Background:
Like the speed of the wind, like the flow of a river, the kingdom of God cannot be stopped. Because according to Matthew 24:14, God's plan is to spread the good news of God's kingdom to all the nations of the world. The history of Christians in Nepal dates back to the seventeenth century. Christian missionaries first entered Nepal in 1628. The then King Laxminarayan Malla of Kirtipur even allowed the Jesuit Fathers of Portugal to preach the gospel in the Kathmandu Valley. In 1661, during the reign of King Pratap Malla, two missionaries, Albert D'Orville of Belgium and Johann Gruber of Austria, arrived in Nepal on a China-Tibetan mission. In the eighteenth century, on February 21, 1707, the Capuchin Fathers arrived in Kathmandu from Rome, Italy. They began to expand their mission to Bhaktapur and Patan. On March 24, 1760, 53 years after his arrival in Nepal, Father Tranquilus inaugurated a church called 'The Assumption of Our Lady' in Kathmandu.
After King Prithvi Narayan Shah captured the valley during the expansion of the Gorkha kingdom, on February 4, 1769, 57 Christians, including their fathers, were deported. Because before the conquest of the valley, the then King Jayaprakash Malla had sought the help of East India Company to fight the Gorkhas, which caused Prithvi Narayan Shah to have doubts about the Fathers and the Christians. After that, the door of good news remained closed in Nepal for 181 years. But with the end of the Rana rule and the advent of democracy in 1950, the kingdom of God began to grow again. As a result, on November 17, 1952, the Christians started a fellowship by building a bamboo hut at Ramghat Pokhara, which is considered as the first church in Nepal, the Pokhara Ramghat Church.
What are the grounds for being the first church?
The problem is understanding the church building as a church. A believer in Christ is a special church itself according to the Bible. The church is the person or group of people who believe in the Lord Jesus. Our body is God's temple and His Spirit dwells in us. That is, we are part of a church headed by the Lord Jesus (1 Corinthians 12:27, Romans 12: 5). So the fact that God lives in the building we build is just an illusion (Acts 7:48, 1 Kings 8:27). However, we need a certain place or building to gather together. Where believers seek God's presence with one heart. The Bible promises that Jesus will be present if only two or three people come together in His name (Matthew 18:20.) However, this article is written for the purpose of providing some assistance in accurately documenting the events that took place in history. Since the church building is commonly understood as 'church', the church building here is also referred to as 'church' only.
If it is only a matter of building a church, why not consider The Assumption of Our Lady, founded by Father Tranquilius in the eighteenth century, as the first church? If we talk about the church established under the philosophy, leadership, or initiative of Nepalese, was it possible to establish a church in the early days without the philosophy, mission, or support of foreign Christians? The Ramghat congregation itself is not out of it. So what are the criteria and grounds for being the first church? It is very important to have an in-depth discussion and debate on this issue. I would like to make it clear that the purpose of this article is not to prove that the Lutheran Church is the first in Nepal, it is only a small part of the documents left to be written in the pages of history.
History of the Lutheran Church in Nepal:
On September 14, 2018, Rangeli Municipality, Ward no. 2, Laxmipur The Nepal Evangelical Lutheran Church (NELC) celebrated its 75th anniversary. The Lutheran World Federation-Geneva Secretary-General Rev. Martin Yunge, Social Development Minister of Province-1 Jeevan Ghimire, and other leaders of various congregations in Nepal were present. Following the closing of that anniversary celebration, some of the leading delegates said that it was necessary to further discuss the history of the church in Nepal.
The Nepal Evangelical Lutheran Church (NELC) was established on July 18, 1943, on the basis of information received about its history. However, the anniversary was celebrated on September 14 at the same time as the schedule of Rev. Martin Yunge's visit to Nepal.
In 1936, a man named Phagu Murmu came to Nepal from Jharkhand, India for work. He was from a poor family. He had come to Bisanpur-Hoklabari in Kanepokhari village municipality of Morang district. Phagu Murmu had been living as a servant in the house of a man named Chunku Murmu of Hoklabari. He was a Christian, but not a missionary for evangelism. He had come to Nepal for deforestation and farming at that time.
