NCCI appreciates the ban removal on Bastar Panchayat

The National Council of Churches in India appreciates the timely appeal made by the Chhattisgarh Christian Forum to the Chhattisgarh High Court in restoring their Right to Religion.  The NCCI also hails the removal of the ban on Bastar Panchyat by the Chhattisgarh High Court.  In times of anti-Christian sentiments, we value this decision made by the High Court in restoring peace and oneness of humankind.  

Bastar panchayat ban: HC says right to religion is fundamental

TNN | Oct 15, 2015, 09.23 AM IST

RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh high court has ordered that tribal Bastar region's panchayat resolution passed last year, imposing ban on non-Hindu religious missionaries, won't come in the way of exercising fundamental right to preach and propagate religion. 

The bench of Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava passed the order last week while hearing a writ petition filed by Chhattisgarh Christian Forum and others challenging constitutionality of resolution adopted by panchayat bodies last year banning non-Hindu religious missionaries in their areas. The court order, copy of which was made available on Wednesday, said advocate-general will get three weeks to seek instructions and make appropriate submission on the dispute raised before court.

NCCI congratulates the CMCH, Tamilnadu and wishes well for its ECP Therapy centre

The National Council of Churches in India congratulates the Christian Medical College and Hospital (CMCH) in Tamil Nadu on the opening of a new External Counter Pulsation (ECP) centre.

ECP will promote non-surgical procedures for heart ailments.  ECP therapy -- a non-invasive procedure -- helps stimulate the growth of new blood vessels in the heart and, in some cases, improves the flow of existing blood vessels. Often, ECP is used when physicians have exhausted other therapies.

The treatment provided at the centre is covered under the Chief Minister's Comprehensive Medical Insurance Scheme and the revenue generated from the treatment will also help finance the hospital's development, hospital authorities said.

The NCCI wishes the CMCH, Tamilnadu to be a blessing and a healer to the Indian society and the people at large.

Kandhamal Day

August 25, 2008 was an unforgettable day which caused a deep scar on the Indian Democracy. This was the day, when a group of right wing Hindu fundamentalists brutally attacked and tormented several hundred Dalits and Adivasis in Kandhmal (Odisha). This pre-planned and organised ‘communal attack’ against minorities was the biggest in the history of India. It is against the spirit of the Indian Constitution drafted by Dr. B R Ambedkar and against the spirit of Unity and Harmony in India.

NO MORE KANDHAMAL

NCCI Commission on Unity, Mission and Evangelism

NO MORE KANDHAMAL

August 25, 2008 was an unforgettable day which marred the face of Indian Democracy with an ugly scar. This was the day, when a group of right wing fundamentalist people brutally attacked and tormented several hundred Dalits and Adivasis in Kandhamal (Odisha). This day should not have happened. It's occurrence is against the spirit of the Indian Constitution drafted by Dr. B R Ambedkar and against the spirit of Unity and Harmony in India.

This pre-planned and organised ‘communal attack’ against minorities is among the biggest in the history of India, after the Gujarat Godhra attacks. Over 350 Churches were demolished and around 6500 houses of Dalits were looted , 90 innocent lives were taken, 40 women were sexually assaulted and over 56000 people were displaced.

Eight full years have gone by but no justice is established favouring the victims of this communal violence. Rather the culprits have been legally freed. Several cases of forced ‘ghar wapsi to hindusim’ have been initiated by the hindutva elements.

Therefore, the Commission on Unity, Mission and Evangelism of the National Council of Churches in India, appeals to all the member churches and organisations to organize events for one week around August 25, 2015 to mark the memory of Kandhamal. 

We appeal to you to express solidarity with the struggle of the people of Kandhamal, in order to provide adequate pressure on the governmental institutions to provide justice for the victims and survivors. 

Let us encourage all the local congregations to pray for the communal riot victims in Kandhamal and other such places. 

Let us unite ourselves to pray for ‘NO MORE KANDHAMAL’.

