 |
| The Hitavada November 7, 2014 |
The NCCI Centenary Rally started from the All Saints Cathedral, Sadar, halted at Samvidhan Square (near K. P. Ground, Opp. RBI) for Bishop Dr. Taranath Sagar's (President of NCCI) public address, and continued back to All Saints Cathedral in a circular route. More than 3000 people from all denominations joined
the Rally.
 |
| Bishop Dr. Taranath Sagar, President of NCCI addressing the gathering of over 3000 at Samvidhan Square (RBI Square, Nagpur) during the Centenary Rally. |
Bishop Dr. Taranath Sagar President of National Council of Churches in
India at the Samvidhan Square, addressed the gathering with the basic gospel
virtue of Love, of loving your neighbour as yourself. He also urged
people to continue to maintain the peace and harmony, for peace is another
virtue of the Holy Spirit. He also said, Christians who are a minority in
India, have contributed enormously in terms of Nation-Building. In spite
of a long history of Christianity, Christians form today only 3.5% of the total
population. In spite of this significantly tiny minority character, the
Church in India made praiseworthy contributions towards Nation-building.
Christians have been active in the fields of Education, Health care, Social
development, charity and the secular polity of the country. In the
Education sector, what is impressive is that 70% of all schools are in rural
areas, serving the poor, especially the dalits, the adivasis and other
disadvantaged groups. Only a meager 15% of the Church institutions are in
the cities and large towns. He also reminded that the Church gave a major
importance to the education of women and takes pride in the empowerment of
women. This has led to the enlightenment of Indian women belonging to all
religions, castes, tribes and different religions in modern India. The
historical contribution and breakthrough of the achievement of the Church in
the field of education lies in the fact that it broke the monopoly of a single
privileged caste and decentralized and democratised education. Education
has made it possible for dalits and tribals not only to benefit by it but to
have social mobility in life.
In the field of Social development, the Church in India has
demonstrated the compassion of Christ to the Indian Society. Specific
attention to the development of the poor and downtrodden was given due
importance. In the tribal belt the liberation of the tribals from
money-lender and landlords served as the first contribution of the
Church.
In the sector of Relief, the Church has shifted from relief and charity
to Institutional model of empowering and wholesome educational and health
institutions. Focus on empowerment and self-reliance of the poor to
remake their future by a cooperation and collective action for social transformation
had been the plan.
Remembering Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, the architect of the Indian
Constitution, Bishop Dr. Sagar remarked about the Christian community's
significant contribution to "secularism" in India. For
nation building, the secular character and ethos of our polity is essential to
shape and forge harmony and peace for all people of the country. The
Church remains committed to secularity of the Constitution of the
Republic. Secular character of the Republic is a positive force for peace
and communal harmony in a pluri-cultural and multi-religious society that India
is. A good number of priests serve such social institutions and social
service societies across India. Practically all of them are professional
qualified and give a very substantial contribution in the building up of the
nation.
The church is like a leaven working in the Indian society. It
does not seek publicity as she follows the biblical principle of ‘left hand not
knowing what the right hand does’.
 |
| Gathering for the Centenary Finale Worship Service at All Saints Cathedral, Nagpur |
In the evening, during the NCCI Centenary Finale Worship Service at the
All Saints Cathedral, dignitaries from Christian Conference of Asia, Hong Kong
Christian Council, National Council of Churches in Nepal, Lutheran World
Federation, World Council of Churches and other partner ecumenical
organisations brought Greetings to the National Council of Churches in
India. Dr. Chris Ferguson from the World Communion of Reformed Churches,
in his message to the gathering, said that “To be Ecumenical is to be
Reformed”. To bring our own Transformation is to bring Transformation in
the world. He also said, NCCI Centenary Finale is just the beginning of
the NCCI Centenary Theme “Integral Mission and Grassroots Ecumenism” for a
future vision. He exhorted the NCCI to march ahead to struggle for
Economic justice, especially for the Dalits, Tribals and other disadvantaged
groups in India.
Greetings were received from dignitaries representing other Ecumenical bodies: Rev. Dr. Peniel Rufus Rajkumar (World Council of Churches), Rev. Dr. Augustine Jeyakumar (Lutheran World Federation), and Rev. Dr. K. B. Rokaya (Christian Conference of Asia).
Also, during the programme, NCCI's Commission Programme on Indian
Disability Ecumenical Accompaniment (IDEA) and 'National Ecumenical Forum for
Sexual Minorities' (NEFSM) were inaugurated and citations given by Bishop Dr. Taranath Sagar. He also released the NCCI 2015 Calendar.
 |
| Evening Cultural Programme. Cultural expressions from local Churches. |
The 3-day celebrations will continue in the form of Symposiums,
Workshops, Missional Conversations, will deliberate upon the various burning
issues of Church and Society. The programme is scheduled to be held on 7th
and 8th at NCCI Campus, Civil Lines, Nagpur.
______________________________________
Reported by: Ms. Sunita Gaikwad, NCCI Communications
