The door is shut; people are terrified, the pandemic is ramping with brutality and raising questions in all aspects of life. Nothing seems to be improving. The words dreadful, serious, worst, tragic, etc. appear to lose their meaning. We are paralyzed politically and being defeated medically every day.

How about the church, one may ask. It’s not better either. Promises of God that used to flow heavily on social media last year are rarely visible and circu­lated at this time. There is a huge lack of interest in attending online worship and events. Not much community service is done due to fear of infection and busyness in caring on. Spiritual leaders are emotionally down and theologic­ally dumbstruck, as many of their people are finding the words of comforts unrelating to their present experiences. The surrounding noise of screaming people, ear-deafening sirens of ambulances and heart-piercing reports of infection and death rise have made the church sit indoors and limit the ministry mainly to prayer.

Painful experiences⤒🔗

Listen to the following heartbreaking realties to sense the atmosphere we are breathing in.

First, in the town where I serve is a place called Gokalpur. The main residents of this section are people who catch and sell fish to earn their living. Just in a blink COVID broke out in the colony. Within a week, almost every family got a COVID positive. The numbers kept increasing as there was no proper facility of isolation within their houses. The richest among poor in the village lost five of his family members, including his wife, sister, and brother. Some families escaped to other places. Few others moved to nearby forest to live in camps and minimize the possibility of infection. Yet, things remained same. COVID is conquering many lives.

The second story comes from Jabalpur. A staff member of the Bible Society of India passed into glory due to COVID infection. His young daugh­ter died just two months ago. The only person to remain in the family is a severely ill woman – a wife and mother left alone. Three pastors approached her to comfort her after the funeral service. The woman challenged their preaching and prom­ises of God, “How do all things work for the good of those who love God? How can God do well to me by taking away my husband and daugh­ter? Is there any divine good for me to be alone at home with no one to care and comfort in my illness?” No pastor dared to put the promise into the immediate context of the verse and explain it with theological, linguistic, and hermeneutic excellence. They had no words to comfort, even no prayers to offer. They were hard struck; the tear­ful questions of the women were imprinted in their hearts. They left the graveyard, echoing the same “Why” questions.

The other real story comes from Agra, a city famous for the monument of love, the Tajmahal. A woman named Renu Singhal took her husband to the hospitals in an autorikshaw. She could not find a bed in hospitals. Seeing her husband struggling to breathe, she started giving him oxygen from her mouth. She was not afraid of getting infected. She just wanted to save the life of her husband. Her husband finally gave up, he died without a bed, an oxygen cylinder, or medical treatment. As he died on the lap of his screaming wife, the monument of a historical love lost the battle. Agra will now be remembered more for the love of a poor and helpless wife than a love of wealthy king. We witness all these on television as losers, hopeless and scared citizens.

The other story visualizes another aspect. In this time, the greatest blessing one can have is someone in the family working in a hospital. It easy is to get bed and all other medical facilities if one of your family members is employed in hospital. However, the blessing for one can be counted as curse to other. There have been cases where a patient is treated and recovered well, but due to his relationship he or she can continue to occupy the bed and facility for few extra days. There is a fear that if the bed is left, it will be difficult to get back, in case if it is required again in next few days. In present scenario, the concern can be validated from many ways, yet in the process, there is huge possibility of someone missing the immediate medical care and, even, losing life. Saving self is preferred over serving other.

On top of all these, here is another truth of the community. The biblical call to mourn with those mourn seems to be at halt. Those who die, they die alone. Those who bury their dear ones do it all alone. Even when the death is not caused by COVID! The broken reeds are left alone in their pain and cry. Very few hands join them in their sufferings. Even the silent presence during the mourning season is not possible or preferred practically in most of the cases. The virtual presence is not much help either! It is impossible, impractical, and inhumane to speak words of comfort and peace when you are standing far off from the sea of sorrow, without being immersed into the atmosphere of grief the words of comforter may feel like a noisy music – irritating and frustrating.

