Burma lies in the South East Asian Pacific, and is festooned with the symbol of Buddhism. Almost 90 percent of Myanmar’s population believe in Theravada Buddhism, while the rest practise Hinduism, Islam or animism, with Christianity very much in the minority. Sharing borders with Bangladesh, India, China, Laos and Thailand, there are 135 ethnic groups which speak their own dialects. The official language is Burmese.
The mission of Christianity has been restricted by the Buddhist state government. The Anglican Province was first established in 1970 in Burma. In 1979, Buddhism became the official state religion, four years later all foreign missionaries were forced to leave.
Being ruled by a military government, all religious worships are monitored, political activism is prohibited and special permission is needed for all activities. Nowadays the Church of Myanmar is allowed to worship under certain restrictive regulations. The Anglican mission has a long standing history of 150 years in Burma, and so USPG holds a special position within the country and has an advantage in carrying out missions in this restricted nation. In addition USPG has direct links with many Christians and communities.
Apart from the threat to religious freedom, poverty in Burma is another roadblock in evangelism. Burma also is a largely rural, densely forested country. It is a challenge for the Church’s bishop to reach the remote communities. Some parishes take priests over a week to reach, travelling by road, river and foot.
In response to all these problems, USPG’s project focuses on the provision of all kinds of resources, especially in financial and human terms, to support the work of the Church of Myanmar. USPG and the Church join hands to improve both the spiritual and physical condition of those living in rural and urban communities.
In 2004, USPG has already sent L90,000 to fund education, development and health care initiatives set up by the Church to benefit some of the country’s most isolated communities. USPG now calls for international support for the project.
USPG is an Anglican mission agency founded in 1701, originally named as the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel (SPG). Since its establishment, the Society has supported around 15,000 men and women as missionaries in many parts of the world. The 300 years of its existence have contributed significantly to the growth and life of the Anglican Church. In the recent decade, USPG has also started to work more ecumenically, notably with the Methodist Church.
Despite the declining number of missionaries sent as overseas missionaries in the 21st century, USPG nowadays has even sent more people than ever for some years. It has become a strength to the UK overseas mission.