they were. As the years have gone by, the Lord has fulfilled my dream.
I was in the Geography Department, Hall 1, sitting in the lecture room listening to
the lectures and taking notes. My mind filled with concern every day when I heard the
lectures given in the Burmese language. I would think, “Is this really at a university level of
teaching?” “Can it bring me up to the international level?” As these thoughts crossed my
mind, my schooling seemed a little boring. The only thing I could find to remedy these
thoughts were to watch western pictures in the cinema hall. In those days, first year
students lived in Nan Shih Hostel and it was far from the University campus and UCF.
The Lord saved me during my second year of college in Tedim and my involvement
with the UCF completely changed. It was not just for Christian-fellowship, but it was
much more. We attended Wednesday and Sunday evening services on a regular basis.
Sya Smith would invite good preachers and dedicated Christian doctors and educators
to preach at the chapel services. I still remember when Dr. Saw Gideon Sein came and
encouraged us in the Lord.
Many prominent Christian leaders among them loved Sya Smith. As far as I
knew, Rev. Ba Aye (the head of the Upper Methodist Church) and his wife had
almost adopted him as their son. Sya Smith was a very popular young pastor. People
from Kelly Church, Aungpinle Church, Maymyo and Sagaing knew him quite well.
He was not an energetic preacher, but soft-spoken and a faithful young shepherd.
His messages were philosophical and sometimes hard to follow and hard to
understand. He was a man who lived his words. It was nice to fellowship with him
and be a part of his life. He was a gentle, kind-hearted and gracious man. He was a
quiet man but he also loved to tell jokes and laughed heartily. He loved singing. The
UCF had a twelve-stringed guitar he used to strum when he was alone and
occasionally with the students on gospel trips.
I learned from Sya Smith, and have applied it in my life. One lesson was “Pray
before taking pills.” I was weak and feeling cold on a rainy night when we went to visit
him. I asked him if he had any pills that would help heal my flu before we went home. He
took me to his bedroom and holding some tablets in his hand, he prayed for my healing
and prayed that the Lord might bless the tablets in his hand. On the way back home I was
thinking about his prayer over me, that the Lord might use the medication to heal me. If
God had not blessed the pills so they were strong, the medicine would have been useless.
Yes, the prayers of the righteous man availeth much! Whenever I need to take medication
or go to the doctor I always pray first. He cared for his students deeply! Sya Smith was
a good pastor, all of us loved him dearly and he was highly respected.
A group of Chinese Christian University students from Hong Kong visited Mandalay
UCF back in 1977. They all loved singing and gave their testimonies. In those days, a film
called Jesus Christ Superstar was shown all over the world except in Burma. They
wanted to know our opinion and were willing to hear our feedback. No one had ever
seen such a film or even heard that name. What a shame! During our fellowship time, one
of the female students gave Sya Smith the nickname “a fu,” which means: a blessing. The
fellowship session went very well. Everyone enjoyed the presence of the Holy Spirit. We
closed the joyous time by holding hands and singing “We Are One in the Spirit, We Are
One in the Lord” and then Pastor “A Fu” gave the benediction.
A LEADER OF SINCERITY AND GOOD SPIRIT

Thian Khup
I received a letter from the magazine working committee a few days ago. ‘In my
heart back to over forty years ago at Mandalay University I met brother Ngulh Za Thawng
in Arts & Science University first year in Zoology majoring with a few Chin students like
U Kham Go Pau (now in USA) U Freddy Ngo Cin Mang (now in Japan) and some
other’s in our class. Our teachers were Professor Dr. F. Delphin (now in Canada), Dr.
Robert Tun Maung (now retired Rector and practicing Buddhist monk). In our minor
subject in Chemistry our Professor was Dr. Khin Maung, Dr. Maung Di (later Deputy
Minister of Education) and other prominent teachers in Mandalay University.
At that time I was a footballer selected from Sagaing Division so I always missed
my class for a long time. Sya Smith and some Chin students assisted me especially on
practical works like Chemistry titration and other subjects. Sya Smith backed me up
always in my class room. Due to a long absent in my class, our friends left me in the first
year.
Rev. Arthur Kolay was our spiritual leader in University campus, Sya Smith fully
participated as choir leader. All Christian national students were in the campus so later he
married to our Kachin lady which means Union unity and Christian unity.
When I was in the Department of Fisheries at Hakha, Chin State in 1979, I had
a chance to study “Fresh Water Fishery Institute” in Canton China, supported by FAO.
I met Sya Smith to recommend the lowest accommodation in Hong Kong and he suggested
the YMCA Hotel. His recommendation was very helpful in Hong Kong for 3 days before
entering to mainland China. After three month training, I returned back to Hong Kong I
could meet Rev. Dr. Hacket of US citizen, born in Myanmar (Mawlamein) who was very
intimate to my father Rev. Mang Ko Pau.(former General Secretary of Zomi Baptist
Convention, 1957-1962).
By the way Dr. Hacket was very interested in Agriculture to promote in Chinland
especially as Pastor’s families were very poor in their livelihood. In 1962 he visited to
Chinland with the late Lt. Col. Son Ko Pau (Horticulturist-specialized in Coffee Farming)
to study poverty alleviation in Chin State.
Sya Smith slowly and steadily won the race and he deserved to become MCC
General Secretary which we had never dreamt that post for the Chin peoples. He was
very sincere to any class of human being whatever he faced in his work. He has good
spirit and good decision making
We the Chin ethnic hilly tribes from Chinland mostly did not understand the tradition
and culture of Buddhism like other Christian communities. Chins population increased
year by year in Yangon. We had to depend on other’s Church buildings so we faced a lot
of difficulties for our Chin Community.
We the Siyin Community (YSBC) found St. Phillip’s Church in Botahtaung
Township owned by the Anglican Church. We negotiated to transfer the Church to YSBC
by donating 50 Million Kyats. We faced financial problem to donate that amount of
money we could not afford. At that time Sya Smith (MCC-GS) in the name of Jesus
Christ gave full support not only spiritual but also some money.
From 1985 to 1995 I held the post of Deputy Director of Department of Fisheries
and also in charge for upper Myanmar State and Division Fishery Offices. At that time we
depend for worship services only at Kelly Baptist Church. By the grace of our heavenly
Father God blessed Rev. Dam Za Nang and especially Tedim language speaking group.
I was one of the founders of Mandalay Zomi Baptist Church (MZBC) under the guidance
of our senior Pastor Rev. Dam Za Nang. By the grace of God Upper Myanmar Methodist
Church requested Rev. Dam Za Nang to transfer the Church by donating 1.2 Million
Kyats. We were very happy to have the Church but we could not afford that amount of
money. To solve our problem Rev. Dam Za Nang contacted Sya Smith to contribute
some amount of money.
At that time I had also a chance for our Christian community, our Church and
Aung Pin Le church where A. Judson was detained. By the grace of God I was very
intimate with U Aye Myint who was head of Land Record Department in Mandalay
Division, I myself convened to U Aye Myint as he was very powerful in mapping for the
extension of Mandalay City development at that time. By the grace of God we got these
two plots as green land for our Christian Community from authorities concerned. At that
time the Commander of Central Command and Chairman of State Law and Order and
Restoration Council was Lt. General Tun Kyi who was very intimate and trusted me to
favor the Christian community.
After my retirement Rev. Dam Za Nang was also called by our Heavenly Father
which was followed by so many problems in our Church in Mandalay (MZBC). To
solve the problem the widow of Rev. Dam Za Nang requested Sya Smith and myself, and
Rev. Dr. Simon Pau Khan En.(former MBC –GS and Principal of MIT). Sya Vial Khan
Mang, brother of Mrs. Dam Za Nang also participated. Sya Smith stood not only for Nu
Niang but also for fair and square advice for future (MZBC) position. We could not
solve the problem, we were sorry for Nu Niang and daughter but we believed that God
will bless Nu Niang and daughter forever.
One of our Political leaders Dr. Lian Mung Sakhong of Zophei wrote his Doctorate
thesis in Sweden Upsala University "The Politics and Christianity among the Chin." Dr.
Lian Mung’s thesis was very realistic and reliable source he collected so many references,
books and all of our Chin Community history over hundred of years. To have, I met Sya
Smith to lend the book and he told me that he was very busy to study this valuable thesis
but you may know your grandfather, Rev. Thuam Hang and family who were the first
converts into Christian in Chin Land.
Unfortunately Sya Smith lost his beloved wife a few years ago, I myself with our
Pastor and deacons of YSBC paid the last tribute at the funeral service at Judson Church.
A very huge crowd in Judson Church showed that Sya Smith and his beloved wife built
how much Christian foundation in our country.
God Bless you forever and ever.
A TREASURE OF INCALCULABLE VALUE

Ute Jäger-Fleming and Kenneth Fleming
It is with great joy and a sense of privilege that we have this opportunity to
write a few words of appreciation for Rev. Smith, as he reaches the good age of
sixty-five. We came to know Rev. Smith in 1995 when we attended an ATESEA
conference in Yangon. That visit stays in our minds for a number of reasons: the
committed theological debates and stimulating biblical studies, the gracious wel-
come of theological institutes, meeting with John Fleming, the exposure to some of
the many languages and cultures of Burma, and, unfortunately for Kenneth, a severe
attack of amoebic dysentery! Behind and involved in all of these new experiences
was Rev. Smith, acting as organiser, receiver of guests, facilitator of meetings, sourcer
of medical care, and many other things.
At the time, we were employed as ‘partners in mission’ for the Church of
Scotland with the Church of Christ in Thailand, working as pastors in rural churches
in northern Thailand. We struggled with questions about the relationship between
western missionaries and indigenous churches. In Thailand, with its huge Buddhist
majority and tiny Christian presence, the churches were often viewed as foreign
imports. In the Protestant churches, this sense of alienation from the culture and
history of the great mass of people was reinforced by the lack of indigenous theological
reflection and the predominance of western liturgical forms, architecture and dress.
For many of the conservative-minded Theravada tradition, Christianity was an
imposter, tolerated because of the Buddhist ideals of welcome and kindness but,
nonetheless, under suspicion because of Christianity’s fixation with conversion. We
were excited, then, to engage with Burmese theologians; to observe their approach,
insights and struggles in relating to their interreligious, ethnic and socio-political
contexts. There was also, back then, what seemed like a strong ecumenical
commitment across the Protestant denominations in Burma. We recall a discussion
where we asked Rev Smith why the two neighbouring contexts, Thailand and Burma,
should be so different. He said that a possible factor was the decision of the Burmese
government, decades ago, to expel foreign missionaries. This measure pushed the
churches to reconsider their commitment to each other and to their contexts.
The talk confirmed our belief that Thai Christianity suffered from drawing too
much on foreign sources. In Burma, Kenneth contracted dysentery, like countless others,
through drinking impure water; the thing that was meant to refresh and renew turned out
to be a source of suffering. Correspondingly, the Thai churches suffered from drinking
too much from the theological wells of the west and, more latterly, Korea. Our impression,
after recent visits, is that it is changing for the better in Thailand, though Christianity is still
seen by many as intrinsically foreign. No doubt, in Burma, if the political situation continues
to improve and the country becomes more open, some foreign missions will be eager to
play a larger role – it will be interesting to see how the churches and training institutes
react.
What sustains us all across these differences in cultures etc. is friendship. Rev.
Smith has been someone who has sought to develop and maintain such friendships. A
few years ago, Kenneth had the opportunity to renew their friendship in Yangon, as part
of a group of visiting German theologians. It was impressive to see that he had lost none
of his concern for hospitality and again offered insightful comments on fostering international
and ecumenical relations for the benefit of all. In the Bible it is written that “faithful friends
are a sturdy shelter: whoever finds one has found a treasure” (Sirach 6:14). On this
occasion, celebrating the life and ministry of Rev. Smith, we would like to express our
gratitude for his friendship. He is truly a treasure, a treasure of the churches in Burma.
IN GOD'S WORLD - CALLED TO BE ONE

Wati Longchar
It is a great honour to be associated with Revd Smith N. Za Thawng, a prominent

ecumenical leader from Myanmar who dedicated his life for the cost of ecumenical
movement since 1972. Rev. Smith continues to work tirelessly to tear down the walls of
separation just as Christ came to tear down the walls (Eph. 2:14). The walls of separation
that have kept people behind, isolated and treated like second-class citizens in the body
of Christ.
A Divine Mandate – Called to be ONE

“In God’s World - Called to be One” is a divine imperative, not an option. Every
person is called to strive to be one with one another, not because it is expedient but
because God has called into existence one people. It is God’s will that God’s people be
one and together - to be united and diverse at the same time. We are called to be one not
because we are same, but because we are different; not because all are good or all lead
to the same goal. But we are called to be one because we are all created by God in His
own image. Therefore, the mandate "called to be one" is not just a desire for closeness,
or a model for coexistence. This is a unity in diversity.1 This is not a matter of compromising
or harmonizing the differences, but is a prophetic movement compelled by the power of
the Holy Spirit to live and work together.
a) To be One is the very Nature of God: Communion or togetherness is an integral

feature in the very nature of God, as expressed in the Holy Trinity. Trinity is unity in
community. They are related to each other, belonged to one another, never insist on one’s
own way, and despite “their outward appearance of diversity,” their foundational unity is
upheld. There is no dominion over the other in the Trinity. Each divine person penetrates
the other and allows himself/herself to be penetrated, each maintaining identity but sharing
the same communion.2 Unity of equal partners bound by mutual love is a model that
expresses divine reality.
1
O. Cullmann, Unity through Diversity: It’s Foundations and a Contribution to the
Discussion Concerning its Actualization, (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1988).
2
K.C. Abraham, “Living in a Religiously Plural World – Problems and Challenges for
Doing Mission in Asia” in JTCA, vols. 7&8, (2008), p. 11.
b) We are in God’s World: The Bible begins with a vision that the whole inhabited earth
is one. The first two chapters of the Book of Genesis are not a scientific statement but
fundamentally a faith-affirmation. God is the maker of heaven and earth. She/he has
made the humans in Her/His image and likeness (Gen. 1:26-27). We carry “the breath of
life” gifted by God (Gen. 2:7). There is an affirmative, an intrinsic oneness between God
and all of humanity as well as between humanity and the earth. The biblical vision of
`called to be one’ is not just a denominational issue or for inter-religious cooperation. It
has to do with the whole and all of reality on earth. The Apostle Paul admonishes us “to
be in the world” but “not of the world.” To be “of the world” is to accept the world’s
values; it is opposition to God and to live under the conditions of human sinfulness. “To be
in the world” is to exercise the will of God.
c) God Became Flesh: God became flesh so that we share oneness with God, with one
another and with the whole creation. In incarnation, God does not remain remote and
abstract in the world. He/she becomes tangible and visible in Jesus. He is made up of
flesh and blood, rooted in and related to the heat and dust, the rough and tumble of the
earth. Thus the Johannine affirmation, “God so loved the world" (Jn. 3:16) and “the
Word became flesh" (Jn. 1:14). These are the defining characteristics of the incarnation
that God is integrally related to the world. This gives Him His identity and thereby He is
able to identify with full humanity. Jesus is not an appearance, a docetic figure or a gnostic
being. He is of the sinful flesh, sarx, belonging to the cosmos, the world. He is not a
disembodied, fleshless reality.3 The `called to be one’ is not other-worldly, but it is to be
experienced in this world.
d) All Human Beings are One: The creation narrative speaks about one humanity.
Human beings carry not only ‘the breath of life’, but they are all created in ‘the image of
God’ (Genesis 1) irrespective of caste, gender, color, creed, ethnicity or language which
guarantee human beings a privileged place among living things and affirm our common
humanity. They provide grounds for respect of life and justice and the right for all human
beings. This means the right of equality of access to basic needs of life as well as political,
economic, spiritual and cultural goods for all people. It confers on all people a worth or
dignity that no person or system - whether political, economic, or social - can take away.
Life is a divine gift to all and enabling people to celebrate this divine gift is the role of the
church.
e) In Doing Justice we Witness to Oneness: Without justice, ‘called to be one’ is like

an empty vessel. Justice is the ground for communion with God and between humans as
well as God’s creation. Injustice breeds division and hatred. The Hebrew Prophets
3
Somen Das, The Church and the World: Towards a Biblical-Ethical Understanding
(New Delhi: ISPCK, 2006), pp. 9-10.
spoke of structural transformation of social, political and economic systems. People’s

dignity and freedom were the crux of their visions. They pronounced God’s judgment
upon those who exploited the poor, widow and strangers. The prophets always understood
God’s liberative action in terms of political, social and economic freedom. Jesus’
announcement of the Kingdom also embraces the total well being of people. He challenged
the religious and political systems that oppressed and marginalized people. Christian witness
which is merely in the sense of individual salvation or otherworldly salvation is essentially
a contradiction to the Good News of the coming of God’s Kingdom. The Kingdom
which Jesus preached was the Kingdom of those who were deprived of life. Jesus’
uncompromising defense of life led him to a life of conflict with the powerful ruling class of
his time.4 To follow Jesus is to witness to the abundant life. It involves sacrifice, suffering
and opposition for Christ’s sake.
‘Called to be One’ – Is Visible Unity Enough?

Jesus’ prayer that “they all may be one” was adopted by the early Church to
describe the visible unity of the Church (Ephesians 4.3) and the “whole inhabited
earth” (Matthew 24.14). The traditional understanding of the house of God referred
to the initiatives aimed at greater Christian unity or church cooperation in responding
to the particular concerns of the Christian denominational divisions caused in its
history. The founding of the World Council of Churches in 1948 marked a significant
milestone of the effort for unity by the churches. Formed through the merger of the “Life
and Work” and “Faith and Order” in 1948, the World Council of Churches (WCC) is
today a worldwide fellowship of 349 global, regional and sub-regional, national and local
churches seeking unity, a common witness and Christian service. Today the member
churches of WCC include the Orthodox Churches, numerous denominations of the
Protestant churches, which include Anglican, Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist, Reformed
and some United, Uniting and independent churches representing some 560 million
Christians in more than 110 countries all over the world.
Along with the development and growth of WCC, the concept and practice of
“called to be one” have been challenged and expanded. The rapid expansion of membership
brought rich fellowship and exchanges among the members, and deepened the Christian
witness of unity and service. However, the churches in the third world countries based on
their cultural particularity and mission experiences have challenged the traditional
understanding of unity, which focused primarily on the unity of the church. With the irruption
of third world churches, the concept of “One in Christ” was challenged to widen its scope
from its original concern for the unity of the Church to the unity of people and is further
including the “integrity of God’s whole creation”.
4
Somen Das, The Church and the World: Towards a Biblical-Ethical Understanding,
31.
The divisions of the churches among ‘younger churches’ are not so much a doctrinal
issue, but mostly based on non-theological factors. In the early years the denomination
of a convert was commonly determined by topography rather than by theology. But
today the dividing walls that prevent people to be united are forces of economic exploitation,
political oppression, social domination and cultural discrimination. In other words, while
the contemporary ecumenical movement initiative in western countries focuses on the
unity of churches, the Asian search for unity is directed to a wider scope of oikos i.e.,
people’s ecumenism.5 The Church’s unity cannot be attained without the unity of people
in the society. Thus, the traditional concept of ecclesial unity and cooperation is now
shifted to people’s ecumenism.
Moreover, in the contexts of Asia, where most of the world religions have their
homes, Christian churches are challenged to live together with people of various living
faiths. In a country like Myanmar where Christians are a minority, to restrict the scope of
unity within the Christians or churches’ communion, will not only be missing the causes of
church’s division and unity, but also distort the true meaning of Oikoumene, the whole
inhabited world.
Called to be ONE – Are People in the Margin Included?

