Sunday 15 September 2013

Revd. Roberta Rominger – Gen. Secretary, United Reformed Churches, and General Secretaries of various organisations visit The Church of The Epiphany, Gurgaon on 15th September-2013


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Revd.Sunil Ghazan and Bishop Roberta Rominger
Today was a special day for all the parishioners of the Epiphany Church of Gurgaon because we had visitors from overseas! A Team lead by Bishop Roberta Rominger, (the  General Secretary of the United Reformed Churches) visited our Church today and they partook of the communion with the rest of us.
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Delegates after their welcome by the Youth fellowship members of the Church
In her message to the congregation, Bishop Roberta talked about how Jesus is like the shepherd who when he misses one of his sheep out of a hundred would turn back to search for the one missing sheep, or for that effect the woman who looked and looked for the missing coin till she found it! Linking this concern that Jesus has for each one of us, Bishop Roberta described how the team visited different places in Delhi which showed exactly this concern that Jesus has – a woman’s helpline cell, a red-light area, slums, and homes for destitute children, all whose cause is partnered by the Church of North India and The United Reformed Churches. Referring to one of the readings of the day, Hosea, Chapter 11: 1-11, she suggested that God was pained and anguished by his people who went against his teachings, who resorted to sacrifices “unto Baalim and burned incense to graven images.” Some of God’s anguish and pain is expressed in the sixth verse- “And the sword shall abide on his cities and shall consume his branches, and devour them because of their own counsels.” All this to the Israelites who refused to mend their ways. And yet, Bishop Roberta, claimed, The Lord didn’t want to give up on Ephraim or his people, “How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? how shall I deliver thee, Israel?”-verse eight.Bishop Roberta claimed that today, we are  much like the people mentioned in the Book of Hosea, God is angry at our misdemeanours and constant neglect of his teachings, but beyond his anger is his anguish and concern for each one of us who has gone astray.

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A Delegate from New Zealand
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The delegates came from as far as England, Taiwan and New Zealand. 

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