NCCI Centenary Celebration 2014 – Glimpses

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National Council of Churches in India (NCCI) celebrated its centenary in 2014 in a series of regional programs all over India. This video is a a compilation of the highlights / glimpses of the year-long celebration.

Check out the video from our YouTube channel:

Seminar Report – Smart Church: Youth initiatives for an efficient, vibrant, communicating Church

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DSC00256_crA seminar entitled “Smart Church: Youth initiatives for an efficient, vibrant, communicating Church” was held on February 17, 2015 at Azariah House at National Council of Churches in India (NCCI) campus in Nagpur. It was jointly organized by NCCI’s  Commission on Communications & Relations and the Commission on Youth. The purpose of this seminar was to provide space for young people from our Churches to come together bringing their own experiences and ideas towards enhancing the ministries of the Church, especially in their organizational aspects, and particularly in terms of consolidating the communication systems, tools and processes. The program was attended by 28 participants from several protestant denominations as well as Roman Catholic orders.

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Launch of HELP HOTLINE and Information on Rights related to police complaints, arrests and legal aid for Indian citizens

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Do You Know Your Rights?

The rise of violence against Christians in India has led to the formation of a legal aid agency and the establishment of a help hotline both to monitor and provide assistance in the event of an attack against Christian Indians.

According to the World Watch Monitor, Christians in India formed the United Christian Forum for Human Rights on January 19. The forum’s spokesperson, John Dayal, said that its purpose is “to coordinate both legal and advocacy assistance to the community, which has been traumatised in recent months by communal violence in several states.”

The statement gives further details on the agency’s hotline and its purpose: “The UCF has commissioned a 24-hour National Helpline, 1-800-208-4545, so that lawyers and experts can assist victims of violence, intimidation, coercion and illegal confinement by any criminal or political group.”
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FIRST INFORMATION REPORT

Anybody can lodge a FIR. You do not need to be a witness to the crime to be eligible to lodge an FIR. If you have come to know about the crime, that would suffice.

  • It is illegal for the police officer to deny lodging an FIR. If such a situation occurs, send a copy of your complaint to the Commissioner/ Superintendent of Police by registered post or AD.
  • The FIR must be taken down in writing, read over and explained to you before you sign it.
  • You can lodge an FIR at any police station convenient to you. The police officer must ensure that it is sent to the appropriate police station nearest to the place of crime.
  • Always ask for a copy of the FIR for your personal records. You have the right to a copy of the same free of cost.
  • You may also give information of a crime by telephone, to an officer in charge of a police station. In such cases, the police will ascertain your personal details (such as name, age, address and phone no) for their records.

SEARCH

Two independent witnesses (panchas) should always be present when you or your premises are searched.

  • An accurate list of articles seized must be prepared and given to you immediately.

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NCCI prays for the team involved in Crisis Relief International (CRI) at Queragosh and Erbil

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In solidarity with all those being persecuted for their faith, particularly children

Mail Attachment (1)The National Council of Churches in India calls upon all its constituent members along with the Member Churches and other non-member churches to unite in prayer for the misguided terrorists who are involved in extreme Islamic goals of mass conversion or death not even sparing the little children.  The NCCI pleads with all those who read this mail to forward it to your churches to pray unitedly in your intercessory prayers.

May this Lenten Season bring light upon those who are misguided in the name of religion.

PRAYER:
Lord, we come before you in sadness and grief for the people facing persecution in Your Holy name.  Your Son Jesus Christ suffered and died for us.  In His resurrection He restores life and peace in all creation.  Comfort them Lord, we pray, all victims of intolerance and those oppressed by their fellow humans.  Remember in your kingdom those who have died.  Lead the mis-guided terrorists towards compassion and give hope to the suffering.

