John P Brown – An Australian Missionary
1. Introduction
The year 2012 was a commemorative year for Reverend John P Brown. Special
services were held in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the founding
Presbyterian churches in Korea and establishment of General Assembly of Presbyterian
Church of Korea. John Brown of Australia was present at the celebration along
with some other representatives from partner churches in overseas. Not only did Brown take the podium at the Centennial Worship hosted by
the Council of Presbyterian Churches of Korea in September of 2012, that same
month he also received an appreciation award for his service at the commemoration
of the 100th General Assembly of PCK and preached a sermon at the
60th anniversary of the founding of Ilsin Christian Hospital in Busan. In 2012
alone, he has made three trips to South Korea. Somehow or other he has become
the de-facto representative of churches in Australia whenever there are major
events in the churches in Korea.
This article is written as reference material for scholars and students who
will make inquiries into the life and works of Brown. However, the words
contained in this paper can only go so far as even now he diligently pursues
work of reformation and transformation. Any written work in such circumstance
will contain many inadequacies. Nevertheless, the written works contained in it
are a necessary resource on the churches’ mission in Australia and Korea.
This writing has arranged Brown’s works and accomplishments into five
broad categories. They are 1) missions
to Korea; 2) work in the National Assembly of Uniting Church in Australia; 3)
ministry among Korean Churches in Australia; 4) mission in North Korea; 5) work
for and with the Indigenous population in Australia. While the paper focuses on
those categories, this author has endeavored to record other contributions he
has made as well.
2. John Brown, The Young Man
Brown was born the fifth child of eight on September 24, 1933, in a rural
part near Mt Gambier, Australia. His
great-grandfather emigrated from Scotland in 1839. At the time of his birth his
parents led a difficult life in pioneer dairy farming and raising livestock.
His father served in World War I and also served in the Australia's Coast Guard
during World War II. Though his mother possessed a strong sense of
responsibility in raising eight children, young John proved a reliable helper
as he grew up learning values of diligence and frugality.
Brown grew up and left home to attend Hamilton High school. Later he
recalled in an interview concerning his time at the school, "I was able to
attend the school because my older sister, who at the time worked at the local
Post Office, paid for my boarding out of her paltry pay." (Christian Review,
May 12, 2012) At the same time he continued his church life with zeal. Rather
than limiting himself to participation in Evangelical Union at the school he
served as a weekly Sunday school teacher at his church. John grew up in a home where they instilled
in him pious values that brought to remembrance the prayers his mother taught
him. The combination of instruction from a devout home and the fundamentalist
biblical education from his local church has built him into a man of
deep-seated faith.
As a young man growing up on a farm his dream was to attend a medical school.
Unfortunately due to his father's illness he had to return home in his final
year of high school to help on the farm. As a result the score on his entrance
exam suffered and he had to renounce the idea of becoming a doctor. Two years later he was accepted into the
University of Melbourne where majored in Philosophy and Middle Eastern Studies
with an emphasis on Hebrew and Aramaic. His choices were influenced also by his
desire to know more of Scripture and his love for languages. Though he had
received many accolades for his skills in French during high school, when you
witness John's mastery of the Korean language you will agree that he has an
exceptional talent for languages.
The year Brown was accepted into the University of Melbourne 1952, was a
significant turning point in his life. At the time Melbourne was deluged with reports
and photos of the Korean War, information on the planned deployment of
Australian troops, cities in Korea devastated by the war, and long processions
of refugees. Moreover, two Australian missionary sisters were in Korea working
to establish Ilsin Christian Hospital in Busan. He ravenously scoured through a
Presbyterian newspaper every week to know all that was going on in Korea. It
was during this time his youthful heart was set ablaze with a call to missions.
And in 1954, John sent an application to serve as a missionary in Korea to the Mission
Department of General Assembly of Presbyterian Church of Australia.
Something
else noteworthy took place during his years at the University of Melbourne: he
met his life's companion, Norma. He started to court her after meeting her at a
Christian student group. They married in
1957. Even before they were married they had already promised to go to Korea
together as missionaries.
