Dearly beloved in Christ,

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ !

Praise the Lord! How good it is to sing praises to our God; for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting. (Psalm 147:1)

The second Sunday of September we observe as Choir Sunday. I praise and thank God for the Seaford Choir and we are remembering the meritorious service of our Choir, choir master and the organist. May God continuously bless them. The ministry of a choir member is something special and need special dedication. The rhythm of the choir in worship represents the harmony and unity of the congregation itself. It is the choir who leads the congregation into worship and helps the people to realize the presence of God in the worship service. The presence of choir itself is an encouragement for both the congregation and the celebrant. I wish and pray that our good God continue to bless
our choir abundantly to fulfill their ministry in a fruitful way.

Along with the choir Sunday we are thinking about the peace in the midst of violence in this month. There is systematic violence or violence in the structure which oppresses the poor and the
marginalized. The dominant groups used to apply violence over the poor. The recent attack of Taliban in Afghanistan is a painful example of violence over the poor. Jesus said, ‘blessed are the peace makers’ (Matthew 5:9). In a world of destruction and evil practices, strife and conflict, we are called to be peace makers, where there are discrimination of all kinds – race, caste, class and sex – to break the walls of partition and to reconcile the whole world and to be a salt of the earth. It is our duty to work for the society as a channel of peace making. In the context of this general atmosphere of violence, there is a great need for a discourse on the ways and methods of obtaining Peace, a sustainable Peace. As Christians, we should propagate the values of peace, justice and take initiatives to overcome the violence in and around us. Our mission should be empowered by the values of
egalitarian community based on kingdom values.

We are called to be ambassadors of peace and reconciliation. Let us sing a song of social harmony which brings the kingdom values in and around us. The Church of South India celebrates it’s 75th formation day on September 27. On this occasion I praise and thank God for the
abundance grace upon grace over the church and its ministry.

May God bless you all.

Yours in God’s service

Shalu Achen