In Memory of Joanne P. Anderson (1935-2021)
Joanne Pemberton Anderson (1953-2021) died on Friday, April 30, in Hamden, CT. She was a generous supporter of the Center for Global Christianity & Mission, and we mourn her passing.
Mrs. Anderson was a leader alongside her husband Dr. Gerald H. Anderson at the Overseas Ministry Study Center (OMSC) for 26 years. The following obituary and tribute is provided by the OMSC.
"Joanne Pemberton Anderson, died at 86 on Friday, April 30 in Hamden, CT. The daughter of the Rev. James and Irma Pemberton, she was born in Philadelphia (1935), and graduated from Asbury College (B.A., 1957) and Columbia University Teachers College (M.A., 1966). Prior to marriage in 1960 she taught English and journalism in East Providence (Rhode Island) High School.
With her husband, the Rev. Dr. Gerald H. Anderson, she was a Methodist missionary in the Philippines from 1960 to 1970. During her years in the Philippines she taught at Harris Memorial College for Methodist Deaconesses and at Union Theological Seminary, Manila, and had two children, a son (Brooks, 1965) and a daughter (Allison, 1967). Her book The World’s Children in Pictures: The Philippines was published by Friendship Press, New York, in 1968.
After returning to the United States she worked in a variety of administrative positions at Stockton State College, New Jersey (1974-1987) and was Executive Assistant to the Dean of Yale School of Medicine (1988-1997).
During the 26 years of her husband’s tenure at the Overseas Ministries Study Center (1974–2000), Joanne was “keeper of the home front,” while he travelled extensively. Together they hosted hundreds of OMSC residents and guests from many parts of the world in their home for evenings of dessert, conversation and sharing about faith journeys.
In January 2001, she and her husband travelled around the world through Asia as emissaries of the Overseas Ministries Study Center, visiting seminaries, church leaders, and former residents of OMSC. This trip also provided an opportunity for a visit with their son Brooks and his wife Shano, who work in public health in South India.
She enjoyed being grandmother to Connor Mislow and Alexa Mislow, children of her daughter Allison and husband Robert Mislow who live in Orange, CT.
In 2001 Joanne received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Albertus Magnus College, New Haven, CT, “in recognition of distinguished achievement and service to society.”
Her husband says that Joanne was God’s gracious gift. As Henry James once said, “There are only three things important in life. The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind and the third is to be kind.” My Joanne, her husband said, “was the kindest person I ever knew.”
In addition to the family members mentioned above, she is survived by a younger brother Bruce Pemberton (and Gloria), with their children, in Chelmsford, MA.
Her family will receive relatives and friends on Friday, May 7 from 10 to 11 am in the Hawley Lincoln Funeral Home, 424 Elm Street, New Haven. A funeral service will be held in the funeral home at 11 am. Interment will follow at Grove Street Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the Anderson family asks you to consider making a donation in her name to the Overseas Ministries Study Center at Princeton Theological Seminary."
Those who wish to write to Dr. Anderson should use the following address:
Dr. Gerald H. Anderson, 200 Leeder Hill Drive, Apt 407, Hamden, CT 06517, USA
“Transfiguring World Christianity” 2021 Lecture Series
The Cambridge Centre for Christianity Worldwide is hosting a series of lectures, "Transfiguring World Christianity," during April-November 2021. The lectures are in celebration of the Centre's Silver Jubilee.
The first of the five lectures is on the topic ‘Solidarity: Figuring out World Christianity and the Pandemic’, to be delivered by Prof Joanildo Burity, Lead Researcher and Professor at the Joaquim Nabuco Foundation and the Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil, on Wednesday, 28th April, at 4 pm British Summer Time, on Zoom. The session will be chaired by Rt Revd Dr Graham Kings, the Founding Director of CCCW.
If you would like to join, please email us at centre@cccw.cam.ac.uk for a Zoom link.
Visit the Centre's site to see the topics of future lectures as well!
Upcoming Conference on “Christianity & Empire Revisited”
On May 27-28, the McDonald Centre for Theology, Ethics and Public Life and the Faculty of Theology & Religion at the University of Oxford will host an online conference on the theme "Christianity, Commerce and Civilisation? Christianity and Empire Revisited: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives."