Brown, appointed as a candidate for Ministry of the Word and Sacraments by
the Presbyterian Church of Australia, studied theology at Presbyterian
Theological College in Victoria (Ormond College). Since then he has confessed
that he was filled with arrogance on account of the fundamentalist faith he had
learnt as he was growing up. “I still cringe at the arrogant attitude I took
with me to theological college, my attitude being that theological college was
a necessary doorway to Ministry, but nothing that they taught me there was
going to change what I knew to be the truth.” (John Brown, ‘After 50years of
ministry’, unpublished paper, Date unknown). Fortunately, he met many good
professors at the seminary. Davis McCaughey, who became the first president of the
United Church in Australia, in particular, had the greatest impact on this young
pastor to be.
Brown was ordained in the Presbyterian Church in 1958 at the age of 24.
He served as a pastor at Bairnsdale and Omeo, as well as a Christian education
staff in Gippsland and Latrobe Valley Presbyteries. During this time he
received a telegram from the Mission Department of the Presbyterian Church
where, six or seven years prior, he had applied to become a missionary to
Korea. It requested that he confirm whether or not he was presently ready to
leave for mission.
Despite the fact that Bairnsdale congregation extended an invitation for
him to be their pastor in charge the very day the inquiry arrived, John did not
hesitate in his decision to become a missionary to Korea. After completing a
short term training at All Saint Mission Missionary Training College John,
together with his wife Norma and two year old son Michael, left Australia to
set foot in Busan, Korea, a strange land and little known.
3. Mission to Korea and John Brown
At that time the Australian Presbyterian Mission was not able to send as
many missionaries to Korea as they had done previously. Most missionaries at
the time of Japanese colonial rule in Korea, Australian missionaries in
particular who steadfastly rejected Japanese Shinto
worship were forced to leave the country. Even after the liberation from
Japanese rule there were only six missionaries from Australia up to 1950 and
only thirteen in the 1950s. Even as Korea was in the midst of difficult times, the
Australian Presbyterian Mission lacked the means to send out missionaries due
to economic difficulties and shortage of candidates brought about by the two
World Wars.
Then as a new decade began, the 1960s, missionary mobilization was
reinvigorated as the economy improved and there was a renewed interest in
mission. It was at this time St. Stephen’s Church in Sydney became a partner
with Brown in his missionary work supporting him and his family for ten years.
He frequently sent to the church written letters that contain accounts of his
work in the mission field during the years. These letters now reside in the Mitchell
Library in Sydney.
As soon as Brown arrived in Busan, John went straight to Jongno in Seoul
where he took up residence with missionaries from the United States. His
priority was to learn the Korean language and culture. He dedicated himself for
about two years to learning the Korean language. He enrolled in Yonsei University's language
school, all the while receiving private lessons in order to acquire Korean
language skills essential for use throughout the rest of life. It was then that
he also acquired his Korean name, Jo-eun Byun.
Subsequently Brown began working in the Masan Presbytery of the
Presbyterian Church of Korean which is located in Kyongsang Province, in the
south-east of Korea. It is reasonable to ask why John chose to establish his
ministry with the Presbyterian Church of Korea (also known as Tonghap) rather
than with other Presbyterian denominations. The Australian Presbyterian Mission
previously had rejected Japanese Shinto worship during their colonial rule and
had been forced out of Korea as a result. During the period immediately after
Liberation in 1945 conservative American Presbyterian missionaries were filling
the vacancies in the Kyongsang Province area left in the wake of the slow
return of the Australians. Disparities existed between the fundamental faith of
the American missionaries and the theology and practice of the Australian
missionaries. According to Sang Gyu Lee's article ‘The Presbyterian Church of
Australia and the Korean Church’, the Kosin church (formal name is The General
Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Korea) leaders who advocated reforms
rejected the theology and lifestyle of the four Presbyterian denominations
including the Australians that existed since before the liberation of Korea
while vehemently adhering themselves to the orthodox and traditional Presbyterian
churches (Tales of Two Churches: Australia and Korea, p. 50).
In the end, the Presbyterians divided in 1952 giving birth to the General
Assembly of Kosin. Furthermore, a General Assembly of Hapdong held in 1959 to
resolve issues of membership in the World Council of Churches instead brought
about even more divisions. The Presbyterian Church of Australia, which was a
member of the World Council of Churches, naturally related to the General
Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Korea. At an interview much later, John
confessed, "When I arrived in Korea, I had no other choice, The
Presbyterian Church of Korea was the only church with which I could establish an
official relationship (Christian Review, May, 2012)
As a member of the Masan Presbytery, Brown made his rounds through the
churches in Geoje Island, Changwon, Kimhae, Changnyung and Milyang region
caring for them as preacher, educator, and evangelist. He was allocated these
churches by the presbytery only because the Mission Department of Australia provided
a jeep for him. As clumsy as his Korean was at the time, he prepared, memorized
and preached foreign accent and all, his first Korean sermon in as many as 45
churches. Keeping in mind the deep division happening among the Presbyterian
churches, the theme of his sermon was from 1 Corinthians chapter one, the oneness
of the Church.
