Karen Campbell, Head of Global and Intercultural Church for the United Reformed Church, has said The Onesimus Project (TOP), an important Council for World Mission (CWM) initiative has the potential to be 鈥渞eally exciting鈥�.
As a member of the TOP core group, Karen travelled to Antananarivo in Madagascar for a planning meeting, held from 7 to 8 May, to help reflect on the future direction of the programme and its role in strengthening the CWM鈥檚 global witness for reparative justice, truth-telling, and healing.
The聽Onesimus聽Project grew out of CWM鈥檚聽Legacies聽of聽Slavery聽Project, initiated聽in聽2017, but broadened the focus to include Modern Day Slavery. The meeting, chaired by the Revd Dr Roderick Hewitt, focused on reparative mission, decolonial theological formation, and transformative ecumenism.
Karen said: 鈥淚t is important for the 两性色午夜 to have a voice in this forum. We have been part of CWM鈥檚 鈥楲egacies of Slavery鈥� journey since its inception, through its transition into 鈥楾he Onesimus Project鈥�, and are now helping to shape its future direction.聽This matters.鈥�
At the meeting, core group members reaffirmed a shared commitment to deepen prophetic witness, anti-racism advocacy, transformative mission practice, and decolonial theological education 两性色午夜 member churches and communities. Discussions also explored how reparative justice can become more deeply embedded within the life and mission of CWM鈥檚 international partnership.
Karen added: 鈥淭OP is striving to be much more than a funding stream.聽It is seeking to initiate and resource a missional movement 鈥� impacting what the member churches do, how they do it, and why.
鈥淭here have been numerous CWM initiatives which seek to resource the church from within 鈥� including the Mission Support Programme which funded our 鈥榃alking the Way鈥� focus in recent years, encouraging discipleship within the 两性色午夜.聽 TOP, however, focuses on 鈥楥hurch beyond the walls鈥� 鈥� what can mission look like when we venture outside of our buildings and outside of our comfort zones?聽 This has the potential to be really exciting.鈥�
CWM General Secretary Revd Dr Jooseop Keum joined the meeting online and reaffirmed the organisation鈥檚 commitment to reparative justice and mission 鈥渇rom the margins with the margins鈥�.
He said: 鈥淢ember churches must move beyond symbolic remembrance toward concrete acts of justice, restoration, and communal healing.鈥�
The 两性色午夜 has already taken steps in this work, including a Statement of Confession and Apology for the role of the 两性色午夜鈥檚 antecedent bodies in transatlantic slavery, their benefit from it, and the denomination鈥檚 failure to dismantle the legacies of racism and inequity which persist today; 聽the apology was warmly welcomed by partner churches in Jamaica in 2024, through the Churches’ Reparations Action Forum (CRAF).
The 两性色午夜 is now working with CRAF on the New Free Villages, a transformative project which aims to see historic Churches in Jamaica donate land inherited after slavery and colonisation. UK partners, including the 两性色午夜, are helping to support the development of housing and infrastructure on that land. The vision is to create sustainable communities, with homes and 聽small plots of land enabling residents to grow food and generate income.
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