India's largest evangelical gathering soon to be underway

One of the largest evangelical gatherings in India held once in 10 years is to take place this October in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.

Church leaders and representatives of various Christian organisations will congregate in Secunderabad from October 13 - 16 for the 5th All India Congress on Church in Mission (AICOCIM).

Attended by those from diverse denominations and unions, the AICOCIM organised by the Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFI), will review the past ten years of the Church's ministry, and will mull over the various challenges and anticipated predicaments for the years ahead.

The Congress - inspired by the Lausanne Congress, Berlin Congress 1966, and Asia Pacific Congress on Evangelism in Singapore - is limited to 600 participants upon invitation only and will look at 24 areas of the Church's ministry.

"For we are to God the aroma of Christ" is the theme for the 2009 gathering.

In the past the 'effective' and 'well structured networking' which first came into formation in 1970 had led to the birth of India Missions Association; India Evangelical Mission; National Urban Network and Christian Legal Association to name a few.

This year's AICOCIM will be an "inclusive gathering of the Church in India to think through and charter a plan of action in its mandate to fulfill the Great Commission by proactively participating in nation building through political engagement and permeating the workplace/ marketplace while not disregarding the traditional practices."

It will "recapture the mandate of the Church as a transformational agent of justice as it continues to look at issues of social justice by re-evaluating the plight of the vulnerable sections of society, victims of injustice and the marginalised."

Among the stated objectives are: Review the past by sharing experiences; Reflect on lessons learnt and things to unlearn; Assess and analyze the current trends and context, identifying opportunities and challenges; Anticipate emerging issues; Evolve a unified strategic action plan and Follow-up and implement the plan of action.

Aside from plenary sessions and panel discussions, the conglomeration will also cogitate on the various Church's areas like Accountability & Governance; Biblical equality; Caste Hindu; Religious Freedom; Human Trafficking; Dalits/OBC/Tribal; Christians in political engagement; Urban Missions; Media & Art and others.

The recommendations that come out of these sessions are taken home by Churches and groups to be implemented at different levels.

The last AICOCIM held in 1999 was participated by about 450 church and mission leaders. Two major outcomes of that meet were the launching of an urban ministry initiative - Evangelical Fellowship of India National Urban Network (EFINUN), and an association of Christians in the legal profession - Christian Legal Association (CLA).

The EFINUN is mainly a facilitating body where members retain their identity and create a synergy as a Network. The CLA is a national network of Christians in the legal profession rendering legal aid to the persecuted and suffering. It has its presence in 91 cities in 18 states.

For registration and other details, visit www.efionline.org