Delegates of the inaugural FeAST conference with The Right Reverend Dushantha Lakshman Rodrigo, Bishop of Colombo (centre). Pictured outside the Cathedral of Christ the Living Saviour, Colombo, Sri Lanka.

The inaugural in-person conference of USPG’s Fellowship of Anglican Scholars of Theology (FeAST), themed ‘Transformative Theologies: Rethinking Pedagogy, Praxis and Perspectives,’ has officially begun in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It brings together around 30 scholars from nearly 20 countries across the Anglican Communion including Argentina, Zimbabwe, India and the Solomon Islands.

Running from 10–14 November 2024, this pioneering gathering offers rising theologians and researchers from across the Anglican Communion a unique platform to discuss and present innovative research focused on the transformative potential of theology.

“We are here to reweave the mat of Anglican theologies” began The Revd Canon Dr Peniel Rajkumar, opting for a metaphor common across the Pacific. “By bringing together the different strands of the richness of theology available in the Communion, we hope to be able to move beyond a Eurocentric past and co-create a space where the theological gifts each of us bring will be cherished and used for mutual upbuilding” he added.

The FeAST Conference seeks to reimagine theological methods, education, and practice through liberative and decolonial perspectives, bringing together diverse voices to address pressing social and global issues. For example, the presentations on topics such as racial reconciliation, gender justice and creation care come from international speakers who “diversify the menu” of inherited forms of theology.

The Right Reverend Dushantha Lakshman Rodrigo, Bishop of Colombo, added a warm greeting and officially opened the conference. USPG expresses deep gratitude to the Diocese of Colombo for hosting the conference, drawing continued inspiration from the Church of Ceylon’s longstanding commitment to seeing faith through new eyes.

FeAST represents a rare community of mutual support, friendship and accompaniment in an otherwise polarised world. We look forward to seeing what insights this network can share, and how that thinking might lead to meaningful change.

Further details on featured speakers and conference highlights will be shared as the week progresses.

The Church of Myanmar’s mission focuses on providing education to remote communities across the country.

In Khamti village in the Diocese of Mandalay, the Church runs a boarding school. Children from remote villages in the Naga hills come to live in the village so they can get a good education at the school. The boarding house, part of the school where the children live when not in class, was in bad shape and needed repairs; members of the Church have now renovated the house, with financial support from USPG.

The Rev’d Thomas Brang Mai, the local priest and supervisor at the boarding house can now breathe a little easier, knowing that the children have a safe place to sleep. He gives his thanks to USPG for its help in renovating the accommodation for children from the nearby Naga communities. ‘My vision is to see all children in the local area learning in a happy and safe environment.’

As a result of the Church of Myanmar’s educational mission, children attending the school in Khamti have achieved high marks in recent years. One boy recently passed a high school exam with two distinctions and a girl also passed the exam – the first girl to do so in the school’s history.

USPG is proud to partner with the Church of Myanmar in their mission to provide education to remote communities.