An Appeal to observe AUGUST 10th as “National Protest Day”

Respected Ecumenical Leaders and dear Friends,

Greetings from NCCI- Dalit and Tribal/ Adivasi Concerns!

National Council of Churches in India-Dalit and Tribal/Adivasi Concerns, Catholic Bishop’s Conference of India-Office for SC/BC and National Council of Dalit Christians jointly appeals all of you to organise and proactively participate in observing ‘National Protest Day’ on 10th August to raise our protest regarding the continual negligence of the government to the cry for the rights of Dalit Christians and Dalit Muslims in the country.

The infamous Presidential (Scheduled Caste) Order 1950 was signed on 10th August 1950 by the then President of India which says “No person who professes a religion other than Hinduism shall be deemed to be a member of the scheduled caste” which was later amended to include Sikhs (1956) and Buddhists (1990) in the Scheduled Caste net. But this law, as we are all aware of, keeps the Dalit Muslims and Dalit Christians from the Scheduled Castes list. Ever since this order was promulgated, the Dalit Christians and Dalit Muslims have been observing 10th August as a BLACK DAY/ NATIONAL PROTEST DAY. Unfortunately, due to Covid 19 pandemic we could not conduct any physical meeting/programme for past two years. This year, the situation has been improved and gradually normal life is resuming. We are therefore, hopeful to observe National Protest Day as usual across the country on 10th August. In Delhi, this year since the monsoon session of the parliament is resuming, the organizing committee has decided to hold a “Dharana” at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi on 4th August 2022 from 10AM to 3PM. We extend our cordial invitation to all of you to participate in the ‘Dharana’ and be part of this movement.

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Let Peace and Prosperity prevail amongst all People . . .

NCCI message for Eid-ul-Fitr and Akshaya Tritiya

On behalf of the Christian community represented by the Churches of the Protestant and Orthodox traditions in the fellowship of the National Council of Churches in India, we extend best wishes and hearty greetings to the friends and fellow-citizens – adherents of the Islamic, Hindu and Jain faith traditions, on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr and Akshaya Tritiya which this year falls on the same day. This significant co-incidence we hope and pray will further strengthen the bond between Muslims, Hindus and Jains in India and worldwide.

Let it be our prayer, of all those who believe in faith traditions and such other well-wishers, that this year’s celebrations may bring new understanding about life especially when the forces that threaten and negate life are hell bent on overpowering life and life systems.

The observance of these festivals this year follows close on the heels of the conclusion of the Lenten fast in the Christian tradition. Only yesterday the 2nd of May 2022, the Baha’i Community in India and around the world have concluded the 12-day Ridvan, also known as the king of all Baha’i festivals.  This further emphasises the common sociocultural roots of various religious traditions and their geo-cultural origins.

Despite the onslaught of the market in commercialising some of these noble religious observances, it is amazing that such practices are being carried out generation after generation to add more meaning to life. Therefore, it becomes an imperative for us to respect each other’s spiritual and cultural celebrations and through these enhance our shared spiritualities. In doing so we also mutually critique ourselves of the patriarchal and structural hegemonic oppressions that have come to be associated with our faith traditions, and with God’s help seek to overcome them together.

Celebrated in the midst of a war and widening rift between communities and countries in different regions of the world it is nevertheless a beautiful occasion, to pray, smile, love, and share. Let this day be a blessing to all our Muslim, Hindu and Jain friends and their families. May the spirit of Eid-ul-fitr with its emphasis on equity and that of Akshaya Tritiya with its emphasis on prosperity of all, coming as it were in the beginning of Spring, enhance mutual cooperation and dynamic intermingling among all communities in India and around the world irrespective of caste, creed and colour. May God Almighty shower abundant blessings over all.

