How are we of East Asia going to meet the challenge of this hour? In this region of the world live about 1160 millions of people, more than one half of the entire population of the world. Out of these, only a tiny minority are Christians. And of the Christian population, only about 16 million are represented in this conference. The unfinished task which the church in East Asia faces is stupendous; it is of herculean dimensions. But thank God, this church exists; it has taken root and it is growing.

This conference is called in the hope that the representative Christian leaders from East Asia might meet and work out ways by which a sense of interdependence of the younger churches might be developed, and their experience pooled and utilized by such means as visitation, exchange of personnel, circulation of literature, periodical conferences such as this, etc. In many world Christian conferences, the East Asian voice has not been very audible. But here in this conference we have been brought together to think through our problems by ourselves without any direction or dictation from outside. Therefore this conference is distinctly regional in its program, purpose and participants.

Perhaps we have had in recent times a spate of international gatherings, and murmurs of protest are audible here and there. Too often the immediate result of these conferences seems to be that its participants have had "a good time"¡ªeven good Christian fellowship. But if we stop with that, this conference will have been held in vain. It will end without achieving its main purpose. But here, in this meeting place, we must first draw near God, and drawing nearer to him, we shall be drawn nearer one another. Therefore it is impossible to overemphasize the importance of worship in this conference. The success of this conference will depend, in the ultimate analysis, upon the extent to which we, the delegates from far and near, have been enabled to become, not just a group of Asian Christians with a common purpose, but verily a worshipping congregation, bound together in Koinonia, and waiting upon God for his word and guidance. Therefore the closest possible integration of worship with the work of this conference is essential.

Often we speak of a bond that exists between peoples of Asia. This bond is largely cultural and historical, and yet in the ultimate analysis it is a weak one. In the West, the unity of Western civilization has been based upon the unity of the Church Universal, and hence the churches in the different countries of the Western hemisphere, though differing in their racial and cultural heritages, have an abiding element of unity that link them together. But in the East, our cultural heritage has no such abiding basis. Is it not true that an Indian understands and appreciates a Britisher better than he does an Indonesian or a Korean? Perhaps a Chinese or a Japanese is more at home with an American than with a Malayan or a Siamese? Therefore the real tie that binds us together it not so much our Asian cultural heritage as our faith in and a common allegiance to one Lord and Master, our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the tie which we want to strengthen through conferences such as this.

On the other hand, I should like to utter a note of caution. It was not without hesitation on the part of our parent bodies that this conference was called. They were afraid of regionalism in international movements. They were afraid that nationalist interests might sweep us off our feet, and that we might go off at a tangent, thus doing irreparable harm to the ecumenical movement. We must resist this temptation and fight it tooth and nail. This conference, though East Asian, is in an ecumenical setting and linked in the strong bonds of ecumenical fellowship. It is rightly of East Asia and for East Asia but it is at the same time of the ecumenical Church and for the ecumenical Church. We shall in this conference be concerned as to how the world-wide Christian fellowship may be strengthened by East Asian churches participating more fully than hitherto in the life of the ecumenical Church; as to how we can be more realistically and truly "partners in obedience" with the older churches; as to how we can undertake with them the evangelization of East Asia. These are some of the questions to which we shall be addressing ourselves in this conference. Let us remind ourselves of the words which William Temple used in his enthronement sermon when he said: "Almost incidentally, the great world Christian fellowship has come into being. But it has come to be. That is the great new fact of our era."

One more point and I am done. Of late years, churches have been drawn to one another and have become conscious of their oneness because of their common interests, faith and sometimes interdependence. But if we in East Asia draw closer through this conference simply to love each other and nothing more, we shall have failed in the objects to which our fellowship and love impel us. The increasing fellowship and interdependence of our churches must show itself in our testimony and witness to the power of the gospel. It is for this purpose our Lord has willed the unity of his disciples. "Above all earthly circumstances stands unchanged the command of Christ to preach the gospel to every creature. This command cannot be fulfilled unless all the forces of all the churches, older and younger alike, are gathered in a common loyalty inspired by a common task and mobilized in a common service." Here then is an opportunity for us to build a Christian fellowship which will transcend the barriers of race and nation and sundering cleavages of historical traditions and outlook, and give a powerful witness unto him who is able to draw all men unto himself. The West has made its contribution to Christian thought and theology. We of the East have also our own unique contribution to make in interpreting Jesus Christ, who was an Oriental, in our own oriental way, based on our experience of him as our Lord and Master, and Saviour of the West as well as of the East. We shall have to learn how to present the eternal gospel in terms intelligible to the cultural, historical and social heritage of our peoples.

The darkest shadow that hovers over our thresholds today is the possibility of another war with its atom bombs. But we have work to do, and the sands of time are running out. We are gathered here to take stock of the situation and plan wisely for the evangelization of East Asia. But our final thoughts should not be of our difficulties but of the mercy of God, who has permitted us to meet in this lovely place of peace and beauty while the rest of East Asia is seething in hatred, fighting and disorder. We must thank God for giving us blessings as well as difficulties, and above all for the faith and hope that the kingdom of this world shall become the Kingdom of our God and of his Christ, In this faith we shall go forward in this conference, and let us hope that we who are of East Asia will be able to bring our own East Asian gifts to the feet of Christ and crown him King of kings and Lord of all.