Baptist World Congresses, and Baptist Youth World Conferences, among other meetings. The new package is expected to improve efficiency while reducing the cost of planning for meetings.
A new BWA app for mobile phones will connect Baptists around the world, enabling them to get resources, keep up with news and meetings, see reports about Baptist life and work, and link up through email, Twitter and Facebook.
Regional Reports
As if that was not enough, we heard of earthquakes in relatively unknown (to the world) Shan state in Northeast Myanmar, Sikkim in Northeast India, typhoons and cyclones in the Philippines, more flooding in Eastern Pakistan, volcanic eruption on Java Island and Sumatra of Indonesia, and the list could go on.
Political Conflicts Politically, the southern rim of
the Mediterranean Sea brimmed with revolutions starting from Tunisia to Egypt to Libya to Yemen and now boiling in Syria, leading to the dislodging or death of many long standing dictators/rulers. The war in Afghanistan and Iraq is coming to some closure with foreign troops withdrawing in Iraq.
Myanmar as
There are some signs of hope in elections
and release of
prisoners are taking place. The Kachin Independence Army broke its truce with the government (or vice versa) and the Karen National Union has recently signed a truce with the government which will bring some relief and peace in the 62 year old conflict. The Naga peace talks between dominant Naga groups and the government of India
Team members of Baptist World Aid Rescue24 providing relief supplies to victims in the city of Sendai after the March 2011 earthquake in Japan
16 BAPTIST WORLD MAGAZINE
are limping on. The church and various NGOs are trying to broker peace between the various feuding liberation factions, efforts for which Dr. Wati Aier, former Asia Pacific Baptist Federation Vice President, was awarded the BWA Denton and Janice Lotz Human Rights Award in 2011. The Garo and Rabha tribal conflict in Northeast India which has caused death and destruction on both sides has now come to a standstill, but the wounds of hatred will take long to heal. The situation in the Southern Philippines and Thailand between Islamists and the government continues to simmer, occasionally bursting into armed conflicts or bombings. We must continue to pray for all of these, for understanding,
considerateness, and a desire for peace amongst people.
Economic Factors The economic meltdown continues in
Europe and the USA is slowly limping back. In many places around the world, inflation and unemployment seem to be on the rise. Countries in the Asia Pacific region are not exempt. The paradoxes of the world’s economy are baffling. For example, India, which is the number five global economic power, according to a recent survey, has 230 million people who go hungry every day. Significantly, China overtook Japan as the number two world economic power. The list of categories of events for 2011
A new audio visual system has been installed in the BWA main conference room, along with a Skype Premium and Pragmatic Conference call account. Persons with an Internet connection anywhere in the world can now participate in meetings held at the BWA international offices in Falls Church, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, DC. A new Internet service using fiber optics is in place. This
improves Internet connectivity and offers necessary support to some of the other changes that have been made. It will also
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BWA President John Upton addresses Executive Committee members
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