The World Communion of Reformed Churches has formally joined an ecumenical statement with Roman Catholics, Lutherans and Methodists aiming to overcome divisions between Protestants and Roman Catholics from the time of the Protestant Reformation.
“Today is a historic day,” said Jerry Pillay, president of the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC), at a ceremony on 5 July in the eastern German town of Wittenberg, where Martin Luther lived and worked. “The documents we are signing today are significant and symbolic of the road we are to travel.”
Pillay was speaking as the WCRC, which groups more than 225 Protestant churches worldwide, formally associated itself with the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification, originally signed by the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and the Roman Catholic Church on 31 October 1999.
“Catholics and Lutherans stated that a ‘consensus in basic truths exists between Lutherans and Catholics’ in regard to the theological controversy with was a major cause of the split in the Western church in the 16th century,” said Bishop Brian Farrell, secretary of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity during in the ceremony.
The declaration stated that mutual condemnations pronounced by the two sides during the Reformation do not apply to their current teaching on justification.
The congregation at Wittenberg’s Stadtkirche (Town Church), broke into spontaneous applause as WCRC General Secretary Chris Ferguson and Catholic, Lutheran and Methodist representatives signed a statement confirming the WCRC’s association with the joint declaration.
“Today we are not only signing a statement, we are building a church together,” said the Rev. Najla Kassab from Lebanon in her sermon at the service in the Stadtkirche, where Luther used to preach.
The ceremony took place in the year marking the 500th anniversary of Luther’s denunciation of church corruption in his 95 Theses, an event that helped set in motion the Reformation and centuries of division between Protestants and Catholics.
“The present achievement and commitment are viewed by Catholics, Lutherans, Methodists and Reformed as part of their pursuit of the full communion and common witness to the world which is the will of Christ for all Christians,” said WMC president Jong Chun Park.
Pope Francis, in a message read by Bishop Farrell, described the ceremony as “an eloquent sign of our commitment to walking together, as brothers and sisters in Christ, on a journey from conflict to communion, from division to reconciliation.”
During the service, the LWF and the WCRC also signed a “Wittenberg Witness” pledging to strengthen cooperation and joint action.
“We commit ourselves to redouble our common efforts to embody our unity, together resisting the forces of injustice and exclusion,” said Martin Junge, LWF general secretary.
At the service there were prayers of repentance and lamentation for past divisions and wrongs, and commitments to work for unity and justice.
“The Reformation taught us accountability,” said Kassab in her sermon.
“Wherever we are in the church we are held accountable,” said Kassab, who was ordained in March as the second female minister in the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon. “Today we are reminded of Luther’s words from his pulpit, ‘A religion that gives nothing, costs nothing, and suffers nothing, is worth nothing.’”
All human beings are valuable in the eyes of God no matter what their colour or gender or race or passport, she said.
“Here I stand, a Middle Eastern women in the pulpit of Luther,” said Kassab, to spontaneous applause. “If only Luther had imagined this, this could have been his 96th question to the church. Not, ‘Why there is a women in this pulpit?’, but ‘Why did take so long?’”
The ceremony in Wittenberg took place during the WCRC General Council which has brought about 1000 participants to the eastern German city of Leipzig.
The WCRC groups more than 225 Protestant churches with a combined membership of about 80 million Christians in Congregational, Presbyterian, Reformed, United, Uniting and Waldensian churches in over 100 countries. Its offices are in Hannover, Germany.
(By Stephen Brown. Article and pictures source: WCRC Press Release July 5, 2017 | http://wcrc.ch/news/wcrc-joins-declaration-to-overcome-reformation-divisions)
Ecumenical news
Interfaith Round Table on Disability
/25 Comments/in News from NCCI /by Christopher RajkumarInterfaith Round Table on Disability
National Council of Churches in India
Indian Disability Ecumenical Accompaniment
Interfaith Round Table on Disability
August 7 – 9, 2017, Pallottine Animation Centre, Nagpur, Maharashtra
Press Note
The NCCI – Indian Disability Ecumenical Accompaniment (IDEA) is organizing an ‘Interfaith Round Table on Disability from 7 – 9 August 2017 at Pallottine Animation Centre, Nagpur. It is jointly organised by the World Council of Churches – Ecumenical Disability Advocates Network, Spalding Trust, World Vision India and Christian Service Agency. The theme for the Round Table is “Faith Journey Together Towards ‘Inclusive Communities’”
It is a first event of its kind. There would be around 60 participants including clerics, theologians and academicians from major faiths including Baha’i, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Indigenous Traditions, Jainism, and Sikhism from all over India.
