Monthly newsletter of the Diocese of Durgapur Donation: ₹ 5/-Vol.: One Hundred and Twenty March 2017
Ankita Bhattacherjee: T h e 1 5 t h O r d i n a r y Diocesan Council of the Diocese of Durgapur, Church of North India, was held for three days
t h t hf r o m 1 7 – 1 9 February, 2017 at the St. M i c h a e l ' s a n d A l l Angels' Cathedral, at the D i o c e s a n B h a v a n Campus in Bidhan Nagar, Durgapur.rttt
The council was convened under the Chairmanship of The Rt. Revd. Dr. Probal Kanto Dutta, Bishop Diocese of Durgapur, CNI, who said; "The Council as a body, is
not only a forum for business discussions, essential for running an organised structure, but is primarily a platform to c o m e t o g e t h e r a s dedicated brothers and sisters in Christ, learn from the Word of God, and prepare ourselves to responsibly steward a church of more than twenty two thousand". yuii
R e v d . D r . P r a t a p C h a n d r a G i n e , a n o r d a i n e d m i n i s t e r, Principal of Serampore Theological College, sufficed the spiritual need of the council,
through his Bible Study sessions every morning on the central theme of the council - "My faith by my action." James 2:18iuio
The Council went on smoothly for the three days, with the different wings of the Diocese presenting their reports. On the 3rd day of the
thCouncil on Sunday, 19 F e b r u a r y , t h e nomination committee suggested names for the v a r i o u s c o m m i t t e e members, all of whom w e r e u n a n i m o u s l y accepted by the house. tyyi
The Office Bearers for the next term are: 1. The Rt. Revd. Dr.
Probal Kanto Dutta - Bishop and Chairman
2. Revd. Sumanta Naru - Vice President
3. Mr. Kamakhya Biswas - Hony. Secretary
4. Mr. Subrata Gorai - Hony. Treasurer
XV Ordinary Diocesan CouncilDiocese of Durgapur, CNI
Attack on the Church in Samadi
Inauguration of New Hostel in Malda
thAkash Das: On 4 March,
2017, the Moderator for
t h e U n i t e d R e f o r m
Church, West Midland
Synod, Revd. Steve Faber
graced our Diocese with
his visit. It was his first
trip outside the United
Kingdom.
He preached us
the sermon during the th
service held on the 5 of
March. In his sermon he
spoke about forgiveness
and the healing power of
this simple act.
iuot h
On the 6 of
March, a team of eight
m e m b e r s o f t h e
D i o c e s a n s t a ff
accompanied Rev. Faber
on his trip to Malda
where he was to meet
with the girls who reside
in the safehouse in
B a l d a h u r a a n d t o
inaugurate the Colin
Joyce Building.
ad The Colin Joyce
building was added to
the exis�ng safehouse in
order to accommodate
more individuals who
are vic�ms of trafficking.
thBinod Hansda: On 13
F e b r u a r y, 2 0 1 7 , a
res ident of Bar ikul ,
B a n k u r a , S u s h a n t a
K isku, attacked the
S a n t h a l M i s s i o n
Pa s t o ra t e d u r i n g a
prayer session in the
chapel's office. With
abusive words and a
sword he had stomped
up to the altar and
destroyed the cross,
after which he threw the
f l o w e r v a s e s a n d
candelabras away. He
a l s o d e st ro ye d t h e
hymnals and another
cross.
ooo
When a member
of the congregation,
M a h e n d r a M u r m u ,
heard the commotion in
the church, he went to
see what was going on.
After seeing the crazed
attacker, he tried to shut
the door which was
when he realised that
the attacker had broken
the door down upon his
entry. When Sushanta
n o t i c e d M a h e n d r a
trying to stop him, he
chased after him with
the sword. Mahendra
w a s l u c k y t o h a v e
escaped with his life.
ssd
Present at the
scene were two more
eye witnesses, Binod
H a n s d a w h o i s a
member of the Church,
and Satish Tudu from the
village. They could not
intervene in this attack
because they were
i n t i m i d a t e d b y t h e
sword.
hhh
By the time our
priest, Revd. Kaleb Tudu
reached the scene of the
cr ime, the attacker,
Sushanta Kisku, had
escaped on his bicycle.
