Village Churches

Friday, March 16, we were privileged to visit four Mennonite Brethren village churches surrounding Shamshabad, as well as the MB Junior College.

Each group welcomed us by placing garlands around our necks. Sitting on white plastic chairs, wearing beautiful garlands, we faced the congregation. Men sat on the floor to the left, women sat on the right and children were in front of them.

When we were asked to speak, it was hard to know what to say. Materially, we have so much while they have so little. Spiritually, they have so much. Words shared by Dr. Lawrence Ressler have been going through my mind since that evening.

He reminded the congregation of what we already know – that although we live in opposite sides of the world, we have a God who can see all of us, all of the time and loves each person equally and that together, we are one body of Christ.

We saw a beautiful body of Christ as we looked into these people’s faces, saw their sparkling eyes and heard their exuberant singing.

Elaine

First Impressions of MBCBC

It was an exciting, almost reverent, moment for me when we entered the campus of the Mennonite Brethren Centenary Bible College, at Shamshabad, India. It was the setting for many missionary stories I’d heard during my childhood.


On our first day at MBCBC, we attended a chapel service for the student body. After lively singing, the principal introduced our team from Tabor College and mentioned NN Hieberts as the first Mennonite Brethren missionaries to the area. He also noted the work of John and Viola Wiebe in the surrounding areas.


I felt humbled to be able to walk in places where people from my home congregation, the Carson Mennonite Brethren Church in Delft, MN, had gone to share the Gospel of Jesus with people in India many years ago. We were seeing the fruits of their years of service to Christ and His Kingdom!

Elaine Kroeker

Graduation

We were privileged to be at the graduation ceremony which included the first graduating class of students with the bachelor of divinity degree.

Fifty students graduated.

Following are photos from the graduation.

MBCBC

MBCBC stands for Mennonite Brethren Centenary Bible College. The word Centenary was added in 1989 in celebration of the century of work by the Mennonite Brethren in the area.

The Bible College was begun in 1920. It offers a number of religion degrees including bachelor of theology and a bachelor of divinity. It gets its accreditation through an association with Serampore College, founded by Williama Carey in 1818.

The campus is on 34 acres of land and has 40 some buildings. Pictures of some of the buildings on the campus include: the library and chapel, the administration building, a classroom, a church on campus, and the guest house.

Some of the students and faculty are also shown including Rev. Dr. Prof. Joy Joseph the principal, RH Peters the academic dean, C.S. Joel the registrar with his family, students and singing.

Shamshabad

To the south of Hyderabad 30 miles is the town of Shamshabad. I was expecting small but it is a sprawling what I would call city. Hillsboro is what they call a village. There are several important things to know about Shamshabad. This is where the Mennonite Brethren Bible College is located on 34 acres. It has been here since 1920. The offer a variety of theology degrees and certificates including a bachelor of theology and a bachelor of divinity. There are 10 faculty. There are about 40 buildings including student quarters and a guest house where we are staying. The green building is the guest house.

What we have come to understand is the MBCBC is a vital institution to the life of the church in India, a church that is growing rapidly. Most of the church leaders have graduated from MBCBC. Yesterday was graduation for 50 some students. Around 1000 people attended from as far away as 200 miles.

The second important thing to know about Shamshabad is that an international airport is being built just a few miles away. 200 5 star hotels are reportedly being planned. Costs are sky-rocketing. Shamshabad is soon to be one of the most important travel destinations linking the technology centers to the rest of the world. It ishard to imagine a better institution with which Tabor can partner than MBCBC. This is not to suggest working together across two cultures is easy. It will not be. But if our goal is to transform lives, this is an opportunity that we must take seriously.

It will take some time to be able to sort through all experiences and to be able to communicate what all this means and how Tabor can be a partner with MBCBC. Several impressions are unmistakeable. The first is that the church is alive and well. It is amazing to learn how the growth is taking place. The second is that this location is a prime location in a country that is becoming more influential in the the world economy.

Hyderabad

Hyderabad is a modern and large city that is one of the large technology centers, home to such industries as Microsoft and Dell. Construction is booming. We will visit Hyderabad today and I will report on it in a later posting.

For now, it is time to drive to Hyderabad to visit Tech Center and see the pearls that Hyderabad is famous for. As we go, we will once again see an amazing assortment of vehicles, people, and animals sharing the road. One principle that seems to be understood is that you must share the road with all. Bigger tends to get priority although the life of all things is to be spared. The common means of communication is the horn.

One fact that is obvious is that the city is growing faster than the infrastructure. The amount of traffic is amazing and tiring. Fortunately, we have a driver who is skilled at the arti of driving.

The Western influence in Hyderbad is obvious. Billboards and restaurants are the most obvious indicators. The growth is visible everywhere with construction of high rise buildings everywhere.

There are several MB churches in Hyderabad. We went to one, the only English speaking church, on Sunday. As is common, many churches meet in rented space. The church we attended was in a school. There were about 60 in attendance. I was asked to preach and did so. Genesis 6:8 was the text, "But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.




Lawrence

Calcutta

One thing you learn quickly is that just because India is a powerhouse in the world when it comes to technology does not mean it is easy to find a time or a place to connect to the internet. It is hard to believe that a week has passed by since I last wrote from Delhi.

We flew to Calcutta on a 737 the way flying is supported to be...great service including a meal. It is hard to know how to describe the experience we had in Calcutta. At first, one is simply overwhelmed by the sights, the sounds, and the smells. But when we left a few days later, it felt like a friend.

The focus of the trip was MCC and the Mennonite Brethren church in Calcutta, a work that has been going on for 40 years. Inspiring is one way to describe what we experienced. The Global Families program is so impressive. Over 1700 students are being given support for school at the price of $240 a year. Life seems so unfair when you are in the middle of a truly poor place. For $240 a year, a child can receive an education...$20/month.

Then there are the 22 development programs around the country that MCC helps with, agriculture, tsumani relief, HIV/Aids, women's programs. All of the staff we met were Indian and deeply committed to the work.

Maybe the most touching experience was the visit to Mother Teresa's Mother House. As I looked at her memorial (she died in 1997), I was overcome with emotion. The power of her work was mightier than that of the forts we have visited.

But do not be misled. We visited some beautiful parts of the city with high rise buildings, beautiful parks, entertainment like dancing water timed to music with colored lights. I may try to add some pictures in my next posting. I think I might be able to figure it out.

We spend a half day as well with the Hastings Mennonite Brethren church. Moving in a word. They have a school, an afternoon child development program with Compassion International, a correspondence Bible college with over 10,000 active persons. Again, all Indian staff. A great thing has happened...foreign missionaries have largely been replaced by Indian staff. They are passionate about sharing Christ and meeting the needs of those around them.

That is the surface of our time in Calcutta. Our time had come to fly to south central India, landing in the airport at Hyderabad. Like Delhi and Calcutta, Hyderabad is a major city, not as large as the 40 million in Delhi or over 10 million in Calcutta, but big, really big...and hot. Summer has begun.

Here are a few photos from Calcutta.

Lawrence