Parish of Southampton (City Centre)
Reg. Charity No. 1126950

The Parish's Burma Link

The Burma Link
 
Key to Dioceses

1.  Myitkyina 

2.  Sittwe 

3.  Mandalay 

4.  Toungoo 

5.  Hpa-an 

6.  Yangon 
 

Geography and People

Burma (Myanmar) consists of the great central valleys of the Irrawaddy and Salween Rivers and a series of north-south mountain ranges, such as the Arakan Yomas in the west and the Dawna Range in the east.  The climate is of the monsoon type, with both high rainfall and high temperatures throughout the year.

The largest ethnic group is the Burman people who make up two-thirds of the population.  There are many smaller tribes living mainly in the hills of the border areas, including the Kayin, the Shan, the Kachin and the Chin.

Religion  and Church Life

Most ethnic Burmans are Buddhists.  Most villages have a monastery while the Shwe Dagon pagoda in Rangoon is one of the most important Buddhist shrines in the world.  There is freedom of religion by law, and Christian worship and evangelism is allowed, but permission is required for larger gatherings and any political involvement is not tolerated.  Christians account for about 4.9% of the population.

The Church is strongest among the tribal minority peoples, especially the Kachin, Chin and Karen.  The Baptists are by far the biggest denomination.  The Anglican Church first arrived in Burma in the mid-19th century, and today there are about 65,000 Anglicans in six dioceses within the Church of the Province of Burma.  Anglicans and Baptists co-operate in theological training.

The Winchester Diocesan Link

In 1877 Harold Browne, Bishop of Winchester, helped USPG to establish the new Diocese of Burma within the Province of India.  The diocesan headquarters was established in Rangoon, (now Yangon) and the first Bishop and several other staff were from Winchester.  A permanent Winchester Mission House and Chapel were built in Mandalay in 1904, to which three men from the Winchester Diocese went to form the Winchester Brotherhood.  These beautiful old buildings remain much used.
In 1966 all expatriate missionaries were expelled, but in 1970 growth in the Church enabled Burma to become a Province within the Anglican Communion.  However, the Church remained isolated until 1977 when USPG asked Bishop John Taylor to celebrate the centenary of the diocese by re-committing the Winchester Diocese to the historic link with Burma, at the same time as he established new diocesan links with Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.  The Overseas Churches Panel continues to oversee these links.
Although a number of Burmese bishops have visited our diocese, Bishop Michael’s visit in November 2001 was the first visit of a Bishop of Winchester to Burma, when he enjoyed three weeks travelling around five of the six dioceses, meeting people and priests and attending the enthronement of the new Archbishop of Burma.

The Parish Burma Link

Scope

This Parish’s concern for the Church in Burma has led to a Link being established, firstly with the Diocese of Mandalay, and subsequently also with other Dioceses, particularly the Diocese of Myitkyina in the far north of the country. 

Focus

The broad Aims of the Link are:
Parish Burma Link contacts

Parish Office
135 St Mary Street
Southampton
SO14 1NX
Tel:  023 8033 0851
E-mail: admin@sccpcofe.co.uk



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