| The Centre for Black and White Christian Partnership |
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| Written by Malcolm Dick, Millennibrum Project | |
| Friday, 21 September 2001 | |
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Black-led churches in Birmingham Context Development Between 1976-1977 a series of conferences between Black and White church leaders, addressed a range of issues, amongst them was the need for theological training. In December 1977 a seminar entitled "A Small Beginning" explored the creation of a new theological training institute to serve the needs of Black Christians. An immediate result in 1978 was the establishment of the Certificate in Theology course at the Selly Oak Colleges, Birmingham. The programme was accredited by the University of Birmingham, under the directorship of Roswith Gerloff and supervised by Professor Walter Hollenweger, Professor of Mission and a world authority on Pentalcostalism. The course was based on the realisation that many Black church leaders had a deep knowledge of the Bible but lacked formal qualifications in theology. It recognised the nature of Black churches where worship and celebration based on music, dance, food and oral culture were different than those in the West. Providing an academic context to these traditions, it enabled those who succeeded to move forward educationally and gain degrees. According to its first director, Roswith Gerloff, "The Centre was conceived as a turntable between the historic and the charismatic traditions, between the "third" and "first" worlds on our doorstep, between the oral and literary cultures, the poor and the rich, between Black and White". The Centre developed an international dimension, but under its current director, Bishop Joe Aldred, its work has become less global and more local concentrating on education, the provision of information and research, inter-church relations and racial justice. In 1999, its Board of Trustees developed a vision statement. It sees the Centre becoming the premier organisation in the United Kingdom in the field of inter-cultural and inter-denominational Christian partnership by promoting these four areas. Education Information and Research A portfolio of publications has been created. A resource pack for schools, Black Christians: Black Church Traditions in Britain, was written by Virginia Becher and contains photographs and text covering the experiences of Black Christians and the activities of different denominations. Three anthologies edited by Joe Aldred have been published. Preaching with Power: Sermons by Black Preachers, contained the sermon, "Skin-deep Christianity", by, which won for its author, Ian Sweeney, The Times Preacher of the Year Award in 1998. Praying with Power, explores a range of perspectives on prayer, and Sisters with Power is a collection of writings by black, Asian and white Christian women. The Centre also publishes the Black Majority Churches UK Directory, the most comprehensive list of black-led churches and assists in producing the journal: Black Theology in Britain. Inter-Church Relations Racial Justice Work Conclusion For more information telephone: 0121 415 2352 website: www.cbwcp.com |
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