When the dialogue was started for the formation of Church of South India (CSI),
the first visible unity of the churches, many thinkers were critical of the initiative. The
Madras Rethinking Group was quite apprehensive that the church would be a stumbling
block for the mission of Christ. In subsequent years, many people expressed their critical
voices seeing the continuing exclusion of the people in the margin. How do we make the
experience of the people in the margin to be ‘central’ in the body of Christ? Dalits,
women, persons with disabilities, persons living with HIV, people of different sexual
orientation, tribal/adivasi, and migrants continue to experience exclusion and discrimination
on many fronts.
The Church will not be able to realize what it means to be “called to be one”,
unless we listen to the voices of the people in the margin. From their vantage point
those people in the margin, have the epistemological privilege of knowing what
affirms life and denies it; what helps communities and what hurts them; what contributes
to the well-being and what circumvents it. They bring firsthand knowledge of the suffering
that accompanies exclusionary practices. They bring gifts that are under-utilized because
of the lack of opportunities and disempowerment. They also bring a reservoir of hope,
resistance, and perseverance that can empower people to remain faithful to the promised
reign of God.6
5
Huang Po Ho, Mission from the Underside: Transforming Theological Education in
Asia (Kolkata: PTCA/SATHRI/SCEPTRE, 2010), pp. 151-53.
6
Draft Document of WCC on Mission from the Margin’s Perspective, p. 4
The Church in the past often failed to challenge the economic, social, religious,
cultural, and political systems which have marginalized some sections of the people
in society. During the Edinburgh Conference 1910, the leaders thought that oikoumene
was possible even without removing and transforming the structures of oppression
and exploitation of colonial regimes. The same is the case in the Church today. It is not
possible to achieve unity unless we challenge and transform the institutionalized and systemic
injustices that are taking place in the Church, government and other public sectors.
Recently, I was involved in an HIV awareness programme among theological
teachers. To assess their level of awareness, perceptions and attitudes, a few questions
were asked. Three responses were quite shocking. In response to whether an HIV-
positive church member should be allowed to participate in the Holy Communion,
one answer was “It depends how the person got infected.” I asked why? He kept quiet
but the silence was the answer – if the person got infected through a sexual act, that
person should not be given Holy Communion. Another question was: Would you
recommend to a local congregation that they appoint someone HIV-positive (who is
doing very well in studies?) as their pastor? The answer was “no.” I asked why? He
replied, “The person is going to die soon.” Another replied, “As long as HIV is associated
with immoral activities, I will not recommend.”
I did not expect such answers from theological teachers who are going to teach a
course on “Towards Inclusive Communities: People Living with HIV and AIDS” in the
new B.D curriculum. I thought to myself, are they (our theological teachers and church
leaders) behaving like Pharisees at the time of Jesus. The questions and answers say a lot
about how we perceive those affected by HIV, with judgmental and negative attitudes.7
This is just an example, but similar attitudes are still prevalent towards dalits, persons with
disabilities, tribal/adivasi, people with different sexual orientation, women and so on.
They are still treated like second class citizens in the body of Christ.
While I was a theological student in early 1980s, casteism was not a theological
issue. It was never discussed in the class room but Dalits still experience injustice,
restrictions, feeling of contempt, segregation, and endogamy. Even among theologically
educated people and respected leaders, we often hear comments reflecting a sense of
pride in being upper caste and a sense of shame in being of the lower caste. People of
the lower caste suffer a lowered self-esteem, confusion of self-identity, self-hate and the
perception of the world as a hostile place. They develop cowardice and timidity, leading
to hypertension and neuroticism. They also acquire a social character of dependence,
social distance in terms of ethnocentrism, seclusion leading to withdrawal, anger, hatred
and feeling of nothingness. It kills the common identity of a nation. The tribal/adivasi also
undergoes similar experience and humiliation. In addition, the tribal/adivasi communities
7
For detail, Wati Longchar, “Unclean and Compassionate Hand of God”,The Ecumenical
Review, 63.4 December 2011, pp. 408-419.
struggle against land alienation through development activities and erosion of their culture
and identity.
We can also categorize people with disabilities, people with sexual orientation
and women as being at the ‘margin of the margins’. They are marginalized because of
unjust systems. We see people with disabilities as the embodiment of suffering,
evil, uncleanness, and depravity. Many churches are still not open to recognize the
gift of persons with disabilities and we keep them away from church and society.
Their bodies and labours are exploited, and they are deprived of their freedom. The
church has often exhibited a patronizing attitude toward people with disabilities,
seeing them as charity cases, objects of pity and compassion. The church finds it
difficult to welcome them into the Body of Christ.
After the Delhi High Court Verdict in July 2010 that legalized consensual adult
sex among gays, we have heard many voices for and against the verdict. As the marriage
between man and woman is not only civil contract, but deeply rooted in cultural and
religious sphere, the Verdict was a surprise to many religious leaders and communities.
For some, it was totally a violation of religious sanction, unnatural and unacceptable in
society. But, for the People with Different Sexual Orientation (PDSCO), it continues to
be a justice issue. It was seen as liberation from the draconian law. Many Christians see
it as unscriptural and a violation of the sanctity of the God- instituted marriage act. Though
the Church advocate ‘Just and Inclusive Community’, it is very obvious that many churches
are not ready and still stigmatize and demonize people with different sexual orientation.
Are we ready to sojourn with sexual minorities and their families without prejudice and
discrimination, to provide them ministries of love, compassionate care, and justice?
We have been talking about the women’s rights in society and the Church for
many years yet women’s identities are shaped by men within our society and church. All
the characteristics of being “feminine,” such as obedience, tenderness, sweetness,
humbleness, discretion, maternity, were ascribed to them by men to ensure that they
would have a passive mate to be the mother of their children. This has denied women
both a voice and agency, since their bodies, sexuality, and entire lives have been controlled
by men. Some churches give second grade ordination to women.
Relocating the “Called to be One” in the context of those in the Margins

Relocation of the “Called to be One” in the context of those in the margins is not
an option, but a divine mandate. In His life and work, Jesus was involved in and identified
with the grassroots, ground reality. He did not belong to the elite, rich class. He was with,
for and from the people. People’s problems and predicament were His concerns. He did
not understand His spirituality in terms of separation from the people in pain, but in terms
of total identification. The Pharisees and the Scribes were always uncomfortable about
His association with the “tax collectors and sinners” and even eating and drinking with
them (Mk. 2: 15-17; Lk. 15:1-2; 5:27-32; Matt. 9:9-13). Such people were considered
‘outcasts’. In another context, Jesus is more categorical in challenging them, “I tell you,
tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you” (Matt.
21:31b). He also said, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends,
your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbours …. But invite the poor, the crippled,
the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed” (Lk. 14: 12-14a). This clearly indicates His
priority and perspective. There is a reversal of values or transvaluation of values. His
morality and ethics is not legalistic, ritualistic and traditional. He was not self-righteous
and hypocritical about his relationships.8 God’s kingdom is incomplete without inclusion
of people in the margin.
Jesus’ focus on justice is made crystal clear in His sharp distinction between the
rich and the poor. Jesus said, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle
than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God” (Mk. 10: 23; Matt. 19:24; Lk. 18:25;
Lk. 6:20b-21a, 24-25a). The parable of the Rich man and Lazarus (Lk. 16: 19-25)
illustrates the huge gap between the rich and poor and the consequences of it. He gives an
identity and dignity by naming the poor person but the rich man remains unnamed. Once
he challenged a Rich Young Ruler (Mk. 10: 17-25) but the latter did not respond positively.9
For Jesus, justice basically means structural-systemic transformation. As such
Jesus very often challenged the Pharisees as a group on several issues on their legalistic
position. Secondly, he was concerned about the sabbath system, which was
institutionalized for mere observance of rituals. Thirdly, He challenged the Jewish legal
system, which was oppressive and alienating human relationships. Fourthly, Jesus was
gender-sensitive and therefore worked for gender-justice by giving dignity to women.
Fifthly, Jesus openly condemned the temple system in Jerusalem. It was detrimental to the
development of a just and equitable society. Sixthly, Jesus’ understanding and practice of
power was radically different from the exercise of power by Pharaohs, Caesars, kings
and other non-religious and religious leaders of the time. These are explicit examples of
Jesus’ larger concern and a wider vision. This was his Messianic ministry. He came to
introduce and invite us to such a kingdom of God.10 Therefore, we see the following
principles in Jesus’ vision of “called to be one”.
1. Jesus’ vision of “called to be one”, “that they may be one” is a movement for the
Reign of God; therefore the Reign of God is taken as the ultimate intention for
oneness. To proclaim and actualize the Reign of God in this world is the foundation
for unity; to be true ecumenical, evangelical, liberationist means to participate in Jesus’
movement for the Reign of God.
2. Jesus’ vision of “called to be one” is by nature a movement of incarnation and
identification. It was a movement set off by the recognition and confession of
the messianic identity of Jesus by his followers. Therefore the very nature and dynamics
8
Somen Das, op. cit., pp. 66 ff.
9
Ibid., pp. 70 ff.
10
Ibid., pp. 78 ff.
of the movement is the transforming power of incarnation, a power that makes Divine
becoming human in order to transform human’s predicament. This was a movement
decisively directed to the ordinary, the downtrodden, and the marginalized with self-
humbling identification of sacrificial love. Thus an authentic unity among God’s people
is possible only through identification in love to the victims, the poor, and the suffering.11
3. Jesus’ vision of “called to be one” is a movement that transcends human- made
boundaries; Jesus crosses the boundary of Jewish tradition to reach people of
different nations and ethnic groups, and even further crosses the human boundary
to create a harmonious relation between human beings and the rest of creatures.
Jesus came to break human-made barriers and build bridges of understanding
and action. He was willing to learn from non-Jewish sources and people like the
Syrophoenician or the Canaanite woman who came to Jesus in faith (Mk. 7: 24-
30; Matt. 15: 21-28). A true unity can be experienced when we are bold enough to
cross the boundaries and launch the coming of the Divine new creation.12
4. Jesus’ vision of “called to be one” is a movement of healing of the whole inhabited
earth. The liberation of the whole of creation is the direction and goal of the Gospel.
In the purpose of God, the creation is a harmonious cosmos and not a chaos. Paul
persists from this holistic perspective and affirms, “If anyone is in Christ, there is a
new creation; everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new” (II
Cor. 5:17).
Conclusion
Unjust practices are organized, systemic and institutionalized like the Roman
“Legion” at the time of Jesus, and thus a collective solidarity resistance is imperative.
Search for oneness in the body of Christ involves dismantling the existing unjust systems
and institutions that perpetuate systemic injustice to many people. Resistance means
commitment to struggle of the defenseless people for radical change in the system of
oppressive structures. It demands a continuous collective struggle against the misuse and
abuse of power. Therefore, we must collectively resist unjust systems that the Church
may be one.
11
Ibid., p. 90.
12
Ibid., p. 92.
MY RAINING DAYS
Zin Aung Swe
It was a raining day. I attended a lecture on the topic of Ecumenical in U Hla Bu’s
memorial hall. By that time, I was an under- grad student at the Rangon University and I
partially involved in the Student Christian Movement (SCM) activities. It was my first
time to hear the word Ecumenical. The lecture was given by Saya Smith Ngulh Za Thawng
who spoke words by words with deep thoughts. I was so bored in the beginning but I
realized that the lecture was so comprehensive and thoughtful. I could see his true com-
mitment of educating Ecumenical concept among Christian Students. After one hour lec-
ture, my mind-set shifted to the vision of Ecumenical concept. I didn’t realize that this
lecture was a basic foundation of my life to be a strong leader in Ecumenical Christian
Work, especially in SCM. Saya Smith is my first teacher of Ecumenical Concept.
It was a raining day. I picked up my uncle, Rev. Win Tin who was the General
Secretary of Myanmar Council of Churches (MCC) at the Yangon YMCA building.
Auspiciously, I met Saya Smith who was an Associate General Secretary of MCC. I was
asked to seek for a scholarship if I was interested. Since my parents were Government
staff, studying outside Burma was a big dream for me. The cost of tuition fees were far
beyond our capacity. However, I could see his promising encouragement and strong
aspiring to me for the scholarship. I was thoroughly advised and guided by Saya Smith.
With his tremendous supports and recommendation, I was given scholarship by German
Ecumenical Scholarship Programme. I could study for a master’s course in Renewable
Energy in UK. It was another turning point in my life, holding a Master Degree from UK.
Saya Smith is the mentor of my career development.
It was a raining day. Our wedding was blessed at the Judson Church. It was
honored by our close friends and relatives. I was grown up at the Judson Church and
both my wife and I were so grateful to have Rev. Smith and Mrs. Smith to help us cutting
the wedding cake. Our first task of a family life was executed together with Rev. Smith. I
could see his joyfulness and happiness at our wedding. There was no doubt that he was
part of my family members and we are committed to serving God. It was another turning
point in my family life, having a blessing from him. Saya Smith is a starter of my family life.
Ezekiel 34:26 said “I will bless them and the places around my hill. I will
send rain at the right time. These showers will be a blessing to them".
My raining days are not yet over.
MYANMAR SECTION
ZOLAI SECTION
NUNTAKNA TAWH LAM HONG LAK U THAWNG

Awi Khan Ngai
A u Thawng pen a pianna nu in hong nusia baih ahih manin, pilepu kiangah
ko tawh ka omkhawm uh hi. A pianna Nu bang tektek mahin hong nei a, College
akah dong a kikhawlkhawm ka hi uh hi. A neu tuung a kipanin pilepu nulepate hong
it in, hong zahtak mahmah hi. Itna pen kam tawh gen ngeilo napi, a nuntakna tawh
hong lakkhia den hi. A naute itin, zunin, puahin, a naptui luang nangawn a tawpsak
hi. A diakin Khaipu, Niangbawi le Lamcin amau teng thum bang a u Thawng i dolekep
ahi hi. A pu in hong nusiat khit ciangin a pi in sau veipi hong dampih a, a pi a nuntak
sung tawntung nekledawn, silhleten kicing takin pia-in vak hi. A pi i hu tawpna a
beidong a gei ah tutpih in, kemin khoi hi.
A u Thawng tawh ka kithuahnate gen ni cileng gen ding tampi om hi. Tuate
sung pan tawmkhat kong pulak nuam hi. A neu lai-in lo ka kuankhawm zel uh hi.
Vaikuan vaiciah ciangin, na hatnop leh na lawm na gualte tawh na ton in, kei hatlo
hiing, hong makhelh in na pai in, ci-in ka sawl hangin utlo hi. “Nu aw ka lawmte
tawh innkhat ah vai tung khawm ding hikeng, nu tawh innkhat ah vaitung khawm
ding hi hang” ci-in ka nung panin hong zui-in hong nusia ngeilo hi. Lampi ah dangtakin
khawlmun ah tui ka dawn ding uh ciangin kei hong dawn masasak hi. Nek dingin ka
puak uh tangmai nangawn phelkhap in, kei hong ne masasak hi. Kei nek masak lohin
khatvei zong ne masa ngeilo hi. Vai ka tun uh ciangin zong ka seng hong letsak hi.
Ka sing puak teng hong suahkhiatsak hi. Tua khit ciangin a naute tawi-in, nu hong
ciahta, ci-in ka ang-ah hong pia hi. Tua bangin a nu le a pa hong zahtakna pen a
gamtatna tawh a lakkhia den pa ahi hi.
An ne dingin ankuang ka um simun, a nu i ankuang ka sawk masiah khat vei
zong sawk ngeilo hi. Amah a kipia tuam nek dingte nangawn a nu hong hawm
hamtang hi. Thang Ho le Lian Do tangthu bangin aktui tangkhat a nek ding zong a
nu aphelkhat hong khen hamtang hi. Pawisimna khat peuh aom ciangin zong, a
naute an ka thaikhit ciangin naute na kem ning nu aw nuamtakin an ne in ci-in a nu
hong itna hong khualnate ka phawk kikkik hi.
Tansawm hong ongin College kah ding a pai ciangin Mandalay pan lai hong khak
a, “Nu aw college kah ding ka pai lai-in Lailo khua khung ka tun ciangin khua kong gal et
a, nulepa le ka naute phawklua ka hih manin, ka lunglengin ka kap niloh hi. Tua ciangin
keilekei kihehnemin ka khituite nulin, ka khualzit maban na zom ing” hong ci hi. Tua banah
Mandalay ah sang a kah ciangin, nisim in buhsih le sa ne den hina pi-in, "Nu tawh lo
kuanin buh le anteh huanin mazahing gawi tawh an i nek pen tu dong ka kam ah lim lai hi"
ci-in lai hong khak hi. Inn lam hong ngailua ing, ka naute ngailua ing ci-in, innlam hong
phawkzia hong gen hi. Tuni dong mah huh theihna panpih theihna khempeuh ah hong
huhin hong panpih den hi.
A u Thawng pen a neutuung a kipanin itna nei-in, lungnem hi. Kiniamkhiat-
in Pasian um mahmah hi. Midang khat peuh khasiatna dingin kampau ngei hetlo hi.
Na khat peuhpeuh ah a kampau tawh thu hilhlo a, a nuntakna tawh thu a hilh den
khat ahi hi. Tuni dong ciang mah naupangte le khangnote ka thu hilh ciangin, a u
Thawng nuntakzia gentehin thu hilhna-in ka nei den hi.
Gen ding tampi tak om a, keima khut mahmah tawh lai gelhsiam ka hih loh
man le, ka kum zong hong tamta ahih manin, ka lungcim nawnlo ahih manin, gennop
tampi sung pan tawmno kong gelhkhiat ahi hi. Topa Pasian in a u Thawng cidam
ludam hong pia henla, kum saupi hong zatsak tahen.
ETTEHTAAK SMITH PIANZIA NAM 5

