Sunday, July 24, 2011

Unitarian Youths’ Workshop


The leaders of the Youths from the different Unitarian churches of Unitarian Union met on the 23rd of July to discuss on the proposed new Youth Ministry proposal of the Unitarian Union Northeast India. The workshop which was facilitated by Rev. H.H.Mohrmen was held at the Unitarian Church Madan Laban Campus.

The new Youth Ministry proposal is designed to improve the working of the Youth wing of the Unitarian Union and also to develop a close working relationship between the Faith development Committee of the UUNI and the Youth of the group of the Unitarian Union.

The one day workshop was a success and it was closed by Rev. D.P. Pariat President UUNI and Rev. N. Suting the General Secretary. The Leaders of the Youths from different Churches has discussed thread bear the proposed Youth Ministry paper and has agreed with proposals proposed in the document. 

Friday, July 15, 2011

Unitarians in Bangladesh

The Khasi Pnars has been living in Bangladesh since time immemorial and there is a sizeable population of the Khasi Pnar in that country. As a matter of fact close to the hills a small track of land in the now Bangladesh was once rule by the Jaintia King and the Kingdom’s winter capital was in a place now known as Jaintiapur which is now part of Bangladesh.

You can click on this link or open this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj-Og2NktTQ to see a documentary posted on youtube to get some information about the Khasi Pnar in Bangladesh.

The Unitarians in Bangladesh are the Khasi Pnar who lives in the country, they are basically pan leaf farmers and they have not been able to organize themselves. There was once a fellowship in the border village name Mukam and I visited the place to conduct a funeral of one of the member of the fellowship. Because of the porous border I was able to visit the place illegally simply by bribing both the Indian and Bangladesh border guards. There are 3 (three) Unitarian families in this border village.

The beginning of this organized Unitarian group in the country started independently on the two sides of the country. On one side we have Tyngshain Khongjoh who is originally from Mawlat and migrated to Bangladesh with his uncle when he was just a young boy. He is now a grown up man with a family. He has lost touch with his Church since he migrated to   Bangladesh and he would have completely forget his church if it is not for this one incident. He is married to his wife who is a Presbyterian and he was ready to convert to Presbyterian if he was not asked to be baptized again. Tynshain remain adamant that he can only be baptize once and rejected the idea of him being re-baptized. By doing so Tynshain remains a Unitarian and that let him to look for fellow Unitarians in Bangladesh, he met Jill Lyngdoh from Nongtalang (India) who frequently visited Bangladesh to accompany his wife visiting her ailing mother who live in Bangladesh. Tyngshain Khongjoh live in Srimongol road and his address is :

Tyngshain Khongjoh
C/O Shri Laxmi Store
Shrimangal Station Road
PO 3210
District Moulvi Bazar
Bangladesh.

Then on the other side of Bangladesh a Unitarian family from Nongtalang migrated to Bangladesh long time ago, but their children remain in Nongtalang for their education. Now the children are grown up and return to Bangladesh they conducted a regular Sunday worship where they live. The Pohrmen family lives in the Sylhet District of Bangladesh and their contact address is :

Miss Molika Pohrmen
P.O Bolekha
Village Agar
District Sylhet
Bangladesh.

Then we have two other Unitarian families originally from Padu who had migrated to Bangladesh, one of them live in Husnabad in Shrimongol District and her name is Ainbah Mukhim her contact number is 008801733629026 and the other Unitarian family are the children of Tress Mukhim of Clawra District of Moulvi Bazar.

I plan to visit my fellow Unitarian brothers and sisters in Bangladesh this coming winter but this time I am going to go by the book and visit the country legally.