Church’s response←⤒🔗

These incidents raise many questions. They question the health care system in India. They argue against political agendas that political parties set in this nation. These stories also have the capacity to raise hard theological questions; they can be used to challenge God’s goodness, justice, sovereignty, and provi­dence. Of course, as learned theologians, many of us are experts in answering such questions. However, it’s easy to verbalize all the confessional answers, but very hard to justify them in reality, especially to those hit by COVID waves. Some of the answers may even hurt the questioner more than bringing comfort. There is a possibility that, in the process of defending God’s truths, we may accuse the sufferer and cause more pain than peace.

Recently, we attended a virtual international conference: “Corona, Connection, and Cross,” organized by DVN and Kampen Theological University, Netherlands. It was excellent! The empha­sis of the conference was that church is to be active is bringing in God’s Shalom in the world and in community, minimizing the gap between rich and poor, defending and advocating for the rights of the marginalized, promoting love, justice, equal­ity, and harmony in the community. We finished feeling more responsible congregationally, but, at the same time, with high potential to be more silent theologically.

It is not a time to speak much. It’s not a time to get engaged in theological debates, but it’s a time to love and serve with Christ-like compassion. It is a time to be more active as church, demonstrating the gospel, caring the society, loving the enemy, and spreading God’s goodness and providential care through our personal, congregational, and community resources.

Looking into the vast need of the Indian society, we request your financial support. Your little aid has the capacity to bless and serve multiple people in needs. We can offer help to in many dimensions, depending on your preferences. Please let us know in which area you want to serve India and we will make sure to get you a budget on the same line and use your aid towards that direction only. Please continue to pray for India! “Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the LORD, ‘You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you’” (Ps 16:1-2).

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The need of the society←⤒🔗

The following material will help us vis­ualize the need and serve accordingly.

1. Poverty is killing more people than COVID. A family owning a one or two room house cannot follow the isolation and sanitization guidelines. One positive case in the family in­fects many at home and causes loss of employment, finances, and many deaths in the same family.
    
2. Lack of medical facility and support. Many people have died because they could not get timely treatment.
    
3. There is a lack of oxygen and other required medications. Due to the high demands of medical equip­ment, the prices are five times high­er than the actual cost. There are some people who are involved in making false medical instruments and medicines, selling them for higher prices.
    
4. Due to lockdowns, migration, and loss of family breadwinners, there is a significant increase in poverty and challenges in livelihood. This has raised a need for dry rations, vi­tamin supplements, and assistance for over-stretched mission hospitals and support for church members and leaders suffering from severe mental health issues.  
                                                          
5. Many independent churches and their leaders are also in dire need as they do not have structural sup­port during this pandemic.
    
6. Death of several Christian ministers and church leaders in the second wave. Over 350 Christian ministers have died due to COVID.
    
7. Many pastors are exhausted and drained; they are at high risk of breakdown. Christian leaders are exhausted as they try to address the spiritual and material needs of their congregations.
    
8. Fear and anxiety among church leaders and members due to the spread of the COVID-19. Many people are isolated; they are de­prived of proper support – spiritual, material, medical, and psychologi­cal concerns.
    
9. The church has economically suf­fered a lot during the pandemic, es­pecially a loss of income due to the death of family breadwinners. This wave has increased the number of widows, orphans, and physically challenged. There is an urgent need for physical, spiritual, and material requirements for Christian community as well.
    
10. Likewise, the Christian schools in rural areas are suffering a great loss. Despite government and court issuing decisions in favour of the schools, the parents remain reluctant to pay the fees.
     
11. The parents keep arguing for “No School, No Fee” The government and court had reduced the fee to 30% and asked the parents to pay, but only monthly tuition fees. Still, the problem prevailed; the government and courts can decide in favour of the school, but they cannot force parents to pay fees by any lawful provisions.
     
12. Despite huge financial deficit, the schools have to continue to pay the salary of the staff and the Employment Provident Fund. There is no financial aid given to the private schools for their financial survival.
     
13. This year there seems to be no hope of getting the school to full capacity. Consequently, many Christian schools serv­ing in tribal or rural belts will collapse financially.