A letter from Tom Harvey in England
June 2012
Dear Friends and Partners in Mission,
What a week at the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies (OCMS)! It began with the 150th anniversary celebration of “Pip and Jim’s” (the nickname of St Philip and St James Church, home to OCMS). Founded as part of the “Oxford Movement,” "Pip and Jim’s" was dedicated to unifying the global church, the primacy of faith in an increasingly secular world, and addressing the needs of the poor and downtrodden in 19th century industrial Britain. This robust engagement of church, the state and university continues to be reflected in the work and mission of OCMS and was recognized by those gathered to celebrate the history and ongoing ministry and mission that flows through “Pip and Jim's.”
Tom at the 150th anniversary of Pip and Jim’s
Following the celebration, the OCMS Council of Trustees met for two days to review the work of OCMS and set plans for the future. When asked at the 150th anniversary if our board was primarily made up of North Americans, I smiled. In fact the board is made up of Christian leaders from Ghana, Rwanda, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Ethiopia, England, Korea, Malaysia, Romania and North America. Our meetings began with, were punctuated by, and were summed up in prayer for the flourishing of OCMS in its work for the global church. The Council affirmed the recent developments of the programme and directed us to establish consultations with mission and development institutions to design research that will facilitate effective transformational mission. They proposed a major expansion of our building to address the steady growth of the programme. This will be the largest financial undertaking in the history of OCMS and is a significant step in faith toward realizing the vision set for OCMS in terms of its service to the global church.
Following the Council meetings, the John Stott Kwame Bediako forum was inaugurated. They have established this to honor the noted writer and preacher John Stott of All Souls Church, London, who was one of the founding fathers of OCMS, and Kwame Bediako, regarded by many as the most important African theologian of the 20th century, who was chair of OCMS Council of Trustees early on. The Stott Bediako Forum brought together leaders from around the globe who presented papers on global church leaders and missionaries. These presentations are to be collected, edited and printed by OCMS’s Regnum Books Division.
This week culminated with a visit of officials of Middlesex University, who met with the Senior Management Team, the academic faculty, administrative staff, and students to review a proposal for a joint degree programme. This review was the culmination of nine months of work and careful negotiations with the university. The review team heartily recommended that OCMS be accepted for a joint research degree programme with Middlesex University. Barring any unexpected developments, this should be in place by September 2012.
OCMS Council of Trustees
Thus, it was a week of celebration, noted progress, relief and thanksgiving. Indeed, in many ways it was the culmination of four years of work overcoming difficult challenges. Through the various crises and challenges we have seen God’s promises and faithfulness at work.
The last is the Stott Bediako Forum
The family is doing well. Joe completed his first year as a research associate at Duke Fuqua School of Business. Next year he will be working with Dan Ariely, author of Predictably Irrational: the Hidden Forces that Shape our Decisions. This is a great opportunity for Joe should he pursue graduate study in behavioral economics. Paul continues his work at Camp Cameron in North Carolina. On YouTube you can see an interview Paul conducted with one of the boys under his care at the camp: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRfCELxAOTM Emma has had a good year at Durham University here in England. Her exams went well and she is eager about her course of study next year. It will be good to have her with us for the summer. Judy continues her busy schedule leading Bible studies and the After-Alpha programme at St Andrew's. She has also been active in better understanding and experiencing Ignatian spirituality.
This summer will be filled with travel related to OCMS. Judy and I travel to Scotland for the Yale-Edinburgh Group conference of global mission scholars. Then I will travel to Toronto to join the Global Diaspora Network, where I serve on the Advisory Board. Then it is off to Costa Rica for the Clade V conference that will focus on Mission Integral, which is the Latin American equivalent to Holistic Transformation coined at OCMS. Finally, I will present a paper on indigenous Chinese Christianity in the House Churches of China at a conference in Boston. Thus, it will be a busy but productive summer.
Blessings,
The Harveys
Tom, Judy, Joe, Paul and Emma
Address: 25 Hayfield Road
Oxford OX2 6TX England
How to support the Harveys:
Individuals may direct their contributions to one or both of our ECO (Extra Commitment Opportunity) accounts that support our work. For salary and living support write the ECO number E200358 on the subject line with our name. For program support of the Oxford Center, write the ECO number E052057 on the subject line of the check and our name. You can contribute online, using the links below, or send ECO checks to
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Individual Remittance Processing
P.O. Box 643700
Pittsburgh, PA 15264-3700
The 2012 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 268
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