Dimapur, Dec. 17 (EMN): The centenary celebration of Sendenyu Baptist Church (SBC) culminated on Dec. 16 with a call to believers to renew their faith and commitment to God.
A press release on Monday stated that the SBC has the distinction of being the first church to be established on Rengma soil. The 100 anniversary celebrations, which began on Dec. 14, was jointly organised by the SBC and the Council of Rengma Baptist Churches (CRBC), the updates stated.
On Sunday, during the morning worship service, the SBC acknowledged Rev. Seliezhü Sorhie, an Angami evangelist from Khedi Baptist Church in Kohima village, who was stated to have brought the gospel of Christ to Sendenyu 100 years ago. The church also paid rich tributes to the first converts from the village who went on to become pioneers of Christianity not only in the village but in the other Rengma areas as well, the updates stated.
The Nagaland Baptist Church Council’s General Secretary Rev. Dr. Zelhou Keyho delivered a message on the theme of the celebration ‘He has done great things.’ He said that the journey of faith of the believers at the church was a testimony to the love and mercy of God.
“Your celebration is a reminder that God from eternity has distinct your people to be the pioneer of the great light among your tribe,” Keyho stated. He reminded the believers that celebrating what they achieved 100 years ago should not be the sole purpose of the occasion ‘as they must think of the present and prepare the way for the future.’ Exhorting that the church and its members ‘must enlarge their tents and their thoughts in the ministry perspective,’ he urged them to be torchbearers of the ‘Good News to the people who are still in darkness,’ the updates stated. “Let the history we make today be His story,” he asserted.
Also, Khedi Baptist Church’s pastor Rev. Viwelie Khezhie spoke about how the Nagas have come a long way after the Gospel reached their land. He observed that the Naga people were ‘very blessed but somehow over the years, many have become spiritually unsound, missing the purpose for which God made us.’ Therefore, he said, attaining centenary was a time not just to praise and celebrate but also a time for the people to introspect and make a commitment to rededicate their selves to God.
In his message to the Sendenyu church, Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio who hails from the neighbouring Touphema village, conveyed best wishes stating the centenary was a time of thanksgiving as well as to seek God’s blessing for the future. He acknowledged that the Nagas had come a long way from traditional animistic religions since the arrival of Christianity.
“As you achieve this milestone, it is also an occasion to remember the pioneers who braved the odds of the time to embrace Christianity. Despite various forms of persecution by fellow brethren, their steadfastness, faith and good deeds have enabled you to observe this occasion. I urge you to celebrate this centenary with renewed faith and commitment to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. I pray that each and everyone who attends the centenary will be blessed abundantly,” Rio stated.
