The Opening Worship of the WSCF 34th General Assembly was fired up by the stirring preaching of New York preacher Rev.Dr James Forbes.

Dr Forbes delivered his sermon to the Assembly in testimony to his experience of the WSCF's role as a catalyst and resource to empower young people into world changing prophetic action.

His sermon focused on the community-creating power of the Holy Spirit and recalled the history-making actions that came as a result of his and many other students' attendance at a WSCF Conference in Athens, Ohio in 1959.

The transcript of Dr Forbes sermon follows below and an audio recording of his sermon is available below.

Transcript of The Rev. Dr James Forbes Jr. Sermon for the Opening worship of the World Student Christian Federation 34th General Assembly

To download the audio version of Dr Forbes' sermon (28 MB)follow the link:

http://ga.wscfglobal.org/audio/JamesForbes-sermonGA08.mp3.mp3

Sermon Texts:
Joel 2: 28-29
1 Timothy 4: 11-16
Acts 10:1-20

Sermon Transcript

Introduction (Dr. Ken Guest)

It is a great honour and pleasure to welcome as our preacher this evening, the Reverend Dr. James Forbes.

Rev. Dr. Forbes has been a leader in the civil rights movement, arrested at a number of sit-ins, he has been a professor at my seminary, of preaching the Word at Union Theological Seminary in New York City for 18 years.

He served as the senior pastor of Riverside Church in New York City for 18 years where he led that congregation to a combination of their passion for global justice and their commitment to the concerns of the local community.

Dr Forbes is currently the president and founder of the Healing the Nations Foundation, which promotes health consciousness, self-care and care for others.

We are so excited to hear the Word this evening from Dr. Forbes. He is one of the most profound preachers in North America and we are graced by his presence, and we look forward to hearing what God has to say through you, to us this evening.
Dr Forbes, thank you.

Rev. Dr. James Forbes Jr.

I will bless the Lord at all times;
God’s praise shall continually be in my mouth.
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers and sisters to dwell together in unity.

To Michael (Wallace), and particularly to Luciano (Kovacs) who prevailed upon me to come, to presiding ministers who I’ve seen at the quadrangle round Union Theological Seminary and all those who have come to give us a word of welcome today, I want to thank you for the privilege to be with you.

Now, having said thank you, I should probably be more honest.

The truth is, I’m on vacation!

Then, why am I here?

Because in 1959, that’s a long time ago, there was a World Student Christian Federation General Assembly in Athens, Ohio. (Alice Ann, were you there?)
And something happened there, that gave me the impression that God uses this Assembly to get things done, in the world.

So, away from my vacation ( I left my wife in a motel in Bangor, Maine) and from 4am this morning, I’ve been working my way here because, I suspect that - and this is no exaggeration - that the world will be different because we gathered here.

Now those who have known of my ministry know that I’m a long-winded preacher, but you are in luck today. They insisted that because we are multiple languages here, I had to write down what I was going to say, which is most uncharacteristic for me, - most of the time I don’t know what I’m going to say! And they suggested that 20 minutes would be just fine.

To those who are doing the translation, what I intend to say is approximately represented in the sermon you have. If you find that I move swiftly, Forget it! Just speak in tongues. I’m Pentecostal by background.

But let’s see what I can do reading. Kendra, I never read a manuscript before!
But let’s say, I’m going to try.

Fifty years ago, in 1958 as I was packing my clothes to go off to seminary, my mother put a copy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s book into my suitcase. The book was entitled ‘Stride Toward Freedom’.

In his chapter about non-violence, Dr King explained how important it was for human beings to learn to be the beloved community God had envisioned at the dawn of creation.

One sentence which made a lasting impression me was this: this is what Dr. King said,

‘The Holy Spirit is the continuing community creating reality which moves through history’.

Even though we are different languages, try to follow me now, repeating what Dr. King said, repeat after me;

‘The Holy Spirit - (The Holy Spirit)

- is the continuing - (is the continuing )

- community creating reality - (community creating reality)

- which moves through history’- (which moves through history)

The surprising thing for me, was that Dr King saw the work of the Spirit as addressing societal issues.

