THE FRONTIER NEWS. December: Diocese of Peshawar Church of Pakistan

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1 THE FRONTIER NEWS December: 2014 Diocese of Peshawar Church of Pakistan Individual Highlights Dedication Service at St. James Church, Hangu 1 Christmas with IDPs 2 Special Services 2 Faith Friend s Peace Building 3 Faith Friends condemned attack on school children 3 The Bishop's visit to the Hospital 4 Youth's Cares 5 The SACYN Conference Dubai 5 Bishop Humphrey and the Clergy at the occasion of Hangu Church dedication From Korea with Love 6 Dedication Service of St. James Church, Hangu Thank you for being here! said the local community to the Bishop Hangu is small town near Kohat. The local population is predominantly Muslim but there live a small number (30 families) of Christians families as well. The Peshawar Diocese has a sub- parish at Hangu which is looked after by the Kohat Parish. Apart from many other problems, such as negative discrimination and poverty, the local Christians have been longing since long to have a place of their own for social and religious gatherings. The Diocese acquired a small piece of land to build a Community Hall/Church. Thanks God, the efforts succeeded and now there stands a Community Hall/Church. On December 19, 2014: The Rt. Revd. Humphrey S. Peters along with his team comprising of Clergy and the Diocesan Officers visited Hangu for the dedication service of the newly built Church. The local community, and its Political and Religious leaders welcomed the Bishop and his team. They also garlanded the guests and presented a traditional shawl and a hat to the Bishop as a souvenir. Later, the congregation gathered in a form of a procession, they sung religious songs and hymns and marched towards the Church. Thus, the key of the St. James Church, Hangu was presented to the Bishop to unlock the Church, followed by worship and prayer service. The Bishop blessed the Holy Utensils, linen and the Alter, and Holy Communion Service was held, led by the Bishop himself. The Bishop in his sermon and prayer thanked the God Almighty for providing the Church for the Hangu s community. After the service, the local community and the guests joined in the big feast arranged by the Parish. The community leaders thanked God, and expressed their gratitude towards the Diocese for its sincere efforts and planning to uplift the poor Christian community of Hangu. In short, they said to the Bishop, Thank you for being here! Bishop, Clergy and congregation marched towards Church Bishop Humphrey officially open the Church Bishop blessed the Alter and Holy Utensils

2 Christmas with the IDPs Special Services Keep on loving each other as brothers. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it Heberws 13:1-2 Advent Season, 2014 was very sad for the whole nation, including the Christian community, for various reasons. The first and foremost; the tragic incident of children s slaughter in Peshawar, secondly, it was rather very sad for many Christian families of Peshawar, whose near and dear ones died during the suicidal attack at All Saints Church, Peshawar in Still, the seriously injured are in great pain, and every now and then one hears the news of somebody dying due to prolonged suffering. The recent incident at Rada Kishan of burning alive a young couple, while the lady was pregrenant with 4 months baby. However, one cannot forget the IDPs who migrated to Bannu in 2014, and are still hosted by the Diocese. The Rt. Revd. Humphrey S. Peters after conducting Christmas Service at St. John s Cathedral, Peshawar travelled all the way to Bannu to be with the IDPs on the Christmas day. There he led a special service, and the Holy Communion, and prayed for stability in the region. Later, the Bishop and his team spent time with the IDPs and the congregation of Bannu, they exchanged Christmas greetings, and the Bishop s presence cheeredup the IDPs and the local community. At this occasion, the Bishop also distributed Christmas gifts as a token of love among the IDPs, especially the children. He also had informal chit chat with the IDPs, which was highly appreciated by them and the local Christian community. Special Service held for the victims of APS In the back drop of the massacre at the Army Public School (APS), Peshawar the Christian community throughout Pakistan cancelled all the programmes which are part of the traditional Christmas celebrations. It was unanimously decided by all the Christian denominations in Pakistan to celebrate the Christmas with much simplicity, while feeling the happiness of the Good News to the Men on Earth through spirit, and in the real sense of the word. Candles were lit, and flowers were laid in the premises of all the Churches to commemorate the martyrs and to show Solidarity with the Muslim Majority in grief, thus special prayers were offered for departed souls as well. During all the Christmas services, special prayers were also offered for peace and stability in the region. Bishop Humphrey, along with other religious Minorities lit candles Page 2

