NCCI office received several condolence messages / tributes. These are found here below.
(Please note that there are also other messages received on NCCI's facebook page - www.facebook.com/nccionline). We are grateful to the individuals and organizations for writing in to express the grief and loss that we all feel.
These messages will be also passed on to the family of Bishop Dr. Sagar.
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A few minutes
back, have received
information through msg that
Bishop Taranath Sagar,
President, NCCI has
passed away into glory.
We had been
together in the
NCCI Executive Committee
during 2004-08 and then
had served with him during
his Presidentship during
2008-12.
I vividly remember
his interjection during
the 2004 Tirunelvelli Quadrennial
and then working
together in the Presidium
of 2008-12, Bishop
Sagar, the President,
Sushma, Michael Angeleous and
self as Vice-Presidents. We
were quite a team and
it was difficult
times we faced
- with court cases
against NCCI filed
in the Nagpur
Bench of the
Bombay High Court as
well, in the
Nagpur District Court.
During the 2010
CCA Assembly in
Kuala Lumpur, were
together along with Sushma
Ramaswamy (my co-Vice President) as
NCCI delegates.
After the 2012
Bengaluru Quadrennial, we
met off and
on and the last
time, I met
him was in
New Delhi at
the ESHA programme during
26 & 27
August, 2015. We
exchanged notes and views
at the YMCA,
New Delhi during
dinner time. And so,
it is difficult
to digest that
Bishop Taranath Sagar
is no more with
us.
As far as
I can recollect,
Bishop Sagar is the 2nd
NCCI President to have
passed away while
holding office. The earlier
one was Bishop
Vinod Peter (CNI)
during the 2000-04 term
but this was
Bishop Sagar's 2nd
consecutive term. He was also the
2nd Methodist Bishop
to be elected
for a second consecutive term.
Earlier, it was Bishop
S. L. Parmar It is a
big loss to the
Methodist Church in
India and to the
ecumenical movement in
India, in Asia and
globally and more so, his wife
who has been
his source of
strength and encouragement
through out their
wedded life and
the off springs. My
heartfelt condolence to
you Mrs. Sagar
and the children. May
the Spirit uphold
you and strengthen
you, guide you
and lead you
every step in
your pilgrimage with
the hope that in eternity,
we will be
re-united with our
loved
ones who have
gone ahead of
us to eternal
glory.
Rev. Dr. P. B. M.
Basaiawmoit
NCCI Vice-President (2008-12)
_______________________________________
Press Release
Bishop Taranath Sagar Passes Away
19 October 2015
Bishop Dr. Taranath Sagar, senior Bishop of the
Methodist Church in India and the President of the National Council of Churches
in India (NCCI) passed away at 8.00 p.m. on Monday 19 October 2015. He died of
a heart attack in a hospital in Bangalore, India. The funeral service will be
held at 11.00 a.m. on Wednesday 21 October at the Richmond Town Methodist
Church, Bangalore.
Bishop Sagar has been actively involved in the
ecumenical movement during the past three decades through various ecumenical
and ecclesiastical organisations in India, Asia and at the global levels. He
has been a member of the Executive Committee of the Christian Conference of
Asia (CCA) since its last General Assembly held in Jakarta in May 2015. He was
first elected to the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches at the
Port Allegro Assembly, Brazil in 2006 and for a second term at the Bussan
Assembly in 2013. He was the Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Bishop
Conference in India, and President of the Asian Methodist Bishops Conference.
He served numerous other church and ecumenical organisations in various
capacities during the past several years including as the Secretary of the
Maharashtra Christian Council, President of the Ecumenical Christian Centre,
Bangalore and the United Theological College in Bangalore.
Recalling his ecumenical contributions, Dr.
Mathews George Chunakara, General Secretary of the Christian Conference of Asia
said that “With the passing away of Bishop Taranath Sagar, the Indian and Asian
ecumenical movement lost a committed ecumenist who has been faithfully echoing
the concerns and aspirations of the Asian churches in the global ecumenical
movement. We thank God for the gifts God bestowed on Bishop Taranath Sagar, who
guided the Church and various ecumenical organisations during the past three
decades. He was a committed Christian, ecumenical Statesman, staunch defender,
who was always raising his voice for justice and dignity of the marginalized
and the persecuted. While tirelessly articulating his convictions, Bishop Sagar
could relate to all sections of the people, and he spared no efforts to defend
justice and dignity”.
Mathews George further added that “such was the
personal charisma of Bishop Sagar that he became a servant of God and a leader
in the Asian and global ecumenical movement. Bishop Sagar always possessed the
strength to be in solidarity with the marginalized, uncompromising even in the
face of fierce opposition out of his Christian commitment and convictions.”
