REPORT OF REGIONAL
NCCI CENTENARY CELEBRATION PROGRAMME
(Hyderabad Region)
September 12 – 14, 2014
The NCCI centenary
celebration in Hyderabad region started with a grand Centenary Inaugural programme
organized by Andhra Christian Theological College (ACTC) in its campus. The
celebration began with an indigenous dance welcoming the dignitaries to the
venue: the ACTC chapel.
The service in the chapel began at 9:30 am on September 12, 2014. Rev. Dr. Matthews Emmanuel Thathapudi, Principal of ACTC invited several dignitaries to the front, namely: Bishop Dr. Taranath S. Sagar (President of NCCI), Ms. Pearly Jos (Vice President of NCCI), Mr. Suman Biswas (Vice President of NCCI), Rev. Dr. Roger Gaikwad (General Secretary of NCCI), Bishop Mar Awgin Kuriakose (Chaldean Syrian Church), Bishop Nelson Lakra (Gossner Evangelical Lutheran Church), Bishop P. C. Singh (Jabalpur Diocese, Church of North India), H.G. Geevarghese Mar Coorilos (Malankara Orthodox Church and Former President of NCCI), Most Rev. Dr. Dyvasirvadam (Moderator of Church of South India), Rev. Dr. I. P. Asheerwadam (Principal of Mennonite Brethren Centenary Bible College), Rev. Dr. Packiam Samuel (Director, Henry Martyn Institute), Mrs. Alpana Kumar (President of All India Council of Christian Women), Rev. Dr. Mrs. P. Syamala Sukumar (President of Association of Theologically Trained Women in India), Mr. Rajakara Rao (General Secretary of Convention of Baptist Churches of the Northern Circars), Rev. Dr. R.R. D. Sajeeva Raju (Samavesam of Telugu Baptist Churches) Lt. Col. Daniel Raju Dasari (National Secretary of The Salvation Army), Rev. Dr. Ipe Joseph (Director of All India Sunday School Association and Former General Secretary of NCCI), Rt. Rev. Naresh S. Ambala (President, All India Sunday School Association), Rev. Dr. Vincent Rajkumar (Director of Christian Institute of Study of Religion an Society), Dr. Deva Patta Raju (Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church, President of the ACTC Golden Jubilee Celebrations Committee), and Rev. Raj Bharat Patta (General Secretary of Student Christian Movement in India).
The service in the chapel began at 9:30 am on September 12, 2014. Rev. Dr. Matthews Emmanuel Thathapudi, Principal of ACTC invited several dignitaries to the front, namely: Bishop Dr. Taranath S. Sagar (President of NCCI), Ms. Pearly Jos (Vice President of NCCI), Mr. Suman Biswas (Vice President of NCCI), Rev. Dr. Roger Gaikwad (General Secretary of NCCI), Bishop Mar Awgin Kuriakose (Chaldean Syrian Church), Bishop Nelson Lakra (Gossner Evangelical Lutheran Church), Bishop P. C. Singh (Jabalpur Diocese, Church of North India), H.G. Geevarghese Mar Coorilos (Malankara Orthodox Church and Former President of NCCI), Most Rev. Dr. Dyvasirvadam (Moderator of Church of South India), Rev. Dr. I. P. Asheerwadam (Principal of Mennonite Brethren Centenary Bible College), Rev. Dr. Packiam Samuel (Director, Henry Martyn Institute), Mrs. Alpana Kumar (President of All India Council of Christian Women), Rev. Dr. Mrs. P. Syamala Sukumar (President of Association of Theologically Trained Women in India), Mr. Rajakara Rao (General Secretary of Convention of Baptist Churches of the Northern Circars), Rev. Dr. R.R. D. Sajeeva Raju (Samavesam of Telugu Baptist Churches) Lt. Col. Daniel Raju Dasari (National Secretary of The Salvation Army), Rev. Dr. Ipe Joseph (Director of All India Sunday School Association and Former General Secretary of NCCI), Rt. Rev. Naresh S. Ambala (President, All India Sunday School Association), Rev. Dr. Vincent Rajkumar (Director of Christian Institute of Study of Religion an Society), Dr. Deva Patta Raju (Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church, President of the ACTC Golden Jubilee Celebrations Committee), and Rev. Raj Bharat Patta (General Secretary of Student Christian Movement in India).
The worship service included
invocation dance, special prayers, cultural elements and a homily delivered by
Most Rev. Dr. G. Dyvasirvadam, Moderator of Church of South India (CSI). The
address was thought-provoking and called on people to give expression to the
transformative love of God in supporting the growth of the Church. He
emphasized authentic Pentecostal unity which is more ‘horizontal’ than
‘vertical’ in its orientation. In congratulating the NCCI for all that has been
accomplished so far, he expressed his wish and support for NCCI to continue
being a common platform for service and united action in Church and society.
Honourable Bishop Dr. Taranath S.
