The Bible Society of India observed the “World Mental Health Day” by following the special order of service prepared by the BSI Media and Special Audience Department on October 10th, 2021.
It was started as an annual activity of the World Federation for Mental Health. World Mental Health Day is now observed on 10th October every year, to raise awareness of mental health issues around the world and mobilize efforts in support of mental health.
Mental health is one of the most neglected areas of public health. About 1 billion people are living with mental disorders; 3 million people die every year from the harmful use of alcohol, and one person dies every 40 seconds by suicide. Social stigma, discrimination, and human rights abuses of people with mental health conditions further precipitate the situation of mental health disorders.
Everyone everywhere needs to participate in support of our own mental health, and to support friends and all who are struggling with mental health issues.
The Covid-19 pandemic is having a major impact on people’s mental health. During the World Health Assembly in May 2021, governments from around the world recognized the need to scale up quality mental health services at all levels.
Scripture portion was chosen from Mathew 9: 9-13. It was a beautiful passage to reflect upon.
Pray that, we as the Bible Society of India will continue to share the message of Hope, Peace and Love to the people with mental illness. Let us journey together and be united in showing our love and care to those who are suffering with mental illness.
Psalm 28:7 tells us that “the Lord is our strength and shield and that our hearts must trust in Him.” And this past year the above verse has been of particular importance to the Bible Society of India in three ways:
Grace — The Bible Society of India experienced immeasurable grace from God
Grief — The God of all comforts sustained us as we grieved the difficult moments of our ministry and loss of our BSI staff, family members, volunteers, donors and prayer partners during this Pandemic
Growth — God faithfully worked in our hearts to grow and strengthen the Bible Society to love and serve the Church and nation with joy and hope. We have been so encouraged to see God strengthen and protect us over and over again and lovingly move us forward.
We’re so grateful for how God has sustained our staff and our Auxiliaries to cater to the Scriptural needs of our nation. We are thankful to our donors, Churches, volunteers and BSI branches for giving generously of their time, space, talents, and finances for the Bible Cause.
To surrender ourselves and our ministry, we began the Budget Workshop with combined prayer fellowship virtually on October 19th, 2021 at 9.00 am. The General Secretary Rev. Dr. M. Mani Chacko spoke from St. Mathew 25:14-30 – “The parable of the talents” on the title “The Principle of Stewardship.” He quoted C. S. Lewis “Every faculty you have, your power of thinking or of moving your limbs from moment to moment, is given you by God. If you devoted every moment of your whole life exclusively to His service you could not give Him anything that was not in a sense his own already …” He reiterated that we learn the art of stewardship. Here in the parable, one needs to understand the way the servants handled their responsibilities given to them based on their abilities. The General Secretary brought out four principles from the text:
The Principle of Ownership – God is the owner and we are only managers
The Principle of Responsibilities – to manage what belongs to God
The Principle of Accountability – We are responsible for what we do
The Principle of Reward – The faithful servants were given the joy of sharing the table of the Master.
The devotion was a meaningful and blessed start to the three days BSI National Budget Workshop. We are grateful to the entire BSI Finance Staff and all the Auxiliary Secretaries, and their finance personnel for the hard work in preparing for the budget.
Rev. Dr. M. Mani Chacko General Secretary, Bible Society of India
Friends, as we celebrate the Reformation Day again this year on the 31st October 2021, I want to suggest that we of all people are in need of reformation.
In Acts 10, we read a beautiful story of Reformation. Apostle Peter receives a vision from God. In that vision, God showed him a sheet, and inside that sheet were all kinds of unclean animals.
Now Peter was a faithful, Bible obeying Jew. He knew what the Scriptures taught. He knew what the consequences were for disobeying the word of God. He could not eat these unclean animals. They were forbidden by God. They would defile him. They would separate him from God.
Yet in this vision, the most peculiar thing happens. Instead of God restating what was once written in the Bible, reminding Peter that these animals were unclean, God does exactly the opposite. God instead commands Peter to “Rise, kill, and eat”, in direct contradiction to what was written and believed by faithful Jews for centuries.
So Peter responds to God’s command by saying “No. I cannot touch these unclean animals because of what is written in your word.”
Peter resists this command from God because of his commitment to the Bible. He resists this command from God because in the world of religion, we always seem to think that the ways things have been are the way things should always be.
Two more times, God shows Peter this vision and commands him to eat these unclean animals, in direct contradiction to the Levitical law. And two more times Peter resists, on the basis of what was written in the word of God.
But the final time that Peter resists, God speaks another word to the Apostle. Instead of restating the command to rise up, kill, and eat, he says to Peter some of the most powerful and uncomfortable words in the entire Bible.
