Chennai situation: Updates from Arcot Lutheran Church

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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’.

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

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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.

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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.

NCCI Celebrating Dalit Liberation Sunday

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 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 

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

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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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Dont Look Away – Act Against Violence on Women and Child Abuse!

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Invitation: 
Break The Silence!!!  Reflect Faith in Action
 
activismAll India Council of Christian Women (AICCW), Women’s wing of National Council of Churches in India (NCCI) invites the fellow-pilgrims of Justice and Peace to engage in 16 Days of Activism against Violence on Women and Child Abuse.
From 25 November (UN declared, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women)  to 10 December (Human Rights Day), the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence Campaign is a time to galvanize action to end violence against women and girls around the world.
 As the world commomerates these 16 days of activism, All India Council of Christian Women invites member churches of NCCI, women’s fellowships of member churches, organizations/communities, institutions to engage in advocacy to promote 365 Days of Zero Tolerance to Gender Based Violence.  Make it Happen Now!! – a Campaign of AICCW-NCCI, to build inclusive communities of Justice and Peace.

Click here to download the PDF.

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.

Paris Terror and Tragedy: Crying in solidarity! Calling for peace with justice!

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There are too many of us who know what it means to have terrorism touch our lives, our loved ones, and our sense of connection with the people around us. Today, France and Lebanon are in the midst of that fog of tragedy. Even if we aren’t directly affected, we still feel some of the pain of the families of those killed and injured. And so even the National Council of Churches in India expresses our solidarity with our brothers and sisters in France, Lebanon and across the world that are mourning, suffering, experiencing rape, being rendered homeless, running and struggling for refuge, going through an excruciating sense of helplessness and hopelessness. Bold speeches are being made and solidarity statements are being uttered, such as “We all are France!” One wonders whether we would be concerned enough to declare, “We all are Afghanistan! We all are Iraq! We all are Syria! We all are Rohingyas!”

The frightening sense of vulnerability that the attack has induced is shared by every citizen and every government in the alliance of countries – European, American and Arab – part of a coalition formed to “degrade and destroy” ISIS, in Barack Obama’s words.

Faced with such an international situation, people and their governments are concerned about security. Increased surveillance measures may be necessary. Greater official intrusiveness into the private lives of citizens through expanded data and internet access laws may come to be seen as unavoidable. But total security is an illusion.