Requesting proper authority to ban the entering of Mr Pravin Togadia to Kondhmal

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Utkal Christian Council acts in the context of the rising phenomenon of Hatred Speeches


The UTKAL CHRISTIAN COUNCIL
(A Regional Council of the National Council of Churches of India)

   Regd. Office: Bishop’s House, Mission Road, Cuttack- 753 001, Orissa Phone:0671-3250268, Mobile:1406627, Emails: jrpatro2000@yahoo.com; doccni@gmail.com

To
The Superintendent of Police, Kandhamal
Phulbani, Dist: Kandhamal, Orissa.
Sub: Request for ban on entering  of Mr. Praveen Togadia into Kandhamal District on 27th Feb 2015 which is likely to  disturb peace and communal harmony prevailing in the state because of his provocative and inflammatory speech.  
 
Sir,
Greetings from Utkal Christian Council.
1. This is to inform you that the U.C.C. is the regional Council of Churches in Orissa for furthering the objectives of member Churches and to  represent the grievances of the churches of Odisha and  protestant churches in particular.
2.This has come to the knowledge of the undersigned that Mr. Praveen Togadia is coming to  Kandhamal District on 27th Feb 2015 for conducting a public meeting which is likely to  disturb peace and communal harmony prevailing in the state because of  his provocative and inflammatory  speech. People of Odisha especially of Kandhamal have not yet forgotten his calculated inflammatory provocative speech which triggered communal violence in Kandhmal and spreaded over alarmingly to other parts of the state and resulted in serious destruction of life and property of people including property of the Government. The people of Kandhamal District are still living in anxiety and fear.  The visit of Mr Togadia’s visit will have consequences both immediate and long range, as we know from past experience.

Dr. Mathews George Chunakara elected General Secretary of CCA

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DrChunakaraDr. Mathews George Chunakara, a lay member of the Mar Thoma Syrian Church in India has been elected unanimously as the new General Secretary of the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) for a term of five years by the General Committee of the CCA which met  at the Assumption University, Bangkok, Thailand from 10-12 February 2015.
Mathews George Chunakara is the first Indian citizen to be elected to this position. He will succeed Rev. Dr. Henriette Hutabarat Lebang from Indonesia, who was elected General Secretary in 2010.
Dr. Mathews George Chunakara comes with rich ecumenical experiences in Asia and at the global level. He held various positions in his own country in India, Asia region and at the global level during the past thirty years. He was Director of the Commission of Churches on International Affairs (CCIA) of the World Council of Churches (WCC) in Geneva, Switzerland from 2009 to 2014. Prior to that, he served as Asia Secretary of the WCC (2000- 2009) and Executive Secretary for International Affairs of the CCA in Hong Kong (1993- 2000).
Mathews George has made significant contributions to the ecumenical formation and leadership development in Asia, peace and reconciliation, advocacy on human rights, justice and development, religious freedom, communal harmony and developing and nurturing relations with churches in  communist countries and governments in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Peoples Republic of China and North Korea through his work in CCA and WCC. He facilitated the founding of three National Councils of Churches in Asia – Cambodia, Nepal and Bhutan.

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Vandalism and attacks on Churches in India condemned – Press note from Church of South India

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Please see here the press note from Church of South India (CSI) condemning the attacks on Churches in India and demanding action.

PRESS RELEASE

TO CONDEMN THE ATTACKS AND VANDALISM ON CHURCHES IN NEW DELHI BY THE CHURCH OF SOUTH INDIA

Members Present:

  1. The Most Rev. Dr. G. Dyvasirvadam , Moderator, Church of South India
  2. The Rt. Rev. Thomas K. Oommen, Deputy Moderator
  3. Rev. Dr. D.R. Sadananda, General Secretary
  4. Adv. C. Robert Bruce, Honorary Treasurer
  5. The Rt. Rev. Dr. G. Devakadasham,  Former Moderator, Church of South India &      Bishop in CSI Kanyakumari Diocese
  6. Rev. T. Devaputhiran, Administrative Secretary, CSI Madras Diocese
  7. Mr. Arthur Sadhanandham, Executive Committee Member, Church of South India
  8. Dr. Vimal Sukumar, CSI Medak Diocese

 

The recent vandalism and attacks on five Churches in different directions of the city of New Delhi has evoked a strong sense of insecurity and anguish among the Christian community in India.  This is an alarming atmosphere apparently linked to the Ghar Wapsy Programme organized by some religious fanatics.  There is a strong feeling that the Central Government is not doing enough to reassure the minority communities in the country in spite of the continued orchestrated and systematic attack and vandalism on Churches which included miscreants, breaking open the Churches and desecrating hol y objects and also setting a church on fire.

