A quick word on what brought me to India in the first place:
The University of Chicago Divinity School (where I have just completed my second year in the M.Div program) just began a new grant program for first and second year ministry students to spend 10 weeks engaged in an international ministry project. I am one of two students who received the grant for this summer: Matthew (a classmate of mine) is in Kenya studying the development of Kenyan Bible colleges (founded and independently run by local Christians to train their leaders), and I am in India studying the Christian unity denomination of the Church of North India (the Disciples of Christ were one of the six main-line denominations that unified to become CNI in the early 1970s). The basic idea is to look at this unique denomination to better understand the ecumenical inspirations that led to a unification movement in the first place and then to see how CNI Christians have understood themselves in the 40(ish) years since uniting.
So the questions left are: why CNI? and Why India in the first place? I'll begin by answering the latter, then the former. When I first decided to apply for this grant, I wanted to go someplace where I could work on my French. I thought maybe working with African immigrants and refugees in Paris could be the ticket, and Cynthia (the director of the UC ministry program) quickly squashed at dream. "You've done the Europe thing before," she told me. "You should use this opportunity to stretch yourself. Go to a developing country. How about Congo?" Ah, Congo, the place where my mother (at 22) realized her calling to ministry. I absolutely love and respect my mother; I look up to her personally and professionally, but I have spent the past two years fighting to create my own ministry path that is different from my mother's. Congo was out. "How about Haiti?" Cynthia suggested. Nope. My folks had visited there last year... maybe Morocco. I went to bed thinking about finding a developing, French-speaking country with no specific ties to my parents; I woke up the next morning certain that it had to be a summer in India.
I immediately logged onto the Global Ministries website to start looking at where Disciples had partnerships in India (I am such a well-trained Disciple), and the Church of North India sounded perfect! It's a unique form of ecumenism (which, being the good Stone-Campbellite that I am, I love!). Plus, Disciples have long been present as co-founders and then partners of CNI. This was it!
I emailed Global Ministries and Vijay put me in touch with Dr. Sunil Caleb of Bishop's College. Vijay also connected me with the General Secretary of CNI (in Delhi) and the director of the Mungeli hospital (founded by Disciples and now part of the CNI structure). I have already been to Delhi and will visit Mungeli in late July. For the next month, I am at Bishop's College, using their library and practically living in the archives (I am such a history nerd!).
The basic idea is to spend 10 weeks learning about CNI's history that brought it to the point of unity and to get a sense of how things have developed in the years since. Thus, my summer in India! I am very excited to be here and learn about CNI. During my week at the headquarters I met with some very outstanding people, heard about their work, and was filled in on much of the Church gossip and politics (Christ isn't the only universal aspect of the Church!). There are also several places that had not originally been on my study itinerary, but that I had wanted to visit as a tourist that are diocese hubs for CNI; so, I will be able to incorporate my studies with my tourism to their places and spend more time there! I'm not 100 into Providence, but I am beginning to believe that it just might exist on this trip!
The University of Chicago Divinity School (where I have just completed my second year in the M.Div program) just began a new grant program for first and second year ministry students to spend 10 weeks engaged in an international ministry project. I am one of two students who received the grant for this summer: Matthew (a classmate of mine) is in Kenya studying the development of Kenyan Bible colleges (founded and independently run by local Christians to train their leaders), and I am in India studying the Christian unity denomination of the Church of North India (the Disciples of Christ were one of the six main-line denominations that unified to become CNI in the early 1970s). The basic idea is to look at this unique denomination to better understand the ecumenical inspirations that led to a unification movement in the first place and then to see how CNI Christians have understood themselves in the 40(ish) years since uniting.
So the questions left are: why CNI? and Why India in the first place? I'll begin by answering the latter, then the former. When I first decided to apply for this grant, I wanted to go someplace where I could work on my French. I thought maybe working with African immigrants and refugees in Paris could be the ticket, and Cynthia (the director of the UC ministry program) quickly squashed at dream. "You've done the Europe thing before," she told me. "You should use this opportunity to stretch yourself. Go to a developing country. How about Congo?" Ah, Congo, the place where my mother (at 22) realized her calling to ministry. I absolutely love and respect my mother; I look up to her personally and professionally, but I have spent the past two years fighting to create my own ministry path that is different from my mother's. Congo was out. "How about Haiti?" Cynthia suggested. Nope. My folks had visited there last year... maybe Morocco. I went to bed thinking about finding a developing, French-speaking country with no specific ties to my parents; I woke up the next morning certain that it had to be a summer in India.
I immediately logged onto the Global Ministries website to start looking at where Disciples had partnerships in India (I am such a well-trained Disciple), and the Church of North India sounded perfect! It's a unique form of ecumenism (which, being the good Stone-Campbellite that I am, I love!). Plus, Disciples have long been present as co-founders and then partners of CNI. This was it!
I emailed Global Ministries and Vijay put me in touch with Dr. Sunil Caleb of Bishop's College. Vijay also connected me with the General Secretary of CNI (in Delhi) and the director of the Mungeli hospital (founded by Disciples and now part of the CNI structure). I have already been to Delhi and will visit Mungeli in late July. For the next month, I am at Bishop's College, using their library and practically living in the archives (I am such a history nerd!).
The basic idea is to spend 10 weeks learning about CNI's history that brought it to the point of unity and to get a sense of how things have developed in the years since. Thus, my summer in India! I am very excited to be here and learn about CNI. During my week at the headquarters I met with some very outstanding people, heard about their work, and was filled in on much of the Church gossip and politics (Christ isn't the only universal aspect of the Church!). There are also several places that had not originally been on my study itinerary, but that I had wanted to visit as a tourist that are diocese hubs for CNI; so, I will be able to incorporate my studies with my tourism to their places and spend more time there! I'm not 100 into Providence, but I am beginning to believe that it just might exist on this trip!
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