Living with farmers, Brown started to think that improving the quality of
the livestock would improve their livelihood. Growing up under parents who have
been farmers all their lives his thoughts naturally turned to the livestock in
Australia. Thoughts of ways to improve the livestock and provide extra
nutrition in the diets of the rural people came to his mind. Ultimately, while
on vacation in Australia in 1966, he brought back from there white pigs and Saanen
goats. The Mission Department allowed him to raise funds privately to purchase
the animals and get them to Korea.
A local newspaper, Gippsland Times, wrote a story introducing the 33
year old John. Included in the story were the details of how the pastor herded
the nine top class goats and five pigs onboard the ship, as well as how he fed
and cleaned up after them throughout his six week journey across the ocean. The
newspaper also reported how the pastor undertook this project after witnessing
the poverty and primitive farming methods even quoting John who said, “Just one
goat to a family can make a tremendous improvement to their diet.” (Gippsland
Times, 13/8/1970. 6) The story also reported the cost of transporting animal
cargo was $700. In Melbourne a newspaper, The Age, also containing a report of
the event including a photo of John loading the goats onboard the ship still
remains as an interesting historical record.
After returned to Korea with all the livestock Brown worked diligently in
breeding and quality improvement on the farms in the Changwon region; even to
the point of writing an instructional booklet on how to feed and raise the
pigs. What's more, he bred and distributed the young goats and pigs to farmers
in Geoje and Masan regions on a trial basis. However, these few pigs and goats
would noticeably improve the lives of farmers' lives. There were those who lost
pigs to pay off debts even as pigs in other household did not do so well
because the farmers had not the means to care for them well. Despite all these
facts, many today recall those days and speak of how one's parents raised a pig
they had received or how one grew up drinking milk from a goat they received.
Albeit the undertaking may not have been a big success, but to many they are
treasured memories, stories that inspire.
Brown started teaching Hebrew language and the Old Testament at the Presbyterian
College and Theological Seminary in Seoul in 1964. To say that the Hebrew language
he studied in the University in Australia would be useful is a given. But his
true talent for and grasp of the language can be seen by the booklet titled ‘Let's
Learn Hebrew’, he had put together to help the Korean students. Every other
week he would travel by train from Masan to Seoul where he would lecture for
two days at the school. He also took time to work on his postgraduate studies.
Then in 1969, after completing his missionary work in the rural regions, his
whole family moved to Seoul where he assumed the position of a lecturer
full-time. During his time teaching at the Theological Seminary he had the
opportunity to train numerous students; many have become leaders of the General
Assembly, schools, institutions, and churches today. Also among them are some
that have come to Australia as students and pastors, Rev Kil Bock Hong, Rev Myung
Jin In, Rev Seong Gi Cho to name a few. John is still regarded as their teacher
and continues to be honored by them.
We are able to get a glimpse of John’s work during his days as a lecturer
of seminary through a story that was told by Kil Bock Hong during an interview,
"We took an exam after we listened to John's series of lectures on Isaiah 40-55.
When we received back our answer sheets after several days we saw something
truly unbelievable. A missionary who had been in Korea less than 10 years
corrected the answers one by one using a red pen. It was a total surprise to
see how accurately he pointed out every Korean spelling error the students
made.” (‘Rev John Brown, An Australian Friend for Koreans’, Phillip Yoon, New
Dong-a, 2011)
Brown, a man who was teaching a course on prophets in the Old Testament at
a theological university, would come to face an event that would challenge him
in a huge way. Some of his students, because they joined Korea's pro-democracy
and labor movements were put in jail or otherwise forced to be absent from
school. John not only began to see the meaning of the cry of Amos, "Let justice
roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream"
(Amos 5:24) around him; he also began to understand, in particular, how to
apply the Gospel he preached in the real context. During this time his lectures
on prophets gradually took on deeper meaning and had such impact on him that it
developed into a strong theological foundation for John. It was not by
coincidence that many of his students joined the popular movement and
prodemocracy movement.
