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John
Malhotra, 31 July 2009: Church leaders on
Tuesday prayed for the grand success of 2010
Commonwealth Games to be held in October in New Delhi.
Even as preparations are in full swing for the
multinational sport event, bishops, pastors and
laypeople converged at the ‘United Prayer Meeting’ were
in joined hands beseeching God’s favor for the success
of the October 3 - 14 event.
The prayer meet was organised by the National United
Christian Forum (NUCF), a union of the National Council
of Churches, Catholic Bishops’ Conference and the
Evangelical Fellowship of India.
“Help us to participate to make it a grand success. May
we be in service and prayer for the event…Let us use
every opportunity to glorify your name,” prayed the
representative Rev. Dr. Josh Kallimel.
Together the leaders – Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox
– prayed for the smooth running of the event and for the
safety of foreign visitors and diplomats arriving at the
capital.
Addressing the prayer meet, Rev. Dr. Richard Howell,
general secretary of the Evangelical Fellowship of
India, urged Christians to “participate in such
significant events and express our love and dedication
to our country.”
Citing the government’s need for 25,000 volunteers to
serve in various capacities, Rev. Howell said, “This is
the opportunity we should use. Church should take an
interest and serve the nation wholeheartedly.”
“I would be discussing more with Archbishop of Delhi
Vincent Concessao and together we would make our
services available,” he added.
Commonwealth Games is being staged in India for the
first time and in Asia for only the second time. This
event is also India’s first big international sports
event since the 1982 Asian Games.
The Games are organised by the Commonwealth Games
Federation (CGF), a union of around 70 countries in
major continents: Asia, Africa, America, Europe,
Carribean and Oceania.
Interestingly, the Commonwealth Games came into origin
with the proposal of Rev. J. Astley Cooper who suggested
a “Pan-Britannic-Pan-Anglican Contest and Festival every
four years as a means of increasing the goodwill and
good understanding of the British Empire.”
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