The Mann on the Mountains of Death!

The Mann on the Mountains of Death

 Philipose Vaidyar

Kolli Hills, known as ‘Kolli Malai' on the Eastern Ghats, is not widely known for tourism. But people and tourists do go there. It’s a small mountain range located in the Namakkal District of Tamil Nadu with heights up to 1300 meters above the mean sea level. It is 90 kilometers away from Salem, the nearest railway station on the main railway line. People go there with different interests -the old Ghats road is steep with 70 hairpin curves. It interests the motorists. The hills are scenic with tropical evergreen, rich, diverse, and large and wide stretches of forests. There are rare species of trees and plants that are also protected here. There are silver oak, coffee, and fruit plantations on these hill ranges. 

 

But I had a different reason to visit these hills. I had heard about Mother Brand who worked on the Eastern Ghats, who used to go around challenging people into missions. When I lived in Salem for some time, the long desire of having a peep into this 'tribalscape' was coming true. 

Part I

Kollimalai means Hill of Death! so-called because of the widespread diseases in the area, and particularly that deadly malaria that took the lives of the inhabitants here. But that did not stop Jesse Mann Brand from coming to these interior mountains to help the helpless people.

Just before World War I, 108 years ago, Jesse Mann & Evelyn Brand, as newlywed couples, came over here by horseback and walking hills and jungles when there were no roads. They came here to serve the people with healthcare, education, and to enlighten their lives by sharing the love of God who created these mountains. Their vision also stretched to three more hill ranges: Kalrayan, Javari, and Yercaud hills.

 

Jesse Mann Brand, the all-rounder man

Jesse Man Brand was born in July 1885 in Guildford, Surrey, England, to Henry Brand and Lydia Mann. At the young age of 22 in 1907, Jesse reached India as a missionary after a long voyage. He worked in the plains around Madras, presently known as Chennai. During his stay at different mission stations in Tamil Nadu, he had heard about Kolli Hills- the mountains of death, where native tribes lived in ignorance and were affected by various sicknesses with no cure or health facility to access. He longed to go and serve those hill people. The terrain was difficult to reach with no roads to travel. 

 

He used to write about the plight of the people, and it was published in the mission newsletters in England. During his next vacation, he was speaking at a Baptist Church in England and shared about the darkness that pervaded the hills in those South Indian hills. 

The Woman Who Became Mother Brand

Evelyn Constance Harris was born in England in 1879 as the daughter of a well-to-do merchant. She grew up in a strict Baptist home in the fashionable St. John's Wood area of London. Her father saw that she had the best of education suitable to young ladies of that age and station in life. She accepted Christ as a young girl and was baptized at eleven years of age. Young Evelyn was very fond of artwork and painting. But after 20 years, she began to turn her attention to missions, which became her passion. 

 

Her family was also involved in ministries to street and slum dwellers. In the home and at church, she was exposed to missions, particularly those in India. As a young lady, she would at times break out of the protection of her home, going into the London slums on missions of mercy. As a young adult, she was challenged by the letters published in a missionary journal written by a missionary to the hill people of South India. 

 

At the age of 30, she had an opportunity to visit and help her sister in Australia for a few weeks. As she sailed back, she felt a strong call to missions among unreached places. 

Evelyn was deeply moved by the stories of the church bulletin about the tribes in the Kolli Hills and their plights. She could also attend the meeting at the Baptist Church, where Jesse Mann Brand was sharing. While she spoke, she realized that it was he who had written about the Mountains of Death in the pamphlet that thrilled her. At the mission challenge, she answered silently, “Here am I. Send me!” From that day, her heart began to long for India. When she expressed her desire to go to India, her father exclaimed, “A missionary? Aren't there enough lost souls in London?” But at her persistence to obey God’s call, her father had to yield.  

