Visit of Bishop Ralf Meister, Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hanover, Germany

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1 (1)On the occasion of visit of Most Rev. Ralf Meister, Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hanover with his delegation to India,  the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany in India Dr. Martin Ney hosted breakfast on 28thJanuary, 2016 at his residence. Apostolic Nunciature of the Holy See to India Salvatore Pennacchio also joined for breakfast along with few Indian Church leaders.

The Bishop Ralf Meister, delegation and Rev. Markus Lesinski, Pastor for the German speaking protestant Congregation of India, Nepal and Bangladesh visited NCCI Delhi office on 28th January, 2016 . Bishop Collin Theodore, Secretary, NWICC , Rev. Sailakant Bagh, Treasurer, NWICC and Mr. Samuel Jayakumar, NCCI Executive secretary had discussion with them on various concerns of Christians in India.

Samuel Jayakumar,

Executive Secretary, Commission on Policy Governance and Public Witness
NCCI

“#RohithVemulaFightsBack” : Peace March for Social Unity

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12615267_10208551668088789_2011052128223844174_oOn the 30th of January 2016, thousands of Nagpurians with black ribbons strapped around their mouths marched out on the street to protest against the death of Rohith Vemula, a Dalit research scholar from Hyderabad University. The ribbons were tied symbolically to indicate the voices of marginalised people like that of Rohit Vermula being suppressed and their rights being denied. In order to fight for Rohith’s case and such discrimination based on caste, thousands of people from around 50 different organizations gathered at Deekhshabhoomi, the place where the great Dalit leader Dr. Ambedkar embraced Budhhism to do away with the caste system.

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NCCI Christmas celebration in Delhi

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ccd0The celebration of ‘Christmas joy through carols’ was arranged by National Council of Churches in India and North West India Council of Churches (NWICC) on 5th December 2015 at Free Church (CNI), Sansad Marg . Mr. Justice Vikramajit Sen, Supreme Court of India, was the Chief Guest of the event. He emphasized that as a Christian Community we should contribute to Nation Building.

The service started with a prayer by Rev. Suresh Kumar, Presbyter-in–Charge, Free Church, followed by the welcome address by Bishop Collin C. Theodore, Secretary NWICC. The felicitation was done by Bishop Subodh C. Mondal, the President of NWICC. The gathering was delighted by carols and scripture reading. Around 10 choirs from different churches (Protestant, Catholic, orthodox and Northeast) sang carols in different languages.
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NCCI delegation meets Vice President of India

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Vice- Presdient meetingA delegation of National Council of Churches in India met Shri. M. Hamid Ansari, the Vice President of India and greeted him with Christmas wishes on 22nd December, 2015 at his residence.
He received the leaders warmly and conveyed his wishes to the Christian Community. The Vice President said that ‘more than tolerance, what is important in our country is accepting each other as they are’. He also shared the concerns about the Dalit Christians and Dalit Muslims situation in the community. He appreciated the work of the Church towards the poor and marginalized.

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

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(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

DSC00635 (1)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.

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Peace Education Training for Youth

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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

IMG-20151118-WA0006A 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 11th to 13th 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.

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Global Media Monitoring Project 2015 Press Release

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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

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.

NCCI Celebrating Disability Advocacy Sunday

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Disability Advocacy Sunday Theme: Inclusive and Accessible Church
Disability Poster 2015Disability 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?

India is one of the largest countries that have more PWDs. In our society in the midst of all efforts in making society inclusive and accessible still, the PWDs live in closed and confined spaces.

Many PWDs have less access to education or low education and employment, transportation and life in public.

This context would help us to set our mission agenda for the PWDs inwardly and outwardly.

International Prayer Day for Peace – Celebrations

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Commission on Justice, Peace and Creation

National Council of Churches in India

International Prayer Day for Peace – Celebrations

September 21, 2015, Ranchi, Jharkhand

DSC08313The NCCI Commission on Justice, Peace and Creation (CJPC) organized its annualInternational Prayer Day for Peace Celebrations on the 21st September, 2015  in Ranchi, Jharkhand, joining the SCM Jharkhand Bihar Region, CNI Chota Nagpur Diocese, GEL Church and Christian Service Agency on the theme ‘Peace and Dignity on Earth’. There were 150 participants from the different colleges, Churches and Civil Society Movements.

Rev. Fr. Aswin Fernandis, Chairperson of NCCI-CJPC chaired the celebrations. He called all the Churches to involve in doing peace and ministering for peace.

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Disability Advocacy Programme in Raipur Chattisgargh

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Indian Disability Ecumenical Accompaniment – IDEA

Commission on Justice, Peace and Creation- National Council of Churches in India

A Regional Consultation on “Churches’ Ministerial Response to Disability”

At CNI Grace Cathedral, Raipur, Chhattisgarh. On the 12th Oct 2015

DSC09292The Engage Disability Regional Hub meeting was held at the CNI Grace Cathedral in Raipur on the 12th Oct 2015. The Chhattisgarh Christian Council organized this meeting with NCCI – IDEA and Christian Service Agency. There were over 100 participants from several churches and institutions in Chhattisgarh State including several PWDs with their families from different backgrounds.

This meeting focused on the theme: Towards Inclusive Community, and aimed to create awareness on disability issues and sensitize the Church to become inclusive, and to defend and affirm the right and dignity of Persons with Disabilities,  and to create disabled-friendly environments in the church and society at large.

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