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PC(USA) Greets Delegation from Church of North India


From PCUSA NEWS <pcusa.news@ecunet.org>
Date 03 Feb 2000 20:07:41

3-February-2000 
00057 
 
    PC(USA) Greets Delegation from Church of North India 
 
    by John Filiatreau 
 
LOUISVILLE - A delegation of officials of the Church of North India (CNI) 
visited the Presbyterian Center here this week as guests of the Ecumenical 
Partnership Program Area of the Worldwide Ministries Division. 
 
    The visitors were the Most Rev. Vinod A.R. Peter, the CNI moderator; 
the Right Rev. Z. James Terom, deputy moderator; Dr. V. S. Lall, general 
secretary; and the Rev. Enos Das Pradhan, treasurer. 
 
    Victor Makari, the ecumenical program's coordinator for the Middle East 
and South and Southeast Asia, welcomed the CNI officials during a luncheon 
on Feb. 1. He said the enduring 
partnership between the CNI and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) could 
serve as a model for all PC(USA) international missions. 
 
    "Working in partnerships with churches that God has called and created 
in their own places is the most credible way of doing mission in the world 
today," Makari said. "Partnership is at the heart of how we do mission 
around the world. The Holy Spirit has been active when missionaries have 
gone to distant places - but that same Spirit had been active long before 
the missionaries were on the scene." 
 
    Presbyterian missionaries have been on the scene in northern India 
since 1834. 
 
    The CNI came into being in 1970 when six Protestant denominations 
decided to become one, after 40 years of negotiation and dialogue. In the 
words of Peter, the moderator, the CNI was created "as a movement against 
(traditional) institutional forms of mission services," with a particular 
focus on "the poor and marginalized, and related issues of social justice." 
 
    Peter said India today is a land of contradictions: "Today in India we 
have a couple of thousand colleges and universities, yet our illiteracy 
rate is very high. ... Food is very plentiful, but still there are people 
who go hungry, and children who face malnutrition." He said "growing 
religious fundamentalism" in India has challenged the CNI to devote itself 
to mission "with new energy, new strength, a new vision, and renewed 
commitment," and added: "Times are not easy, politically." 
 
    "God has brought into being living, witnessing churches in virtually 
every land," Makari said. "We must learn from them and work with them in 
supportive ways. The church can benefit a great deal by having people from 
our partner churches come and spend time in our midst and help us 
rediscover our own calling." 
 
    The CNI officials traveled to Louisville after a weeklong meeting in 
Toronto, Canada, with all its North American church partners. 

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