Orissa, again!

BREAKING NEWS: India Christians Hiding In Orissa Jungles As Violence Continues (BosNewsLife In-Depth)

Sunday, 30 December 2007 (20 hours ago)

By Santosh Digal, BosNewsLife Asia Correspondent

Anti-Christian violence continues in Orissa. BHUBANESWAR, INDIA (BosNewsLife)-- Over one thousand Christians, including priests, nuns, women and children, have fled to the jungles of India’s Orissa State where deadly anti-Christian violence entered its seventh day, a church official told BosNewsLife Sunday, December 30.

"The situation is still under tension," in Orissa’s communal clash-stricken district of Kandhama, said Leena Joseph a missionary nun of the Catholic St. Joseph order in Orissa, after Hindu extremists’ attacks killed at least nine Christians this week and injured many more. "Church leaders and minority Christians have lost faith in the government and police for having failed to protect the minority community," she added, referring to the Christians hiding in jungles. “The government has always passive, inactive and apathetic when it comes to Christians and their welfare," the nun added. It came as police on Sunday, December 30, apparently expelled a national fact-finding mission of Christian officials from the tense Kandhamal district, some 336 kilometers (210 miles) southwest of Orissa’s capital Bhubaneswar, BosNewsLife established. INVESTIGATORS EXPELLED In a statement obtained by BosNewsLife, team-leader John Dayal, a member of the National Integration Council advising the government, said he and five other officials were prevented from entering violence affected areas. Police Chief Pradeep Kapoor, who supervises security forces in the area, reportedly denied the reported death toll of at least nine Christians, and expressed doubts that dozens of churches and other buildings were burned down. It was not immediately possible to verify those reported comments immediately, but several church sources have spoken of widespread destruction in Orissa. The All India Christian Council (AICC), a major advocacy group of thousands of Indian denominations, organizations and lay leaders, said so far six dead bodies had been recovered while about 400 Christian homes and 60 churches were torched by angry Hindu mobs. "Young and healthy Christians have left their villages to flee for their lives, children, women, old and sick who could not flee for their lives are in great danger of their lives,” said Dayal. Christians, he said, "are starving for the last four days, sick are suffering without medical attention." "FORCED CONVERSIONS" Meanwhile in statements obtained by BosNewsLife, victims said they "are forced to convert to Hinduism" if they are to get food, medical attention and shelter and their "heads are shelved off." There has been international concern about the situation. On Sunday, December 30, a US-based human rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW) joined in the debate, saying clashes in Kandhamal district, some 336 kilometers (210 miles) southwest of Orissa’s capital Bhubaneswar, was carried out by Hindu groups who were conducting an "anti Christian" campaign for several years. HRW alleged that authorities looked the other way and urged India’s government to “act immediately" to end the violence between Hindus and Christians in Orissa. It said it was important that an independent inquiry was launched to identify those instigating the riots. "The Orissa government should have addressed this problem before it became violent," added HRW Asia Division’s Senior Researcher Meenakshi Ganguly, in comments monitored by BosNewsLife AUTHORITIES SLOW "The authorities are still failing to react quickly enough, and now ordinary people are being attacked," the researcher added. "Unless there is a vigorous attempt by the national government to investigate such activities promoting religious hate, India's secular identity will be seriously jeopardized," Ganguly said. Earlier Sunday, December 30, a delegation claiming to represent millions of Indian Christians met Indian Vice President Mohanmad Hamid Ansari, urging him to protect the Christians in Orissa and help villagers to return to their homes. The violence began Monday, December 24, when Hindu mobs interrupted Christmas celebrations and vandalized Christmas decorations in several areas of Kandhamal district. The violence soon spread, with reports of nine deaths and hundreds injured. Local Hindus claim the violence began after Christians attacked a Hindu leader. Christians say the attacks — the latest in several bouts of religious violence that have plagued the state over the past few years — were sparked by church plans for a performance to celebrate Christmas. HINDU ANGER Orissa is predominantly Hindu, with a small Christian minority of less than one million people. Over the past few years, though, thousands of Hindus have converted to Christianity, adding to anger among nationalist organizations who church officials say are behind the latest violence. "They want to convert people to Christianity and convert the country into a Christian land," said Swami Laxmananand Saraswati, head of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) or 'World Hindu Council', one of India's biggest Hindu nationalist groups.» We are opposed to that and that is the source of all disputes and fights," the official told reporters. In addition, as with most communal violence in India, the latest explosion of hatred is also the result of a tangled intersection of political power, communal prejudice and the “injustices” of Hinduism's archaic caste system, analysts and church officials say. Orissa has a history of religious tensions. In one of the most publicized cases, in 1999, right-wing Hindu activists burned alive Australian Protestant missionary Graham Stuart Staines and his two minor sons in their car in Orissa following a Bible study class. The killing of a Catholic priest, Father Arul Doss of Balasore diocese, occurred the same year by same Hindu activists. There have been hundreds of attacks against Christians across India in the last two years alone, according to human rights watchers, who fear an increase in anti-Christian violence. Christians comprise less than three percent of the country’s mainly Hindu population of 1.1 billion people. (Stay with BosNewsLife for Continues Coverage on the Crisis in Orissa).