During my childhood years as a young Pentecostal member of the church, I thought of the Spirit in terms of individual and personal experiences. For Dr King, the Holy Spirit presence was not just for saving our souls or preparing us for heaven.
The Spirit was concerned about building up the community.

A community of mutual respect, equality of worth, shared resources and responsibility with a fair distribution of basic subsistence necessities and special care for the poor and dispossessed.

So, influenced by Dr. King, I began to sing a more balanced song about the work of the Spirit. The new song, impacted by Dr. King, was still highly individualised and personal, but it includes at the end an awareness that the Spirit is not just concerned about what happens in here, (Dr Forbes places his hand on his chest) ,but the Spirit is concerned about what happens in the world.
The places from which you have come, to join this Assembly.

The song goes like this:

It’s your Holy Spirit O Lord

It’s your Holy Spirit O Lord

It’s your Spirit that heals me

and fills me with Love

It’s your Holy Spirit O Lord

- and then it goes on to say:

‘It’s your Spirit that that helps me when I don’t know what to do

It’s your Spirit that comforts when everything is falling through

It’s your Spirit that finds me when I’m lost and all alone

It’s your Spirit that whispers “you are my very own”

It’s your Spirit who shows me what life is all about

It’s your Spirit in my spirit, that helps me to work it out

It’s your Spirit that’s calling all creation to be free,

That’s why I’m praying Lord, let your Spirit fall on me’

We gather for the General Assembly of the World Student Christian Federation, but we gather at a time when community life is being challenged all around the globe. This quadrennial finds us in a time of terror and tyranny. Wars and rumours of wars, a growing gap between rich and poor.

It’s a time when the stability of families is being threatened on every hand. We hear talk of the clash of civilisation. Conflicts escalate between tribes and class groups and religions and political ideologies. Scarcity of oil, food and fresh water alerts us to get ready for survival warfare. I must get my share and my share and my share is usually greater than anybody else’s share.

Environmental degradation and economic destabilization may cause the circling of the wagons to ensure safety and well being in tough times ahead.

To say the least, these are not ideal times for building up the community.

But alas, we who are the body of Christ have not been relieved of our responsibility just because these are difficult times. The great commission, the great commandment, the golden rule and the love ethic, have not been rescinded just because of global warming.

Even in these times, the Spirit is still, and you can repeat after me the continuing community creating reality which moves through history.

The profile of Christians is still shaped by 2 Conrinthians 5:17.

So, if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation; everything old has passed away; see everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation…

the ministry of reconciliation…the ministry of reconciliation, and the building up of community, that’s our work. That’s our gig. (translate, ‘gig’).

While world systems recruit for war…
the Spirit is here… to recruit servants of justice, truth and love, so that we can be members of the community building corps of disciples of Christ.
And my assignment in preaching this sermon (and I guess I’ve already used 7 minutes) is to remind each of us that what we need, in order to rise to the occasion in these difficult times, is to become aware of the community building energy of the Spirit, which is already at work, and also of the spiritual empowerment for God’s servants, so that we can do the work - even in difficult times. That’s what this sermon is all about.

You may have noticed in the reading of the texts today, that the planning committee chose the theme texts for this General Assembly, so that the texts would make it clear, even before I started, that the role of young people is central, in the up-building of the beloved community.

You are students from all around the world, young people, often dismissed by the elders in your city.

But Joel says in these last days, -and these must be the last days -
that the Spirit of God was not going to bypass young people, but the Spirit of God was going to be poured out on young people like you and that together, inter-generationally, old folks’ and young folks’ dreams and visions are going to make this world a different place in which to live.

