PREPARING
FOR THE
CELEBRATION
OF THE GOSPEL CENTENARY
IN
CHURACHANDPUR,
1910-2010
Lal
Dena
The coming
new year-2010 is going to be the Gospel Centenary Year for the Hmar and its
allied Churches in India,
Bangladesh,
Bhutan
and Myanmar
today. Let us first look at how the
Gospel first reached Senvon village in South-west Manipur in 1910 and spread like wild fire in that area.
Being singled-handed
and preoccupied with his works in Ukhrul and some parts of the Imphal valley,
William Pettigrew, the first missionary in Manipur, could not spare time to
visit the southern hills of Manipur bordering Mizoram even after his fifteen
years’ stay in Manipur. Eventually and
miraculously, the light of Gospel had to come to the Hmar people of South Manipur, not from William Pettigrew, but from the
least expected quarter- from a young man called Watkin Robert Roberts,
Carnaevon, Mid-Wales, UK
who was then working with Dr Peter Fraser, the Welsh medical missionary to
Mizoram from 1908 to 1912.
How and
why Watkin Roberts came to this untrodden part of Manipur state is a
fascinating story. While assisting Dr P.Fraser at the Welsh Mission clinic at
Aizawl, Roberts personally bought copies of the Gospel of St John in Lushai
dialect which he sent to various village chiefs in Mizoram whenever someone
from these villages came to their clinic to collect medicine. Along with the
booklet, he sent a letter explaining the way of salvation through Christ and
requested them to read carefully the third chapter, verse sixteen. He also asked
them to acknowledge receipt of the booklet and let him know what was being done
with it.
One day
a stranger from Senvon village, Manipur, came to the mission clinic at Aizawl.
On learning from the stranger that no missionary work was ever done in that part
of the region and that the chief of that village could read Lushai dialect,
Roberts sent one copy of the Gospel booklet to Senvon. Kamkholun, chief of
Senvon was pleasantly surprised by this strange gift. Not knowing what to do
with the booklet, he sent it back to the sender with a note of request on its
back cover, “Sir, please come yourself and explain about the book to us.” The
booklet was carried back by his four friends who were then going to Aizawl to
learn tailoring. Since safe delivery of the letter was the order of the chief,
they took utmost care and the youngest among them was told to keep the booklet
in his shirt’s side pocket. He pinned it carefully fearing the loss of it might
land them to punishment in the form of salam
(fine).
One evening Rev D.E.Jones, the first Welsh
missionary at Aizawl, announced at a church meeting the receipt of a copy of
the Gospel of St. John from Manipur with a request for a missionary. Prima
facie, Roberts immeditaely knew that it was the one that he had personally sent
it to Manipur, and that the request was for the sender personally to visit the
country and open up work there. It was, indeed, a Macedonian call: the call of
a land and people still in spiritual bondage and darkness! Enthused and
excited, Roberts contacted Lungpau and Thangkhai who were then studying at
Aizawl under the sponsorship of Dr P.Fraser. Lungpau and Thangkhai, being from
Manipur, were well familiar with the topography of the hills between Manipur
and Mizoram. With some native porters, Watkin Roberts and his party lost no
time in preparing for the journey.
On Sunday, 30 January, 1910 D.
E. Jones offered special prayer at the Church service for the safety and God’s
blessing for the mission. The next day on Monday, 31 January, 1910 Roberts and his two
guides, Lungpau and Thangkhai accompanied by porters set out on their journey
towards Manipur. After passing through several villages on the way, they reached
Senvon on Saturday, 5
February, 1910. Recalling this momentous event, Watkin Roberts himself
wrote in his letter, “Our first two converts from South West Manipur were my
beloved Thangkhai and Lungpau (both Vaiphei). I well remembered the place where
they accepted the Lord in a house in one of the Hmar villages in Lushai Hills
as we returned to Aizawl in February, 1910 after my visit to Senvon and the
surrounding villages”. The spark of the Gospel which started from Senvon soon transformed
into a mighty tornado and engulfed the whole of the southern hills of Manipur
in no time. Amazing indeed!