God says to Peter, “Do not call unclean that which I have made clean.”
These words are uncomfortable words because they are words of reformation. These words are uncomfortable because what they suggest is that God is on a journey of reformation and that God can call to us to transcend that which has always been accepted or practiced into a new way of believing and being in the world.
In this one statement, God tells the Apostle Peter that which was once considered unclean, based on the word of God, is now clean. That there has been a progression. A reformation. Things have evolved. Moved forward.
This story is one of reformation. It is a passage that tells us that God is still speaking. That his Spirit is still moving and evolving, calling us to move past our outdated religious traditions and narrow beliefs into a greater more expansive vision of what Jesus called the “Kingdom of God.”
The Christian tradition at it core is one of reformation. Reformation did not begin with Luther and his 95 theses in Wittenberg. It began with a renegade Jewish Rabbi named Jesus coming on to the scene and mucking up the religious tradition of his day.
He healed the sick on the Sabbath, in direct violation of the word of God. He touched the unclean and unworthy and extended forgiveness to violators of God’s law. He overturned tables and spoke truth to the religious powers of his day, which ultimately cost him his life.
Friends, when we say that we follow Christ, we are saying that we are followers of the greatest reformer that ever lived. And when we say we follow Jesus, we are committing ourselves to be a people that are always harkening to the new thing that Spirit of God is saying to us.
Jesus told us that when he left, he would send the Spirit to lead us forward into all truth. The implication, then, is that there is much truth left to be revealed. More tables to be overturned. More scriptures to be expanded. More traditions to be burst open.
We, as followers of Christ, are people of reformation. Always called to be listening for a fresh word from the Spirit, always being willing to break past our comfort zones and move in to the wild, uncharted territories that God is calling us to.
God is calling us to move forward. To change the way we think. The way we believe. But more than that, God is calling us to change the way we show up in the world.
We have forsaken the Gospel of Christ, a Gospel which is first and foremost good news to the poor, liberation to the oppressed, sight to the blind, and jubilee for all. Instead, we have embraced a consumeristic, capitalistic, materialistic Gospel. We have become so concerned with money and power.
We have forsaken the kenotic way of Jesus that calls us to humble ourselves, to take the form of a servant, and to sacrifice all that we are for the good of our neighbours and our enemies.
The God revealed in Jesus is a God who is altogether strange. A God who is unique and expansive. A God in whom every molecule of the Universe is held together and a God who is made manifest primarily, not in scriptures or temples made by human hands, but in the faces of our neighbours and our enemies. A God that is not so abstract that he becomes a mere philosophical concept, but a living and active God who in reality lives and speaks and works in the world through us.
Each of us needs to reform our lives. We need to reform our churches. We need to reform our communities. And it is not the job of religious leaders, or politicians, or activists to lead this theological, philosophical, social, and political renewal. The Spirit’s call is to us. To me. To be agents of reformation, of expansion, of inclusion, and of redemption.
May we always be reformed and always keep reforming, for the sake of the Gospel, for the sake of each other, and for the sake of our world, making the world a better place to live in breaking all boundaries and barriers.
Introduction: Climate Justice is a subject matter that is discussed and studied from various perspectives and angles with basic understanding that connects Human Rights, the rights of the Subaltern people and Eco-justice. To reflect on our title “Respecting Boundary: a Gesture for Climate Justice” from a biblical text, I have selected Psalm 104 which is a beautiful hymn of Creation and Restoration. Here the psalmist brilliantly sang how God assigns boundaries for all creations with the liberty to exercise their own rhythm of life within their own space and time.
This hymn of Psalm brings out significant issues for our understanding of what could be considered as the foundation of Climate Justice, which can be highlighted in few points as follows:-
1. The creative providence of space for all creations: The psalm beautifully brought out how the mountains, the seas, the clouds, the rain, the thunder and lightning, the beasts, the monsters, the birds, the trees, the grass, and every living and non-living creatures along with human beings co-exist without clashing.
2. All Creations enjoying their freedom within their rhythm of life: All creations have their freedom to enjoy their shades of life with whatever temperament and spirituality they are adorned with.
3.Maintaining their own time and space without encroaching other’s sovereignty: The creations maintained their own time and space as Creator God assigned for each of them. The wild beasts maintain their time for hunting so that human beings will have their space to exercise their sovereignty without encroaching other’s domain.
4. Respecting other’s entity and identity for the dignity of all creations: Each and every creation respects others while recognizing others with having their distinct entity and identity.