National Council of Churches in India is a national platform of 30 Nation-wide and nationally networked Churches, 18 Regional Councils of Churches, 18 All India Christian Organizations, and 7 Internationally renowned Related Specialised Professional Agencies. The NCCI works closely with the Catholic Bishops Conference of India and the Evangelical Fellowship of India. Globally it is a member of the Christian Conference of Asia and is related to the World Council of Churches and several Global Communions of Christian traditions

Rev Asir Ebenezer
General Secretary
National Council of Chur

The morcha moves on …

the morcha moves on – and the cross is but a station

Please join me in ushering ‘easter hope’ into a world torn apart by war, strife and toil – a hope that stands beyond the cross. It is our prayer that each one in this country, and the whole world, with the entire created order break forth in everlasting joy and praise at the possibilities of a morcha moving on.

With the dawn of the first Easter day came the hope of a new beginning – the news that the disciples wanted to hear since that fateful Friday afternoon. This news was crucial to the very existence of the women and men who followed Jesus as his disciples; without this news they were lost, their lives in jeopardy.

Mutual distrust, fear of the Jews and the Romans, as well as the mis-happening all around were all dinning the ear to a state of deafness refusing to believe in a reality and a good news of hope coming their way beyond their situation and their existentialist contexts. COVID like contexts compound the situation in which a sense of impermanence set in leading to a situation of ‘eat, drink and be merry (any way) tomorrow you will die’ syndrome

Yet easter – the experience of life over death is crucial. It is seen to be expressed and experienced in recognising and acknowledging the familiar voices of the assuring contexts of the past as Mary experienced beside the tomb on easter morning. The disciples experienced this as well when they  assuredly or even hesitatingly (but consciously) sought to embrace the unknown and the stranger.

With these experiences of life, Mary and the two at Emmaus rush back to the community of the faithful and the easter community gets expression. This community and expression is both evident and confident even until today and thus, the morcha moves on – with the cross being just a station …

This process of recognising and acknowledging the familiar voices of the assuring contexts of the past as well as rest assuredly or even hesitatingly but consciously embracing the unknown, should be to us the mantra for moving on – forward unto Galilee. We should not be stuck at the cross to which the world ties us down.

Rev. Dr. Asir Ebenezer
General Secretary, NCCI

Let’s discern and be dictated by the agenda of the masses …

Today, the 73rd Republic Day of our country, is one more occasion to celebrate our prowess and proficiency in different sectors of our journey together. Traditionally, it has also been an occassion to take stock of the strides that we have taken in-country and in the world.

In the last year, we have supposedly done well in many areas of our history as a nation. In some other areas we have not done as well as we would have wanted to.

Unequal distribution of wealth, differentiated access to rights and privileges, challenges to dignity of life, culture, and heritage of the religious minorities, socially disadvantaged ethnic communities and the economically disprivileged persons however continue to haunt the journey of our destiny. Today is yet another opportunity to pull ourselves together to address what lies ahead of us and achieve it together.

The Christian Gospel teaches us to fashion ourselves and the environment around us on the terms of the conditionalities of ‘the least, the last and the lost’. This approach among other things is certain to further build common resources and thus safeguard against transfer of public assets for personal gain/ private profit.

The Gospel also requires that we network with all those who are similarly oriented irrespective of faith and belief. There are several activists, academics, economists, civil servants, politicians and concerned citizens belonging to all faiths and beliefs who are working on these lines orienting our thinktanks, our planners, also the executive and the enforcement on the terms and conditionalities of the persons pushed to the bottom of the ladder.

There is an urgent need to cultivate this basic ethos amongst all peoples, and ward against alternates that promote prosperity for all but cultivate it otherwise – where there is further impoverishment because of organised loot and thus disproportionate growth.

The need is also to hold each other and all the arms of our governance accountable. It is time now to orient ourselves on our civil and political rights in order that the debates on rights and privileges of unique and diverse individuals, groups and communities will not be derailed toward affirming ‘majoritarian’ privileges of the small numbers of the unduly privileged.