As a Christian, Phagu Murmu used to pray regularly before eating, waking up in the morning, and going to bed at night. The local villagers were unaware of his behavior. At that time, the locals had never heard or understood anything about Christianity. As the villagers inquired about his behavior, Phagu Murmu gradually began to tell others about his faith in the Lord Jesus. He would get up in the morning and thank God for the rest and protection he had given him throughout the night, and before going to bed at night he would thank God for his daily help during the day and pray for safety at night. As a Christian, he spent one day a week with his family on the Sabbath.
Later on, Phagu Murmu preached about the forgiveness of sins from the Lord Jesus as well as physical healing. During the fellowship, sick people used to come for prayers, and people who had recovered after prayers began to come for regular fellowship. By 1942, a growing number of local Santhals (also known as Santali people) who believed in Jesus had to be baptized. Phagu Murmu himself could not conduct the baptism program because he was not anointed as pastor. His congregation then returned to Jharkhand on October 30, 1942, to discuss the matter. The name of the church in Jharkhand was Northern Evangelical Lutheran Church.
The Northern Evangelical Church decided to send Pastor Bhoje Soren for baptism in Nepal. Thus Pastor Bhoje Soren came to Bisanpur in Hoklabari of Morang and baptized the new believers. This may be the first baptism in Nepal. The date of the baptism was July 18, 1943. This is the date on which the Nepal Evangelical Lutheran Church (NELC) has been considering its official establishment date.
What is the evidence that Baptism was held on July 18, 1943?
Research on this subject reveals two main pieces of evidence. After the baptism program, Northern Evangelical Lutheran Church-Jharkhand took care of the Lutheran Church of Nepal as a branch congregation in Nepal. The Northern Evangelical Lutheran Church-Jharkhand publishes a calendar each year, which lists important events and events of the Lutheran Church from the past to the present. In which the first baptism program in Nepal is mentioned as July 18, 1943, this is the first proof.
The second proof is the book 'Some Remarkable Persons of the Northern Evangelical Lutheran Church – Part-II', written by Dr. MM Tudu (Bishop Munsi M. Tudu), discusses the baptism program for the first time in Nepal and the missionaries deployed to Nepal from the Northern Evangelical Lutheran Church-Jharkhand. Dr. MM Tudu's book also states that the date of the first baptism under the Lutheran Mission in Nepal was July 18, 1943. Dr. MM Tudu was the first anointed bishop of the Northern Evangelical Lutheran Church. Tudu's book also describes the missionaries who came to Nepal from Jharkhand from 1943 to 2005 through the Santhal Mission.
The calendar and the book officially mention the date of the baptism, but they do not say how many were baptized. However, the written history of the church establishment and baptism program cannot be denied.
The Nepal Evangelical Lutheran Church in Nepal – From Past to Present:
Pastor Bhoje Soren was assigned by the Northern Evangelical Lutheran Church-Jharkhand to look after the Lutheran Church in Nepal with the baptism on July 18, 1943. Sadly, Pastor Bhoje Soren died prematurely on August 15, 1943, less than a month after he began living in Nepal. After his death, Phagu Murmu again took over the care of the congregation. The Church of Nepal was named the Northern Evangelical Lutheran Church in Nepal because it was founded as the daughter church of the Northern Evangelical Lutheran Church.
After the death of Phagu Murmu, Pastor Hopna Tudu was sent to Nepal from Jharkhand in 1958. Pastor Hopna Tudu was a teacher as well as a theologian. He worked as a teacher in India from 1950 to 1952 and studied theology for four years from 1954 to 1958 at the Santhal Theological Seminary (College) -Dumka. Immediately after completing his studies, he was sent to Nepal as a pastor. After coming to Nepal, he conducted pastoral ministry as well as tuition classes in the church. Other people from other villages used to come to get an education at Bisanpur village where he lived. At that time, he was a well-known person from Bisanpur to Rangeli. Representatives of government bodies, the then village panchayats, and police station officials used to consult with Pastor Hopna Tudu for the solution of various social problems including development. Thus, from 1958 to 1964, the ministry of the Lutheran congregation was led by Pastor Hopna Tudu.