- CCA COMMUNICATIONS
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
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Dear Dr.Roger,
We are deeply shocked and saddened to hear the sudden demise of Rt.Rev.Dr. Taranath Sagar on 19th October 2015 at Bengaluru. We express our heartfelt condolence to the bereaved family members, colleagues and friends. At this time of mourning we pray to the Almighty to give moral strength, courage and support to all the members of the family, kith and kin, colleagues and friends. It is a great loss to the global ecumenical family and Bishop Sagar will be remembered for his committed and dedicated service to humanity that he carried a message of love, peace and justice to all human and nature which needs to be sustained and continued with a hope for ever. Our Prayer to God and wish his soul to rest in eternal peace in the abode of Almighty.
We are deeply shocked and saddened to hear the sudden demise of Rt.Rev.Dr. Taranath Sagar on 19th October 2015 at Bengaluru. We express our heartfelt condolence to the bereaved family members, colleagues and friends. At this time of mourning we pray to the Almighty to give moral strength, courage and support to all the members of the family, kith and kin, colleagues and friends. It is a great loss to the global ecumenical family and Bishop Sagar will be remembered for his committed and dedicated service to humanity that he carried a message of love, peace and justice to all human and nature which needs to be sustained and continued with a hope for ever. Our Prayer to God and wish his soul to rest in eternal peace in the abode of Almighty.
In Solidarity,
William Stanley
on-behalf of IRDWSI, ODAF, FCFC and Oikotree.
_______________________________________
Dear Dr Roger
Gaikwad
We the Utkal
Christian Council family are shocked to hear the sad news of departing of
our dear leader Bishop Dr Taranath Sagar , the President of NCCI . He
left us when
NCCI is on her new
ventures . We pray almighty to give His heavenly consolation to the
bereaved members of his family and his Church .
Jyotsna Rani Patro
secretary UCC
on behalf of all member
churches
_______________________________________
Dear Ecumenical Friends,
Its a sad news for all of us to hear the final call of
Bishop Sagar, for eternal rest. As the President of the NCCI he has rendered
commendable leadership all through the various times. Indeed he was a
colleagues and a friend to one and all. l sincerely convey the deepest
sympathy to his wife and all Methodist Church members from
NCCI, and all its partners at this time of bereavement. May his
soul be RIP.
I beg your pardon for my inability to be present in
person, yet my prayer with you all.
Sincerely yours
Revd. Dr.Mar Atsongchanger
Vice President, NCCI
Executive Secretary Ao Baptist Church Association(ABAM)
Impur-
798615, Mokokchung, Nagaland, E-mail: abamimpur7@yahoo.co.in website: www.abamimpur.com Ph:
0369-2262202
_______________________________________
We were shocked and saddened
to hear passing away of Bishop Sagar. My only extended engagement with Bishop
Sagar was during the visit of Indian delegation to China in November 2014 and I
fondly remember the friendly and gracious ways he engaged with the Indian group
as well as the Chinese colleagues we met in a few congregations, church
institutions, theological seminaries, and the Chinese government officials for
Religious affairs. I have referred several times to few photos we posted on
this trip in the our website: www.ftesea.org
when we talked about the China visit and Indian delegation members.
It is our prayer that God
give the needed strength to his family members, office, church, ecumenical
colleagues, and to all his friends/well wishers to bear this irreplaceable
loss, and to continue the ministry that Bishop has been engaged in church
and society.
Shanti/Peace
H.S. Wilson
Executive Director, FTESEA
web: www.ftesea.org
_______________________________________
To
Rev.Dr.Roger Gaikwad
General Secretary
National Council of Churches
in India
Nagpur
Dear Dr.Roger,
I can not believe that Bishop
Dr.Taranath Sagar has passed away. I am shocked and saddened to hear this
tragic news.
I had the privilege of
working with him form 2008 to 2012 as Vice President of NCCI during his first
Presidential tenure.
His able leadership had
guided NCCI through difficult times. He had profound engagement in the
worldwide ecumenical movement.
I remember all good moment I
spend with him on and off the meetings. He was kind enough to host several
NCCI's meeting at his place in Bangalore. That reflected his deep commitment
for the movement.
His sudden death has caused
great loss to the ecumenical communities around the world, particularly to
NCCI.
I join the behaved family in
this time of grief and pain. at the same time, I thank God for blessing the
Ecumenical Movement in India through his potential leadership.
My deepest condolence and prayer
kindest regards
angelious michael
Angelious
Michael
Coordinator
Partnership
Desk &
Youth Desk
Jeypore
Evangelical Lutheran Church
Jeypore-764
001, Koraput Dist
Odisha
- INDIA
Ph:
+91-6854-231440(off)
_______________________________________
To:
General Secretary
National Council of Churches in India
General Secretary
National Council of Churches in India
With sadness and shock, we received the news of the passing
away of Bishop Dr. Taranath Sagar, Senior Bishop of Methodist Church in India
and the President of the National Council of Churches in India. Bishop
Sagar was one of the tall Ecumenical leaders of India who was the proponent of
wider ecumenism and worked diligently for that goal during the past 3 decades
through various ecumenical and ecclesiastical organizations in India, Asia and
at the Global level. The encouraging move from the Methodist Church in
India to initiate the discussion to be part of the Communion of Churches in
India was the result of his envision. In his passing away, CSI has lost a
good friend, and a valuable partner in mission. The Churches in India and
in Asia lost a powerful voice which represented the marginal communities with
genuine commitment.
