that additional meetings be held with the SBC. These proposed meetings are meant to fulfi ll a decision made in April 2004 that both groups “meet at least once per year to continue an ongoing dialogue.” The Executive Committee gave authorization to Callam

to “gather a small team of competent theologians and church leaders refl ecting the cultural diversity of the world Baptist family to undertake [an] international theological dialogue with Pentecostals.” In addition, the BWA general secretary was given authority “to propose the parameters” for a dialogue with the Orthodox Church and to identify the BWA team members for these talks.

Digital Changes

A newly designed website, aimed at the promotion of the international Baptist organization, is to be launched by April

Right: BWA General Secretary Neville Callam delivers his report

Regional Reports African

Challenges By Harrison G. Olan’g

The All Africa Baptist Fellowship (AABF) has the challenge of getting Baptists in Africa actively involved in AABF and Baptist World Alliance life as well as making AABF fi nancially viable and independent. Currently the AABF budget is heavily dependent on donor funds. The Central Africa sub-region and the Men’s Fellowship are some areas that need special prayers and support. Africa is a large continent with diverse cultural expressions, poor infrastructure in most places, apparent poverty, and a prohibitively high cost of communication and movement within the continent. For this reason, some organizations have divided the continent into three regions. It is indeed an unequivocal fact that an organization with meager resources such as the AABF fi nds it diffi cult to operate in Africa as one continental body/region. Because of the situation described above, there cannot be a complete and coherent mode of operation in the continent. The unity that Africa really needs cannot be truly felt in a practical manner among the member bodies.

14 BAPTIST WORLD MAGAZINE

Interaction of member bodies and their members takes place more often and more effectively at the sub-regional levels. Baptist continental meetings in Africa have always suffered from poor attendance. Most of those who attend come from older, more organized, and more developed sub-regions. The result of such imbalance in attendance is an imbalanced leadership distribution within the AABF. For example, in the term that just ended, the top leadership of all three auxiliaries, including the secretariat, was at one point in one sub-region, something that seems to undermine the continental identity and spirit. To avoid this superfi cial unity, it might be imperative for Baptists in the continent and within the BWA to hear

the Spirit, read the signs and do what will realistically foster real and effective fellowship and unity in Africa. Most of the accomplishments that have been realized have been facilitated by the sub-regions and auxiliaries in their various endeavors to preach the gospel and show the love of Christ through social engagement. Women and Youth continue to remain the most active auxiliaries in the region. It is our prayer that men will also pick up. We pray that the spirit of cooperation, fellowship, and reaching out to the lost will continue. Harrison Olan’g, president of Mount Meru University in Tanzania, is the immediate past BWA regional secretary for Africa and former general secretary of the All Africa Baptist Fellowship.

Africa is a large continent with diverse cultural expressions, poor infrastructure in most places, apparent poverty, and a prohibitively high cost of

communication and movement within the continent.