Church of South India
Thursday, 19 July 2007 18:20
Main languages:
- Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil, Telegu, Urdu
Main religions:
- Hinduism (81%), Islam (13%), Christianity (2%), Sikhism (2%), others (2%)
Government:
- The Indian National Congress formed the government with the support of a dozen other parties in 2004. The government is known as the United Progressive Alliance.
National and community concerns:
- Marginalisation of outcastes (Dalits) and tribals.
- Environmental damage.
- The AIDS epidemic.
- High international debt.
Church priorities and programmes:
- Vision for Equipping Local Congregations in Mission (VELCOM) education programme.
- In-service training and reflection programmes for pastors.
- Healing ministry includes management of hospitals, community health care and education.
- Council for Child Care supervises hostels, orphanages, schools and centres for the handicapped.
- Development programme for Dalits.
- Providing pre-primary education facilities through the CSI women's fellowship.
- A national programme to help street children at urban centres is getting priority attention.
Members/Congregations:
- 3.8 million/14,000
Women's representation in church:
- Women are ordained. 30% representation of women at all committee, council and synod levels.
Youth activities:
- Youth conventions are organised for bible study and to promote evangelism.
- The department for youth focuses on training young people for leadership.
Missionaries sent and received through CWM:
- R S Nithya, teaching, to the United Church in Solomon Islands.
- Violet Jasmine and Ponnappan Milton, teaching, to the Kiribati Protestant Church.
- Rajaratnam Rajendran, management and teaching, to the Kiribati Protestant Church.
- Rev Dr Ragunta and Santha Yesurathnam, ITLD programme, to the United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands.
- Koshy David, teaching, to the United Church in Solomon Islands (UCSI)
- Rev Dr Donald and Jeyachristie Samuel, theological education and teaching, to the Congregational Christian Church in American Samoa.
For more information:
- Mr M M Philip General Secretary
Website
Prayers:
- For the work against injustice and social inequality, especially among the Dalits.
- For Christians and other minorities persecuted by Hindu fundamentalists.
- That the church's campaigns will put the poor on the government's agenda.
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