Let us as members of nationally networked historic and traditional churches in this country along with all related agencies, regional ecumenical councils and christian organisations, individually and together as the National Council of Churches in India, renew afresh our commitment ‘to discern, be informed and be dictated’ by the agenda of the masses, their dreams and aspirations. And let our good work, along with those of all other like-minded individuals, groups and communities, continue to be a light to the nation.

Let us rise to bless India. God bless India . . .

Rev. Asir Ebenezer
General Secretary
National Council of Churches in India

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2022

Unity Octave (Week of Prayer for Christian Unity) is a joint global initiative of the Commission on Faith and Order of the World Council of Churches and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. In India, NCCI joins with all Episcopal and Confessional traditions in coming together to observe the Unity Octave and to pray for Christian Unity. Policy, Governance and Public Witness department of NCCI is coordinating the Unity Octave observance this year.
The theme for this year’s Unity Octave is
‘We saw the star in the East, and we came to worship him”  (Mt 2:2)

This year also we are not printing booklets instead we are giving the link to worship orders in PDF format so that it can either be projected or be copied and distributed according to your own convenience. The available translation in different languages are also given. We are grateful to Rev Vijayesh Lal, the General Secretary of Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFI) and to the secretaries of Kerala Council of Churches and and Tamil Nadu Christian Council for the translations in vernacular languages You are also free to contextualize this liturgy considering the needs of your local context. We strongly encourage all our constituents to observe unity octave along with members of other Christian denominations and be part of the World Christian Community initiative to have ecumenical expressions through worship.

Download liturgies – English | Hindi | Tamil | Malayalam | Marathi | Punjabi 

With Prayers,

Rev Dr. Asir Ebenezer,
General Secretary, NCCI.

Telling the stories of christs and christmases of our times ….

Sparked by the sheep-farmers’ vision of the birth of a new age, and affirmed by the wisdom from the ‘east’, the message of ‘christ-revolution’ comes to us in the birth of the Jesus movement for over 2020 years.

During these 2000 years and more we have also had many such stories – of events and people that have changed history. There have been significant stories in India and outside that have changed the course of debilitating histories and channelled to life.

The movement to abolish trading in human persons for slavery, the uprisings to free people of colour into the mainstream, the many movements to independence and self-governance, birth of the Dravidian movements and that of Neo-Buddhism against the practice of the perpetuation of caste, nationalisation of public assets and services of common good, the upper cloth movement, the abolition of sati, right down to the victory of the farmers over the farm laws, are only some of the many shining examples of christmases of our times that brought good news, new life and hope to many.

History abounds with stories of liberators who have to be celebrated. There are also many such people that are branded and banished – all because of their professed conviction and stand on the side of the excluded and against perpetuation of hegemonic oppressive structures for organised individual and corporate loot of public wealth and resources.

This Christmas, even as we celebrate Jesus the Christ, let us remember, acknowledge and celebrate the christs and christmases of our times in order that we and our posterity will have contemporaneous memories to cherish and the power to create moments of celebration of life  – the life that is made vulnerable and laid bare by the ongoing pandemic of our times.

Wish you a meaningful and memorable Christmastide. Let Hope prevail in us through every day of the New Year both through the pandemic and beyond.

 

Rev. Asir Ebenezer
General Secretary, NCCI

Call for applications to the post of NCCI Executive Secretary – NCCI Youth Concerns Ministry

National Council of Churches in India

Call for Applications

 

Applications are invited from interested candidates to serve as Executive Secretary NCCI Youth Concerns.

The candidate must belong to a Member Church of NCCI and should have a commitment to Youth concerns. The appointment will be for a term of five years beginning from 3rd January 2022.