More from the difficulties in Orissa, India

This message arrived from Pastor Barun Senapati:

Warm Christian greetings, Happy Christmas and New Year 2008 in the name of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ. Here I would like to request for prayers as are following.

1- The RSS, BJP party and Biswa Hindu are persecuting many Christians. They have burned churches and houses of Christian people. Many people are dead and some are in hospital. Also many people suffer under police rules. They lost their every thing that is in their houses. Now they’re suffering very badly. The name of the village is Barakhamba in the District of Phulbani in Orissa India. More then 3000 thousands people were Christian.

2- They were planning to attack missionaries and missions in my place. But I thank God they could not attack God’s people. So I need your prayer for God protection here.

3- You can find this news on the Internet and BBC World News. Just you go through Internet and see the India news and news about Orissa. Please pray for them.

4- Our three co-workers were also working in that village and they need God's protection also. They are suffering badly.

5- We some other missions are planning to distribute some relief work for them and their village. Please pray for all of us.

Yours in His service,

Barun Senapati

Urgent need!

There is an urgent need for an educator who speaks Spanish to work with the teachers and other school leaders of the Christian Schools in the Dominican Republic.

Here are the requirements:

Christian School Consultant--Dominican Republic

PURPOSE

Enhance the organizational and curricular capacity of the Christian schools with which we have a relationship in Latin America from the perspective of a reformed world and life view.

FIELD RESPONSIBILITIES

Serve as consultant to COCREF (Colegios Cristianos Reformados – Christian Reformed Schools) on issues of curriculum development, organizational capacity and sustainability.

Serve as consultant to the CRECH (Consortium for the Reinforcement of Christian Education in Haiti) network of Christian schools in on issues of teacher training, Bible-based curriculum and organizational capacity.

As time allows and the opportunity presents itself, serve as consultant to the schools of the Honduras CRC as well as international Christian schools in which we have partner teachers.

Serve as on-field coordinator for a team of volunteer educators, identifying needs and matching those needs to the skills of volunteers from the CRCNA.

Serve as an active member of the DR Country Team working to integrate the work of COCREF with the evangelistic and diaconal ministries of the CRCDR (Christian Reformed Church of the Dominican Republic ).

NORTH AMERICAN RESPONSIBILITIES

Facilitate reciprocal exchanges between the CRCNA and overseas churches.

Educate the CRCNA and others about the nature of the global church and its mission.

Encourage CRC churches to develop a deeper passion and involvement in international missions.

Communicate the nature and value of CRWM's ministries to the CRCNA and beyond and participate in support-raising for those ministries by developing and maintaining a network of supporting churches and individuals which will provide prayer, care and financial support for the ministry with a financial support goal of at least 60% of the worldwide average cost of a missionary.

Provide the CRCNA with insight and resources for ministry among minority racial/national/religious groups living in North America , about which the missionary has knowledge and expertise.

Note: These North America responsibilities are expected to require spending approximately:
A. 15% of total salaried time in North America on home service.
The primary purpose of home service is presenting the ministry to supporting and other churches, individuals and schools - educating, encouraging, providing, facilitating, etc.
and
B. 10% of time while on the field communicating with North America including connecting to one’s network through prayer letters, emails, etc.

FIELD STRUCTURE

The CRWM staff person would report to the Latin American regional directors.

