Tuensang, June 29 (MExN): Institute for Development of Leadership (IFDOL) programme director and executive secretary of Phom Baptist Churches Association (PBCA), Nuklu Phom disclosed that the Phom society in Longleng is undergoing a drastic change through the ‘Simply Telling Stories’ (STS) programme initiated by the PBCA which targets the fathers in the society.
Nuklu Phom highlighted the whole concept of the STS during the IFDOL follow up leadership training at Tuensang district to the church leaders at Noklak, Shamatore, Tuensang and Yangli Mission Centre to the Khiamniungan, Yimchunger, Chang and Sangtam church leaders respectively. The PBCA executive secretary said that he conceptualized the Simply Telling Stories, which is about telling Bible stories in a simple way, after seeing that most of the fathers in the Phom society were reluctant to attend church services which was a big concern for the church and the society.
Therefore, the Phom Baptist Churches Association decided to introduce the Simply Telling Stories in Longleng and asked the churches to implement the programme in their respective churches. The STS aims to bring the fathers in group of 7-9 members and ask them to read the Bible once in a while at their own convenient time and place at least once a week. The STS programme was wholeheartedly implemented by the different Phom Baptist Churches and the father responded positively.
Now, the programme is bearing its fruits in the society, said Nuklu Phom. The fathers are now reading the Bible, they are more responsible to their families, they have mostly given up substance abuse like alcohol and opium, started coming the church and are even participating in church programmes by presenting songs etc. Above all, the greatest blessing is that the once carefree fathers have started reading the Holy Book, he said while adding that the demand of the Bible is so high that the PBCA has ordered 4000 Bibles from the Bible Society of India.
“The STS is all about taking the church to the people. Of course, we cannot literally take the church building to the people, but we are symbolically taking it to them by encouraging them to read the Bible, discuss the passages in it and be transformed through the word of God,” said Nuklu Phom to the church leaders at different places. The next off-shot of the Simply Telling Stories would be SGS or Sharing God’s Stories, he disclosed. “The STS is taking the church to the people. SGS will be about bringing the people to the church so that they can share the God’s stories, His love etc.”
He said that a manual outline of the whole concept and implementation would be printed and distributed to the churches in eastern Nagaland and an elaborate orientation programme will be held by this yearend so that the STS programme can be implemented in whole of eastern Nagaland churches.