That’s what Joel said, so, it’s about you and if you missed it, then they said “Let’s go to first Timothy and say,” - “Listen up people, don’t let anybody despise your youth”.
Young, yet vibrant,
Young, yet eager to see a new world.
And then there is this word in the text -“Stop forgetting and neglecting the gift that’s in you”

And there is an image; (by the way, this is not on the paper)

The image of "Do not neglect the gift that is in you," reminds me of Pentecostal days or, reminds me of the presence of the Bishop for confirmation. At confirmation the Bishop may place hands and usually the prayer is brief (Dr. Forbes moves away from the microphone and places hands on the heads of people on the podium), but in certain circles, the prayer does not just say bless this person with the Spirit.
It is as if the Spirit reveals to the one who is praying - what special gifts are now being imparted to this person. So that this person may fulfill a role specific to God’s assignment. It is there in the text!

So if you don’t understand a word I’m saying, read Joel and read first Timothy.

God has blessed you!
There is a gift in you!
A gift in you, a gift in you, and you and you
and I guess in me as well.

And our job is to activate. That’s what a General Assembly is about, to activate, to activate a sense of the mission of the church, and those gifts are resident in you.

Now, before I get going…
I am in the process of writing a song that captures this spirit.

(Aside to the translators) ( I’ve bypassed you, so gone down to the bit where it says the song about the Spirit)

I’ve been writing this song, I did not get it translated, it’s not yet finished, but it captures the spirit that is at the heart of this General Assembly.

Listen to these words:

The Spirit is the key to community
Where love and justice flow like streams
Where the people work together for the common good
To make our cities safe for dreams
The Spirit sets us free from anxiety about our neighbours far and near
When we learn to welcome strangers
Treating them as friends
No longer are we bound by fear
The Spirit sees the world as a neighbourhood
The Spirit yearns for wars to cease
So the Spirit forms a circle of freedom-loving friends
To claim the world for joy and peace

-and of course the song goes -

Spirit of community draw us close to thee
Help us see the beauty within diversity
Begin with me, my family
Each neighbourhood and nation, fulfill the dream
You had in mind the first day of creation

When I get it together, I’ll see that you get it, so that you can send it to everybody. It’s just information now, but this song has several key affirmations.

- The Spirit works towards the vision of the beloved community

That’s what Dr. King died for, and the same year he died, Bobby Kennedy was assassinated, but they were both working to build up community. The song suggests also that no matter what our fears are -

- The Spirit works to conquer our fears of others who are different from ourselves.
- The Spirit seeks to tear down the walls that divide us.
- The Spirit sees our differences as separate variations within one family.
- The Spirit reaches out to recruit us to be builders of that new community

Well let me now just give you a story. (Now how’s my time coming along, am I OK?)
A story about the Spirit building up community.

In the tenth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. There is the story of Peter’s vision on the housetop.
And I want to tell this story because it will make clear to you how it is that the Spirit goes to work inside of us, to release us to our ministry of building up community.

Well you remember, Peter was taking a rest, and while he was resting he got hungry and he went up on the rooftop. And while they were preparing lunch for him, he fell into a trance and while he was in this trance, this Lord began to use the Spirit, to be the continuing community creating reality, which moves through history.

Because God had told Cornelius, who was different, of the Italian cohort. And he was a centurion, he was a gentile. Somebody that Peter would never even consider having fellowship with.

Well, the Lord got with the Italian and told him to reach out to the Jews. And it was that they came to see Peter. But Peter would not have received them, unless the Lord worked on him a little bit.

Do you need a little working on here while you’re at the General Assembly?

Cause sometimes we know the ideal, but our hearts are bound in tradition that will keep us from pursuing the vision that is in the mind of the Spirit. So Peter lay down while he was sleeping and saw a vision of a sheet being laid down with all sorts of four-footed creatures and reptiles and birds of the air and he said “Get up Peter, kill and eat”. Peter said, “Hey! I’m kosher!” “By no means Lord, for I have never eaten anything that is profane or unclean.”. But three times this thing happened. And Peter was greatly puzzled.

By the way, good news, if you are puzzled during the General Assembly, that’s in good Biblical order.
Everything is not always clear. Thank God. That gives us a chance to listen to the voice of the Spirit, to clarify. We have different values, we come from different traditions, we have different emphasis, many times we are puzzled about what we should say or do.

