Dr Neville Callam: a tribute 

David Coffey, Baptist Word Alliance President (2005-2010) and former General Secretary of the Baptist Union of Great Britain, shares the following reflection  

I was deeply saddened to hear of our brother Neville Callam's sudden home call, and I extend my loving sympathy to his wife, Dulcie; his children, Gary and Deirdre; and the wider family. 

Dr Callam was among the preachers at the Birmingham Baptist World Alliance (BWA) Centenary Congress in 2005. He began his sermon by quoting Dr C.H Parrish, an African American theological educator who spoke at the inaugural Baptist World Congress in 1905. Dr Parrish began his presentation by saying, 'I suppose I'm here to add colour to this occasion. While the ethnologists are trying to determine my origin and the theologians my destiny, I have the inevitable satisfaction of knowing that I am here.'

Neville commented on how things have changed since 1905! 

Unknown to Neville, the biggest change was about to confront him. Within two years of delivering this sermon, Neville would be called to lead the Baptist World Alliance as its eighth General Secretary since its founding in 1905. As both the first Black General Secretary of the BWA and the first elected to this office who was not from the United States or Europe, he was acutely aware, when he began his ministry in 2007, of the diversity of language, culture and opinions within the BWA. In 2007, there were more than 200 member organisations and over 100 countries, and he made it a priority to ensure the BWA would be a home for all voices and views. During his tenure, membership grew to 235 member organisations in 122 countries and territories.

To help lead the BWA towards an ever more authentic global community, he worked diligently to produce the seminal document A Covenant on Intra-Baptist Relations, which provided a framework for promoting a deeper understanding of our global diversity. It was fitting that the document was ratified unanimously in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, in July 2013. He was also concerned that English was the dominant language used at BWA gatherings. He knew people often struggled in meetings because the only language they heard was English. I know it gave him great joy in 2015 that at his final BWA Congress in South Africa, 32 languages were used across all sessions, and he hoped this trend would continue. 

When Neville began his BWA ministry in 2007, he inherited formidable challenges. His predecessor, Dr Denton Lotz, had begun a much-needed process of reforming the BWA at the start of the new Millennium. The Implementation Task Force completed its lengthy work in 2008, just a year after Neville had commenced with the BWA. This work involved many major constitutional and operational changes. 
 
I understood the deep frustrations Neville expressed as he tried to navigate these reforms, some of which had been in place before he took office. If organisational changes weren't a sufficient challenge, the 2008 financial downturn, known as the Great Recession of 2007-09, hit the BWA. Neville and his officers ably led the alliance through this global financial crisis.

Due to his extensive involvement with the BWA, including roles on the Council and other Commissions, as well as representing the BWA ecumenically, Neville Callam intuitively recognised that the BWA's main purpose was to offer a forum for Baptists to collaboratively seek and understand Christ's guidance. He viewed the BWA as essential and argued that if it were to dissolve, a new organisation would be necessary to serve the Baptist Global Communion.

His ecumenical involvement deepened his Baptist convictions and broadened his understanding of the Church. As he expressed in a 2017 interview, in the mind of Christ there is one Church. Yet there are multiple ecclesial communities, and by working together, they more closely approximate God's will for his Church in the world.

His lengthy service with the World Council of Churches Faith and Order Commission was ideal preparation for the global representation he would bring as General Secretary of the BWA. Neville faced no steep learning curve, having already graduated and being completely at home in ecumenical circles. He was a trusted and respected Baptist voice in global theological conversations.

He travelled extensively, diligently preparing lectures and addresses tailored to the Baptist communities he visited. His 2013 Sam Sharpe lecture, Deconstructing the Notion of Race, was delivered at venues across the UK. With his characteristic theological clarity, Neville laid bare the pernicious sin of racism and courageously reminded his British audiences that cities such as Manchester and Birmingham were built on the oppression of Africans in Africa and the export of enslaved Africans from the Caribbean.

The richness of his theological reflections is evident in his book From Fragmentation to Wholeness, Race, Ethnicity and Communion, which was launched at his final BWA gathering in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2017.

I experienced the rigour of his preparation at an evangelism conference in Nagaland, India, and at the opening of the baptism centre in Jordan, an event attended by Prince Ghazi, representing the King of Jordan, and by former UK Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair. At a Baptist assembly in Bournemouth, England, he was praised for addressing the topic assigned to him with precision and for finishing his address on time. A double accolade not granted to all speakers!
 
I observed the careful research he undertook to ensure that wherever he was in the world, he would bring a word in season to a Baptist gathering. When asked about any memorable places he had visited, he often wisely declined to name a particular location, saying there's nothing unique about any place, except that in every place God is revealing himself in marvellous ways, and it's our task to discern these ways.

It was my privilege to serve with Neville Callam for the first three years of his tenure with the BWA. These years of hectic service to the BWA took their toll on his health and well-being. He always gave 100 per cent of himself to the demanding burdens of office, and as he approached retirement, he said his main focus was simply to rest and enjoy a period of self-care to regain his health.

The BWA family worldwide owes an immense debt to our brother Neville for his faithful devotion to duty, and I express the same appreciation to his wife, Dulcie. When he announced his retirement from the BWA, he paid her a warm tribute, saying he had benefited from Dulcie's unwavering faithfulness and selfless support.

Recently, I watched online a sermon by Neville at Bethel Baptist Church in Kingston, Jamaica, where he frequently preached. The sermon focused on the theme of lament, and Neville addressed biblical truth with pastoral applications. He concluded with a quote from Barbara Brown Taylor's book, Learning to Walk in the Dark: 

When, despite my best efforts, the lights have gone out in my life, plunging me into the kind of darkness that makes my knees turn to water, I have not died. Instead, I have learned things in the dark I could never have learned in the light.

I give thanks for the privilege of knowing Dr Neville Callam and celebrate his gifts as a pastor, preacher, theologian, ecumenical pilgrim, and global statesman for the Baptist family. 

May he rest in peace and rise in glory.
 

The Revd Dr David Coffey OBE is a past president of the Baptist World Alliance (2005-10), and former General Secretary of the Baptist Union of Great Britain (1991-2006)