With Prayers,

HG Rt. Rev. Dr. Isaac Mar Philoxenos
Chairperson

Rev. R. Christopher Rajkumar
Executive Secretary

Legal Literacy and Training Programme for Mission Leaders and Grass-roots Mission Staff

Commission on Unity, Mission and Evangelism

Legal Literacy and Training Programme for Mission Leaders and Grass-roots Mission Staff

5 -7 August 2015, NCCI Campus, Nagpur

NCCI - Commission on Unity, Mission and Evangelism on the request from Indian Missions Association (IMA) organized 3 days 'Legal Literacy and Training Programme for the Mission Leaders and Mission Workers. There were 35 Mission Leaders and Mission Staff including 3 women from 18 Mission Organization from all over India representing 7 language groups. It was a first time experience for the participants in working with NCCI. 

This Legal Literacy Training aimed at:

• opening up a thought process to systematically and critically scan the context from socio-political and religious perspectives. 
• enhancing knowledge about Indian Constitution and Rights of the (Christian) Minorities. 
• imparting basic legal knowledge to handle the crises at the grass-roots contexts.
• introducing modern technologies to build net-works and 
• sensitizing the participants with a code of conduct for grass-roots mission workers in a multi-faith context. 

Religious Extremism and Our Response

Fr. Cedric Prakash, SJ of Ahmedabad who runs Prashant has written an insightful and practical piece on the rise of religious extremism and the responses we need to make. We are grateful to Dr. John Dayal for sharing the same with us. This is important for all Christians, in particular church leaders, pastors and evangelists.

- General Secretary, NCCI

“WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS...!!!”

-Fr. Cedric Prakash sj*

... Some “hot issues” in the context of the rise of religious extremism and what we are experiencing on the ground

This brief presentation is in two parts - their strategies and our possible responses:

THEIR STRATEGIES

Their strategies are multi-pronged, well thought of and with meticulous planning. They have been using some of these very effectively since their inception in the 1930s; these include: 

• to have well oiled propaganda

-effective, simple, mass, vicious

-tell a lie a thousand times (Goebblesian)

-fuel myths / rumours (they can easily take you for a ride)

-indulge in half-truths / selectivity, manipulate facts and data

• to mobilise as many as possible

-all sections of society (particularly poor and unemployed) / also adivasis and dalits

-get them to do their “dirty tricks” with money, liquor, meat and false promises

-rope in middle class who can be lured by “achche din”

• to divide and rule

-a time-tested strategy by dictators and those who want to control others

-‘they’ are the problem

-not ‘you’ but ‘them’

-to provide lollipops (sponsor “pilgrimages” to the Holy Land)

Launch of HELP HOTLINE and Information on Rights related to police complaints, arrests and legal aid for Indian citizens

Do You Know Your Rights?

The rise of violence against Christians in India has led to the formation of a legal aid agency and the establishment of a help hotline both to monitor and provide assistance in the event of an attack against Christian Indians.

According to the World Watch Monitor, Christians in India formed the United Christian Forum for Human Rights on January 19. The forum’s spokesperson, John Dayal, said that its purpose is “to coordinate both legal and advocacy assistance to the community, which has been traumatised in recent months by communal violence in several states.”

The statement gives further details on the agency’s hotline and its purpose: “The UCF has commissioned a 24-hour National Helpline, 1-800-208-4545, so that lawyers and experts can assist victims of violence, intimidation, coercion and illegal confinement by any criminal or political group.”
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FIRST INFORMATION REPORT

Anybody can lodge a FIR. You do not need to be a witness to the crime to be eligible to lodge an FIR. If you have come to know about the crime, that would suffice.

• It is illegal for the police officer to deny lodging an FIR. If such a situation occurs, send a copy of your complaint to the Commissioner/ Superintendent of Police by registered post or AD.

• The FIR must be taken down in writing, read over and explained to you before you sign it.

Indian Churches called to 'MINISTER TO SAVE WATER'

PRESS NOTE

Indian Churches called to 'MINISTER TO SAVE WATER'

At the instance of

Week Of Prayer for Christian Unity (Unity Octave) | 18 - 25 January 2015

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Nagpur (India) 14 Jan 2015 The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is an international Christian ecumenical observance kept annually between 18 January and 25 January. It is actually an octave, that is, an observance lasting eight days. The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity began in 1908 as the Octave of Christian Unity, and focused on prayer for church unity. 

In India, each year, the Commission on Unity, Mission and Evangelism of the National Council of Churches in India facilitates the Indian Christian communities to come together for prayer, fellowship and witness during this time.  This year, from January 18 – 25, 2015, with the theme “Water is Right – Water is Life”, the prayers will lead the water campaign with a more expansive focus to include water issues in the list of concerns for all people.