As a
matter of fact, all the major present church organizations in Churachandpur are
the fruits of Watkin Roberts’ love-labor. Dozens of different church groups had
emerged even within the Hmar community during the past hundred years. Of late,
these church groups have formed a common platform called the Hmar Christian
Leaders’ Forum (HCLF) to coordinate issues concerning the Hmar Churches. The
HCLF in one of its executive meetings made two important resolutions regarding the
celebration of the coming Gospel Centenary in 2010: first, each and every
church organization within Hmar community should have first arranged to
celebrate the Gospel Centenary at its own convenience during its general
assembly or synod meeting in 2010; and secondly, all the church organizations
under the HCLF should jointly celebrate the Gospel Centenary in November, 2010
at Senvon, the very place where Watkin Roberts first preached the Gospel.
Following the direction of HCLF, the
Independent Church of India (ICI), one of the leading churches in Churachandpur which is
deeply rooted to the apostolic principles of self-supporting, self-administering
and self-propagating, has thus decided to celebrate the great occasion at its
mission headquarters at Sielmat, Churachandpur from 5-7 February, 2010. To
participate in the celebration, some prominent church leaders from USA, Wales
(UK), Canada,
South Korea
and mainland India
are being invited. David and Evelyn Roberts, grand children of Watkin Roberts
from Toronto, Canada are believed to have confirmed
their participation in the great celebration. Christians survivors from Kandhamal
massacre in Odisa, the four orphans with their pastor are also expected to join
in the centenary celebration as special guests.
The
Gospel Centenary Celebration Committee (ICI) is planning to hold community
feast for about fifteen to twenty thousand people throughout the three days’ celebration.
The estimated cost of only one day’s feast is in terms of lakhs. We read in the
Bible that 12 disciples of Jesus Christ can feed 6000 people excluding women
and children. Can a dedicated 100 cooks and their 900 helpers do the work?
More
concerned with the spiritual aspect of the celebration, the organizers have
launched the Gospel Centenary Revival Crusade (GCRC) in every nook and corner
of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram,
North India, Tripura, Bhutan
and Myanmar
during the last two years. The main focus of the crusade is spiritual
rejuvenation and Christian maturity. Along with this crusade, a non-stop 100
nights prayer was launched from Senvon village (Tipaimukh) from 8th
may, 2009 and it was concluded at the
Roberts’ Memorial Chapel at its General Headquarters, Sielmat on 17th Aug. 2009.
Yet
another notable preparation which needs special mention here is the
construction of a four-storeyed Gospel
Centenary Building
just at the entrance of Churachandpur town, Light House Lane, purely on the voluntary
contribution of the members of the Church. The construction is now nearing
completion.
As the
Gospel originally came from Aizawl, Mizoram, one Mizoram Presbyterian Chapel in
Aizawl, will give out the Gospel Torch which will be carried throughout North
Mizoram retreating the footsteps of Watkin Roberts and then to Senvon,
Tipaimukh, where a solemn service will be conducted. David and Evelyn Roberts
are being assigned to receive the Gospel Torch when brought to the Centenary
Hall at Sielmat on the evening of the 4th February, 2010. From the main Torch,
other torches will be lighted and be distributed to all the delegates of the
Independent Church of India Mission Fields in India, Bhutan and Myanmar. This
ceremony will be followed by a thunderous Hallelujah Chorus from 1000 Voices
while the sky over the mission headquarters is being flooded with shooting and sparkling
lights of different colors.
The
next day, the 5th February, 2010 begins with the inauguration of the
Gospel Centenary Building, dedication of Watkin Roberts’ bust by David and
Evelyn Roberts, hoisting of the Centenary Flag, Ringing of the Centenary Bell-100
times to be followed by Gospel Messages, Appreciation and Recognition, Women
Focus, Mission Focus, Youth Service, Ordination and Pension Service. The
Celebration will be closed on Sunday night, the 7th February, 2010
with CHIBAI MANGTHA & ANNYANG HASEIYO!
What a Grand
Celebration will it be? Because as for the present generation, there will not
be another Centenary Celebration.
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