After the return of Pastor Hopna Tudu to India in 1964, the anointed pastors who regularly led until 1966 were not in the Lutheran congregation of Nepal. But the pastors of Northern Evangelical Church-Jharkhand kept coming to Nepal. In 1965, Pastor Nicodemus Mardi came from Northern Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jharkhand to baptize Junglal Soren, an Elder of NELC.
Then in 1966, Pastor Silash Hembram was sent to Nepal. Under his leadership, the Lutheran congregation's ministry continued for almost two years. In this connection, on May 14, 1968, the Rev. DR Murmu (Duguk Raisen Murmu) sent to Nepal. He had a long ministry and contribution to the history of the Lutheran Church in Nepal. He served God with his wife, Ruth Murmu, in Nepal Evangelical Lutheran Church for 37 years, from 1968 to 2005.
The conflict in Bangladesh a few years after Pakistan seceded from India in 1947, some Lutheran believers moved to Jhapa district. During the tenure of Rev. DR Murmu, the relationship with the Santhal Christian community in Jhapa district has been strengthened since 1978. Apart from pastoral ministry, he also taught tuition to local students. He has always been aware of the need to build leaders from the local church in Nepal and has been taking initiatives in this regard in the church. Pastor Jacob Murmu was sent to Santhal Theological Seminary in Dumka, Jharkhand for a four-year Bible study with the long-term idea of leading Nepalese leaders in the Nepalese church. After completing his Bible studies from 1982 to 1986, Jacob Murmu returned to Nepal and was anointed as Pastor. Pastor Jacob Murmu was the first anointed local pastor in the history of the Lutheran Church in Nepal.
Then after deacons and elders were appointed in the local church as time passes. Among them, the ministry of Rupai Marandi, Chhote Murmu, Bara Murmu, Kanhu Tudu, Mose Murmu, Mangal Tudu, Lakhiram Murmu, and Jung Lal Soren had made a significant contribution. Currently, only Elder Junglal Soren is alive. They assisted the Rev. DR Murmu and Jacob Marmu in their ministry. The work of strengthening the church by preaching the gospel among the Santhal community of Jhapa and Morang districts was done under the leadership of DR Murmu and Pastor Jacob Murmu. The special work of sending local youth for Bible training and building local leaders started from this tenure.
On July 3, 1995, Pastor Jacob Murmu fell asleep in the Lord while serving God. He served as a pastor in the Lutheran congregation for about 10 years. In 1994, the Rev. Joseph Soren and the Rev Sujit Soren, after their return from four-year Bible study, was able to make the ministry more effective. After the Lutheran Church was registered with the National Churches Fellowship of Nepal (NCFN) in 1994, other churches in Nepal had the opportunity to learn more about the Lutheran Church in Nepal, i.e NELC.
The Timeline of Nepal Evangelical Lutheran Church (NELC):
The history of the Lutheran Church from the past to the present can be presented in the timeline as follows:
- 1936: Phagu Murmu enters Nepal from Jharkhand. He was a Christian.
- October 30, 1942: Phagu Murmu returned to Northern Evangelical Church in Jharkhand-India to inform on the growing number of believers in Nepal and to conduct the baptism program.
-July 18, 1943: First baptism program held at Hoklabari-Morang by Pastor Bhoje Soren, sent from Jharkhand.
-August 15, 1943: Pastor Bhoje Soren died prematurely.
- 1943 - 1958: Fellowship continued under the leadership of Phagu Murmu and local believers,
- 1958 - Until 1964: Pastor Hopna Tudu was sent from Northern Evangelical Lutheran Church, Jharkhand, and led the church until 1964.
- 1964-1966: For almost two years after Pastor Hopna Tudu's return to India, the Lutheran Congregation was led by local leader Kanhu Tudu and its members.
- 1966-1968: Pastor Silash Hembram was sent from Northern Evangelical Lutheran Church-Jharkhand and under his leadership the Lutheran congregation was run for two years.
