Church leaders during the press conference at Hotel Whispering Winds, Mokokchung, on January 26, announcing the Ao Community’s Day of Repentance.
Morung Express News
Mokokchung | January 26
The Ao community will observe a Day of Repentance with fasting and prayer on January 30 and 31, following a collective call by the Mokokchung Town Ao Baptist Church Mission (MTABCM), a fellowship comprising ten Ao Baptist churches in Mokokchung Town.
The decision was announced during a press conference addressed by church leaders at hotel Whispering Winds, Mokokchung on January 26, who described the initiative as a spiritual response to concerns within the Ao community. Rev Puryapang, Pastor of Yimyu Baptist Church, stated that the observance is rooted in a conviction to seek repentance and renewal for the Ao people.
According to Rev Puryapang, the MTABCM, which was formed 25 years ago, felt a strong calling to set aside a specific day for collective repentance, prayer and fasting, while adding that the message has been shared across Ao-inhabited areas and extended to CSOs and Ao community members beyond Mokokchung.
The programme will commence on January 30 at 5 pm at Mokokchung Town Baptist Church with a prayer gathering, which will be livestreamed on YouTube through the MTBA Mokokchung channel.
The main fasting and prayer programme will be held on January 31 from 6 am to 12 noon at the Imkongmeren Sports Complex, where twelve designated leaders will lead prayers on various spiritual and community-related points.
Senior Pastor of Mokokchung Town Baptist Arogo, Rev. Ponen, asserted that the Day of Repentance is inclusive and not limited to any particular denomination. He informed that the organisers have met with the executive leadership of the Nagaland Christian Revival Church (NCRC) Ao region, as well as Pentecostal churches, all of whom have accepted the invitation and are participating in a chain of prayer that began on January 4 and will conclude on January 29.
Rev Ponen further stated that invitations have been extended to all Ao legislators, Ao officers, civil society leaders and organisations including Ao Senden, Watsü Mungdang, Ao Kaketshir Mungdang (AKM), Lanur Telongjem and all ward union. He said the response from churches and organisations has been positive, with many expressing readiness to participate.
Speaking on the purpose of the observance, Rev Ponen said the day would focus on seeking forgiveness for sins committed from past generations to the present, encompassing individual, family, group and church-related shortcomings. He expressed hope that the collective act of repentance would lead to spiritual renewal, unity and positive direction for the Ao community.
Pastor of Artang Baptist Church, Rev Bendang, said the invitation has also been extended to national workers from the Ao community across different factions, as well as to legislators, political leaders, officers and the Ao Member of Parliament. He emphasised that the Day of Repentance is intended to involve the entire society and not only church members.
The organisers have appealed to all Ao community members, irrespective of status or location, to participate in the Day of Repentance. Ao people residing outside Mokokchung, across India and abroad, have been encouraged to either attend the programme or observe the day solemnly from 6 am to 12 noon on January 31 in their respective locations.
Limited accommodation for participants arriving from outside will be arranged through churches, the organisers said. They also noted that the Day of Repentance will be observed simultaneously by Ao communities in India and overseas.
Describing the initiative as historic, the church leaders said that in the 154-year history of Christianity among the Ao people, this could be the first observance of a community-wide Day of Repentance of this nature.