 

As much as her parents hated to see her leave home, they recognized that the hand of God was on her and that she must be obedient to the call of God. After a short course of missionary medicine, she proceeded to India in 1912. Her first task was to learn the difficult Tamil language. The hot, humid climate of Madras was depressing as well. Here again, she met Jesse Brand, who spoke Tamil like a native speaker. It was first as a language instructor, encourager, friend, and subsequently beloved that the relationship grew rapidly. For some time, due to sickness, she had to move to a healthier hill station to recover. Later, she joyfully accepted Jesse’s proposal of marriage.

 

The Wedding Bells

Jesse went up to the mountains to build a very simple three-room house with a small outhouse for cooking. They were married on 27 August 1913 and the same day, they both moved to the Kolli hills. She was carried by men in a woven cane basket through the forest hills, and she was drenched in the wedding dress in the downpour. 

(On mobile, you can click open the  following images for a better view or to read the captions)

Part II 

“Together, Jesse and Evelyn ministered to the people around the hills. They trekked all over the mountains on foot or hill pony. Jesse was a man with many talents—doctor, dentist, preacher, teacher, counselor, agronomist, builder, and much more - all things to all men. His medical skills, which he had learned in England, broke down barriers. Their first convert was a lad whose salvation brought great joy to their hearts. But he died very soon of pneumonia. It was six more long years until the next fruit was realized from their labors. Over the years, the work among the hill people progressed. A church with outstations was established. 

Two children were born to the Brands: Paul and Connie. They trekked with their parents and were a part of the team. In due time, they were left with family in England to pursue their education. 

Strong, energetic Jesse was rarely ill, but in July of 1929, he was severely affected with malaria that soon turned into blackwater fever—one of the most toxic complications of that disease. He died on July 15, 1929. There was a simple service, and his body was buried there on the "mountains of death."

Evelyn was devastated, alone there in the mountains. The niece, Ruth, who was in her last year of medical training, dropped out of college and came to be with her aunt in India. Some three months later, she accompanied her back to England. By this time, Paul was 15 and his sister was 13. After a long gap of years, they met their mother again. A year later, she returned to her beloved mountains. It was hard without Jesse, but she was soon into the routine of medical clinics, teaching, disciplining, correcting, and exhorting people all over the range of mountains for the next five years.  

It was a turbulent time in India with the war years; the political unrest over the division of India and Pakistan, and years of bloodshed. The mission board would not let her go back to the mountains. They thought it would be too dangerous for her to be alone in the mountains. She served reluctantly on the plains, but she was always persisting with the board to allow her to return to the mountains. Finally, in 1947, there was a new India, now an independent nation. Paul, now a medical doctor, returned to India as a missionary to the Vellore Christian Medical College. Evelyn, at almost 70, went to a new range of mountains. She built a small wattle-and-mud hut for home and tirelessly ministered to the neglected people.

Paul was gaining a reputation for his work in leprosy. In 1953, Granny fell in her home in the mountains and fractured her hip. She was carried down out of the mountains to Vellore to be with Paul and his family. At 74 years of age, Granny was a feisty old lady, very dedicated to the task to which God had called her. Paul and his family were trying to persuade her to retire from the rigors of mountain life and come live with them in a comfortable home. She would have none of it. She said, “Since no man was willing to go to these people, live under these conditions, and tell the people of Jesus, I would go back”. And she did.

In 1963, at the age of 84, she moved to the third range of mountains. Again, she had the same pattern of extensive trekking on a small hill pony, walking with two bamboo poles for support, and living in very simple conditions. She had an utter lack of dependence on things.

In 1965, after working alone in the mountains for almost 35 years, a missionary nurse was assigned to work with her as her companion, and they continued until the time of her death. In a letter to Paul, Granny wrote that she would soon have her 95th birthday. She was sure a lot of kindly people would write and praise her and say how wonderful she was to be working still at 95 years of age. She said, "I am not wonderful. I am just a poor, old, frail, and weak woman. God has taken hold of me and gives me the strength I need each day. He uses me just because I know that I have no strength of my own. Please tell the people to praise God, not me." Her memory was beginning to fail, and so was her eyesight. In October, she came out of the mountains to Karigiri near Vellore to see Paul, who was on a brief visit to India. Here again, she fell, injuring her knee. There was no fracture, but the injury was very painful. She slowly went down following that injury and quietly slipped into the presence of her Lord on December 18, 1974, at the age of 95. Her frail, wasted body was carried back and buried beside her beloved husband Jesse there on the "mountains of death."

