Visit to South India

Susan Johnson, Mission Education Co-ordinator

Visit to South India

5 - 17 February 2002

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS OF MY FIRST VISIT TO INDIA

Hot, sticky, lots of people, crazy drivers, courteous friendly people, a church that is engaged in social action, a gap between CSI headquarters and the rural churches and its pastors, a gap between liberal education in theology and work at grassroots levels. Awareness of the spiritual is all around. Temples, churches, shrines, and billboards all proclaim that there is more to life than the material. Words such as 'duty', 'grace', 'goodness', 'trust 'are to be found on billboards and as part of the written press.

THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION

Tamil Nadu Theological Seminary, Madurai (TTS)

United Theological College, Bangalore (UTC)

TTS: The TTS trains pastors and its emphasis is Ministerial and Pastoral: contextual liberation theology, Dalit theology, feminist theology. All within a community base that works for social action and with students who spend some time living in the local community, the slum areas. The students do placements but have little time to reflect on their experience and to allow it to affect their own faith journey. The students I spoke to were very involved in social action. Spirituality was not a part of the curriculum. The language of the seminary was Tamil and English.

The site of TTS is well developed, having the feel of a community as each area houses academic staff, students and support staff. A communal meal is held once a month after Sunday evening worship. A guesthouse is available for overseas people who want to study and discover more about Indian culture, but beware - mosquitoes here are vicious!

UTC: Students study for BD, MTh, PhD. Having completed one year on probation in their diocese they are sent to UTC to achieve academic qualifications and are then expected to return to the diocese to be pastors. Only 13 women students were at the college, due to the fact that not all diocese ordain women. The college has a Social Action Group that is involved with a slum community. They support the children with their education and provide advice and pay fees for medicines. I visited the homes (made of polythene sheets and wood) of 12 families and shared tea with them and played with their children. A small four-month-old baby really screamed at my white face! They also run an AIDS awareness campaign through the medium of street theatre.

The Principal would like to make stronger links with the British Methodist Church.

The site of UTC is an oasis of peace in a busy city. A comfortable guesthouse is available for anyone wishing to holiday in the area.

The Senate of Serampore sets the academic standards for TTS and UTC.

HIV/AIDS WORK

TTS, Madurai: Mrs Carr, the wife of the Principal of TTS, is the Chair of the Committee that supports the work of the hospice at Arulagam.

UTC, Bangalore: Rev Dr John Joshva Raja of the Dept of Communication at UTC leads the AIDS Programme. Students take drama and street theatre to people in the slums in an effort to raise awareness. There is the hope that, if funds could be found, a conference for pastors would be beneficial. The group would like also to be able to visit schools but do not have the staff or the funds. However, I discovered that in Bangalore and in Chennai the government is doing a lot of work in schools to raise awareness. But then I heard stories of people being turned out of their villages and churches when it was discovered that they were HIV+.

It is hoped that I can remain in contact with the college on AIDS/HIV work.

CSI, Chennai: Bishop Deva believed that there was a marked difference in attitude and knowledge between those in urban and those in rural situations. At the moment Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are two of the three states with the highest prevalence rate.

The government has posters and a campaign in school to raise awareness and provide education about HIV and AIDS.

Issues of alienation, discrimination, stigmatisation and denial, particularly from within a faith system are areas of concern.

At Arulagam Hospice many speak of being rejected by their churches and their families and are therefore unwilling to be tested or to admit they are ill.

INTER-FAITH ISSUES

Talk in UTC is of discovering a "shared experience of life". The reality for people at grassroots level is "Who cares? Who suffers? and Who shares?" If an experience of life is shared it becomes less important to know who is Hindu, who is Christian, who is Muslim

The talk in the 70-80's was of Unity in Diversity. In the 90's it became Diversity in Unity.

Today the threat and real fear is of Fundamentalism of all faiths. Christianity accounts for only 3 per cent of the population.

From within CSI I have heard: "Follow Jesus or face hell" to "We must enjoy a dialogue of common experiences.”

MISSION PARTNER

Margaret Addicott: Margaret has a vision of a new storey on the first floor being built at the Arulagam Hospice for AIDS patients and children. This would enable more patients to be admitted. The hospice is a place of peace and beauty, with rooms built around the central worship space.

CSI

"We need disturbed Christians not comfortable Christians." So said Rev Dr Richard Devados of the Diaconal Ministry at CSI. Their work involves "sensitising and capacitating social action" on Human Rights, Health, Gender, Empowerment, Child Labour and Girl Child issues. They work on issues that come from the grassroots and the concerns of church families.

LAY TRAINING

TTS: A new programme for external BTh and BD weekend study courses is being run for lay training, entitled"Theological Education for Christian Commitment and Action".

UTC: People could attend UTC to gain the academic qualifications and not necessarily go on to be pastors.

CSI: OffersLITE training course for catechists. (those who have charge in a local church, but who have had no training). A new building is planned to enable this dream to happen.

SCHOOLS

St. Columba's Higher Secondary School, Chengalpattu (founded 162 years ago)

CSI Goudie Higher Secondary School, Tiruvallur (founded 143 years ago)

Both schools were begun in the 19th century by missionaries from the Church of Scotland. MMS took over the responsibility of the Goudie Higher Secondary School from the Church of Scotland. The school has 2,200 pupils who work in classes of 60 with only the older classes having desks. The younger children sit on the floor. The school has an excellent science laboratory and computer room that was in contrast to some of the smaller classrooms and old style buildings. Plans are underway for a new building.

Missionaries are held in very high esteem as they are seen as enabling Dalits to move beyond the boundaries of caste, through the gospel and education.

In the light of such reverence it is easy to see how change in worship style, content, hymn books and service books would be difficult. "The missionaries were holy people and no one since has been as holy.”