Sagar, President of NCCI brought greetings to the congregation on behalf of
NCCI and delegates of the centenary programme. He explained that NCCI stands
for fellowship, unity and service. He said “NCCI is a united body, but not a
uniform body”, thereby acknowledging and emphasizing the beauty of the diverse
traditions that are brought together for united Christian witness and service in
the Society. He was concerned that Churches and Christian organizations must
have Christian unity not only in educational, medical and other charitable
expressions of service, but also identify with each other as people of God and strive
to attain newer heights of ecumenical understanding and action. NCCI centenary
mementos were presented to each of the Hyderabad area NCCI centenary
celebrations organizing bodies. The service concluded with words of grateful
felicitations by Rev. Dr. Roger Gaikwad. The service closed with a vote of
thanks, prayer and benediction.
The afternoon programme, at 2:00
pm, after a delicious lunch hosted by ACTC, consisted of a presentation of the ministry of All India
Council of Christian Women (AICCW). Dignitaries present at the occasion were Bishop Dr. Taranath S. Sagar, H.G. Geevarghese Mar Coorilos,
Ms. Pearly Jos, Rev. Dr. Roger Gaikwad, Lt. Col. Daniel Raju Dasari, Rev. Dr.
Ipe Joseph, Mar
Awgin Kuriakose, Rt. Rev. Naresh S.
Ambala, Sister Jessie
Kurien and Ms. Alpana Kumar. There were over 150 women representing many
denominations including the Methodist Church, The Church of North India, The
Church of South India, The Marthoma Syrian Church, The Orthodox Church,
Lutheran Churches, Baptist Churches, The Roman Catholic Church and the Church
of the East.
Bishop Dr. Taranath S. Sagar
praised the initiative of women as expressed in the work of AICCW. He assured
the gathering of his participation and accompaniment in the evolving concerns
and work to promote gender sensitivity and participatory structures at all
levels. In her address, AICCW President, Mrs. Alpana Kumar expressed her joy at
congregating to share women concerns, celebrating the opportunity for
solidarity and developing programmes to focus on women’s issues in the Church
and Society. The Chief Guest was Adv. Sister Jessie Kurien from the Roman
Catholic Church, who, with her vast knowledge and study of women’s issues in
India encouraged the gathering to firstly affirm the importance of women. She
challenged the women to understand their important role in Church, society and
nation-building. She gave insights into women’s issues from the legal
perspective as well as from the perspective of the value system that Church
women are called to support and promote. The Chief Guest’s address was followed
by three special performances including a beautiful choreographic presentation
of the story of Moses’ birth and highlighting the integral role of women in
God’s plan.
In his closing comments, Rev. Dr.
Roger Gaikwad lauded the efforts being made by women to address issues in the Church
and society. The AICCW having completed 40 years is now on the threshold for
achieving greater things. He informed that the AICCW quadrennial assembly is scheduled
to be held in Cochin at the end of January 2015, and expressed his best wishes
for the activities of AICCW. Closing prayer and benediction was pronounced by H.G. Geevarghese Mar Coorilos.
The evening celebration consisted
of a Public Meeting and Cultural Programme held at 6:00 pm at Ravindra
Bharathi, Hyderabad. It was organized by Andhra Pradesh Christian Council
(APCC) led by Secretary of APCC and Chairperson of the host committee, Dr.
Jetti A. Oliver. The Cultural Evening started with a brief time of praise and worship
followed by lighting of the lamp. In his introductory address, Dr. Arnold
welcomed the gathering and wished the NCCI well in continuing its work
especially in and beyond its centenary year.
Bishop Dr. Taranath S. Sagar,
President of NCCI addressed the gathering of over 500 people. In his address,
he recounted the accomplishments of the ecumenical movement in India, specially
highlighting NCCI’s immense contribution to the cause of unity, equality, peace
and justice in Church and society. He emphasized the role of Christians in
nation-building in history and as a continuing facilitator of church unity and
witness. Bishop Sagar expressed his disappointment that despite the undeniably
great and continuing contribution of Christians to the development of the
nation, there is under-representation of Christians in policy and governance
matters of the country. He encouraged
Churches to contribute to leadership formation, to have greater representation
in secular, socio-political platforms such as in civil services and politics.
He stressed the importance of relational and expressed unity that has become
imperative in order to address some long-standing issues such as reservation
for dalit Christians. He thanked the organizing committee and all present for
the programme that was arranged, and wished that churches would continue to
work together as a united Christian community for greater effectiveness,
service, and meaningful Christian witness.
At this occasion Bishop Dr.
Taranath Sagar gave away awards of honour to Shri P. P. William, Shri Stanley
Babu and Shri Swaranjit Sen in recognition of their contribution to the society
in dispensing their civil service responsibilities with Christian integrity and
excellence. After the delegates were acknowledged and recognized with
traditional presentations of shawls and gifts, there were cultural performances
that included songs and traditional dances. Bishop Dr. Taranath Sagar
congratulated and thanked Dr. J. A. Oliver for having arranged this excellent
programme. The cultural evening concluded with prayer and benediction by H.G. Geevarghese Mar Coorilos. The gathering sang the
National Anthem before dispersing. Dinner was organized and hosted by APCC at
Bishop Chidambar Hall.
