The Rev’d Davidson Solanki, USPG’s Regional Manager for Asia and the Middle East, is teaching a course on peace and reconciliation at St Thomas’ Theological College in the Church of Pakistan.
From February through to May, Davidson has been conducting classes over Zoom, covering topics such as peace in the Bible, conflict sensitivity and peacebuilding approaches in the minority religion context of Pakistan.
With postgraduate qualifications in peace studies and 16 years of practical experience working in peace and reconciliation, Davidson is able to make this subject live and interesting. The sessions have not been a one-way learning process. ‘The students in Pakistan bring their own experiences and insights to this course – they are living in a country where peace and reconciliation between communities is vital. For me, this process has been a mutual sharing of knowledge – we learn from each other.’ Students from across the Church of Pakistan train to be clergy at the college and Davidson hopes the learning he has shared, will help them to promote peace and communal harmony in their communities. The college also trains Catholic, Baptist and Methodist students.
St Thomas' Theological College in Karachi, Pakistan
The opportunity to teach at St Thomas’ came about because of USPG’s long-running relationships with the college and the Church of Pakistan. USPG has supported the college ever since it was founded in 1987 and currently contributes toward the college's running costs. The Rt Rev’d Frederick John, Bishop of Karachi, discussed the idea of Davidson teaching at the college during the period where he was Principal, and this was embraced by the current Principal, Miss Lubna Younas Dewan.
Rev'd Davidson Solanki
Davidson reflects, ‘It is a privilege to share and learn from students at St Thomas’ Theological College in the Church of Pakistan. May the students be models of peace in their communities and may USPG’s relationship with the Church of Pakistan continue to go from strength to strength.’