Gender based violence is a universal and global issue that harms men, women and children in their most private arena. People often feel helpless and hopeless in the face of so much pain and injustice.
In 2011 a survey conducted by the Thomson Reuters Foundation has ranked India as the world’s most dangerous country for women to live in. However, we can all be involved in a simple but powerful campaign to address gender Based violence.
Thursdays in Black encourages everyone, men and women, to wear black every Thursday. This can be a campaign T-shirt, other black clothing or simply a campaign badge as a sign of their support.
Wearing black on Thursdays shows others that you are tired of putting up with violence, and calls for communities where we can all walk safely without fear; fear of being beaten up, fear of being verbally abused, fear of being raped, fear of discrimination. The campaign is not confined only to countries at war, but recognizes that violence takes many forms, including domestic violence, sexual assault, rape, incest, murder, female infanticide, genital mutilation, sexual harassment, discrimination and sex trafficking.
The Thursdays in Black campaign protests began in the 1970s and its roots lie in groups such as Mothers of the Disappeared in Argentina. These women began wearing black sashes in honor of their friends and family members who were disappearing, being raped, and abused. They would gather every Thursday in silence to protest the loss of loved ones under the military dictatorship, with the aim of raising the government’s awareness that these acts of violence were happening in their homeland. Other groups have developed including women who wanted to express outrage at the rape-death camps in war torn Bosnia, the Black Sash in South Africa and women who oppose the Israel occupation of the West Bank and ordinary woman all over the world.
In the 1980s, Thursdays in Black became an international human rights campaign supported by different organizations, groups and individual as a peaceful way of saying “I support the human right of women’s to live in a world without violence, rape and fear.”
National Council of Churches in India has been part of “Thursday in Black” campaign, and it acknowledges the churches, organizations, faith groups and individual who have been part of this campaign.
Jayalakshmi is a domestic violence survivor and her story is that of lakhs of other Indian women. That is why it needs to be told.
https://www.womensweb.in/articles/domestic-violence-survivor-story/
National Council of Churches in India invites people to join this worldwide movement which enables the despair, pain and anger about rape and other forms of violence to be transformed into political action.
Ecumenical news
A brief report on Ecumenical Youth Music Concert
News from NCCIAs part of the Unity Octave, the National Council of Churches in India-Youth Concerns organized an Ecumenical Youth Music Concert on (24th January Thursday) at Sristhi Lawn, NCCI Campus, Nagpur, on the theme “Justice and only justice you shall pursue” (Deuteronomy 16:18-20). The main focus of the concert was to extent the ecumenical rapport and unity among the Christians, especially the Youth spreading the message of peace and unity through music in the midst of turmoil and intolerance in our society.
The programme began with an opening prayer by Mr. Pradip Bansrior, Executive Secretary, NCCI-Dalit and Tribal/Adivasi Concerns and Mr. Jianthaolung Gonmei, Executive Secretary, NCCI-Youth Concerns welcomed the invitees and the participants as well as gave a brief introduction of the Unity Octave.
Different forms of music such as bhajan, devotional, choir, solo, and western were presented in various languages – English, Hindi, Marathi and Mizo. Churches, seminaries and organizations from different Christian faith community from in and around Nagpur participated in the event. The participants were from Mizo Fellowship, St. Charles Seminary, Hindi Methodist Church, St. Thomas Orthodox Theological Seminary (STOTS), Nagpur Christian Art Ministry, CNI St. Thomas Church, Marathi Methodist Church, Good Samaritan Church and North East Christian Fellowship.
Reading of the scripture was read by Ms. Sweta Nanda, Intern, from Matthew 15: 22-28 and proposed the vote of thanks. The program concluded with prayer for unity and benediction by Rev. Christopher Rajkumar, Executive Secretary, NCCI-Unity and Mission. The event was led by Ms. Megha Naik, Intern, NCCI-Women Concerns as its host.
Above all, Ecumenical Youth Music Concert was filled with delightful experiences where both the participants and the spectators were inspired through the presentations that paved the way for an opportunity to widen the space of learning and reasoning and welcome all humanity in one’s life that will lead towards love and unity of all in the pilgrimage of pursuing justice and only justice.
Rev Dr Gnana Robinson passed away
General newsThe National Council of Churches in India is deeply saddened by the demise of Rev Dr Gnana Robinson, an eminent ecumenical leader in India. He was a visionary and an able leader who led many Christian institutions including the Untied Theological College, Bangalore and Tamil Nadu Theological Seminary, Madurai. He was also the founder president of the Peace Trust, Kanyakumari.
