Presidential Address
Presidential Address
Navjeevan centre
AGM, June 16, 2017
Dear friends in Christ,
“The Cross of Christ is expressing life, not death; love not hatred; reconciliation, not condemnation. The cross of Christ brings new life.” (2014 statement, Rev. Dr. Olav F Tveit, General Secretary, W.C.C.)
The NAVJEEVAN Centre is taking the Church to the Market place. The secular societies offer exciting opportunity for the churches to define themselves as Church in a missional way, in a sacramental way, in a diaconial way and witnessing way. Mar Thoma Church, particularly the Diocese of Mumbai, is given a unique opportunity to offer voice in the public square and have a pilgrimage of justice and peace.
1. Mother and Child:
The Red Light Area (RLA) units of Navjeevan Centre functions from 3 centres, two of which are situated at the two extremes of the red light area in South Mumbai while the third is in Thane district. These centres manned by social workers, care takers and other members of the staff welcome mothers to walk in to talk with the social workers and /or hand over the children to be taken care of. Gospel of Luke 18:15-17 tells us to bring the children to Christ Jesus (It has parallels in Mt. 19:13-15 & Mk 10:13-16) “Let the children come to me and do not stop them, because the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” This is a call to us to see every child as Jesus sees a child and to receive the Kingdom of God as a child would receive it.
Women of the Red Light Area (RLA) are proned to be stoned and criticized for their lean to the sex trade. When Jesus was in Jerusalem, the Teachers of the Law brought one day a woman, who according to Law could be stoned to death. Jn 8:1-10. “Whichever one of you has committed no sin may throw the first stone at her,” said Jesus. Their conscience pricked them and they left one by one without stoning her. Jesus did not condemn her but said, “Go, but do not sin again”. Fifty to sixty mothers are meeting the social workers in the RLA centres regularly and the mothers are helped to rehabilitate themselves by giving them advocacy and legal guidance. Our report for 2016-2017 is saying that 22 youths are given back to their mothers who either settled through marriage or rehabilitated in the mainstream of the society in one way or the other.
2. Respect and dignity of a person
Each child that is born is a child of God, son or daughter of Abraham and is placed in the community. Each one is precious to God.. Jesus in his sermon on the Mount said, (Mt 5:22) “whoever is angry with his brother will be brought to trial, whoever calls his brother ‘you good-for-nothing’ will be brought before the council and whoever calls his brother a worthless fool will be in danger of going to the fire of hell….”. The stigmatized members, whom Navjeevan is dealing with, are enabled not only to experience the love and care, but enabled to assume their worth and grow up in an environment where they will be respected and their due dignity is given. Navjeevan is a home where their life is enriched and where they grow as good citizens of our country. It is gratifying to note that, through these 23 years, our children are employed at different places and settled. Some of them are married and some of them are good parents to the children born to them.
3. Ministry of Education:
All the children in our 8 homes of Murbad Navjeevan Village attend the Navjyoti English Medium School in our campus. During the year 2017, we have 100 percent pass in the SSC board Examinations and the highest is 74.40%. All the children have the right to education. Eradication of poverty is possible only through proper education. Navjeevan aims at that. And we educate the children along with the children in the nearby villages. Kailash Satyarthi, the Nobel Peace Laureate said recently, “We need to partner more efficiently with spiritual leaders to raise awareness. No religion sanctions the exploitation of children; rather, all of them consider protection of children as a sacred duty……Religion and culture give us the moral foundation to build a better world for our children. Economics will provide the means and resources to do the same. It has been established that acute lack of livelihood opportunities often leads to child labour…” He was speaking on behalf of all the children who constitute one third of the total population of the world. It is a proven fact that education is the most effective enabler, equalizer and empowering force that we know of to eradicate poverty, child labour and child trafficking.
4. Holistic Development
We have now 149 children with 72 staff members, in the Murbad Campus. There are some volunteers who come and help the ministry from near and far. Jesus said, “I have come that you may have life and have it abundantly (Jn. 10)” Giving life into the life of the people who would otherwise disintegrate and die is Christian ministry. Navjeevan aims at holistic development. Each life has tremendous possibilities in this world. Given a chance, a good number of children will excel not only in the field of education but also in the very life which God has given to them and to the world, as a gift. Each child that comes to Navjeevan from the age of 3 should grow and develop, physically, mentally and spiritually. The desire of God is that ‘no one should perish.’
5. Generosity that excels
Navjeevan ministry depends on the voluntary giving of the members of the church and society. The annual accounts that is presented will reveal the amount of funds we need every year. Navjeevan is a registered society. The members of Navjeevan society are to be committed people, contributing generously for the various causes. Give your share and participate by sharing what you have. The commitment of the members is to be seen in incarnating to the life situations of the people who are wounded and bleeding, walking through the dusty roads searching and discovering the genuine needs of the people, to give generously according to one’s mite and beyond it and to sweat on the road while the deserving people are taken to the places where abundance of life is imparted in great joy of serving the fellow beings.
Sharing in the pain and need of others is an essential quality to be a true Christian. Christian life becomes meaningful when it is shared so that others are enriched. When you hold back from sharing from the resources God has given to you, it becomes an act of disgrace. When we close our eyes to those around us in need, we bring disgrace to our own faith. Therefore, giving should become an instinctive benevolence, out of one’s conviction and commitment, knowing for certain that we have accountability before God and fellow human beings for the resources God has given to us. One is called to excel in generosity and in giving (St. Paul 2 Cor. 8:7). This is an act of love and a service to humanity.
6. Murbad Orchard
Murbad is a village where we have the birds and the animals, trees and the vegetables, water and the sky. We have festivals and celebrations, both religious and secular, that are significant on the state and national levels. We provide more space and facilities. We give vocational training, guidance and counseling to our children. ‘Beautiful life does not just happen…, it is built daily with love, laughter, sacrifice, patience, grace and forgiveness.’ God’s love revealed in Jesus Christ is enabling us to love and care. Our Parishes are supportive and a good number of our members visit Navjeevan to empower and enrich the ministry. The Samaritan in the parable of Jesus in Luke 15 is teaching us the lesson of incarnational ministry to give extra time, extra provision and extra effort to see that every life that comes to Navjeevan will not perish but will find sufficient life to flower and to give fruit to create a better world. Thus, let us travel together to envision the redeemer on the road and to be in His Kingdom. “Thy Kingdom Come! Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven,” is our prayer. Amen.
Mar Theodosius
June 2017
Diocesan Bishop
