Monthly newsletter of the Diocese of Durgapur Donation: ₹ 5/-Vol.: One Hundred and Sixteen October 2016

Caroline Tan: The Rt. Revd. Dr. Probal Kanto Dutta, Bishop of the Diocese of Durgapur (DOD), Church of North India (CNI), visited the U n i t e d K i n g d o m t o strengthen the bonds of f r i e n d s h i p a n d partnership that exists between the various churches in the UK and the Diocese of Durgapur.

t h On the 9 of September, the Bishop met with the members of the United Society Partners in the Gospel where he spoke about t h e K r s h t i y a S e v a Niketan Hospital and its associated projects.

thOn the 12 , Bishop met with Mr. Steven Faber, who is the new Mode-rator of United Reform Church, West Midland S y n o d , t o i m p r o v e relationships and to invite Mr. Faber for the inauguration of the Colin C h o y c e b u i l d i n g i n Solihal, Midlands. This was followed by an opportunity to meet with the Mayor of N u n e a t o n a n d

Bedworth, Jill Sheppard, to discuss the possibility of the DCSDC String Orchestra host ing a concert in the UK.

The weekend s a w t h e B i s h o p preaching sermon at Wirkswirth, Diocese of D e r b y s h i r e a n d a meeting with Bishop A l a sta i r Re d fe r n to discuss the partnership b e t w e e n t h e t w o Dioceses.

The visit came to an end with a fund-raising Indian dinner, organised by Revd. Steve Bennett at the Burnham o n S e a M e t h o d i s t Church in Bristol.

To quote Bishop

D u t t a , ” … t h e experiences gathered a n d t h e k n ow l e d ge ga in ed , h as b een a mutual phenomenon a c r o s s b o t h t h e Dioceses. Over the years we have learnt from each other and in the process have been able to serve mankind for the betterment of humanity, especially for the upliftment of the oppressed. “

This successful j o u r n e y h a s s t r e n -gthened the existing ties of friendship and has forged new ones for a continued partnership o f d e v e l o p m e n t between India and the UK, for the glory of God's ministry.

Bishop's Mission to the United Kingdom trained from reputed

seminaries from within

and beyond borders.

The b i l ingual

ordination service was

attended by a l l the

clergy of the Diocese,

S t a f f m e m b e r s ,

par ish ioners of the

different churches in the

Diocese, members of

the Diocesan Executive

Committee, family and

friends of our Bishop,

the Rt. Revd. Dr. Probal

Kanto Dutta.

We wish him all

the best in his ministerial

life and may he grow in

l o v e a n d p e a c e i n

accordance to the will of

God, serving his Maker

with all, mind, heart and

soul.

Ankita Bhattacherjee: th

24 September, 2016,

marked an auspicious

day in the calendar of

the Diocese of Durgapur.

On this day the whole

congregation and the

p r o j e c t s t a f f c a m e

together to celebrate th

the 13 Consecration

Day of Bishop Dutta.

He was ordained

into Bishopric on the

very same grounds, but

only under a makeshift

tent back on the 21st day

of September in the year

of our Lord 2003. The

Diocese has come a long

way since then; 21 new

churches including a

Cathedral has been built,

numerous institutes and

pro jects have been

initiated and the Diocese

has grown into 181

churches spread ing

across 38 pastorates

comprising of 22,500

c o n g r e g a t i o n a l

members.

Back then there

were only 12 priests

m a n a g i n g t h i s

g e o g r a p h i c a l l y

m a m m o t h p r e d o -

minantly Tribal diocese

and today there are 24 of

them, theo log ica l ly

Bishop's 13th Consecration Day Service

Confirmation in Sarenga Pastorate

Pradp Baux: On 9th of O c to b e r, 2 0 1 6 , t h e S a r e n g a P a s t o r a t e organised a spec ia l service where a total of 21 candidates were confirmed as Christians. The Hon'ble Bishop of the Diocese of Durgapur, the Rt. Rev. Dr. Probal Kanto Dutta, celebrated H o l y C o m m u n i o n Service and laid his hand on each of the candidates to anoint them with the power of Holy Spirit.

The candidates were gifted with the

Wo rd o f G o d , " T h e B i b l e " , f r o m t h e P a s t o r a t e . I n h i s message, the Bishop r e m i n d e d t h e congregation and newly confirmed candidates about the meaning of confirmation which is n e c e s s a r i l y t h e a c c e p t a n c e o f discipleship of our Lord; when we have accepted it out of our own free will, there is no turning back but to live our lives as the disciple of Jesus and to proclaim the Good News through our words and deeds.

Old Age Programme in the Diocese

Mr. Sambhu Biswas: On nd

the 2 of October, 2016, a wave of gratitude and joy washed throughout the Diocese of Durgapur as we celebrated the Old A g e P r o g r a m m e , Forever Young.

