COUPLES’ SEMINAR, A SUMMARY REPORT
The Couples’ Seminar Programme for EBCC Delhiits was held on 12 April 2014 at EBCC Delhi Chapel Dwarka. The session was split into two sessions, with each session covering roughly two hours. The first Session started at 11:00 am and lasted till 1:00 pm with an intervening lunch break after the session. The Second Session started by 3:00 pm and went on till 5:00 pm in the afternoon.
The resourceful persons, especially invited for the occasion, were Rev. Mr. and Mrs. S Vung Minthang, General Secretary, EBC Headquarter.
The First Session started with Praise & Worship led by the Local BDF Music Department. Two or three selected songs were sung in praise of God and also as a Dedication. The words of the songs set the tone for the session. It put a reflective mood on the congregation. Everyone was in an introspective and retrospective mood, thereby totally receptive and hungry for the feast about to be laid out by the Reverend.
Nu Nianglianching then took the dais welcoming each and every one who gathered there to make the programme a success and kick-started the programme. Then followed a brief welcome speech from Nu Haumuankim who then thanked everybody for coming and making the programme successful, also especially thanking the Reverends for making themselves available amidst their tight schedules. After that, Pastor Kamzamuan took the stage, dedicated the programme to the Lord asking for His guidance and blessings for the day, and thus the programme officially began.
The Local Pastor, Pastor Nenglian, then made a keynote speech about the purpose of the day’s event. He clarified that every year a Special Saturday was always set aside by the Headquarters especially dedicated to couples and to family. He said that Headquarter sees and feels the strong need to rebuild and refresh a proper family structure in our society. He said this always begins with a married couple deciding to put God first in their lives. He also briefly highlighted the structure to be followed for the Discussion Session after the seminar, and then finally called upon the main speaker for the day, Rev. S Vung Minthang to take as much time as he deemed necessary.
The Reverend finally began the seminar for the First Session, the title for which was ‘The Quality and Value of a Husband’s Responsibility in a Couple’. He introduced the topic and stressed that his sermons for the session will be based neither anthropologically nor psychologically, but rather entirely from the living truth as laid down by God in the Bible about life itself, especially about life as a Christian family. He further stressed the point that God had already made a plan to be followed by man, and that he will be focusing the sermon solely on that.
He began to speak about his personal experiences regarding the role of the Father in a family. He said that these experiences made him aware of certain facts about life, about family and that he wished to share that with the gathering. He explained that he had always been an avid reader and had always believed in preparing well in advance for everything, including family life. But he later realised that “reading a lot and knowing a lot does not make me a good father, but what made me one is how much I actually practiced about what I know!” He pointed out his practical realisation was that just knowledge is not sufficient for the purpose. How you actually apply that knowledge into every day practical life is what matters most.
The Reverend was dedicated, humble and thoroughly knowledgeable about the topic and about Christian life in general. His points were made in a concise manner, not spoon-feeding the congregation, but rather leaving room for self-introspection during his speech itself. His preaching was practical and informative seeming to flow with the very juice of Eternal Life from the Holy Ghost itself.
His examples are well-defined, easy to follow and most suitable to the points he wanted to emphasise. The mood of the session interspersed with light to serious retrospections depending on the topic he was dissecting. His entire sermon was lively and stressed upon three main points to be reflected upon by the Fathers in the gathering:
- current role a husband played in the family
- Things a Husband should not do
- Things a Husband must do.
He advised Husbands about the importance of being upright according to 2 Corinthians 6:12. He said that children are especially perceptive to Fathers’ behaviour and are very quick to follow his footsteps. He asked the wives to learn to accept that God has created their husbands to be like that and not to try to manipulate them (1 Corinthians 7:16.).
After the conclusion of the First Session Seminar, there followed a sharing by Nu Kholkhanching, after which Upa Damsomthang conducted a light and lively discussion. He asked selected members from the men and women about their views on the three main points laid out by the Reverend. Some of the answers were as below:
The Do’s of a Father:
- “He should spend time with his family”
- “He should set himself as an example to the children”
And some of the Don’ts:
- “He should never neglect his children or his wife,” etc.
Then Upa Chinsum asked the Lord’s blessing for the lunch about to follow. Thus, the First Session concluded.
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The Second Session actually started at around 3:00 pm till 5:00 pm in the evening. The Conductor for the session was Nu Manlian and Recorder, Nu Chingngaihlian respectively.
After a sumptuous and delicious lunch, the Session Second started with a song led by the Praise & Worship Team of the Local BDF. The topic for this session was “The Role and Value of Wives in a Couple’s Relationship.”
Nu Chingkhanvung, wife of the Reverend, began the seminar with the precious lessons in life which she gained through her long 20-year marriage with Rev. S Vung Minthang. Basing herself on these passages from The Scripture, 2 Corinthians 6:12 and 1 Corinthians 7:16, she spoke about her resolve to marry a believer, how she was lucky to be married to one. She also narrated the various tests and tribulations of their married lives, commenting on their initial verbal incompatibility and how these small little things can actually make or break a marriage. She put much emphasis on the role of the wife as the Supporter, morally and spiritually to the Husband. Her sermon was fraught with rich meaningful instances in her life about the importance of the mother/wife as a support to her husband.
Thereafter, the Reverend himself took to the stage and began his sermon by reading a passage from Lamentation 4:3, explaining that the Prophet Jeremiah was bemoaning the sorry state of family structures of the Israelites during that time, how mothers and fathers were not properly caring for their children, drawing parallels to our present society. He spoke at great length about the importance of parents taking proper care of their children. To support his point, he showed studies conducted by experts in the U.S. in this field and their conclusions about how a child flourishes within a well-structured family as compared to those of broken families.
He narrated many practical and insightful real events, often delightful, about a parent’s role, the importance of the mother and the father both, and that the two could never be separated. Above all, based on the Ephesians 5:22 which says, “Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord,” and Colossians 3:18, “Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.” He put great emphasis on wives being submissive to their husbands instead of coercion or manipulation to win them over. He shared the big secret of men about them wanting to treat their wives as a mother figure. Their egos stemmed from a deep-rooted fear about incompetency. He asked wives to understand that and not to hurt their feeble egos but to nurture it and be a healing influence on them instead. He urged them to be a wise woman that builds houses, not destroy them (Proverb 14:1). He also made a point about women making the household complete. A house without a woman’s touch will always be empty, whereas a household with a good woman will always be complete and abundant. He further stated that that is also God’s will.
He concluded his sermon with three main reflection points:
- Wife’s current role in the family
- Things a mother should not do
- Things a mother must do.
On the discussion round, Nu Chingnu Ngaihte and Local Upa Ngulminthang had a brief sharing on the topic. After that, Nu Rammawi thanked one and all for making the day’s programme a huge success. Then followed a closing prayer from Upa Khamgoupau and the Couples’ Seminar for this year concluded thus.
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By - Tuangoulal Phualte
Content Writer, Media Team
