Rev. Prof. Dr. Thathapudi Matthews Emmanuel – a Tribute

The National Council of Churches in India mourns the untimely death of Rev. Prof. Dr. Thathapudi Matthews Emmanuel, Secretary, Board of Theological Education of the Senate of Serampore College (BTESSC), who was called to glory on Saturday, the 24th April 2021 in Bangalore.

Rev. Dr. Thathapudi, was an ordained minister of the Canadian Baptist Mission (CBM) Church in Andhra Pradesh belonging to the Convention of Baptist Churches in Northern Circars (CBCNC). He was a distinguished Professor of Old Testament at Andhra Christian Theological College in Hyderabad, where he also served as its Principal for three years from 2014 to 2017. After completing his schooling in Kakinada, Dr. Thathapudi earned his degree of Bachelor in Theology from Andhra Christian Theological College, Hyderabad and Bachelor of Divinity from Union Biblical Seminary, Pune. He earned his Master in Theology degree from Federated Faculty for Research in Religion and Culture, Kottayam and a Doctorate through the South Asia Theological Research Institute, Bangalore.

He was committed to theological education and motivated several young scholars to excel in the field. His stint as the Secretary of the Board of Theological Education of the Senate of Serampore College saw an active interaction between the church and the theological fraternity. Dr. Thathapudi made meaningful contribution as the member of the General Body of NCCI. He was always keen to facilitate healing among different factions in churches and ecumenical councils. His untimely demise leaves a vacuum within the theological fraternity and in the ecumenical movement in India.

While we mourn with the bereaved and pray for comfort and peace to the family, we also celebrate his prophetic witness and passion for the rights and dignity of the dalit community in India and the most backward among them.

Rev. Asir Ebenezer
General Secretary

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Rev. Yesunath Kalekar – A humble and committed servant of God

The National Council for Churches in India was shocked to hear of the news of the sudden and untimely demise of Rev Yesunath D. Kalekar, the Vice Moderator of Hindustani Covenant Church. He represented the HCC faithfully in the Executive committee of  the NCCI. The leadership and the secretariat along with all those in the NCCI who were closely associated with him expresses its deepest condolences to the family, Hindustani Covenant Church and to all those who are in bereavement.

Rev Y Kalekar left for his eternal abode on 18th March, 2021 at the age of 62 years.  He was a respected person among all those he interacted with, especially due to his humility and openness. He had a compassionate heart which showed through his work in the Covenant Social Service, a community development wing of the Hindustani Covenant Church.

His ecumenical spirit had been vivid through his participation in the affairs of the NCCI. His 35 years of service in the church brought drastic changes in the church and the society at large, especially in the lives of common masses. He will always be remembered for his efforts in instilling the messianic values into young minds.

The vision of Paul as he expressed in 1 Corinthians 15: 42-44, “So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable.  It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a physical body; it is raised a spiritual body”, is a source of comfort and hope.

May God’s blessings of peace and comfort be upon his wife Sulochana and sons, Augustine and Arnold. May God strengthen them and grant them peace.

Rev. Asir Ebenezer
General Secretary, NCCI

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Most Rev. Dr. Philipose Mar Chrysostom – a legend in our times

The National Council of Churches in India (NCCI) expresses its deepest condolences at the passing away of Most Rev Dr Philipose Mar Chrysostom Mar Thoma Valiya Metropolitan, the Emeritus Metropolitan of the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church, on 5th May 2021 at the age of 104.

“As the senior most Bishop of the Christian community in India and a Bishop who inspired many through his thought-provoking theological insights coated with humour, he will ever be remembered by the church in India”; said the Most Rev Dr P. C. Singh, the President of NCCI and the Moderator of Church of North India.  Metropolitan will be remembered as a courageous prophetic ecumenist who envisioned ecumenism in relationships – relationship with peoples of different faiths and ideologies.

Born in Kerala in 1918, Mar Chrysostom began with community-oriented work in Ankola, Karnataka from 1940 to 1942 prior to his theological studies in the United Theological College, Bangalore. He was ordained as Deacon on 1st January 1944 and as a Presbyter on 3rd June. He was consecrated a Bishop on 23 May, 1953 and became the Metropolitan of the Church on 23rd October 1999. The Metropolitan voluntarily retired from administrative responsibilities on 1st October 2007.