Nang Khaw Thawng
Thu masa
A zahtakhuai Rev. Smith Ngulh Za Thawng’ kum 65 cin ciaptehna laibu sungah
laigelh khuan ka ngah manin ka lungdam hi. Kha lamah ka Pa, taksa lamah ka U ahih
manin a tangthu tam ka theikei hi. Ahi zongin Ciimnuai Khuavak No.9, laimai 28-29 sung
le Rev. Dr. Simon Pau Khan En tangthu sunga, ama’ gelhna laimai 97-100 sungah ama’
tangthu, innkuan sung thu, pilna sinna, mapanna khempeuh cingtakin omkhin ahih manin
ama’ pianzia ciintaak ka sak nam 5 bek kong gelh hi.
1. Bethlehem khua ah piangin, Nazareth khua pan khanga, Jerusalem ah na a sem Topa
Jesuh bangin, Ciingpikot khua pan piangin, Tedim, Tonzaang, Mandalay, Yangon ah
pilna sin a, kipawlna thupi tengah nasem khat ahih manin, pianna khualetui a tawisangpa
ahi hi. Ciingpikot khua pan biakna makai thupi dang tampi pianga, TBA gam sungah
sia masa ahi Rev. Son Khaw Kham; MBC Theological Education Department ah
Director a sem Rev. Dr. Thang Cin Lian; Bible Society of Myanmar ah General
Secretary a sem Rev. Khoi Lam Thang; RC Father topa Khai (Fr Andrew Thang Za
Khai) … cihte ahi hi.
2. Moses in Egypt gam pilna khempeuh a sin khit ciang kampau le nasep siam… a cih
bangin leitung pilna sangpitak a sin zawh ciang, biakna pilna dawltampi sin to lai a, tua
zawh ciang bekin Pasian na asem pan khat ahi hi. Pilna sangpi a neih bangin Pasian
zatna zong sangin zaitakpi pah hi. Hih in tu hun le mailam hun Pasian nasem dingte
pianzia ding lim hong lak hi.
3. A kivakna mun (a tempukna) ah na sem kha hi. Biakna pilna a sinnate i et ciangin,
biakna namkim tawh na sepkhopna, kipawlna tuamtuam tawh na sepkhopna lam
vive ahih bangin, a na sepna zong UCF, MCC… cihte hipah hi. Kawlte’n “Mi
maan mun maan-]]vlreS af e&mrSe}f } a cih bang lianin sinna le sepna a kituah ding a
kisapna lim hong lak hi.
4. Kam tawh gen sangin sepna tawh lakzaw hi. Paunak in “Kam tampaute tamkhial” a
cih tawh kipelh hi. Amah kamtawm hi. Genna sangin sepna tawh nungta zaw a, genna
sangin sepna tawh mite thuhilh zaw hi. Genna nung kizui loin sepna nung kizui zaw
ahih manin makai hoih ahihna lim hong lak hi.
5. Paul in, “Galdona a pha ka do, kidemna kung dongin ka taai…” a cih bangin, na
sepna ah haksatna tuamtuam zong omkha ding hi. Innkuan nuntakna ah zi neih
ta neih a sin bangin, zi khuaisuah (meigon) zong sinkhin hi. Hi taleh hite khempeuh
kantanin, kum cingin, sep kumcin dong Ama’ na semto suak ahih manin, galdona
a pha a do, kidemna kung dong a taaipa ahi hi. Ettehtaak nuntakzia tampi lakah
nam 5 bek kong pulaak hi. Lungdam.
KA MUAN DENDEN REVD SMITH NGULH ZA THAWNG

Pau Khan En
Leitung-ah mi pawlkhatte mi’ muantheih theih dingin kampau mukpau le

gamtat luheek a kisekh tawm om uha, a hanciam mah bangun zong midangte’ muanna
le zahtakna ngah takpi uh hi. Pawl khatte leuleu, kisekh tawm sese lo-in amau omin
om hit-hiat napi uh a kisekh tawmtawmte zah mahin midangte’ muanna le zahtakna
a ngah pawlkhat zong om hi. Hih pen amaute tungah Pasian’ piak pianpih, suahken’
thupha ahi hi. A kisekh tawmtawm a mi muanna le mi zahtakna a ngahte sangin
hampha zaw uh hi. Hih bang namte lakah tu a kong gen ding Pasian’ sawltak Rev.
Smith Ngulh Za Thawng (tu-a kipan hih thului sungah Sia Thawng kici ding hi)
zong a kihel ahi hi. Khuakhat tuikhat a, om khawm hilo ka hih manun ama’ thu,
aneng-atawng-in ka thei kha kei hi. Ahi zongin Pasian’ nasepna sungah semkhawm
kha zeuhzeuh ka hih manun ka theihna bang a tomin kong gennuam hi.
I. KA KIDAP THEIHNA UH
1962 kumin Tedim Baptist Association (TBA) Kumcin Kikhoppi pen Hualngo
gam Tuidil khua-ah tunga tua mun-ah Ciingpikot khua Keizaang Tuiphum Pawlpi
panin a neu tuunga biakna a lawp naupang Sia Thawng le Taaklam khua pana a
kineu teisak mahmah naupang Pau Khan En (tu-a kipan hih thului sungah Sia Enno
cita ding hi) te kikhoppi siim-in kihelkha tuak uh hi. Ahi zongin kua kusale, kua upa,
cih a pai uh hilo ahih manun kithei khalo lai uh hi. Khatvei North Dagon aa om Sia
Thawng’ pu ahi Pa Cin Tuan–te innah biak kikhopna khat omin thu a gengen uhleh,
tua TBA Khawmpi ah a nih-un kihelkha uh ahihlam kigenkha uha, “Alai! Nang zong
tua lai-a aom hi gige maw!” kici tuak uh hi. Taaklam naupangpa Sia Enno, hih
Kikhoppi a paikhakna pen hibang ahi hi. Tua kikhoppi siim dingin Khamtung gama
Sangmang omsun ahi Rev. Dr. Robert G. Johnson le Yangon panin Sangmang numei
Miss Dorothy Rich hong pai uha, tua lai-ah Kawlgambup Tuiphum Numei Makaipi
Siama Daw Esther Byu zong kihel hi. Amau teng anhuan dingin Sangmangte anhuan
ahi Pa Lian Khen in tua lai-a ABM Boarder ah tan kua (High School Final) sina om
tangvalnopa Sia Enno pen amah tawh kithuah dingin zawn hi. Apa le Pa Lian Khen
te bawng teng sawtpi peka kithei khinsa uh ahih manin a zawnngam hi-a, a zotpa in
zong nial hetloin zuipah lian hi. Apoina pen tua Tuidil Khawmpi panin Tedim tungkik le
Nipi kaalkhat khit ciangin High School Final Kumpi Laivuan a vuan ding hipah hi. Apoi
sawnsawnna-ah tua banga a paikaal-in Taaklam panin a pa pen a tapa’ laivuan thapia
dingin Tedim ah na pai-a, ahih hangin a tapa in Tuidil Khawmpi na siimsan hi. A tun dong
mah ngaka, a tunkik ciangin taai pah hetloin Pu Nok Gin’ niangtuisai ah moh le niangtui a
khamtak-in a vaak khit ciangin, “Laivuan kuankuan a, khual na zin mawk, na laikia lecin
bangcih ding na hi hiam?” ci-in dong ngeungeu hi. A tapa tangvalnopa in, “Pa aw, thungen
le ki-apsa a pai ka hih manin kialo ding hi’ng, Pasian um inla, kei zong hong muang in” ci
hi. Pasian’ huhna tawh tua kumin ong takpi hi. Tua Khawmpi a pai pen mailam-ah Pasian’
na a sepkhoppih ding Sia Thawng tawh biakna sung kihelkhawmna a masa pen hipah hi.
Hih tangvalno tegel daptaka a kitheihna uh a mun nihna pen 1962 kum April kha-
in Tonzang khua High School Sangpi ah TBA min mah tawh Khangno Makaih Kisinna
(Leadership Training) kinei-a, tua lai-ah Insein Mang Lai Siangtho Sang (Burma Divinity
School, tu’n MIT) panin a ong sia muanhuai Rev. Kai Khaw Thawn, Rev. Felly Ngo Kho
Cin, le a tunga i gensa Siama Daw Esther Byu-te in hilh uha, a pai khempeuh in nuamsa
mahmah uh hi. Hih lai mun mah-ah zong biakna uuk a tunga tangvalno gel kihelkha tuak
uh hi. A gol uh ciangin, “Ah! Nang zong tua lai-ah aom hi gige maw” kici leuleu uh hi.
Sia Thawng le Sia Enno a kidap thuahkhakna a thum veina pen 1965 kum ZBC
Khawmpi, Taungphila khua ahi hi. Sia Thawng pen a neutuung a kipan la uuk, la siam ahih
manin a sangkahna Tedim Tuiphum Pawlpite (tu’n CMBC) in Choir sa dingin hamtang pi-
a, a paisak uh ahi hi. Amah zong tansawm (Matric) laivuan ding kimlai mah hizel hi.
Pasian’ huhna tawh laikiat om zeen kei, hoh a ci bang! Sia Enno pen Insein Lai Siangtho
Sangah a kum khatna zo-in sangkhak a ciahtoh laitak hi-a, ZBC Kumthum Khawmpi
tawh na kituakkha ahih manin tuahpha kisa letlut peuhmah-in kihelpah lian hi. La lam-ah
bung zawlo-in thu lam-ah bung zaw a, Taungphila biakinn sungah ZBC delegate-te le
Kawlgam pana hong pai Sangmangte, Gamsung mi biakna makaite thu kikupna ah kihel-
in thu nakngaih mahmah hi. Tua lai-ah thu kigen agenda lian nih oma, khat pen Tedim
gama Zo Pawlpite’n Zo Baptist Association a ngetna uh le Tedim gam pan mah-in Tedim
kiim-a om Sia Thang Za Kam’ pawlte vai kikupna ahi hi. Yangon pana hong pai gamdang
Sangmangte le Gamsung makaite in amau’ ngaihsutna bang a genkhit uh ciangin, “No
ZBC upate in Sia Thang Za Kam’ dinmun bangci muh na hi uh hiam?” ci-in donga, ZBC
gam sunga makai muanhuai pen khat ahi ahong nusiasa Rev. David Van Bik in, “This is
not heretical enough to excommunicate from the Baptist family” ci hi. Sia Enno in tua
laigual tu dong a ciamteh lai hi. Hih tangvalno gel kikum khollopi le kithuza khollopi-in
biakna pawite ah kihelkhawm kha diamdiam uh hi. Amau gel ginat man hizawloin hehpihna
tawh Pasian in ama’ nasem dingin a teel tuak Pasian’ nasemte ahih manun a khangno lai
uha, a kihelkhakna uh kikhoppina le thusinnate pen amau tegel adingin biakna lam kipattahna
hong suak hi.
II. A LANGTANGA KITHEIHNA
1966 kum Khuakhal sangkhak ciah-in sang hong kik ding Insein ah a pai ciangin
Sia Enno pen Insein Kawl Lai Siangtho sang (tua lai-in Burmese Theological Seminary,
tu’n MICT) a kah ding a lawmpa Ciingpikot khuami Sia Vial Khan Khai tawh tonkhawm
uh hi. Monywa panin Mandalay meileeng khawlna zingtuung-in tung uha tua lai-ah Mandalay
University a sang akah Sia Thawng in na nadawn hi. La uuk-in siam ahih manin tua lai
huna a minthang Blackwood Brothers labute hong zonsak in, ci-in Sia Enno kiangah a
ngen hi. Khakzo hiam, khakzolo hiam? cih tuni dong a telzokei ta lawmlawm hi. Ahi
zongin tua zingsang tuunga Mandalay station ah a kimuhna pen uh a mitkha-ah tuangtuang
den hi.
1971 kumin ZBC Khawmpi Hakha gam Buanlung khua ah tunga tua lai-ah
University a mankhit cianga B.R.E a kah Sia Thawng zong pawi siim-in pai hi. Sia
Enno mah zong Mindat ah kum thum sung (1968-1971), Pasian’ na a sepkhit ciangin
B.R.E kahkik nuamin kum thum sung nasepna ZBC Khawmpi ah Report pia dingin
vapai hi. Mihonpi kikhopna-ah, ZBC General Secretary Rev. James Sang Awi in Sia
Thawng leh Sia Khambawi (Sia Hau Lian Kham)-te meltheihna bawla amau’ kivakhna
le siamna ahi lasak le la conduct a siamna mipite lakah genkhia-a mipite lungdam
mahmah-in khut kibeeng ziahziah bek hi.
1971 June kha panin Sia Enno B.R.E kah a, tua lai-ah Sia Thawng pen B.R.E a
kum nihna, na kipanta ahih manin kumkhat sung bang sangkah khawm uh hong suak hi.
Laisimna khan sungah aom dan le a thudot dante a kipan aomzia khempeuh Sia Enno in
paakta hi. Picing om, mipil om sa mahmah hi. University sangnaupangte lakah Pastor sem
ding ahih manin kampau muukpau le midangte tawh kizopna ah hi sensen-in siate le
sangnaupangte in Sia Thawng pen paakta tek mahmah uh hi.
A tunga bangin Pasian’ nasepna ah daptakin le langtakin kithuahkha zeuhzeuh
uha, ahi zongin 2006 kum Tedim Baptist Convention hong pian ciangin Pasian’
piaksa a minampih uh ahi Tedim mite’ hong mitsuan tuak uh ahih manin a khangno
lai hunte uh sangin kithuahna le thulela vaihawmkhawmna hong tamzaw semsem hi.
Sia Thawng pen leitung pilna (secular education) a sin a kipan le Pasian’ na asep
sung khempeuh Khristian-te kipawlkhawmna (ecumenical movement) innteek tavuan
a puaden ahih manin a makaihna khempeuh-ah tua vai tawh kisai-in muan pen, suan
pen le dot pen khat hong hipah ahih manin Pawlpi le minamte in a phattuampih
mahmah uh ahi hi.
Sia Enno in Sia Thawng tawh kithuaha nasep khawm ding lawp den hi.
Kawlgambup Khristian-te’ Kipawlkhopna (MCC) ah Myanmar Ecumenical Institute
(MEI) leh theology lam nasepna Association for Theological Education in Myanmar
(ATEM) te-ah Sia Enno pen Chairman hituak a, Sia Thawng pen Associate General
Secretary le General Secretary sem toto ahih manin kinai takin na hong semkhawm
thei uh hi. Tua bang mahin Sia Enno in MIT ah Professor a sep (1996-2006) sungin
Sia Thawng pen MIT Board of Trustees Chairman ahih manin a nasep khawmna uh
hong thuuk deuhdeuh, hong saang deuhdeuh mai hi. MBC ah zong Leadership
Promotion Department ah Sia Thawng pen Chairman hi-a, Sia Enno pen General Secretary
ahih manin kinai takin nasem khawm thei uh hi. Hih hun sungte ah Sia Thawng in nasep a
ol, a zaang teello-in, a sepna munmun-ah cihtak, kuhkalna tawh a seplam Sia Enno in
telpha mahmah hi.
III. SIA THAWNG TUNG PAN PASIAN’ NASEMTE IN ETTEH TAAK

THUTE
Kum tampi sung Pasian’ na cihtakna tawh a sem Sia Thawng tung panin
Pasian’ nasem khempeuh in laaktaak le ettehtaak thu tampite lakah anuai-a thu
pawlkhat ka pulaakkhia nuam hi.
1. Kineih tawmna nei hetlo-in ahihna bangbang tawh Pasian’ na sem hi.
(Simplicity and Sincerity)
Sia Thawng’ nuntakna-ah hihna lopi kineih tawma, kithupisakna cihte
kilangkhia ngeilo hi. Puansilh niikten aa kipan, tutna khawlna, kampau mukpauna-
ah a ol thei penpen-in a nuntaknopna (simple lifestyle) kilang pha mahmah hi. Kineih
sese loin Pasian’ hehpihna tawh hibang a suak ka hi hi aci phiuphiau lel ahi hi (1
Korin 15:10). Biakna kimakaihna sungah a kullopi-a buaina i tuah khakkhakna pen
i hihna sanga a sangzaw le a lianzaw pi-a kineihna hang hi-a, tua bang limte Sia
Thawng tungah kimu khalo hi.
2. Zai tawh tumlo-in, thuk tawh tum hi. (Profundity in leadership)

Sia Thawng’ nuntakna-ah mi bangin thu khat peuhpeuh zaisak-in uanggen
zuazua lo-in toisak-in thuuk (profound) tawh tum mahmah hi. A gennop khat a tut
mateng-in lungkialo, nusialo-in gen cinten den hi. A kaallak-ah a supoi om phial
taseleh, ama’ gennop pen mankik tawmkik-in a gennop a tut dong gensuak hi. Tua
manin zong a makaihna peuh-ah a thu a paipai zo ahi hi. Thugenna bek-ah hilo-in,
makaihna (leadership) ah zong tua bangmah-in duaina tawh matunzo hi.
3. Huaikim nopna lungsim nei hi. (Inclusiveness in his leadership)

Khristian-te kipumkhatna (ecumenism) pen a suahken ngiat lungtup ahih
manin a makaihna-ah zong Zota, Kawlta khenlo-in ahih theih tawp-in huaikim pha
mahmah hi. Amah zaha lungsim picinglo ta dingin ama’ thukhualna le huaikim nopna
pen zatkhialh theih pak ding meetdawhna (exploitation) zong suakkha ding hi. I
theihpih khitloh a sup lawhlawhna tampi om dinga, ahi zongin thuumna le phunna a
muk panin a pawtkhiat lam kiza ngeilo hi. Mihing’ gualzawh bangin zawh tumlo-in,
Pasian’ gualzawh bangin gualzawh tumpa ahi hi.
A tunga i gente ban-ah laktaak le ettehtaak ding thu tampi Sia Thawng’
nuntakna le makaihna-ah tampi omlai ding hi. Hih munah a vekin i genkhin zokei
ding hi. Hih laibu sung pan mahmah-in zong tampi i muhbeh dinga, tuate nangawn,
a cing hinailo ding hi.
Pasian in mi a zatnop ciangin haltui ngiengei-in seekpaat gawp masa a, tua khit
ciangin Ama’deih bangbang a azat lam i Lai Siangtho le Pawlpi tangthute in thang vangvang-
in teci hong pang hi. Pasian in Sia Thawng a haltuizia, a seekpaatzia mihing’ tate kimin
thuak zolo kha ding hi. Pasian in Sia Thawng’ nuntakna-ah na lian pipi sep nop lai nei pha
mahmah ding hi, ci-in Sia Enno in lam-enin a um hi.
Pasian in Zomite sung pan Kawlgambup adingin madawk, makai le dainawk
masa Sia Thawng hong piak manin i lungdam a, kum tampi sung i minam le i gambup
Pawlpite hong makaihzo dingin cidam ludamna le hinsawt khansauna hong piaksak
tahen, ci-in thungetsakna tawh thupha paih-in ka thu ka khum hi.
REVD SMITH NGULH ZA THAWNG KEI THEIHKHAK DAN

