Christian Family Life in a Migrated Context

Dear Friends in Christ,

 

I am glad that the 32nd session of the Mar Thoma Family Conference for UK and Europe is taking place at Yarnfield Park Training and Conference Centre, Staffordshire from August 29 to August 31, 2014, hosted by Tabore Mar Thoma Church, Manchester. The theme selected for the conference is, “Christian Family Life in a Migrated Context.” We have eminent leaders to speak to us about the theme, and we have enough time through the conference to reflect on it, as it relates to our family life, personal life, and the local parish life. On behalf of the Diocese of North America and Europe, I welcome you all to the conference. Let us pray that God will bless this conference and guide us for a transformed life in the light of the truth revealed to us through our Bible studies and deeper reflection on the theme.

 

I. The story of migration is found from the very beginning of the history of humankind. Migration brings in displacement and unsettlement in the existing living conditions. Often, it touches the identity of the person and the community which makes one reconstitute his/her identity and life in the new setting.

a. Both in the Biblical history and the church history, the migration of the people of God has been taken seriously. The migration of the people of God is understood closely and inseparably with their faith life.

b. Mar Thoma Christians have gone to Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Europe including UK and Ireland, South Africa, Middle East, and North America from the 20th century.

c. Now, they are spread in almost all parts of the world, finding their livelihood on the one side and constituting their families in relation to faith community on the other side. For those who gathered for regular worship, making a link with the mother church is important. Their children and grandchildren slowly discontinue that and make their presence in relation to some faith community in the local area. So there is a constant tension between continuity and change, with regard to the Faith Practices of the Church.

d. What are the reasons for migration?

i. Livelihood and job opportunities

ii. Exodus

iii. Exile

iv. Catastrophes and natural calamities

v. Better living conditions

vi. Education of children

vii. Planning for the future generation

viii. Etc.

Now the globalized world economy is enhancing the migration for various reasons.

e. Migrated families link themselves with:

i. Ethnic communities

ii. Linguistic groups

iii. Cultural groups

iv. Religious groups

v. Secular groups

vi. Etc.

f. The usual trends seen among the migrated families are:

i. Active in the Mar Thoma Church communities

ii. Active in other Christian communities

iii. Non-active in religious matters (indifference)

iv. Active in social and cultural forums

v. Etc.

g. The communities that migrate always have challenges in the new cultural, economic, social, and religious contexts, in which they find themselves. Analyzing our own contexts, we understand that we live in a society where prosperity and poverty coexist, where violence and breakdown of relationships are all very present realities. Questions of gender, race, origin, class, caste, and all kinds of markers of identity forces to reexamine ourselves, our attitudes, our ministry, our lifestyle, our faith doctrines, and religious practices.

h. The two questions we can raise are:

i. What are the challenges of the Diaspora?

ii. What is the wider context of mission?

II. Migrated existence is a missionary existence. The migrated Marthomites on the global level have found their place in politics, economy, culture, social, and religious life of the people. In the contemporary, virtual, and digital age, where people are constantly wired with social networks, individuals feel terribly disowned, lonely, and stressed. The WCC has recognized the Mar Thoma Church as a special family. Mar Thoma Church is not an ethnic community. It has an identity of its own which contributes to the churches and human community as a whole. For those of us who are in this conference, church is an integral part of our life. Therefore, an understanding and participation of us in the mission and ministry of the Church is very important.

a. The mission of the church as a witnessing community becomes meaningful only in relation to the understanding our families have of the mission and ministry, from time to time. In the migrated context, the mission of the church is to equip and lead the families to be witnesses in the newly formed communities and settled lands. The challenges of the globalized world are all the more complex and precarious today in many ways, especially in terms of the future of Christian families. We cannot ignore the younger generation (new generation) who are seeking their present identity with a different perspective. This leads us to explore new strategies of engagement and chart them out with the challenges of faith and vision.

b. Today, we, being members of the global church, it is very important to understand the new forms of mobility and integration, particularly as our new generation members live in the midst of transnational communities with multiple identities. Our youths are marry people of various cultural backgrounds. This will lead us to understand the need for a paradigm shift in the mode of mission and ministry of the Church.

c. The Church is not separate from the world, but it is qualitatively challenging the world to be genuine and authentic. The Church is in the world and for the world. Migration is helping a person to discover his/her consummation in the context of the people different from oneself (Mar Chrysostom). It makes one a better Christian, a full Christian. In an engagement of “Preserving the Timeless while adopting to the Time” (Zac Varghese), closing and opening of doors is indeed an atrocity for the church to be of greater relevance and meaning, living among the people with multiple identities. Mar Thoma Church has to rise above traditional borders in a borderless world.

d. Churching the families in the new context is a continuation of the ministry of Jesus Christ. The pastoral care has multidimensional faces, such as: incarnational, nurturing, sacramental, disciplining, and ecumenical. Greater fellowships are necessary for meaningful existence and effective ministry. Otherwise, families will be isolated and fragmented. Ministry of the Church is very much dependent on equipping and empowering the families in its community formation and community living – this is “Churching the Migrated Families.” The Mar Thoma families celebrate the Word of God and sacraments in the assembly of the religious community.

III. In the migrated contexts, the families feel that their ways of believing and belonging are constantly in the process of being negotiated. The migrated community had shared worship places, pastoral, and worship leadership within a wider community, transcending the walls of denominationalism. When the economic status increased among the members of the migrated community, the spirit of sharing is overlooked, and a spirit of seeking a place for one’s own faith community came into existence. With the onslaught of new generation, there’s a need to prepare a new generation of leadership, and at the same time, continue to support the present leadership. This is not easy and not unproblematic as we negotiate and give leadership.

a. God is active in the world. The mission and ministry belong to God. Church is an agent of mission. Church has no ownership over mission, but has stewardship of all things. Church is a called out community to participate with Christ in His ministry.

IV. Migration is a process. The current trends are continuing. As a result, we have migrated and migrating communities. The scenario is vibrant, exhilarating, and challenging, especially at the crossroads of life. The Mar Thoma identity is to be enlarged through the pedagogy of encounter. The main question we need to reflect upon right now is, to find out what are the gifts the immigrant communities bring into the multicultural society.

 

 

 

[This is Thirumeni’s Inaugural Address from the XXXII Europe Region Family Conference conducted from August 29 to August 31, 2014.]