- 1968 – 2005: In 1968 Rev. DR Murmu and his wife Ruth Murmu were sent to Nepal from Northern Evangelical Lutheran Church, Jharkhand, and remained in Nepal until 2005. Their dedication and contribution to the Lutheran Church in Nepal has been considered as great dedication.
-1986 - 1995: Pastor Jacob Marmu returned from Bible College. He continued the ministry of the Lutheran church together with Rev. DR Murmu for 10 years.
- 1994- Rev. Joseph Soren and the Rev. Sujit Soren returned after completing a four-year of Bible study, they supported the congregation to move forward from the local level,
-July 3, 1995: Death of Jacob Murmu, the first anointed pastor of the Lutheran Church in Nepal, i.e NELC.
- 2002: Rev. Joseph Soren anointed as pastor of Nepal Evangelical Lutheran Church (NELC),
- 2005: Rev. D.R Murmu and Mrs. Ruth Murmu leave for Jharkhand-India after completing their mission in Nepal.
- From 2005 to the present: Rev. Joseph Soren has been playing a leading role in the Nepal Evangelical Lutheran Church (NELC).
Current Status of Nepal Evangelical Lutheran Church and its Affiliation with agencies:
The Lutheran Church of Nepal is now known as the Nepal Evangelical Lutheran Church (NELC). Although it has been called the 'Northern Evangelical Lutheran Church in Nepal' from the very beginning, but Nepal Evangelical Lutheran Church (NELC) has been known its registration in the Social Welfare Council under the Government of Nepal in 2012. The Nepal Evangelical Lutheran Church currently has a total of 11 congregations in Morang and Jhapa districts, consisting of 7 anointed pastors and 1240 members. After the separation of Mother Church from Northern Evangelical Lutheran Church-Jharkhand in 2003, Nepal Evangelical Lutheran Church is now moving forward, expanding the kingdom of God in its own way. Being a geographically diverse country, Northern Evangelical Lutheran Church-Jharkhand from the very beginning wanted Nepal's leadership to be led by local leaders.
The Nepal Evangelical Lutheran Church, which was registered with the National Churches Fellowship of Nepal (NCFN) in 1994, has been involved in many other national and international networks, including the Lutheran World Federation-Geneva, the Nepal Bible Society (NBS), and has continued to serve God. The following is a summary of the various affiliations of the NELC.
- 1994: Registered to the National Churches Fellowship of Nepal (NCFN),
- 2008: Affiliation with United Evangelical Lutheran Church-India (UELCI),
- 2008: Affiliation with the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Mission (FELM),
- 2010: Affiliation to the Lutheran World Federation-Geneva,
- 2010: Establishment of Lutheran Community Welfare Society (LCWS) as a diaconal wing of NELC and social development work in collaboration with Samaritan Utthan Sewa (SUS),
2012: Registered to the Social Welfare Council, one of governmental agency of Nepal. From the registration process, the Northern Evangelical Lutheran Church in Nepal was renamed as the Nepal Evangelical Lutheran Church (NELC).
Membership in various other bodies:
- Nepal Bible Society (NBS),
- Nepal Christian Society (NCS),
- Interfaith Federation,
- ACT Alliance Nepal Forum
- Membership in local (district level and regional/provincial level Christian societies),
Thus, the Nepal Evangelical Lutheran Church (NELC) is constantly advancing in the expansion of God's kingdom. In 1978, on the initiative of Elder Junglal Soren and Rev DR Murmu, a congregation was started in the present Rangeli Municipality-2, Laxmipur. Jung Lal Soren had provided land for the church building. The building was constructed using earthen walls and roof tiles. The temporary building was demolished and a permanent church building was constructed in 2003. In 2013, the second floor of the building was constructed and renamed as the Martin Lutheran Bhawan (building). At present, worship is conducted on the ground floor every Saturday, while the upper floor is used as the office of the church and the office of other organizations. Recently, the church building of Rangeli Municipality-2 Laxmipur has been established as the central office and communication center of Nepal Evangelical Lutheran Church (NELC).