Requirements:

  • A minimum of a Bachelors degree.
  • Should also have a basic Theological Degree (Senate of Serampore College B.D. or its equivalent).
  • Should have a good command in English language – both spoken and written
  • Should be between 25-30 years of age and should have a national ecumenical exposure.
  • Should be endorsed and recommended by the Head of the NCCI Constituent Church of which the candidate is a member.
  • Should have a rich experience of working among youth groups.
  • Should be creative, innovative and communicative.
  • Should have an experience of working in an IT-enabled environment.
  • Should be willing to relocate to Delhi

 Interested candidates may apply with their curriculum vitae including necessary enclosures, endorsement from the head of the NCCI Member Church, and a photograph (with an advance copy by email) to:

The General Secretary
National Council of Churches in India
Post Box 205, Civil Lines
Beside Maharashtra State Biodiversity Board,
Nagpur 440 001, Maharashtra State
Phone:  (0712) 2531312 / 2561464
Email:  ncci@ncci1914.com

 

Last date for receiving application by post/ courier is 7th December 2021.

Short listed candidates will be intimated about the date and time of the interview.

Download pdf file

Rev. Dr. Asir Ebenezer
General Secretary

 Date: November 25, 2021

 

Orange the World: END VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN NOW! 16 Days of Activism

 

Dear Ecumenical Partners,

Greetings from the NCCI Women’s Concerns!

One of the annual observances of the NCCI Women’s Concerns is in joining the ‘16 Days of Activism against Gender-based violence’ from the 25th of November (International Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women) to the 10th of December (International Human Rights Day). This period also includes observance of some other important days like – November 29 (International Women Human Rights Defenders Day), December 1 (World AIDS Day) and December 6 (Anniversary of the Montreal Massacre).

The 16 Days Campaign is an organizing strategy for individuals and groups around the world to call for the elimination of all forms of gender-based violence against women and to:

  1. Raise awareness about gender-based  violence  against women as a human rights issue at the local, national, regional, and international levels
  2. Strengthen local work around gender-based violence against women
  3. Establish a clear link between local and international work to end gender-based violence against women
  4. Provide a forum in which organizers can develop and share new and effective strategies
  5. Demonstrate the solidarity of women around the world organizing against gender-based violence against women
  6. Create tools to pressure governments to implement commitments to eliminate gender-based violence against women

The theme for this year is “Stand against Violence”. Let me encourage you to take this opportunity to talk about the adversities that are done under the banner of Rape. Rape is not just physical it’s mental and emotional. “It’s an act of violence to say I Can do whatever I want with you and your body”. Female Foeticide is a murder committed by us when we do not want to have baby girls in our family. In today’s time, we don’t want to acknowledge it in our homes/churches/society. But it exists. Let’s

create a safe space for our daughters, sisters, and us as well to enjoy a life that God has given to us without fear and stigma.

“Recent women-led movements such as #NiUnaMenos and #MeToo have indeed helped break the long silence surrounding sexual harassment in the world of work on a global scale and forced a conversation about the need to fundamentally transform the power structures and discriminatory norms that enable gender-based violence and discrimination.

As National Council of Churches in India, it is our responsibility to encourage each other – member churches/ councils/ organizations and agencies to join in the observation of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence and work on a just inclusive environment for the wholesome growth of all. It is time again this year to unite and create awareness for ending violence against women in our country/churches/ homes

The material for observance of these days as a means to equip yourselves how and what can be done is attached as attachment. The material can be contextualized as required.  For any  clarification   and   assistance   please   feel   free   to   email   me  at jyoti@ncci1914.com. You may like to share with us how this campaign was meaningful for you and your people. Pictures and testimonials can also be sent for sharing with others and for mutual encouragement.

Please  share  this  information to all   relevant person / people in your organization/ agency so that they can get this done and be connected with us.

Download here: Concept note, 16 Days of Activism Toolkit

Thanking you Yours sincerely

Rev Jyoti S Singh Pillai
Executive Secretary
Women Concern, NCCI

Dalit Liberation Sunday 2021

Respected ecumenical leaders and dear friends.

Greetings from NCCI – Dalit and Tribal/ Adivasi Concerns!

Dalit Liberation Sunday has become an important feature in the calendar of Indian Churches and Ecumenical movements. Over the years, there has been a positive response in sensitizing the local congregations towards concerns of Dalits, for no longer caste issue is visualized as a sociological issue or an issue outside the purview of church but more seen as an issue challenging the core of our faith and gospel. Thanks to the enormous support received from across the churches, dioceses, parishes and theological institutions in observing this special Sunday.