The Church at large in India demands that the Government should initiate a judicial enquiry and also take steps to ensure repair and restoration of the damaged churches. The Prime Minister is still silent on the issue. With the backdrop of these attacks, he should have come forward and issued a statement installing confidence and security amongst the peace loving Christian community in the country.

The church is a minority community in the country but the contribution and impact it made on the country’s development has been immense and unparalleled particularly in the fields of education and health. The Church in South India urges the Central government to create a sense of security, safety and a new hope for the minority communities not just the Christian minority community but all the minority communities at large.

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An appeal from CCBI: Uphold Rule of Law, Peace and Harmony

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The Conference of Catholic Bishops in India (CCBI), during their 27th Plenary session in Bangalore from February 3 – 9, 2015, represented by 140 Bishops from around the country, expressed their anguish and concern over the attacks on Christians, Churches and Christian institutions.

Here is their appeal to uphold the rule of law, peace and harmony.

We, the 140 Bishops from across the country attending the 27th Plenary Assembly of the Conference of the Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) during February 3–9 in Bangalore, hereby express our deep anguish and concern over increasing threats to peace and communal harmony in the wake of various untoward incidents affecting the Christian community in different parts of the country.

Hardly a day has passed off in recent months without reports of attacks on Christians, Churches and Christian institutions from across the nation. Churches have been torched even in the national capital while reports of ‘Ghar Waspsi’ and blatant threats to hold mass reconversions are causing anxiety to the Christians scattered in the far corners of the nation.

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Call to uphold and safeguard the religious freedom and fundamental rights of all Indian citizens: Press note from KJPSS

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Please see here the press note from Khasi Jaintia Presbyterian Synod Sepngi (KJPSS), a constituent of the Presbyterian Church of India, urging the governments to uphold and safeguard the religious freedom and fundamental rights of all Indian citizens.

PRESS STATEMENT

By The

Khasi Jaiñtia Presbyterian Synod Sepngi

Shillong, Meghalaya.

The  Executive  Committee  of  the  Khasi  Jaiñtia  Presbyterian  Synod  Sepngi, one of the constituents of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of India with its headquarter in Shillong, Meghalaya, having a membership of more than 340000,  which  met  in  Shillong,  Meghalaya  on  Thursday,  05th  February,  2015  is seized of the  recent  developments  concerning  forced  conversion,  re-conversion  and  proposed  ban  on  conversion.  In the light of such developments and after a thorough discussion, it was decided to issue a Press Statement as follows:

That  the Khasi Jaintia Presbyterian Synod Sepngi expresses  its  appreciation  to  the  HRD  Ministry  for  withdrawing  its advisory  to  States  and  directives  to  the  Navo  Vidyalayas  on  opening  schools  on  25th December, 2014  to  observe  “Good  Governance  Day”  as  per  guidelines  given.

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Christians protest in Delhi against continuous Church attacks

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delhiprotChristian communities are now more frequently targeted for violence.  In Delhi, in less than two months five Church buildings have been vandalized or burnt down.  The police have not solved most of the cases and it has created a sense of fear among the Christian Community in India.

The Christian community had peaceful protest in front of Sacred Heart Cathedral on 5th February, 2015 against Government inaction on Church attacks. However, Protesters were dealt very roughly by the Delhi police. Many of the priests, lay men and women, were dragged into police van and detained at the Parliament street police station. Around 500 protesters were taken to the Police station.  The police was not even allowing them to protest inside the Church and not allowing protesters to meet the media.

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