MESSAGE FROM THE MODERATOR

Dear friends,

GREETINGS

The Church of North India through its Executive Committee has taken some very crucial decisions of far reaching importance, and one of them is to know where we stand in our faith, life and in fulfillment of our responsibilities.

I am personally thankful to the members of the Evaluation Commission for accepting the invitation and the responsibility to evaluate almost four decades of the Church of North India. They start with evaluation of the bishops, synod secretariat, synod programmes and finally of the Pastorate level life.

In the world of commerce , evaluation means, how much did we invest ? how much did we get back ? and did the total endeavour, end in profit or loss ? When we think of the Church we also think of God’s investment in us, His people, the world and the universe. It is This investment by our LORD that is the corner stone of our Faith, as written in the Holy Bible, “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (Jn 3:16).

For two thousand years disciples, apostles & saints from different nations have made investment of their lives in the Church Universal and we are part of it and have received our share from this reservoir.

The six Churches which united to form Church of North India had a life and history of their own in India and in different countries. These Churches invested in the Church of North India through the persons, the property, the educational and health institutions etc.,

God continues to invest firstly in and through His Son, then through the saints, our mothers & fathers in faith, who bequeathed to us faith from generation to generation and also added the worldly wealth in property & money. We need to evaluate all this.

When we think of Evaluation of Church of North India, my thoughts turn to (Mt. 25:14-30). In this parable our Lord speaks about investment by a man in three different person by way of “5,2 and 1 talents”. The man returns to evaluate the three people on how they utilized the investment.

Our Lord continues to share about evaluation in the same chapter but with different aspect. This relates to the service and dedication towards the world (Mt. 25:35-45) “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and you invited me in, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you some thing to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you ? ………………………”

Friends you have appointed some of your own to evaluate what we have done and what we have not done, what has been accomplished or has not been accomplished. Let us help the Evaluating team, so that their intervention would help people to think right and would enable the whole church to go forward and serve the world. May this evaluation strengthen us more than before to march forward towards the establishment of God’s kingdom!

The Most Rev. Joel V.Mal Moderator, Church of North India