BWANEWS INBRIEF

the trip to the Mae La camp where the BWA team participated in worship, fellowship and briefing meetings. Saw Simon, the recipient of the BWA Human Rights Award at the 18th Baptist World Congress in Melbourne, Australia, in 2000, gave a history of the camp over the past 20 years. Simon, a founder and principal of the Kawthoolei Karen Baptist Bible School and College in the Mae La camp, told the BWA team that there are now 20 Baptist churches in the camp. He also shared with them about the refugee resettlement program currently underway in countries such as the United States. Leaders of the Thoo Lei Karen Baptist

Women’s Organization shared with the BWA team the income generation projects that have helped refugees to survive in the Mae La camp. Upton was particularly impressed by the dedication of Baptists in the camp and

Vietnam One Hundred Years of Protestant Christianity International organizations, like From July 9-13, Raimundo Barreto,

director of the Baptist World Alliance Division of Freedom and Justice, visited Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. A metropolis of nine million people, Ho Chi Minh City is the industrial and cultural heart of Vietnam, with one of the fastest growing economies in Southeast Asia. In the past decade, Vietnam has made important moves toward a greater integration in the world economy and with hope for a greater engagement of global civil society. As to the status of religion in the

country, there is a formal provision for religious freedom in the Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. However, this freedom of religious expression remains under threat. Signs of suppression and pressure on dissidents are still present. Religious groups must register with the government in order to formally exist. Since there are religious affairs offices in each province, the relationship between local government agents and religious groups vary from one place to another. The 2004 Ordinance on Religion and Belief, a government decree intended to offer guidance to the local process, led to an increase in the number of registered religious groups.

the Institute for Global Engagement, have been engaging the Vietnamese government to promote more discussion and mutual understanding on religious freedom. Likewise, Barreto visited with a representative of the Ho Chi Minh City’s Committee on Religious Affairs, seeking to continue this development of mutual understanding and dialogue, and to encourage further steps in broadening the understanding of freedom. More than half of the Vietnamese people

identify themselves as part of some faction of Buddhism, although many are only nominally Buddhists. Roman Catholics make up seven to eight percent of the almost 90 million Vietnamese, and Protestants are not more than two percent. This year, Vietnam churches are celebrating the 100th anniversary of the arrival of the Christian Missionary Alliance, which introduced the Protestant faith to the country. In the spring of 2011 they were able to hold massive meetings in Ho Chi Minh City as part of the centennial celebration, and in the summer, a Protestant roundtable was held in the country. The first Baptist missionaries arrived in

1959. Now there are at least six different Baptist groups in Vietnam. Only two of them are registered. The two largest groups, Baptist Churches of Vietnam (BCV), a member body of the BWA, and the Vietnam Baptist Convention, have approximately 40,000 members each. Most churches in Vietnam are house churches. Barreto preached in two BCV churches

and participated in the two-day BCV Annual Conference for Pastors and Leaders, which was attended by 200 Baptist pastors coming from 54 different provinces

in the country. As the guest preacher of the conference’s closing session, Barreto greeted Vietnamese Baptist pastors and leaders on behalf of the worldwide Baptist family, bringing words of encouragement to the ministry they are doing in different parts of the country. Vietnamese Baptists are not disconnected from the rest of the world. One pastor, while offering the financial report for the churches of his province in the past six months, mentioned an offering those churches collected to send to Japan after the earthquake. Regardless of the monetary significance of that gift, it can be seen as a lesson of solidarity with those who suffer, regardless of where they are, and in spite of one’s own needs. BCV churches are growing and spreading to more places. They are also looking for greater partnership involving Baptists from other parts of the world.

the resilience of the refugees. But despite the dedication and strength he saw, Upton said the eyes of the refugees, particularly those of youth and children, betrayed loss and sadness. The BWA head said what worries refugees the most is that they will be forgotten. He urged the BWA General Council, which met in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, a few days after the trip to Thailand, not to forget the refugees from Myanmar.

Above left: Raimundo Barreto, BWA director of Freedom and Justice, right, with Vo Cao Phuc, a member of the Council of the Baptist Churches of Vietnam, a new BWA member body

Above: The BCV Annual Conference for Pastors and Leaders

OCTOBER/DECEMBER 2011 7