Our First Aim

The doorbell rang.

It was mid afternoon, and Mrs Mercy wondered who that could be.  She had not quite completed the chores of the day.  She wanted complete it and have a brief time of rest.

‘Good afternoon aunty!’  The cheerful faces of Annu and Binu, two students from the nearby college were at the door.   They were not stranges to Mercy.   They were part of the EU that meets at their home.   Annu and Binu had been coming to the student’s Bible Study group for last couple of months.

‘O come in, come in…..,’ Mercy too was catching their cheer.  ‘How come you are here at this time? Did we plan something for this afternoon?’

‘No aunty, we had off for the afternoon from the college, so we thought to drop in before going home’, said Binu.  Annu nodded in agreement.  But Mercy could see on their faces that there was something more than just ‘droping in’. It appeared as if they want to talk about something.

‘Have a seat, make yourself comfortable.  Let me get you something to drink’ Mercy was prompt to serve them some refreshment and snacks.  She had learned that she needs to be prepared in season and out of season when involving with EU students like them.  She was benefited as a student by graduates open homes and Mercy is not going to be let go this oppurtunity.

‘Just refresh yourselves; Let me finish this work and will be with you in a moment’ Balancing work and ministry is a challenge, but then you need to do both, some how… ‘I can do everything through Him who gives me strength’ Philipians 4:13 remembered Mercy.

‘Sorry aunty, we intrupted your work’ Annu and Binu were quick with their refreshments and had come to the kitchen. ‘But we wanted to ask you about something. Binu had opened up a bit.

‘Go ahead, what is that you want to ask?’ Mercy said, even as she continued her work.

‘It’s about what we discussed in our last EU meeting, aunty, …about the first aim of UESI’

‘We got into a bit trouble on that with one of our classmate….’ Annu continued realising that Mercy is listening attentively.

‘We learned that our first aim is “To present the claims of Jesus Christ so that other students may come to a personal experience of Him as Saviour, Lord and God, through the new birth” We just shared that to one of our classmate but she thinks it is not right.’

‘Is it so?’ Mercy completed the work and gave full attention. 

‘She thinks that it is not right to tell others about what your worldviews are and what you believe.’

‘But without that how can you obey Christ, who asked us to be witnesses for Him?’ Mercy asked to provoke their thinking.

‘That is right aunty’ Binu said after a moment of contemplation.  ‘To be a witness, we have to tell about Jesus, alongwith living a life that is an example of obedience to Him.’

‘You are right. The statement of our first aim says “to present the claims of christ to our fellow students”, that is your part as believing student;” and the second part “.. so that other students may come to a personal experience of Him as Saviour, Lord and God, through the new birth” is not in your hand, though you wish and pray that happens. We leave that for God to work and for that person to make a choice.’

‘Okey, now we understand.  We have to be faithful in what we are supposed to do in presenting the claims of Christ to our fellow students; and prayerfully leave the rest to God’s hand to grant them understanding of the truth and come to repentance.’

Mercy clarified further with some examples, both Annu & Binu had grasped the depth of what Mercy told them.

‘Thanks aunty it is almost time for us to go.  Thanks for your hospitality and encouregement. We will be here for our nest EU meeting on Tuesday evening.’

‘Bye, Take care. You will be in my prayers. Thanks for your visit, be free to come or telephone me any time as you wish’

 -John George & Betty

Female Foeticide and Christmas

Several e-mails received during the last few days began with the sentence - “Christmas is round the corner”. Indeed it is - at this time, year after year! But over a 100 million girl babies world-wide never got a chance to turn that corner. Foeticides, infanticides, newborn neglect and abandonment deprived them of their lives. Over 80% of these babies were from China and India[1]. The British medical journal Lancet estimated that 10 million female babies were aborted in the last 2 decades in our country. It also reported that pre-natal sex selection causes the loss of 500,000 girls each year in India. While reports of violence and murder would make for uncomfortable reading, do these mass murders of girls over the last few decades make us shrink and squirm with horror and shame? It is only fitting that at Christmas time when we celebrate the birth of a child who grew to be our Savior, we take time to consider the fate of millions of girl babies and the loss to the world by their untimely ends. Who knows how many potential Mother Teresas, Medha Patkars, Indira Nooyis, Kalpana Chawlas and Dr. Mary Vargheses have thus been killed?

Christmas, over the years, has become a time of celebrations within the comfortable confines of our families, friends and church groups, with nice mushy, “Christmassy” feelings that broadly include peace and goodwill towards the people we know. Well captured by the words of a popular song – “in the air there’s a feeling of Christmas”. It is time, though, that our usual celebrations are disturbed and soured by this and similar statistics! The fact that the child sex ratio (914 girls for every 1000 boys[2]) has dropped to its lowest level since independence should, perhaps, influence the way we celebrate Christmas this year. Unfortunately the church has not been very different from the rest of society in the way we value our girls, which is possibly why we have not been effective in our role as agents of transformation and change, in this area.

