DIMAPUR, Dec 19 � Two Baptist churches � Rajabari in Assam and Yajang-C, in Nagaland jointly celebrated Advent Christmas today at Rajabari Baptist Church.
The joint prayer fellowship carries a very significant meaning as these two villages were at war for quite sometime due to damage inflicted on rubber plantation belonging to Yajang-C villagers at the border and Rajabari area allegedly by the Assam Forest personnel assisted by Assam police and civil administration from Teok Revenue Circle in Jorhat district on October 28.
This had triggered tension amongst the border people and later led to misunderstanding and mistrust amongst the people of Yajang and Rajabari creating more uneasy situations.
To ease the situation and bring the relation back to normalcy, the Assam Valley Baptist Mission in association with the Border Peace Coordination Committee (Assam-Nagaland) initiated a joint pre-Christmas prayer service between Yajang and Rajabari Church members at Rajabari Baptist Church.
In his key note address, Er Temsu Wathi Ao, President, Assam Valley Baptist Mission, thanked the Church functionaries and members of both the church for extending a meaningful support for organising this joint coordination prayer fellowship.
He called upon all members present for ushering in peace this Christmas season specifically in the Assam-Nagaland border areas while mentioning the uneasy situation experienced between the Christians of Rajabari (Selenghat, Jorhat dist, Assam) and Yajang (Mokokchung dist, Nagaland) villagers.
Church members from Rajabari and Yajang shared their happiness and concerted efforts initiated by the Assam Valley Baptist Mission for organising such a get together for the communities.
T Kora Jamir, Church Deacon of Yajang-C village, while welcoming the congregation hoped that the people of the two villages will take this peace initiative further.
Rajabari Baptist Church is affiliated to the Central Assam Baptist Association (Golaghat). Rajabari was earlier known as Leprosy Camp since this isolated area was first developed by the authorities of the Jorhat Christian Medical Centre (JCMC) to keep and treat leprosy patients and their families.
