Page 21 - Presbyterian Connection Newspaper

Connection
neWS and annOunCemenTS
presbyterian
21
presbyterian.ca
fall 2017
Overcoming divisions Between Protestants and Catholics
Left to right: Zander dunn, nancy dunn, Claudette Singh, Tulsi Singh
Berbice High School Teachers Honoured
By Barb Summers, Communications Of ce
The World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) formally signed an initiative with Roman Catholics, Lutherans and Methodists aimed at overcoming divisions between Prot- estants and Roman Catholics, which have existed from the time of the Protestant Reformation.
On July 5, 2017, in Wittenburg, Germany, at a church where Martin Luther preached, a special service was held to mark the event. The Rev. Mary Fontaine, Director of Humming- bird Ministries in Vancouver, and serving as a representative from The Presbyterian Church in Canada, as- sisted in leading the service.
The WCRC is comprised of more than 225 Protestant churches around the globe, including The Presbyterian Church in Canada. The signing of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification acknowledges a con- sensus in basic truths and states that mutual condemnations marked by
the Reformation do not apply to cur- rent teachings on justification.
“Today is a historic day,” said Jer- ry Pillay, president of the World Com- munion of Reformed Churches. “The documents we are signing today are significant and symbolic of the road we are to travel.”
Pope Francis sent a message that described the ceremony as “an eloquent sign of our commitment to walking together, as brothers and sisters in Christ, on a journey from conflict to communion, from division to reconciliation.”
The ceremony took place in the year marking the 500th anniversary of Luther’s denunciation of church corruption in his 95 Theses, an event that helped set in motion the Ref- ormation and centuries of division between Protestants and Catholics. The ceremony took place during the WCRC General Council, which gath- ered approximately 1,000 partici- pants, including PCC representatives Hilary Hagar, Robert Murray and the Rev. Stephen Kendall.
By the Rev. Zander Dunn, former Presbyterian minister
On Saturday, June 10, 2017, at the Sheraton Gateway Hotel in Toronto, my wife, Nancy, and I attended a gathering of Guyanese who had been students and teachers of Berbice High School in Guyana (formerly British Guiana), South America.
We were invited because my fa- ther, the Rev. Dr. James Dunn, had been the Principal of that institution from 1936 to 40. My natal string lies buried in the county of Berbice where I lived until I was four. Nancy and I and our three sons had lived in Guyana from 1967 to 70 and I subse- quently wrote the History of the Guy- ana Presbyterian Church from 1885 to 1967. I had also been able to give some information about Berbice High School to Dr. Tulsi Singh who was the top scholar at the school when he was a student there in the late 1960s and is now a medical doctor in Texas. Dr. Singh was writing a history of the Principals of Berbice High School but lacked references to several of those who served before and after my fa- ther. The beautiful book Dr. Singh produced, printed in Guyana in 2016 to mark the school’s centenary an- niversary, was entitled, Accolades to Berbice High School.
The book is more than a collec- tion of historical facts. It is full of power ful stories, excellent pictures and colour ful memorabilia of sev- eral Berbice High School reunions in Canada, Britain, the U.S.A. and Guy- ana. When Dr. Singh sent me a copy, I read it without stopping. Guyanese politicians, spor ts heroes and musi- cians joined teachers and students to remember and celebrate the good times they enjoyed at Berbice High School. The pictures show, and the people I met on June 10 prove, that the graduates of “good old B.H.S.” have prospered because of the Brit- ish education they received at the high school they revere and love. We met two British teachers who guided their students through the mysteries of “O” and “A” levels, leading to uni- versity studies.
This year’s reunion, organized by Bobby Gocool, Tulsi Singh and his brother Puran Singh, was different from those in the past because 14 of the school’s beloved teachers were honoured by their students. Not all the teachers invited could attend. In another year we hope more of those teachers will be available to receive the recognition they deserve. Each teacher was introduced by a former student and was awarded a spe- cial pin to mark the occasion. I was
amused and amazed by the things that were said. The students mak- ing the presentations recalled special ways in which the teachers had had a positive influence on them. The teachers, in their acceptance speech- es, lauded the school, laughed about various events, poked fun at some of the students and thanked the group for recognizing their work in such meaningful ways.
It was an emotional experience for all concerned. Although I did not know the teachers or students be- fore this reunion, I had seen pictures of some of them; I had heard stories about them; I had written about the history of the school they love. It struck me, as I listened to the ac- colades from teachers and students, that the Presbyterian Church had done much better in Guyana than it had done among the residential schools for Indigenous children in Canada. Every time these Guya- nese characters get together (and they are characters) they remind our church that we did both well and good through the Berbice High School. This is a success story we should not forget but should cel- ebrate with all those who gather to praise Berbice High School, which continues to enjoy a reputation for excellence in Guyana and abroad.
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