LBCA issue: Peace rally held in Vankhosung

August 23, 2023 26 Views No Comment

Wokha/Dimapur, August 23 (MExN): The Lotha Baptist Churches Association (LBCA), on August 22, organised a peace rally in regard to the imbroglio concerning the association.

As per a report received here, during the rally, the participants displayed placards and banners justifying the grievances and calling for unity within the Lotha Baptist churches as well as coming together in peace without differences.

The rally was reportedly attended by 96 units of Lotha Baptist churches.

The peace rally started from Zero point Vankhosung and proceeded towards the Wokha Town police point.

At Zero point Vankhosung, Rev Nyanchumo Lotha, LBCA Executive Secretary highlighted the aim of holding the rally, while Rev Sankiluma Kikon, LBCA President delivered a short speech.

A memorandum, later submitted to the Deputy Commissioner, Wokha, was also read out by the LBCA Secretary Nongothung Kikon.

Earlier, interacting with the media, the LBCA Executive Secretary Rev Nyanchumo said that the peace rally was to express “untold feelings.”

He further maintained that the Lotha community is being misled and confidence needs to be restored for bringing harmony within the community and the Baptist Churches and that the rally was being organised to “bring total transformation and restoration of the LBCA.”

LBCA President Rev Sankiluma also highlighted that many groups, CSO and leaders had tried to bring the Lotha Baptist Churches as one but claimed that due to “some untold factors and misguiding… it failed in coming together.”

He also said that the LBCA ‘R’ stands for reforming the LBCA and the Reformation is not a new LBCA but to reform all the 147 Lotha Baptist Churches that includes the neutral churches or the minority party.

The LBCA President further maintained that a total of 104 Lotha Baptist Churches are with the reformation, while the other are minority in support of other LBCA groups consisting of 24 churches and 19 neutral churches.

He anticipated that those minority groups will come to the mainstream and claimed that though some are willing to come, they are being misled and misguided.

While speaking on the root cause of the LBCA imbroglio, Jenibemo Kithan, LBCA Youth Secretary stated that it was caused by three to four factors— Biblical error, constitutional error, infringement of the local church and regulation and governance of LBCA. The LBCA stands to bring reformation in those areas, he added.

Advocate Orenvungo Humtsoe, the legal advisor to LBCA also highlighted the scenario of the LBCA cases pending in the Gauhati High Court, Kohima Bench.

Meanwhile, the Memorandum to the DC Wokha called for immediate withdrawal of Sec 144 CrPC from Vankhosung jurisdiction stating that peaceful atmosphere has been restored at Vankhosung Mission Centre since July 18.

It further claimed that the LBCA imbroglio is an “internal matter” within the LBCA and asserted that no external agency (ies)/forces “should interfere in the matters of the LBCA.”

“Any interference in the affairs of the LBCA henceforth, will not be tolerated,” it added.

The Memorandum further maintained that in a democratic society, majority voice has its say in the ruling of any establishment/institution and claimed that the minority group within the LBCA has lost its mandate.

“We strongly denounce any hold/claim made by the minority group within the LBCA establishment,” it stated.

Accordingly it pointed out that the LBCA does not belong to “any individual, church or any syndicate or self styled group”
Established in 1923, the LBCA is a single entity belonging to the Lotha Baptist Churches which includes its registration as a society on 03.05.1986, it added.

The Lotha Baptist community will, by all means, uphold and protect this institution through democratic means. The sole objective of the majority group is to reform the “establishment that has become toxic and corrupt from within,” it maintained.

To this end, the Memorandum stated that it discourages “any attempt to disrupt the present established system of the LBCA constituted by the majority Churches affiliated under LBCA.”

“Any attempt to do so by any external agency (ies)/forces will invite strong and undesirable reaction from the LBCA,” added the Memorandum to the DC Wokha, CC’d (carbon copy) to Peter Lichamo, Secretary, Home Department.

On August 14, Lichamo was assigned to “look after all the matters in regard to the Lotha Baptist Church Association disputes and concerned issues including the court cases” under GAB (General Administration Branch)-I of the Home Department, Nagaland.