H e t h e n w e n t o n a
rampage in the next
v i l l a g e , w h e r e h e
attacked the house of a
believer, Kanchan Besra
who was at the school
where he is a teacher.
When Sushanta didn't
find Kanchan at home, he
threatened Mr. Besra's
wife and said he would
kill Besra, before he left.
This attack on our belief
and our church has left
every believer in the area
shaken and scared. We
h a v e l o s t
property worth
R s . 1 5 , 0 0 0 .
Right now our
only desire is to
be free from
this tyrannical
o p p r e s s i o n
and to freely
pract ice our
religion without fearing
threats and attacks from
anyone else. We also
wish to see this man
punished for his attack
a n d h i s h e i n o u s
behaviour, so that we
don't have to witness a
rel ig ious r iot in our
villages.
2March 2017 Vol.: One Hundred and Twenty
Chief Editor: Ankita BhattacharjeeEditorial Board : Caroline Tan, Tarun Pal, Prosenjit ChowdhuryEditorial Assistance: Akash Das, Rev. R.C Kisku, Raja MosesPublished by Rt. Rev. Dr. Probal Kanto Dutta on behalf of Diocese of Durgapur, CNI, Diocesan Bhavan, Dr. Martin Luther King Road, Bidhan Nagar, Durgapur - 713212,District Burdwan, West Bengal, India.Ph. & Fax: +91-343-2536220
ditorialE
Pope Francis (one of the
most dynamic Popes
e v e r i n my h u m b l e
o p i n i o n ) r e c e n t l y
published a list of things
we can fast from during
t h e l e n t s e a s o n .
Traditionally Lent has
been associated with
giving up meat in an
effort to recall to mind
the 40 days of fasting
that our Lord underwent
in the desert. What we
don't realise is that just
giving up meat is not a
very Christian way to
recall our Lord's life and
His suffering. This is
where Pope Francis'
d i c t a t e s b e c o m e s
applicable in our modern
lives. He asks us to:
- Ankita Bha�acharjee GSECH Receives Permanent Licence
The extended building
will now accommodate
20 individuals and has a
separate quarter for
visi�ng guests.
sd
The inaugura�on
began with a welcome
d a n c e b y t h e l o c a l
women and the washing
of the feet. A small
service was held in a
makeshi� tent on the
campus of the hostel
followed by a fun-filled
a�ernoon where the
members of the various
churches performed
t r a d i � o n a l A d i b a s i
dances and the children
shook to the latest
Bollywood tunes.
fgbdsh
A tradi�onal Bengali
lunch brought the day's
fes�vi�es to a close.
Raja Moses: The Good
Shepherd Eye Clinic and
Hospital (G S E C H) is
proud to announce that
w e h a v e r e c e i v e d
national license from
the National Council for
Clinical Establishment.
This body overlooks the
re g i s t rat i o n o f a n d
regulation of all clinical
establishments in the
country with a view to
prescribe the minimum
standards of facilities
and services provided by
them.
Earlier the
G S E C H h a d a
probationary license
f r o m t h e B u r d w a n
Health Department; but
now we have received a
permanent medica l
license and national-
level-recognition. The
Counci l selected 12
health service providers
among 50 registered
not-for-profit clinics in
the Burdwan district,
based on the ratings and
the scores accumulated
by each c l in i c , and
GSECH was one among
them. These ratings are
based on the reports
sent by the clinics each month.
t hCaroline Tan: On 9
March, 2017, the corner
stone for a new chapel
w a s l a i d i n t h e
Marsalduar Girls' Hostel
campus. This chapel will
cater to the spiritual
needs of the residents of
the hostel. The corner
stone was laid by our
Bishop, the Rt. Revd. Dr.
Probal Kanto Dutta, in
the presence of the
Moderator of the United
Reform Church, West
Midland Synod, U.K,
Revd. Steve Faber.
