November 2017 | Pentecost Volume XV | Issue 11 | Rs.150 Per Annum CSI Exhibition Booth at Yangon Myanmar Karnataka Regional Youth Conference 02 EDITOR’S DESK Towards a Child-Centred Church… In children, the future encounters us and them to reinvent and innovate, be creative In putting the child amidst his disciples in children the future breaks into the and sincere and practice a child-like and the community, Jesus, in an enacted present. Humanity visualises its future in sincere spirituality. parable, teaches the importance of giving the children. Children help us to a safe space for children. Children need When mothers brought their children to understand the language of hope. Each protection, the child in everyone needs Jesus, he let them come to him and day, hope gets unpacked, as children protection, only when the child is blessed them. Jesus informs the mothers grow and flower forth. Children are hope protected, are both the child and the that the blessings that they seek is in their in action. community safe and are assured of the own hands, they hold the blessings, in future. Putting the child amidst the In children we see the image of God and trust! “Let the little children come to me; do community is also an enacted lesson as to God's equality, justice, love, creativity, not stop them; for it is to such as these that the how much the weak and the vulnerable innovation and invention encounter us. kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, should be valued in the community. Children as the parable for those who are whoever does not receive the kingdom of God When the weak and the vulnerable, who pure in heart, help us to encounter faith as a little child will never enter it.” (Mark normally languish in the margins and are without doubt, in all obedience, sincerity 10:14-15) Children represent the hope, thus open to attacks, abuse, threats and and innocence. Children make us future, image of God, and opportunity to extinction, the very thought of moving understand our world, they teach us lessons a new networked alternate world. In them to the centre as precious, unique of life. In every child birth, pain, struggle, children one encounters and experiences and resourceful is a gamechanger and a suffering and joy are bundled together. the reign of God. Jesus invites parents transformative principle. Children network their surroundings, and and communities to hold them in trust make forgiveness reconciliation and new and guard this treasure entrusted to them. Jesus was a child rights activist: “If any of bonding together possible. Children, you put a stumbling block before one of these On another occasion, when his disciples through their innocent questioning little ones who believe in me, it would be better were discussing who among them was the become the hermeneutic to see the world for you if a great millstone were fastened greatest, Jesus called a child, whom he from a new perspective. Children help us around your neck and you were drowned in the puts amidst them, and says, “Truly I tell to share and cross boundaries very easily depth of the sea” (Matthew 18:6). Jesus you, unless you change and become like without prejudice. The Church needs to insists that community should be children, you will never enter the find innovate ways and instruments to ashamed of such persons, and that they kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes make the community child-centred. The should be shamed, and such threats and humble like this child is the greatest in the Church should allow its members to stumbling blocks need to be eliminated kingdom of heaven”. (Matthew 18:2–4). sustain the 'child' in them and enable from the society. www.csisynod.com |November2017 03 Holding children as treasures in trust, brought to the center of Jewish piety - to should always find accompaniment protecting children by moving them to the Jerusalem Temple, where the child available and at hand in time of crisis and the center is a commitment to love each from the margins that had no space need. The counselling and accompaniment, child, provide them with a caring and becomes pivot of a prophesy that saw the to overcome the trauma from disruptive supportive environ. When children are child as the manifestation of salvation. experiences and to get integrated once again, respected, when their voices reverberate And when the child returned to Jerusalem should be at hand. The Church needs to in the community, when their opinions after twelve years, the questions and equip, children, parents and the are given the rightful space, when their answers of the child made Jerusalem community with the knowledge and questions are heard with sincerity and amazed and astonished (Luke 2). The understanding of child rights through open minds, pondered upon and Child Jesus is both an affirmation of God programmes and campaigns that strive to answered, then the Church becomes an protecting and calling the community to conscientize and empower. inclusive community. The Church further protect the vulnerable child, but also the The Bible calls us not only to protect the engages in a discourse about listening to, sign and instrument of change and child, but states that in protecting and learning from children; about transformation. children, we hold fast and affirm the providing rightful and sufficient space Therefore, it is an imperative that the vision of a new world order, manifested, and opportunity to children, so that the church should be committed to create breaking in and revealed in them. It is a child in us lives and re-invents creativity, safe spaces for children, especially, call to repent and unlearn concepts and innovation and sincerity, with a sincere children at risk, vulnerable and needy. ideas that hold children as citizens in quest and child-like spirituality that Our churches, congregations, schools, waiting, and involve in educating and emanates the reign of God. colleges, boarding homes, special schools transforming them into the generation of Isaiah's vision of a new world order has a and homes, should offer spaces that our dreams. The Bible calls us to child as the leader of such a new emanate confidence and inspire children. recognize the children as agents of dispensation. “The wolf shall live with the Child protection should be a priority in our transformation, calling us to be open, lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, churches, Sunday schools, educational inquisitive and creative in learning with, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, institution and hospitals. The staff, along, and from them. This new paradigm and a little child shall lead them. The cow and teachers and congregation members need changes the very understanding on the role the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down to be sensitized, trained and empowered and place of children in our families, together; and the lion shall eat straw like the as well as monitored as they strive to give communities and churches, and calls us ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole every child the dignity and honour they to be child-centered and child-friendly of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its deserve. They should offer space for congregations and communities. hand on the adder's den. They will not hurt or children, especially, those marginalized May God help the Church to recognize destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth and disabled to express themselves. The and affirm children as visible signs of the will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as Church needs to empower the congregation transformative coming reign of God, so the waters cover the sea.” (Isa.11:6-11) A in a process that will keep them always that the Church is enabled to protect the child without fear, a child leading those vigilant and alert in identifying the bearers of the mysteries of God's reign predators and victims and now living in threats, stumbling blocks, and tendencies and becomes child-centered and child- harmonious relationship, all with a that puts children in danger. Prevention friendly. change of food habit and life style; no one of child abuse, should be a top priority for hurting or destroying the other, filled with the congregation. the knowledge of the Lord, symbolizes The Church should also develop Rev. Dr. D. Rathnakara Sadananda the transformation. mechanisms that will help in early and General Secretary, CSI The fact of incarnation calls us to look at timely detection of possible dangers that the child of Bethlehem more intently. make children suffer and get marginalized. From being a vulnerable child at risk, a The Church should have a robust support threatened child, and a child that became system to help the little ones who are a refugee, (Matthew 2) the child was transgressed against. Parents and children 4044 November2017| www.csisynod.com Assuring future for the Girl child 2Kings 5:1-5 Subash escaped. When news of the incident A Two and a half-year-old girl was allegedly spread people from the entire village raped by the youth in an Anganwadi Center launched a search, and caught him on the on September 8th, Friday evening. The 22- outskirts of the village the very next day. year-old from Bailhongal taluk also dug a They beat him up before handing him over ditch on the premises to apparently bury the to the police and the victim was said to be in child. The Perpetrator has been identified as a critical condition. (The New Indian Subash Mahadev Nayak, who is the Express, September 10th, 2017).