An extraordinary story from this year’s General Assembly is that of Canadian senior friend, Dr John Coleman, who attended this year’s Assembly exactly seventy years after attending his first WSCF General Meeting in 1938.

The 20-year old John Coleman represented Canadian SCM at WSCF’s 18th General
Committee (as the Assembly was then known) in Bievres, France, from 8-18 August, 1938. This
August 7-9, 90-year old John Coleman attended the 34th Assembly in Montreal, making it 70
years to the day between the two meetings.

In 1938, Christian students were present from 36 countries, but the majority of voting delegates were European and North American. In his address to this year’s Assembly, Dr. Coleman was pleased to see changes in the make-up of WSCF,

“One of the interesting things about this conference is that there is such a large proportion
of people from outside Europe and North America. That’s a great step forward. It’s a
realisation of an ambition that’s been going on a long time amongst the Federation secretaries since Robert Mackie (Gen. Sec. 1938-48),” he said.

In 1938, emerging movements in Brazil,Belgium, Poland, Yugoslavia and West Africa
appear, while affiliated movements report from China and Bulgaria, and SCM Iran is recommended for future affiliation.

1938’s outgoing General Secretary Dr. W. A. Visser ’t Hooft noted that the political situation was impinging more directly on WSCF, which was “no longer an organisation that governments would naturally or normally tolerate”. Lithuanian and German SCMs had recently been closed down by political forces - in Germany, by the head of the police. The 1938 Committee wrote to Japan’s student YMCA requesting the continued participation of Korean students in WSCF life, after the incorporation of Korean YMCA into the Japanese YMCA.

Visser ’t Hooft reported on 1935-38 saying it had focused on building up the “Christian Community” that was strong in service to the Gospel, open to all and radically Christian in its political independence. In one of the opening keynote speeches, Vice-Chair Mr. Kiang Wen-Han (China) described the world’s “glorification of dictatorship, military power and the “realism” of power politics”, as the antithesis of Christia community. The 1938 meeting produced a three-year plan, published for use and adaptation by the SCMs.

After WWII, John went to Geneva as WSCF’s University Secretary, to engage teaching staff and
students on the Christian’s contribution to university life. John’s book, ‘The Christian in the University’ was translated into German, French and was said to have been the first foreign Christian writing published in Japanese after WWII. While working for WSCF, John met his future wife Marie-Jeanne de Haller, WSCF’s Bible Secretary.

John was WSCF staff during the 19th General Committee (Bossey, 1946) and finished in
Geneva after the 20th General Committee in Whitby, Canada. He went on to become Professor
of Physics at Queen’s University, Kingston Ontario. Ending his address to the 34th General
Assembly, Dr Coleman commented positively on today’s Federation,

“What is particularly characteristic of this meeting, which pleases me so much, is the fact
that on the one hand you are making this very clear political, economic statement, a critique of our society, and with that I completely agree - but,instead of making that the whole thing - your prayers, and your singing together, impressed me very much. The whole feeling of the meeting has rekindled my faith in the Federation”.

From Federation News November 2008