On behalf of Church of South India, the Moderator, Most
Rev. Dr. G. Dyvasirvadam, the Deputy Moderator, Rt. Rev. Thomas K. Oommen, the
Treasurer, Adv. Robert Bruce and the General Secretary, Rev. Dr. D. R.
Sadananda, express deep condolences on the demise of Bishop Sagar and pray that
the presence of the comforting spirit of the Lord be upon his wife Mrs. Padma
Sagar and his son and daughter and their families.
RATHNAKARA SADANANDA
REV.DR. D.R.
SADANANDA
General Secretary, CSI &
Hon. Secretary, CSITA
CHURCH OF SOUTH INDIA
SYNOD SECRETARIAT
CSI Centre, No. 5 Whites Road
Royapettah, Chennai - 600 014, INDIA
synodcsi@gmail.com
csi@vsnl.com
General Secretary, CSI &
Hon. Secretary, CSITA
CHURCH OF SOUTH INDIA
SYNOD SECRETARIAT
CSI Centre, No. 5 Whites Road
Royapettah, Chennai - 600 014, INDIA
synodcsi@gmail.com
csi@vsnl.com
_______________________________________
Dear Rev. Gaikwad,
I am distressed at the news of the passing away
of former Chairperson and the present ECC Council Memeber Rt. Rev. Dr. Taranath
Sagar on October 19, 2015. As I understand he was a godly man with
sterling virtues and will be deeply mourned by the NCCI Committee.
May
I tender our deepest condolences from my personal behalf and on behalf of the
National Council of YMCAs of India. Our prayers for the peaceful repose
of the soul in heaven and for strength to the bereaved family in this hour of
tragedy.
--
--
Ch.R.P. Mani Kumar
National General Secretary
The National Council of YMCAs of
India
Bharat Yuvak Bhavan
Jai Singh Road, New Delhi-110001
Mobile : +91-9654370580
E-mail : ngsymcaindia@gmail.com
_______________________________________
Dear Dr.Gaikwad
We convey our deepest condolences from Normisjon as the NCCI
lost its very dynamic President Bishop Taranath Sagar. I and my wife had a very
close working partnership with the Methodist Church in Andaman Islands under
the leadership of Bishop Taranath Sagar and we maintained a long-standing
friendship with him beyond our denominational boundaries. His active
involvement in the mission initiatives of the Church is very much remembered at
this point of time.
We pray that the NCCI and the Methodist Church will find
peace and comfort at this moment of loss of a great mentor. Be assured of our
continuous prayers.
Sincerely
Gladstone.R.Rajesh Kumar
Coordinator-Asia Base
Normisjon
Address: H#62 First Floor Road 7A Block H Banani Dhaka -
1213 Bangladesh
Phone: +8801787659336 (O) +8801977659336 (P)
_______________________________________
Dear Mr Gaikwad,
Greetings from Geneva
Please find attached a message of
condolence from the general secretary, Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, on behalf of
the World Council of Churches. We hope that you will be able to share it
as part of Bishop Sagar’s funeral service on tomorrow. If you have any
questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us.
With kindest regards,
Garland F. Pierce
Rev. Garland F. Pierce
Senior Assistant to the General
Secretary
World Council of Churches
Route de Ferney 150
PO Box 2100
CH-1211 Geneva 2
Switzerland
Phone: +41 22 791 6093
Fax: +41 22 791 6535
Email: gfp@wcc-coe.org
www.oikoumene.org
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Dear Rev. Dr. Roger Gaikwad,
Greetings in His precious name. I would be grateful to you
if you could convey my hearty condolence to the bereaved family of Bishop
Taranath Sagar.
CONDOLENCE MESSAGE
I have come to know today that
Bishop Taranath Sagar, President, NCCI has died of heart attack which shocked
me very much. I have no hesitation to say that one of the leading church
leaders in India has left us untimely. I had come to know the Rev. Taranath
Sagar as the General Secretary of the Methodist Church in India some time in
1990 while I was the General Secetary of the National Council of Churches in
India. He was very promt in replying any letter which he had received from NCCI
office without fail. He was a man of integrity in his personal life. It
appeared that the constituent members of NCCI are proud of his good leadership.