3 The Faith Friend s Peace Building Initiative Faith Friends condemned attack on school children With a missionary zeal for taking volunteered initiation to promote peace building efforts, the Faith Friends participated in a Seminar hosted by a Regional Social Organization, on 29 November Theme of the seminar was Unity, Social Cohesion and Interfaith Harmony. Renowned religious scholars, peace activists and religious leaders of Sunni and Shia sects, along with Christians, Hindus, and Sikh community leaders were among the participants. After the prayers, the speakers addressed the audience which included of almost 250 students, stressed the need for promoting the culture of tolerance and peaceful coexistence among different communities. They shared their insight on Interfaith, and its objectives. The participants showed strong desire to put aside their differences by joining hands and vowed to make the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa a model Province, regarding co-existence of various sects and religions. Mr. Haroon Sarab Diyal, a leader of Hindu community, said that every religion, despite its diversity speaks the language of peace. He said another challenge which is, closely linked is the absence of Interfaith Education in schools textbooks and curriculums. Mr. Maqsood Ahmad Salfi said that it isimportant to understand the diversity and multiplicity of religions and sects. Therefore, one should try to accommodate all the diverse groups and preach the lessons of harmony and peace. Page 3 [ Mr. Sardar Charan Jeet Singh said that followers of different faiths should join hands for peace and justice to address the challenges faced by the interfaith harmony. Revd. Joseph John said that we need to put aside our differences, and work together for to promote peaceful and harmonious society for the sake of coming generations. He also reiterated that the majority has to acknowledge equal rights of the minorities. Pakistan s 66% of the population is below the age of 30, and one of the biggest challenges posed to the interfaith struggle in Pakistan is inadequate understanding of interfaith dialogue and conflict resolution He added. The young people of Pakistan can bring stability to the country, provided that they are educated on the true theological teachings based on peace, love and tolerance. He further said. Dr.Allama Fakhr-ul-Hassan Kararvi, representative of the Shia community said that Islam teaches us the lessons of peace and harmony. He added that it is important to understand diversity and multiplicity of religions and sects, and there is a need to accommodate all the diverse groups. In the end, the participants resolved to promote the lessons of acceptance, tolerance and to work with youth, women and religious groups for Interfaith harmony. The event provided a unique opportunity to promote interfaith harmony and understanding among various faith and groups of the region/country. Bishop Humphrey with Faith Friends In the wake of recent terror attack on school children, a meeting of Pakistan Council of World Religions (Faith Friends), KPK Chapter was held on December,18, 2014 chaired by Qari Roohullah Madani Chairman Faith Friends. This meeting was attended by leading persona epitomizing diverse faith groups, including; Bishop Humphrey S.Peter, Qari Roohullah Madani, Prof. Dr. Qibla Ayaz, Dr. Allama Fakhr-ul- Hassan Kararvi, Prof. Dr. Hafiz Abdul Ghafoor, Haroon Sarab Diyal, Sardar Charan Jeet Singh Sagar, Rev. Joseph John, Rev. Shahzad Murad, Muzzam Julion & Fazal Rahim Awan. The participants offered their deepest condolences on the dastardly horrendous terror attack on Army Public School, Peshawar killing innocent children against all tenets of humanity and Islamic norms. A resolution was also passed expressing solidarity with the martyred and injured children, including the grieved families and their loved ones. The Participants urged the legislatures and policy makers to evolve a sustainable and enduring strategy to curb the ongoing menace of terrorist onslaught over Pakistani people. Faith Friends also vowed to support the war against terrorism & extremism to bring about peace and stability in the region.

4 The Bishop visited Children in the Hospital The Rt. Revd. Humphrey S. Peters highly condemned the cowardly attack on helpless children of the Army Public School, Peshawar. He also visited the Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar to console and comfort the injured children. The Bishop also met parents, showed his solidarity with them and prayed for the departed souls. While talking to the media at the Hospital, the Bishop condemned the cowardly attack on innocent children/students, which is the worst of its kind. He said that the Christian community stands together with the Nation in this moment of despair and sadness, and highly condemns this act of terrorism. The Bishop's visit was a nice gesture of sharing love and kindness; as it was equally appreciated by all the minority and majority communities. Page 4

5 The SACYN Conference, Dubai The Youth's Cares The South Asian Christian Youth Network (SACYN) is to develop the Youth leadership in South Asia. The network organizes various conferences, leadership trainings, workshops and seminars to develop the young leadership of its members churches in the region. Nov, 2014, SACYN organized a Conference (Module 3 Training), and a Leaders Forum at Dubai. The theme of the conference was Discipleship on the Move. About 40 youth leaders of the member churches of South Asia were among the participants. Mr. Insar Gohar, the Diocesan Youth Officer, an Ex- SACYN Coordinator, ( ) and Mr. Samroon Williams, Secretary, Diocesan Youth Council also attended the Conference. Through various sessions, the participants learnt about the issues of the 'Diaspora Community of South Asian countries living in Dubai, and other Gulf states, and explored the possibilities of Mission work, and to take the Discipleship move ahead in this community. The participants on an exposure trip also visited the Labor Camps. The participants of the conference felt illuminated and committed themselves to serve the Lord with all their heart and soul, especially to work among the 'Diaspora' communities. The Youth protesting against killing of the children Dec, 16, 2014 : The brutal murder of children at the Army Public School, Peshawar shook the whole world.. Everybody, condemned this cowardly act of terrorism, and has united the whole nation against terrorism. Right after the news broke, the Diocesan youth groups rushed to the hospital to visit and console the injured. They took snakes, refreshments and flowers for the survivors (the injured) to the hospital and offered blood donations as well. They also spent some time with the children in prayer and tried to comfort them. The Christian youth also protested in front of Peshawar Press Club, and at the Lady Reading Hospital, while chanting slogans and holding placards against terrorism and the terrorists. All these efforts of the Christian community and of the Youth groups of the Diocese were highly appreciated by the parents of the injured and martyred children. This attitude of the youth is a witness of Jesus' teaching, i.e. "Love Thy Neighbor...". Page 5

6 From Korea with Love! Glimpse of the gift packages from Korea Distribution of the food packages by Diocesan Staff December, 2014: The Korean Churches sent Christmas gift packages for the affectees/families of the All Saints Church blast, September, 2013 Peshawar to show their love and solidarity with the Christian community of Peshawar. The Packages, rather the thoughtful gifts contained stationary items for children, a shawl and some jewelry items for the women folk; including the hand written Christmas cards for each family. The recipients; i.e. the victims / families were very happy to have received these gifts and expressed their gratitude towards the congregations and Churches of the South Korea. Communication Desk add: Peshawar Diocese and Idara-e- Ibadat, Lahore jointly presented Christmas gifts to the bomb blast affectees of the All Saints Church, Peshawar. It was a source of blessing for them. This token of love from the Korean Churches was sent directly to the Diocese of Peshawar, which were distributed through the Diocesan Youth Desk, and the Development & Relief Sector (D&R) of the Diocese. Distribution of the gift packages by Youth The Bishop s Bishopdop@hotmail.com The Diocesan Centre E.Mail Peshawar.Diocese@outlook.com Page 6 Contact Us at: commdeskdop@gmail.com Visit Us at: