MIZORAM PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH – CHILDREN SUNDAY SCHOOL CONFERENCE
Elder Chalhnuna was the first Assembly full time Clerk and he was appointed in 1949. He was also the Mizo Synod Secretary, a position he held an impressive eighteen times between 1958 and 1976. Before he slept in the Lord, he shared a cherished memory of the first Mizoram Presbyterian Church Children Sunday School Conference, offering a glimpse into the early days of this significant event.
In his recounting, Elder Chalhnuna vividly recalled the first Children Sunday School Conference, held in 1931 at Tlangnuam Church;
“The first Children Sunday School Conference was held on 1931 at Tlangnuam Church and I was a Mission School teacher at that time. I took my students from our school and Pi Zaii (Katie Hughes), the Welsh Missionary also brought some students from Mission Veng and Dawrpui churches. Although we are small in numbers, however, we had done much better than Pi Zaii’s students — we can manage to bring home the prized award with elated and much overjoy! Pi Zaii pick one student from the team to sing in front of the gathering. He was extremely nervous and overcomed with shyness, he was able to sing some portions only and eventually, he cried! However, he was a good-natured and decent student and became a successful businessman in his latter life.”
The Mizoram Presbyterian Church Children Sunday School Conference continued to evolve, eventually becoming a fixture in the church calendar. Initially held on different dates by various pastorates at their convenient date for a long period of time, the Mizo Sunday School Union (MSSU) later standardised the conference schedule for uniformity across the entire church for all to conform and the changes was reflected in the Sunday School syllabus. Accordingly, the Beginner, Primary, Junior, Intermediate and Sacrament Departments held their conferences on the second Sunday of September each year. The Senior Department followed suit on the third Sunday of September.
The conference itself became a vibrant showcase of the talents and knowledge of the Sunday
School children. Each participating Sunday School would present three items: a children’s choir performance, a narration of Bible verses and oral question-and-answer about Bible knowledge or focused on church doctrine. All the children in the departments were involved in the programme. In some pastorates, these presentations took on a competitive nature by using the three items while in others, the emphasis shifted to fellowship. They ceased to organized competition and instead, took the opportunity to come together in a fellowship among the participating Sunday Schools within the pastorate.
The Mizos fondly referred to September as the beginning of Ber Thla (Ber is the suffix of September, October, November & December and Thla means month). It marked the beginning of autumn, the beginning of the end of the year and the beginning of the festive season! When the much-anticipated month of September eventually arrives, it is met with excitement and the atmosphere changes with the season — it is a time of joy! The air is crisp, the leaves start to change color from radiant greens to flaming reds, sunlight seems softer, a little more golden, casting long shadows that make everything more magical. The blue skies, the calm air, a particular scent and the stillness of the night signal the approach of the Children Sunday School Conference!
Mothers sewed or bought new dresses for their children for the big occasion — new shirt, new shoes and a new hairband for the chipper face. As a matter of fact, it is a huge children festival. The long and arduous preparation time which they called ‘Chang Zir’ is now over and now is the time for joy and fellowship. With their new attire, lovely childrens from every household gather there at the designated church to sing, to dance, to pray and to worship the Lord. The lengthy preparation period culminates in a day filled with singing, dancing, prayer, and worship.
In the early days, before the development of modern road networks, children often had to walk a lengthy miles along with their teachers to attend the conference. Development brings better road communication and better mode of transportation even in the far flung villages. So, nowadays, most of todays Sunday School children had missed the mixed experiences of joy and tough encounters along the way while attending the Children Sunday School Conference, especially in the urban areas.
However, in the deep rural regions, challenges persist due to limited access to basic services and infrastructure. Despite these obstacles, it is heartening to know that Sunday School children in these areas are remain determined to attend the conference. They had walked several miles by foot, employed and utilized any available transportation, a makeshift boat or even a horse and comfortability is not an issue for them to reach their destination.
According to the latest Mizo Sunday School record (2023), there are 4820 Sunday School administrators (Superintendents, Assistant Superintendents and Secretaries), 53228 Sunday School teachers and 411484 Sunday School students, bringing the total number involved in Sunday School activities to 469532 — and growing!
This remarkable growth reflects the enduring importance of the Sunday School Conference in the spiritual and communal life of the Mizo people.
Praise the Lord for His abundant blessings!
Written by Rochamliana, President, AISSA
BETHLEHEM VENGTHLANG PASTORATE
CHAMPHAI VENGTHLANG PASTORATE
CHAWLHHMUN PASTORATE
DAWRPUI PASTORATE
ITI PASTORATE
KAWNPUI CHHIM VENG PASTORATE
KELKANG PASTORATE
KHAWHAI SOUTH PASTORATE
KHAWKAWN PASTORATE
KHUANGLENG PASTORATE
LALLEN PASTORATE
LUANGMUAL WEST PASTORAT
LUNGLEI FARM VENG PASTORATE
MISSION VENG PASTORATE
MUMBAI PASTORATE
PHULLEN PASTORATE
SERCHHIP VENGCHUNG PASTORATE
SIALHAWK PASTORATE
THUAMPUI PASTORATE
TUIKUAL PASTORATE
VAIVAKAWN PASTORATE
VENGHNUAI PASTORATE
ZOTE PASTORATE
