Accept all peoples says Takao

Tu Tangata, Issue 21, 1 December 1984, Page 18

Accept all peoples says Takao

Not getting married appears to be the main regret of the outgoing Moderator, the Very Rev Tame Takao, after his year in office. “Some of the programmes referred to my partner have that person available. “I am a very strict theologian and I think someone hasn’t taken my rib out yet.” Mr Takao, in a speech which was humourous and moving by turn, stressed the importance of accepting everyone in the church. He had appreciated that people received him as they were. His theme has been creative change and he was thrilled that in some parishes the theme was in action already. The Department of Parish Development and Mission had made a terrific impact as had church growth seminars. Young people were able to come together and work well. In many parishes there was a mixture of races. In worship it was important to recognise these differences. Some ethnic groups were not mixed with the pakeha they had differences which were very important to them. “We need to recognise that we should be working together and see that everyone has a lot to offer in the work of our Lord.” In September Mr Takao travelled to Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea. He told the Assembly that in Hong Kong

he was able to have discussions with a church leader who had just travelled to China to discuss the position of the churches in Hong Kong after the colony is returned to China in 1997. He was given an assurance that the freedom of the churches would continue. In Taiwan he met Dr C M Kao, recently released from prison on parole. He also met Mrs Ruth Kao who has visited New Zealand. “The church is growing and has a strong commitment even with the opposition of the Government. There is a strong feeling that the Lord will lead them to the ultimate objective of their concerns.” Dr Kao had been making a lot of converts in prison and perhaps the Government had thought it better to let him out. In Korea he encountered one Presbyterian church with a membership of 1.5 million which was aiming for 2 million. The Korean churches wanted North and South Korea unified but the Government did not. There were opposition parties but the church was the only real alternative to the Government. In New Zealand it was often said that politics had to be kept out of religion but his Asian experience had made it clear that they had to be taken together. At the end of the speech a group from the Maori Synod joined Mr Takao in a waiata and he received a prolonged standing ovation.