QUALIFICATIONS

Fluency in Spanish

Willingness to reside in the Dominican Republic

At least a masters degree in Education

Previous experience in curriculum development and administration of Christian schools

If you are interested in this position, please send us your resume.

If you would like to knowmore about this position the person to contact is Lorraine Woodward, woodwari@crcna.org

The people of Orissa need help!

Do you remember Siani and Suphala, the young couple who have the orphanage for 56 children in Orissa, Indiana? There is serious trouble in their region and I wanted you to know about it. Siani asks for our prayers. This is what he wrote:

Today in the world all Christians are with peace and joy celebrating the Birth of Jesus. But in Orissa, Christian brothers and sisters facing a serious persecution in this joyful season. Two Christians were killed and more than 12 churches and several Christian institutions, Christian houses and shops were burned by Hindu fundamentalists and hundreds injured on Christmas night in Kandhamal & Phulbani District of Orissa State in India.

RSS, Viswa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal with their joint effort set fire on churches. Two Christians were killed in Barakhamba village and others were fleeing from villages to jungle. Dozens of vehicles were set on fire. The violence began on December 24, when about 500 men attacked a tent displaying the nativity scene that Christians of various denominations jointly put up in a small town called Bamunigam.

In Balliguda block of Phulbani district, five churches were damaged including Church furniture, the sound systems, and the tents were burnt. An English medium school was attacked and the computer training center was vandalized. A Christmas celebration was stopped during the worship service of church.

In Nuagam Block of the same district, a church in Kdupakia village, another church in Sirtiguda, Gosukia and Jangungia villages were assaulted and furniture and church properties were destroyed and a cross was broken down.

In Chakapad Block, of Phulbani district, a church was torched while Christians were having a Christmas feast. The food was destroyed and several were almost killed.

In Phringia Block, of Phulbani district, a Catholic church was destroyed by a bomb planted by fundamentalist. Pastor Junas Digal was tonsured and brought to temple and forced to bow down to the deity.

In Raikia of Phulbani district, shops belonging to Christians were reportedly destroyed. The Hindutva fanatics were marching in a procession and holding weapons. The Christians were ordered to stay inside their homes.

In Phulbani headquarters, a Baptist church and a Catholic church were not allowed to conduct Christmas celebrations. An orphanage run by a Catholic priest was attacked and three vehicles were torched.

Carmel Convent School in Phulbani town was attacked and the school buses and vehicles were broken and torched. A delegation of Christian leaders from Phulbani met the District Collector to insist on safety measures for the Christian minority.

The church violence came after a Hindu leader called Swami Laxmananand Saraswati, who has campaigned against what he calls the "forced" conversion of low-caste Hindus to Christianity, was attacked on Christmas Eve.

Over the past decade in Orissa, Christian houses and churches have been set on fire, tribal Christians have been harassed and boycotted, and pastors and other Christians have been killed.

A Hindu man Dhara Singh is serving a life sentence for burning alive an Australian Christian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons as well as a Catholic priest in Orissa in 1999.

Graham Staines, who had worked for three decades with lepers and sons, aged eight and 10 died when a Hindu mob torched a jeep in which they were sleeping.

As the communal fire in Orissa continues to spread, senior Christian leaders met the Prime Minister and requested him to intervene to curb the attacks on the minority community by mainly the fundamentalist Hindu groups in the state.

New Life Missionaries were attacked by anti groups and still they are in jungle hiding their lives. More than 20 Platoon force have been sent to each churches, Christian organization for security.

Please pray for God’s protection and send your donation to Worldwide Christian Schools to help Siani and other Christians rebuild churches, houses and help the persecuted families in Orissa.

Pastor Siani Harpal

New Life Power Gospel Fellowship

Kesinga-766012

Kalahandi, Orissa, India

Phone 0091-6670-223324

Cell: 0091-9437426938

Email: nlpgforissa@yahoo.com

It's almost Christmas!

Sunday, December 23

Tomorrow will be Christmas Eve and then follows Christmas Day! This is a time of year when most of us think of Christmas long past, but within our lifetimes.

In the Minnesota farm house where I grew up the days leading up to Christmas were fully as exciting as the big day itself. We memorized our songs and lines for school and Sunday school programs. We waited in anticipation of the bag we would each receive after the church program…a bag with nuts, candy, an orange, and an apple.