A few years earlier, she had written this free verse:

“Why did You have to break me first,

Why did You take my all away

Before You satisfied my thirst?

Why must I sink in deepest deep

Before the promises to know?

I realize now it had to be

Before He taught my soul to pray,

Before the glory, I could see,

The glory that He promised me”.

 Isaiah 52:7  

- Dr. John A. Dresibach

________________ 

Acknowledgments: 

Part II of the narrative is taken from the writing of  Dr. John A. Dresibach, published on the Gospel Fellowship Association website. Used with permission.

All photographs used inside (except the last one) are taken by Philipose Vaidyar during a visit to the hill and the mission base of the Brands in 2013.  

Photo courtesy of the last picture of the renovated tomb: Jayaprakash, Salem

Also, read more about Mother Brand  The Lily on Kolli Hills 

Coming shortly...

• The New Beginnings from where the Brands Left

How beautiful on the mountains

     are the feet of those who bring good news,

 who proclaim peace,

     who bring good tidings,

     who proclaim salvation,

 who says to Zion,

     “Your God reigns!     (Isaiah 52:7)  

Mission: Rural or Urban

Mission, Ministry, and Christian Witness:

 Rural or Urban

Inventions of technology led to industrial and agricultural revolutions, and it developed more cities and made life in the villages better, adding buses and cars on mud roads along with the bullock carts. It brought tractors to farms, refrigerators to kitchens, and typewriters to offices. Communication and information revolution further enhanced our learning, acquiring knowledge, and the ability to communicate and move distances in a short time. It brought in new devices, some stayed and others were replaced, changing our lives and cultures and impacting our work situations. People do migrate to places, cities, and countries for better jobs and life! 

 As technology advances and the economy continue to improve or collapse, rural and urban concepts continue to change. One’s 'urban' may be another’s 'rural' and vice versa. So what is the relevance of ‘urban mission’? The proponents of the ‘urban mission’ say mission in the Bible always started in the cities. Indeed, Babel was a city under construction. Sodom and Gomorrah were cities. Apostle Paul traveled and ministered in cities. Of course, Jesus preached in villages, towns, and the city! The person relieved of the legion of demons, went around sharing the gospel in Decapolis- i.e. ten cities. Were those ten cities bigger than Jericho or Jerusalem? So what’s the debate? Let us follow the models to witness and minister to the people around us. As individuals and churches, let us reach out to our neighbors with the love of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ in deed and word whether we live in a village, town, or city. 

(This is neither a biblical study on urban vs. rural missions nor an academic paper on the subject. This is not to challenge anyone towards ministry or mission but to discuss a few challenges around the topic.  This is a small random piece culled out from personal observations and real-life reflections on the topic with practical illustrations and special reference to Episcopal Church settings. So if it does not interest you, it’s here you can stop reading further. The word 'priest' is used also to mean pastor and presbyter).

 

The urban-rural divide

Automobiles work better in cities. A bus service has no difference as to its functioning whether city or village but works better on good roads. Cell phones and computers work well in urban places than in rural but it is now essential everywhere! Average common people know that everything does not work in the same way everywhere. Farming and rearing livestock are not feasible in the center of cities while a superstore is not a wise idea in a rural village. However, certain things work everywhere. The construction process of a house and the operation of a flour mill will not have many differences whether in a city or in a village. 