T h e e l d e r l y m e m b e r s o f t h e c o n g r e g a t i o n w e r e gifted a small amount of money to celebrate and a c k n o w l e d g e t h e i r

contr ibut ion to the Diocese, as well as to help them along a little during this month of festivities.

Seacoast United C h u r c h , K h e j u r i , c e l e b r a t e d t h e contributions of six such m e m b e r s i n t h e presence of the entire c o n g r e g a t i o n . T h e service was led by our Presbyter, Revd.

2October 2016 Vol.: One Hundred and Sixteen

Chief Editor: Ankita BhattacharjeeEditorial Board : Caroline Tan, Tarun Pal, Prosenjit ChowdhuryEditorial Assistance: Akash Das, Rev. R.C Kisku, Raja MosesPublished by Rt. Rev. Dr. Probal Kanto Dutta on behalf of Diocese of Durgapur, CNI, Diocesan Bhavan, Dr. Martin Luther King Road, Bidhan Nagar, Durgapur - 713212,District Burdwan, West Bengal, India.Ph. & Fax: +91-343-2536220

newsletterdeep@gmail.com

ditorialE

“No is not just a word, it's a sentence in itself. It does not require any example, clarification, explanation or interpretation.”

These boys must realize, 'No' ka matlab 'No' hota hai. Use bolne wali ladki koi parichit ho, friend ho, girlfriend ho, koi s*x worker ho ya apki apni biwi hi kyu na ho. 'No' means 'No'. And when someone says so you STOP!

('No means 'No'. It does not matter if the one u t t e r i n g i t i s a n acquaintance, a friend, girlfriend, a sex worker or even your own wife.)

T h i s n o w f a m o u s dia logue is made by acclaimed actor Amitabh Bachchan in his latest movie Pink. Without going into the story of the movie, which happens to be both cr i t i ca l and commercia l (a rar i ty these days), let me ask you this – What have we come to, as a society, that the meaning of such a simple word as “No” has to be enunciated for us?

The movie deals with the concept of social labeling of women and holds a mirror to our society where the characters of men and women are measured by different yard sticks. Mr. Bachchan lays out a whole list of rules that women are expected to follow by our society.

R e c e n t l y, t h e m a i n a c c u s e d i n t h e molestation of a Calcutta-based woman was caught by the police, after five years of the incident. Ironically enough, the victim was the one who was shunned by her family, her friends and

her neighbours and never received the justice that she deserved. Even the C h u r c h , o f w h o s e congregation she was a member, shunned her. She passed away, feeling unloved and unwanted – all for a crime she was the victim of!

Victim blaming is such a common occurrence in our society today, that movies like Pink have to enunciate that when a woman says No, she means just that, NO; that t h e m o ra l s a n d t h e character of a woman can not be judged by the hours she keeps and the c l o t h e s s h e w e a r s . Campaigns have to be o r g a n i s e d t o r a i s e awareness about clothing choices and the rights of a human being. People have to be made aware that we are living in the

st21 century and not the Middle Ages.

What stands out is that, every time a woman is molested or has acid thrown on her face, every one rushes to the support o f t h e a t t a c k e r. A F a c e B o o k c o m m e n t recently compared a woman to a bank and asked if the robber was to be blamed for stealing a bank whose safes were left open and no security present. This Patriarchal mentality is what has led to the acceptance of outrag ing behav iour towards a fellow human being.In conclusion, let me ask you this, even if the bank was left without minimal security, who w o u l d b e b l a m e d eventually – the bank or the robber? You know that the answer is the latter, so why is it ok to blame the victim when it comes to a woman.

Blame the Criminal not the Victim

- Ankita Bha�acharjee

Sumanta Das. The aged p e o p l e o f o u r congregation were very happy to receive this recognition.

We are grateful to our Bishop, the Rt. Revd. Dr. Probal Kanto Dutta, without whose help and blessings this programme would not have been realised.

M i n a t i C h a t t e r j e e : Durgapur United Church (DUC) celebrated this d a y w i t h 2 6 a g e d m e m b e r s o f t h e congregation. Gifts from the Diocese of Durgapur and the DUC Pastorate were handed out to t h e m . L u n c h w a s p r o v i d e d t o t h e p a r t i c i p a n t s . T h e attendees appreciated the program and were grateful towards our Bishop The Rt. Revd. Dr. Probal Kanto Duta.

Decon Milan Das & Mrs. S u p r i t i D a s : T h e D a u g h t e r s o f K i n g celebrated the oldage

celebration programme at the village church of Bankura Pastorate. The programme was led by Rev. Pankaj Pande with a n o p e n i n g p raye r. Through the course of the programme, the participants became nostalgic as they recalled old memories. They evoked their memories and relived their past once again. The sad

moments from the past made them laugh today and the happy moments of their early days made tears roll down their

eyes.

