Christians to mark 150th anniversary of Universities' Mission to Central Africa

A seminar and special service in Cambridge on Sunday 2 November will mark the 150th anniversary of the Universities' Mission to Central Africa (UMCA), which was inspired by David Livingstone.

The special guest at both events will be the Most Rev Valentino Mokiwa, who was recently installed as the Archbishop of Tanzania.

A seminar, entitled 'Central Africa Then and Now', will include an address from the Rt Rev Michael Doe, General Secretary of USPG: Anglicans in World Mission, the mission agency into which UMCA was incorporated in 1965. A service of Evensong with African touches will follow in Great St Mary's.

It was in late 1857 that David Livingstone delivered lectures at both Oxford and Cambridge, challenging Christians to take the Gospel to Africa and, at the same time, tackle slavery by implementing alternative economic systems to benefit the region.

Bishop Gray, of Cape Town, visited Cambridge on 1 November 1858, and later that month the Cambridge Committee of UMCA was formed.

Event co-ordinator Maggie Rich, of USPG, said: "The aim of the day's events is to inspire people, especially students at Cambridge, to consider how they can be involved in mission - just as students 150 years ago were inspired by Livingstone.

"Livingstone remains important, despite criticisms of colonialism, because of his sacrificial determination to do God's work. He shared the Gospel and he worked hard to end slavery in East Africa by providing positive economic alternatives."