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The 66 th Annual General Meeting & Thanksgiving Service of the Kerala Auxiliary was held on Saturday, 1 st October 2022 at All Saints CSI Church, Thrissur. It was presided over by Auxiliary President Most Rev. Dr. Yuhanon Mar Chrysostomos Metropolitan. The Rt. Rev. Baker Ninan Fenn, Bishop in CSI Cochin Diocese inaugurated the Meeting. He exhorted that the reading and meditation of the Word of God enlightens people, gives wisdom to discern between right and wrong and that leads to goodness. Vice President Bishop Dr. Oommen George, BSI Central Council member and the Rt. Rev. Abraham Mar Paulos Episcopa blessed the meeting with their presence & speech. The Auxiliary Secretary, Rev. Jacob Antony Koodathinkal presented the Annual Report, and Treasurer, Mr. Jacob John presented the Annual Accounts for the year 2021- 2022. The Auxiliary Committee members & dignitaries such as Rev. Dr. Issac V. Mathew, Mrs. Starla Luke, Chev. Prof. Baby M. Varghese, Rt. Rev. Dr. Ostin Paul, Rev. Johnson E. George, Lt. Col. Daniel J Raj, Mr. M. C. George, Dr. P. C. Thomas, Dr. P. C. Abraham and Mr. George Thomas spoke in the Meeting. Mr. Immanuel Henry, Trivandrum, the man who was placed in the “Limca Book of Records” for his hand written Bible was honored in the meeting. The meeting also paid homage to the members who are in heavenly abode and praised God for their valuable services for the BSI ministry. Awards were given to regions and branches that excelled in resource mobilization. The Auxiliary Committee members, Church leaders & members, representatives from different regions/branches of the Auxiliary and Auxiliary staff participated in the meeting. Bible exhibition & discount sale were conducted as part of the Annual Meeting.

30 th September is celebrated as International Translation Day. As the Bible Society of India, Telangana Auxiliary staff we have celebrated it with the Deaf and Speech impaired community members, it was a wonderful experience to learn something new and good. We had Mrs. Persiswho is a Librarian at Govt. Degree College, Bhodhan, Mr. Rambabu who works as Cash Counter Attendant in KFC, Secunderabad and Mrs. Nagendramma who works as a Cook and Cleaner in a Hostel, ECIL.

The program was started with a word of prayer by Mrs. Persis in Sign Language later we have learned an action song and she expressed how Bible plays important role in her Life. She showed how they understand the Bible by drawings, each Bible verse has a different drawing. Mrs. Persis has a Book which she carries with her every-time, in which all the Bible verses are in drawings. She explained the Bible verse with Signs and pictures, which was a task for everyone to understand, later she showed her drawings with verses in her book. Mr. Rambabu prayed in Sign language and Mrs. Nagendramma has sung a song in Sign Language. All the three have
expressed their views and they were very happy to be part of this program.

As Telangana Auxiliary team started a pilot project to Translate Bible into Indian Sign Language for the Deaf and Speech impaired people. This exposure and experience were a good learning time for all the staff. We, the staff at Telangana Auxiliary bought T-Shirts with the Theme – Sign Languages Unite Us. These interactions and fellowship made us sensitive and sensible towards the scriptural needs of the Deaf and Speech impaired communities.

The goodness of God is not only an attribute of God but a foundational truth every Christian should embrace. Many of us who check the news everyday may be dismayed to see all sorts of bad and unpleasant things happening around the world. With all the bad news circulating around us, we sometimes get caught up with negativity around us and are threatened to draw away from God. Therefore, it is important for us to learn to detect the movement of God and see the goodness of God in everything, everywhere.

Tasting God’s goodness

For a long time during my childhood I did not like chingit (michingi patta), and I never even intended to try it. I didn’t like it mainly because of its look and smell. It has sharp conical thorns or spines on the red-brown stems and trunk, and even the leaves have spines on them! Furthermore, chingit has a strong odour and, for me, it smells like the bed bugs! However, my father kept on insisting me to taste it. It was like “Taste and see that chingit was good.” So, I tried it. Strangely and unexpectedly, with the first taste I started liking it! And now, chingit has become one of my most favourite Mizo bai (cuisine).

When the Psalmist says, “Taste and see that the Lord is good,” he is not talking about ‘testing God.’ But he is talking about “tasting God’s goodness.” To ‘taste’ here is literally to perceive by experiencing. It involves a conscious decision to be involved, to experience it by yourself, to be in it so that you would see how good the Lord is. It is a kind of what they call ‘acquired taste’ – you only like them after you have become familiar with the taste. In this verse, ‘taste and see’ does not mean that we are to check God’s credentials, but rather it is a warm invitation to “Try this; I know you will like it.”