Thang Za Tuan
Rev. Smith Ngulh Za Thawng pen amin leh Myanmar Christian Council –
MCC ah ama nasepna cih ka theihcil a kipanin tuni dongin amah ka pakta gige
simden hi. Tua bangin amah ka muhna le ka pahtak gige ahih lam aman zong a thei
khasim dingin zong ka gingta kei hi. Nasepna mun le mual kibang kha hetlo ahih
manin amah tawh nai khat sung takpi a kician in ka kihthuah, ka kikhawl kha ngeikei
hi. Amah ka pahtakna pen mi genna banah, amah ka muhzialna le ka lungsimtawng
hong deng khat omna panin ka gen ahi hi.
A kum ka cian nonkei hi. Eimi khat MCC ah General Secretary sem cih ka za
a, ka angtang pong mawk hi. A nungciang Rev. Smith Ngulh Za Thawng, Ciingpikot
khuami hi cih ka za hi. Aw, Ciingpikot khuami ka theih sunsun Pasian mizat le micitak
vivete hi ci-in ka telna khat aom hi. Rev. Son Khaw Kham in ka zi tawh ka kiteen
mopawi leenglado nitak in a thugenna pan micitak ahihna le a pil giugiauna khat ka
muh khakna banah Ciingpikotte Sangsia citak vive ka theih sunsunte tung panin a
mau khuamite a pakta phadeuh zong ka hi khalel ding hi. Hih bangin khua khat i pi-
etna zong ei bawltawm theih hiloin a geel, a zeek khat mah in vangpiakna neisak
hingeel ding hi ka ci hi.
Sia Smith ci-in a Mang min tawh i sam ziauziau zaw hi. A nasepna za le
tavuan hangin a omna YMCA ah Sangnaupang khat vai in khatvei ka hawh ngei
masa hi. A omdan le hong hopihna dan pan in mi nunnem, micitak, lungsim siangtho
le mi muanhuai khat ahihna ka mupah hi. Tua bangin mi muanhuai hikeileh ei Kawlgam
ah ei Zomi sung panin Pasian nasem a madawk le a sang pen tung masa pen hihetlo
ding hi. A kithuahpih lawm le gual le a vaihawmpih uliante muanna le suanna zong
a ngah ahi hi. Ama’ kiciat mahmahna le Pasian a zahtakna hangin Pasian in a laamsang
toto ahi ngeel hi. Aw, Biakna nasem lak ah Zomi mi muanhuai belh theih ding khat a
nei gige hihang ei ka ci den hi.
Mi muanhuaite i cih in vaikhat nei in amau kiangah vako lehang hong thulimsim in
hong kuppih le deihsakna tawh hong geelpih tangtangte ahi uh hi. Sia Smith pen mite
kohna vai khat peuhpeuh ah thupilak (serious) pahin ama vaizah in amu le a sangpah hi ci–
in ka mu hi. I vangik hong puakpihnuam pah ahihi. Tua in a mi muanhuai ahihna hi. Tua
mah bangin mi ka theihkhak sunsun Sia Smith kiangah huhna a ngen peuhmah tamasaklo
hi cih ka za den hi. Hih in Pasian a zahtaakna le i minam a it, a huaina ahi gige hi.
Sia Smith pen a pau ciangin zong a aw neem hi. Maitang suah ciim sitset hi. Mi
thupisim ahihman pawlnuam hi. Mi tawh kiseel vava nei ngei dingin ka umkei hi. Tua mah
bangin a zi, a tate tungah zong aw sang ngeilo dingin ka muangmawh pahlian hi. Sia Smith
pen thu a tangtak-in enin, dik hi, man hi acihnak leh lunghiang neilo takin a semngam giap
khat hi ci-in midangte hong gen ka za hi. Vai thupi khat om leh zong a zi nangawn tawh
kikum supsup cihte a zang hetlo, pasal kician mahmah khat ahihlam mi genna pan in ka
telpah hi.
Mihing a zalian tatate amau tawh kituakin ze-etna i cidiam, amau deihthu le
lam-et hetlohpi in donghtuahna khat le nih a akituakthei hamtang mah ahi hi. Ama
angsung khualna ahi kilkello leitung mikhelpil pawlkhat i kheemna a tuahkhak ciangin
zong kimelh seloin kei khialhna hi ei ci-in bilkhuknuam pahlel hi. Mipil le mihoih
tatakte bek in tua bangin mawh siatnate a thuakngam bek uh ahi hi. Hih in mi thupi
ahihna a lakkhia khat ahi gige hi. Tham loin Pasian in mihingte puaklah ding thu
kong pia ngeikei ding cih a kammal tungah kinga linlian hi. Hih bang mite Kawlte in
pitdainghtawng (billiken) ci in Pasian in lamsang veve den ding hi cih ka muanna
hipah hi. Gtn. Sente makaipi khat ahi Deng Hsio Peng bang ahi hi.
Leitung mite in donghtuahna alian pen adang khatin, i Nu i Pa, i Zi, i Pasal,
i tate tawh sihna a kikhen ahi hi. Sianu in Sia Smith le a tate hong nutsiat vat ciangin
a sandan le a thuakdan siam mahmahin maitai takin leengla a do zo hi. Hihbang hun
ciangin a tamzaw khitui mualtuangin ki-om thei hi. Donghtuah i cih a kituakciat mah
ding hi a, a pasalna le a picinna kilang ka sa hi. Etteh tak veve ahihna nam khat zong
hi.
Sia Smith tung ka muhna a kim kholkei ding hi. Kei theih khak dan teng hi. Ke'n
ahihleh Pasian nasem le a mizat lakah ettehtaak, Zosuanh Tapa minthang khat in a ciamteh
den ding hi-ing.
REVD SMITH TAWH KISAI KA MUHNA LEH KA THEIHNA

Thawng Khan Cin
Dr. Thang Cin Lian in Sia Smith thu ong at le uh teh ci-in, ka nupa uh ong vai khak
ngei mah a, ong phawk bilbel in nuam hang e-kici-in ka omom uh leh Sia Smith in lai ong
khak leuleu teh leitung pianzawh ko a dingin angtanna lianpi khat ong om tawh kibang
liang ahih manin tawm ong at ing.
No (1) SHS Tedim ah Smith Mason tan (X) asin kumin kei zong tan (VI) tawm
vei Tedim mah ah sangkah kha in amah window gei ah tu hi-in sun sangtuah khat moh le
niangtui va ne in ci-in peekkhat (1Kyat) ong pia ngiau hi. Tua hun lai-in niangtui haigol
khat pia 25 (00.25) maatkhat, moh pheeng gol a sah miuhmeuh khat teh maatkhat mah hi
lai hi. Naaknuam mahmah ka hih manin Smith Mason pen kei a dingin khantawn ka it ding
Ngulh Za Thawng na hi a, a man bel Dal Za Khup tapa Kham Go Pau naupa ka hih lam
ong theikhin na hi gige aive. Tunbel mi kimin Sia Smith a cih pen hi. Ka u Pau tawh lawmta
khat hi-in, tua lai a ka omna uh Tuithang khua ah nipikal (weekend) ong hawh theizel uh
hi.
Pasian um, lasak uuk, laphuak, lasiam khat in a mau hunin kiciamteh hi. Tedim
CMBC ah khangno lak ah kihel in, la makai semin a tan 10 lai vuanpi ma-in TBA sivuai
Phaiza khua leh ZBC sivuai Tahan khua ah pai keei napi-in, Topa in tan 10 kumkhat thu-
in ongsak veve hi.
Mandalay Arts & Science University ah sangkah zom suakin 1969 in Zoology
tawh B.Sc a ngah khitteh University Christian Fellowship te Pastor dingin Insein M.I.T ah
B.R.E kahzom hi. Tua hun lai-in Kawlgam Lai Siangtho sang ah B.R.E program lo adang
a thupizaw om nailo hi. A kum tam tektek in, Pasian a upna khang tektek aa Topa’n zang
toto hi.
Leitung kaamsiatna tawh a pianna a Nu-in nusia baih a, a Pi khut sungpan a
khangkhia ahih mah bangin, a Pi teek mahmah ta, a veh in Yangon pan Ciingpikot khua ah
ong ciahtoh leh ama om sungin a Pi in lungkim takin Topa kiang zuatsan hi. Sia Smith zong
Topa thupha ngah ka sa a, lungkimhuai ka sa mahmah hi. A pianna a Pi nuntak sung ciang
dong, ko inn mah zintun paaikhaina in ong nei ahih manin, lungdamna le zahtakna ka lah
zawhloh hangin, thu le la a theihpih kha suak ing. Ka zi, Siamah Ning Khaw Hau in
Ciingpikot BEMS ah siapi a sep laitak ahih manin Sia Thawng kiangah zong a Pi
lunggulhnate aneng athem in thu le la a tunthei suak ing.
Zomi Baptist Convention Falam ah, Associate General Secretary ka seplai-in
ZBC-OB ah Sia Smith, ordination piakhuai vai kikumin, amah le Rev. Arthur Kolay tawh
ka kimu a, tua kum mah in Judson Baptist Church te in amau Jubilee ah a piak ding uh a
kiciat takteh, ZBC pan kipia nawnlo kik hi.
Ong it mahmah ahih manin, ong hawmthawh na ah zong ong taigawp ngam hi.
Myanmar Council of Churches ah a sem ahih mah bangin Pawlpi (Denomination) kiho
theih kipawlkhop theih ding bulphuh hi. Paletwa gam, Matupi gam aa om Mara
Independent Church le Mara Independent Evangelical Church nam nih om, Lailenpi khua
le Sabawngpi khua bulphuh belpawl nih a omte bang va gawmtuah zo hi. Topa in zang hi.
ZBC pan taikhia-in Zomi Baptist Convention of Myanmar ka phuatlai un migilo makai (lu
su gawng sawng) hi gige teh ong ci ngei aa khasia zolo zadah zolo zen hi-ing.
Lungdamkoh ding tampi nei-ing. MASU a kah lai-in UTC uniform 2 a neih 1 ong
hawm; M.Th a ngah khit taihkhedap bu 2 a neih bu 1 ong hop pa hi ing. Ama deihsakna
tawh Myanmar Baptist Convention te gamdang sangkah ding a min kigualhna ah ka kihel
hangin, “hih hi ei” cih aom peuh mahloh teh Sia Smith in Church Management program,
England gam Birmingham City, Selly Oak-West Hill College ah ong vaihawmsak a, MCC
pan hi-in, WCC scholarship ahih manin hampha ong kisa mahmah hi. A mong ong patsak
sa ahihna tawh kizui-in ka vaiteng zom toto in, tu tadih in ka zi ka ta tawh USA ah om thei
bekthamlo-in, Pasian in Tulsa khua ah Myanmar Zomi Baptist Church ah Pastor ong
semsak hi. Kei le ka innkuanpih ta dingin, Topa thupha hizah ka muhna uh Pasian gel hi-
in, lamlakpa le Topa vanzat pa in Rev. Smith hi. Topa in Sia Smith le a suan a khak leitung
vantung thupha ong piak thuahsak lai tahen.
Hih ka lai at a simkha mimal kim in Rev. Smith mah bangin tapidaw nuntakna ah
a khangcing mi siangthote i suah nangin i biak Pasian in thupha namkim hong pia tahen.

CCA ASSOCIATE GENERAL SECRETARY
(2006 JANUARY PAN)
PANMUN KIPIAKNA HANGIN LUNGDAMPIHNA LEH
PAHTAWINA-IN REVD TUAN KHUA KHAM' LAPHUAH
(December 11, 2005)
(a) Zotui vontawi Sia Smith Thawng, tung Sianmang in a tawi sangsawn
simlei tungah tatna kuamzai-in, zang selawi bang a min thang na e,
(b) Tung Sianmang in hong tawi sang bangin,

pianpih zotui ciin le tuai te zong nang hong tawi sang aw.
(a) Sianmang sin thu tukawltawi zingvai hawmna,

Sianmang lungtai e, tulvum sang khawl cia,
(b) Vumsang na khawl tang bang dam aw,

ciin le tuai Zogam lei tawh lawi bang thang khawm aw.

Vial Khan Dai
Khuatual le innkuan sungah Thawngphik a kici Rev. Smith Ngulh Za Thawng

pen ka upa Sian Za Vungh le Nu Thang Nem sung panin July 1, 1947 kum in Ciingpikot
khua ah piang hi. Anau Uap Khan Ciang April 25, 1952 kumin piang a, July 9, 1953 ni-
in hong nusia hi. A nu Nu Thang Nem pen 1924 kum in piang a, August 15, 1952 ni-in
hong nusia hi. A nu in hong nusiabaih ahih manin Thawngphik pen a pi le a pu kiang panin
a khangkhia ahi hi. Tua ahih manin a pate lak a, a nautum pen ahi kei le ka innkuan tawh
a khangkhawm ka hi uh hi.
A sang kahtheih a kipanin Ciingpikot khua ah Tan 7 ciang kah hi. Tua zawh
ciangin Tedim sangpi ah Tan 8, 9, 10 dong kah hi. Ama pianzia pen a neuno tuung a
kipanin teitang mahmah hi. Sawlmangin, thumang mahmah khat ahi hi. A sang kahna ah
Tankhat pan Tansawm dong laikia ngeilo hi. Tedim sangpi ah a sang kah sungin Pasian thu
lawp mahmah ahih manin Church Choir cihte ah na kihelden ahih manin alawm agual te'n
zong itin, Pasian pahtakna na ngah hi.
Tansawm hong on ciangin College kahsak ding ka cihleh ka u in (a pianna a pa)
Insein ah Lai Siangtho sang kahsak leng, hong ci hi. Ke'n College kah in leitung degree
khat ngah masa photphot leh hoih ding hi, ka cihleh a pa in zong hong thukimpihkik hi. Tua
hun pen 1965 kum October kha sung hi a, Falam ah nasep ding sapna lai ka ngah hun
laitak ahih banah ka tanihna uh Niangbawi suah ding hun lah hong nai mahmah ta ahih
manin lamkalai ding bangin ka buai mahmah hi. Tua bangin vai tampi kop in ka om laitak
un, ulenau teng kikaikhawmin nitak ankuang umkhopna khat ka vaihawm uh a, an nek
ding ciangin ka tanupi uh ahi Pa Kham Za Nang in annek thungetna le a huamkim piikpeek
in thungetna hong neihsak a, tuni dongin tua thungetna ka lungsim sungah phawkphawk
lai-in, ka mangngilh theikei hi.
Tua panin Thawngphik zong Mandalay ah sang kah dingin pai-in, Pasian huhna
tawh college kah sungin zong laikia cih omlo hi. 1969 kum in B.Sc (Zoo) tawh degree
hong ngah hi. College a mankhit ciangin, Pa Neu aw bang sem leng nong deihsak hiam,
ci-in hong dong a,"Tua sem in, ci-in kong genpih ding theituankei ing, na nuntak hun sung
teng nasep ding ahih manin nang ma ut penpen hong thukimpih ing” ci-in ka dawng hi.
Mandalay ah College a kah sungin kum khatna ko innkuan in tavuanla-in, kum nihna
ciangin ka u in tavuanla hi. Kum thumna le kum lina pen Bo Suan Kai te in tavuan
hong la ahih manin lungdamna pen mangngilh zawhloh zah dingin lian mahmah hi.
Mandalay pan college a mankhit ciangin Insein MIT ah BRE kah a, tua a mankhit
ciangin Mandalay UCF ah Pasian na semin, Pasian in hong zat tohtoh sak ahihna ka
mu a, ka lungdamna lian mahmah hi.
A u Thawng ka phuah La:

(a) Sian deih aa mabang ka patsa, London pan thelnah hong lengsak ee,
(b) A sau limlian paal ka vel ciang, luiluang paalva zem bang ee, ngaih aw.
(a) Tun nem aw ci-ing ka gual lai-ah sangh paalno bang kei ki-aam veng ee,
(b) Son momno zong a gual lai-a ka angtawi ta tawh tan bang kim dingin heita ee.
SIA SMITH KUM 65 CIN LUNGDAMPIHNA LAI

Ngaitui Vontawi
Pahtakhuai-in, a lungdampihhuai Sia Smith pahtak lungdampih pulakna hunpha

ngah ka hih manin, lungdam in, ka angtang mahmah hi. I Zosuan tate lak pan khat a hong
piang, Sian in Aron bang a, cibang hong telsak, i Zogam mualdawn sang pan etcim theilo
i Heisa paak, a Zo a Kawl, Mangkang, Mangvomte na ngawn in hong theihpih in, hong
zahtaksak, lamhoih lampha hong lak i makaipi khat ahi Sia Smith pen, ettehhuai leh
pahtawihuai ka sa mahmah hi.
Tapidaw innkuan sung pan hong khangkhia in, pilna sangpi kuitungin zoto a,
hanciamna leh pilna thaman, kilawmtak a gualzawhna lukhu neelkai akhu, i Zomite’
maai hong tangsak, upna leh pilna khuavak tawh hong makaih siam, i Siapipa a nung
zuihsiam ciat ni! Rev. Smith pen, a hun zui a, John the Baptist tawh kibangin, mite’ kisapna
bangbang a asem, aphul, agen ngam tuucing hoih/kician mahmah khat ahi hi. Mipil, mihaute
lungsim paizia leh lokho singpua, meigong daipamte tawh zong ngaihsunna kihual in
atonkhawm thei tuucing hoih khat zong ahi hi. Hehna thangpaihna leh kamsiat leisiat
tuahsiatnate aneih ciangin zong maitai tak a, athuakzo pa, sepna bawlnate ah, tuahphatna,
gualzawhna, leh lawhcinnate aneih ciangin zong, awmpho in, lei siklo liang a, a ultung nam
hilo-in, Pasian deihdan tawh kizui a, lungdam a ko thei khinkhian pa khat ahi hi. A Ordination
tawh a ngah, Prophetic Role, Shepherding and Sanctifying Role le Governing Role te
pen, ahun, amun amual, mite omzia tawh kizui a, azang thei mahmah khat ahi hi. A Pasian
nasepnate ah, Pilate bang a, a dongtuak cianga khutsil ziauziau nam hilo-in, a thuzuite’ khe
kiniamkhiatna leh itna tawh asawpsak pa, Makaipi kician mahmah khat zong ahi hi. Pasian
in a awnsa pumpeng kuaitan ngeilo a, a khuhsuak sa meivak sumit ngeilo hi (Is. 42:3,
NIV) cih Pasian’ kammal bullet in, a Pasian nasepnate ei Zomi khangthak Pasian nasemte
ading leh Pasian thuzui khempeuhte adingin zong meivak khanggui kizom in kuangsak den
ding, ma patsa matut zawhnate Zosuan tate khempeuh ading meikuang bangin a khangkhang
in kilawhsuak toto in, mualtung aom khua bangin amaa nasepnate’ eite muhtheih, ettehtheih,
zuihtheih dingin, gougil bangin hong nusiat khinzo ta hi.
Tui tungah lampai pa tungtawnin tha a ngah Sia Smith(cf. 14:28:33)