From the above points we may derive that it is necessary to have a crystal clear ambiance, the transparent atmosphere with the serene and nonviolent environment to have Climate Justice, as celebrated in this hymn of creation and restoration. There are times when chaos appeared but justice is restored with creations maintaining the intrinsic value of their time and space, the rhythm of life, and respecting others’ entity and identity as they respect each other’s boundaries.
But when the rhythm of Life is curtailed and where the spirituality of the creation is brushed aside then the whole ecological balance is at stake … reflecting it from the real-life story of the Dongria Kondh Tribe of Odisha State in India
The Dongria Kondh Tribal people of the Kalahandi district in Orissa are vehemently resisting the London-based Vedanta Alumina Limited’s attempt to mine Bauxite on top of their Holy Hills of Niyamgiri in Lanjigarh, Kalahandi district in Orissa. For more than a decade, the 8,000-plus Dongria Kondh lived under the threat of mining by Vedanta Resources, which hoped to extract the estimated $2 billion-worth of bauxite that lies beneath the surface of the hills.The community strongly protest to protect their land, their living mountain, their forest, birds, and animals from destruction, which is considered to be their “Living Goddess” because this mountain supplies food, air, and water for their living. Here in the Niyamgiri, the Vedanta Company is downplaying the ecological conscience of the Kondhs tribe. While the people in this mountain is crying for the protection of their plants, animals, trees, rivers, and their gods and goddesses, the Vedanta people continue to show their high handedness by brushing aside the ethos, sentiment, and spirituality of the Khond people. The Vedanta Company is buying a few people with material gains and promising them jobs opportunity while making them blind to see the vast injustice on Climate that would affect the whole community of human beings and eco-systems. Though the Government is giving a stay order to Vedanta as of today, and the major shareholders in this company including the Anglican Church, England had pulled out their shares, television advertisements were pulled out, yet the issue is not resolved. The eco-balanced had been lost, the life-threatening danger for health hazard, damaged to the agricultural fertile land cannot be restored, and the demoralization and traumatization of the people continue to loom large till date.
Anyone who had ever watched a movie called “Avatar”, a 2009 American epic science fiction film directed, written, produced, and co-edited by James Cameron will understand that the situation in this Niyamgiri Hills is a real live Avatar, not just science fiction for the Dongria Kondh community to this day. I had visited this place in 2010 and seen the whole exploitation of the Dongria Khond tribe in this area and the way the Vedanta Alumina Company are showing their muscle powers.
When violence is meted out against God’s beautiful creations and people, nature cried out, the whole cosmos has trembled with fear and anger. At this juncture where do we look for Justice? What kind of Justice are we seeking? If only we human beings respect our boundaries as well as others’ that God had created for each and everyone irrespective of who and what we are and where we belong, can then only justice be found for the whole cosmos and the people.
Many of the Dongria Kondh people believe in Jesus Christ. Our challenge for the Bible lovers today is, this community does not have Bible in their own heart language till today! May God heal and restore this land and the people, so that they may be able to join the Psalmist singing, “Bless the Lord oh My Soul”. Amen.
The Dongria Kondh girl with her beautiful attire and the Holy Hills of Niyamgiri
Respecting Boundary: A Gesture for Climate Justice
A reflection on Creation Psalm 104
Dr. HrangthanChhungi Director Church Relations and resource Mobilisation
Introduction: Climate Justice is a subject matter that is discussed and studied from various perspectives and angles with basic understanding that connects Human Rights, the rights of the Subaltern people and Eco-justice. To reflect on our title “Respecting Boundary: a Gesture for Climate Justice” from a biblical text, I have selected Psalm 104 which is a beautiful hymn of Creation and Restoration. Here the psalmist brilliantly sang how God assigns boundaries for all creations with the liberty to exercise their own rhythm of life within their own space and time.
OBSERVANCE OF THE INTERNATIONAL INDIGENOUS PEOPLES DAY 2021
The International Indigenous Peoples Day was first pronounced by the General Assembly of the United Nations in December 1994. It was decided that the International Indigenous People Day shall be observed on 9 August every year. By following this, on 17 September 2010, during the Annual General Body Meeting of the National Council of Churches in India in Bangalore,
We are aware that on the 10th of August every year, we remember our demand to include Dalit Christians and Dalit Muslims in the Scheduled Caste list. This year, we have designated it as the National Protest Day to protest against this injustice meted out to a section of Indian citizens.
The theme of International Youth Day 2021 is, “Transforming Food Systems: Youth Innovation for Human and Planetary Health,” with the aim of highlighting that the success of such a global effort will not be achieved without the meaningful participation of young people.