On September 13, 2014 a half day
symposium was organized by Mennonite Brethren Centenary Bible College (MBCBC),
Shamshabad as part of NCCI Centenary Regional Celebration. The theme of the symposium was “Perspectives
on Marginalized Community”. Rev. Dr. R. S. Lemuel, Vice President of the Governing
Council of the Mennonite Brethren Church of India, chaired the programme. Rev.
Dr. I. P. Asheervadam welcomed the speakers and audience that included NCCI
Centenary Celebration delegates, students of MBCBC and other invitees. The
devotion was led by Rev. Dr. Ipe Joseph, General Secretary of All India Sunday
School Association (AISSA). Rev. Dr. P. B. Arnold, President of the Governing
Council of the Mennonite Brethren Church of India greeted the gathering in
which he briefly narrated the history of MBC, its growth, challenges and
vision. Rev. Dr. T. M. Emmanuel, Principal of ACTC also brought greetings and best
wishes. The symposium and plenary was moderated by Rev. Dr. Ch. Vasanth Rao, former
principal of ACTC. Papers presented were: Devadasi System (Dr. David Selvaraj,
Director, Visthar Academy for Justice and Peace, Bangalore), Assessing Silence:
Feminist Perspectives (Rev. Dr. Prasuna, Professor MBCBC, Shamshabad), Health
Care and Justice Perspectives (Dr. Allan Palanna, Associate Professor, Dept. of
Theology and Ethics, United Theological College, Bangalore), The practice of
Human Scavenging (Rev. Dr. Ephratha Sarathy, Professor, MBCBC), Perspectives on
Marginalized Society: Re-listening and Re-affirming the Alternate Narratives
(Dr. Israel David, faculty, Calvin Institute of Theology, Hyderabad), Struggles
of Migrant Women (Rev. S. Vijaya Kumari, Professor, ACTC, Hyderabad), Cultural
Resources for Reconciliation between Mala and Madiga Dalits (Rev. Dr. B. Sunil
Vara Kumar, Professor, ACTC, Hyderabad), and “Continued Untouchability and
Marginalization of Telugu Dalits” (Prof. Z. C. Devadanam, former Treasurer of
NCCI). It was a very stimulating and exciting time of sharing and understanding
various perspectives on ‘marginalized community’.
Rev. Christopher Rajkumar,
Executive Secretary, NCCI, expressed the gratitude of NCCI and delegates of its
regional celebration, and while wishing for a continuing and growing
relationship with them, presented an NCCI Centenary memento to MBCBC. After the
programme, lunch for the delegates was organized by MBCBC, sponsored by Bethany
Mennonite Brethren Church, Shamshabad.
On 13th evening, an
Interfaith Cultural Programme was organized by Henry Martyn Institute (HMI) in
the campus of HMI. Rev. Dr. Packiam T. Samuel, Director of HMI, welcomed the
gathering expressing his joy at being a host to NCCI’s Centenary Celebrations
in Hyderabad area. Over 150 people of different faiths were present in this
cultural evening programme. Guests of honour were Rt. Rev. Dr. Surya Prakash,
Chairperson of HMI, Rev. Dr. Roger Gaikwad, General Secretary of NCCI, and Mr.
Jannat Hussain, IAS (Retd.), Chief Information Commissioner of Andhra Pradesh.
Their speeches contained elements of history of HMI and its historical and
conceptual connection with NCCI, principles of mutual understanding and
acceptance, importance of interfaith dialogue for peace as exemplified in the
ministry of HMI, and the continuing need to support and foster harmonious
community relationships. Rev. Dr. T. Matthew Emmanuel, Principal of ACTC, and
Rev. Dr. I. P. Asheervadam, Principal of MBCBC, were also present on the
occasion and each brought greetings to the gathering.
The cultural programme included
these performances: Classical dance (Natraj Puja), Gazals by Khan Athar Saheb,
Songs by Calvin Students, Interfaith song by Syed Nuzhath and group, and
classical dance (Shiva thandavam). It was an evening of celebrating cultural
diversities as also affirming the uniting bond of common purposes.
On September 14, delegates of
NCCI’s centenary celebration visited various local Churches in Hyderabad and
Secunderabad to preach and/or bring greetings on behalf of NCCI. Some of the
Churches visited by delegates were the Marthoma Church, The Orthodox Church,
The Methodist Church, The Salvation Army Church and Church of South India.
NCCI’s Centenary Celebration in
the Hyderabad region has been significant in building grassroots connections
and inspiring great visions. The NCCI is grateful to Dr. Jetti Oliver
(Secretary, APCC), Rev. Dr. Packiam T. Samuel (Director, HMI), Rev. Dr. I. P.
Asheervadam (Principal, MBCBC) and Rev. Dr. T. Matthew Emmanuel (Principal,
ACTC) for all their hard work in the programmes planned and wonderfully
organized. All events and programmes were extremely well arranged and marked
the period with unforgettable moments of celebratory joy and thanksgiving while
also enthusing people for greater ecumenical impact ahead.
____________________________
Reported by
NCCI Executive Secretary,
Commission on Communications and Relations
