“That they may all be
One”…this is the mutual motto of the
UCC and of CSI. Today several members of the Michigan
Conference are much more aware of that motto than they were before January
21, 2004.
From January 21 – through
February 5, Henrietta Andrews, John and Ruth Biersdorf, Lynn Lyon, Dianne
Roberts and Chuck and Sherry Schacht traveled together in
South India . It was the first time any of
us had visited in
India
. After many weeks of preparation and a long grueling flight from
Detroit through
Amsterdam to
New Delhi to
Kochi ,
India
and then to Kottayam we arrived at our destination.
The trip was in response to
an invitation of The Rt. Rev. Thomas Samuel, Bishop of the CSI Diocese of
Madhya Kerala. Bishop Thomas Samuel relates to the
Church of
South India congregations
established in the
United States of America
. Some years ago, he had suggested to the
Church of
South India congregation of Great
Lakes that they join in fellowship with other churches in the
Detroit
area. He was concerned that they not be alone in their ministry. The
pastor at that time, the Rev. Samuel Matthew and the Secretary for the
congregation, Mr. Bobi Chandy, contacted the Michigan Conference Minister,
Kent Ulery to start discussions. Many meetings with the pastor, leaders of
the congregation and the Division for Church and Ministry followed resulting
in the
Church of
South India congregation of
Great Lakes being granted standing in the
Detroit Metropolitan Association. Several months following that event, the
Bishop extended an invitation for a delegation from
Michigan to visit
India
January 2004.
Our purpose was to visit with the Bishop, the pastors and the people of the
Church of
South India
and to participate in the 38th Diocesan Convention held in an
outdoor arena set up with 2000 chairs at the Baker School Compound, in
Kottayam. For one week, from Sunday to Sunday, we worshiped with the people
of the Dioceses. The ministers in our group had an opportunity to preach
before the convention. The expectation was a one-hour sermon. Most of the
group presented before the Women, the Sunday School Children, the Youth, the
Clergy and the
Center for Christian Church Youth Council.
The experiences of sharing were transforming for us and for those who
listened to our witness about God’s presence in our lives.
Culture shock – an experience of the unfamiliar! Our first shocker was that
of traveling along the roads of Kerala. In most places there are no
sidewalks, nor curbing. Pedestrians walk in the streets. It is the honking
of a horn that alerts them to the fact that a car is coming. The people will
move out of the way but the dogs never do. There are traffic rules but no
one obeys them. The closest thing to a traffic light was a palm size stop
sign held by an officer standing on a podium in the middle of a wide
intersection. People get around in cars, buses, rickshaws, bicycles,
motorcycles (with entire families on them), delivery trucks and cabs.
Vehicles pass one another with a honk of the horn and with just inches to
spare. People weave in and out and often pass the car in front with another
vehicle coming head on. The roads in the city of
Kottayam
are curvy and hilly and one can drive no faster than 40 mph. We had many
close calls and some hair-raising moments, by God’s grace, we never even
received a dented fender.
Traditions in
India
play an important role. Men and women sit on opposite sides during the
church service, shoes are removed before entering all churches and most
homes, arranged marriages are the norm in most households and the young
people are accepting of such a tradition. In most schools children wear
uniforms, and in the cases where they did not the traditional Sari or Salwar
Kameez was the standard for the girls and shirt and tie for the boys. Gift
giving in the form of flowers, freshly made jasmine leis and shawls is also
a part of their tradition. We received the leis at the beginning of our
journey when we were welcomed to the convention and a shawl was bestowed on
us at the closing ceremony. We also received other gifts from our hosts and
the bishop and the pastors of the diocese. Morning tea with hot milk and
sugar is a popular tradition as is an afternoon tea and rest.