We are happy to inform you that the Dalit Liberation Sunday will be observed on 14th November 2021 all over India by the Member Churches/ Institutions of the National Council of Churches in India and Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India. The theme for this year’s DLS is God says No to caste discrimination (Acts 10:28).  Let us as local congregation observe this DLS-2021 in all sincerity and truthfulness to our calling as Christians and sensitize our people to overcome all forms of discriminatory practices of caste across India and initiate uncompromising actions to eradicate such practices in society and thus also within the Christian community.

We are sending you some prayers and affirmations to be included into your worship service. Attached herewith please find the Poster and Order of Worship pdf. File which you may circulate among your pastors, lay leaders and department heads.

Looking forward to receiving your cooperation in observing Dalit Liberation Sunday on November 14, 2021.

Thanking you in anticipation,

With regards,

In Christ,

Pradip Bansrior
Executive Secretary
Dalit and Tribal/ Adivasi Concerns
National Council of Churches in India

Declaration of the National Council of Churches in India on COP26

Declaration from National Council of Churches in India To the 26th Session of the Conference of Parties (COP26) Of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Scheduled to open on 31st October 2021 in Glasgow, Scotland, UK

The National Council of Churches in India (NCCI), the National Ecumenical expression of 76 constituents including protestant and orthodox confessions and several national organizations discern in unity “to strongly proclaim our deep-rooted faith in caring and nurturing our common household – God’s Earth as fundamental Christian obligation” and thus release the following Declaration to the delegates, faith communities, world leaders and other stakeholders.

It is with profound grief and responsibility we recognize that

  • The earth is overburdened and overloaded with greedy life style, a society driven by corporate centered economy and growing disparity.
  • Soil, water, air, forest, mountain, animal is slowly dying and in extinction due to heavy exploitation and irresponsible behavior.
  • Adivasi, Tribals and such other Indigenous Communities and forest dwellers who have been nature care takers are displaced and exploited in the name of development and
  • Climate change consequences have its worse impacts on poorest countries and communities at the bottom.

We critically demand and urge urgent and responsible actions to be taken at COP26 in the following area

  • Renewed commitment to reduce CO2 emissions.
  • Ensuring life and livelihood of the Adivasi, Tribal and such other Indigenous communities, as well as communities at climate risk through adequate compensation for recreation.
  • Stop climate change migration and minimize mining projects that harms forest, water, air and soil and largely affect forest communities.
  • Call upon decision makers for urgent action to prevent the loss and damage caused by climate change; especially less rain fall, unseasonal rain and regular cyclones are the disastrous outcome of human made climate change.
  • The developed nations must minimize carbon pressure on poorest countries; design alternative sustainable model of energy production; Adopt zero emission and green economy as high priority in contrast to consumption of fossil fuel.

We as faith community uphold all contributors and actors in prayer and commit for the following actions

  • We place life over life style.
  • We pray, meditate and reflect upon God’s commandment to recreate and restore God’s creation and care for other human being.
  • We as churches in India pledge to turn all our churches into Green Churches by 2030 by being energy efficient and plastic free.
  • We will advocate for climate justice and climate resilient society by urging government, corporate and global leaders.
  • Network for a better and sustainable future for next generations.
  • We put continuous pressure for accountability.

We offer hope and peace to the world and commit to work together for a healthy and sustainable future for all.

Drafted by:
Mr. Angelious Michael
Dr. Mathew Koshy Punnackadu Ms. Renemsongla Ozukum
Rev.A Joshuva Peter (Treasurer NCCI),
Mr. Pradip Bansrior (Executive Secretary, NCCI Dalit and Tribal/ Adivasi Concerns),
NCCI Working Group on Ecological Justice

 

Rev. Asir Ebenezer
General Secretary,
National Council of Churches in India

Wednesday 27th October 2021