More facts about Lutheran church history:
- Older photographs are not available due to the lack of access to technology in the past. Apart from the Laxmipur group, other groups still have temporary structures (earthen walls, thatched roofs). Due to the lack of education in the Santhal community, the list of those baptized before Rev. DR Murmu is not recorded. Older information at the Northern Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jharkhand as the mother church of Nepal Evangelical Lutheran Church in earlier times.
- In the Nepal Evangelical Lutheran Church, there are members of almost all Santhal (also called santal people) castes except few Musahar (Terai Dalit). The gospel has not reached other castes than the Santhal caste.
- The Santhal caste is also known as Santali in India and in Nepal they are also called 'Satar'. But they have an objection to the word Satar, this word hurts their self-esteem, so in the course of the address should say Santhal or Santal.
- The word 'Santhali' comes from 'Santhal' and the word 'Santali' comes from 'Santal'. The Santhal caste belongs to the Adivasi-Janajati (indigenous) class according to the ethnic classification of Nepal. Because, they have their own ethnic dress, language, and culture. 97% of Santhali people speak in their mother tongue.
-Santhal castes belong to the most marginalized class of Nepal. According to the 2011 census of Nepal, the population of Santhal castes is 51735. In this sense, the Santhal caste also belongs to the minority group. Out of the total population, more than 50,000 population in province no. 1. A total of 1736 Santhals live in urban areas while 49999 Santhals live in rural areas.
- Santhals who have completed higher education are only 0.33%. More than 90% of Santhals are landless. Daily wages and traditional basic occupations are their main means of livelihood.
- Being a caste far from the mainstream of the country, the state has not shown interest in various socio-economic issues of the Santhal caste in different political periods. For the same reason, during the Rana regime, the ministry of the Lutheran church continued in its own way. The Panchayat system of King Mahendra's time also didn't affect the Lutheran mission.
- Nepal Evangelical Lutheran Church has Bibles in its own language, Psalms (songs) in its own language. Santali language is used during the church/house fellowship. Participating in their fellowship from other churches outside gives the impression of reaching another world.
- Modern instruments are seldom used in their company, often traditional original instruments and tunes are used. The hymns are rhythmic in the traditional original verses.
- It can be understood that due to the fact that all the Bibles and hymns in the Santhali language come from India as well as due to the diversity in language and culture, it has not been possible to come in contact with other churches in Nepal for many years.
- Traditional cultures and customs except idolatry are still practiced in the Lutheran church in Nepal. Therefore, like other castes, there is no danger of the culture disappearing after becoming a Christian in the case of Santhals. Because ethnic dances, language, ethnic songs, costumes, and instruments are all practiced in the Lutheran congregation. Only the lyrics of the song are kept as Christian hymns and idolatrous activities are omitted. Even if a special wedding ceremony is performed within the church, the rest of the rituals traditionally begin and end in terms of the Santhali traditional cultural system.
- People of the Santhal caste call each other 'Johar' while greeting each other. If you are a believer from outside, they only say 'Jaimasiha', otherwise only 'Johar' is used as a greeting.
- People of all Santhal castes are not only affiliated with the Lutheran Church. They are also joined as a member of the BIC Church in Morang, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Baptist Church in Jhapa.
- After joining at the National Churches Fellowship of Nepal (NCFN) in 1994, the presence of the Nepal Evangelical Lutheran Church can be seen at the central level of the country in the advocacy programs for the rights of the Nepalese Christian community. See the picture for more information, the presence of Rev. Joseph Soren can be seen at national level lobbying meetings.
-History of the Church in Nepal: http://ecs.com.np/features/history-of-the-church-in-nepal
-History of Christian in Nepal: https://nepalchurch.wordpress.com/2016/07/27/history-of-christians-in-nepal/
-नेपाली क्रिश्चियन इतिहासलाई नियाल्दा, By Jagadish Pokhrel: https://archive.setopati.com/blog/23518
-प्रमोद मुल्मी, रामघाट मण्डलीको संक्षिप्त इतिहास
-Dr. MM Tudu, Some Remarkable Persons of Northern Evangelical Lutheran Church (Part I & II)
-नेपाल इà¤ान्जेलिकल लुथरन मण्डलीको à¥à¥«à¤”ँ वार्षिकोत्सव स्मारिका
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