The life and witness of the Metropolitan is a text book for those who are involved in the ministry of the Church and for everyone in the ecumenical fraternity. By being with people in their varying circumstances, sharing in their experiences and struggles, the Metropolitan celebrated life – transcending all the boundaries set by society. Thus, many research papers, books and documentaries have been published on his life. He was known for his sense of humour in communication through which he sought to communicate the philosophical perspective to life in lucid and plain terns. In this endeavour he went beyond religion to break sectarian outlook. His humorous speeches and talks have also been a favourite topic among many authors for their books.

The Metropolitan was an ardent advocate of ecumenism and he served different ecumenical bodies. He served National Christian Council (former name of National Council of Churches in India) as its president. He also gave leadership to Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) and Churches Auxiliary for Social Action (CASA) and the Kerala Council of Churches.  He represented the Mar Thoma Church as its official delegate in many assemblies of the World Council of Churches (WCC) and those of the Christian Conference of Asia. He was also one of the observers in the second Vatican Council.

NCCI thanks God for the life of Metropolitan Chrysostom and for his relentless effort to make the Gospel of Christ a living reality in the life of people.  The continuation of his legacy in advocating for justice, human rights and freedom will be a great challenge, but is an imperative part of the ongoing mission of bringing healing, joy and wholesome laughter to a divided world.

Rev. Asir Ebenezer
General Secretary, NCCI

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Bishop Emmanuel Panchoo – a Tribute

The National Council of Churches in India condones the death of Bishop Emmanuel Panchoo the Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Madhya Pradesh (ELCMP) who was called to glory on the 24th of April 2021. As the Bishop of one of the member churches located in Nagpur, Bishop Panchoo was close to the NCCI family. Whenever he was in Nagpur he will participate in all the programs that NCCI conducted.

Known to be a Bishop with a missionary zeal, Bishop Panchoo was a strong believer in the church being called to be evangelistic in outlook and mission. His simplicity as a leader created a huge impact in many who were inspired with his servant leadership.

That, the ELCMP in the time of Bishop Panchoo’s leadership started ordaining women as Pastors is worthy of note. Bishop encouraged many ministries for the poor and the needy. He consciously involved women and young people to participate actively in the ministries of the church.

Despite the different odds that he faced in his personal and ministerial life, Bishop stood firm in the faith of his calling to serve the church. He was a great support to the ecumenical initiatives in the region.

The NCCI family expresses its heartfelt condolence and deep sympathy to the members of the family, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in MP and the United Evangelical Lutheran Churches in India. May we cherish the memories of our beloved Bishop and walk in the ways of God as he had shown. Let the peace of God gird the Church and all the members of his family.

Asir Ebenezer
General Secretary

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Mr. S. Raju – A Tribute

National Council of Churches in India

Christian Service Agency

The entire community of the National Council of Churches in India and the Christian Service Agency is deeply shocked and saddened to know of the untimely and sudden demise of our dear Mr. S. Raju, Administrative Officer, National Council of Churches in India, National Office, New Delhi, on Friday the 23rdApril 2021. The news came as a rude shock we are unable to reconcile to the fact that Mr. S. Raju is not with us anymore.

Mr. S. Raju endeared himself to everyone both young and old with an open heart and with a smile that conveys his genuine concern for everyone he met. He was a true gentleman. In him was no guile. His love was pure and straight from the heart.

As an employee of the National Council of Churches in India’s service wing the Christian Service Agency, he excelled in everything he did. He saw office work as his very own and represented the Christian Service Agency, and the National Council of Churches in India, with utmost sincerity and dedication of purpose.

Mr. S. Raju was the face of the Christian Service Agency in the government agencies in New Delhi. His public relation skills were par excellence and produced results even in very difficult situations. He served the institution with dedication for 26 years.

The Ecumenical community in New Delhi, and the country as a whole, has lost a leader and a friend. He will be missed in ecumenical gatherings for a long time to come. His kind and encouraging words will be missed forever. We offer our heartfelt condolence and sincere prayers to Mrs. Sampurnam, his wife, Merly and Merwin his daughter and son, and, Manoj son-in-law and Sharwin Sai, the grandson, at this time of their tragic loss. We beseech God Almighty to grant peace in their hearts and strength and healing in their bodies to be able to bear the big loss and cope with this deep misery. May the God of peace offer them God’s peace – a peace that transcends all understanding. In this hour grief, we offer  our prayers to all members of the extended family.

Asir Ebenezer
General Secretary NCCI &
Secretary, Christian Service Agency

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NCCI Tribute to Bishop Collin Theodore

It is with great sadness that National Council of Churches in India (NCCI) received the news of the demise of Rt. Revd. Collin Christopher Theodore, a working committee member of NCCI and the vice president of North West India Council of Churches. He was the former Bishop of the Diocese of Rajasthan of the Church of North India and served as the Moderator’s Episcopal Commissary to the Diocese of Lucknow. He was also a member of the Brotherhood of Ascended Christ, a religious order of CNI.

