ELCA NEWS SERVICE
July 12, 2006
Tranquebar Mission Restored After 300 Years of Lutheran Ministry in India
06-099-FI
TARANGAMBADI, India (ELCA) -- Thousands of Tamil people
joined international guests and Lutheran church leaders July 8-9
here at the Tranquebar Mission on the southeast coast of India,
where German missionaries Bartholomaeus Ziegenbalg and Heinrich
Pluetschau arrived July 9, 1706. The Tamil Evangelical Lutheran
Church (TELC) marked the 300th anniversary of Protestant ministry
in India by rededicating historic buildings, dedicating new
structures and praising God.
The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and president of the Lutheran
World Federation (LWF), Chicago, was present as part of a 16-
member ELCA delegation that visited India for the anniversary.
The LWF is a global communion representing 62.3 million of
the world's nearly 65.4 million Lutherans. It is based in
Geneva, Switzerland.
Many of the buildings at Tranquebar Mission sustained damage
in the tsunami of December 2004. Weekend events showcased many
restored buildings, including New Jerusalem Church, which
Ziegenbalg first dedicated in 1718 and the TELC rededicated July
8. Ziegenbalg died in 1719 at the age of 37, and his body was
buried in the church.
Ziegenbalg's ministry was noted for several contributions to
Indian culture, such as the translation and printing of the Bible
in Tamil, production of the first Tamil grammar book, and his
pioneering work in herbal medicine. Speakers noted that
missionaries of his time were known to require obedience to their
beliefs and customs, while Ziegenbalg first learned Tamil and
Tamil philosophy.
The TELC preceded Sunday worship with the dedication of a
new education compound, including the Pluetschau Primary School.
A procession led by more than 100 schoolchildren snaked through
the streets of Tranquebar to New Jerusalem Church.
"This is a day for giving thanks that, just as Jesus
promised, the seeds of the Holy Spirit have brought forth great
fruit," Hanson said. Hanson preached July 9 during an
"ecumenical jubilee thanksgiving service" at New Jerusalem
Church.
"We live in a divided world, yet our witness as Christians
is that we are one," Hanson said. "Unity does not mean
sameness," he said.
"We embrace the other not to make them like us," Hanson
said. "Ziegenbalg did not come to make Tamil people Germans or
Danes." The 18th century missionary did not teach the Tamil
people European customs but taught them to take pride in their
own ways, he said.
The ministry of Jesus was one of reconciliation, based on
friendship rather than domination, Hanson said. Jesus embraced
the leper, replacing barriers with community, he said.
Christian ministry continues to worship God and to serve
"all suffering humanity," Hanson said, emphasizing the work of
Lutherans for "the full participation of Dalits in India's
society."
During its visit the ELCA delegation was on hand for the
week of celebrations marking the tercentenary of the Lutheran
church in India. Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and
Research Institute (GLTC) hosted a series of programs July 3-7 in
Chennai.
His Excellency Thiru Surjit Singh Barnala, governor of
India's Tamil Nadu, delivered an inaugural address July 3.
Hanson and other international guests brought greetings. Several
publications on Ziegenbalg and Lutheran ministry in India were
issued, and the Francke Foundation, Halle, Germany, presented
GLTC with microfilm of historic documents on the Tranquebar
Mission.
A seminar July 4 on Ziegenbalg's contribution to civil
society included sessions on the architecture in Tranquebar,
education, printing and publishing, the Tamil language and
Indology.
July 5-6 featured an international consultation on "Post
Modern Challenges to Christian Mission." Seminar leaders came
from Egypt, Germany, India, Sweden and the United States,
including Hanson and the Rev. Rafael Malpica-Padilla, executive
director, ELCA Global Mission, Chicago.
The Academy of Ecumenical Indian Christian Theology and
Church Administration held a special convocation July 7 in honor
of those who contributed to the cause for which Ziegenbalg
arrived in India, awarding 26 honorary doctorates in divinity.
-- -- --
Gurukul Lutheran Theological College maintains information
on the tercentenary at http://www.gltc.edu/tercentenary/ on the
Web. The ELCA delegation hosted a blog (Web log) at
http://lutheransinindia.blogspot.com/ during the trip.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask]
http://www.elca.org/news
ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog
