Kachin Baptist Convention Annual Meeting
_{December 2nd–4th, 2013}

The opening service of the Kachin Baptist Convention took place on Monday evening, December 2nd. Though Gail and I did not attend that particular session, many of the Kachins who have been housed in the Diamond Jubilee building at MIT where we live did attend, including the ladies pictured at the left in their traditional clothing.

Gail and I attend the Tuesday morning session at the large Kachin Baptist Church in Yangon. One of my Kachin students at the Myanmar Institute of Theology was kind enough to accompany us there by taxi. Even as we approached the church, the streets were filled with people. When we got out of the car, we were immediately greeted and escorted into the church, up the stairs, and down the aisle to a row prepared for guests in the front. The church was absolutely packed full, with people on the stairs and in the narthex. (We later learned that the fellowship hall beneath the sanctuary, and even the parking garage below that were full, and that projection screens were installed there so participants could both see and hear the proceedings. Similar arrangements were also made at a neighboring Chin church, where our friend La Hkawng and his fiancée Mary watched and listened from their seats on the third floor. We think we heard that over 10,000 Kachins had come to the meeting—many of them taking three days to get to Yangon by train.)

We arrived at the end of the Bible study, when David Tegenfeldt of Hope International was asked to come forward and give greetings. He began in the Kachin language, noting that he had been working in Myanmar for about 20 years. (David‘s parents were missionaries to this country with ABC International Ministries.) After he spoke, it was announced that other guests would bring greetings in the service that would follow. The main service of the morning started at about 9:45. By that time, the delegation of American Baptist leaders led by Rev. Stan Murray had arrived—and another row of chairs was quickly set up for them near us. Early in the service, Stan was asked to introduce other members of the group. A bit later, ABC General Secretary Roy Medley gave greetings from the pulpit, with translation provided by Rev. Samson, General Secretary of the Kachin Baptist Convention.

Like all the other worship occasions we’ve attended here, this one included excellent music. The service began with a men’s chorus singing praise songs. A spirited anthem was sung by a large choir in the middle of the service. Hymns were accompanied by piano and a large string section.

This particular service emphasized confession. A lengthy responsive prayer was offered by the congregation, confessing specific sins of past, current, and future generations. Another prayer was offered later by a well-known elderly pastor who now lives in a camp for IDPs (internally displaced persons).

The preacher for the service was Rev. Gunhtang La Myen from Myitkyina, the capital of the Kachin State in the far north of the country. Gail and I were sitting next to the host pastor, Rev. KD Tu Lum, whom we had met, along with his wife, shortly after we arrived in Yangon. Pastor Tu Lum periodically provided explanations in English for some of what the preacher was saying. (Even if he had not, we would know that the Rev. Gunhtang La Myen was an engaging speaker. As I looked around, I saw many people literally sitting at the edges of their sits as they listened to the message, which was delivered in an animated style and apparently with a great deal of humor. The congregation frequently broke out in deep laughter.)

Putting together what Pastor Tu Lum told us, and what my friends told me later, I collected these items from what the pastor said: During the colonial period, the English had referred to Kachins as “ugly, dirty barbarians.” One governor advised the Viceroy to prepare to re-settle people from India in the Kachin’s land, because he thought the Kachins would soon die off from flea infestation. American Missionaries including Ole Hanson and others that he named did not treat Kachins that way. Rev. Kincaid believed that they were very much like the Karens, who had responded positively to the Gospel, and worked with them accordingly. The preacher talked about how far his people had come since colonial days. Among other things, he was very proud of the fact that a Kachin donor had provided rice to feed all participants in MBC’s upcoming celebration. He said the people of Burma were very appreciative of the work of Adoniram Judson (including preparation of the first English-Burmese and Burmese-English dictionaries), but hadn’t been able to thank him, so this celebration was an opportunity to do that. He also expressed appreciation to the Karens, who continued to evangelize the Kachins after Western missionaries were expelled from Myanmar.

Despite the fact that we understood so few of the words that were spoken throughout the service, we found the whole experience very moving. The sheer number of participants was awesome, and their active engagement in the event was almost palpable. The attention to details reflected months of active and loving preparation. The witness of the Kachin Baptist Convention as a body, especially at this troubled time in the history of their people, was very strong. With all that, I have to admit that some of my own personal joy at the event was seeing individuals that I have come to know and love being involved in settings different from the ones where I customarily see them. The best is example is Hkawng Zawng, a first-year M.Div. seminarian who was in the class I taught on Pastoral Leadership at MIT this semester. Hkawng Zawng is a cheerful, outgoing young man, and also a talented pianist. As we sat listening to the choir singing, I wondered who was accompanying on the piano, and soon realized I was sitting right near it so I could simply look over and see. There was Hkawng Zawng, playing and mouthing the words with an angelic smile. His head was moving rhythmically and it seemed as if the music was coming right from his soul and out through his face. Hkawng Zawng was just one of the thousands of participants at the Yangon Kachin Church today, and I suspect that many, many of them were pouring their hearts out to God, as he was. It is certainly a great blessing to be here.

Gail joins me in wishing you all a very blessed Advent and a joyous Christmas season to come!
Yours sincerely,
Paul and Gail Aita,
Special Assistants for Myanmar,
International Ministries, ABC/USA

_{Read more:}

Paul Aita Writes from Myanmar, Part 1

Paul Aita Writes from Myanmar, Part 2

Paul Aita Writes from Myanmar, Part 3

Paul Aita Writes from Myanmar, Part 5

Paul Aita Writes from Myanmar, Part 6