But that’s OK, the Spirit helped Peter. First of all the Spirit said ‘Peter don’t call anything common or unclean that I have cleansed’.

May I, this is not on your paper, but let me interject this,

Could God be saying to Peter, Simon Peter I had to do a lot of washing to make you suitable for the task to which I have called you. And just in case you would not understand it, I saved the bath water from where I had to wash you first.

Just so you could see that I had to do a lot of washing, to get you ready.
So if that be the case, do not call anything common or unclean that I have cleansed.

So the Spirit told Peter, “Listen, some folks are knocking for you. Get up! Go down! Be with them.”
Move beyond your boundaries!
Move beyond your settled understanding!
Move beyond your comfort zone!
That’s what organisation is about.
That’s what advocacy is about,
That’s what your work is about.
Moving beyond - in order that we may fulfill the mission.

I want to close, I think my 20 minutes is up.

But I need to give you some testimony, my message is this:

The Holy Spirit is in this place and you have come, and the Spirit is going to take some of us and bring some transformation inside of us, and we are going to go back our homes, and we are going to be the margin of difference between justice and injustice,
between hunger and plenty,
between inclusion and exclusion,
between self-centredness and other-regarding.
It’s going to happen right here and it’s the Spirit that makes it possible!
Even when folks say it’s impossible!

It was impossible to bring justice in South Africa in the midst of Apartheid! But the Lord got with Nelson Mandela and although he had been in prison for 27 years, he should have been hating, he should have been bitter, he should have had a spirit of revenge. But God took him, like he took Peter, and gave him a sense of meaning, of building up the community.

So that when he was inaugurated they thought they were going to sing simply “Nkosi sekelele”, but instead he said, we’re going sing that, but we’re also going to sing the Afrikaner national anthem.
Why? - Building up community.

But that’s not what I want to close with.

I want to tell you what happened to me in 1959 at the World Student Christian Federation, and then I’m going ask you to sing a song and I’ll be through.

During that meeting in Athens, Ohio; It was a beautiful meeting, first time I ever sang from a strange hymn book; at that time it was the first time I had sung from Cantate Domino, at that meeting.

Leslie Newbigen was there, and D.T. Niles, some of the old names. Communion was beautiful. After the meeting, students went back home, I did too. But some students were there from A&T College in Greensboro, North Carolina.
(To Ken: You don’t know this do you?)
Because of justice - that had been preached
and strategies that had been brought together - at the World Student Christian Federation;
The students went back to Greensboro.
They decided that segregation was wrong.
So they went down to the Five and Dime, the Woolworth Five and Dime Store, and they sat down and insisted that,
“Although we are of a different colour, all God’s children have a place at the table of brotherly love”

They sat there, they were arrested and it started the student sit-in movement - and from Greensboro, it spread all over the South.
I was arrested sitting in at Sappho’s Restaurant in Wilmington North Carolina!

And that Movement grew and grew, until it began to change the laws, and the policies, and the practices not only in the South, but all over the United States.

So you want to know why I came off my vacation to come to be with you?

It’s because it may very well be, that you will make difference in the world today! And so I’m asking you to stand up, (this is sort of like an altar call)

Are you willing? Are you willing? - since, the Spirit is the continuing community creating reality that moves through history - Are you willing to allow the Holy Spirit to move in you?

So that you can become shakers and movers of the world towards justice, inclusion, integrity of creation and care for the poor?

If you are, I invite you to sing the song,

Spirit of the living God fall afresh on me

Melt me , mould me,

Fill me, use me,

Spirit of the living God fall afresh on me…

(Sermon ends)

Editor's Note (24 October 2008): A recent news story on the Barack Obama campaign published by the Guardian newspaper ( written by Gary Younge)referred to the Greensboro sit-in as below:

"But there were other things that came with the struggles of the civil rights movement that Roanoke lacks. Just two hours drive away in Greensboro, North Carolina, a sit-in by four black teenagers in Woolworths galvanised an entire community. "

To see the above quote in context, go to

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/oct/16/uselections2008-barackobama1