During the Modern period the study of patterns of colonialization and the development of empires has focussed on the expansion of the Western mercantile powers. A perennial question in reviewing these processes of history, commerce and politics has been the question of the role of religion and more particularly the place of Christian Missions. It is reflected in the well-known phrase of David Livingstone which forms the title for the conference. Whilst the complexity and nuances of the issues have often been recognised by professional historians, in popular discourse the debate has often been caught up in ‘culture wars’, in which missions and missionaries have too often simply been assumed to be ‘agents of empire’. The aim of this conference is to explicate further the complexities of the relationships between Christianity, Missions, Colonies and Empire as they developed in the Modern era, and to contribute scholarly insights from historical and other disciplinary perspectives.
The keynote address will be given by Prof. Brian Stanley, Professor of World Christianity at the University of Edinburgh. Find the abstracts to all the conference presentations, as well as registration information, here.
Spiritual Seeking among Ghanaian Immigrants to the US
Dr. Nicolette Manglos-Weber, CGCM faculty associate, was recently featured in the podcast series sponsored by the journal Sociology of Religion. In the conversation, Dr. Manglos-Weber shares about one of her latest articles, "The Contexts of Spiritual Seeking: How Ghanaians in the United States Navigate Changing Normative Conditions of Religious Belief and Practice." The article itself can be accessed here.
“Standing with Women Leaders from Africa and Latin America” Virtual Event
On Monday, May 10, at 10am (EDT), United Methodist Women will host a virtual event, "Standing with Women Leaders from Africa and Latin America," which is the organization's "Voices from the Field" event of this quarter. The discussion will feature four Regional Missionaries: Catherine Akale, Elmira Sellu, Finda Quiwa, and Andrea Reily Rocha Soares. The group will share real-life stories of courage and ingenuity and how United Methodist Women international work impacts the lives of women and their families.
Andrea Rocha Soares is a BU alumna, having received her MDiv with a concentration in mission in 2010. She is a native of Ribeirão Preto, Brazil, and an elder in the Methodist Church in Brazil. She was commissioned by United Methodist Women in 2015.
Register to attend the event here. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Please save the confirmation; it contains your personal link to the event.
Margaret Rigg Collection Available at Boston University Theo Arts Gallery
Many pieces of artwork from the Margaret Rigg Collection are now available for virtual viewing through the Boston University Theo Arts Gallery. Dating back to the late 1950s and 1960s, the works explore theological themes like crucifixion, la pieta, and the holiness of the body through the lens of the beginning of the Cold War and the burgeoning military-industrial complex. Rigg brought these artworks around to schools, Sunday Schools, and other groups of children to share how art and theology intersect. The media, choice of colors, and, at times, harsh subject matter, reflect the turbulence of the period.
This artwork was preserved as part of the research work of CGCM visiting researcher Dr. Ada Focer ('16) on the Methodist Student Movement. The periodical of the movement, motive magazine, has also been preserved through the work of Dr. Focer, the CGCM, and the STH library. Its issues are available digitally here.
The artwork can also be viewed physically at the School of Theology Library (745 Commonwealth Avenue, 2nd floor, Boston, MA 02215).
Panel on Pursuing Unity in Church and World
On April 21, 12:00-1:30pm (CDT), North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago, Illinois, is hosting a panel on the topic "Pursuing Unity in Church and World." CGCM Director Dr. Dana Robert will speak on the panel alongside Rev. Dr. Kevin Blue and Rev. Dr. Soong-Chan Rah. Learn more about the panel theme in North Park's event flier, and register to attend here!
Alumnus on “Serving the Global Church as a World Christian”
BU alumnus Dr. Daewon Moon ('17) recently contributed an article to Africanus Journal entitled "Serving the Global Church as a World Christian." In the article, Dr. Moon reflects on his participation in churches in South Korea during his childhood, his time with Youth With A Mission (YWAM), and his training and service in various parts of the world, with a specific focus on his work in Burundi.
Dr. Moon is also preparing to publish his dissertation research on the East African Revival of the 1930s-40s as a book entitled Becoming Saved Ones.
A fellow BUSTH alum, Dr. William David Spencer, also contributed to this issue of Africanus with a review of The Story of Creeds and Confessions: Tracing the Development of the Christian Faith (ed. Fairbairn and Reeves, 2019).
John Thornton to Speak on Religion & Slavery in the Kingdom of Kongo
On April 21 at 4pm, Dr. John Thornton, CGCM faculty affiliate, will speak on "Religion, the Kingdom of Kongo and the Slave Trade" as a part of the W.E.B. DuBois lecture series at the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University.
Register here: https://harvard.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_M8YrmuXmSfGf9PdoPUBqqQ
New Africa-Focused Journal on Public Theology