L u n c h w a s

o r g a n i s e d f o r t h e participants at the end of the programme. The part i c ipants o f the programme were given gifts from the Diocese of Durgapur. This love from the Dicoese brought tears of happiness and

gratitude to their eyes. T h e a t t e n d e e s appreciated the thought behind this action and our Bishop's effort in a r r a n g i n g s u c h a wonderful programme for them. They promised t h a t t h e y w o u l d part ic ipate in every p r o g r a m m e o f t h e Diocese and help build the Kingdom of Jesus.

The Good LifeM y n a m e i s S a n j ay Hansda and I have been a s t u d e n t a t t h e Durgapur Child Study a n d D e v e l o p m e n t (DCSDC) since 2006. I was born in a poor family in the nearby slum.

When my mother passed away in 2006, the D iocesan Women's Fellowship extended their help to me and changed my life forever. It was God's blessings that led me to the DCSDC and with His guidance I have come so far in life.

I joined this c e n t r e w h e n I w a s studying in Class III. Today, I have completed my High School and am n o w s t u d y i n g B C A (Bachelors of Computer

Applications). Along with studies I have learned several skills like s i n g i n g , d a n c i n g , drawing and especially playing the violin. I never thought, even in my wildest dreams that I could learn to play a musical instrument. T h r o u g h a l l t h e s e activities, I feel my life has gained a sense of fulfillment.

Bishop and Mrs. Dutta are the two people who rooted for me since the beginning and are responsible for shaping my life. It was their love, blessings and support which helped me cope with my loss and build something beautiful and meaningful out of my life. If they had not taken up the responsibility of

educating me, I would not have been able to progress in my life. Like a gardener who tends to his flowers with love, M a d a m D u t t a h a s tended to us in a similar manner; she has been like a mother to me in this journey. I thank God forsending these beautiful souls my way, and for always being by my side. Without His help I would never have been able to do anything meaningful with my life.

October 2016 Vol.: One Hundred and Sixteen 3

Ritesh Prasad: Sarenga C e n t r a l C h u r c h celebrated 125 years of its inauguration and to m a r k t h i s s p e c i a l o c c a s i o n a s a memorable one, the S a r e n g a Y o u t h Fellowship organised a one-day event, for all the youth of Sarenga and the branch churches, on the

th12 of October.

A r o u n d 7 5 y o u n g p e o p l e participated in this event which was centered on the theme of 'Unity, Witness and Service for Youth'. The program took off with an opening prayer by Revd. Halder, which was followed by motivational speeches by Rev. S.M Saren and our Presbyter-in-charge, Rev. Sudhir Hembrom. The event was

designed and conducted b y t h e y o u n g s t e r s themselves under the gu idance of former Youth Secretary, Mr. S u d i p S i n g h a n d e r s t w h i l e Y o u t h member, Mr. Ritesh Prasad. The organizers also held a rally around S a r e n g a m a r ke t t o create awareness about c h i l d l a b o u r, c h i l d marriage, importance of e d u cat i o n a n d s afe driving. This was an initiative by the youth to

do their part for the community.

After the rally, the group organised a cultural program for the congregation. The child-m e m b e r s o f t h e churches and the youth t o o k p a r t i n t h i s programme. This event allowed the youth to be united in Christ and be a witness for all, in their service to the church and to the community.

Sarenga Youth Fellowship Sets Youth Goals

Ecumenical Prayer Conference

n dPrat ima Lal : On 2 O c to b e r, 2 0 1 6 , t h e Durgapur Steel Plant organised an Ecumenical Prayer Conference for people of every religion around the area. The

event was attended by the leaders and the followers of different religions.

nd2 October also marks the birth anniversary of

the Father of our nation, G a n d h i j i . To c o m -memorate this great soul, the members of the Durgapur United Church presented the great deeds of Gandhi to the assembled crowd and enunciated on Gandhi's thoughts about Christ. Further, the organisers spoke about Jesus' last words on the cross and how he died to bring us s a l v a t i o n . R e v d . Sumanto Naru, who led the prayer meeting, sang a collection of songs that were appreciated by those gathered.

Drawing Competition in Bankurath

Basanti Kisku: On the 4

of Septemeber, 2016,

t h e I n t e r f a i t h

C o m m u n i t y S t u d y

C e n t r e i n B a n k u r a

celebrated a decade of

its operation in the area.

Since its inception, the

study centre has been

catering to the children

of different faiths living

in the slums in Bankura.

On the morning of this

joyful day, the children

at t h e c e nt re we re

divided into several

groups based on their

age. The themes of the

competition were 'clean

Bengal', 'plant a tree,

save a l ife', 'donate

blood and save a life',

and 'drugs and their

evil'. More than 500

children attended this

event and filled up the

church premises with

mirth and life.