International Youth Day was observed in all our offices by following the special Order of Service prepared by BSI Jabalpur Auxiliary. Staff of respective Auxiliaries and the Central Office took active part in the Morning Prayer.
The 75th Independence Day of our Nation was celebrated in all our offices across the Nation and we are thankful to Colleagues for their cooperation. At the central office it was held at the William Carey Centre, Bangalore on the 15th August 2021 at 07.30 AM. There was an encouraging response to it from the Staff who travelled from near, far and wide. Mr. Pradeep Kumar Suna, Assistant Director, Publishing and Marketing (Product & Logistics) anchored the programmed.
The Bible Society of India observed the 13th Anniversary of Kandhamal Day as a day to commemorate the onslaught of Christians living in Kandhamal town at Phulbani District in Odisha in the year 2008, resulting in many horrifying deaths, and destructions of Church buildings, individual houses, shops and loss of huge properties. Thousands of them are left in deep pain, with immense traumatizing memories as innocent girls and women were gang-raped, many were arrested as culprits, some were convicted for life imprisonment.
The Staff Welfare Association organized a Cultural programmed virtually to enable the BSI Staff to have a time of relaxation to the body and rejuvenation to the mind. It was very innovatively done through virtual. It was a time to experience God given talents to individuals as well as groups. The staff presented a skit on the title “Lockdown Diaries” which spoke about the impact people had during lockdown.
DEDICATION OF THE WORKSPACE IN BSI CALCUTTA AUXILIARY
Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.- Psalm 127:1
For a while now the office of the Calcutta Auxiliary was spread over two locations on the 1st floor of the Auxiliary and there was a need to relocate the office to one wing allowing for better management and fluidity of work. It was also needed to optimize utilization of the facility. We are grateful to our General Secretary who initiated the change.
Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.- Psalm 127:1
For a while now the office of the Calcutta Auxiliary was spread over two locations on the 1st floor of the Auxiliary and there was a need to relocate the office to one wing allowing for better management and fluidity of work. It was also needed to optimize utilization of the facility. We are grateful to our General Secretary who initiated the change.
The Calcutta Auxiliary is grateful for a new office space for its staff and also a Conference Room to be used for meetings. Special thanks to our General Secretary Rev. Dr. Mani Chacko for his support and in making this possible. Grateful to the many in our central office for guiding us through the process especially Mr. John Steven
We express our gratitude to Dr.Hrangthan Chhungi for organizing a wonderful inauguration program and rallying all of our auxiliaries to be part of the service virtually.
Appreciate the many who joined us at the Auxiliary to celebrate God’s goodness and faithfulness.
We thank God for His providence in the redesigning of the BSI Calcutta Auxiliary workspace. A dedication service was organized on August 30, 2021 both virtually and physically. Rev. Anand Peacock, Circular Road Baptist Chapel, Kolkata offered the opening prayer. Rev. Philip Bari, Auxiliary Secretary, BSI Calcutta Auxiliary welcomed the august body. To remember the faithfulness of God, we all sang the hymn, “Great is Thy faithfulness.”
Rev. Martin Pakhre led the responsive reading from Psalm 127 followed by the Scripture reading from 1 Kings 8:22-30 by Pastor. Nilav Kolay.
Rev. Dr. M. Mani Chacko, General Secretary, BSI before his sermon congratulated Mr. B. John Stephen, Director, BSI Property Management for his expertise and hard work in the designing of the workspace. Dr. Chacko reinstated that the BSI Calcutta Auxiliary is the first Bible Society started in the entire country. He also thanked the Auxiliary Committee Members, staff and the supporters of the Calcutta Auxiliary for their ardent support. He focused his sermon on John 7:53-8:1-11. He brought out three points to make this story of the adulterous woman caught in adultery unique:
Law is used here as a token of condemnation.
Grace has been used as token of redemption.
The Word or the Gospel should be used as a token to enhance the reign / Kingdom / Mission of God.
Rev. Abhir Adhikary, Vice President, BSI Calcutta Auxiliary and Rev. Patrick Joseph, Auxiliary Committee Member, BSI Calcutta Auxiliary cut the ribbon and dedicated the new workspace.
A very meaningful song confirming the presence of God in the newly dedicated workspace was sung and led by Dr. Hrangthan Chhungi and Mr. Caleb Martin Hilton, Associate Director, Media and Special Audience.
All the staff across the nation had a virtual tour of the newly dedicated workspace. Mr. B. John Stephen offered the intercessory prayer, followed by the closing prayer and benediction by Rev. Dr. M. Mani Chacko.