Christian’s witnessing in the neighborhood or at the workplace - Urban and Rural

People know what works better and how in each of their settings, so should be our mission! Being a witness and sharing the gospel is the responsibility of every Christian but the methods and styles followed by each may vary. Certain methods of ministries work differently in cities (urban) and villages (rural). Rural or urban, only those with a passion for sharing the gospel will share it wherever they are. People working in urban offices have different lifestyles and communication technologies and they will know how to communicate the gospel to their peers if only they want to. People with a deep desire for reaching out to a lost soul will always look for opportunities wherever they live. They know their situations and what methods work better in their contexts. So what matters is one's desire for witnessing and reaching out to others in word and deed.

THE MINISTRY OR MISSION OF A CONGREGATION/CHURCH

Now the focus here is not on workplace evangelism or the neighborhood witnessing by the members of a church but on the unified effort of a church or a congregation in its ministry of reaching people around to see most of those seekers coming into the congregation. In achieving this goal, the evangelists/missionaries/ priest of the congregation have important roles (whether they are full-timers or not). In the case of Episcopal churches, these roles are expected to be handled by the full-timers appointed for the purpose. 

For example, an evangelist should be a driving force in helping congregation members (or vice versa) to start neighborhood gatherings regularly to reach others. Depending on the scope, an evangelist can handle at least 5 areas gathering every week arranged by a church member or by a few of them at a location. He also will be able to participate in the cottage meetings of the church, if there are any, mostly happening for “fellowship”. Hardly any evangelism or mission happens through such cottage meetings.

A priest/pastor of the congregation will be able to build on the ministry of the evangelist or members by ministering to the seekers and visitors who come to the Church for meetings and worship. There may be several other methods relevant to each context.

Though it is the intended design, most congregations fail in reaching out effectively to the people outside. Often evangelists and priests assume the responsibility of managing the church by attending the regular programs of the church or visiting its members, making these means the end.

Since evangelism or witnessing among the communities around is often un-attempted by most congregations, it is constantly a topic for discussions and consultations at wider forums of the church, led by those who can practice it in some way and facilitated by the leadership. Those congregations, that are actively involved in the mission, will continue to strive to inspire and influence other passive congregations to follow their models. Some who get excited will talk about various scopes of outreach ministries but eventually will fail to see any initiatives moving forward until yet another consultation. What will be some of the reasons for this vicious cycle of inspiration-failure-inspiration?  

CHALLENGES

The most important problem in certain cases may be that we have the right people in the wrong places and the wrong people in the right places. Urban-originated churches know their people and they do their ministry and mission relevantly. Rural churches know their context and do well if they have a will. Non-denominational and autonomous churches in cities can do effectively what they want to do. But urban mission as a topic for discussion is mostly for Episcopal Churches because of its own identity crisis on its natures, formats, and layers of cultures within. The leadership of such churches will struggle to make choices between the old and the new or to have a combination of both. The result of trying to stitch the old and new together can tear the whole piece. 

Let us examine some common problems or felt needs we observe among Episcopal churches as to Christian witness and mission in single or multi-cultures. (The listed points are not exhaustive).

1. When a congregation meets, what do they pray together for?

I have observed, in most churches, that the intercessory prayers are around the health, wellness, and physical needs of the members, their relatives, or friends. Our physical needs are certainly prime without which we can not even pray for others. But if the specific spiritual needs of individuals are never our concern, the church has no ministry. Those who are in evangelism or ministry may share about the spiritual needs of the people they serve or work with. Even for churches that may have many mission fields, the field missions and the congregation may function in two compartments. If spiritual concerns of people from the neighborhood or mission fields are hardly heard in the intercessory prayers of a congregation, it is a critical sign to know if the Church has a mission. If Christian witness (evangelism) is the life breath of a church, testimonies of spiritual ministries and specific spiritual concerns of the needy people will be heard all the time in its gatherings.    

2. Does every congregation have a passion for ministry to its neighborhood?

It may start with an individual in the church but ultimately the church/congregation should own it up. It should be an initiative of a team and it should be the culture of the congregation. The congregation’s vision and mission should never be dependent on a “pastor” or a “priest” who comes on rotation for a limited period of a term. 

The committee members of a congregation may have different ideas. Some are for social work and charity. Some will be comfortable supporting anything but don’t want to be disturbed by new converts joining the congregation, spoiling culture and identity! Some may say, “We can have a separate congregation for them, they will be comfortable that way. They should not grow more than us that they will overtake us!”  (These are not assumptions but realities faced by several congregations, especially in bilingual situations or cities). 

3. The Church’s passion should be the mission and the intention right

Several Churches initiate mission activities to say that they have a mission field and to show that they are involved in cross-cultural missions. This is not to discount the mission of any churches that are doing good and great. To illustrate, I would briefly mention an interaction that I have had with a travel-mate over a while during the year 2004. He belonged to an Episcopal church’s local congregation in Kerala.

The congregation wanted to start a mission field in Madurai. 

“Can you guide us to locate a missionary?”

“How about supporting a mission organization in Kerala by adopting a missionary couple in a mission field?”

“No, we would like to have our mission field.”

“Ok why Madurai, why not a nearby place to you in Kerala?”

“It should be another language and place outside but close to Kerala. Madurai is not very far from Kerala, we can visit any time, or conduct mission tours!”

 (Maybe good for social distancing!)

“How much are you prepared to pay a salary for a missionary couple?”

“See, at Madurai, in Tamil Nadu, the cost of living will not be much. Maybe 2,000 Rupees will be fine.”

“Sir, you work at a University. Are you prepared to pay a missionary family at least a salary equal to the least of the last-grade employee in your University- a peon or a sweeper on your campus? If not, are you willing to take a month’s leave, go there and live for a month to see how much it can cost the living?

Needless to say, that was the end of our long conversations and possibly of that mission initiative too. 

 4. All evangelists and priests may not fit into every particular ministry/mission

Each one has a different passion; understanding of ministry and goals based on their upbringing, training, or a personal call. Studying in the same Bible College or seminary will not make everyone carry the same mission. (Many theological graduates and teachers pursue to land up in affluent countries and many who join Bible colleges carry those personal aspirations).

The pastor who comes on a transfer may have his own goals, styles, or agendas. He may have a ministry goal or aim to keep up the status quo. Even if he has a passion for ministry and witnessing outside of the church, he will be limited by many factors and fears. Some priests with mission fervor have reflected: “Why should I start something new and go away with none to attend?” 

Some priests also may have an agenda to start a mission field during their term. Many such mission fields had been started, closed down, or died off. The next priest who comes to the place may have some other plans or personal family preferences. There may be priests who will not be interested in house visiting, interpersonal communications, and outreaches. Such people should be rehabilitated to other secretarial ministries of the Church.

5. Posting and transfers of priests/evangelists/missionaries

The posting of mission personnel should be strictly according to the need of the context and the person’s flavor for witnessing or fervor for missions. Recruitment of personnel for the mission should be according to the real need and nature of the ministry. It is important to have the right persons for the place and postings to be discussed mutually. It should not be assumed that everyone can be effective in every kind of work and that everyone is teachable or trainable for every specific ministry. The mission and ministry of a congregation should be defined and not assumed, it should be understood well by the personnel. A congregation in a city with a scope and need for multilingual ministries should get such a priest with that enthusiasm and taste for learning new languages. For a congregation where youngsters are comfortable speaking Hindi, a person brought up in North India or fluent in Hindi will only be ideal. So similar is the case of city congregations where English is spoken at least by its youth and children. This does not discredit the fact that there are more cross-cultural missionaries to the northern part of India from the south. But a three-year term is too short a time for a pastor to make that effort. If the Congregation is aspiring to start some new mission initiative, only a priest prepared for that should be placed there. Placements and appointments should not be to motivate, reward, or reprove one. For continuity and consistency of the mission work, workers especially evangelists and missionaries should be placed in the long term and not be transferred from time to time without valid reasons. It may be OK for managers, secretaries, and accountants. To engage people on a post you can place them anywhere, but not for ministry and missions.  

