Over 500 School Children walked for Inclusion saying We do not need your ‘Wheel Chair’ but a ‘Space’.

(In commemoration of the International Day of the Persons with Disabilities - 3 December)

Engage Disability,

Indian Disability Ecumenical Accompaniment - IDEA

&

St. Ursula Girls High School and Junior College

Over 500 School Children walked for Inclusion saying

We do not need your ‘Wheel Chair’ but a ‘Space’

2015, 15, December, Nagpur. The St. Ursula Girls High School and Junior College is commemorating the International Day for the Persons with Disabilities on Dec 15 joining the Engage Disability a (National Network of the PWDs), Indian Disability Ecumenical Accompaniment (IDEA) a standing forum of National Council of Churches in India, World Vision India (Nagpur), Christian Service Agency and organized a Walkathon with 500 Children from 8 educational institutions including, Seventh Day Adventist Hr. Sec School, Bishop Cotton School in Dharapmpet, Orange City School,  St. Ursula Primary School, Gardener High School,  Bishop Cotton High School - Civil Lines, and St. Ursula Girls High School and St. Ursula Junior College.

Relief and Rehabilitation work in Chennai by Church of South India (CSI)

This is an email received from Rev. Dr. D. R. Sadananda, General Secretary of Church of South India (CSI) updating us about the calamitous situation in Chennai and the response of CSI, through its Diaconal Ministry CSI-SEVA that has been coordinating with the Dioceses in carrying out relief operations in flood affected areas. We solicit your prayers and support for the Chennai situation.

Relief work continues by the Church of South India Synod
with the help of the dioceses and facilitated by the CSI- SEVA and the Madras Diocese. 

Dear Dr. Roger Gaikwad,

Greetings from the CSI Synod Secretariat!

Thank you very much for your email expressing NCCI's solidarity with those affected by the Chennai floods. You aware that Chennai and different parts of Tamilnadu are still reeling under flooding caused by breached tanks and release of water from tanks and dams. This is considered to be due to effects of climate change and underlines our immediate and urgent commitment to climate justice.

The situation is unprecedented and has caught the population and administration unaware. But for a responsive neighbourhood that rose up to the occasion, the distress would have been many folds more. Social media was used as a great force multiplier in the process. The local churches have responded immediately. The Church and School/ Institution premises in many places have accommodated people. Local congregations in the affected and neighbouring areas have been distributing food packets, blankets and drinking water.

Thank you for your readiness to stand in solidarity with the people who have suffered a great loss because of the floods in Chennai. Thank you for the prayers, for the words of encouragement and comfort. The CSI-SEVA (Diaconal Ministry) has been co-ordinating with our Dioceses and is carrying out the need assessment in the flood affected areas.

You may kindly visit our web page, www.csisynod.com for daily updates. The CSI Face Book page, https://www.facebook.com/groups/csisynodcommunication/?ref=bookmarks also contains details of our interventions. We will keep you informed on the developments and the details of the relief work through CSI SEVA. 

In the next phase of resettling the victims in their homes when the water goes down, dry ration, non-food items, clothing and hygiene kits will be required. An estimated minimum of one million people are affected. The need is enormous. The community has great expectations from the local church. The local church has already stretched beyond its limits in responding immediately.

We solicit your prayers and support in helping the worst affected poor families to weave back their lives together in dignity.

Warm regards

Yours sincerely

Rathnakara Sadananda

Rev. Dr. D. R. Sadananda
General Secretary-CSI & Hon. Secretary CSI TA

Chennai situation: An Appeal to all Churches.

Dear Ecumenical Colleagues,

We all are aware of the natural calamity that has wrecked havoc in Tamilnadu. I am sure many of you must be praying for the people of the region.A few of you may also have sent your support in cash or kind to them.

In case you would still like to send help, you may do it through CASA since CASA is the social service wing of the NCCI. You may contact Dr. Sushant Agrawal, Director of CASA (casa@del6.vsnl.in or sushant@casa-india.org; Tel. 011-25730611, 25730612) or the South Zone office of CASA in Chennai (Dr. Mrs. Florina Immaculate Mary Benoit, Chief Zonal Officer, CASA South Zone, 4 Church Road, Vepery, Chennai 600 007, Tamil Nadu, India, Tel: +91-44-25321297, E-Mail: florina@casa-india.org ).

In case it is more convenient for you to render help directly, you may also do so. You could even contact the offices of Tamil Nadu Christian Council, Arcot Lutheran Church, United Evangelical Churches in India, Church of South India, The Salvation Army or any other church/agency in Tamil Nadu.


Thanking you,

Sincerely,

Roger Gaikwad
General Secretary, NCCI.