What one learns soon after
arriving is the way of greeting others. The palms of the hands are together
and the head bowed upon greeting and leaving. The women of Kerala wear the
sari (about six yards of material tied around the waist, with the pleat
tucked into an under-skirt. The palav (end-piece is either drawn over the
left shoulder or draped over the head. Very often, the women would cover
their head with the end piece during prayer. The men wore the lower garment
(the mundu) and a western style shirt. All of the women in the
Michigan
group had at least one salwar-kameez tailor made. The Salwar Kameeze
consists of a baggy pyjama and a loose tunic along with a dupatta (a shawl)
We were introduced to a variety of
foods, including Chicken Curry, Prathta, Rice Papadam, Raita (yogurt) and
Tea served with hot milk and sugar. Great care was taken not to serve spicy
foods without first warning us. We quickly learned if it said, “pickled or
contained anything that sounded likes “pickles” it was very spicy.
We discovered we had no control
over anything. This is a humbling experience. We learned to respond to many
changes in program and travel plans and outages and
translation/communication difficulties with grace. We had a powerful
experience of God’s presence as a blessing to us through prayer. We learned
to trust that God would provide as we prepared sermons and presentations
without benefit of resources that would have been readily available at
home. We learned something about being ambassadors. We experienced one
graced-filled day of bonding in the Spirit when we all came together in a
strange land.
The pastors and the bishop
welcomed us. We found the people of the
Church of
South India
to be simply wonderful. It is as though their own life situations have
freed them from the illusion that one can have everything under control.
They live as if they understand – already - that God will provide.
The
Church of
South India
is faced with issues of their culture – i.e. a protestant presence in a
country where they are in the minority. Women are ordained but not yet
serving churches. There is the awareness of the Caste System and questions
emerging about the role of the church responding to that caste system. But
central are a people eager to be spiritually fed and clearly focused upon
mission that addresses some of the social needs of the people not addressed
by the government. Their attention to schools for the orphaned and training
for young men and women is a priority. Kerala has a 95 % literacy rate,
which is defined as each citizen being able to read and write three
languages and three different alphabets. The Government cannot be depended
upon for continuity of services and programs because of the predictable
pattern of alternation between the two parties. The Diocese provides
educational opportunities for thousands of children and youth in the State
of
Kerala
, some who can afford to pay for the education and most that cannot. There
are more than 300 CSI churches in the Kerala Dioceses and they are served by
about 100 pastors and assisted by lay “church workers.” The white-robed
pastors stand out and give constant witness to the influence of the church
and its mission. The Madhya Kerala Diocese plays a crucial role in
education and it was obvious that the churches and their leaders lay and
clergy take pride in this mission.
We were amazed at the
children and youth, all with smiling faces, well behaved, eager to learn and
taking their education seriously. They would sit for hours during the
teachings at the convention and also in their schools. The classrooms in
their schools are simple with wooden benches, a chalkboard and hard floors.
Most schools went from pre-school to the 12th grade. We
discovered they know their Bible Stories. The children memorized many songs
and whole portions of scripture. Their beautiful sparkling dark eyes, black
hair and smiling faces will forever be imprinted in our minds eye.
In addition to spending time at the
outdoor convention, our hosts also arranged a visit to a wildlife sanctuary,
a bird sanctuary, a woodworking trade school for boys from poor families and
several orphanages. We saw coconut, tea and rubber plantations, rice
paddies and banana, mango and other fruit trees. We saw elephants in the
wild, warthogs, and bison. We saw and heard and many species of birds. We
were also given the opportunity to ride an elephant. Kerala (which means
Land of
Coconut Trees
) is always green and lush, and you do not see much open ground.
Our memories of this experience will be rich and lasting. We remember
especially the gracious hospitality, which was shown to us at every church,
school and home that we visited. We thank especially our family hosts, The
Bishop and his wife Lily, and the Reverends Sam Mathew and Joseph Mathew.
The people are surely rich in God’s Spirit and they have much to teach us.
(From: United Church News, UCC
Michigan Conference, March 2004.)
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