6. Training in Missions or Ministry

Missionaries need Mission Training, not just Bible college degrees. The trainers should be missionaries who are practitioners and actively involved in ministry or mission. The cross-cultural mission needs relevant training or orientation by those who practically know it.

7.  A Church can have its own mission organization

More than a department or a board that posts officers on rotation, the church or its congregation can have autonomous mission organizations. To illustrate, CSI has several mission organizations. The Indian Missionary Society (IMS) is the first indigenous missionary movement in India started by the Tirunelveli Diocese in 1903 to minister to the most oppressed and downtrodden communities in the Tribal Belts of India. The Diocesan Missionary Prayer Band (DMPB) is a mission society started by the CSI Kanyakumari Diocese to reach the tribes on the hills and interiors of Tamil Nadu. Urban or rural, for mission initiatives you need the right people from the leaders to the team on the field who are equipped for it. 

8. Traditional worship liturgy

A church with a traditional ritual liturgy without openness to be adaptive to have a new worship form for its new believers befitting to their linguistic culture will struggle with its identity crisis and may not effectively attract seekers. It will not meaningfully engage with another people group. A seeker or a new believer from a different faith background will be confused to make the right choice of a church to join among many diverse denominations with a wide range of teachings and practices on the forms of worship and observation of sacraments. It will be a conflict among the leadership as to which form of worship to adapt to such a new situation. 

There seemed to be a myth among the Episcopal Church leaders (who believe or have to believe in the liturgy as a great infallible tool) ‘that worship without a liturgy is a chaos’ and ‘the service, a performance’. It is not so. Having order in worship is not necessarily a written liturgy to recite. Free worship is not just the property of Pentecostals. The Baptists, Brethren, and several older churches do have orderly worship without written liturgies to repeat. Given a chance a new believer will always be comfortable with a non-denominational form of worship rather than a written liturgy recited week after week. That’s the same reason for youngsters in Episcopal churches with too few forums for expression, being passive in the church if at all they remain there. 

Not to conclude but to sum up for more discussions...

Without a passion for witnessing and mission, a church only strives to manage and exist socially with the use of spiritual vocabularies and formats. In the case of congregational churches - democratic in nature, new initiatives of its mission should always be owned by the congregation. Their mission or witnessing around can be autonomous, not dependent on every pastor who comes and goes on an appointment. 

The posting of pastors, priests, and evangelists to mission churches and new stations should be well thought through. They should be posted to help the congregation grow and to assist the mission of the church among its communities if there are any. The traditional liturgy of a church can become a hindrance in welcoming new seekers and believers. The programs of a church, its content, communications, and the format of its worship should be ‘target-oriented rather than ‘sender’ oriented, be it urban or rural. 

(The writer of this post is open for comments and invites feedback; please feel free to comment in the comment section below)

Photos used for illustration: 1. Fishermen back at the harbor, Kasimedu, Chennai. 2,3. Men and women tend cattle and follow a particular time for grazing them.  It is a semi-urban town- Kandukur, in the Prakasam District of Andhra Pradesh. 

________________________

philjy(at)gmail(dot)com

Visit my website FocusOnPeople.org

Give, you will receive: God loves a cheerful giver

Philipose Vaidyar

Some like to give always while some others want to be on the receiving end all the time. Until it pains you, when you give, you have not given yet. We are concerned here about Christian Giving.

Being able to give is a greater Blessing:  “In all things, I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). Apostle Paul witnesses this but we don’t see this verse in the gospel. According to the Apostle John, Jesus had done more good things than what is recorded.

It is blessed to give than to receive. But when you give, someone receives it. So when you receive it, it is also a blessing. When you give because of Christian love, give as if unto the Lord without a string attached to it.