While at the Presbyterian College and Theological Seminary John was
close with professors like Joo Sun-ae, Park Chang-hwan, Lee Jong-sung, and Kim
Ee-tae to name a few. He was the only one with a car and it was his practiceto
pick up some of them and take them to the school. And in 2001, at a service
commemorating the 100th year of the founding of the Seminary John received an
Honorary Doctorate in Theology from the school.
Besides his teaching work at the university, he also functioned as a
representative of Australian Presbyterian Board of Mission, working closely
with officials of the PCK General Assembly. He held regular meetings with both
the representatives of the General Assembly and missionaries from overseas to
affect policies and practices of missions in Korea. In fact, the work he did
with representatives from the United Presbyterian Church of USA, the Southern
Presbyterian Church of USA, the Presbyterian Church in Australia, to reach a
written mutual agreement would later serve an important role. As the Korean
Church grew and times changed the system of cooperation among mission groups
also changed. In those times when the system of co-work changes, agreements
such as the mission memorandum or mission agreement was used to adjust how
things are done and reconcile relationships.
Even though the agreement or declaration may require more close study,
such matters as mission assignment, personnel, finance and holdings,
operational direction of joint missions, and raising up leaders have been
documented. John remained a major player in the effort to realize the
memorandum of understanding for the 2011 Joint Missions to North Korea (Tales
of Two Churches: Australian and Korea, p.362-403).
We will be able to get a brief glimpse of how Brown viewed the
relationship between the Korean Church and missions in the text that follows.
"Korea has gone from a mission field that Australia has unilaterally given
to since before the Korean War to become partners with those who aspire to
build the country into a Kingdom of Christ through equality and mutual
cooperation" (Mission Review, April 4, 1989, p.12). John viewed the Korean Church as a mission
partner. Such a view of missions will ensure his ministry will remain
consistent in the future.
Brown returned to Australia in July 1972 due to an invitation to a
position at the General Assembly of Presbyterian Church of Australia. After
wrapping up his ministry of 12 years in Korea he returned with his wife Norma,
his son Michael, his Korean born daughter, Alison and his adopted daughter
Soon-ja.
4. The Uniting Church in Australia and John Brown
Having returned to Australia, Brown started work as the Superintendent of
the Board of Ecumenical Mission and Relations at the Presbyterian Church of
Australia. The work continued until the majority of the Presbyterian Church of
Australia joined in the Uniting Church in Australia.
Brown continued his ministry as the Secretary for World Mission in the
Uniting Church in Australia after its formation. Through his ministry the
relationship that existed between the Korean and Australian churches transitioned
effortlessly to the Uniting Church in Australia. This relationship still
continues today.
Even in the midst of re-structuring of the Uniting Church in Australia, John
has had significant impact on both foreign and domestic missions through his work
as the Director for Mission which lasted until 1992. There are several
accomplishments of John from his work at the national Assembly level that are
worthy of mention: accomplishments such as the establishment of policy for
world missions, support of domestic evangelism, establishment of policy
regarding multicultural churches, supporting of the Aboriginal Congress, sponsoring
Korean diaspora churches, and one that needs no mention strengthening the
solidarity between Australia and Korean church.
At the 4th National Assembly that was held in 1985 the Uniting Church in
Australia declared, ‘The UCA is a multicultural church.’ In light of the fact
the declaration originated from the World Mission Department of which Brown was
the Director it is easy to surmise his theology and leadership had a good
impact on the decision. While two agendas at the Assembly, the declaration and
the establishment of the Congress for Indigenous members, passed together. It
is the changes in Australian society that has brought about a new direction for
missions and the reformation to strengthen the rights of minorities and the
weak within the church.
In the 1970-80s, Australia accepted many immigrants from Asia and the
South Pacific, their numbers swelled quickly. John could see the demographic
changes in the communities around the church. Many immigrants such as Koreans,
Tongans, Japanese, Samoans, Chinese, Fijians, Filipinos, Indonesians,
Vietnamese, Middle Easterners, and more were looking for a church that they
could call a home. John assisted in order for them to lead a life of faith
within the Uniting Church with a sense of belonging through the use of church
properties, invitations to their pastors, and encouraging them to worship in
their languages and in their cultural style.