His tremendous contributions with the help of the Rev. Dr. Roger Gaiwad, the
General Secretary of the National Council in the ongoing ministry of the
National Council would not be erased in our minds. May God be with his bereaved
family even in the days to come.
Rev. K. LungMuana
Former General Secretary, NCCI
Mission Vengthlang, Aizawl, Mizoram: 796005
Tel. 09862575021
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Dear all:
I am deeply shocked to know about the sudden and sad demise of Bishop Dr. Taranath Sagar. Needless to say that the Global Ecumenical Forum has lost an asset.
I was blessed to be a part of the team , that worked under Bishop Sagar’s leadership , during his first tenure as the NCCI President . My deepest condolences to the bereaved family and the Church . May God rest his soul in peace .
I am deeply shocked to know about the sudden and sad demise of Bishop Dr. Taranath Sagar. Needless to say that the Global Ecumenical Forum has lost an asset.
I was blessed to be a part of the team , that worked under Bishop Sagar’s leadership , during his first tenure as the NCCI President . My deepest condolences to the bereaved family and the Church . May God rest his soul in peace .
Sagarika Chetty
Jeypore Evangelical Lutheran Church
Odisha
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Dear Brothers and Sisters in
Christ,
I am very much shocked to hear
the sad news that Bishop Taranath Sagar of the Methodist Church in India has
suddenly expired by heart attack. He was one of my friends and as much I know
him he was very much open minded and humble church leader. He tried his best to
serve sincerely his own Church and Ecumenical bodies in national and
International level. It is a great loss for all of us indeed! May be he was too
much involved with lot of responsibilities and did not care about his
health.
I personally and on behalf our
Church would like to send condolence to all his dear and near ones for this
time of mourning. We pray to Almighty God that he may grant his soul eternal
peace and comfort to his family members and friends.
"Blessed are the dead
who die in the Lord,...they will rest from their labor." (Rev. 14:13)
In Christ,
Bishop Paul S. Sarker
Bishop of Dhaka and Moderator
Church of Bangladesh
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The
Salvation Army
National Secretariat
___________________________________
Rev.Dr. Roger Gaikwad,
NCCI General Secretary.
Dear Respected Sir,
It is very shocking news to receive that Bishop Dr. Taranath S. Sagar, President of NCCI was passed away on Monday 19th October. We are so blessed by his able leadership especially as a President of NCCI. We had wonderful time with him in several occasions. Please pass on our deep condolence to Bishop's bereaved family and Methodist Church in India. On behalf of The Salvation Army India we pay our Tributes to Bishop Dr Taranath Sagar, a Man of God.
We are very sorry for the late tributes from our side. At present we are in holidays and when I just opened my office mail box I have noted the below mail and responding immediately. At the same time I have forwarded to all the heads of the Salvation Army in India.
Grace and Peace be with the family of Bishop Taranath Sagar and all the colleagues who closely worked with him.
Sincerely
Daniel Raju Dasari
Lieut.Colonel
National Secretary
The Salvation
ArmyNational Secretariat
___________________________________
Rev.Dr. Roger Gaikwad,
NCCI General Secretary.
Dear Respected Sir,
It is very shocking news to receive that Bishop Dr. Taranath S. Sagar, President of NCCI was passed away on Monday 19th October. We are so blessed by his able leadership especially as a President of NCCI. We had wonderful time with him in several occasions. Please pass on our deep condolence to Bishop's bereaved family and Methodist Church in India. On behalf of The Salvation Army India we pay our Tributes to Bishop Dr Taranath Sagar, a Man of God.
We are very sorry for the late tributes from our side. At present we are in holidays and when I just opened my office mail box I have noted the below mail and responding immediately. At the same time I have forwarded to all the heads of the Salvation Army in India.
Grace and Peace be with the family of Bishop Taranath Sagar and all the colleagues who closely worked with him.
Sincerely
Daniel Raju Dasari
Lieut.Colonel
National Secretary
National Secretariat
37 Lenin Sarani
Dharmatala, Kolkata-700 013
West Bengal, INDIA
Tel: + 91 (0) 33 2249 7210 ext: 201
Fax: + 91 (0) 33 22497210
E-mail: ind_secretariat@ind.salvationarmy.org
http://www.salvationarmy.org/india
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
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Dear
Rev Roger Gaikwad,
It
is with great sorrow that we in CMAI, learned of the death of Rt. Rev.
Bishop Taranath Sagar. I write
this to express my sincere condolences on his sudden and unexpected
passing. As President of NCCI, he had a strong commitment to the
ecumenical movement in India, and I know that you will be missing his dynamic
leadership in the family of NCCI.
We extend our heartfelt sympathy to his wife and to
the entire family who grieve, and we pray that our Lord provides the much
needed comfort and His divine peace during
this difficult time.
Kindly accept our condolences.
Yours sincerely,
Dr. Bimal Charles
General Secretary, CMAI
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