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with Justice

Pre-Assembly Press Release

Nagpur Youth Assembly to struggle with issues of Peace with Justice

The Youth Unit of the National Council of Churches in India will be 
organizing its Assembly after a span of five years.  This will be the IV 
Assembly.  The earlier Assemblies were held at Hyderabad, Ernakulam and 
Adoor.	The fourth Assembly will be held at Nagpur from the 22nd  27th 
October 2002.  About five hundred young men and women from all over the 
country are expected to participate in this Assembly.  The participants 
will be between 18 to 35 years of age and will be representing the Member 
Churches, Regional Councils, the Christian Organizations and the Related 
Agencies of the NCCI.  The Assembly will take place at the Vasantrao 
Deshpande Auditorium.

The theme of this Assembly is Peace with Justice : Youth Overcoming 
Violence.  The Assembly will receive a keynote address, four sub-thematic 
addresses and will also go into smaller group workshops, seventeen of 
them.  The keynote address on the theme will be addressed by the Rev. Dr. 
Deenabandhu Manchala, Executive Secretary, Decade to Overcome Violence, 
World Council of Churches, Geneva   at the inauguration on Tuesday, the 
22nd October 2002 at the NCCI Campus, Civil Lines, Nagpur. Several other 
dignitaries including Shri Anees Ahmed, Minister, Technical and Higher 
Education, Government of Maharashtra and Shri B.T. Nghlinglova, Joint 
Commissioner of Police, Nagpur, will be the guests of 
honour.  H.G.Coorilos, the President of the National Council of Churches in 
India will preside over the inauguration. The Rt. Rev. Prem Kumar Dhotekar, 
Bishop in Nagpur, Church of North India, The Archbishop Abraham 
Viruthakulangara, Catholic Church and leaders of other denominations will 
participate.  The Rev Dr Ipe Joseph, General Secretary of the National 
Council of Churches in India will welcome the delegates on behalf of the 
ecumenical movement in India.  Ms. Minnie Christopher the Youth 
Vice-President of NCCI and Mr. Sanjeev Tigga, Chairperson of the Youth 
Committee will also bring greetings on the occasion.

The Sub-theme themes include peace with Justice and economic challenges, 
Peace with justice with the democratic framework, Peace and justice in the 
church with a culture of silence and Peace and justice for women in a 
patriarchal society. The smaller workshops will further discuss issues such 
as Dalit struggles, casteism and the church, Globalisation, Ecology and 
sustainable development, religious fundamentalism, Media and violence, 
interfaith dialogue as a means for peace, nation state and human rights and 
socialism and peoples movement and others.

The Assembly will also receive an Assembly Statement which will become the 
guiding document for programmatic intervention in church and society to 
work towards peace with justice. This statement will be presented at the 
floor of the Assembly in its closing sessions on Sunday, 27th October 2002.

Several related events, will also be organized at the time of the 
Assembly.  Several lectures have been organized and people like Shri Ram 
Punyani, a civil rights activist and a regular columnist in the media, Smt. 
Medha Patkar, world renowned activist, associated with the Narmada Bachao 
Andolan and Sardar Anjum, recipient of the Padmashree for Religious Peace 
and Harmony and others are expected to address the Assembly.  The Youth 
unit has also produced an audio cassette to mark the occasion.	A souvenir 
will be released and the documentations will include the resource book, 
handbook, hymn book and other related publications.  A special edition on 
the neya theme of the NCC Review has also been published putting together 
theological reflections and  affirmations on the theme.

An Inter-Faith public rally has also been organized on Thursday, the 24th 
October 2002.  The inter-faith peace march will be flagged off from the 
Vasantrao Deshpande hall at 4:00 p.m. and will culminate in a Public 
meeting at the Kasturchand Park.  Several religious heads of different 
faiths, secular organizations, civil rights movements and others will 
participate in the public rally.  The Nagpur Youth Declaration for Peace 
and Justice will be presented and accepted at the Public Rally.  About 2000 
people are expected to participate in this event.  The youth will also take 
an oath to promote Peace with Justice in society.

The Assembly will also release an Assembly newsletter everyday reflecting 
the discussion and the statements made.  The media committee of the 
Assembly can be contacted for the day to day news updates.  Also visit our 
website <www.nccindia.org> for regular updates on the Assembly.  Mr. Dinesh 
Suna, the Youth Secretary of the NCCI is the convener of the neya 2002.

Ipe Joseph

General Secretary

Chandran Paul Martin

Press Secretary

Dinesh Suna

Youth Secretary

Nagpur

Saturday, October 19, 2002

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News letter : N C C India