URC THAMES NORTH SYNOD 
Geoffrey Duncan, World Church/Church and Society/MIG
WORLD CHURCH/CHURCH & SOCIETY/MISSION INITIATIVES
GEOFF'S ARCHIVE
A LETTER TO THE TIMES REGARDING THE SITUATION WITH THE EMPLOYMENT OF A GENERAL SECRETARY FROM OVERSEAS FOR CWM
10 May 2011
Dear Sir,
The British immigration authorities, through policy and practice, are preventing Britain from playing its historic international role. As a result of prevarications and bureaucratic inefficiencies over the past eight months the Revd Dr Colin Cowan, the new Jamaican-born general secretary of the Council for World Mission (CWM) has still not got the necessary visa to allow him to start work in CWM’s central office in London. He was appointed to take up office on 1 January. It took from August 2010 to March 2011 just to get a Certificate of Sponsorship, a vital preliminary to Dr Cowan’s visa.
The Council for World Mission is a renowned and respected organisation that has worked across the Commonwealth, and beyond, since 1795 when it was founded as the London Missionary Society. Today, it has 31 member churches across the world; its British members are the United Reformed Church, the Congregational Federation, the Union of Welsh Independents and the Presbyterian Church of Wales.
In the 1970s CWM pioneered a new post-colonial model of partnership between its member churches: all became both “senders” and “receivers” of mission personnel and funding. Personnel from East and South Asia, Africa, the Pacific and the Caribbean came to work for defined periods in the UK – just as UK personnel went to work in churches in those areas. As part of this model of partnership the last three general secretaries of the Council have been from India, Sri Lanka and South Africa respectively.
As a direct result of the difficulties in getting a visa for Dr Cowan the trustees of the Council for World Mission now feel constrained to consider moving the central office away from the UK. If it can no longer recruit executive staff from member churches from countries outside the EU, without a time-consuming and humiliating battle with the British immigration authorities then it cannot operate according to its own ethos and vision.
Does this country want to play a serious international role? If banks threaten to move out of the UK the government pays attention. If international Christian organisations move out, who cares in today’s Britain?
Yours faithfully
The Revd Roberta Rominger
General Secretary
The United Reformed Church
The Revd Michael Heaney
General Secretary
Congregational Federation
The Revd Dr Bryn Williams
General Secretary
Presbyterian Church of Wales
The Revd Dr Geraint Tudur
General Secretary
Union of Welsh Independents
Dear Friends
This brings a long and arduous saga to a close.
Kind Regards
Dear Friends
Please see below and the attachment for a request from our general secretary, The Revd Roberta Rominger. Please support Roberta's request as this is totally unacceptable and hindering the work of CWM
Kind Regards
Geoff Duncan
----- Original Message -----
From: Roberta Rominger
Sent: Friday, March 18, 2011 12:39 PM
Subject: Request for action
Dear Friends,
Some of you will have heard of the difficulty that CWM has had in obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship so as to enable the new General Secretary, the Rev. Dr. Collin Cowan from Jamaica, to move to London with his family. Their fifth attempt was refused this month. Dr. Cowan has been working long distance since January and this is proving unsustainable, to the point that there are serious questions being asked as to whether CWM can remain headquartered in the U.K. Whatever merit there might be in a move, I believe that this is an issue for us as U.K. citizens. CWM and its parent bodies have been in London since 1795 – it seems outrageous to me that a U.K. government is now making it impossible for them to function.
I would be grateful if you could circulate this email to others in your synods who might be prepared to write to their MPs enclosing the attached fact summary and asking that this matter be rectified. Wendy Cooper will circulate to the Church & Society email list but I’m sure people won’t mind receiving it twice if you also have such a list. The other particular group would be any who have had significant contact with CWM or our URC World Church programme.
Many thanks,
Roberta
The United Reformed Church was created under the United Reformed Church Acts of 1972, 1981 & 2000. It has a number of associated bodies:
The United Reformed Church Trust (URC Trust) is a limited company registered in England & Wales (Registered Number: 135934); Registered Office: Church House, 86 Tavistock Place, London, WC1H 9RT.
The United Reformed Church Minister’s Pensions Trust Ltd is a limited company registered in England & Wales (Registered Number: 2821011); Registered Office: Church House, 86 Tavistock Place, London, WC1H 9RT.
The United Reformed Church Retired Minister’s Housing Society is an Industrial & Provident Society regulated by the Financial Services Authority (Number: 15986R); it also operates from: Church House, 86 Tavistock Place, London, WC1H 9RT.