This Round Table aims to…
Features of this Round Table are …
The inauguration of the Round Table is scheduled on 7th August 2017 at 10:30 am. Honorable Prof. Dr. Siddharthavinayaka P. Kane, the Vice Chancellor of the Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University, Nagpur, and the Most Rev. Dr. Michael G. Jackson, the Arch Bishop of Dublin, Church of Ireland, have consented to be guests of honor at this inauguration. The Rt. Rev. Dr. P. C. Singh – President of NCCI, Rev. Dr. Roger Gaikwad – General Secretary of NCCI, Rt. Rev. Paul Dupare – Bishop of Nagpur Diocese, CNI, Mr. Thomas Cherian – World Vision of India, Ms. Rachna Singh, Member, Executive Committee – NCCI and Rev. Dr. Joshva Raja – Church of England have also consented to jointly inaugurate the round table along with Ven. Bhante Dhammashree Sarathi, Mr. Santosh H. Chahande, Mr. Ankit Bhuptani, Janab. Ahammad Kutty, Prof. Dr. Amrit Kaur Basera , Swami Kedar Joshi Ji and Shri. Hamant Lodha and other faith representatives. As a mark of celebrating unity, these interfaith leaders will join the other participants in planting a tree symbolically at 10.30 am in the Pallottine Campus. The Round Table will conclude on 9th Aug 2017.
The participants will collectively engage in ‘dialogical conversations’ through input sessions, panel discussions, talk-shows, group discussions, practical talks, story-telling and interfaith worship.
For more details please see the Concept Note (.pdf | 371 kb).
Yours,
President – IDEA &
General Secretary NCCI
Director – IDEA &
Executive Secretary
NCCI – Unity & Mission
Co-ordinator – IDEA
<idea@ncci1914.com>
NCCI invites Churches to Engage in Advocacy on World Day Against Trafficking in Persons on 30th July
/24 Comments/in General news /by Moumita BiswasSlavery exits in your front yard . Human Trafficking is Modern Day Slavery .
How equipped are your churches , congregations , pastors, and missionaries to end Human Trafficking ?
A pastor from one of the member churches of NCCI in Delhi shared that his congregation members comprises mainly migrant workers from Jharkhand and other tribal belts in India . He mentioned many of the young girls in his congregation who migrate to be domestic workers are at high risk of being trafficked.
Revd. Jyoti Samuel Singh an ordained woman minister from Church of North India, former Executive Committee member of NCCI, while promoting the “365 Days Zero Tolerance to Gender Based Violence: Make it Happen Now!” Campaign of NCCI shared a similar concern regarding the vulnerability of women and children who are members of our congregations and communities. “ We have to take action and do something to end this modern day slavery and we have to do it now.” asserts Revd Samuel.
Facts about Human Trafficking in India
(cf. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-2941836/Red-alert-oxytocin-injections-given-child-prostitutes-speed-puberty.html; Mohana Basu, “Juvenile Trafficking: Glimpses of Kolkata”, International Research Journal of Interdisciplinary & Multidisciplinary Studies (IRJIMS),Volume-II, Issue-XI, December 2016, Page No. 103-110; accessed on 29th July 2017)
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NCCI Congratulates Church of South India for its Endeavors to Formulate Gender Justice Policy to Build Just Inclusive Communities
/25 Comments/in General news, News from NCCI /by Moumita BiswasConsultative Group of Church of South India Gender Justice Policy
The Consultative Group for Church of South India (CSI) Gender Justice Policy met at CSI Centre under the leadership of Rev. Dr. D.Rathnakara Sadananda, General Secretary, CSI and Rev. Asir Ebenezer, Director, CSI-SEVA on 26th July 2017 to deliberate on the formulation of a Gender Policy for CSI. 11 core group members attended this important meeting. NCCI accompanied CSI in this process through the representation of Ms Moumita Biswas – Executive Secretary of Women’s Concerns Ministry, being part of the Consultative Group .
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Consultation on “Prophetic Role of Church Leaders in the midst of Injustices” held from 4-6 July 2017 at Durgapur.
/25 Comments/in General news, News from NCCI, Other concerns /by Dalit & Tribal/ Adivasi ConcernsNational Council of Churches in India – Dalit and Tribal/Adivasi Concerns
in partnership with EMW-Germany, Christian Service Agency and Diocese of Durgapur-CNI
Consultation on “Prophetic Role of Church Leaders in the midst of Injustices”
Date: 4th – 6th July 2017
Venue: Diocesan Bhavan, Aldrin Path, Bidhan Nagar, Durgapur (W/B)
The Church has been in solidarity with the oppressed and the marginalized, but the time has come when solidarity in spirit alone is insufficient to resurrect failing courage, and hopelessness, in the wake of injustice and atrocities perpetrated on vulnerable sections of society, particularly on Dalits, Tribals and Adivasis, setting their life and livelihood at risk, affecting them physically, mentally and spiritually, and destroying the collective will of survival. The time has come to recognize that the engagement of the Church is the need of the hour, as it stands for values of the Reign of God and ‘just-peace’ for all. The Church has to be sensitive to the struggles of Dalits, Tribals and Adivasis and cannot remain a mute spectator to atrocities inflicted on them in terms of marginalization, loss of identity, dehumanization, trafficking and displacement caused by lop-sided development. It has to redefine the meaning of “Justice” in the context of globalization that seeks to exploit natural resources without considering its impact on the indigenous people, and ensure a life of dignity, peace and security for Dalits. It has to be inclusive, acknowledging Jesus as the dynamic ideal and model for ensuring justice.