The ceremony
began with a smal l
prayer service in the
c o u r t y a r d o f t h e
M a rs a l d u a r h o ste l ,
f o l l o w e d b y t h e
breaking of the earth
ceremony for laying the
foundation. The Bishop
then laid the corner
stone for the chapel.
Many of the present
attendees volunteered
to donate money for the
building of the church.
Laying of Corner Stone for New Chapel
Record-Breaking number of patients at GSECH
th thNiraj Lal: 14 and 15
February, 2017 saw the
Good Shepherd Eye
C l i n i c a n d H o s p i ta l
a t t e n d t o r e c o r d -
breaking number of
pat ients . Whi le the
e a r l i e r r e c o r d e d
numbers averaged to a
20 – 25 per day, it had hit
a double and stood at 45
patients on both days.
Since then the average
number of patients per
day has increased to 40
per day.
We had conducted 17
s u c c e s s f u l cata ra c t
o p e r a t i o n s a n d
attended to 45 OPD patients last month.
In a world filled with
hatred and war, hunger
and poverty, fasting from
meat or giving up our
favourite food is no
longer the way to follow
Christ (it's best left back
in the Middle ages). It is a
world where we have to
c o n s c i o u s l y a n d
c o n s c i e n t i o u s l y b e
Christians through our
thoughts, words and our
deeds. It is no longer
enough to just own the
badge of baptism to
claim closeness with our
L o r d i f w e a r e n o t
w o r k i n g t o w a r d s
building a relationship
with Him through our
efforts. This lent let's
l o o k f o r w a r d t o
celebrating the life and
sacrifices of our Lord by
f o l l o w i n g t h e s e
mandates in order to
lend more credibility to
o u r a c t i o n s . L e t u s
prepare to welcome the
R i s e n L o rd t h ro u g h
prayer, doing penance,
mortifying the flesh,
rep entan ce o f s in s ,
almsgiving, and self-
denial.
Fast from HURTING WORDS and say KIND WORDS.
Fast from SADNESS and be filled with GRATITUDE.
Fast from ANGER and be filled with PATIENCE. Fast from PESSIMISM and be filled with HOPE. Fast from WORRIES and TRUST IN GOD. Fast from COMPLAINTS and contemplate
SIMPLICITY. Fast from PRESSURES and be PRAYERFUL. Fast from BITTERNESS and fill your heart with
JOY. Fast from SELFISHNESS and be
COMPASSIONATE to others. Fast from GRUDGES and be RECONCILED. Fast from WORDS and be SILENT so you can
listen.
Pope F�NCIS on LENT 2017
March 2017 Vol.: One Hundred and Twenty 3
rdSukanya Mandi: On 3
February 2017, a Bike
Rally was organised by
D u r g a p u r D i o c e s a n
Y o u t h F e l l o w s h i p
Committee. The theme
was “Biking with Jesus”,
and the a im was to
spread the of love and
peace of Jesus Christ to
every one.
Youth from the churches
of Purulia, Sarenga and
Bankura participated in
this rally. They travelled
from their respective
churches to Bankura,
from where they rode
together to the Diocesan
campus in Durgapur. The
onlookers on the roads
were amazed at the
graceful display of bike
riders riding in unity
which gave us immense
joy as they realised that
we were a Church group.
A small prayer meeting
was organised at the
D i o c e s e w h e r e o u r
be loved B ishop, Rt .
Revd. Dr. Probal Kanto
Dutta was present along
with our friends from
o v e r s e a s a n d t h e
Diocesan staff. Th is
overwhelming response
to our efforts was a nod
o f e n c o u r a g e m e n t
towards our efforts
w h i c h g r e a t l y
encouraged us . The
inspiring words by our
fr iends from abroad
added more vigour to
our endeavour. We hope
t o c o n t i n u e t o b e
inspired and to inspire in
t u r n t h e c o m i n g
generation to spread the
love and peace of Jesus
C h r i s t t h r o u g h o u r
endeavours.