NCCI expresses its sincere condolences on his passing. In his condolence message The Most Revd Dr. P. C. Singh, the President of NCCI and the Moderator of CNI Synod said; “We are thankful to God for the life, witness and leadership of Bishop Collin Theodore.” He also said,  “We believe that the contributions that he made to the Church at large will always be cherished with gratitude”.

He was surely respected and beloved among the ecumenical fraternity in India especially in North India. Bishop Collin had a strong commitment to ecumenical formation of the clergy and he was ready to go to any extent to reach out to people from different churches and denominations. His passion for ecumenical endeavor was explicitly expressed through his commitment in organising different ecumenical events especially the World Day of Prayer in Delhi and around.

From his humble beginning as a person who worked at a petrol pump to feed his family members after losing his father at an early stage, Bishop Collin stood as an example of God’s miracle. His radical commitment to Christ and the gospel compelled him to lead a monastic life. He was informal in his dealings and approaches but was disciplined as far as the ecclesiastical, liturgical, canonical and other official matters are concerned.

Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” (John 11: 25-26). We are sure that Bishop Collin will continue to live through us as we follow certain examples, he set for us, especially in celebrating life with those who belonged to all walks of the society.

In this hour of grief and sorrow we pray to the Almighty to grant peace, courage, confidence and fortitude to bear the irreparable loss to all in bereavement including the family, the Church of North India, the Brotherhood community and those who had the privilege of knowing Bishop Collin and being blessed by his ministry.

May he rest in peace and rise in glory.

Rev Asir Ebenezer,
General Secretary.

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NCCI celebrates the legacy of a Legend: Babasaheb Dr. B. R. Ambedkar

The National Council of Churches in India salutes the legacy of a legend Babasaheb Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar, a celebrated National leader and the architect of the ‘Constitution of India’, a legal luminary, icon and champion of the annihilation of caste, who worked unequivocally confronting the inequality, injustice and discrimination that prevailed in the country – and primarily caused by the caste system. Babasaheb believed in a religion that taught liberty, equality and fraternity. He measured the progress in a society by the degree of progress that women have achieved.

We recall his conviction that political clarity and administrative reforms alone cannot shape a country like India that is so distinct in culture and social reality. He believed that the annihilation of caste is the determining principle to achieve political and social liberation. He guided the Indian minds in liberation through spiritual development.

We recall that to achieve his central aspirations Ambedkar tried to endow the Dalits with a glorious history of sons and daughters of the soil to help them to acquire an alternative identity, not caste-based, in order to regain self-respect and overcome divisions. His perspective of the status quo was not just settling with being subjugated, rather wanting more life, equality, freedom, fellowship, love and justice. His ambitions to achieve this liberation never ended until his last breath. Dr. Ambedkar was a reformer whose legacy and persistence lasts. His intelligence of social equality continues to echo and vibrate with the prevailing time.

Despite challenge from a personality like Babasaheb, Dalits are still killed, beaten, abused, prohibited from entering religious places, administering religious organisations and institutions, and officiating over religious ceremonies and attending mass ceremonies, using common utilities and resources and working alongside the people of other castes.

It is fitting tribute to the legend today when the NCCI collective, its member churches, councils, institutions, agencies and related bodies, mutually challenge and encourage each other to collectively commit in all its ministries and conversations, including in the interpretation of the Bible, to the fulfilment of Babasaheb’s dream of a just and casteless India; an India in which patriarchy is denounced, privilege of caste, colour, creed and class nexus called out,  and power rest in the collective socio-political consciousness of the people.

Jai Bhim !

Asir Ebenezer
General Secretary
National Council of Churches in India

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Tribute: Bishop Dr. Phillip Silas Masih – a committed Methodist-Ecumenist

The National Council of Churches in India mourns the demise of the Bishop Dr. Phillip Silas Masih (consecrated on 20th May 2012), Bishop of the Methodist Church in India Lucknow Regional Conference and Bengal Regional Conference, who entered glory on Tuesday the 13th April 2021. Bishop Dr. Phillip S Masih also served as the President of the Council of Methodist Bishops in India and the President of CASA Eastern Zone. For a term between 2016 and 2019, Bishop Dr. Masih gave leadership to the National Missionary Society of India. His contributions to the Global and Asian Methodist Councils are noteworthy.

