NCCI delegation meets Vice President of India

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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2015 Christmas Message from Rev. Dr. Roger Gaikwad, General Secretary of NCCI

NCCI 2015 Christmas ecardCHRISTMAS MESSAGE

What significance does the celebration of Christmas have for us in India this year?

In a country where 25th December is being promoted by the Government as Good Governance Day, when in reality the large body of citizens is being adversely affected by the political manipulation of governance, the message of Christmas comes to us in Isaiah 9:6-7

For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

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All India Council of Christian Women – Women’s Wing of NCC India invites Churches during this Advent Season to Welcome Baby Jesus by Taking a Stand Against Child Abuse

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16 Days Poster
ALARMING FACTS:
* In India 65% of school children reported facing corporal punishment – beatings by teachers mostly in government schools.
* Of children physically abused in families, in 88.6% of the cases, it was the parents who were the perpetrators.
* India is the 4th most dangerous country in the world for girl child to be born in and for a girl woman to live in. (Indian Government Commissioned Survey Report, source: www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com assessed on 2nd Dec 2015)
* Over 53% children in India face sexual abuse (That means out of every two children one child faces sexual abuse in India)
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Chennai situation: Updates from Arcot Lutheran Church

This is an e-mail received by the office of the General Secretary of National Council of Churches in India from Arcot Lutheran Church (ALC) updating us of the situation in Chennai and the continuing need for support in relief and rehabilitation efforts undertaken by NCCI’s constitutional members.

Greetings to you from the Arcot Lutheran church.

Thanks for your kind mail dated Dec 8, 2015 and we are very happily noted the contents with a deep sense of thankfulness.

We take this opportunity to express our deep sense of gratitude for taking time to inform all the NCCI member churches about the devastation happened in Tamilnadu especially in the Arcot Lutheran Church areas of three districts namely Cuddalore, Villupuram and Tiruvannamalai.
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Over 500 School Children walked for Inclusion saying We do not need your ‘Wheel Chair’ but a ‘Space’.

(In commemoration of the International Day of the Persons with Disabilities – 3 December)

Engage Disability,

Indian Disability Ecumenical Accompaniment – IDEA

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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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Relief and Rehabilitation work in Chennai by Church of South India (CSI)

This is an email received from Rev. Dr. D. R. Sadananda, General Secretary of Church of South India (CSI) updating us about the calamitous situation in Chennai and the response of CSI, through its Diaconal Ministry CSI-SEVA that has been coordinating with the Dioceses in carrying out relief operations in flood affected areas. We solicit your prayers and support for the Chennai situation.

Dear Dr. Roger Gaikwad,

Greetings from the CSI Synod Secretariat!

Thank you very much for your email expressing NCCI’s solidarity with those affected by the Chennai floods. You aware that Chennai and different parts of Tamilnadu are still reeling under flooding caused by breached tanks and release of water from tanks and dams. This is considered to be due to effects of climate change and underlines our immediate and urgent commitment to climate justice.
csireliefworkThe situation is unprecedented and has caught the population and administration unaware. But for a responsive neighbourhood that rose up to the occasion, the distress would have been many folds more. Social media was used as a great force multiplier in the process. The local churches have responded immediately. The Church and School/ Institution premises in many places have accommodated people. Local congregations in the affected and neighbouring areas have been distributing food packets, blankets and drinking water.
Thank you for your readiness to stand in solidarity with the people who have suffered a great loss because of the floods in Chennai. Thank you for the prayers, for the words of encouragement and comfort. The CSI-SEVA (Diaconal Ministry) has been co-ordinating with our Dioceses and is carrying out the need assessment in the flood affected areas.

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Chennai situation: An Appeal to all Churches.

Dear Ecumenical Colleagues,

We all are aware of the natural calamity that has wrecked havoc in Tamilnadu. I am sure many of you must be praying for the people of the region.A few of you may also have sent your support in cash or kind to them.

In case you would still like to send help, you may do it through CASA since CASA is the social service wing of the NCCI. You may contact Dr. Sushant Agrawal, Director of CASA (casa@del6.vsnl.in or sushant@casa-india.org; Tel. 011-25730611, 25730612) or the South Zone office of CASA in Chennai (Dr. Mrs. Florina Immaculate Mary Benoit, Chief Zonal Officer, CASA South Zone, 4 Church Road, Vepery, Chennai 600 007, Tamil Nadu, India, Tel: +91-44-25321297, E-Mail: florina@casa-india.org ).

In case it is more convenient for you to render help directly, you may also do so. You could even contact the offices of Tamil Nadu Christian Council, Arcot Lutheran Church, United Evangelical Churches in India, Church of South India, The Salvation Army or any other church/agency in Tamil Nadu.

Thanking you,

Sincerely,

Roger Gaikwad
General Secretary, NCCI.

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NCCI Celebrating Dalit Liberation Sunday

 DLS posterObservance of the NCCI Dalit Liberation Sunday is an annual and significant feature in the NCCI Calendar and we are back to you to remind that as every year we will be observing the Dalit Liberation Sunday with the theme “Climate, Caste, and Care for the Earth” on the 13th November 2015. We have come up with a suggested worship order which could be used wholly or in parts to make the worship more meaningful. Kindly find it in attached file. As it is the season of Advent, if your church calendar is filled, this Sunday may be observed in any other Sunday as well.

Download prayer and worship order 

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“The Writing on the Wall” WRITERS WORKSHOP REPORT (UBS | November 26 – 28, 2015)

DSC03334A Writers Workshop, “The Writing on the Wall”, jointly organized by The Commission on Communication and Relations (COCR) of the National Council of Churches in India (NCCI), Board of Theological Text Book Program of South Asia (BTTBPSA) and Union Biblical Seminary (UBS), was held at UBS, Pune from November 26 – 28, 2015. Participants at the workshop included Pastors, theology students and theology professors from various denominations and colleges around India. The Program theme was conceived based on the fundamental premise that Prophetic writing is not only about being able to read the signs of times to come but to respond to it in boldness with a passion for truth and justice that itself becomes a force for transformation in society. The Program was purported to encourage a culture of writing to yield greater contribution to Theological text books in regional languages in India and also to produce the kind of writing that causes change and triumph of truth using not only traditional paradigms of writing but also effectively employing the tools available in emerging information and communication technology.

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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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