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NCCI Interns’ orientation 2017
/25 Comments/in General news, News from NCCI /by Caesar DavidA two-day orientation programme for the interns of National Council of Churches in India (NCCI) was held on 15th -16th June 2017. Rev. Dr. Roger Gaikwad, General Secretary, along with the Executive Secretaries and the interns attended the programme. Six sessions were conducted all together where the Rev. Dr. Roger Gaikwad took up the first session. The second session was taken up by all the Executive Secretaries together, third session by Rev. Caesar David, fourth session by Rev. Christopher Rajkumar, fifth session by Mr. Ashish Mane, Finance Officer-NCCI and Mr. Vijayan Pillai, Programme Coordinator-ESHA Inclusive, and the last session was an interactive session moderated by the General Secretary.
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National Scholarship portal 2017 – India
/22 Comments/in Scholarships /by Caesar DavidNATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP PORTAL (INDIA) – http://scholarships.gov.in/
SCHOLARSHIP SCHEMES FOR MINORITIES (INDIA) – http://www.minorityaffairs.gov.in/schemesperformance
Please share widely and encourage students to avail themselves of these schemes and scholarships.
> Resources > Links has also been updated with the above links.
WCRC joins declaration to overcome Reformation divisions
/25 Comments/in General news, Other concerns /by Caesar DavidThe World Communion of Reformed Churches has formally joined an ecumenical statement with Roman Catholics, Lutherans and Methodists aiming to overcome divisions between Protestants and Roman Catholics from the time of the Protestant Reformation.
“Today is a historic day,” said Jerry Pillay, president of the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC), at a ceremony on 5 July in the eastern German town of Wittenberg, where Martin Luther lived and worked. “The documents we are signing today are significant and symbolic of the road we are to travel.”
Pillay was speaking as the WCRC, which groups more than 225 Protestant churches worldwide, formally associated itself with the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification, originally signed by the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and the Roman Catholic Church on 31 October 1999.
“Catholics and Lutherans stated that a ‘consensus in basic truths exists between Lutherans and Catholics’ in regard to the theological controversy with was a major cause of the split in the Western church in the 16th century,” said Bishop Brian Farrell, secretary of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity during in the ceremony.
The declaration stated that mutual condemnations pronounced by the two sides during the Reformation do not apply to their current teaching on justification.
The congregation at Wittenberg’s Stadtkirche (Town Church), broke into spontaneous applause as WCRC General Secretary Chris Ferguson and Catholic, Lutheran and Methodist representatives signed a statement confirming the WCRC’s association with the joint declaration.
“Today we are not only signing a statement, we are building a church together,” said the Rev. Najla Kassab from Lebanon in her sermon at the service in the Stadtkirche, where Luther used to preach.
The ceremony took place in the year marking the 500th anniversary of Luther’s denunciation of church corruption in his 95 Theses, an event that helped set in motion the Reformation and centuries of division between Protestants and Catholics.
“The present achievement and commitment are viewed by Catholics, Lutherans, Methodists and Reformed as part of their pursuit of the full communion and common witness to the world which is the will of Christ for all Christians,” said WMC president Jong Chun Park.
Pope Francis, in a message read by Bishop Farrell, described the ceremony as “an eloquent sign of our commitment to walking together, as brothers and sisters in Christ, on a journey from conflict to communion, from division to reconciliation.”
During the service, the LWF and the WCRC also signed a “Wittenberg Witness” pledging to strengthen cooperation and joint action.
“We commit ourselves to redouble our common efforts to embody our unity, together resisting the forces of injustice and exclusion,” said Martin Junge, LWF general secretary.
At the service there were prayers of repentance and lamentation for past divisions and wrongs, and commitments to work for unity and justice.
“Wherever we are in the church we are held accountable,” said Kassab, who was ordained in March as the second female minister in the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon. “Today we are reminded of Luther’s words from his pulpit, ‘A religion that gives nothing, costs nothing, and suffers nothing, is worth nothing.’”
All human beings are valuable in the eyes of God no matter what their colour or gender or race or passport, she said.
“Here I stand, a Middle Eastern women in the pulpit of Luther,” said Kassab, to spontaneous applause. “If only Luther had imagined this, this could have been his 96th question to the church. Not, ‘Why there is a women in this pulpit?’, but ‘Why did take so long?’”
