On my last full day of my Rajasthan tour, I am reflecting a lot on what I have seen and the people I have met, the things I have learned about the church here and the reflection it has prompted about the church in NYC. Two of the missionaries celebrated in the history of St Andrew's Church are Rev. John Stirling and Rev. Hugh Baikie. I mention this because of family connections to these ministers. The church's 100 year celebration is approaching in 2017. I was warmly received and given an opportunity to bring greetings and to speak about my purpose and experience and discoveries in Rajasthan. I think I may have gone over the seven minutes allotted :) I spoke about HMC and JWD, about meeting people all over Rajasthan who could remember them, about the good examples I saw of contextualized worship and church life, the patterns of church planting, the extensive engagement of young people in leadership positions, the creative and respectful outreach work to make contact and connection with people of other faiths or of none, the power of indigenous music in worship, the strong presence of every generation in congregational life. I also spoke about my experience at Erinpura, and why I wanted so much to visit that grave.
Today also, quite unexpectedly, I ran into Sahar and Selda again in one of the gates of City Palace, Jaipur. We were so happy to see each other and to reflect on how special that time in camel safari had been - so restful and relaxing amidst the stream of forts and palaces and temples and markets to visit. It is remarkable how a bond forms through sharing very special experiences together - a summary of my whole tour of Rajasthan !
Pictured here in front of the Gemini instrument.
I thought the Gemini sign was the Twins? It's interesting no matter where you go in the world, the interior of a Presbyterian church looks always the same. So comforting.
ReplyDelete