His ecumenical contributions are exemplary. Being an Old Testament professor, he proved his scholarly skills and inspired many students who became leaders of the Church now. He was keen on developing a second layer leadership in Indian Church. His passion for the liberation of the common masses in the southern hemisphere of the world had been expressed through his writings.
He left behind his wife Rev Florence Robinson and children Jeevan Robinson and Ratna Robinson. On behalf of the constituent bodies of NCCI, we convey our deep condolences to the bereaved family and pray that may God grant eternal peace to them.
The Most Rev. Dr. P. C. Singh elected President of Bible Society of India
News from Constituent MembersMost Rev. Dr. P.C. Singh, President of the National Council of Churches in India (NCCI), the Moderator of the Church of North India (CNI) is elected to serve as the President of The Bible Society of India. He was installed as President, on 31st January 2019, at Bangalore during the meeting of the 27th Triennial Central Council of the Bible Society of India. Dr. Mrs. Leela Bose was elected as Vice President and Rev. Premkumar Soans as the Treasurer of Bible Society of India.
Most Rev. Dr. P C. Singh, Bishop of the Jabalpur Diocese of the Church of North India, is a well-known Ecumenical leader. He is President of the prestigious Christian Institute for the Study of Religion and Society (CISRS), Ecumenical Church Loan Fund of India(ECLOF); Executive Committee Member of the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) and holds other responsible posts in many organizations across India. He has taken over charge from Rev. Dr. P.N.S. Chandra Bose.
The National Council of Churches in India wishes its President The Most Rev. Dr. P. C. Singh, Dr. Mrs. Leela Bose, Rev. Premkumar Soans and Rev. Dr. M. Mani Chacko (General Secretary, BSI) the very best and God’s blessings as they guide the Bible Society of India for the next Triennium.
Rev. Asir Ebenezer
General Secretary, NCCI
NCCI Republic Day Message 2019: Let us Arise and build . . .
General newsWe have been a unique republic. It is with great joy and a sense of satisfaction that we look forward to another year, and many more, organising ourselves as a people – different and diverse, rich in heritage and righteous in spirit, sincerely hoping that we will sustain the legacy of this great nation for generations to come. Read more …
Rev. Asir Ebenezer
General Secretary
National Council of Churches in India
Secretary,
Christian Service Agency
THURSDAYS IN BLACK
AppealGirl children are considered a “burden” on their natal families, attributed to the idea that they will be married off at a certain age (and hopefully at a competitive price), while sons will study, become breadwinners of the households, bring home a wife who will take on households responsibilities, and thus support his parents in old age. It is time for us to ponder upon a question are girls less capable or is it our attitude? Because , not only have we been socialised into believing in differential rights and abilities of boys and girls, but we have behaved in ways to ensure this is true by not providing equal access to both boys and girls, equal access to support and encouragement, and consequently, equal opportunity to perform. And this is one kind of silent struggles and violence a girl child has to go through since her childhood and after marriage she goes through violence. The worst victims of such violence are girls, women, and children. We know India is the 4th dangerous country for women to live in and for the girl child to survive. 53 percent children get sexually abused in India that means one out of two children.
Thursday in Black campaign is against gender based violence and it encourages men and women to support girl child and treat them equally to build inclusive church and society.
THURSDAY IN BLACK
AppealNational Council of Churches in India urges all churches and social organizations to take concrete actions against gender based violence and also encourage people to speak out against violence to ensure that women and men, boys and girls are safe from violence in all places.
India is rapidly growing more towards violence which has no end and a huge threat for the younger generation to live peacefully. Children who grow up in families where there is violence may suffer a range of behavioral and emotional disturbances therefore NCCI invites all of us to join in Thursdays in Black Campaign to fight against violence and make country a better place to live in.
For more information read
NCCI invites all to be a part of Global Campaign “Thursday in Black”
General news, News from NCCIGender based violence is a universal and global issue that harms men, women and children in their most private arena. People often feel helpless and hopeless in the face of so much pain and injustice.
In 2011 a survey conducted by the Thomson Reuters Foundation has ranked India as the world’s most dangerous country for women to live in. However, we can all be involved in a simple but powerful campaign to address gender Based violence.
Thursdays in Black encourages everyone, men and women, to wear black every Thursday. This can be a campaign T-shirt, other black clothing or simply a campaign badge as a sign of their support.
