THE FRONTIER NEWS April : 2015 Diocese of Peshawar Church of Pakistan Individual Highlights The Bishops and Officers of the Synod, Church of Pakistan Synod, Church of Pakistan 1 Youth Festival 2 Extended segment of Nowshera School 3 Mothers are Special 4 Protect Minorities of Pakistan 4 Sialkot Diocese, new Bishop 5 Convention at Nowshera Parish 5 Prayer & Meditation 5 Synod Elections 7-9 May, 2015: 14th Triennial Synod - Church of Pakistan The 14th Triennial Synod, Church of Pakistan was held at Lahore, and theme of this 14th Triennial Synod was, "Live Reconciliation and Be Transformed". The Peshawar Diocese's team for this Synod was led by the honourable Bishop Humphrey S. Peters. The Moderator and Bishop Samuel Robert Azriah in his Presidential address expressed his views on the subject with much depth. He said, "Living a life of reconciliation is not only sacramental in nature, but is an experience of God's gift of healing and wholeness". "It is not a passive definition, but a definite mandate of action." He added. "Reconciliation, therefore is a journey which ultimately leads to harmony and truth, and transformation lies in our being an inclusive community, which is the basis of tolerance and justice leading to peace and reconciliation." He stated. Later, other speakers also expressed their views and touched the delicate issues regarding theme of the Synod in highly scholarly and professional manner. At this Synod, election for the Synod's Executive Body members was also held. The newly elected office bearers for the Synod are; Moderator, the Rt. Revd. Samuel Azariah, Bishop of Riawind Diocese, Deputy Moderator, Bishop Sadiq Daniel, Karachi Diocese, General Secretary, Col. (R.) Kanwal Isaacs, Peshawar Diocese and Mr. Arshad Nawab from Multan Diocese is the newly elected Treasurer of the Synod, Church of Pakistan. It is pertinent to mention that it is the second time that the prestigious office of the General Secretary has been won by the Diocese of Peshawar, as previously the Rt. Revd. Humphrey S. Peters, Bishop of Peshawar also served as General Secretary of the Synod, Church of Pakistan for eight years. Col. (R.) Kanwal Isaac with Bishop Humphrey Delegates of Peshawar Diocese
Youth Festival Successfully held, but heavy rain disturbed it Students of Elizabeth School presenting Punjab's Culture Hundreds of people from all ages came to the fair, and were enjoying the traditional pomp and show of a festival, unfortunately it started raining, which gradually turned into a thunder and hailstorm. Thus, a wonderful opportunity for fun and entertainment was disturbed by rain. Oops! The Mission & Ministry (MMB) Sector's Youth Desk organized a grand summer Youth Festival with the collaboration of National Sports Coalition, held at St. John's Cathedral lawn on Sunday, 17 April 2015. Beautiful lightings, fun games and various sports for the youth and children were arranged to mark the Festival. Stalls for foods & beverages, and ready-made cloths were all on sale. At this occasion, the National Sports Coalition also sponsored a number of stalls for food and entertainment, free of cost. A few Diocesan Schools, including the Elizabeth Girls High School, Peshawar and Edwardes College School's Wing - II presented cultural music, songs, dances, including tableaus presenting cultures of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provinces. The students of Edwardes High School (English Medium), and the Christ Church School, Nowshera were also present at the occasion. The festival started with prayers, balloons were flown in air, and the pigeons were set free by the youth representatives of the various parishes. In the back drop of the theme, the Revd. Shahzad Murad, Secretary, Mission & Ministry Board, in his opening and welcome address said that, 'This opportunity provided by God is very similar to the miracle of providing Mana to Israelites in wilderness, and this festival is also a miracle under the highly tensed and red-alert security situation of Peshawar. Thus we are grateful to God for all his blessings! As everybody knows, the Peshawar's community is hungry for social gatherings, as they seldom get a chance to enjoy, and have fun because of the high alert security situation. Keeping this situation in view, the Diocesan Youth had organized this festival with great hope! The next day, the newspapers reported that seven people died in various parts of Peshawar, which is very sad, but thanks God for his love and protection for His people, as always! In the opening Ceremony, the youth representatives are setting pigeons free Page 2
Extended segment of the Christ Church School, Nowshera Youth Seminar at Nowshera Seminar in progress Bishop Humphrey with the Staff of Christ Church School, Nowshera April, 2015: The Diocesan Youth Desk organized a 'Bible Seminar' at the Christ Church, Nowshera. The purpose of the seminar was to develop awareness among the young people, and to work for their spiritual growth. Another purpose was to motivate the new youth members and strengthen the youth group of Nowshera Parish for the service of Lord! A good number of young people from the Nowshera parish participated in this seminar. Mr. Insar Gohar led the first session on 'Walking with Lord' and taught them the Biblical way of leading a fruitful Christian life. Two young leaders, Ms. Sumbal Javed, the Treasurer, Diocesan Youth Council, and Mr. Asher Ashkar, the Faith Convener led a session on the role of youth in the Church. Bishop Humphrey Sharing the Word of God Friday 17 April, 2015: The Chief Guest, the Rt. Revd. Humphrey S. Peters, Bishop of Peshawar, KPK/FATA laid down the foundation stone of the building which is an extended segment of the Christ Church School, Nowshera. At this occasion, the Bishop in the presence of large crowd remark that this Institution will be the testament of our magnificent vision and the impact of this educational corridor will extend and endure beyond our lives and will reach many generations to come to take advantage from it to serve at large. The Bishop and the Revd. Naeem Patrick, Diocesan Secretary thanked God for His blessings and share the 'Word of God' with the people present at the occasion. Foundation stone being laid by the Bishop The Bishop in his address appreciated the Administration