Furthermore, Brown provided opportunities for the immigrant pastors to
meet regularly sharing their difficulties and joys in their pastoral duties. He
also encouraged them to attend and participate in the meetings of presbytery and the Synod according to
their own conviction. Within this context, the understanding of multicultural
ministry and theology which was developing in the Uniting Church in Australia also
became an important part of the identity of the Church. Subsequently, the Multicultural
Ministry Department at the National Assembly, and later, a Korean Presbytery in
the NSW Synod was established.
During his tenure as the Director for Mission at the National Assembly John
was actively involved in the Ecumenical Movement and beginning in 1975 he was
appointed to the Central Committee member for seven years. Additionally, he
worked as member of the Commission on World Mission and Evangelism of the World
Council of Churches, as well as Rural and Urban Ministry for thirteen years. John
made a significant contribution to the policies and practices on mission and
evangelism for the churches in the world.
One
thing worthy of mention in the relationship between John and the Uniting Church
in Australia concerns the submission of his name as a candidate to become the President
of the National Assembly. At the time, not only was he already well known to
the representatives and staff of the Assembly but he also led discussion on
many major agenda items. The supporters of John were so confident that he would
be elected as president that they refrained from campaigning for his candidacy.
But the result was one of unexpected surprise. A more conservative candidate,
one from a Methodist background was elected. This may show the church had great
interest in the local evangelism and church growth at the time.
Upon his retirement as Director for Mission, National Mission and
Evangelism of the Assembly passed these words of appreciation to Brown.
“This was an enormously challenging task, which John carried out with
faithfulness, hard work to the point of sacrifice and deep insight into the
nature of the mission of the Church. As a Committee we benefited greatly from
John’s wisdom and theological depth.” (UCA Assembly, B201, 92-61, 11 December,
1992)
5. Korean Churches in Australia and John Brown
The first Korean churches in Australia were established in Melbourne in
1973 and Sydney in 1974. It was not a coincidence that Australian missionaries
who had completed their work in Korea were involved in the planting of these
two Korean churches. The knowledge of the Korean language and culture they
acquired while in Korea along with their understanding of Korean churches could
not be anything but a great asset to these immigrant churches. What's more, if
one of those former missionaries worked in the Mission Department of the Assembly
it was icing on the cake. John was such a man. He possessed all the attributes that
made him a great asset to the Korean diaspora churches. But the most important attribute
he possessed was his affection for the Korean Church for whose pastors there
was no greater benefactor.
One denominational leader from Korea visited Sydney in 1974 which led to
a meeting of some Korean lay leaders at Brown's home. At the meeting, they
shared the loneliness of migrant life and need for spiritual support. A plan for
establishing a Korean congregation emerged to comfort and strengthens one another.
The first worship service took place on September 8, 1974 at a Congregational
Church in Redfern. There were seventy people in attendance and the invitation
to the service contained the purpose for which the church was established. A
portion of that purpose is found in the text that follows.
"Fortunately, we now have, in Sydney,
pastors and priests who are able to lead worship for us in our own language.
Strengthened by their sacrificial service and thankful that we Koreans can
finally come gather as a church, we earnestly hope that everyone's active
participation will bear much fruit." (Thirty
years Korean Ministry in Australia, Yang & Pearson ed, Sydney, UTC,
2004)
In this manner Brown became the first founding pastor of a Korean church
in Sydney.
In addition there are a number whom John sponsored to come to Australia
to pastor or to study. Rev Myung Jin In was one such man. John not only
provided financial support to him but also provided an opportunity to study
further. Myung Jin In worked for Yeongdeungpo Industrial Mission in Korea and
was jailed for his work with both the labor and human right movements. By means
of regular reports and developing news about his ministry with the industrial
mission in 'Mission Partners' magazine of the Assembly, John was able to lead advocate
groups within Australia.
Some of the few who have benefited from Brown through scholarships or
sponsorships are Rev Kim Ee-tae, Rev Kil Bock Hong, Rev Seong Gi Cho, Rev Eun Ha
Chae, Rev Tae Young Chi, Rev Myong Duk Yang, and Rev Ki Soo Jang.
As the Korean churches continued to proliferate, John bore more and more
work. His work included sermons in fluent Korean, assisting pastors in joining a
denomination, search for places to worship, sharing of Australian culture, invitation
of Korean pastors, resolving disputes between Korean and Australian churches,
education of Korean seminary students, and even interpretating.
6. Missions to North Korea and John Brown
Brown’s affection for Koreans is not limited by geography. Just as he has great affection for Koreans in
the south he also has a deep concern and love for Koreans in the north.
Then a wonderful opportunity afforded came in 2003. A Korean-American
pastor was leading a program in the vicinity of Rajin city, in the north-east
part of North Korea. He petitioned the Uniting Church in Australia to provide
assistance for the children's ministry and the destitute. John and the leaders
of Korean Church of Melbourne discussed the matter. Ultimately, the whole
matter became an opportunity to open the door for mission into North Korea. The
language used for this mission opportunity was to be ‘humanitarian aid’ rather
than ‘church mission.’ This supporting work has been ongoing for the past 10
years and steadily progressing and evolving.
The National Assembly of Uniting Church in Australia and Korean Church
of Melbourne established the Byul Bit Foundation to raise funds for humanitarian
aid to North Korea accepting interested organizations and individuals as
members of the foundation and partners of the work there. John has been
appointed as the chairperson of the Committee and he was given charge of
support and made several trips to China and North Korea. A Children’s Home,
hospital for the treatment of Tuberculosis, mobile clinic, school for computer
technology, pre-school, and school of nursing are some programs that have been
established and operating.
The enterprise of this ministry, with the cooperation of the Assembly of
Presbyterian Church of Korea, to commission and construct a facility that could
house 100 children receives large amount of support. Needless to say this was
only possible because of John’s network of friends and strong supporters. More
recently, after a visit to China, a building in Hunchun city was purchased.
This has been set up as a base of operation from which the program is
continually expanding.
Brown is writing a story concerning this mission in ‘Tales of Two
Churches: Australia and Korea’. (p. 350-353) Even now, in his tireless effort
to support this ministry he travels back and forth to Korea, China, as well as
North Korea.
7. Indigenous Australians and John Brown
Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian
Congress (UAICC), within the denomination of Uniting Church in Australia, was
established in 1985 when John was serving as the Secretary for World Mission of
the national Assembly. This decision which allowed the indigenous congregations
of the Uniting Church to setup their own council that will take care of their
pastoral and mission work, make and act on those decisions regarding the tasks,
and recognized the Indigenous people as partners was historic in nature.
Before the Congress came into being Aboriginal congregations were
considered a part of the national Assembly’s Mission Department, their staff
were that of the Mission Department, and even the reports made to the Assembly were
submitted through the Mission Department. This meant the Aboriginal Council reported
to John, who was the Director of the Mission Department.
With regard to the reforms of the leaders of the indigenous people and of
John, the Assembly started entrusting all the authority and responsibility of a
Synod and of a presbytery to the Congress. Furthermore, after debating the need
for the indigenous members to train and ordain their own pastoral candidates as
well as the need to manage their own finances they received this authority also
from the national Assembly.
In 1992 John was invited by the Congress to lead the Covenanting process
to bring understanding and reconciliation between the Aboriginals and non-Aboriginals. In order to carry out this responsibility John
visited all Synods and presbyteries all over Australia. Seeing one Caucasian
man receive this kind of authorization from the indigenous people demonstrated
the extent of their trust in him.
This pioneering covenanting program called for all churches in Australia
to reconcile with the local indigenous people through fellowship where they
lived. While John led the reconciliation effort between churches, it wasn't
until 1993 that the Australian government followed this process to reconcile the
general community with the indigenous people.
Another historical event took place in 1994. The President of the national
Assembly delivered an official apology to the indigenous people for the
genocide and discrimination of the past. The draft of the official apology was
written by John in consultation with the indigenous people.
In 1995 the Australian government appointed a Commission to investigate
the widespread discrimination and suffering caused by their past policies on
the removal of mixed race children from their families. This Commission
proposed that a "Sorry Day" be held yearly. The purpose for this day
was for all Australians to understand and express their sorrow for the
suffering and sorrow of the indigenous people and to repent for numerous
discriminations perpetrated against them. A national committee was instituted
to help Australians to understand their painful past. John and one of the
indigenous leaders served eight years as co-chairmen of the Committee.
Although Brown officially retired in 2000 from his ministry, he continued
to work as the coordinator of the program that addressed reconciliation and understanding
with indigenous people. As previously mentioned, the local churches and faith
groups reconciled and signed agreements with the indigenous people in their
regions acknowledging the truth of their shared history. Through such mutual respect, the grassroots
movement began to spread across the land.