Sia Smith pen, mite a makaih ma a, amah leh amah a kimakaih pa, mite a ukma in,
amah leh amah a ki ukzo, makai kician mahmah khat ahi hi. Paul in Timothy a thu hilhna,
“Pasian in launa lungsim hong pialo a, itna, vangliatna leh ki-uk zawhna lungsim hong guan
hi”, acih pen a bullet mahmah khat ahi hi (IITim. 1:7). Launa, lungkhamna leh patauhna a
neih ciangin khamuanna ding kammalte Lai Siangtho sungah amu siampa zong ahi hi.
Naupangno David in a gol mahmah Golait pen, lau kilkello hi (I Sm. 17:40-50). Tua in
banghiam cihleh, aman’ Topa muang mahmah hi. Goliat sangin Pasian lianzaw hi., cih thei
hi. Pasian in a ompih lam thei hi. Tua mah bangin, Sia Smith in David etteh siam a, Pasian
panpihna tawh launa tungah gualzo pa ahi hiu. Launa hangin mi pawlkhat in a sep dingte
khawlsan in, pumpelh thei hi. Tua ahih manin ngah ding a kilawm thuphate launa in guksak
thei hi. ahihangin, Sia Smith in, Pasian in launate pan in hong huh in, gualzawhna hong pia
thei pa hi ci a, Topa mitsuan gige pa, tupna leh ngimnate a khahsuah ngeilo, makai hoih
mahmah khat ahi hi. Tua ban ah, Siapipa pen, nuntakna tungah Peter bangin apai laitak in
launa tungah a gualzo pa; gualzawhna mualsuang a phut pa ahi hi. Lungdamna thu bucing
tawh anungta Siapipa, a khan kumkhua sawt tahen, cih thupha puak/pia kawmkawm leh
thungetsak kawmkawm in, hizah tawh ka hialbawl hi.
FAMILY ART ICLES

FAITH, HOPE, LOVE AND LEGACY
There are tons of hopes in me which I kept for

myself and I shared with people I love the most. Hope is
an expectation, a wish, and an optimism which brings
you light in the darkest hours. Since I was young, I am
convinced that I am loved. Love is one of those senti-
ments which made things easy and yet the basis of peace
in today's world.
During my life long experience with my father,
he is a good man, caring, patient, and wise. But all of
those does not mean he never made a mistake or always
able to overcome shortfalls. He made mistakes; there
are shortfalls; and faced hardships all through his life.
What I learned from him is 'life is a progress'. So, he
stands strong and work-hard.
Now he is in his mid sixties and still working 5
days a week. He works for the people who need his
help. He works for a better change where the society
needs him.
Today, I think of myself and counting my bless-
ings. The faith of my father which is rooted in God ten-
ders hope and love to me. My father's faith, hope, love
will be the legacy which I will pass on to the generations
to come.
Martin Vungh Khan Tuang

(Apu, Tharnge)
A RIGHTFUL FATHER
It seems to be a general assumption if we regard every man who has a child as father. In
fact, it would be more meaningful to regard a man as a father only to those who daring
and caring to be a father.
My father whom I've known for life is

• a responsive person who cares to lead a family
• a faithful husband who is devoted to his wife
• an example of a father for his children, nieces, nephews and grand child
• a life of guidance for friends, families and relatives
• a responsive leader and practitioner of ecumenical movement
• an active supporter who cares to serve in various roles for church community
• a caring neighbor who is attentive to environment
• a mindful person for a balancing life for himself
I am gratefully thanking God for granting me an opportunity to have a father who always
is there for me guiding me all my life together with my mum as a living proof to admire
what a truth follower, God fearing and love sharing person is.
One of the " no choices" facts that we people have to admit is no chance of choosing
to be a child of certain parents. And also it in deed is a general assumption to honor a man
as a father taking in account of having a child. Only those who are daring and caring to be
a father should be regarded as one.
Admist all those "no choice" human life, with a heartfelt happiness for being my
father's daughter, for being a daughter of a rightful father and for being accepted and
brought up as a daughter of my father, I am earnestly praying that May God continuously
bless my father with all the blessings that no human has authority over ....
Beloved younger daughter,

Nau Nau @ Elizabeth Thawng
(4th November 2012)
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The Man
I know ...
He is a builder who builds not only a house but a Home Sweet Home.
He is a mentor whose counsel I can trust and guides me with his prayer.
He is a healer who eases my pain with his steadfast love.
He is a leader who always follows his Master's step to be a servant of all.
He is a peace-maker who stops the fight and starts the hug.
He is a teacher who shows me the way and holds my hands through every step.
He is a father who loves his family as the Heavenly Father does.
He is the only Hero I know ... and ...
And it's you, "My Beloved Dad"
By
Esther Neem Suan Mang
8th April 2013, Monday
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REVD SMITH'S SELECTED

ARTICLES AND MESSAGES
CHRIST'S CONTINUED REVOLUTION:

THE CALL TO DISCIPLESHIP
(Bible Study, Mandalay UCF, Bawdigone Chapel, Mandalay, February 27, 1972)
"Then Jesus said to his disciples. If anyone would come after me, s/he must
deny her/himself and take up her/his cross and follow me ..." (Mtt. 16:24; Mk. 8:34;
Lk. 9:23, NIV).
The call to discipleship is a greatest challenge for Christian life. To be a true man/
woman is to be a true disciple of Jesus Christ. According to the three synoptic texts
above, there are three basic condition to become a disciple of Jesus Christ, i.e., (a) to
deny oneself, (b) to bear one's own cross, and (c) to follow after Jesus Christ. Let us
consider them briefly.
A. To deny oneself (Self-denial):

Luke 9:57-62 demonstrated three inter-related aspects of self-denial. It was
a story of discipleship:
(a) To deny earthly wealth, possessions, power, popularity, etc. Earthly treasures are not
incentives for those who will become disciples of Jesus Christ. We eat to live but we
do not live to eat. Jesus did not call his disciples to become rich and prosperous. He
called people to deny lusts, leisure and luxuries. Cf. Lk. 9:57&58; Mtt. 19:16-24;
Mk. 10:17- 30; Mtt. 6:25-33.
(b) To deny human customs, traditions & cultic practices, etc. In Luke 9:59-60, Jesus
denied the man for his father's burial. Jesus demanded the man to deny and throw
away his long-held custom to pay respect to the diseased father at the funeral with the
belief that he would be blessed or else his life would be miserable without his father's
blessings. Any human customs, traditions or cultures unfit for the Kingdom of God
must be denied as disciples of Jesus. Cf. 2Cor. 5:17; Gal. 5:16-24; Mtt. 5:13-16;
Rom. 12:1&2; Eph. 5:1&2
(c) To deny human love, attachment, affection, etc. Jesus commanded his disciples to
give him top priority and first in everything. He commanded us to love him more than
anyone else, be our parent or children, husband or wife, sister or brother. He com-
manded us to love him with our heart, our mind, our soul and our strength. Cf. Mk.
12:30; Mtt. 10:37-39, 22:37.
B. To bear one's own cross (Cross-bearing)

Christianity is a religion of the cross. The cross is the most profound sign
and symbol of Christian life from birth through death. Jesus had taken up the cross, he
bore cross, he was crucified and died on the cross of Calvary-the most shameful, dread-
ful, woeful and scandalous cross. He was buried in a borrowed grave. But he was resur-
rected. He left the tomb and the cross empty. He overcome death. He became the Victor
from victim.
Now the cross has two sides; i.e. the negative (-) and positive (+), both before
and beyond, the cross (before) Calvary and the cross (beyond) Calvary. Thecross (be-
fore) Calvary symbolizes sin, hostility, punishment, persecution, suf fering, rejection, sor-
row, loss, death, the end of all, etc. The cross (beyond) Calvary is the symbol of forgivness,
reconciliation, restoration, justification, peace, joy, mercy, love, victory, life, assuarance,
hope, etc. The cross has two sides but it is one and the same cross which the Lord Jesus
commanded us to take up and bear everyday. A disciple is a cross-bearer.
C. To follow after Jesus Christ (Following Christ)

Christians are supposed (called) to be Christ-like people as Christ-ians, Christ's
followers who believe and trust in Him, who talk, walk and work with Him, who live with
Him and for Him. The way of Jesus is the way of the cross, the narrow way. (Mtt.
7:13&14). Jesus said in John 15:5, " I am the vine, and you are the branches. Whoever
remains (abides) in me, I in him/her, will bear much fruit, for you can do nothing without
me..." In John 8:31 Jesus said, "If you obey my teaching, youare really my disciples; ..."
May we always confess together with Simon Peter, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You
have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that You are the Holy One of God."
(John 6:68-69). Apostle Paul exhorted Christians to grow in Christ to become mature,
attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ (Eph. 4:11-13, NIV).
The way of Jesus is the way of the cross. It is not the broad-way but the narrow-
way, not the easy-way but hard-way, not the rosy-way but the thornyway, not the straight-
way but the crooked-way, not the beneficial way but the benevolent way, not the dis-
criminatory way but the dialogue way, not the confrontation way but the conversation
way, not the haughty way but the humble way, not the safety way but the sacrificial way,
not the lording way but the loving way, not the all-sucess-way but the all-honest-way, not
the retaliation way but the reconciliation way, not he profitable way but the propitiation
way, not the victorious way but the vicarious way, not the Hosanna & Hallelujah way
but the persecution and crucifixion way, but at the final end of the way of the cross is the
Crown of Life eternal.
Jesus said, "In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I
have overcome the world." (John 16:33b).
A PERSONAL TESTIMONY
(A testimony given at the Seminar on " Models

for Ministry among the Poor",the Ecumenical Institute
Bossey, World Council of Churches, near Geneva, Swit-
zerland on 31-7-1984)
I believe that life is a gift of God and as such the
right to live is God-given right to every human being.
Everybody wants to live. Everybody wants to enjoy life.
Everybody wants to have life in its fullness.
Looking at the life of Jesus Christ, as for me, to
live means to love, and to love means to serve. So, to
live is to love and to serve.
If at all I have a kind of moving experience at
this Seminar, it must be a renewal and re-affirmation of
my conversion to the people, particularly the poor and
oppressed, and my commitment to them whom God loves
and gives His only Son to die for them.
I have determined myself to live and to die for
the poor people. I know my times are in God's hand. I
trust in God for His divine providence that I may be faithful
to the end.
My prayer:
Lord, help me and give me the necessary
strength and courage to be able to fulfill my
commitment for the cause of the poor and
oppressed in any way and every way I can.
Let me feel your presence with me in all my
struggles with them and for them, in the name
of Jesus who gives his life for the poor. Amen.
SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD ....
(Charge to the graduates at Commencement Exercises of Zomi Theological College

Falam, Chin State, and Tahan Theological College, Tahan-Kalaymyo, March 1993)
Glory be to God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit!
Dear friends, today is a day of joy and celebrations. We rejoice in the Lord
for His bountiful blessings to all of us especially to the graduates today for leading
you through many various difficulties and hardships during your days of study here
for a period of over four years. Yes, seminaries and theological institutions are not
places for pleasure, leisure and luxury. But they are places of learning most vital lessons in
life.
We celebrate together today for the successful achievement each of you have
made. Four years ago you started but today you have succeeded, you have accom-
plished it and you get your degree and diploma. You have a tail behind your name. But let
me remind you immediately that your success today is only just the beginning of your
missionary journey and the prelude to your ministerial life which is yet a preparation for
your life-long service of the Lord.
You know best why you decided to come and join the Theological College. I
believe it is not you who really choose but it is the Lord who has chosen you and sent you
here to study the Word of God and learn the lessons. You have finished your study
programme here but you must not stop to study and learn, instead you must continue your
learning process making the best use of all available resources at your disposal. Let me
suggest you the following four main resources:
One, THE BIBLE - the Word of God is the primary source and you need to read
and study day after day, together with good theological and other Christian literatures.
Two, THE CHURCH - the Body of Christ and the community of believers is the
basic ground in which you have your root for Christian life and nurture. You need to
continue to learn and grow in your given local community of faith.
Three, THE WORLD AROUND YOU - the historical context in which you live
and move and have your being is the place where you can best feel and experience the
presence of God. You will always need to learn and discern the will, purpose and actions
of God in daily events happening around you where you live.
Four, THE HOLY SPIRIT-the comforter as the source of inspiration, vision,
power and hope. You will always need the continuous counsel and guidance of the Holy
Spirit as you live and serve the Lord in this troubled world.
Dear sisters and brothers, you will now go into the world to serve the Lord
through the Church. As responsible Church workers you are commanded by the Lord
Jesus Christ TO SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND HIS RIGHTEOUS-
NESS [Mtt 6:33]. You may seek many several things in your life. Seek and you shall find,
knock and the door will be opened. Nothing is wrong initially to seek anything you like
but the point here is that YOU MUST SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD and all
others only as secondary. In other words, you must give God first place and top priority
in your life and ministry. Our Lord Jesus Christ commanded you to love God with all your
heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength [Mk 12:30]. You
must love God and put Him on top of everything. God always first, others second, and
yourself last is the proper theological order of Christian life.
Now, as you commit yourself to seek first the Kingdom of God, it is essential that
you know what you really mean. Let me suggest Five main interpretations as follows:
1. THE KINGDOM OF GOD - THE KINGDOM OF LOVE

God is love and he who abides in love abides in God and God abides in him [I
John 4:16]. Yes, the greatest need of our world is love. It is not new technology or new
weapons we need most but it is a new heart guarded and guided by love, genuine self-
giving love. Our world is full of hatred, enmity, prejudice, hostility and alike. All these are
the manifestations of the absence of love. To seek first the Kingdom of God means to
seek love, to practise love and to live in love. In the Sermon on the Mount, our Lord
Jesus commanded us to love our enemies and to pray for those who persecute us [Mtt.
5:44]. Dear sisters and brothers, you are called to the ministry of love. The apostles St.
Paul said, "Owe no one anything, except to love one another; ...." [Rom. 13:8]. The first
thing and the last thing you should do in your ministry is to love and to love.
2. THE KINGDOM OF GOD - THE KINGDOM OF FREEDOM

The world we live is under the power of sin characterized by oppression, repres-
sion, suppression and bondage. Our lives are dictated by the power of the invisible hands.
We are under pressure with fear. Our Lord Jesus taught us, "You shall know the truth and
the truth shall make you free" [John 8:32]. To seek first the Kingdom of God means to
seek the truth that set people free. But freedom is not free, it is not cheap. Freedom is
costly and expensive, it needs a high price to be paid. God has given His only begotten
Son to set us free from the bondage of sin. You must be willing and ready to pay the price
of freedom at whatever cost, remembering that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the
Church.
3. THE KINGDOM OF GOD - THE KINGDOM OF JUSTICE

We are more than familiar with the notion, "Might is right." And often times we
are compelled to overlook and ignore what is right, what is good, what is true and what
is just for the sake of our own survival. Favouritism, nepotism, corruption and all sorts of
mal-practises have lon been the order of the day. As Christians, you are called to be the
light of the world, the salt of the earth. To seek first the Kingdom of God means to seek
justice in spite of all inevitable dangerous consequences. The prophets of old and the the
prophets of our times such as Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Martin Luther King, Jr. have
sacrificed their lives for truth and justice. During Hitler's Nazi regime in Germany,
Bonhoeffer championed the faith of the Church and the justice of God. Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr. of the USA stood firmly as a brave advocate for civil rights and social justice.
Dear sisters and brothers, you are also called to join in this prophetic ministry to bring
justice in the world.
4. THE KINGDOM OF GOD - THE KINGDOM OF UNITY

The world is divided and broken into pieces. The nations of the world came
together and formed the United Nations Organization as a platform to create a world
community one world, one humanity. It is a great and noble intention indeed. The secret
purpose of God as expressed by St. Paul in Ep. 1: 9,10 and Colo. 1: 15-20 is to unite all
things, things in heaven and things on earth in Christ at the fullness of time. God is a
community of three persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God's desire is unity not
division and discrimination. To seek first the Kingdom of God means to seek unity and
oneness. You are called to make unity and not division.
Therefore, to seek first the Kingdom of God means:
- to seek love over against hatred and enmity.
- to seek freedom over against oppression, fear and bondage
- to seek justice over agianst injustice and inequality
- to seek peace over against war and hostility, and
- to seek unity over against division and discrimination.
Dear sisters and brothers, let me urge you now to bear in mind and keep at
heart the following FOUR THEOLOGICAL PRICIPLES to guide your attitude and
perspective as you are prepared to consecrate yourself to serve the Lord and seek first
the Kingdom of God which is love, freedom, justice, peace and unity.
THE FIRST PRINCIPLE - HUMILITY

Remember th entire event of God's INCARNATION in Jesus - his birth in a
manger, his simple life-style by being the friend of sinners, the outcasts, marginalized,
oppressed and poor, his suffering and death on the cross. Although he is the King of
kings and Lord of lords, He emptied Himself and took the form of a suffering ser-
vant - KENOSIS. Dear sisters and brothers, as disciples of the servant of servants,
you must have the mind of Christ which is humility, humbleness.
THE SECOND PRINCIPLE - OPENESS

Jesus is the man for others, giving himself out unserved. Likewise, you must
try your best to make yourself available to others. Your life is no more your own but you
belong now to God. You must be open to God and other people.
THE THIRD PRINCIPLE - SERVICE

Jesus came into the world not to be served but to serve. You are not called by
Jesus to become a Master to others but to be a humble servant of others like himself. You
are called to serve the Lord and others whom God loves.
THE FOURTH PRINCIPLE - FAITHFULNESS

God is always faithful to you, He keeps His promises and God demands faithful-
ness from you too. Not to any earthly authorities or powers but only to God and God
alone you must give your final absolute and ultimate loyalty, obedience and faithfulness,
You must be faithful even unto death. Like Jesus you must learn to say, "Not my will but
your will, O Lord, be done."
The principles of humility, openess, service and faithfulness are all the char-
acters you can find in Jesus Christ. You have to imitate Jesus Christ as your supreme
ideal and Model in your life and in your ministry,
In conclusion, I would like all of you to meditate together on the famous
Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi:
Lord, make me instrument of Thy peace,
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon,
where there is doubt, faith,
where there is despair, hope,
where there is darkness, light: and
where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
May the good Lord shine His face upon you to give you light and life:
May the good Lord stretch forth His hands upon you
to guide you and protect you,
now and always.
AMEN
THE LIVING WORD OF GOD
(Sermon preached on Bible Sunday, August 21, 1994,

at Immanuel Baptist Church, Yangon)
Scripture texts: Heb. 4:12; Matt. 24:35
Dear friends, I give thanks to God for bringing me here today. I am thankful to the
Bible Society of Myanmar for assigning me to speak in this church which is one of the
most unique Baptist churches in Myanmar. Moreover, I am grateful also to the Modera-
tor and Elders of the church for welcoming me to the pulpit. I learned that our beloved
pastor the Rev. Paul F. Johns is assigned to go and preach in Taunggyi. I wish him God's
blessings for all his deliberations and a safe and pleasant journey back home.
As we all know, today is Bible Sunday. You all know what the Bible is and what
it means to each of you. However, I would like to share some informations about the
Bible. It is said that the Bible is the first translated, the first printed and the most circulated
book in the world. Today, it has been translated into more than 2000 languages of the
world including over 20 languages of the people in Myanmar. Throughout several centu-
ries of human history, the Bible had been confiscatedm destroyed, burned and banned in
many places all over the world. But the Bible survived, outlived and remained the best
seller, most widely published and distributed book in the world.
The Bible is indeed the most precious book for humankind because it is the
book of faith, truth, freedom, justice, peace, unity, love, hope and life. Therefore,
we used to keep the Bible with us so as to keep us in safty from trouble. For every
Christian the Bible has been the best friend, companion and guide in life.
To keep the Bible with us is good but it is better to read it and learn it. Most
people read the Bible for strength, comfort, consolation and guidance. In reading the
Bible it is important to know that we must not read the Bible to find faults in others,
criticize and condemn them but we must read to discover our own faults and be cor-
rected according to the will and purpose of God. It is also important to know that as we
read the Bible we are read by the Bible, and as we understood by the Bible.
In Hebrews 4: 12 & 13 we read, " For the Word of God is living and active.
Sharper than any doubled-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit,
joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation
is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him
to whom we must give account" (NIV).
As we read the Word of God, it penetrates into the most inner parts of our life
and we stand naked in the sight of God. There is no secret before God. The Word of
God is a judgement for those who disobey God but it is a blessing for those who obey
God and live according to God's will.
Former US President George Washington said, " It is impossible to rightly gov-
ern the world without God of the Bible." The Bible teaches not only how to live in blessing
but it teaches also how to die in blessing. It promises a blessed eternal life of glory in
heaven and it also guarantees a blessed abundant life in its fullness here on earth.
Dear friends, what is required of us is to think, to pray, to speak, to do and to live
according to the teachings and instructions of the Bible, the living Word of God. Let us
join the Psalmist in saying, " Your word is a lamp to guide me and a light for my path. I will
keep my solemn promise to obey your just instructions" (Ps. 119: 105 & 106, TEV).
May God bless you all. Amen.

