By Stuart Simpson
How many of us when we hear about people who turn 100 give a small smile? A smile of amazement at what these people have accomplished in their lives. On the day before General Assembly 2008 began, we as the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand celebrated a major milestone of 100 years of missionary work in North India. The Governor General of New Zealand, the Honourable Anand Satyanand, hosted a reception to celebrate this work at Wellington College.
On behalf of the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand, the Global Mission Office invited Church of North India deputy moderator the Right Rev Purely Lyngdoh and the Rev Yunous Massey; Dr Cecil Harrison and Dr Nayana Harrison from the Christian Hospital in Jagadhri, and Kamla and David Singh from St Thomas School, to celebrate this wonderful achievement. The night was full of laughter, reminiscences and story telling, with many former missionaries and their descendents present.
Global Mission Advisor the Rev Andrew Bell and then-Moderator the Right Rev Pamela Tankersley welcomed everyone to the gathering. The Governor General spoke about his family’s Presbyterian connections and his visits to India. Other speakers included the grandson of Dr W J Porteous, who begun mission work near Jagadhri in 1908.
At the conclusion of the evening, Jordan Redding (who is Graham’s son) sang “Child Song”, which was commissioned by the Global Mission Office as a way of connecting with young people. Jordan also performed a hymn titled “Let me die working” for which he had composed the music; the lyrics were written by a past missionary to North India, the Very Rev J L Grey. The reception also saw the launch of a book, Light and Love: One hundred years in North India, which was published by the Rev Doreen Riddell and the Global Mission Office to mark this milestone in our history.
The entire evening was a wonderful time of celebration. As we remember the work of many, we can, in hope and anticipation, give thanks for the work of present missionaries who are serving God in Thailand, Vanuatu, Nepal, India and around the world and look forward to the work of missionaries to come, as they to respond to God’s call to work in his mission field.