Dec 9, 2009: The World Council of Churches (WCC) paid rich tribute to Bishop Lesslie Newbigin in commemoration of his 100th birth anniversary on December 8.

Bishop Newbigin is a highly regarded English Presbyterian valued for his role in establishing the Church of South India (CSI), a union of Anglican and Protestant churches, in September 1947. Newbigin also played a pivotal role in the integration of International Missionary Council and the WCC in 1961.

The outgoing general secretary of WCC, Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, in his valedictory sermon, at the Ecumenical Centre chapel, hailed Newbigin as "one of our ecumenical forebears.”

"Lesslie combined a profound dedication to mission, and the promotion of Christian ideals in society, with an equally deep commitment to the Faith and Order agenda in exploring Christian common ground," said Rev. Kobia.

"He believed that unity is the nature of the One Church that Christ founded, and the establishment of visible unity is the mission of the Church," he added.

Bishop Newbigin served as a Church of Scotland missionary in India for 40 years. He was born December 8, 1909 and died January 30, 1998.

In 1959 he became the General Secretary of the International Missionary Council and oversaw its integration with the World Council of Churches, of which he became Associate General Secretary.

He remained in Geneva until 1965, when he returned to India as Bishop of Madras, where he stayed until he retired in 1974.

Following his retirement, he returned to England, taught mission and ecumenicism at Selly Oak College in Birmingham and was elected moderator of the General Assembly of the United Reformed Church.

His writings on missiology, theology and culture, and ecumenism have been widely influential. His titles include: The Open Secret; Can the West be Saved?; The Other Side of 1984; and The Gospel in a Pluralist Society.