Twinning with Global Peers

A History of an International Friendship
by Carolyn Carney

On December 22, 2001 a partner in the gospel passed away suddenly from a brain haemorrhage. Rory Prest, the General Secretary of the Students’ Christian Organisation, the South African member movement of IFES, was a dear friend, though I’d only seen him on about 10 occasions in three different countries. Sharing a similar ethos and style of ministry and similar commitments to student ministry, justice and racial reconciliation through our service with IFES made our connection deep. Only two weeks prior to his death we had finalised a plan for me to leave my InterVarsity job in New Jersey and go to work with him in South Africa.

My InterVarsity region’s twinning relationship with South Africa officially began in 1992. But there had been other linkages from as far back as the 1970s when two Rutgers InterVarsity alumni came here to do student work. One of them was the first Christian I met as a freshman. (It was partly because of Frank that I joined InterVarsity!) In the late 80’s when the anti-apartheid protests got into full swing, some InterVarsity chapters in the region got involved. We also sponsored our first Global Project there in 1989.

My first trip came in March 1990. I was taking a break from my own ministry work in New Jersey to visit the student work in South Africa. I landed in Johannesburg just one month after Nelson Mandela had been released from prison. The country was in a state of euphoria, and expectations were high, yet so much change needed to come. My trip was supposed to be a mini-sabbatical. But I worked quite hard and I had no idea the South African people would make such a lasting impression on me.

I’d never seen poverty like I’d seen in Alexandra, a black township just north of Johannesburg, situated near some of the wealthiest suburbs in the world. The deep contrasts and the divide between people became etched on my heart. Yet I knew that some of those same divides existed in the neighbourhood where I lived back home.

This short six-week trip made me more committed to justice and reconciliation issues at home. The more I learned about South Africa, the more I applied things to my situation on campus and in New Jersey. I attended a multiethnic institute, led and directed Urban Projects, taught about reconciliation, exposed issues of white privilege, etc. I worked with a team of people from my region to design a highly creative, intense simulation called “Eyes to See” which was an effective tool in our region for teaching about justice and reconciliation. I worked with my predominantly white chapter to pursue how we could more adequately reflect the demographics on campus. We began to attend Black History Month programs and address injustice. I also continued my involvement in South Africa.

This is the idea of Twinning: a region or chapter of InterVarsity/USA connecting with another IFES movement for the purpose of fostering relationships in the broader Fellowship, but also as a means of learning about the Church of God. Since we had begun this relationship with South Africa, Bobby Gross, our fairly new staff director, suggested that we pursue the partnership, if of course our two sister movements were agreeable. The other obvious factor prompting us was the diversity, justice and reconciliation issues in New Jersey. South Africa seemed the best place to build.

During the first years of our twinning history there were two student movements in South Africa affiliated with IFES. In 1965, due to the strains put on the country by the apartheid regime, the Students’ Christian Association split along racial lines into four separate entities. Two of those groups, the Students’ Christian Association (predominantly white) and the Students’ Christian Movement (black) eventually affiliated with IFES. There was much discussion and many efforts were made to unite. But it wasn’t until 1997 that the SCA/SCM merger finally occurred, bringing back together black and white believers.

John Seiders, then on InterVarsity staff in New York, was named as the Twinning Coordinator. He was tasked to come up with a proposal. John and I traveled to South Africa together in 1992 to meet with the General Secretaries of both SCA and SCM at a regional conference for English and Portuguese-Speaking African IFES members. Although both movements were in the throes of trying to work out how to relate to one another, it was thought to be beneficial to build relationships with another movement who was also working on the issues of reconciliation and justice. I believe we have learned greatly from one another in these dozen years. It is John’s wording from 1992 that still comprises the foundation of our relationship:

• To learn about God’s purposes in the world from each other’s contexts
• To support and encourage our ministries by the exchange of staff and students.
• To empower the student work in South Africa through prayers, financial gifts and gifts-in-kind.

Since 1992, South Africa has hosted several Global Projects from the USA. Additionally, American InterVarsity staff have come for shorter times to provide training at SCOs invitation.

All of the personnel exchanges were short term (no longer than seven weeks) until 2000. SCO developed a one year internship for graduates to give a year of their lives to student ministry. SCO inspired us to begin a similar program in New Jersey. When we asked if we might send an intern to work with SCO, they were delighted. So, in November 1999, after doing a summer project in South Africa, Carrie Moorhead, an energetic, well-trained leader, returned as an intern through InterVarsity Link. Carrie’s obedience paved the way for more interns and raised the bar in our commitment to our Twins. (Two Link interns were sent last year. And one was asked to extend her commitment for a four year staff term.) Each year at our prospective staff day, when the options are given for internship sites, one of them is South Africa. Two more came in November 2002.

My coming in September 2002 as the Director of Staff Development and Training for a period of two years was the first time for either movement of sending or receiving an experienced staff into a leadership position. It has worked well.

We communicate about this Twinning relationship at every area conference and at our regional camp, Basileia, every year. We give a brief overview of the history, the current situation is described, prayer is made and an offering is taken. When the two movements merged in 1997, one of our staff attended the merger conference and there was a deep sense of elation when we heard the news. The regional staff team was together at National Staff Conference where we announced the sudden death of Rory and there were tears and shocked expressions around the room and intercession made for his family and SCO in general. We had lost a friend and brother. Rory had recently spoken at our Regional Staff Conference. We took an offering for Rory’s family. Earlier that year we took an offering to help one staff pay his lobola (bride price) so that he could get married. We received phone calls and emails from our friends in South Africa when the attack was made on NYC on Sept 11th.

We do have a sense of shared life though we live so many miles apart. Two South African students who attended NYCUP (urban project) lived out a simple scene that taught all the participants something profound about injustice. I had been told in 1992, that we (InterVarsity in NY/NJ) must keep bringing multi-ethnic groups of students, because seeing black and white living together and loving one another gives hope to South Africans that it is possible. Two South African staff and four American staff have spent part of their sabbaticals in the other’s country, visiting the ministry and sometimes serving. Just recently, I’ve been in email contact with a regional alumna who works in Upstate New York doing public health administration; the bulk of her work is in HIV/AIDS. Knowing that there is a Twinning relationship with South Africa, one of the heaviest infected countries, she asked if she might come for a visit to learn. She will arrive in September 2004. Another InterVarsity alum has worked for a South African non-profit.

Here are some of the things we’ve gained over the past decade in IVCF NY/NJ:

1) We have become less “region-centric”. Most of us feel a sense of connection to IFES and particularly to South Africa.
2) A keen awareness of God’s work and the church’s kingdom building in another country.
3) A commitment to pray and give; send and receive.
4) Seeing South Africa recovering from apartheid has encouraged us to press on as we seek to build healthy interracial and multiethnic relationships and confront injustice on our campuses and in our communities and cities.
5) Hosting South Africans has given us a “face” for friendship.
6) Visits from SCO staff have challenged us to remain committed and be hopeful in adversity.
7) A sense that the world is bigger and smaller all at the same time.
8) Being exposed to poverty has challenged our staff and students to deal with materialism, explore avenues at home of alleviating poverty, and evaluate their career ambitions.
9) A desire to sacrifice so that a brother or sister could be better off.

What has SCO in South Africa gained?

1) A sense of not being alone. (Apartheid isolated South Africa from the world.)
2) A realisation that even the strongest country in the world suffers from similar problems.
3) Partnership in the gospel.
4) Computers for staff, books for interns and staff.
5) Funding for the movement.
6) Trained and experienced staff (1 in 2000, 3 in 2002-2003).
7) Opportunities to visit and build friendships in the States.
8) Hosting Americans has given a “face” for friendship.
9) A twinning relationship with Mozambique.

It has been a rich relationship; one that has indeed changed my life, causing me to move across the Atlantic to serve in this movement. I don’t think I would have come at this point in my life if I didn’t have such a foundation of relationship already. I even have a baby named after me! Twinning has affected not just individuals, but the NY/NJ region and the SCO as whole entities.

Through InterVarsity Link, Carolyn Carney serves in South Africa with SCO as Director of Staff Development and Training.

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