and Staff of the School and, blessed them to continue their struggle with missionary zeal for the greater glory of God. The distinguished guests present at the occasion were Mr. Fredrick Azeem Ghouri, MPA (Member of Provincial Assembly), KPK, Parish Committee Members of the Christ Church, Nowshera, the Revd. Jeffery Samuel, the Very Revd. S. P. Asghar, Archdeacon, Diocese of Peshawar, the Revd. Yousaf T.M. Azam, Bishop's Chaplain, Mrs. S. P. Asghar, Additional Secretary Education, and Mr. Danial Samuel, Account Officer. Later, the guests were served with refreshments and had a guided tour of the School and the premises. The feedback of this Seminar was very positive, as many youngsters were blessed with the Biblical teachings and they committed themselves to lead a good Christian life in future. They were also thankful to the Diocesan Youth Desk for organizing such a nice and fruitful activity. Presentation by the Youth Leaders Page 3
Mothers are Special Protect Minorities of Pakistan 10 May 2015: The Diocesan Mission & Ministry (MMB) Sector's Women Desk celebrated the Mother's Day at the Diocesan Centre, Peshawar. Invitations were extnded to prominent ladies, working women at key posts, including Parish Ladies, and mothers and daughters from the congregation. Thus, a large number of women participated in the programme especially held for mothers. Speeches were delivered by Mrs. Noureen Altaf, Coordinator Women Desk, Peshawar Diocese, Mrs. S.P. Asghar, Additional Secretary Education, Peshawar Diocese and apart from the women folk, the Revd. Shahzad Murad, Secretary MMB also gave a brief talk at the occasion. It was a wonderful sight when all the daughters present at the occasion presented cards, flowers and gifts to their mothers. A very sentimental touch of the moment. Fun games were also arranged for the mothers and daughters who enjoyed it thoroughly. At this occasion, the chief guest Mrs. Sophia Murad w/o the Revd. Shahzad Murad distributed awards/prizes among the winners of the various games. Later, refreshments and dinner was served to all present at the occasion. The Revd. Shahzad Murad April, 23: A dialogue titled Religious freedom and Minority rights was organized by South Asian Partnership (SAP PK) at a local hotel in Peshawar. A huge number of government officials, social activists, and representatives of NGOs attended the meeting, along with religious leaders, i.e. the Revd. Shahzad Murad from Diocese of Peshawar, Mr Haroon Sarb Diyal from Hindu Community, and representative of the Sikh Community Baba Garpal Singh also spoke on the occasion. Mr. Imtiaz Shahid, Minister for law, Khyber Pakhtunkha (KPK) said that Government would soon pass a Minorities Properties Protection Bill to remove sense of insecurity among non- Muslim communities in the Province. He added that the proposed legislation was meant to provide all basic rights and protection to minorities. The Revd. Shahzad Murad called for providing equal opportunities and rights to minorities across the country. He also opposed the selection of people representing non-muslims in Provincial Assemblies and the Parliament. He also objected to the Provincial; governments directives about making self-sustained security arrangements for churches and other places of worship across the province. Similarly Mr. Dyal expressed concern about nonutilization of development funds for minorities, whereas, Baba Gorpal Singh criticized Nadra and other institutions for their discriminative attitude towards minority communities. Page 4
Sialkot Diocese elects its new Bishop Prayer & Meditation The Youth during Prayer & Meditation April 2015: Under the authority of the Synod, Church of Pakistan, an election to elect the new Bishop for the Sialkot Diocese, Church of Pakistan was held at Sialkot Diocese,. This election was supervised by the Moderator and Bishop Samuel Robert Azariah, Church of Pakistan. The Rt. Revd. Alwin Samuel, is the new elected Bishop of Sialkot Diocese, Church of Pakistan. The Consecration ceremony of the newly elected Bishop was held in the Cathedral, Sialkot Diocese. All the Bishops of the Church of Pakistan participated in the Consecration ceremony and the Moderator, Bishop Samuel R. Azariah led the ceremony. He blessed the newly elected Bishop Alwin Samuel for his new responsibilities. Convention and Seminar at Christ Church, Nowshera 24-25 April, 2015: The Priest In-charge, Revd. Jeffery Samuel and the Parish Committee of the Christ Church, Nowshera organized a 'Two-days Convention & Seminar'. The Nowshera parish is a large parish in terms of area, and comprises the areas of Nowshera, Akora Khattak, Jehingera, Khairabad and Pubbi. The Christian community members from all these areas attended the convention, hence a large number of people made it a successful convention. In the morning session, special Bible seminar was also organized for the youth group. The congregation felt blessed with the teachings of the Holy Bible during the Convention and went back with a happy, but thankful heart towards almighty God. The Diocesan Youth Desk is serving among the young people to bring them to Lord Jesus, and to promote the discipleship work among them. During the previous Youth Winter Camp, held in March 2015 at Murree, about 12 youngsters accepted Jesus Christ as their personal saviour and gave their lives to the Lord. During this two days retreat programme, Bible study sessions were organized for the young believers and special teaching sessions were arranged to provide them guidance and a path to live a fruitful Christian life. Mr. David from Australia, and Mr. Insar Gohar, the Diocesan Youth Officer were among the main facilitators. The participants also spend some time in prayer and meditation to seek God's guidance for their lives, thus they committed themselves to serve the Lord whole heartedly. The youth members were blessed through this follow-up programme, and were grateful to the Lord for the opportunity to get closer to Him. The youth indulged in personal Bible Study The Bishop s E-mail: Bishopdop@hotmail.com The Diocesan Centre E.Mail Contact Us at: commdeskdop@gmail.com Visit Us at: DioceseofPeshawar@gmail.com Page 65 www.peshawardiocese.org December April 2014 2015 Volume VII, VIII, Issue Issue Xi The IV Frontier The Frontier News News