Even now, Brown makes a visit to Myall Creek every year, a place where
the worst massacre of the indigenous people took place in 1838. In 1999 the indigenous
and the non-indigenous formed a committee to organize a memorial to the
notorious massacre. People gather every year on the second week of June. At
this event people recall the events surrounding the massacre and commit
themselves to reconciliation and justice, and the creating of a more equitable
Australia. For the past 15 years, John and an elder of the indigenous community
have worked as co-chairmen of the committee.
For such contributions, Brown received the Order of Australia from the
government of Australia in 1993. He also received the Centenary Medal for his
service to reconciliation with the indigenous people at the celebration of
100th anniversary of the founding of Australia.
One of the people who nominated John for the Order of Australia was
Ronald Wilson, a former President of UCA. His introduction of John to the
government is written below.
“…This enabled him to exercise his gifts of leadership and advocacy on
behalf of Aboriginal people, a role which he has continued to play ever since
and which has proved of enormous value in the life of the Church and nation…Dr
Brown is widely respected here and abroad as an authority on the theological
imperatives undergirding the unity of all humankind, imperatives which find
expression in issues of justice, peace and respect for the integrity of
creation throughout world…” (Ronald Wilson, 13 March 1992)
8. Conclusion
Through his whole life, Brown has experienced a number of transitional periods.
When young John met with good teachers at a theological college in Melbourne,
he turned around himself from narrow fundamental understanding of faith to
open-minded progressive which was similar to the conversion of Paul. In his writing
‘The Australian Mission in Korea since 1977’, John writes of the four groups of
people and social movements that have influenced his ministry and mission. First,
John claimed that he was influenced by the experience from his fellowship with
the poor farmers and fishermen from Geoje and nearby region. He witnessed the
work of Christ in the midst of ordinary people leading honest lives every day.
Secondly, he was influenced from the theological students during his days as a Lecturer. Among the students, there were those who ministered to the destitute and the low-wage earners. Through these students he witnessed on whose side Jesus was working.
Thirdly, Brown learned much from the social movement where by the
indigenous people of Australia reclaimed their land as well as the process of
reconciliation for all Australians. He witnesses Christ who suffered with
minority groups. And finally, John wrote of the influence by the human rights
movement of WCC and Christian Conference of Asia. One can probably assume that
the ecumenical movement for the poor had a great impact on his ministry (Tales
of Two Churches: Australia and Korea, p. 84-85).
It would be an ambitious task to sum up Brown's ministry, mission, and
theology in one or two sentences. They were deeply rooted in Isaiah's prophetic
calling which Jesus recites in Luke 4:18. John followed after Jesus, who stayed
among the fringes of society, preaching the Gospel to the poor, the captives,
the blind, and the oppressed, having fellowship with them.
While researching the life and ministry of Brown, the author pondered if John,
who was facing his 80th birthday this year, had any regrets come to mind. As
mentioned earlier, the first sermon John preached in Korea was on the oneness
of the church in Christ, a topic that left listeners' hearts to agonize over
wherever he went. While he was in the Australian Mission he partnered with
denominational leaders to encourage unity among Korean churches. When he
received his Honorary Doctorate in Theology at the Presbyterian College and
Theological Seminary, he urged the uniting theological education among the
Presbyterian churches. And at the service celebrating one hundred year
anniversary of Korean Presbyterian Church he appealed to the Korean churches to
return from divisiveness to unity. While recently visiting Korea, John’s face
turned sad at the news of serious division in preparation of Busan Assembly of
World Council of Churches. The unity of Korean churches is most likely the news
John would be happy to learn. This may be the main prayer of John for the
Korean churches.
Last year Brown became a great-grandfather. These days he still travels
back and forth between Korea and Australia dozens of times by air, unlike when
he first traveled one month across the ocean on a ship by boat, over fifty
years ago. In his travel bag, John carries bottles of orange, blackberry,
strawberry, or other flavored jam he himself made. This author has also
received one or two as a present and enjoyed his homemade jam. It is our hope
that many friends of John will get to enjoy them for a long time.
<Reference>
Brown JP, Witnessing Grace, Publishing House of PCK, 2009.
Yang MD (ed), Tales of Two Churches: Australia and Korea, Publishing
House of PCK, 2009.
Yang MD & Pearson C (ed), Thirty Years Korean Ministry in Australia, UTC: Sydney, UTC, 2004.
Copyright Myong Duk Yang
