The third and last day of ABAM Sesquicentennial celebration concluded with an adoption of five resolutions which were all built around the aim of resetting the Biblical and Spiritual Foundation of ABAM and Ao churches.
“ABAM and its churches sincerely pray and hope that strengthening of its spiritual foundation will help them as individuals and as a community to journey along with God toward the 2072 bicentennial,” stated the Media and Publicity team of ABAM SQC, 2022.
The resolutions were adopted during the last session of the SQC celebrations, after which Rev Dr Mar Pongen, Executive Secretary, ABAM, offered a special commitment prayer, seeking God’s strength and wisdom in the execution of the resolutions.
The Children Choir, Mokokchung Town Arogotem, comprising of 150 young boys and girls presented a choreographed gospel song, directed by Yanglu, Associate Pastor, MTBA. The presentation from this Children Choir was significant as these children would be the ones who would carry the torch forward from their elders toward the 2072 bicentennial.
Rev Dr Mar Pongen, Executive Secretary, ABAM.
Rev Dr Bendang Longkümer, Convenor, SQC Planning Committee, gave an overview of the tasks, resources and planning that led to the success of the event. He also shared a long list of individuals, churches, groups and institutions who had contributed their resources – labour, ideas, time, cash in kind. A total of 3,195 people officially registered for the SQC Jubilee celebrations.
The celebrations closed with a presentation that challenged ABAM and the delegates to set their faith and spiritual eyes toward the forthcoming 175 years of Christianity in the Naga Hills.
The two main speakers of the day
While delivering his sermon on the theme ‘Preach the Good News to the World’ (Mark 16:15), Rev Sentisashi Aier, President, ABAM, called upon the congregation to pray and ask for forgiveness and to seek God’s providence upon the Naga people.
Aier lamented that in the past 150 years of Christianity, the Ao people have become nominal Christians; therefore, there is an urgent need for “re-evangelization” among the believers to correct this weakness. This process of “re-evangelization”, Aier noted, should begin from each and every family and by “focusing on our children.”
He further encouraged the congregation to start preaching the gospel among the family as well as to the neighbours around them.
Preaching from 1 Cor 15:58 on the theme ‘Stand Firm in Faith’, Rev Dr Prof Mar Pongener, Executive Secretary, emphasised to the listeners that “God’s blessing always follows us when we have faith in God and asking God’s help sincerely.”
Christians, especially Ao believers, should “be willing to be a fool in the eyes of men as long as we are walking in God’s plan,” he said.
Pongener challenged the Jubilee participants to “reevaluate their faith witness” by their works and not through their words alone.” For the future of the Ao churches, Pangener noted: “we must stay rooted in God’s word and seek divine wisdom and understanding.”
Exhortation and greetings
Chumlamo Humtsoe, who spoke on behalf of the Deputy Commissioner, Mokokchung, encouraged the congregation to forgive each other, renew unity, bind themselves in brotherhood and usher new forms of blessings for each other.
Rev Dr Akheto Sema, General Secretary, Council of Baptist Churches in Northeast India (CBCNEI), highlighted the gloomy challenges faced by the community in the midst of this rejoicing and urged the churches to “come out of their comfort zones” and face the challenges and torch the way for the rest of the communities to the world and beyond.
Read more: ABAM’s Sesquicentennial Celebration underway at Impur
Rev Imo Aier, the president of the 1972 ABAM Centennial Celebration, and former General Secretary of CBCNEI, spoke on the importance of making firm “resolutions which would bring about a paradigm shift not only within ABAM but also for the Naga society as a whole.”
In the exhortation, Rev Toshinaro, former sect ABTM lamented that there were “multiple educated leaders” but no truth-seeking leaders. She expressed her hopes that “in the coming future” a structure in the Church and society could exist where “women can also take the top positions and lead the people.”
Baptist Church of Mizoram Choir.
Rev Dr Mar Atsongchanger, former Executive Secretary of ABAM, expressed his gratitude to the Molungkimong and Molungyimsen villages for inviting in Rev Dr E W Clark and bringing the good news to them.
Using William Carey’s famous quote, “Do great things for God, expect greater things from God,” Atsongchanger encouraged the congregation to make Clark Theological College an international University, and extend its mission to the ends of Northeast India.
He asked the SQC delegates whether they were serious of making disciples of every member under ABAM. Atsongchanger concluded his exhortation by stating that the Ao churches should “Go back to the basic word of God because if all of us became good Christians, there would be no corruption in the land.”
Imliwapang, first missionary of ABAM International Mission, China.
Bringing greetings on behalf of the American Baptist Foreign Missionary Society, Kathy Longkumer reminded the gathering that God chose the Ao people at a strategic time in history and raised them for his purpose and plans. “Let us not rest in our laurels but let’s press on to Gods calling for us today so that we can be his instrument to go to ends beyond,’ she added.
Imliwapang, a missionary serving under ABAM International called upon the Ao churches to reclaim the mission of reaching out to the Shan people in China, a community which E. W. Clark and other missionaries had wanted to evangelize. “To make God’s mission successful, we need to unite and minister together,” noted Imliwapang.
Major highlights of day-3: The morning and evening praise and worship was led by Kohima Ao Baptist Arogo (Youth Ministry) and a special song was presented by Clark Theological College. The Baptist Church of Mizoram Choir presented their last two songs in the last worship service and received a standing ovation.
