ITALY: PEACE CONFERENCE HELD IN ROME
The 4th Global Baptist Peace Conference was held in Rome, Italy, from February 9-14.
More than 350 participants from 59 nations took part in the six-day conference “to teach and preach, learn and live, the
commitment to peace-building and justice-making that is at the heart of the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
The conference program included worship, the sharing of stories of violence and peacemaking, a silent peace demonstration,
intensive training sessions on topics such as “Intercultural Conflict and Peace-Building” and “Building a Theology of Peace,”
and more than 40 workshops on issues such as “Human Trafficking and War,” “The Nonviolent Teachings of Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr.”, and “Civil-Military Relations in Humanitarian Crises: The African Experience.”
At the conclusion of the conference, participants made 10 declarations, including a “commitment to the role of the
United Nations in resolving national and international disputes” and a “commitment to the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights.”
The group stated their recognition of “the reality of conflict between peoples of different faith” and committed “to deepen
mutual understanding and dialogue in a spirit of peace and goodwill.” They also acknowledged “the reality of poverty and
oppression” and committed “to challenging the unjust social and economic structures that perpetuate inequality and destroy
life.”
Those gathered promised to “seek God’s kingdom” by caring for and working to end discrimination against children and
women. They also pledged to “follow the way of peace” by “listening to the voices of the marginalized, including those who
are refugees, asylum seekers and migrants.”
Previous Baptist peace conferences were held in Sweden, Nicaragua, and Australia.
(Photo courtesy of Jen Dan Borlado)
THAILAND: SCHOOL IN REFUGEE CAMP CELEBRATES 25 YEARS
The Kawthoolei Karen Baptist Bible School and College (KKBBSC) in the Mae La refugee camp in Thailand celebrated
its 25th anniversary from March 25-29.
The school was founded by Saw Simon, the recipient of the Baptist World Alliance (BWA) Human Rights Award in 2000,
and offers general education to refugees and training to church leaders.
Simon and his family fled across the Thai border after the school, which was originally located in Rangoon (Yangon), the
former capital of Myanmar, was destroyed. He later restarted it at the Mae La camp. Mae La houses an estimated 50,000
persons and is one of the largest of several refugee camps for displaced persons from Myanmar who fled conflicts in the
South Asian country. The school restarted with 32 students and has since grown in enrollment to more than 300.
Included in the celebration were the 23rd graduation exercises of the KKBBSC, where 39 students graduated, and the
25th Annual Mass Meeting of the Kawthoolei Karen Baptist Churches (KKBC), comprising the more than 240 churches that
were founded in the refugee camps.
“We are really grateful to God for what He has done for us, is doing for us, and will be doing for us,” a release from the
school said. “We also thank our brothers and sisters around the world for supporting us and praying for us.”
BWA General Secretary Neville Callam congratulated the school on the significant milestone. “We want to congratulate the
Kawthoolei Karen Baptist Bible School and College on your Silver Jubilee,” Callam wrote to Simon. “It is a joy and blessing to
know you have been ministering, teaching and equipping people for the ministry for 25 years in such a challenging situation.
We are inspired by your courage and your faithfulness.”
More than 2,000 internally displaced pastors, leaders, evangelists, and members of the KKBC attended the various events
that were held.
PHOTOS: The Kawthoolei Karen Baptist Bible School and College in the Mae La refugee camp in Thailand, which
celebrated its 25th anniversary in March; Rev. Simon with his wife and daughters
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