Finding God in a world of ‘busy-ness’

We are living in a world of “busy-ness” – busy people, busy streets, busy telephone line, busy traffic, and so on. We are so busy with our jobs, our studies, our families, our social and ecclesiastical responsibilities that we often forget to think about God, about God’s goodness that always surrounds us. Everyone seems to be busy with our own interest, living in our own comfort zone without looking for God who is always around us. This has often been the reason why we cannot find God and his goodness in certain areas and occasions in our lives.

John S. Dunne tells of early Spanish sailors who reached the continent of South America after a tiring and difficult voyage. They sailed into the headwaters of the Amazon, an expanse of water so wide the sailors presumed it to be a continuation of the Atlantic Ocean. They did not even try to drink the water, since they expected it to be saline, and as a result, some of these sailors died of thirst. These men died of thirst because they did not know that their ship floated on the world’s largest source of fresh water! Likewise, some people starve to death spiritually while plenty of things are in store all around them. One important thing here is that we only need to look for traces of God everywhere.

There are people who could not see God’s goodness because they have not tried it. Meanwhile, there are people who always praise and thank God because they recognize the goodness of God in everything they see and meet. The only difference is whether one has a heart to find and see signs of God’s presence in every time of his/her life.

How big is your God?

In order to see the goodness of God, we need to remember how massive God is. King Solomon makes an amazing statement in I Kings 8:27: “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you.” Have you ever wondered how big our God is? The question may sound, at first, like a childish question. But it is also a question that philosophers deal with while trying to grasp the existence
and nature of God. The fact is, it is not possible to define God by human standards of size and measurement. The following illustration might give you a better perspective of this age-old question.

A boy once asked his father, “What is the size of God?” Then the father looked up at the sky and saw a plane and asked his son, “What is the size of the plane?” The boy replied, “It is very small. I can hardly see it.” Then the father took him to the airport. As they approached a plane, the father asked his son, “How big is the plane now?” “Wow Dad, it’s huge!” he yelled. Then the father told him, “God’s size depends on how close or far you are from God. The closer you are to God, the greater and greater God will be in your life.”

Let us remember that when it seems like God is far away, God is not the one that moved. It is we who move away from God. The Bible tells us that God is not far from each one of us, God places us where we are so that we would search and find God (Acts 17:27-28). Let us, therefore, share the conviction of the Psalmist who says, “But for me it is good to be near God” (Psalm 73:28).

We must trust that every breath, every day of our life is in the precious hands of God, who is all- good, all-powerful, and all-merciful toward us. It is only when we taste and see God’s goodness that we will be able to rejoice in the Lord always and serve God with gladness.

Rev. Remlalfaka,

Auxiliary Secretary,

BSI, Aizawl Auxiliary

The theme of this Assembly was to “Christ’s Love Moving the World to Reconciliation and Unity”. On this overarching theme, many workshops and presentations were held from various perspectives and platforms. Here is a message from the Ecumenical Indigenous Pre-Assembly meeting for the Christian World in general and for the Churches in particular drafted by Lori Ransom, a delegate from the Presbyterian Church in Canada: “The church must pursue reconciliation with Indigenous peoples around the world.  It must confront and address the spiritual violence it has committed in the name of Christ’s love, and in the pursuit of a unity that denies the God-given diverse identities of Indigenous peoples, including their spiritual identities.  The church in its many global contexts needs to establish processes to hear the truth of the harm it has done, to repent of its sins, to atone, and change its behaviour.  This extends to a deep examination of its understanding of what it means to witness Christ’s love.  Indigenous peoples have much to teach the church in this regard. It also involves supporting Indigenous peoples in dealing with historical and ongoing trauma, and racism within the church, that still leads to suffering (e.g. suicide, substance abuse, and violence) and the loss of Indigenous lives.  Finally, the church must commit to supporting Indigenous self- determination within ecclesial institutions in keeping with article 12.1 of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

The family of the Bible Society of India, throughout the Central Offices, Translation Centre Shillong and all our 17 Auxiliaries observed the International Literacy Day declared by the United Nations Organization on September 8, 2022, in our respective offices. This day was observed with morning prayer by following a very meaningful Order of Worship prepared by the Media and Special Audience Department, Bible Society of India. Praying for those who are not able to read and write, those who do not have the opportunities of learning and are denied access to knowledge. We have meditated on the selected biblical text Joshua 1: 7 – 9, as a reminder of the importance of learning and following God’s command. The mission of God is to get involved in teaching and Scripture Engagement with those who are ignorant and who do not know how to read and write.

Odisha Auxiliary

Indeed it was a great time to observe “International Literacy Day” in our Odisha Auxiliary meaningfully by following the order of service prepared by the Media Department.

It was wonderful to have Mrs Sushanna Pramanik, Translation Advisor, BSI Bangalore and the Kuvi consultation team as we observed International Literacy Day even as the Kuvi Bible consultation is an ongoing project under their leadership. The sharing from the word of God by Rev. Prabhudas Sirka, one of our Translators of the Kuvi Bible, was very encourageous. We gave thanks to God for those who can read the Bible and also have prayed for all those who are yet to be literate.