NCCI Celebrating Dalit Liberation Sunday

Observance of the NCCI Dalit Liberation Sunday is an annual and significant feature in the NCCI Calendar and we are back to you to remind that as every year we will be observing the Dalit Liberation Sunday with the theme "Climate, Caste, and Care for the Earth" on the 13th November 2015. We have come up with a suggested worship order which could be used wholly or in parts to make the worship more meaningful. Kindly find it in attached file. As it is the season of Advent, if your church calendar is filled, this Sunday may be observed in any other Sunday as well.

Download prayer and worship order 

Peace Education Training for Youth

National Council of Churches in India – Commission on Youth

In Partnership with

India Peace Centre

Youth Empowerment for Peace

Peace Education Training

November 11-13, 2015, Panjim, Goa

A Peace Education Training for the youth under the theme “Youth Empowerment for Peace” was organized by NCCI-Commission on Youth, in partnership with India Peace Centre at Caritas Holiday Home, Panjim, Goa from 11^th to 13^th November 2015.  A group of 36 youth participated in the program from various parts of India.

The training program was commenced with an inaugural session by Mr. Kasta Dip, Director, India Peace Centre on ‘Perspectives of Peace and Understanding Context’ in which he explained the present scenario of peace in our country. He pointed out the different contexts of intolerance, contexts of bans, majority views versus minority views, plurality versus homogeneity, contexts where social discriminations are rampant all over, hatred, violence and rape, child labor, exclusion of some people in the society such as dalits, tribals etc.

 Rev. Solomon Paul, Youth Director, CSI Synod headed the session on ‘Youth Dealing with Conflicts’ in understanding and analyzing the conflicts and addressing the issue accordingly. He said how preventing violent conflict is imperative for development. Conflict is one of the most complex issues the global community is facing today and its impact is apparent in every part of the world. Preventive measures have become an essential component of efforts to ensure a brighter future. Enabling youth to make major positive contributions is one way to minimize or neutralize factors that contribute to violence, increase global security, and prevent further armed conflict. Rev. Paul explicitly urged the youth that the issue should be analytically addressed from different perspectives in any conflicts.

Mr. Kasta Dip addressed the session on ‘Knitting Neighborhood’ in understanding of concept of neighborhood as mentioned in Mark 12:30-31. Our love of ourselves is not a frigid love, but a sincere and ardent love. In like manner we should love our neighbor and desire for him all those good things both for the body and for the soul that we desire for ourselves. This is what our Lord himself teaches us in Mark 12:30-31. Mr. Dip elaborately identified various notions of neighbors that are to be considered in order to identify and highlight the real meaning of neighbor in a diverse contemporary society.

A session on Symbiotic Living was led by Mr. Michael Angelious, Youth Coordinator, JELC divulging the experience of living in harmony with the nature and its Eco-concerns for better society. He emphasized how nature sustains our life and therefore, there has to be a harmonious relationship between human beings, the animal world and also plants because we complement each other and depend on each other for our survival. He went on to say that as good stewards of the earth, we should take care of our nature and work towards its conservation. This symbiotic living is not just an ethical responsibility, but also a spiritual responsibility. Whether it is deliberate or out of ignorance, we are destroying the ecological balance of the earth landing ourselves and our future generations in serious danger. Human beings alone are responsible for global warming and the climate changes because we have not understood symbiotic living. Therefore empowering and educating the youth on the importance of nature conservation is very important. The prime focus of the session inculcating measures to help the youth understand and resolve to work towards establishing an ecologically sound society.

Various activity oriented sessions were steered in understanding the concept of peace and how initiating peace in a conflict-torn society would help. The program was concluded with an ‘Action Plan’ session led by Mr. Kasta Dip in which each church and organization representatives came up with different programs and action plan to be taken up in the near future on various issues and concerns.

"The Writing on the Wall" WRITERS WORKSHOP REPORT (UBS | November 26 - 28, 2015)

A Writers Workshop, “The Writing on the Wall”, jointly organized by The Commission on Communication and Relations (COCR) of the National Council of Churches in India (NCCI), Board of Theological Text Book Program of South Asia (BTTBPSA) and Union Biblical Seminary (UBS), was held at UBS, Pune from November 26 – 28, 2015. Participants at the workshop included Pastors, theology students and theology professors from various denominations and colleges around India. The Program theme was conceived based on the fundamental premise that Prophetic writing is not only about being able to read the signs of times to come but to respond to it in boldness with a passion for truth and justice that itself becomes a force for transformation in society. The Program was purported to encourage a culture of writing to yield greater contribution to Theological text books in regional languages in India and also to produce the kind of writing that causes change and triumph of truth using not only traditional paradigms of writing but also effectively employing the tools available in emerging information and communication technology.