The Staff Welfare Association organized a Cultural programmed virtually to enable the BSI Staff to have a time of relaxation to the body and rejuvenation to the mind. It was very innovatively done through virtual. It was a time to experience God given talents to individuals as well as groups. The staff presented a skit on the title “Lockdown Diaries” which spoke about the impact of lockdown on people from different walks of life . The BSI team virtually presented a pre-recorded multi-lingual song beautifully.
The Bible Society of India observed the 13th Anniversary of Kandhamal Day as a day to commemorate the onslaught of Christians living in Kandhamal town at Phulbani District in Odisha in the year 2008, resulting in many horrifying deaths, and destructions of Church buildings, individual houses, shops and loss of huge properties. Thousands of them are left in deep pain, with immense traumatizing memories as innocent girls and women were gang-raped, many were arrested as culprits, some were convicted for life imprisonment.
Mr. Anto Akkara, a renowned Journalist at the National and International level from Thrissur, Kerala was our Guest Speaker of the day. Mr. Anto Akkara, along with committed lawyers, is tirelessly pursuing justice for those victims of violence for the Christians in Kandhamal. With his rich experience in journalism and case studies, with the practical knowledge of the Indian Penal Code as a degree holder of the Bachelor of Legislative Law or Legum Baccalaureus (LLB), and as a Christian activist, Mr. Anto had shared his deep personal experience and the testimony of faith that he came across in the past 13 years. He concluded his sharing with a remark saying “Kandhamal experience is no more a painful tale to tell, but it is a story of Christian faith in Christ and a story of the people of God who are the peacemakers in the midst of struggles for Human Rights, Justice, and Dignity. It is a story of borderless love as neighbors living in Kandhamal town irrespective of their tribes, castes, and faith.”
Mr. Anto, through his personal prayer unveils the long and winding roads he still needs to travel until all the victims of injustice are acquitted from Conviction of Life Imprisonment for a crime they had never committed by the High Court of Odisha. Let us earnestly join Mr. Anto as he prays:
“Oh, my Jesus, you crucified despite being innocent. Hundreds are undergoing captivity and imprisonment worldwide for no fault of their. Your folks in Kandhamal jungles of Odisha gave heroic witness when they were asked under death threat to forsake their faith in you in 2008. Dozens of them embraced martyrdom for their faith. Thousands held on to their faith even after their Churches were destroyed, houses were plundered and they were banished from their villages.
As the violence subsided, seven innocent Christiana were branded as ‘murderers’, put behind bars and convicted to life imprisonment. Eleven years later, all of them have been released on bail by the Supreme Court of India. We thank you, Lord, for that relief to the innocent Christians. However, appeal against their conviction of life imprisonment for a crime they never committed is still pending before the High Court of Odisha.
“Ask and you will be given,” Lord You taught us. We humbly beseech You to ensure acquittal of these innocents at the earliest so that the conspiracy theory against Christians is disproved, paving way for truth and justice to prevail.
We entrust the struggling families of these seven to Your care and protection. Lord, bless the valiant Christians for their heroic witness in Kandhamal, soaked in the blood of martyrs.” Amen.
The 75th Independence Day of our Nation was celebrated in all our offices across the Nation and we are thankful to Colleagues for their cooperation. At the central office it was held at the William Carey Centre, Bangalore on the 15th August 2021 at 07.30 AM. There was an encouraging response to it from the Staff who travelled from near, far and wide. Mr. Pradeep Kumar Suna, Assistant Director, Publishing and Marketing (Product & Logistics) anchored the programmed. Mr. Cyril D’Souza, Assistant Director, Marketing & Publishing read the Scripture portion. Rev. Dr. M. Mani Chacko, General Secretary, BSI hoisted the Indian National Flag. Rev. Dr. N. Subramani, Assistant Director, Translations shared the Word. Rev. Shashikala Alva B S, Auxiliary Secretary, BSI Karnataka Auxiliary interceded for the nation.
The theme of International Youth Day 2021 is, “Transforming Food Systems: Youth Innovation for Human and Planetary Health,” with the aim of highlighting that the success of such a global effort will not be achieved without the meaningful participation of young people.
International Youth Day was observed in all our offices by following the special Order of Service prepared by BSI Jabalpur Auxiliary. Staff of respective Auxiliaries and the Central Office took active part in the Morning Prayer.
Prayer of thanksgiving was offered for the love and care for each other. A time to introspect was offered to confess our ignorance and be insensitive to the people around us. Scripture portion for reflection was chosen from 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. Staff in each of the offices shared their views and reflections from the above-mentioned Bible portion.
Intercessory Prayer was offered for the young people of our land and thanked God for the trees of the earth and all that they provide – wood for the houses we build, food that we eat, and air that we breathe.
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