Rev. Pankaj Pande: A
spec ia l 3 -days long
prayer meeting was
organised by United
Christian Prayer for India
(UCPFI) in Hyderabad
t h i s m o n t h . T h e
objective of this prayer
meeting was to bring
together Christians from
different denominations
and from every part of
India in order to ideate
on how to spread the
love of God and the
tenets of Christianity in
the country through
w o m e n a n d y o u t h
leadership. The Bishops,
Pastors and faithful from
Catholic, Protestant and
evangelical churches
p a r t i c i p ate d i n t h e
prayer service which
included praise and
worship, penitential rite,
reflection on the word of
God and intercessory
prayers.huiou
LT Jayayendan, Rajen
M a t t h e w P r a m u k h
conducted a Bible-study
session during which he
enlightened us on the
path which we can take
in order to spread the
word of God amongst
His believers and among
everyone else whose
lives we cross. He also
spoke to us about the
importance of including
women and the youth in
this mission.
dsg
Rev. Sudhir Hembrom,
Mr. Raja Moses and
Youth representative,
Sudip Singh participated
in this prayer meeting,
a l o n g w i t h m e , a s
represen-tatives from
the Diocese of Durgapur.
We would not have
received this beautiful
opportunity to interact
with God's people from
all over the country,
were i t not for the
encouragement of our
Bishop, the Rt. Revd. Dr.
Probal Kanto Dutta, and
for that we are grateful
to him. Our learning
from this meeting will
h e l p u s b e b e t t e r
soldiers of God and also
help us to spread his
message of peace and
love and to establish His
kingdom on earth.
UCPFI Meeting Diocesan Youth Unite for Bike Rally
Believers Baptism In Bankura Pastorate
thPankaj Pande: On 26
February, 2017, 3 ladies
and a gentleman from
the Bankura pastorate
renewed their vows of
Christianity through a
baptism in the 100-year-
old pond in Bankura
Christian College.
A three-month course
was organised for the
believers in order to
teach them about the
love of Christ. Through
this course they came to
accept Jesus as their
personal saviour. They
shared the belief that
with their baptism they
with their baptismal
renewal they will give up
all the sin-filled ways of
their past life and be
reborn in Christ as His
true believers.
They have been inspired
b y t h e B i b l e v e r s e
Matthew 28:19 and have
b e e n i m m e r s e d
themselves in the works
of the Church and their
congregation. We pray
t h a t t h i s h a p p y
celebration fills their
lives with renewed hope
and the light and love of
our Lord.
Sports Day and Picnic at St. Michael's School Bankura
thOn 29 January, 2017,
St. Michael's School
Bankura celebrated the
a n n u a l s p o r t s d a y
amidst great pomp and
excitement. The sports
arena was decorated
with festive bunting and
the Teacher-In-Charge
of the school welcomed
everybody to the field.
Presbyter-in-charge of
Bankura, Bishnupur and
Baramara pastorates,
Revd. Debojit Das was
the Chief Guest at the
event. In his opening
speech he spoke about
the importance and
usefulness of sports in a
student's life.
As the opening act, the
students performed
gymnastics and aerobics
with great precision,
fol lowed by several
sport acts like frog leap,
biscuit run, spoon-and-
marble race and inter-
house relay race among
others. The parents also
participated with great
enthusiasm. The event
came to a close with the
distribution of gifts by
the Chief Guest, Rev.
Debojit Das, followed by
a vote of thanks from
the Teacher-In-Charge
and the singing of the
National Anthem.
After the event, the
parents, teachers and
students got together
for a picnic which had
fun games like musical
chair, which put a smile
on everyone's face.
Sewing Diploma Exams
r dRaja Moses: On 3
M a r c h , 2 0 1 7 t h r e e
students from the St.
Mary's Sewing School,
D u rga p u r, to o k t h e
S e w i n g D i p l o m a
Examinations. When
their results are out,
they will be awarded a
certificate in Sewing and
they can start their own
businesses or apply for
jobs as seamstresses or
tailors in shops.
A n o t h e r b a t c h o f
students, from the St.
Mary's Sewing School,
Simonpur, is undergoing
training to take the
S e w i n g D i p l o m a
Examinations in August,
2017.