Topic: Mission in the first decades of the 21st century
Place: Sophia centre, kottayam 14-17 October 2010
It was a very pleasant experience with its pleasantness hard to pen. When I was informed about the conference I was very hesitant because I knew I was going to get into a diverse environment. But then I decided to do it and now I believe it was worth it. The experience right from packing from home to coming back home was indeed a very memorable moment. In fact it was not just a memorable one, it was life transforming one. When I left from home, I had so many questions on my mind but I was determined to do God’s work. In the past few months life had undergone a major change. My plan for higher studies was shattered and it was hard for me to understand what God is doing with my life. I just blindly trusted Him. When I reach there I dint even know whether I was worth all the attention I was being given. The people I met, the things we spoke and almost all the speakers I listened to inspired me to just walk ahead in this direction God has shown. I presented our group discussion ideas for 15 minutes representing our team. It was one of the bravest things I have ever done in my life and I was happy that it is for God. And God also granted His grace to praise him through songs specifying in such a crowd. The place was very serene and it was a perfect place for timely reflection over our lives. I had wonderful room mates to share my room with.
The director of Vicharya prof.Mammen Varkey began his welcome address by talking about Edinburgh conference. He took us through the fallacies of Edinburgh and the context of mission. And he also provoked our thoughts to make our contribution to the Christian mission in India.
In the morning session, Bishop Thirumeni addressed us. He substantiated his message with the verse” I do not ask you to take them out of the world, but I do ask you to keep them safe from the evil one: Mathew 17:15 “. And he concluded by encouraging us to prepare the way for the Lord’s second coming. It was a proud moment when we humbly committed to God’s call to build His kingdom.
And personally, my favorite of the whole episode was Rev.Dr.M.C.Thomas’ words on book of Jonah were heart piercing .It was life enriching for the younger generation to meet people like Adv.P.A Cyrus who has set tremendous example in humility. Prof. M.M Thomas’ view of mission keeps ringing in my ears. “Mission is to introduce people who can help those poor people”.
I can just go on and on with no end. Instead I choose to stop here. These memories will remain strong testimonies at this juncture of my life. I’m thankful to SCMI for making this opportunity a possibility to me.
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