My mother played the piano very well and so we sang a great deal, whether or not we were getting ready for a program. That is one of my warmest memories of home and I realize now that it also must have been a wonderful time for our parents.

In our family each of us gave a gift to every other family member. The first gift I can remember giving was a candy bar for each person and a comb for Dad. I remember sitting under the kitchen table wrapping each one as carefully as I could. By the time I finished I had given out so many hints that everyone knew what was being wrapped. In spite of all of the warnings about the commercialization of Christmas I still believe that giving gifts to each other is a wonderful way of commemorating the huge Gift we all have received.

Most of us also make certain to give gifts of some kind to people who are in need. A week ago my daughter, Julia, told me of a single mother with four teenage children. The mother has been out of work and only recently has a new job. The children are all excellent students with the very best grades. Last Christmas was a harsh time for that family. When the children were recently asked to list what they would like to have for Christmas each one listed shoes and items of clothing so they will look like the other kids when they go to school. The gift that has given me the most pleasure this year is to give each of those teenagers a “mall credit card” with a specific amount so that they will be able to choose their own new clothes and shoes. Other Christians are busy bringing gifts to children in orphanages or to families who are homeless.

We have fresh snow here in Spokane and because there is little wind the snow remains on the branches of the tall Douglas fir trees. It is a beautiful sight. We usually have fairly mild winters and there is a family of quail living in our hedge. In the late spring we watch the mother take the little ones out for their walks.

I truly hope that those of you who read this will have a wonderful, blessed Christmas filled with memories of times past and building new memories for the future.

Trust the Abundance!

The following is from Dennis deGroot's blog on Christian leadership:

We spent some time at our last Admin. Team meeting talking about community. How do you know when it's strong? Why does it feel like a fragile thing at times? This in response to a hasty decision made, questioned by others and the followup discussions.

And then this wonderful quote from Parker Palmer of course to remind me to trust the abundance. “When a leader is willing to trust the abundance that people have and can generate together, willing to take the risk of inviting people to share from that abundance, then and only then may true community emerge.” In fact when I don't trust it is when I make poor decisions, it is then that I fall into micromanaging situations and when I break down the community we try to build together.

Our visit to India!

On January 19 I will be flying to India to visit Christian schools with Gypsy Meadows, the Worldwide Christian Schools Field Director for Asia. I am very excited about this trip. We will be visiting schools in Hyderabad, Patna, and Bangalore.

Most of the schools we will visit serve children whose families are very poor. Some of the schools have orphanages for children who have been abandoned or who have parents unable to find sufficient funds to feed and clothe them.

It is always so amazing to me how many Christians in India give their lives for this kind of work.

What God wants from us

God doesn't need us to do His work, or He wouldn't be omnipotent. He wants our love and a relationship with us. It's about 'being' not 'doing.' Steve Saint from End of the Spear

The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands, as if He needed anything, because He Himself gives all men life and breath and everything else... God did this so that men would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us. Acts 17:24-25,27

A Faith Enhancing Practice for a Christian school

In his very nice blog, Dan Beerens from Christian Schools International, wrote the following:

Transition points in student’s lives – moving from elementary to middle school, from middle school to high school, and from high school to college are often times of great change and upheaval, as well as significant markers in student’s personal development. These are often times when new friendships are formed, old friendships shed, and new personas or identities appear. They are times when students consider where they have been, where they are going, and how they will approach the next phase of the journey. These transition points can be key times for schools to help students do some reflecting on the deeper questions of life via culminating experiences.

Some Christian schools ask students specifically at these transition points to reflect on, and articulate the development of their faith perspective. These culminating experiences allow students to make connections between head, heart, and hands, and students are often asked to communicate these connections to significant persons in their lives. Schools have reported that these times can be very valuable experiences for the students personally, for the continued encouragement of the faith of students in general, for the encouragement of teachers and parents who are participants, and for assessing whether the school is being faithful in meeting its mission.