The ceremony in Wittenberg took place during the WCRC General Council which has brought about 1000 participants to the eastern German city of Leipzig.
The WCRC groups more than 225 Protestant churches with a combined membership of about 80 million Christians in Congregational, Presbyterian, Reformed, United, Uniting and Waldensian churches in over 100 countries. Its offices are in Hannover, Germany.
(By Stephen Brown. Article and pictures source: WCRC Press Release July 5, 2017 | http://wcrc.ch/news/wcrc-joins-declaration-to-overcome-reformation-divisions)
NEICC letter to the Ministry of Law and Justice with reference to report no. 267 of the Law Commission of India.
/25 Comments/in General news, Other concerns, Statements /by Caesar DavidNorth East India Christian Council (NEICC), a regional council of the National Council of Churches in India (NCCI) has written a letter (see below) to Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, Cabinet minister, Ministry of Law and Justice of the Government of India requesting not to bring amendments to the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), 1973 as per proposal made by the Law Commission of India, namely, The Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2017. This is with reference to Report no. 267 of the Law Commission of India dated March 2017.
Rev. Dr. Roger Gaikwad, General Secretary of NCCI appreciates NEICC for the initiatives they are taking. Since it is important to communicate and make known our concerns, he urges Churches and councils to write on specific issues and concerns to corresponding authority bodies. Read more
Chief Minister of West Bengal State Receives UN Highest Public Service Award for Girl Child Project ‘Kanyashree’
/24 Comments/in General news /by Moumita BiswasMs Mamata Banarjee – Honourable Chief Minister of West Bengal State receiving UN Honours for Highest Public Service Award for Girl Child Project ‘Kanyashree’ ( source: www.indiatoday.indiatoday.in )
The National Council of Churches in india congratulates Ms Mamata Banarjee Honorable Chief Minister of West Bengal State for receiving the prestigious award by United Nations for ‘Revolutionizing Girls Education and Women’s Empowerment’ through ‘Kanyashree Project’. ‘Kanyashree’ was ranked the best among 552 such social sector schemes from across 62 countries that were nominated for the coveted award. The award was presented at the World Public Service Forum by UN Assistant Secretary General at a ceremony in Hague in Netherlands.
The project was launched soon after Mamata Banerjee came to power in 2011 and has helped more than 40 lakh female students in the state. ‘Kanyashree’ scheme for the empowerment of girls including prevention child marriage and education.
‘Kanyasree’ Scheme: The scheme has two parts – a one-time payment and an annual scholarship – and will be available to families whose annual income is less than Rs 1.2 lakh. The one-time payment of Rs 25,000 will be made to the family of a girl if she is part of the education stream and not married off till 18 years of age.
Under the scheme, girl students are being given annual financial grant and a bank account is opened in the name of each girl student where the money is deposited. Also after passing higher secondary level exams, if a girl student continues with her studies for five more years without getting married she gets a one-time grant of Rs 25,000 at the end.
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Tribal and Adivasi Sunday 2017
/25 Comments/in General news, News from NCCI, Worship /by Dalit & Tribal/ Adivasi ConcernsRespected Ecumenical Leaders,
Warm greetings from NCCI-Dalit and Tribal/ Adivasi Concerns!
Celebration of Tribal and Adivasi Sunday has become an important feature in the calendar of Indian Churches and Ecumenical movements. Over the years Tribal and Adivasi Sunday has been celebrated in many parts of our country in sensitizing the local congregation on Tribal and Adivasi Concerns. Thanks to the enormous support we have received from across the churches, dioceses, parishes and institutions in celebrating this special Sunday.
The theme for this year’s Tribal and Adivasi Sunday is “Solidarity in Christ: Bearing One Another’s Burdens” (cf. Galatians 6:2).We take this opportunity to invite you to celebrate Tribal and Adivasi Sunday on 6th August 2017 in your church/local parish/institution in a creative way. However, if you already have some programme on 6th August 2017, you may think of celebrating this Special day on later Sundays. Herewith we are sending you hard copies of posters and a special order of worship for the day. You may take the freedom to use the entire worship order and translate it in your vernacular language or adapt parts of it.
We would appreciate if you send a brief report along with a few photographs of the celebration to the undersigned. Let us join to celebrate Tribal and Adivasi Sunday on 6th August 2017.
Thanking you in anticipation.
With regards,
In Christ,
Pradip Bansrior
Executive Secretary
Dalit and Tribal/ Adivasi Concerns
National Council of Churches in India.
Download Order of Worship: NCCI Tribal and Adivasi Sunday 2017 pdf
(http://ncci1914.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/NCCI-Tribal-Adivasi-Sunday-2017-pdf.pdf)