“But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:3-4).  But often we would prefer to be acknowledged and announced (Matthew 6:1-2). If you want the receiver or the one whom you showed mercy, be accountable to you, and share with you who all showed him kindness, I assure, your intentions are not right and rather don’t give. The Lord will take care of him or her.  I believe; when you give to an organization, you may expect a receipt, but when you give to an individual in his or her personal need, please don’t expect a receipt and acknowledgment among your friends or others.  Sometimes even a mouse can help a lion! If you are participating in a crowdfunding or anonymous assistance, please don’t expect a receipt.

“Each one must give as has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver”. (2 Corinthians 9:7)

Learn and practice to share your material blessings with people in need whether they are poorer than you or even equal with you. Sometime, people who are ‘socially poor’ may not be economically poorer and on the other hand, those who are ‘socially rich’ may not be economically rich. Whatever be your logic, help a person in need and it’s a choice.

“Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will repay him for his deed”. (Proverbs 19:17).  You may give your resources, your facilities, and your time to someone who is weaker than you or needy. It is giving!

In my meditation of the Word of God, I have seen at least seven rewards when you regard the weak. Without regard to the needy, you cannot really give!

Blessed is he who has regard for the weak.

The Lord rewards a merciful giver in 7 different ways or blessings as found it Psalm 41, in just three verses. 

• 1.       The Lord delivers him in times of trouble
• 2.       The Lord will protect him
• 3.       The Lord will preserve his life
• 4.       The Lord will bless him in the land
• 5.       The Lord will surrender him to the desire of his foes
• 6.       The Lord will sustain him on his sickbed
• 7.       The Lord will restore him from his bed of illness

But if you want to give to get these rewards, you may be disappointed as well.

Let giving be a way of life, a lifestyle, an attitude of gratitude to God, as an expression of love and worship to God.  

Investing for Eternity: Doing good, becoming rich in good deeds, being generous and willing to share, will at least  give you the eternal foundation for the coming age, and help you take hold of eternal life (life that is truly life) 1 Timothy 6:17-19

philjy@gmail.com

Auctioneering in Church

A friend of mine sent me this what he had written to the Bishop of his Church against the unBiblical practice of auctioning in churches in the name of Harvest Festival.

Dear "Bishop"

As you know we are having our Harvest Festival coming Sunday afternoon, during your visit. Every year we will have Harvest Festival and used to collect a good amount of money by auction.

There are 2 different views with regard to Harvest Festival, and I was trying to study about this topic based on Scripture and also discussing with others who have good biblical knowledge.

Find below the views of few God fearing members of our Parish with regard to Harvest Festival.

And why I am asking your suggestion on this regard is to only obey God's command in everything we do as individual, family, Parish and as Church. And not to sin against God in any matter.

*************************************

Is auctioning scriptural? 

Were first fruits auctioned in OT times? Have we borrowed the agrarian first fruit symbol while leaving out the principles of giving and sacrifice that Scripture teaches?

1. Scripture teaches us to give willingly and cheerfully. In a harvest auction the following are questionable

a. Manipulation of emotions – people being coerced into calling out more than what they intended to give

b. Imagine the widow with 2 coins at the harvest festival auction. Would it embarrass her?

c. When Jesus was pointing out the widows offering, he was leading to the judgment of a corrupt temple system that was manipulating her to give into the temple treasury everything she had – even her subsistence!

2. Giving is private. Auctions are public and bids are on a pedestal for all to see, the Pharisees would have loved it!

3. It does not promote sacrificial giving against genuine needs. Those giving may not be aware or even endorse the actual needs.

4.  The motives of giving: Auction promotes a motive of looking good in front of others. It is feeds self promotion.

5. ‘Let each man decide in his heart…” If I decide in my heart an amount, why do I need to distribute it by bidding against commodities that people bring from the malls and retail shops? 

6. God loves a cheerful giver. When I get into the spirit of the auction and give… does that qualify me as a cheerful giver?

7. Harvest festival is the best fund raising tool [If we look at the past data]. So the true motive of having it is because it is an effective tool to raise money. Just the way advertisements sell cigarettes and alcohol capitalizing on sinful human nature.