One school that has been developing and refining the senior presentation concept for several years is Lynden Christian School in Lynden, Washington. Superintendent Don Kok is very enthusiastic about what he has seen:

“The entire staff (preschool through 12th grade and board members who are available) is involved in listening to the presentations. It is an absolute delight to hear their stories especially when you may have had them as students during the lower or middle grades. It is wonderful to hear about their journey and their goals for the future. Themes that I have heard over the years are the influence of people in their lives who have made a significant impact (parents and teachers are usually named), and critical events (illness or death in family, particular activity such as work experience or trip, etc.)”

Principal Keith Lambert has seen many refinements over the time that he and others began the process of senior presentations with students. He reports that the staff continues to look at incorporating new ideas. One of the new approaches that is being considered for addition is a focus on using Strength Finder materials to help students identify and develop their gifts through the high school years. (For more information on Lynden’s program, see his article in the upcoming Winter 2008 Christian School Teacher magazine.)

Lambert concluded: “We have been very excited about it (senior presentation) - this is one of those things that, long after I am gone, they will be doing this – it’s a fixture of the school.”

I know that there are other schools out there doing similar great things using this kind of approach to nurture reflective thinking around issues of faith and life – would you be willing to share what you are doing by posting a comment? That way others who are interested in putting culminating experiences together can get in touch with you to learn more.

Dan’s blog can be found at: http://nurturingfaith.wordpress.com/

If I cannot be satisfied...

In his book, Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis wrote:

If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.

A flourishing faith

What is it to be a Christian who has a flourishing faith? Cornelius Plantinga in his book, Not the Way It's Supposed to Be, says it is the following:

As Christians see her, a spiritually whole person longs in certain classic ways. She longs for God and the beauty of God, for Christ and Christlikeness, for the dynamite of the Holy Spirit and spiritual maturity. She longs for spiritual hygiene itself--and not just as a consolation prize when she cannot be rich and envied instead. She longs for other human beings: she wants t olove them, and to be loved by them. She hungers for social justice. She longs for nature, for its beauties and graces, for the sheer particularity of the way of a squirrel with a nut. As we might expect, her longings dim from season to season. When they do, she longs to long again.

She is a person of character consistency, a person who rings true wherever you tap her. She keeps promises. She weeps with those who weep and, perhaps more impressively, rejoices with those who rejoice. She does all these theings in ways that express her own personality and culture but also a general "mind of Christ" that is cross-culturally unmistakable.
pp. 34-35

Suicide over language!

Teachers in the Christian schools of India are faced with the fact that students must now know how to read and write English. Many of the Christian schools receive no government funding and must depend on gifts from you and from all of us to meet the needs of their students. Yet they go forward and work hard to make certain their students learn to read and write in English.

A teacher just wrote to say the following:

One incident happened in Tamilnadu last week. A student from Engineering college comitted suicide because he couldn't understand anything that was taught in the class. All of the teaching was in English. As this student completed his schooling in a government school in Tamil language, he lost hope about his future.

The Tamilnadu government is running only Tamil language medium schools whereas in all the colleges English is compulsory. I know that God is using me and our school for a good purpose because we train children in English medium right from the beginning.

A friend sent this to me.

A group of alumni, all highly established in their respective careers, got
together for a visit with their old university professor. The conversation
soon turned to complaints about the endless stress of work and life.

Offering his guests coffee, the professor went into the kitchen and soon
returned with a large pot of coffee and an eclectic assortment of cups:
porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal - some plain, some expensive, some quite
exquisite. Quietly he told them to help themselves to some fresh coffee...

When each of his former students had a cup of coffee in hand, the old
professor quietly cleared his throat and began to patiently address the
small gathering... ''You may have noticed that all of the nicer looking
cups were taken up first, leaving behind the plainer and cheaper ones. While

it is only natural for you to want only the best for yourselves that is
actually the source of much of your stress-related problems...

''Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In fact,
the cup merely disguises or dresses up what we drink. What each of you
really wanted was coffee, not a cup, but you instinctively went for the
best cups... Then you began eyeing each others cups....''

''Now consider this: Life is coffee. Jobs, money, and position in society
are merely cups. They are just tools to shape and contain life, and the type
of cup we have does not truly define nor change the quality of the life we
live...''

''Often, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee that
God has provided us... God brews the coffee, but he does not supply the
cups. Enjoy your coffee!''

The happiest people don't have the best of everything, they just make the
best of everything. So please remember: Live simply. Love generously. Care
Deeply. Speak Kindly. Leave the Rest to God.