The teachers of Bankura

S u n d a y S c h o o l , o f

Mission Primary and

B i s h o p ' s P r i m a r y

s c h o o l s , a n d t h e

members of the local

Vacational Bible School Session

Duryodhan Naik: From th ththe 8 to the 10 of

October, the Diocesan S u n d a y S c h o o l Committee arranged a three-day Vacational Bible School for the children of the Sunday school in the different churches of the Diocese. This event, which was held on the Diocesan campus, was centered on the theme of “Jesus is my hero”.

The event was led by Mrs. Santa Toon Das who is the Secretary of the Diocesan Sunday School Committee, with t h e h e l p o f M r . Duryodhan Naik (Asst. S e c r e t a r y o f t h e Diocesan Sunday School Committee) and the Sunday School teachers.

The chi ldren, under the guidance of their spiritual teachers, performed wonderful skits and action songs to bring the theme to life. T h e c h i l d r e n w e r e divided into four groups. This allowed them to get to know the children

from other churches and form a bond of strong k i n s h i p t h r o u g h competitive events like quiz contests, dance-o f f s a n d s k i t competitions. Durgapur United Church Sunday School won the VBS –

s t2016 1 prize, while Poulus Nemu Memorial C h u r c h , J a r g o a n d Bankura Sunday School

nd rdtook home the 2 and 3 pr i zes respect ive ly. During the course of these three days the children learnt about the importance of Jesus in their lives, why Jesus is our hero and also about their roles in their respective churches.

The Sunday Schools and programmes like the Vacational Bible School make us realise that since the children are our future we need to nurture their talents and train them in the way of the Church and the way of Christ so that the Church becomes a beacon of hope and love to everyone.

Women's Fellowship

lent their helping hands

to oversee the event.

The day was completed

w i t h a m e m o r a b l e

d a n c e b a s h i n t h e

evening.

W e w i s h t o

thank the centre-in-

charge, Mrs. Paromita

Das, the teachers at the

centre, and Revd. Dbojit

Das, who have been our

constant gu ide and

f r iend through th is

eventful day.

Prayer for the FamilyLoving Heavenly Father, �e Word of God says, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds". Even now, we pray with one accord that You may pour Your divine peace in our family. You have assured us that if two of us agree on earth concerning anything that we ask, it will be done. So we come to Your presence with all humility and with oneness of mind that You may dwell with us and be the Head of this family. Riches and honor, enduring riches and righteousness are with You, Lord. Bless us with all abundance and joy. Be with us and guide us in all that we do. May Your name be glori�ed in our family, now and forever. Amen.

4October 2016 Vol.: One Hundred and Sixteen

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St. Peter’s SchoolUnder the Diocese of Durgapur

(Affiliated to the Council for Indian School Certificate Examination, New Delhi)

Mirabai Road, Durgapur 713 204Phone: (0343) 2564132

Email: principalsecretary@yahoo.co.in

DURGAPUR

SARENGA

RANIGANJ

BANKURA

St. Michael’s School

(Affiliated to the Council for Indian School

Certificate Examination, New Delhi)

Under the Diocese of Durgapur

Phone: (0343) 2535814

Fax: (0343) 2534242

The Laymen’s Evangelical Fellowship

118, Temple Tower, 11th Floor,P17A, Ashutosh Chowdhury Avenue, Ballygunge Phari, Kolkata - 700 019

leficcu@gmail.com+91-33-2787498

All Saints Church SchoolBunglow No.: 561, South Side, 5th Avenue, P. O.: Kharagpur,

District: Paschim Mednipur, Pin: 721 301

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Bishop’s Primary Girls’ School

(Nursery to Class IV)Under the Diocese of Durgapur,

Church of North India

Estd.: 2012

Add: Bankura Mission Girls’ High School Compound (Morning Section)

P.O. + Dist.: Bankura 722101 (W.B.)

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Best Compliments

from

I.S.P.C.K51,�Chowringhee�Road

Kolkata�700071

Bankura Pastorate

Mr. Pijus DasMr. Anup Mallick

We would like to request our members to donate MSF for the development of Ministerial work for the current financial year 2016-2017 @ minimum of 500/- once a Year.

Mission Support Fund received: 27.09.2016 to 11.10.2016

Mission Primary School

Co-ed (Nursery to Class IV)

Bishop’s House Compound, College Road,

Bankura 722101, West Bengal, India

Place�your�message�here

call:�+343-2536220

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Upcoming Events in the

Diocese

Our Guest:St. Michael’s Healing Mission,

U.S.A.

2nd Dec- Malda Pastorate

3rd & 4th Dec- I.M.S Coonor

6th & 7th Dec- Sarenga

Pastorate

Without God our week would be:

SINDAYMOURNDAYTEARSDAYWASTEDAYTHIRSTDAYFIGHTDAY

SHATTERDAY

SEVEN days without GOD makes one

WEAK.