Before his elevation as the Bishop of MCI, Bishop Dr. Masih also served as Secretary of Bible Society of India, Jabalpur, Professor in North India Theological College, Assistant General Secretary of MCI, Executive Secretary of North India Regional Conference and Secretary of the Program Council of MCI Council of Christian Education and Nurture.

Expressing deep shock at the passing away of the dear Bishop, the Most Rev. Dr. P C Singh, Moderator of the Church of North India and President of the National Council of Churches of India, said that Bishop was a long time friend and a great Episcopal and Ecumenical accompanier. While leading the tribute on behalf of the leadership of the NCCI he also conveyed deep condolence to the leadership of the Methodist Church in India and prayers to Mrs. Masih and the members of the bereaved family. Bishop is survived by his wife Mrs. Angela Z. Masih, two sons, daughter-in-law and a grandson.

In the passing away of the Bishop Dr. Phillip S Masih the Church in India has lost a Bishop with a fervent zeal for Missions and a passion for Church Ministries. Bishop Dr. Phillip Silas Masih will always be remembered in the Ecumenical Movement as a friend of the Churches of all traditions and Christian movements, an inter-faith sojourner, a keen listener, a encouraging fellow-worker, a visionary, and an action oriented person; a leader with a heart, and a warm human person. May his soul rest in peace.

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

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NCCI Good Friday/ Easter Message 2021

Crucify him ! Crucify him !

We are living through a time when this high decibel campaign ’to crucify’ is alive and all around us like never before. The intimidation of the religious sisters of the Congregation of the Sacred Heart Society of the Catholic Church on the train to Odisha (and at Jhansi railway station) is the latest of such incidents in the insidious agenda to discredit centuries of unselfish service of the Christian community to the least, the last and the lost in the country who are victims of generations of dispossession. It is an attempt to finish off an entire community that stands by and serves the communities that are deprived, discriminated and systematically disprivileged. We condemn this incident and all such violent attacks on citizens of this country who practice faiths other than those related to dominant communities, particularly those that practice Christianity and Islam.

The dominant narrative around the issue of conversion coupled with anti-conversion ordinances and Acts that embolden fanatical people to take the law into their own hands are paving the way to a culture of mob rule. Although the current targets are minorities, no one will be safe eventually, especially women. If such mobs become more emboldened by the idea that they won’t be apprehended, we can expect more such attacks initiated by such vigilante mobs.

We welcome the Union Home Minister Shri. Amit Shah’s assurance of strict action against the culprits. But we should see  progress in  terms of concrete action in this case since such heinous acts disrupt the freedom of individual rights guaranteed by the Constitution including one’s right to convert to any religion through exercising one’s right to free choice in matters of faith. It is heartening to note the intervention of the National Human Rights Commission in this matter.

Easter faith reminds us of the resurrection of Jesus who was persecuted and killed by the Roman authorities under the pressure of rulers and religious leaders of that period. Resurrection event gives us a hope that intimidation or killing cannot hold sway over the movement(s) that affirms life of All. The liberative faith of over a two-thousand years can know no fetters, nor can be killed. Through faith, here and now, we partake in the resurrection of Jesus and in the eternal life that God shares with us.

Let us therefore challenge the intimidation to be crucified by continuing in the task of proclaiming the good news to the poor, standing together and with each other in calling the haughty to a life of repentance and rectitude.

Come, let us make a solemn renewal of our EASTER faith . . .

Asir Ebenezer
General Secretary
National Council of Churches in India

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“Valuing Water in India” a webinar on Word Water Day

Respected Ecumenical Leaders and dear friends,

World Water Day is an international observance day and has been observed on 22 March every year, focuses on the importance of water and a core focus is to support the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG-6) to ensure water and sanitation for all by 2030. The National Council of Churches in India – Dalit and Tribal/Adivasi Concerns is organizing a webinar on the theme “Valuing Water in India” on 18 March 2021 at 04.00 PM (IST) on Zoom Platform. The Zoom link, ID and password are mentioned below. May I request you to kindly encourage your congregational members, colleagues and friends to join and participate in the webinar. Water scarcity, water pollution, inadequate water supply, lack of sanitation, and the impacts of climate change brings to light the inequality of access to water, sanitization and hygiene services and the need to assure the human right to water and sanitation.

Link: https://zoom.us/j/99764816764?pwd=U2xyN2hUdjBwK0RVTU55WjRGWEIwZz09

Meeting ID: 997 6481 6764
Passcode: 616493

Let us join to observe World Water Day.

With regards,

Pradip Bansrior
Executive Secretary
Dalit and Tribal/ Adivasi Concerns, NCCI

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