The three-day Odisha Christian leadership Conference culminated at the Rabindra Mandap here on Thursday with a valedictory session marked by a pledge for nation-building undertaken by about 1,000 Christian leaders drawn from the State’s 30 districts.
Inaugurating the valediction, Reverend larry Walker, Ambassador at large of the First Baptist Church, Texas, US, with a Commissioning service Reverend Walker spoke about the power of the lord and the need for imbibing the values of Christ into the lives of people enshrined with the values of love, peace, joy, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness and self-control.
Reverend Michael Fore from the First Baptist Church, Texas ended the valediction programme with a closing prayer by calling blessings for each one of the delegates and for Odisha and India. The programme was presided over by Odisha Minority Forum president Dr Swarupananda Patra.
Utkal Christian Church Central Council president Dr Satyananda Patra, in his keynote address in the morning, spoke about the need for connecting the Church and Church leaders with the society at large by mainstreaming the community youth. Exhorting the Christian youth, He said, “The nation and especially Odisha needs the Christian youth to be epitome of love, forgiveness and sacrifice and ambassadors of peace for the entire society and help in the nation-building process.”
Reverend Phil Roberts, Reverend Ide Trotter and Reverend Dan Farell among others were present. A schoolchildren’s programme was also held at the YMCA, Bhubaneswar being hosted by six American children’s speakers and coordinated by Jeremiah Patnaik, Ipsita Patra and Sweta M Paul. About 50 orphan children participated in the programme on Wednesday and Thursday.