Connecting with Thailand

Uniting Church SA enjoys a longstanding and well-developed partnership with the Church of Christ in Thailand (CCT). Under the umbrella of the national church-to-church partnership between the Uniting Church in Australia (UCA) and the CCT, South Australia’s link is with First District Chiang Mai. This partnership is a vibrant expression of mutuality in mission.

At the heart of our partnership has been the Mission Ignition programme of youth exchanges between our two churches, which began in 1994. Young Thai Christians have experienced the hospitality of South Australian congregations and Easter Camps and, in turn, young people from Uniting Church congregations in South Australia have spent 3-4 weeks as guest of First District Chiang Mai. These youth exchanges have built cross –cultural understanding, developed leadership skills and established warm friendships between the individuals involved, across boundaries of race and culture. In particular, Mission Ignition has provided excellent opportunities for young people to reflect on the multiplicity of contexts in which Christian faith is expressed and experienced.

A growing point of engagement between our two churches has been through the CCT’s AIDS Ministry (CAM). Mission Ignition teams from South Australia have visited CAM, volunteers from South Australia have worked with CAM, staff from CAM have come to Adelaide for English language training, and financial support for CAM comes from a significant number of congregations and individuals.

In 2006 Rev Sanan Wutti, the Director of CAM, and Mrs Jaruwan Wutti, the Office Manager, spent six months in Adelaide engaged in English language study. In 2008, Mrs Nawanat Kunasawat (“Goong Lek”) a member of the CAM staff responsible for home visits, spent four months in Adelaide for the same purpose. Each of these visits strengthened the link with CAM. For the three years from 2009-2011, South Australia is supporting a major new initiative by CAM in developing foster care and other support services for children whose parents have died from AIDS or who are too ill to care for them.The challenge for us is to raise around $60,000 over this three year period to ensure that this project is adequately resourced.

Over many years, Philip Worsley from the Tea Tree Gully congregation and Pam Silby from Athelstone UC, have led “Mission Awareness” tours to Thailand.

The Uniting Church’s partnership with Thailand at a national level began in 1970 with the appointment of the Rev Brian Ball to serve in the area of Christian Education. Since that time, a number of South Australians have served in Thailand as long and short term mission co-workers or volunteers.

The Uniting Church here in South Australia continues to be enriched by our Thai partnership.

An Enduring Partnership

When Winsome and I, with our young family, left Australia for Thailand in 1970, we wondered how we would get on living in a different culture among people who spoke a language we didn't understand. Learning the Thai language was difficult but we soon appreciated Thai culture with its strong emphasis on the centrality of the family and the importance of community. We also greatly admired the love and respect of the Thai people for their King and Queen which was evident throughout the country. The Church, which is a minority movement in a strongly Buddhist country stressed these qualities and we immediately felt enriched and affirmed as co-workers in ministry beside Thai Christians.

Thailand soon became a second home for us and we have returned there a number of times because we love the people and the culture. We have also have hosted many Thai Christians in our home when they have visited Australia and remain enthusiastic members of Thai Support in SA.

2010 will mark 40 years since we first went to Thailand and we thank the Church of Christ in Thailand for its continuing interest in us as members of their extended family in Christ and the strong link we have with them through the Rev. Sayam Muangsak, General Secretary of the C.C.T whom Brian baptized in 1974.

Rev Brian Ball

Winsome & Brian Ball and Sayam Muangsak