If this trend goes on unchecked there could be fearful and terrible consequences for the future. Several parts of India would have a shortage of women by as much as 12 to 15% over the next two decades. Already in Haryana, brides are illegally procured from poorer states like West Bengal and Assam. Crimes like rape, molestation and various kinds of violence against women would increase. The practice of polyandry – men from a family sharing the same wife may make the journey from the pages of the Mahabharata to the Hindustan Times. Kidnapping and trafficking of girls – viewed merely as commodities would increase. As a university mission, we need to sensitise our students on the various issues of the day and teach about God’s mind on these matters.

It is gratifying that some of us are already engaged through SALT Initiatives in a campaign titled “Let Her Live”. We need more of us, as a community, to be engaged in this effort and in attempting to address other issues of our time. We need to constantly advocate and affirm the Biblical teaching of human worth that stems from our being made in God’s image. Jesus demonstrated this in the way he specially affirmed women at a time when the traditional rabbis despised them. He affirmed equally the worth of children, Samaritans, tax-collectors, drunkards, prostitutes and other “sinners”. The Bible also declares the sanctity of life right from the time of conception. David asserts this so wonderfully in Psalm 139 – “you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb”. This truth is well stated in the catechism of the Catholic Church - “human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of its existence, a human being must be recognised as having the rights of a person” - irrespective of her sex, caste, nationality or social standing.

It is also widely recognised that laws alone are not enough. Sheila Dixit, Chief Minister of Delhi and Varsha Joshi, Director, Census Operations both emphasise the need for wholesale change in the mindsets of people to turn the tide in this issue. Mother Teresa said “if we can accept that a mother can kill her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another?” The command to make disciples was not given just to populate heaven – but to transform and renew people’s attitudes, mindsets and value systems with the saving and transforming grace from Jesus, while on earth. That is why Jesus came into this world – not that we may only celebrate by eating cakes at Christmas but re-calibrate a broken and painful humanity through our words and example. Let us take to heart the words of the writer of Proverbs 24 to “rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering towards slaughter. But if you say, ‘but we knew nothing about this,’ does not who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not He who guards your life know it? Will He not repay according to what He has done?”

May these issues and others like these engage our minds and lives so that we demonstrate the message of Christmas through meaningful action, all through the year. Wishing you and your families a reflective and meaningful Christmas time and a fulfilling year ahead.

Cherian Thomas

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[1] Quoted in “Missing Women”, Amartya Sen

[2] Provisional Figures, Census 2011

Love Delhi

I have been encouraged to Love Delhi which is easy to hate.

I hate her because she does not provide me the peace that I dream either Dehradun or Chandigarh could provide. Life is so hectic here, The streets are crowded and now the power-cuts too.

Sometimes its rather a cruel world out here, where there is no place for compassion. Delhi seems to be a nobody's place and therefore to whom do we account to or even account for?

So why do we Love Delhi...........................?

Perhaps I love her because she provides the best I can gain be it in Business, Education, Health, and then obviously Metro, but more than that, I do not choose to live here, She becomes a 'use and throw' entity.

No I would not live here and continue to hate her, so, I have been encouraged to love her and why....? God Loves Delhi

Sathish Simon

Discipleship Training camp: Called to Bear Much Fruit

Welcome to all EU Students who desire to continue growing in the Lord.

DT camp on 9-11th Sept 2011

1. Veunue: Naveenta retreat centre.

2. Theme: "Called to bear much fruit" (John 15:8)

3. Registration fee:

Student: 300/-

Single graduate: 600/-

Family: 1000/-

Please continue to Pray for.

1. God's guidance through out the camp.

2. Speakers health and preparation.

3. Good weather.

4. Good singing.

5. Students preparation (expected number 25)

6. Financial need of ~20,000/-

7. Expectations from the camp.

1. Students might be challenged to follow Jesus faithfully.

2.Students might be equipped and encouraged to have regular quiet time and personal bible studies.

3.Students might be challenged to be witnesses for our LORD, where ever they go.

With Prayers

IIT Delhi-EU ________________________________________________________________

M Raju,
Research Scholar,
Thin Film Laboratory,
Dept of Physics,
Indian Institute of Technology Delhi,
New Delhi, 110016,
India.

9717967532

Academic Opening

UNION OF EVANGELICAL STUDENTS OF INDIA-DELHI
WZ34/7, Mukerjee Park Ext, Tilak Nagar, New Delhi-110018

uesinewdelhi@gmail.com

Hi Friends!

UESI Delhi is organizing Academic Opening- an evening of thanksgiving and celebration for all
EU students, at CNI Bhavan on August 13, 2011 at 3:30 p. m. The program will be led by the students who attended CMTC this summer.

This would be a time for you as an EU to come and share some of the things you learned and did in the past academic year, and also some of your plans for the coming year. So before we get too busy with academics and other activities, let us come together and give thanks to God for his goodness to us in the past year!

Given below are the details of the program:

• Introduction
• Praise and Worship: North Delhi
• Ice Breaker: South West Delhi
• Message: Ungshungmi
• Sharing by EUs
• 
  
  
• Date :August 13, 2011
• Time : 3:30 to 5:30 P. M
• Venue: CNI Bhavan, 16 Pandit Panth Marg, New Delhi 110001

Come join the celebration!

Regards,

Anna Jacob (Sneha)

Programme Coordinator

9910680219

Dwarka EU

04/08/2011