The Program started with words of welcome by Rev. Dr. Mohan Larbeer (Secretary, BTTBPSA). He expressed his wish for a greater impetus to the writing of theological material in regional languages to enable the message to truly reach the grassroots in our country. Rev. Dr. T. M. Emmanuel (President, BTTBPSA) led the devotion in which he spoke about the methodology, perspectives and challenges of writing. He explained the need for more writing that are reflections and responses to the various issues in Church and Society. Rev. Caesar J. David (Executive Secretary, NCCI – COCR) then introduced the scope and purpose of the program.

Dont Look Away - Act Against Violence on Women and Child Abuse!

Invitation: 

Break The Silence!!!  Reflect Faith in Action

All India Council of Christian Women (AICCW), Women's wing of National Council of Churches in India (NCCI) invites the fellow-pilgrims of Justice and Peace to engage in 16 Days of Activism against Violence on Women and Child Abuse.

From 25 November (UN declared, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women)  to 10 December (Human Rights Day), the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence Campaign is a time to galvanize action to end violence against women and girls around the world.

As the world commomerates these 16 days of activism, All India Council of Christian Women invites member churches of NCCI, women’s fellowships of member churches, organizations/communities, institutions to engage in advocacy to promote 365 Days of Zero Tolerance to Gender Based Violence.  Make it Happen Now!! - a Campaign of AICCW-NCCI, to build inclusive communities of Justice and Peace.

Click here to download the PDF.

Global Media Monitoring Project 2015 Press Release

The Commission on Communications and Relations (COCR) of National Council of Churches in India (NCCI) promotes 'Communication for all' and is sensitive to issues of Communications Rights in India. Through advocacy programs, seminars and workshops, NCCI-COCR highlights the need for gender balance, equity, democracy and communication rights in responsible journalism and media processes.

The World Association for Christian Communication (WACC) promotes communication as a basic human right, essential to people’s dignity and community. WACC works with all denied the right to communicate because of status, identity, or gender. WACC has corporate and personal members in 120 countries, organized in eight Regional Associations: Africa, Asia, Caribbean, Europe, Latin America, Middle East, North America and Pacific. The National Council of Churches in India is an active member.

The following is the press release from WACC's Gender Media Monitoring Project (GMMP) 2015 which contains several important insights and concerns pertinent globally.

PRESS RELEASE

Progress for women in news media grinds to a halt

After 20 years, research in 114 countries reveals continued severe disparity between representation of women and men in news media

Full report available here

Progress towards equality of men and women in the news media has virtually ground to a halt according to the fifth and largest study on the portrayal and representation of women in the news media.

Extensive results of the Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP) released 23 November show that, worldwide, women make up about 50% of the general population but only 24% of the persons heard, read about or seen in newspaper, television and radio news, exactly the same level found in the 2010 report.

Women’s relative invisibility in traditional news media has also crossed over into digital news delivery platforms. Only 26% of the people in Internet news stories and media news Tweets combined are women.

The GMMP is a project of the communications advocacy agency WACC, with support from UN Women. The first such survey of gender portrayal in news media was conducted in 1995, and at five year intervals after that. GMMP 2015 is the largest research and advocacy initiative in the world on gender equality in and through the news. UN Women has supported the survey twice consecutively.

“The media have the potential to be an enabler of faster, more substantive gender equality and women’s empowerment, or a barrier to it. This report is a wake-up call to media houses and newsrooms. Gender discrimination deprives media coverage of the balance and authority that diverse perspectives bring,” said UN Under-Secretary-General and UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka. “The ways in which women are depicted in the media have a profound effect on societal attitudes and reinforce traditional gender roles. Women and girls are half of humanity. Giving equal time and weight to their stories, featuring them as positive models not victims, plays an under-appreciated part in creating a better, freer world for all of us.”

“The GMMP 2015 report examined the visibility, voice and mention of women and men in the news media and finds a sexism that has endured across decades and geographical boundaries, adapting to emerging media forms and thriving in all spaces in which news content is produced and shared,” states Dr Sarah Macharia, GMMP global coordinator.

The publication of the results of the survey point to the urgent need for an end to sexism in media by 2020.

“Many detailed findings from the 2015 GMMP paint a picture in which unequal gender power relations are entrenched and validated, and in which gender stereotypes are replicated and reinforced by the world’s news media,” says media and gender scholar Margaret Gallagher in the foreword to the report.

The Rev. Dr Karin Achtelstetter, WACC general secretary, stated: “News and news media are powerful forces that help shape the way people view their society and themselves, and contribute to how people act – at home, schools, work, through to the political choices they may make.”

She continued. “The fact is, the portrayal of women in day-to-day journalism does not reflect their contribution to society. We need focused commitment and efforts from media houses, regulatory agencies, training institutions and civil society to raise professional standards and truly provide leadership about what constitutes ethical freedom of expression.”

