Fellowship of Indian Missiologists (FOIM) is an inter-denominational fellowship of professional missiologists. It is a unique ecumenical organization in India started by Dr Jacob Kavunkal SVD in 1991. With a ‘rainbow and prism theology’ enabling a deeper understanding of religions as reflecting a ray of the eternal truth which enlightens all people, it has had Catholic and Protestant bishops arising from its ranks.

No relatives or friends turn-ed up to receive Nanjamma when she was released after 14 years from a southern Indian prison. However, the Hindu woman found a Catholic nun waiting for her at the prison gate, ready to take her to a rehabilitation center.
“If the sister had not come to receive me, I do not know where I would have been today,” said Nanjamma, who in April came to Jeevodaya Ashram a center for women in distress located in the suburbs of Bengaluru. (Nanjamma requested that her name be changed.)
Sr. Clara Alappat founded the center 27 years ago to shelter and rehabilitate women who are released from prisons, and girls who are rescued from sex rackets.

Pakistani politician Shunila Ruth and her band of supporters waved the cross as they welcomed Imran Khan, the ousted prime minister who recently launched a long march to the national capital in a bid to regain power.
“I admire the passion of Christians and other minorities for their captain. We are here to welcome and accompany him to Islamabad,” said the Christian member of the National Assembly while addressing the crowds in the eastern city of Gujranwala on Oct. 31.
The video clip of Ruth and her supporters evoked strong reactions on social media with many Christians criticizing her for disrespecting the cross.
Father Morris Jalal, founder and executive director of Lahore-based Catholic TV, called it “a misplaced show of Christian identity.”
“It should not become a tool to serve political interests”
He was clearly against mixing faith with politics and wanted politicians to avoid the use of a symbol of the Christian religion for political purposes.
“The cross contains in itself a mystery of salvation and is above politics. It should not become a tool to serve political interests,” he told.
However, Ruth, who wears two cross necklaces, calls it her shield, a symbol of protection against evil and danger.
“The cross is of great importance to our existence. We believe it will protect us in this jihad and war. My supporters and I also sang psalms and asked for help from God. It is wrong to misinterpret our stance,” she exclaimed.
Ruth pointed out that the Christian community displays the cross inside their homes and even on their vehicles.

A Salesian priest has been training industry professionals in northeastern India.
Father V M Thomas is now busy conducting 19 training programs for the Oil India Ltd company executives.
The two-day programs for 576 in batches of 30 began in July and concludes in November.
Christened Skill Matrix Assessment Retreat and Training or SMART, the program was specially designed as an experiential program, in line with the way the young consume information today.
Speaking to Matters India Father Thomas, former Chancellor of Assam Don Bosco University Guwahati , said: “At the invitation of Oil India, we built a uniquely curated training program that would be delivered to 576 young OIL India employees under 35 years of age. The program helps in identifying leaders of the future and plays a role in succession planning.”
The training was structured as a two-day program with a batch size of approximately 30 each, he said.
The program touched upon four key areas – Self-Awareness, Teamwork, Creativity and Innovation, and Leadership.
“By helping participants get a deep understanding of themselves, they are provided a base to build on and become the best versions of themselves,” Father Thomas said.

Three women from different parts of northern India have won the top prizes of the first Gospel Singer Reality Show conducted by a popular Church TV channel.
While Lynette John, a mother and an English music teacher from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, notched the top posi-tion, S Jyoti from Bhilai, an industrial city of Chhattisgarh, stood second, and Garima Ekka from the Chhattisgarh capital of Raipur, came third.
The final was held October 26 at Indore, the commercial capital of the central Indian sta-te of Madhya Pradesh where the channel Atmadarshan is based. The channel honored the 11 mega finalists and their families.
As a part of the selection process, the channel conducted auditions in April and May. Atmadarshan team travelled almost 6,000 km to conduct auditions in 15 major cities of eight northern Indian states. From the initial 250 partici-pants, 50 were selected for the first round which was held from May 23-27 in Atmadarshan. The second round was held August 13-14. The semi finals were on October 23-24.
Some renowned musicians from Christian and other religions , who have enriched the North Indian Christianity, were also felicitated at the show.

Archbishop Andrews Tha-zhath of Trichur has been ele-cted president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI), the national body that represents more than 22 million Catholics in the country.
The conference’s general body that met in Bengaluru Nov 6-11 also elected Archbishop George Antonysamy of Madras-Mylapore and Bishop Joseph Thomas of Batheri as the first and second vice presidents of the conference.
The meeting reelected Archbishop Felix Machado as the secretary general. The elections took place on November 10, the penultimate day of the plenary meeting.
Under the 1987 papal directive on the rites in India, the post of the CBCI has been rotated among India’s three ritual Churches – Latin, Syro-Malabar and Syro-Malankara.
Pope John Paul II´s May 27, 1987, letter asked the three rites to set up their own bishops’ conferences and directed the CBCI to continue with “questions of common concern and of a national and supra-ritual character.” Hailed now as “a watershed” in the Indian Church, the letter sought to resolve inter-rite rivalry and help the Church present a united witness to Christ in the multireligious country.
Archbishop Thazhath from the Syro-Malabar Church replaces Cardinal Oswald Gra-cias of the Latin Church.
The first vice president and the secretary general belong to the Latin Church while the second vice president repre-sents the Syro-Malankara Church.
Cardinal George Alencherry, head of the Syro-Malabar Church, was expected to be elected the CBCI president,
The cardinal also faces several court cases in connection with the sale of land belong to the Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly. On November 9, the Kerala High Court asked Cardinal Alencherry to appear before a court in connection with cases related to a land sale.

The province cha pter of Manantha-vady Norbertines has elected Father Jose Murickan as its ninth provincial.
The election on October 19 was presided over by Abbot General Jos Wouters. Abbot Marcus Champia from the Norbertine Abbey of Jamtara was the second official of the election.
Father Murickan, former director of the National Institute of Social Communications, Research and Train-ing (NISCORT), the premier media college of the Catholic Bishops’ Con-ference of India, will hold the post for the next six years.

A Capuchin priest and a semina-rian have been feared drowned in the Godavari River in the southern Indian state of Telangana.
Father Tony Simon Pulladen and seminarian Bijo Thomas Palampura-ckal were reportedly taking bath in the river on October 23 near Errayipet village near Chennur town, when the accident took place.

The Society of St Paul, an international Catholic religious congregation for men, has a new leader for its India pro-vince that comprises Great Britain and Ireland, besides India. The congregation’s superior general Father Dominic Soliman on Oct. 24 appointed Father Joby Mathew as the Indian provincial during the council meeting.

A unique edition of the Bible for the youth was released at the backdrop of the general assembly of the Fede-ration of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC), currently underway at Bang-kok, Thailand.
The special edition, named ‘Iden-tity: Identified, Navigating the Cha-llenges of Life,’ was presented to the assembly by Salesian Bishop George Pallipparambil of Miao, the chairman of the Commissions for Evangelization and Archbishop Simon Poh of Kuch-ing, Malaysia, according to informa-tion received from the FABC office.