Wearing black on Thursdays shows others that you are tired of putting up with violence, and calls for communities where we can all walk safely without fear; fear of being beaten up, fear of being verbally abused, fear of being raped, fear of discrimination. The campaign is not confined only to countries at war, but recognizes that violence takes many forms, including domestic violence, sexual assault, rape, incest, murder, female infanticide, genital mutilation, sexual harassment, discrimination and sex trafficking.
The Thursdays in Black campaign protests began in the 1970s and its roots lie in groups such as Mothers of the Disappeared in Argentina. These women began wearing black sashes in honor of their friends and family members who were disappearing, being raped, and abused. They would gather every Thursday in silence to protest the loss of loved ones under the military dictatorship, with the aim of raising the government’s awareness that these acts of violence were happening in their homeland. Other groups have developed including women who wanted to express outrage at the rape-death camps in war torn Bosnia, the Black Sash in South Africa and women who oppose the Israel occupation of the West Bank and ordinary woman all over the world.
In the 1980s, Thursdays in Black became an international human rights campaign supported by different organizations, groups and individual as a peaceful way of saying “I support the human right of women’s to live in a world without violence, rape and fear.”
National Council of Churches in India has been part of “Thursday in Black” campaign, and it acknowledges the churches, organizations, faith groups and individual who have been part of this campaign.
Jayalakshmi is a domestic violence survivor and her story is that of lakhs of other Indian women. That is why it needs to be told.
https://www.womensweb.in/articles/domestic-violence-survivor-story/
National Council of Churches in India invites people to join this worldwide movement which enables the despair, pain and anger about rape and other forms of violence to be transformed into political action.
Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2019 (Unity Octave)
General news, News from NCCI, WorshipEvery year Christians across the world gather in prayer for growth in unity. We do this in a world where corruption, greed and injustice bring about inequality and division. Ours is a united prayer in a fractured world: this is powerful. However, as individual Christians and communities, we are often complicit with injustice, and yet we are called together to form a united witness for justice and to be a means of Christ’s healing grace for the brokenness of the world.
The theme for the 2019 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, “Justice and only justice you shall pursue” is taken from the book of Deuteronomy 16:18-20.
The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2019 has been prepared by Christians from Indonesia. With a population of 265 million, 86% of whom are reckoned to be Muslim, Indonesia is well known as having the largest Muslim population of any country. However, about 10% of Indonesians are Christian from various traditions. In terms of both population and the vast extension of the country Indonesia is the biggest nation in South East Asia. It has more than 17,000 islands, 1,340 different ethnic groups and over 740 local languages and yet is united in its plurality by one national language Bahasa Indonesia. The articulations on the prayer themes have however been adapted to the Indian context by the NCCI Secretariat.
Churches all over the globe are called to work together to heal the wounds in the body of Christ. At the same time, need to discern God’s hand at work in bringing about reform, healing and liberation. In other words, churches should be together and work where God is.
Download the Week of Prayer 2019 for Christian Unity
Passing the Baton: Revd. Asir Ebenezer takes charge of NCCI as the General Secretary
News from NCCIThe installation of Rev. Asir Ebenezer as the new the General Secretary took place on 3 January 2019. The program began with a worship service in which the Office bearers of NCCI, members of Working Committee, Finance Committee, Executive Secretaries and Staff were present. The President handed over a copy of The Holy Bible and Constitution of NCCI to the new General Secretary. Rev. Dr. Roger Gaikwad the outgoing General Secretary handed over the charge. Rev. Asir Ebenezer was felicitated by the Church dignitaries who graced the occasion. After the installation service Rev. Asir Ebenezer was led to the General Secretary’s room where he was seated in the general secretary’s chair. Rt. Rev. Dr. J. George Stephen, Bishop of Madras Diocese consecrated him in prayer .
Rev. Asir Ebenezer is an ordained minister of the Church of South India (CSI). He has been in ministry since 1992 and has served in various positions in national and global ecumenical forums.
Prior to this, he was serving as Director of Social Empowerment: Vision in Action (CSI_SEVA) at the CSI Synod. He had earlier served the NCCI in various positions, including Officiating General Secretary of NCCI in betweeb 2004 and 2010. A well-known figure in ecumenical circles, theologian, community-enabler and finance expert, the multiple competencies of Rev. Asir Ebenezer will go a long way to strengthen the council.
The office Bearers, Secretaries, and the Staff of the NCCI welcome Rev. Asir Ebenezer and wish him well in his new responsibility.
The Rev. Dr. Roger Gaikwad moves to another area of work relating to Theological Education. The NCCI acknowledges his contribution to NCCI and wishes him well for his new endeavor.
To Everything Turn, Turn, Turn
General newsTo