Other key findings include:

• Overall, women remain more than twice as likely as men to be portrayed as victims as they were a decade ago, at 16 and 8 percent respectively. 
• There is a global glass ceiling for female news reporters in newspaper bylines and newscast reports, with 37% of stories reported by women, the same as a decade ago. 
• Women report five percent more stories online - 42% in total – than in the traditional mediums combined. 
• News representation of women misses the full picture. Globally women hold approximately 40% of paid employment while a large proportion work in the informal sector especially in the Global South. However, according to news content, only 20% of the formal labor force are women, while 67% of the unemployed and stay-at-home parents are women. 
• Across the six roles in which people appear in the news, the largest stride in closing the gender gap is in people interviewed based on personal experience. Women comprise 38% of personal experience testimonies now compared to 31% in 2005. 
• News sources are often male, and skewed towards certain “types” – senior government officials and politicians dominate for all story types from ‘expert’ opinion to ‘ordinary’ person testimonies. 
• There are distinct regional differences in the overall presence of women in the news. North America holds its position as the region with the narrowest gender media gap (36%) while the Middle East has the widest at 18%. Latin America has narrowed the gender gap most dramatically over the last 20 years, from 16% in 1995 to 29% in 2015. 
• The near-balance of television presenters in each age category documented in 2010 has been replaced by significant overrepresentation of younger women as anchors. However, a severe underrepresentation (29%) of women in the 50-64 age bracket, and women’s complete disappearance at 65 years old has currently emerged. . 

The full report as well as highlights in English, French and Spanish and national and regional reports are available here

For more information, see www.whomakesthenews.org



- Commission on Communication and Relations, NCCI.

Paris Terror and Tragedy: Crying in solidarity! Calling for peace with justice!

There are too many of us who know what it means to have terrorism touch our lives, our loved ones, and our sense of connection with the people around us. Today, France and Lebanon are in the midst of that fog of tragedy. Even if we aren’t directly affected, we still feel some of the pain of the families of those killed and injured. And so even the National Council of Churches in India expresses our solidarity with our brothers and sisters in France, Lebanon and across the world that are mourning, suffering, experiencing rape, being rendered homeless, running and struggling for refuge, going through an excruciating sense of helplessness and hopelessness. Bold speeches are being made and solidarity statements are being uttered, such as “We all are France!” One wonders whether we would be concerned enough to declare, “We all are Afghanistan! We all are Iraq! We all are Syria! We all are Rohingyas!”

The frightening sense of vulnerability that the attack has induced is shared by every citizen and every government in the alliance of countries – European, American and Arab – part of a coalition formed to “degrade and destroy” ISIS, in Barack Obama’s words. 

Faced with such an international situation, people and their governments are concerned about security. Increased surveillance measures may be necessary. Greater official intrusiveness into the private lives of citizens through expanded data and internet access laws may come to be seen as unavoidable. But total security is an illusion.

There is also a real concern that in the days ahead, there will be those who will try to use the Parisian atrocity to divide society - already with a number of horrific tweets talking about killing all Muslims - and as an excuse to launch attacks against Muslims. Societies will lapse into polarization, recrimination and deepening division.

As the Guardian puts it, “In the end, however, more war is not the answer. If other European and Middle Eastern cities are to avoid the agony experienced by Paris, the international community must finally tackle head on the problem that lies at the heart of this rolling, expanding terrorist crisis – Syria. The anarchy inside Syria has allowed Isis, and other groups linked to al-Qaida, to seize territory and wealth. They feed on the chaos caused by the war. And yet half-baked international peace efforts have repeatedly floundered.” 

(Cf. http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/nov/15/observer-view-paris-attacks-syria)

NCCI Celebrating Disability Advocacy Sunday

Disability Advocacy Sunday Theme: Inclusive and Accessible Church

Disability Advocacy Sunday (DAS) is observed on a Sunday before Advent Sunday every year since 2011.

DAS…

• is both celebration and challenge. 
• is to celebrate lives and witness of the Persons with Disability (PWDs) amongst us. 
• aims to facilitate the Churches to open their doors to become inclusive, accessible and hospitable to the PWDs to fully participate in the very Life, Mission and Ministers of the Churches. 
• is an opportunity to raise awareness and to find solutions to the physical, architectural, communication and attitude to those with PWDs. 
• is paves ways to the PWDs to participate and lead the worship and liturgies and read scriptures and even ministering the Words of God. 
• is giving a chance for the Churches to review their mission agenda to address the Disability issue differently, creatively and relevantly. 

November 6, 2014 is a bench mark year in the faith journey of the NCCI - Indian Ecumenical Disability Accompaniment (IDEA).

Challenge:
No society and Church could declare that, there are no PWDs in us and among us! If any Church is found without a PWD, the DAS is a good time to examine why that is the Church open and actively seeking to make itself to open to all?