The Bible Society of India commemorates Kandhamal Day to stand in solidarity with all Christians — Children, Youth and Adults who faced the Kandhamal religious violence and to remember victims of targeted violence against Christian Adivasis and Dalits, and to express solidarity with all victims of hate and violence across India.  This day was observed as Combined Prayer Fellowship on a virtual platform through Zoom across the BSI Offices in Central Office and all the Auxiliaries and Translation Centre, Shillong by following a very meaningful Order of Worship prepared by the Jabalpur Auxiliary. Archbishop Rajiw Satish Toppo, President, BSI Ranchi Auxiliary and Archbishop of the Northwestern Gossner Evangelical Lutheran Church, Ranchi was our Guest Speaker. The speaker emphasised that “Without Crucifixion, there is no Resurrection '' by way of talking about the firm faith which the victims of the Kandhamal riots are holding on in Christ. As they cling on to the crucified Christ, their faith and spirits are not shaken and they continue to rise above the threats of evils.

According to Archbishop Toppo, the forces of evils are nothing but temporary forces that came from the instigated socio-political and religious factors in and around Kandhamal. As Christians, we need to pray constantly to do away with the forces of evils that surround us and pray for the Holy Spirit to strengthen and give us an understanding of our socio-political and religious context so that we can be on guard and fight for justice in this world.

Freedom and independence are the words we all love and strive to experience in our personal and community lives. This year, as we celebrated our 75th Independence Day, we were reminded once again of the struggle and the sacrifices of many who made it possible. God never intended for us to be enslaved; rather, God desires that we be free. In the parable of the so-called “prodigal son” Jesus teaches us how and where we can truly enjoy and experience freedom.
 
People have looked into this parable from various perspectives. They see it in the context of the other two parables: the lost sheep and the lost coin. Some have looked into it from the legal perspective and tried to understand how the son can even ask for his share while the father is still alive. Some others have seen it from a financial perspective, and some others have tried to understand how famine and difficult times can help us see the truth and respond to it, and the perspectives go on and on.
 
I invite you to look at this parable from the perspective of freedom or independence.
 
The younger son here wanted to be free and have the time of his life. Try new things that probably no one in his town ever thought of, or even go to new places. Is it wrong to think this way? Not necessarily, but the problem was that he wanted to isolate himself from the father and his family. He did not want anyone to question his actions, thoughts, or decisions. He thought freedom was about being able to do, say, and go anywhere he wanted to. For him, freedom was being whatever he wanted to be. There are many people today who might think and understand freedom this way.
 
Through this parable, Jesus teaches us what true and genuine freedom is all about.
 
1. Freedom needs to be understood within the context of relationships and not in isolation. As the saying goes, “The right to swing my arms in any direction ends where your nose begins.” The young man wanted to experience freedom by being on his own. He wanted to leave his father and his household to experience freedom. As individuals, as husbands or wives, as children, or in our work places, communal and social lives, we need to understand the limits of our freedom so that we can have a meaningful life.

2. Freedom is knowing that we are loved, accepted, respected, and valued. And experiencing this in our personal and community lives. In the mid-80s, I spent a few days with refugees in Tamil Nadu. One day, as I was getting ready to go home, an elderly man came to me and said, “I know why you are leaving now. It is because you have a mother who would ask if you are late, but many of these children have no one to ask or even correct them.” Some people may think that these children are very free to live the way they want to. But are they really free?

3. Freedom is not about being what we want to be, but being what we are meant to be. While many may think that smoking, drinking, adultery, etc. is an expression of freedom, it is not. True freedom is having the power to say “No” to things that destroy our physical, mental, emotional, personal, family, social and community lives.
 
The young man learnt his lessons, maybe in a hard way, but he learned that true freedom is in the love and embrace of his father and not by going away from him. The only way we can truly understand what we are meant to be is in and through God’s Holy Word, and to constantly grow in our relationships with God, our fellow humans, and the rest of creation. The command that our Lord Jesus gave to us is all about our relationship with our Creator and creation.
 
The Bible Society of India is committed to sharing God’s Word with everyone so that lives and communities may be transformed to live the life that we are meant to live. We carry the only message that can offer true freedom to anyone who seeks and believes. In John 8:32, Jesus Said “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” This makes our work more important and needed than ever.

In the last 75 years of independence in India, we have seen fourteen Prime Ministers and fifteen Presidents. We have gone through many changes, and we will continue to go through changes. Through our journey, we have learnt that we cannot experience freedom in isolating ourselves from others, but in oneness and unity. There is nothing that should hinder us from being united, except evil. As the prophet Amos cried out, “Hate evil, love good.” Amos 5:15. Let us shun evil and embrace God’s love in doing good.
 
May God Almighty help us to be the channel that brings healing and God’s blessing to this great nation.

Mr. Caleb Martin

Associate Director,

Media and Special Audience Department.