OUR CHRISTIAN MISSION
(Devotional Talk at World Vision Myanmar Staff Workshop,

Summit Park View Hotel, Yangon, February 24, 2000)
Christian Mission is not something we Christian invented but rather

it is something entrusted to us by God. Christian mission is the mission of God -
God's Mission (Mssio Dei). God is a missionary God. God started His missinary
work with the Creation of all things including human beings, followed by His incar-
nation in the person of Jesus of Nazareth (through his birth, life, ministry, suffering, death
and resurrection), and by the sending of the Holy Spirit to guide and sustain the whole
creation.
The central message of our Lord Jesus Christ is about the Kingdom (Rule)
of God. He taught his disciples to pray (the Lord's Prayer) - "Your Kingdom come,
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven..." (Matt. 6:10). Jesus Christ made the
public annoucement of his mission in Luke 4:18 & 19 (Nazarene Manifesto):
to preach good news to the poor
to proclaim freedom for the captives/prisoners
to recovery of sight for the blind
to release the oppressed
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour.
The Mission Statement of the Lambert Conference of the Worldwide Angli-

can Communion described the Five Marks of Missions as follows:
(1) To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom of God
(2) To teach, baptize and nurture new believers
(3) To respond to human needs by loving service
(4) To seek to transform unjust structures of society
(5) To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew
the earth.
As children of God and disciples of Christ, we Christians are called to participate
in God's mission to bring God's Kingdom which is the Kingdom of love, justice, truth,
freedom, unity and peace. As we participate in God's mission, we must imitate Christ as
our "Model" bearing the heart and mind of Christ (Philip 2:5ff), having the attitude moti-
vated by love and compassion, characterized by honesty and humility, with the spirit of
service and sacrifice, and with the determination of faithfulness and fulfillment.
In your life and work, may you always seek first the Kingdom (Rule) of God and
His righteousness (Matt. 6:33) and that at the end of your life's journey may you hear the
blessed word of the Lord saying to you, "Well done, good and faithful servant..." (Matt.
25: 21).
May the good Lord keep you and bless you always. Amen
GOOD AND FAITHFUL DISCIPLES
(An address delivered at the Closing Worship Service of the

"Post-Amsterdam 2000 Conference" convened at the Memorial Hall,
Baptist Headquarters, Yangon on August 12, 2001 at 10:30 AM)
Praise the Lord!

O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures for ever!
Psalm 106:1
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised!

As we come to the Closing Worship Service in Thanksgiving to the Great
God, let us reclaim and re-affirm the five "Greats" of the Lord as follows:
1. THE GREAT CALL OF THE LORD

(a) "Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you
rest." (Mtt.11:28)
(b) "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men" (Mtt. 4: 19).
(c) "Abide in me, and I in you" (John 15:4a).
(d) "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his
cross and follow me" (Mtt. 16:24).
2. THE GREAT COMMANDMENT OF THE LORD

(a) "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved
you" (John 15:12).
(b) "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your
soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength... You shall love
your neighbour as yourself..." (Mk. 12: 30,31).
(c) "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,..." (Mtt. 5:44).
3. THE GREAT PRAYER OF THE LORD
(a) "I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in me through
their word, that they may all be one; even as Thou, Father, art in me, and
I in Thee, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that
Thou has sent me" (John 17: 20,21).
(b) "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven" (Mtt.
6:10).
(c) "My father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not
as I will, but as Thou wilt" (Mtt. 26:39b).
4. THE GREAT COMMISSIONOF THE LORD

(a) "Go, therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them
to observe all that I have commanded you;" (Mtt. 28:19, 20a).
(b) "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach
good news to the poor, He has sent me to proclaim release to the cap
tives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those are op
pressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. ... Today this scrip
ture has been fulfilled in your hearing" (Lk. 4:18, 19, 21b).
5. THE GREAT PROMISE OF THE LORD

(a) "But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my
name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your rememberance all
that I have said to you" (John 14:25,26).
(b) "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you; not as the world gives do
I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let them be afraid"
(John 14: 27).
(c) "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this
world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world"
(John 16:33 NIV).
(d) "... and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age" (Mtt. 28:20b).
Dear beloved friends, let us rekindle our faith and rededicate our lives to be good
and faithful disciples of our great Lord as we continue to listen to the great call, to obey
the great commandment, to offer the great prayer, to accomplish the great commission
and to stand firmly on the great promise of the great Lord.
To God be the Glory! Amen

CULTIVATING A CULTURE OF PEACE
(A reflection given at NCC General Secretaries' Meeting organized

by CCA held at Tao Fong Shan Ecumenical Centre,
Hong Kong, June 17-21, 2002)
Basic Christian Principle

The Church believes that every human being is created in the image of God,
and thus, the Church is called by God to uphold and witness to respect and protect
the human rights of all people everywhere.
Human wickedness
Conflicts, violence and wars against human communities and individuals are
continuing realities of human history since Adam and Eve, beginning with the killing
of Abel by his own brother Cain (Gen. 4:8). Thus, the scriptures testified human wicked-
ness most vividly in several passages, such as:
"When the Lord saw how wicked everyone on earth was and how evil their
thoughts were all the time, He was sorry that He had ever made them and put them
on the earth. He was so filled with regret that He said, "I will wipe out these people
I have created, and also the animals and the birds, because I am sorry that I made
any of them" Gen. 6:5-7, TEV).
"Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight and was full of violence. God saw
how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways"
(Gen. 6:11&12, NIV).
"There is no one who is righteous, no one who is wise or who worships
God. All have turned away from God; they have all gone wrong; no one does what
is right, nor even one. Their words are full of deadly deceit; wicked lies rolll off their
tongues, and dangerous threats, like snake's poison, from their lips; their speech is
filled with bitter curses. They are quick to hurt and kill; they leave ruin and destruc-
tion wherever they go. They have not known the path of peace, nor have they learnt
reverence of God" (Rom. 3: 10-18, TEV).
Ecumenical initiatives for Peace
The ecumenical movement has been deeply concerned with the issue of how
Christians and churches can help the world to learn to live with the conflicts and
violence inherent in the human condition, and to prevent them from exploding into war.
The first founding Assembly of the World Council of Churches (Amsterdam, 1948) said,
"War as a method of settling disputes is incompatible with the teaching and example of
our Lord Jesus Christ. The part which war plays in our present international life is a sin
against God and a degradation of man."
In more recent times, in January 1994 in Johannesburg, South Africa, the
Central Committee of the World Council of Churches talked of "a need to comforr
and overcome the 'spirit, logic and practice of war' and to develop new theological ap-
proaches, consonant with the teachings of Christ, which start not with war and move to
peace, but with the need for justice."
The UN proclaimed the years 2001-2010 "International Decade for a Cul-
ture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World". Similarly, the World
Council of Churches launched the "Decade to Overcome Violence: Churches Seek-
ing Reconciliation and Peace (2001-2010)".
Biblical Vision
Isaiah prophesied about God's promise of the Peaceful kingdom:
"The Spirit of The Lord will give him wisdom, and knowledge and skill to
rule his people ... He will rule his people with justice and integrity. Wolves and
sheep will live together in peace, and leopards will lie down with young goats.
Calves and lion cubs will feed together, and little children will take care of them.
Cows and bears will eat together, and their calves and cubs will lie down in peace. Lions
will eat straw as cattle do. Even a baby will not be harmed if it plays near a poisonous
snake. On Zion, God's sacred hill, there will be nothing harmful or evil. The land will be as
full of the knowledge of the Lord as the seas are full of waters" (Is. 11: 2-9, TEV).
Micah also prophesied about God's promise of the Lord's Universal Reign of
Peace:
"He will settle disputes among the naitons, among the great powers near and far.
They will hammer their swords into ploughs and their spears into pruning-knives. Nations
will never again go to war, never prepare for battle again. Everyone will live in peace
among his own vineyards and fig-trees, and no one will make him afraid. The Lord
Almighty has promised this" (Amos 4:3&4, TEV).
Inspiration and motivation for Peace

We are inspired by God's promise for Peace (Shalom) through the prophets
and motivated by our faith in and personal relationship with Jesus Christ the Lord,
the Prince of Peace (Is. 9:6), who gives us His peace (John 14;27), who is always
present with us, Immanuel (Matt. 1:23), and who is the same yesterday, today and for
ever (Heb.13:8), who reconciled us with God and with one another, proclaiming peace
and a new relation ship (one new humanity) between those who had been separated by
alienation and hostility (Ep. 2: 14-17), and entrusted to us the ministry of reconciliation.
(2 Cor. 5:18)
Called to Peace
Let us pay attention to St. Paul's exhortation for the Called to Peace:
"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly beloved, clothe yourselves
with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and
forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord
forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in
perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body
you were called to peace (Colo. 3:12-15, NIV).
Commitment to Peace: Cultivating a Culture of Peace

The UN Secretary General distinguished the three tasks of peace-keeping,
peace- making and peace-building. The Church is called to all the three tasks but
primarily to the latter, i.e. for peace-building which is a long-term concern and commit-
ment. Cultivating a Culture of Peace (Peace-building) is fundamentally an educational
process which requires sustaining ecumenical formation: formation of peace mentality
and spirituality. It calls for a radical change of attitude, conviction and life style. It calls
for a global, moral, ethical transformation - creation of a new praxis from passive co-
existence to active pro-existence according to the mind and model of Jesus Christ: "Your
attitude should be the same as that of Jesus Christ: Who, being in very nature God, did
not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking
the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appear-
ance as a man, he humbled himself and become obedient to death-even death on a
cross!" (Philip. 2: 5-8,TEV).
Culture of Peace should be cultivated beginning in our own homes: between
husbands and wives, children and parents, sisters and brothers; in our church con-
gregations/parishes; in our Christian institutions/organizations; and extended to the
wider communities, peoples, nations and the entire world.
We are called to be peace-makers (Matt. 5:9) as the salt of the earth and the
light of the world (Matt. 5:15&14), to be ambassadors for Christ for the ministry of
reconciliation (2Cor. 5:20). The peace we seek, given by God as a gift, is the peace
with justice, truth and freedom which is made perfect by forgiveness and love - even
our worst enemies (Matt. 5:44).
Cultivating a Culture of Peace is a process of transformation which will inevitably
require a change, i.e. change of heart and mind, a new mentality (attitude) and a new
spirituality (lifestyle), such as:
From accusation to accomodation
From animosity to amicability
From apprehension to appreciation
From apathy to amity
From bigotry to benevolence
From confrontation to collaboration
From compulsion to compassion
From contempt to concern
From cursing to caring
From crusading spirit to crucified spirit
From doctrine of just war to doctrine of just peace
From discrimination to dialogue
From enmity to empathy
From eco-exploitation to eco-friendliness
From fanaticism to fraternity
From foe to friend
From gaining spirit to giving spirit
From greediness to graciousness
From hatred to harmony
From hostility to hospitality
From hubris to humbleness
From harmfulness to healing
From indifference to identification
From indignation to integrity
From jealousy to justice
From kickback to kindness
From lustful desire to loving kindness
From malevolence to mercy
From monopolization to multiplicity
From parochialism to plurality
From paternalism to partnership
From quantity to quality
From retaliation to reconciliation
From selfishness to selflessness
From segregation to solidarity
From victimization to vindication
From warring madness to winsome mindfulness
"And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your
hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philip. 4:7, NIV).
THE NEW WORLD ORDER AND THE ROLE OF THE CHURCH
(A paper presented at the 4th Inter-Seminary Students' Assembly (ATEM)

held at Ko Tha Byu Theological Seminary, Pathein, Myanmar, October 10, 2002)
A. THREE MAJOR ISSUES OR CHALLENGES TO THE WORLD TODAY

(a) Plurality
The awareness that the world is a plurality of religions, ethic and racial identities,
cultures, languages and of histories, and the inter-relatedness and interdependence of
human communities is here to stay, there is no way back to the pre-modern situation of
self-contained and homogeneous communities. Humanity has no choice but to develop
ways of acknowledging cultural and regious plurality as permannent social fact and to
move from antagonistic competitiveness to complementary cooperation.
(b) Globalization
We are witnessing a globalization of human society, particularly in the areas of
economy, finance and communication. Globalization is transforming all traditional ways of
organizing society, exercising power and producing goods and services. Globalizatio sym-
bolizes a form of human power which can no longer be controlled.
Globalization is the result of excessive concentration of power and its largely un-
controlled use. Because the global economic and financial system recognizes no limits -
whether to national boundaries, political sovereignty or ecological sustainability - it finally
becomes self-destructive. The potentially self-destructive dynamics of the process of
globalization can be met only if human beings, individually and collectively, learn again to
live within limits. We have to learn again and again that "Small is beautiful" and "Enough is
enough".
The present trend towards globalization will have to be transformed by recovering
a sense of sustainable limits for human existence. This acknowledgement of limits is
based on an understanding of human existence as "being in relationship". Our identity as
human persons is formed through our relationships with other human beings, with our
natural environment and ultimately with God. God is understood as the ultimate centre of
relationships.
(c) Violence
Violence is a basic feature of the ethos of our time. Violence is a complex phenom-
enon manifesting itself in many differemt forms. Violence is manifested both direct and
structural, in homes, communities and international arenas. Because of its omnipresence
one can even speak of a "culture of violence."
Violence occured already in the very first human family when Cain killed his
own brother Abel in cold blood as recorded in the book of Genesis (4:8).
The traumatic event of September 11, 2001 and the sussequent campaign and
crusade on "war against terrorism" is threatening the entire world. Will war be ever
overcome by war? Will violence be ever stopped by violence?
B. TO BE THE CHURCH
("The Nature and Mission of the Church" WCC F/O Document No. 181, 1998)
(a) Biblical Insights of the Church
(1) The Church as the People of God
(2) The Church as the Body of Christ
(3) The Church as the Temple of the Holy Spirit
(4) The Church as Communion (Koinonia)
(b) Marks/Nature of the Church
(1) The Church is One
(2) The Church is Holy
(3) The Church is Catholic/Universal
(4) The Church is Apostolic
(c) Tasks/Functions of the Church
(1) Fellowship/Unity/Community (Koinonia)
(2) Worship/Liturgy (Leiturgia)
(3) Teaching/Instructions (Didache)
(4) Service/Charity (Diakonia)
(5) Witness/Testimony (Maturia)
(d) Ecumenical Vision for the Church
("To be the Church: Challenges and Hope for a new millennium", Konard
Raiser, WCC, Geneva, 1997)
(1) A vision of wholeness and of fullness of life, not only for human
beings but also for all creation.
(2) A vision of shalom and of right relationships in a sustainable human
community
(3) A vision of reconciliation: based on the belief in the liberating power
of forgiveness
(4) A vision of sufficiency: enough is provided for everyone's need, to be-

come self-reliant
(5) A vision of the catholicity of the Church as the worldwide community of
those who live by the promise of God's kingdom and celebrate the signs
of its presence already now
C. ALTERNATIVE SOCIETY/ECUMENICAL COMMUNITY -

"CIVIL SOCIETY"
Civil society is about creating and preserving relationships and fostering communi-
cations in the widest sense. Its processes are concerned first and foremost with promot-
ing quality of life through reliable and meaningful relationships - not with exercising power
or accumulating capital. Civil society is the basis and precondition of an effectively func-
tioning economy in the context of the market. The satisfaction of basic needs and the right
to participate in society and the economy must be guaranteed in the realms of civil soci-
ety.
For the ecumenical community or alternative society or civil society, an approach to
authentic human development will require the following key affirmations:
(1) A recognition that real value cannot be expressed in monetary terms and
that life - and that which is essential to sustain it - cannot be commondified.
(2) A belief in the inherent dignity of every person and a priority on creating
the conditions for a dignified life.
(3) A commitment to an economy whose role is to serve the well-being of
people and the health of the earth.
(4) A focus on the ultimate aim of economic life to nurture sustainable, just
and participatory communities.
(5) A vision of a global community whose interdependence is not reduced to
trade and markets.
(6) An acknowledgement of a common destiny as co-inhabitants of the one
earth for which we all share responsibility and from which we should all
equally benefit.
(7) A responsibility to uphold the right of all people - particularly the diverse
communities of the poor and excluded - to participate in the economic,
social and political decisions which affect them.
D. WORKING FOR BUILDING A CULTURE OF PEACE

(WCC's "Churches Seeking Reconciliation and Peace: Decade to Overcome
Violence")
(1) Reaching a comprehensive understanding of the various manifestations of
direct as well as structural violence and of the different contextual
approaches to overcoming violence;
(2) Relinquishing any theological justification of violence and affirming anew
the spirituality of reconciliation and active non-violence;
(3) Creating a new understanding of security in terms of cooperation and
community, instead of in terms of domination and competition;
(4) Cooperating with other religious communities in the pursuit of peace and
reconciliation and against the misuse of religious and ethnic identities in
pluralistic societies;
(5) Challenging the growing militarization of our world, especially the prolifera-
tion of small arms and light weapons.
To overcome violence and build a Culture of Peace, the Church must procliam the
message of reconciliation and work for it as ambassadors for Christ - agents/instruments
for Peace (Eph. 2:14-18; 2 Cor. 5:17-21).
E. THE CHURCH AS A "MORAL AND SPIRITUAL COMMUNITY"

