Guwahati: An ecumenical prayer gathering for Assam was held on March 20 at Christ Church, Guwahati. Initiated by Assam Christian Forum (ACF), the prayer was conducted by Fr. G. P. Amalraj.
The welcome address was given by Pastor Aowabang Ozukum, “We gather together, in the presence of God, to remember that our identity is in our covenant with God who created us in God’s image, we are one through Jesus Christ and members of his body, and that the Holy Spirit binds us together into one family,” he added.
The scripture reading was done by Konika Dhar and Bijoya Hasda. The objective of the prayer was shared by Dr. Roger Gaikwad and A. K. Goldsmith. “As Christians, we are called to live and work for a better society, loving our neighbour and working for God’s Kingdom of justice and joy. There are many ways in which we can do this. Through voting we recognize our responsibility to participate in the political process, to show up and make our voices heard,” Dr. Roger Gaikwad.
Exhortation by Bishop Michael Herenz in English was translated by Pastor Johnny Tanty. In the words of Bishop Michael, “This is the time of the festival in our State. I call this festival an election festival because during election time we forget our caste, creed, ethnicity, culture, beliefs, practices and come together. The most fundamental principle defining credible elections is that they must be free and fair. They must reflect the free expression of the will of the people. To achieve this elections should be transparent, inclusive, and accountable and there must offer equitable opportunities to compete in the elections.”
Bishop Michael continued, “We can end hunger, unemployment, injustice, violence and intolerance in our society. But it will take the collective political will of those in government, civil society, the faith community and individuals. The Bible highlights the importance of good governance and wise leaders uphold justice and the common good, especially for those who are poor and needy. Psalms.72.12-14, Leviticus 19.15 and James 2.2-4 call leaders to govern without partiality. After the people of Israel returned from exile in Babylon the governor, Nehemiah, was able to ask the king of Persia to supply resources for the rebuilding of Jerusalem because of his faithful role in the governance of Persia (Nehemiah 2.1-9). Daniel and the Hebrew children held positions of political influence in Babylon (Daniel 2.46-49). Joseph served the good of his people through his active participation in the Egyptian political structure of his day (Genesis 41. In our democratic country, as we seek to care for our neighbours and God’s creation, we have the privilege of being involved in the election of wise and just leaders. Our country was founded on the idea that we the people are responsible for selecting our leaders. It is from the people that authority is delegated to those who govern.”
Prayer concerns were shared by Pastor Arup Saikia, Rev. Abhishek John, Pritty Sangma, Putul Phukan, Deacon Kishore Kumar Dhar, Alemla Longkumer, Rev. Jatin Ronghang, Pastor Sohan Singh, Pastor Siddharth Chowdhary, Pastor Nathaniel Basumatary, Fr. Joseph, Pastor Konya Konyak, Fr. Tom, Rev. Khaling Mocha and Rev. Timothy.
Gospels hymns by the Assembly Church of Jesus Christ team made the event devotional with melodious songs.
A vote of thanks was proposed by Allen Brooks and the concluding prayer and blessing were given by Archbishop John Moolachira the chairman of ACF.