8. ...in our faith convictions are more important than convenience......there is a way to run church….that is decided by God and not by clever human ways.....it is important that we fall in line with that......we are supposed to give anonymously, generously. And voluntarily and not of any compulsion. When I confronted last time on this ...at our church....kept quiet....didn't reply......that tells the whole story....in passing the story of Jesus cleansing the temple of traders ...should not be very far from us ....they also may tell you that part of the funds went for temple development etc .......the Lord was categorical in response.....if people in authority don't wake up to these glaring omissions ....what then is our faith. to me if a church will shut down because it followed God’s word....be it so ...its better to keep it shut , than run it on ungodly principles.....

.....Gal 1:10...and the motto of the Evangelical church Rev 1:2. (For the word)....will help....

Obey God ..that is important …there is no greater compulsion than that .

Since others..including the committee are not convicted about the matter (I am not sure whether they are even  aware of any other view on the matter)

and have endorsed competitive bidding as the way to make money for church very much against scripture that doesn’t endorse the process as I understand it………I am sure if I know anything about Jesus he will not attend this harvest festival auction even if you pray before and after it….......)

I for one will surely not be there , though I am in town that day…and I don’t want to part of this sin by giving any contribution too …

I have nothing against the people, committee or church as a whole  ….…but only because I am sure God has no interest in this matter and I have no compulsion to please anyone other than God .

If someone wants to know how money comes for ministry in God’s way , ask them to read George Muller’s biography. Things will be clear. Auctions usually happen in Stock exchanges and market places , cannot seem to forget the scene where Jesus said in the book of John , “my house will be called a house of prayer , but you have made it a market place.

I also feel it is responsibility of Church leaders to uphold what the biblical perspective for our obedience ought to be.

Looking forward for your suggestion.

….………….(The friend)

Will our Descendants be Gypsies Some Day?

Philipose Vaidyar

Gypsies are nomadic people groups who wandered and settled in different parts of India; some of them continue to roam seasonally or regularly in search of livelihood.

Gypsies around the world are said to be originated from Central India:

“The Romani (also spelled Romany /ˈroʊməni/, /ˈrɒ-/), colloquially known as Gypsies or Roma, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, traditionally itinerant, living mostly in Europe and the Americas and originating from the northern Indian subcontinent,^[57][58][59] from the Rajasthan, Haryana, and Punjab regions of modern-day India.^[58][59]

Genetic findings appear to confirm that the Romani "came from a single group that left northwestern India about 1,500 years ago".^[60] Genetic research published in the European Journal of Human Genetics "revealed that over 70% of males belong to a single lineage that appears unique to the Roma".^[61] They are a dispersed people, but their most concentrated populations are located in Europe, especially Central, Eastern and Southern Europe (including Turkey, Spain and Southern France). The Romani originated in northern India and arrived in Mid-West Asia and Europe around 1,000 years ago.^[62] They have been associated with another Indo-Aryan group, the Dom people: the two groups have been said to have separated from each other or, at least, to share a similar history.^[63]Specifically, the ancestors of both the Romani and the Dom left North India sometime between the 6th and 11th century.^[62]                         https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romani_people

There are several gypsy communities in India, the Raj Gonds, Banjaras, and Narikkuravar are a few to mention.  

A few hundred years ago, when we did not have enough roads or railway several people from different countries had come to our nation many of them also went to other parts of the world. They came not to settle down here for a better life, but that we will have a better life!  Most of them traveled on bullock carts and on horseback to give us education, health care, give us the written Word and to lead us from darkness to light.   Many of them did not even return to their own countries, died and buried here. Now having all these, it’s our turn to help; to go and settle in their countries to serve them! None of us (exemptions are there) want to go to any African countries to minister or to settle as no Africans came to help us. Word or deed, let our children prosper in lands that have honey and money and a bit of snow on top!

There, will our descendants be called gypsies, some day?