The Church as the Body of Christ is by its very being a "moral" and "spiritual"
reality. Moral and spiritual formations are the inherent tasks of the Church. In this age of
conflict, confusion and competition, the Church is called to be the moral conscience and
spiritual source for the world.
Moral formation is a nurturing process in which a certain sense of identity, a
certain recognition of community, and a certain pattern of motivation, evolve ...
Moral formation will have to give particular attention to shaping a new understand-
ing of human responsibility, both individually and collectively. It will have to be
oriented towards creating sustainable communities with a new culture - "culture of
responsibility".
Moral formation and spirituality are closely interrelated. Spirituality - in its
manifold forms - is about receiving energy for life, being cleansed, inspired and set
free, in every way being conformed to Christ. An ecumenical spirituality for our
time should be:
- incarnational, here and now,
- life-giving,
- rooted in scriptures and nourished by prayer,
- it should be communitarian and celebrating,
- centred around the Eucharist,
- expressed in service and witness,
- trusting and confident,
- it will inevitably lead to suffering,
- it is open to the wider oikoumene,
- joyful and hopeful,
- its source and guide is the action of the Holy Spirit,
- it is lived and sought in community and for others,
- it is an ongoing process of formation and discipleship.
F. CONCLUSION
The ecumenical spirituality is characterized by openess, connectedness and
earthedness.
Openess is the ability to transcend one's self, one's horizon; it is the willingness
to open oneself to the Holy Spirity, to make room for other; ....
Connectedness is the recognition that all life is sustained by bonds of commu-
nity. Connectedness as a mark of spirituality finds its expression in the recognition
and practice of cooperation, reciprocity and mutuality, ...
Earthedness binds the ecumenical spirituality to the everyday conditions of life
at a given time and place, recognizing its finiteness and limitations, in constant dia-
logue with its cultural and social environment.
Spirituality is the name we give to that which provides us with the strength to
go on, for it is the assurance that God is in the struggle (EATWOT, Nairobi, 1992).
EQUPPING PEOPLE FOR GOD'S MINISTRY
(Message of Chairperson, MIT Board of Trustees

at the Ground-breaking ceremony of the Diamond Jubilee Building
on October 12, 2002 at 7:00 AM)
In the scripture textof Eph. 4:11-16, the apostle Paul spoke about recruitment
and equipping people for various ministries of the Church. Church historian Tertullian
wrote that "Christian are made, not born". I think we all will agree with him. None of us
here is born a pastore, a teacher, a leader. We all are made Church leaders, teachers,
pastors.
Christian life is a process of knowledge, growth and maturity which is a continu-
ous process of formation. There are three interrelated aspects of formation process:
- to be informed - reading, listening, learning, discerning (knowledge)
- to be transformed - repentance and conversion by the power of the Holy
Spirit, new life (obedience)
- to be conformed - to the likeness of Christ, imitation of Christ, in God's
image (commitment)
Theological education, I believe, is essentially a ministry of Christian forma-

tion, for a sound and proper theological education, the following five perspectives
of Christian formation should be equally focused.
1) faith formation - basic fundamental Christian faith & belief
2) theological formation - more critical study and knowledge of the
Christian faith
3) spiritual formation - moral ethical norms and practices for discipleship
4) ministerial formation - training and development for professional
Christian Leadership
5) ecumenical formation - because God is one and the Church is one, true
Christian life and ministry is one - mutual respect, mutual understanding,
mutual acceptance, mutual - one and common mission and
recognition ministry of God
A holistic concept of formation is essential in theological education which will

embrace the five basic elements of a human person:
a) physical element
b) psychological/emotional element
c) rational/intellectual element
d) social-cultural element
e) spiritual element
In my opinion, the main purpose of theological education is for the formation of a

committed servant-leader who is
a) intellectually informed
b) professionally equipped
c) spiritually maturing
all for the service of the Kingdom and glory of God.
The Christian life (a leader's life) is lived in the power of the Holy Spirit. And it is:
- a life of communion, with God, with all God's people and the nature-
peace & integrity
- a life of compassion, for all who are poor, oppressed, suffering, victims
of injustice and discriminations
- a life of combat, of comfrontation and struggle against all principalities
and powers, all forms of war and violence
The MIT, the Alma Mater of most of the Church leaders gathering here, as the
highest and leading institution of higher theological education in Myanmar, is blessed with
this special oppotunity to be the model of Christian formation to educate, equip, chal-
lenge and commission capable and committed leaders of the churches for today and
tomorrow.
May this Diamond Jubilee Building be a lasting blessing to facilitate the require-
ments for training and equipping new generations of people for God's ministry of truth,
freedom, justice, peace and love that God's Kingdom may come and God's desire may
be done on earth and in Myanmar as it is in heaven. Amen
"IN REMEMBRANCE OF ...."
(A sermon preached at the Judson Church,

University Estate, Yangon on May 1, 2005 at 4:00 PM)
"For I received from the Lord what I also delievered to you, that the Lord
Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had
given thanks, he broke it, and said, "This is my body which is for you. Do
this in remembrance of me." In the same way also the cup, after supper,
saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you
drink it, in remembrance of me" (1 Cor. 11:23-25, RSV).
Dear friends, sisters and brothers in Christ,

Today is May Day celebrated by all workers throughout the world. According to
the custom of our Church, today being the first Sunday of the month, we will celebrate the
Eucharist (Holy Communion) at this worship service.
All Christian churches agreed and affirmed together that Eucharist is at the
centre of Christian worship and life. Therefore, this evening as we observe the Eucharist,
we are participating in the most sacred and solemn rite of the Church. The Eucharist is
not a human invention but it is the gift of the Lord given to the Church. The Lord Jesus
Christ Himself is the One who presides at the Eucharistic Table and He is the One who
invites and offers all of us to receive the sacraments from Him.
According to the BEM (Baptism, Eucharist, and Ministry) Faith & Order docu-
ment No.111, 1982 of the World Council of Churches, the meaning of the Eucharist has
five dimensions:
(a) The Eucharist as Thanksgiving to the Father
(b) The Eucharist as Anamnesis or Memorial of Christ
(c) The Eucharist as Invocation of the Spirit
(d) The Eucharist as Communion of the Faithful
(e) The Eucharist as Meal of the Kingdom
This evening, I would like to reflect on one particular aspect of the celebration of
the Eucharist according to the word of our Lord Jesus Christ, i.e. "Do this in remem-
brance of me." There are three inter-related points I would like all of us to ponder. What
do we mean by "to remember"?
(1) To remember all what Jesus Christ had done for the salvation of the world -
his birth, life, ministry, death, resurrection, ascension, sending of the Holy Spirit, etc. To
remember here means to recall and remind ourselves in thanksgiving for all the blessings
and benefits we received through the life, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ,
i.e. THANKSGIVING.
(2) To remember means to recollect and reflect the word of Jesus Christ for
repentance by confessing our sins, failures and shortcomings by our thoughts, words,
actions, i.e. CONFESSION.
(3) To remember who we were, who we are and who we should be. We were
sinners before but now we are forgiven, justified and redeemed and we are new
people, covenant people, chosen people, new community in Christ. We are disciples
of Christ and children of God. We are pilgrim people on our journey to the Kingdom
of God which is the Kingdom of love, justice, freedom and peace, i.e. ANTICIPA-
TION.
Dear friends, sisters and brothers in Christ, as we prepare ourselves to celebrate
the Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist, let us enter boldly into fellowship and communion
with our Lord Jesus Christ as well as with one another in Thanksgiving to the Lord for all
what He had done to us, Confessing our sins, failures and shortcomings with full Anticipa-
tion for the coming Kingdom of God as promised by the Lord.
May God bless you all. Amen

"B - A - R - S"
(Charge to the Graduates, MIT; Seminary Hill,

BARS 2nd Commencement, October 1, 2005)
First of all, let us give thanks to God for all the things He has done through the
MIT community on this beautiful seminary hill. Today , we celebrate the second milestone
of the graduation of BARS. My dear beloved graduates, sons and daughters, let me wish
you my heartfelt "congretulations" for your sucess and achivement. Well done!
It is indeed a special privilege and honor for me to give the charge to the gradu-
ates today both as Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of MIT as well as a parent of the
graduates. As I consider about our Alma Mater, the MIT, especially the BARS programme,
I am amazed how it begins and how it works throughour the past five years. We give our
sincere honor to our beloved Principal Dr. Anna May Say Pa for her vision, courage and
commitment supported by our Vice-Principal Rev. Dr. Sang Awr and our Dean Thra
Saw Paulu together with several dozens of volunteer professors and lecturers. The BARS
programme is a living miracle. It is a proof that "Nothing is impossible with God."
The title of my message is "B-A-R-S." My dear graduates, sons and daughters,
in a few minutes time you will be conferred and awarded the degree of BARS. From now
on you will carry BARS degree throughout your life. You know very well what BARS
means. However, let me give four theological interpretations for you.
1. Be Always Ready to Serve

In Mk. 10:45 Jesus said that He did not come to be served but to serve. As
disciples of Jesus Christ, you are called to serve like Jesus. For a true follower of
Jesus Christ, to live is to serve. You will find true happiness and joy in serving
others.
2. Be Active, Reconstructive and Supportive

You are young, energetic, adventurous, critical, creative, courageous. But let me
advise you as St. Paul did to Timothy (1Tim. 4:12), "Let no one despise your youth, but
be an example in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity." You must not use
your knowledge, talents and energy to fight and quarrel with others but to tranform and
build friendship and communities of love, peace and hope for all.
3. Be Available and Responsible for the Society
Jesus commanded us to love our neighbour as ourselves. More than that the
Lord Jesus commanded us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us.
Dear graduates, you are called to be good neighbours, good Samaritans MIT has tried its
best to prepare you and train you to be available and responsible for the society which is
badly in need of your love, sacrifice and service.
4. Be Ambassadors for Reconciliation and Shalom

The world is sick. It is broken. Our nation is sick and broken. We need peace
and reconciliation. We need unity and solidarity. We need freedom from fear and
prejudice. We need justice and equality. We need love and compassion. Dear gradu-
ates, sons and daughters, you are called to be ambassadors of Christ for reconcili-
ation and shalom.
Today, we are living amidst wars and violence, terrors and threats. But let me tell
you,
as long as there is violence, there is conflict
as long as there is conflict, there is suffering
as long as there is suffering, there is struggle
as long as there is struggle, there is life
as long as there is life, there is hope.
Jeremiah 29:11, "For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans
for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope."
About 150 years ago, towards the end of his life, Dr. Adoniram Juson ex-
claimed, "The future of Burma is as bright as the promises of God."
Dear graduates, sons and daughters, you have been given the degree of
BARS which means:
1. Be Always Ready to Serve
2. Be Active, Reconstructive and Supportive
3. Be Available and Responsible for Society
4. Be Ambassadors for Reconciliation and Shalom
The Lord be with you and bless you always. Amen

OUR COMMON PILGRIMAGE TO THE FUTURE
(A paper presented at an "Interreligious Youth Fellowship Program"

organized and sponsored by the Judson Research Center of MIT,
on August 8, 2009, Mooler Hall, MIT, Insein, Yangon, Myanmar)
Our Troubled World

A book entitled "Our Common Future" is the Report of the World Commission
on Environment and Development (WCED) published in 1987. The Report began with
the following statement:
"The Earth is one but the world is not. We all depend on on biosphere for sustain-
ing our lives. Yet each community, each country, strives for survival and prosper-
ity with little regard for its impact on others. Some consume the Earth's resources
at a rate that would leave little for future generations, others, many more in
number, consume far too little and live with the prospect of hunger, squalor, dis-
ease, and early death ... Today, many regions face risks of irreversible damage to
the human environment that threaten the basis for human progress ... There are
more hungry people in the world today than ever before in human history, and
their numbers are growing ...."
Yes, our world is a troubled world. It is broken. It is broken. It is sick. Our world
is a battle-field of wars and violence, of conflicts and confrontations, of contradictions
and competitions, of discriminations and divisions, of dominations and dehumanization,
of exploitations and exterminations, of hatred and hostility, of persecutions and prostitu-
tions, of revenge and retaliation, of sufferings and sacrifices, of trails and tragedies, etc.,
etc.
Our Global Village - Common Humanity

In this global village, all human beings are inter-related, inter-connected and
inter-dependent. We human beings belong to one another regardless of our different
races and religions, beliefs and behaviours, colours and creeds, cultures and customs,
languages and literatures, shapes and sizes. All human beings are members of one human
species - Homo sapiens. We all are members of only one human family. We all belong to
one another as fellow human beings as well as fellow global family members. Yes, we
belong to one another, and we all share the same experience of birth and death. We all
are children of the same mother earth. We all share one and the same planetary and
ecosystem - we share the same sky, sun, moon, stars, air, water, etc ... Our belonging,
our being human together and our co-humanity is most fundamental to our common
identity as human beings.
Our Common Responsibility

A world-renowned expert on world religions and their impact on society, a Ger-
man Roman Catholic theologian, Prof. Dr. Hans Kung made the following three basic
statements in his book entitled "Global Responsibility: In Search of a New World Ethic"
published in 1991, viz.
a) There can be no ongoing human society without a world ethice for the
nations
b) There can be no peace among the nations without peace among the
religions.
c) There can be no peace among the religions without dialogue between
the religions
The thesis here is that inter-religious or inter-faith dialogue is indispensable for
peace and sustainability of our global village. Thus, inter-religious dialogue is essential for
our common future humanity. A genuine inter-religious dialogue requires an attitude of
absolute honesty and total openness.
Inter-religious dialogue operates in three area:
the practical area where we collaborate to help humanity;
the cognitive area where we seek understanding and truth;
the spiritual area where we attempt to experience the partner's religion
"from within".
Inter-religious dialogue also has three phases:

Phase 1: We unlearn misinformation about each other and begin to know
each other as we truly are;
Phase 2: We begin to discern values in the partner's tradition and wish to
appropriate them into our own tradition;
Phase 3: We together begin to explore new areas of reality, of meaning, and
of truth of which neither of us had ever been aware before.
I would like to share herewith two remarkable historial Statements related to
inter-religious dialogue, relationship and cooperation for our information., inspiration and
application. The first one from the World Conference of Religion and Peace (WCRP)
and the other one from the World Parliament of Religions (WPR).
Declaration of World Conference of the Religions for Peace of the World Con-
ference for Religion and Peace (WCPR), Kyoto, Japan, 1970.
Bahai, Buddhist, Christian, Confucian, Hindu, Jain, Jew, Muslim, Shintoist, Sikh,
Zoroastrian and others - we have come together in peace out of a common concern for
peace. As we sat down together facing the overriding issues of peace we discovered that
the things which unite us are more important than the things which divide us. We found
that we share:
1) A conviction of the fundalmental unity of the human family, of the equality
and dignity of all human beings;
2) A sense of the sacredness of the individual person and her/his conscience;
3) A sense of the value of the human community;
4) A recognition that might is not right, that human power is not self-sufficient
and absolute;
5) A belief that love, compassion, unselfishness and the force of inner truthful
ness and of the spirit have ultimately greater power than hate, enmity and
self-interest;
6) A sense of obligation to stand on the side of the poor and oppressed as
against the rich and the oppressors;
7) A profound hope that good will finally prevail.
The Declaration of the Parliament of the World's Religions adopted by the World
Parliament of Religions, Chicago, USA, 1993.
Four irrevocable directives/commitments

To be authentically human in the spirit of our great religions and ethical traditions
means:
1) Commitment to a culture of non-violence and respect of life
2) Commitment to a culture of solidarity and a just economic order
3) Commitment to a culture of tolerance and a life of truthfulness
4) Commitment to a culture of equal rights and partnership between men and
women.
Toward Our Common Future

The understanding and recognition of our common humanity sharing a common
future is challenging all of us to make common commitment for common responsibility
based on our common religious values and traditions for the promotion of a peaceful
sustainable global human family. This peaceful sustainable global human family can be
supported only by a threefold mutuality (tripod), i.e. mutual respect, mutual understand-
ing and mutual acceptance.
Our belonging as human beings, our common humanity, our common life and
most of all, our common future requires us a life that is more than mere co-existence
(living one for another, inter-dependent).
We belong to one another, we live together but we must strive to live one for
another, not only to live for oneself.
Closing note:
I sincerely wish and hope that this fellowship programme may generate mutual
friendship and sustaining faithfulness to one another as an inter-faith community for the
promotion of LIFE IN ITS FULNESS FOR ALL.
TO BE THE BELOVED COMMUNITY

(Chaplain as Liturgist and Counselor)
(A paper presented at "Chaplaincy Seminar", a joint program of ATEM

and MIT, held at Andrus Seminar Room, MIT, Yangon on April 9, 2010)
On Being the Church

Christians are members individually and corporately of the one, holy, catholic
and apostolic Church (Nicene Creed). WCC offers FOUR main biblical insights of the
nature of the Church, viz. people of God, Body of Christ, Temple of the Holy Spirit,
Koinonia/ Communion. Mission belongs to the very being of the Church. The Church
exercises its mission through worship (leitourgia), service (diakonia), proclamation
(kerygma), teaching (didache), witness (martyria), etc.
Christian life is a process of repentance, conversion, growth and maturity
into the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (Ep. 4:13). The Church's task of
Christian formation may have various perspectives, such as, faith/disciple formation, spiritual
formation, theological formation, ministerial formation, ecumenical formation, etc. Theo-
logical institutions and seminaries are primary cetres of study and training and have similar
(if not exactly the same) tasks to the churches both in their exercises of mission and
formation in the world.
Lex orandi, lex credendi

"The law of prayer is the law of belief" or "Law of praying, law of believing"
which means that the Church's liturgy (worship) is a norm of faith (doctrine).
Liturgy (Gk. Leitourgia - work of people): The service of God offered by the
people of God in divine worship.
Liturgy or worship is the public, common action of a Christian community in
which the Church is both manifested and realized... It is in liturgy that Christians as-
sembled to become the Church, that they come to know the incarnate God and partici-
pate in His very Being by sharing the Holy Body and Blood. It is also in the liturgy that
they learn about the Christian faith .... Liturgy, therefore, embodie the faith of the
Church...As people worship, so they believe. The liturgical assembly itself eventually
becomes a source of theology, particularly from the 4th century (Constantine).
Worship (Old English weorth-scipe, "worth-ship"): The service of praise, ado-
ration, thanksgiving, and petition directed toward God through actions and attitudes.
Christian worship is Trinitarian in form as praise is offered to God throught Jesus Christ
by the power of the Holy Spirit.
WCC Faith & Order Conference (Lund, 1952): The formulation of agree-
ment begins with the Trinitarian basis and pneumatological context of worship. "We
worship one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the Triune God, by whose Spirit all
true worship is inspired and unto whom all Christian worship is offered ... Christian
worship is a service to God the Father by men and women redeemed by His son,
who are continually finding new life in the power of the Holy Spirit .... Worship is an
act formative of Christian community... , an act ... which represents the one, holy,
catholic and apostolic Church."
Worship is a fundamental act of the being of the Church. Worship should be
understood and practiced from the Trinitarian perspective with Christocentric,
pneumatological, ecclesiological and eschatological aspects. Other aspects of wor-
ship often stressed are the interdependence of public worship and private devotion,
the links of worship and creation, and the new creation, of worship and the sacrements
(baptism and eucharist), etc.
The WCC's Canberra Assembly (1991), speaking of the central role of wor-
ship in the Christian life, noted that "worship in its richness has a variety of dimen-
sions and implications: it relates to evangelism, spirituality, social justice, human
values, integrity of creation, unity and peace, even as it celebrates salvation. The
sharing of liturgical material, music, prayers and forms of worship should be devel-
oped as a means of helping local congregations to renewal and participation in the
spiritual life of the oikoumene."
A quotation from the Iona Community's (an ecumenical retreat centre of
the Church of Scotland) declaration on worship reads, " In worship, the deepest
longings of our spirits are expressed - the longing for meaning and purpose, for
acceptance and freedom, for celebration and hope. The rituals, signs and symbols of
worship help us express this need... Our worship attempts to be incarnational, his-
torical, ecumenical, inclusive and change."
Music in the Chrisian life and worship

