Sabbatical - Day 14 - Sunday

Jayaseelan, Ramilla, Paul and Ginny join us at 8am and we leave for the 9am service at St Stephen's, Vichoor Village.

It is about 40" drive north. The buildings gradually become more sparse given way to tracts of country before we reach the village. I am struck by the mix of old and new. Hand built mud and straw are alongside more modern buildings, lorries, satellite tv, and paddy fields , with a refinery not far away. 

We have the most amazing welcome.

Around 100 plus children gather to worship. Very lively singing with video projector, drums, keyboard. The catechist leads the singing. Normally he would lead the service and preach as well but the pastor is here this week to preside in communion, assisted by Jayaseelan. He ministered here a few years ago. Ginny welcomes, Mandy prays before the sermon, I administer the wafers, Paul and another the chalice. I conclude with the blessing.

Nearby there is loud idol-worship, as it is described. Slightly further away is a Hindu temple. The village is around 5000. There is one church, newly built.

Afterwards we visit a Pentecostal church in the next village. The pastor Benjamin warmly welcomes us. His family sing.

St Stephens church helped build their church. They met (150) to worship in the morning. Benjamin leads an open air elsewhere at 2:30.

On the way to lunch we visit Sadhu Sundar Sibgh church in the slums It was being built on our last visit - see a 2012 blog entry - but is now opened. This was a rebuild of an earlier church. 300 gathered to worship this morning.

Lesslie Newbigin dedicated the original church and we see the plaque upstairs. It is bring used for adult learning. Downstairs was flooded recently and upstairs used for flood-relief. Later when we drop  into his home, Jayaseelsn shows us what they were giving out: rice etc.

The new church...

Nearby is slum clearance. New homes are being built but they are I understand too expensive for the slum dwellers. I read somewhere that people are being rehoused out of town - which is causing some controversy I think. We meet various members and pray with them, then call in on the treasurer and his family. 

By around 3:30 we are visiting old friends for lunch  and renew fellowship. We eat well!

The day finishes with a visit to St Thomas Mount. 

What a wonderful group of people we have met today. Most if not all are poor. But they are full of joy and hope. 

Tomorrow we visit Bangalore for a few days. Not sure whether we be able to use wifi. We couldn't at the college at Madurai - no wifi: it would perhaps be too much too soon for many of the students from the villages. - but each place is different.