The Dimapur Molungkimong Senso Union with much reluctance issue this statement in order to clarify the misleading article under the caption ‘DMSU on 1st Church in Nagaland’ issued by Dimapur Molungyimsen Senso Union on August 22, 2010, p-4 in the interest of general public and especially the younger generation in particular for further reference.
It is improper to spate over the past and its incidences because it does not bring anything good. However, the Dimapur Molungkimong Senso Union is left with no alternative but to clarify/respond since this history in question concerns all of Nagas. And the Nagas need to know and live with the true verity and not a distorted one.
A lot of allegations and false version of history pertaining to the advent of Christianity, establishment of Church and the reason for establishment of Molungyimsen have been mentioned in the said article. However, Molungkimong Senso Union Dimapur will clarify only on what is necessary for the consumption of Nagas in general and therefore refrain from responding to these hackneyed claims included in their misleading article since these are non issues at the moment.
1st Church in Naga Hills established in Molungkimong Rev Dr EW Clark arrived for his first visit to Molungkimong on 18th December 1872. In the evening, the villagers gathered at the Chapel constructed on their own by the nine (9) members who were earlier baptized at Sibsagar to hear the words of the Gospel. Within a few days, fifteen (15) more were converted to Christianity. Those 15 new converts were baptized on December 22, 1872 by Dr EW Clark at Haimong, Molungkimong. The Chapel was dedicated and the first ever Lord’s Supper was served and thus established the first Baptist Church in Naga Hills on 22nd December 1872 at Molungkimong Village.
The 9 members earlier baptized at Sibsagar were transferred to Molungkimong.
Till today, 22nd December is regarded as a red letter day for the Nagas as it marks the establishment of the first Baptist Church in Naga Hills .
This prepared the ground for nurturing the seeds of Christianity and Modern Education in the Naga soil. This period is aptly compared with the Light to the Nagas from darkness.
On Chapel/Church and its meaning
The statement made by Dimapur Molungyimsen Senso Union that “This chapel, however, cannot be inferred as an equivalent to a Church,’ (attributing to the first establishment of Church and Chapel in Molungkimong) is a display of ignorance over the matter of the Church and its profound significance.
To enlighten those who seem to be unaware- A Chapel is a place of worship for the Christians and a Church means a group of believers in Christ, associated together, under Christ, for His purposes.
Church in the New Testament means a local congregation of Christians and is never a building. So when Rev Dr EW Clark dedicated the chapel along with the baptized members with a Lord Supper in 1872, the first Church in Nagaland was born.
The site of the first chapel dedicated by Dr EW Clark is therefore in Molungkimong.
Moreover, the establishment of the Church at Molungkimong and its existence is a well established and a time tested fact.
However, as in any Church history all over the world, instances of relapses persist at one point of time or the other. So also is true in the church history of Molungkimong and Molungyimsen.
Coming to Haitte’s letter, 1885, The Star of the Naga Hills where in she wrote there was no Christians when she made a stop in Dekahaimong (Molungkimong)-
There is no record as such of Mrs Haitte, wife of Rev Rivenburg stepping into Molungkimong soil or visiting the village during any point of time.
It is in record that Mrs Haitte along with her husband Rev Rivenburg stayed in Molungyismen Mission Station but she never visited Molungkimong village also called Dekahaimong.
And if there was no believers as claimed how is it that in October 1885, the same year she wrote the letter, two women from Molungkimong traveled to Molungyimsen and was baptized by Dr Rivenburg, her husband.
It would be a transgression on our parts to say that there were no believers or Church in Molungkimong when there actually has been a good number. The two women believers went to Molungyimsen for baptism only because there was no ordained minister in Molungkimong during that time.
Furthermore, contradicting the allegation that Molungkimong village authority ordered Rev Dr EW Clark to leave the village immediately and that the sole reason of founding the new village Molungyimsen was for the establishment of the Church, we present here some records on what actually transpired at that point of time beginning from the letters written by Clark himself on the 63rd Annual report 1877, Clark-
“The Haimong villagers (Molungkimong) had long been talking about a much better site for a village on their land. The land was deemed much more fertile and easy to cultivate than that about the old site.
In October, a portion of the Old village resolved to move on to the new site. As most of the Christians and those favorable to Christianity were determined to go, I went with them.”
“It was a great local power struggle going on for several years arguing the handing over of ruling power from Kosasanger generation to Reongsanger generation. The descending groups decided unanimously to establish a new village. There was a great enmity among the people, but it was between the old and the new generation of the village authority. The new village was not founded by the believers alone but the descendants convinced some of the rich non believers and well wishers to go with them,” (quoted- Clark Mission to Assamese BMM Sixty Third Annual Report, Boston, July 1877 p-39).
And thus out of the fifteen (15) families that left for the establishment of the new village Molungyimsen, only six (6) of them were followers of Christ while nine (9) of them were non believers.
From the above reports written by Rev Dr EW Clark himself, we need not elaborate that he was not driven out nor were the believers forced out from the village as insinuated. Nor was the reason of founding Molungyimsen village for the sole establishment of a Church. The establishment of Molungyimsen was pre-planned before Rev Dr EW Clark set his foot in Molungkimong and the reason rest on internal matters of the village with regard to power struggle.
While underscoring these factual events as dawned in the history of the Nagas in elucidation, the Dimapur Molungkimong Senso Union also finds it very disgraceful on the part of Dimapur Molungyimsen Senso Union that a village (Molungyimsen) whose establishment in 1876 from Molungkimong village, four years after the advent of Christianity in 1872 in Molungkimong would persist so hard to feed the world on made up claims on the advent of the Christianity and Church in Nagaland, even when the history is there for all to see.
If the Dimapur Molungyimsen Senso Union really believe in what they stated earlier that ‘all that had happened were in accordance to the will and purpose of the Lord …and the history pertaining to the inception of Christianity in Nagaland is not exclusive for the two Churches alone…’ then they should do with better sense by redeeming themselves and accept history as it went to pass, and not distort it.
T Noknen Longchar President
T Kaden Aier General Secretary