Music is universal, a basic and fundamental element in human exercise. Music
is an international language. The music and songs of the people and important social,
religious and even political role in every society. No doubt that music has a powerful
influence on our societies today. There is power in music. Songs may not change the
world, but they will never cease tobe instruments of hope in hopeless situations, of power
in powerless lives, of praise to the incarnated God. A quotation from Albert van den
Heuvel in the introduction of the book "New Hymns for a New Day" published by WCC,
1966, reads, "It is the hymns, repeated over and over again, which form the container of
much of our faith. They are probably, in our age, the only confessional documents we
learn by heart... Tell me what you sing, and I'll tell you who you are!"
The Worship Space

Make the space as beautiful as possible
Make the space as participatory as possible
Make the space as ecumenical as possible
Let the theme of the specific service influence the look of the space
The Worship Leader

The role of the worship leader is essential in making the liturgy/worship alive.
Worship leader needs to:
1) take the initiative (or to be open to initiatives taken by others) in implanting
worship/ liturgy;
2) coordinate the planning, rehearsal and finally the celebrations;
3) be well prepared, knowing all the details of the service;
4) be devoted to her/his task;
5) created an atmosphere of security and confidence where many may feel
uncertainty;
6) leave space for others and their spiritual gifts;
7) show respect for all particapants, all traditions and all expressions of Chris-
tian faith;
8) be open to the surprising work of the Holy Spirit.
Christian Spirituality and Spiritual Formation

The report of the WCC Consultation on "A Spirituality for Our Time" held in
1984 identified TEN marks of Christian Spirituality. They are, Christian spirituality
is: (1) reconciling and integrative, (2) incarnational, (3) rooted in scripture and nour-
ished by prayer, (4) costly and self-giving, (5) life-giving, (6) rooted in community
and centred around the eucharist, (7) expressed in service and witness, (8) waiting
for God's own surprising initiative, (9) about the unfolding of the loving purposes of
God here on earth, (10) is open to the wider oikoumene.
Spiritual formation should not be limited to learning about spirituality, but to
see it as crucial dimension of theological education as a whole. Spiritual formation should
be seen as the responsibility of all those partcipating in the theological learning process,
and as something happening in the totality of the learning-teaching activity. Spiritual learn-
ing is a life-long process which is not completed with graduation or ordination. Thus,
(a) Any method of spiritual formation must have a sensitivity to the whole
person, integrating the intelllectual, social, cultural and spiritual dimen
sions of her/his life in the educaional process;
(b) Any programme of spiritual formation should be based on the voluntary
participation of those involved
(c) Methods of spiritual learning should start where the students are, and not
where they ought to be;
(d) All methods of spiriual learning should involve both staff and the student
community in the setting up and pursuing of common and mutual learning;
(e) Most important for spiritual learning is a participatory learning style which
allows the direct and full involvement of students in the learning process;
(f) Spiritual formation needs to find expression in a life of common worship,
prepared and attended by both students and staff.
Spiritual formation is seen as an important task of the whole faculty. The at-
mosphere, relationships, lifestyles and courses, all have a bearing on it. The fragmentation
of theology as a whole and the departmentalization of the theological learning process in
particular can well be seen as one main obstacles in the way of a holistic process of
spiritual formation.
Spiritual formation is not only about deepening one's own spiritual lifestyle but
also about widening the horizon as one needs to go beyond one's own cutural and con-
fessional boundaries in order to look beyond and to see oneself with the eyes of the other.
Spiriual formation is a responsibility which must be shared between (a) the
person in formation: full and active participation of the person involved; (b) the seminary/
training institution - involves the whole of the institution - students, teachers and governing
bodies; (c) the wider Church- local congregations and bodies responsible for support
and oversight of the students and the institution.
Koinonia, Formation and Chaplaincy

The theological institution or seminary is basically a Christian community/
koinonia in and for Christian formaiton. And the chaplain is a leader as animator, enabler,
facilitator and innovator who is responsible to build up, sustain and promote the koinonia
and formation of the seminary. Herewith, I would like to suggest three inter-related bib-
lical images for the chaplaincy which are the models of Jesus Christ, i.e. Servant, Shep-
herd and Steward.
(1) The chaplain as a servan, to give service, support and encourgement
(Mk. 10:45; Lk. 22:27)
(2) The chaplain as shepherd, to give caring, courage and guidance
(Ps. 23; Jn 10:1-18)
(3) The chaplain as steward, to be trustworthy, responsible and accountable,
coupled with honesty, integrity and transparency
(Mt. 25:4; Lk. 12: 42-43; Jn. 15:10-11; 1Cor. 4:12; 12:28)
Characteristics of a good Shepherd
1) The shepherd knows her/his sheep (by name) (Jn 10:3; 14, 27)
2) The shepherd's presence and availability (Lk. 22: 27)
3) The shepherd leads form the front (Jn 10:3-11)
4) The shepherd is courageous and daring(Jn 10:10-18)
5) The shepherd guides and directs (Ps. 23; Jn 10:11)
6) Concern for straying of lost sheep (Mt. 18:12-14; Lk. 16:4-6)
7) Possesses spirit of self-sacrifice (Jn 10:11)
This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you (John
15:12), Do everything in love (1Cor. 16:14).
Sources of References
1. Dictionary of Ecumenical Movement, WCC, Geneva, 2002.
2. Westminster Dictionary of Theological Term, Donald K. McKim,
Westminster John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996.
3. Woshipping Ecumenically, edited by Per Harling, WCC, Geneva, 1995.
4. The Iona Document on Spiritual Formation (Spiritual Formation in Theo-
logical Educaiton: An Invitation for Participation), WCC, Geneva, 1987.
5. The Nature and Mission of the Church, F&O Paper 198, WCC, Geneva,
2005.
6. Leadership for Today, Hope for Tomorrow, Anthony A.D'Souza, Pauline
Publications, Mumbai, 2001.
A BIBLICAL REFLECTION ON
CHRISTIAN SELF-UNDERSTANDING
(Presented at 5th Mekong Mission Consultation, MIT, Yangon on June 19, 2010)
Who are we?

It is said that the earth is one but the world is many. It is said that we share
one planetary ecosystem but we lack equitable share of its resources. It is said that
all peoples are born equal but we experience the reverse. It is said that we have common
future but we have a discriminatory life here now.
Who are we in this global village? Who are we as churches in the Mekong Area?
How do we as Christains understand ourselves? This short reflection will be made prima-
rily form a biblical perspective.
I. Biblical Self-understanding
In the Bible there are several biblical insights and images about the Christian
life. In this reflection five of them are selected as follows.
1. Christians as people/children of God
But to all who received Him, who believed in His name, He gave power
to become children of God; .... (John 1:12)
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own
people; ... (1Pet. 2:9a)
2. Christians as disciples of Jesus Christ

Then Jesus told His disciples, "If any man would after me, let him deny
himself and take up his cross and follow me" (Matt. 16:24).
By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for
one another (John 13:35).
3. Christian as temples of the Holy Spirit
Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells
in you? (1Cor. 3:16).
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within
you,... (1Cor. 6:19).
4. Christian as members of the Church (Body of Christ)

Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? (1Cor. 6:15).
Now you are the Body of Christ and individually members of Christ
(1Cor. 12:27).
5. Christians as citizens of heaven (Kingdom of God)

We, however, are citizens of heaven, and we eagerly wait for our Saviour,
the Lord Jesus Christ, to come from heaven (Phil. 3:20, TEV).
There are many rooms in my Father's house, I wouldn't tell you this, un
less it was true. I'm going there to prepare a place for each of you. After
I've done this, I'll come back and take you with me. Then we'll be together
(John 14:2&3, CEV).
II. Three interconnected dimensions of Chritian life

A. Divine dimension (Life in right relationship with Trinitarian God)
Fear God, and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man (Ecc.
12:13). It is better to trust in the Lord than to depend on man. It is better to trust in
the Lord than to depend on human leaders (Pss. 188: 8&9, TEV).
Trust in the Lord, and do good; so you will dwell in the land, and enjoy s e c u -
rity. Take delight in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your
way to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will act. He will bring forth your vindicaiton as the
light, and your light as the noonday (Pss. 37:3-6).
B. Social dimension (Life in healthy relationship with other peoples)

Ask God to bless those who persecute you .... Be happy with those who are
happy, weep with those who weep. Have the same concern for everyone ... Do every-
thing possible on part to live in peace with everybody ... Do not let evil defeat you;
instead, conquer evil with good (Roman 12:14, 15, 17, 21, TEV). You have heard people
say, "Love your neighbours and hate your enemies." But I tell you to love your enemies
and pray for anyone who mistreats you. Then you will be acting like your Father in
heaven. He makes the sun rise on both good and bad people. And He sends rain for the
ones who do right and for the ones who do wrong .... But you must always act like your
Father in heaven (Matt. 5:43-45, 48, CEV). You are the people of God; He loved you
and chose you from His own. So then, you must clothe youselves with compassion,
kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience ... Be tolerant with one another and forgive
one another just as the Lord has forgiven you. And to all these qualities add love, which
binds all things together in perfect unity (Col. 3:12-14, TEV).
C. Cosmic dimension (Life in friendly relationship with Creation/Nature)

Then the Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to cultivate it
(take care of it) and guard it (to look after it) (Gen. 2:15, TEV/CEV). The earth and
everything on it belong to the Lord. The world and its people belong to Him (Pss. 24:1,
CEV). All of creation waits with eager longing for God to reveal His sons. For creation
was condemned to lose its purpose, not of its own will, but because God willed it to be
so. Yet there was the hope that creation itself would one day be set free from its slavery
to decay and would share the glorious free dom of the children of God. For we know that
up to the present time all of creation groans with pain, like the pain of childrenbirth (Rom.
8:19-22, TEV).
III. Two essential characteristics of Christian life

1. Koinonia (Communion, Fellowship, Participation, Sharing)
The basic verbal form from which the noun koinonia derives means "to have
something in common", "to share", "to participate", "to have part in", "to act together", "to
be in a contractual relationship involving obligation of mutual accountability". This koinonia
in Christ should embrace the whole creation (oikoumene).
All the believers continued together in close fellowship and shared their be
longings with one another (Acts 2: 44, TEV).
The group of believers was one in mind and heart. No one said that any of his
belonging was his own, but they all shared with one another everything they had (Acts
4:32, TEV).
For He has made known to us in all wisdom and insight the mystery of His
will, according to His purpose which He set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of
time, to unite all things in Him, things in heaven and things on earth (Eph. 1: 9&10).
Through the Son, then, God decided to bring the whole universe back to Him-
self. God made peace through His Son's sacrificial death on the cross and so brought
back to Himself all things, both on earth and in heaven (Col. 1:20,TEV).
2. Diakonia (Service, Sacrifice, Solidarity)

Christians are called at all times and in all places to serve God after the example
of the Lord Jesus Christ who came to serve rather than to be served. The idea of service
is central to any biblical understanding of Christian life and ministry. For eve the Son of
Man did not come to be served; He came to serve and to give His life to redeem many
people (Mk. 10:45, TEV).
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed Me to preach good
news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of
sight for the blind, to release the opperessed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour
(Luke 4:18&19).
Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to His service and pleas-
ing to Him. This is the true worship that you should offer (Rom. 12:1b, TEV).
"You do not belong to yourselves but to God;

He bought you for a price. So use your bodies for God's glory"
(1Cor. 6:19b & 20, TEV).
"Let your lighty so shine before men,

that they may see your good works
and give glory to your Father who is in heaven"
(Mtt. 5:16).
THE CHURCH AS KOINONIA
(A biblical reflection at "National Theological Workshop on Disability Discourse for

Theological Institutions in Myanmar" jointly organized by Ecumenical Disability
Advocates Network (EDAN/WCC) and Association for Theological Education in
Myanmar (ATEM) held at Bethany Theological Seminary,
Bogone, Insein-Yangon, Myanmar, December 1, 2011)
The one, only, catholic and apostolic Church is signa and instrument of God's
intention and plan for the whole world. The Church is a prophetic sign which points
beyond itself to the purpose of all creation, the fulfillment of the Kingdom (rule) of God.
For this reason the Lord Jesus called His followers "the light of the world", "the salt of the
earth" and "a city built on a hill" (cf. Matt. 5:13-16).
One of the biblical insights of the Church is "the Body of Christ". All mem-
bers of the Church (the Body of Christ) are given diverse, specific and complemen-
tary gifts by the Holy Spirit for the building up of the Body, the Church as Koinonia
(cf. Rom. 12:4-8; 1Cor. 12:14-30). It is the will of God that the communion in
Christ, which is realized in the Church, should embrace the whole creation (cf. Eph.
1:10).
The term koinonia (communion, participation, fellowship, sharing) is de-
rived from the basic verbal form which means "to have something in common", "to share",
"to participate", "to have part in", "to act together" of "to be in a contractual relationship
involving obligations of mutual accountability".
Christians affirmed that all human beings are created in the image of God
and are therefore of equal worth and value before God. Disabled persons are cre-
ated in the image of God and endowed with equal dignity and value like all other persons.
Human community is in complete and imperfect without the participation and contribution
of the disabled persons. Human community is inherently inerrelated, interconnected and
interdependent.
In the Gospel of John 9:1ff, in the healing of a man born blind, Jesus said that the
man was born blind not because of the sin of the man nor his parents but that "the works
of God might be made manifest in him" (RSV) or "that God's power might be seen at
work in him" (TEV). The Apostle Paul exhausted in 1Cor. 6:20 that we should "glorify
God in our bodies" (RSV) or "use our bodies for God's glory".
It is recommanded that there are at least three interrelated dimensions which
the Ch0urch can do for and with the disabled persons; i.e. (a) taking all possible mea-
sures to prevent any kind of disability, (b) providing practical assistance to disabled per-
sons to develop their abilities, (c) working to promote their intergration as far as possible
in normal community life.
As the Apostle Paul said in Gal. 6:2, let us "Bear one another's burdens, and
so fulfill the law of Christ" - to love one another as Christ has loved us (John 13:34),
so that the Church may truly become a living, caring, loving, sharing, healing and
witnessing community (koinonia) in the world.
In the blessed name of the Triune God

the Community of Three Persons
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Amen
CONTRIBUTORS
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H O N O R O F S M I T H N .

Smith Ngulh Za Thawng

I received a letter from Rev. Smith Ngulh Za Thawng in which he requested me

Rev. Dr. A. Ko Lay

CHRONOLOGICAL AUTOBIOGRAPHY OUTLINE

Note: Conferred FDCS (Fellow of Distinguished Christian Service), an honorary

Remark: Appointed as Associate General Secretary of the Christian Conference of

SOME IMPORTANT/SIGNIFICANT ECUMENICAL CONFERENCES

C. SOME LOCAL/NATIONAL ECUMENICAL LEADERSHIP INVOLVEMENTS

2002 – 2005 Board member, Mary Chapman Deaf School, Yangon

2000 – 2005 Chair, Board of Trustees of the Myanmar Institute of Theology

SOME SIGNIFICANT INITIATIVES DURING HIS TENURE AT MCC

A. WORK CAMPS (2) of University Christian Work Department

B. FRONTIER MISSION RECRUITMENT COURSE (2) of UCW Dept.

C. SENIOUR FRIENDS’ DESK opened at UCW office in Yangon

D. ECUMENICAL LEADERSHIP COURSE (ELC)

F. BASIC MEDICAL SUPPLY PROJECT

G. MYANMAR ECUMENICAL SHARING CENTRE (MESC) BUILDING

H. MYANMAR (MCC) ROUND TABLE

I. FURTHERING RELATIONS AND COLLABORATIONS WITH CBCM

J. MCC ECUMENICAL SCHOLARSHIPS PROGRAMME

(4) Coady International Institute, Nova Scotia, Canada

K. VISITS OF DISTINGUISHED ECUMENICAL PERSONNEL TO

L. MCC ECUMENICAL TEAM VISITS ABROAD

A. ECUMENICAL TEAM VISITS TO EUROPEAN PARTNERS

B. ECUMENICAL TEAM VISITS TO LAOS, CAMBODIA, THAILAND

C. ECUMENICAL TEAM VISIT TO SRI LANKA (July 8-16, 2004)

A MAN WHO HANDLED MULTIPLE ACTIVITIES

OUR TRIBUTE TO A GOOD FRIEND OF GENEROSITY

Warmest CONGRATULATIONS, dear U Ngulh Za Thawng - or as we are

THAT THEY MAY ALL BE ONE (John 17: 20-23)

THOUGHT AT SMITH'S MINISTRY

I came to know Smith N. Z. Thawng first in the context of the Asia-Pacific

THE MAN WHO DID NOT TELL

REVEREND SMITH NGULH ZA THAWNG WHOM I KNEW

A PERSON OF PRAYER AND SILENCE,

REV. SMITH: A MAN OF ECUMENICAL FRIENDSHIP

Rev. Smith Ngulh Za Thawng. It was in my work as Executive Director of the

A WORD IN HONOR OF REVD SMITH NGULH ZA THAWNG

VALUES OF LIFE: IN HONOR OF REVD SMITH N. ZA THAWNG

As I was informed to write an article in honor of my dearest mentor Rev. Smith

Honesty: Rev. Smith is too honest to everything he did. He is so kind to everybody. I

Accountability: So far as I know he is accountable and transperant to his superiors in his

of international participation in all sorts of programs. He used to report back in detail to

PASSIONATE THEOLOGICAL EDUCATOR AND PASTOR

Wilderness: Life in desert may have three features; viz., anxiety/awakeness:

Ancient Boat: In 1986 January, archaeologists, scientists and volunteers worked

Holocaust Memorial: Yad [hand] Vashem [memory]

[DTS/St. George’s College/Jerusalem/31 May 2000]

SERVUS SERVORAM DEI

BRIEF REFLECTION ON REVD SMITH N. ZA THAWNG

It is a great pleasure for me to send this brief reflection on Rev. Smith N. Za

FOND MEMORIES OF GOODNIGHT SMITH

I don’t remember exactly when he first enrolled as a student in the Bachelor of

It was in 1997, if my memory serves me correctly, that a group of us traveled

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE REVD SMITH NGULH ZA THAWNG

I am very pleased to express my good wishes to the Reverend Smith Ngulh Za

FESTSCHRIFT SMITH NGULH ZA THAWNG

A PASTOR AND A CHAPEL BOY IN MANDALAY

SOME THOUGHTS OF APPRECIATION

I was privileged that my meetings with Smith concentrated on talks about an

AN ECUMENIST FROM START TO FINISH

A BRUISED REED WILL NOT BREAK

It is my pleasure to welcome the publication of the autobiography of Rev. Smith

MISSION IN THE MIDST OF RELIGIOUS PLURALITY

Plurality as a Characteristic of Asia