Rt. Rev Bishop. Prasanna Kumar Samuel, Karnataka Central Diocese (KCD), talks about his recent take over as the Bishop of the KCD, his long term mission for the KCD, the role of the Church of South India (CSI) in the community, consciousness of God, spirituality, service of the community and the burden of responsibility that lies on his shoulder for the duration of his tenure as Bishop. Excerpts from the interview:
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Namskara and a very Good Afternoon Bishop. Welcome to IBC World News, and a hearty congratulations on taking over as the Bishop. I would like to start this interview by requesting you to kindly give us a brief overview of the KCD, or the Karnataka Central Diocese.
KCD is a part of the Church of South India. The Church of South India is comprised of churches from the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and parts of Sri Lanka.Karnataka has three Dioceses’ – North, South and Central. I belong to the Central Diocese, in charge of 110 churches
- Bishop, please describe the role of KCD today, in the community at large. Kindly share some details regarding the same.
KCD has a big role to play in the community today. It spreads awareness about Christ’s principles and teachings, and has an especially important role in its headquarters of Bengaluru, as the city is multi-cultural hotspot.
- What are your responsibilities as the ‘Bishop’ in-charge of the KCD?
I have an evangelical role to play in the Diocese. I am the head Pastor, in charge of 85 other Pastors and I oversee day-to-day activities of the 110 churches. I am also the administrative head of several committees
- Sir, are you in charge of the Executive Committee of the KCD?
Along with the executive committee, I head several others too such as the Educational, Medical, Socio-Economic and Nurture and Witness committees.
- How can the relevance of the Church as an institution be further improved in today’s ever-changing society?
While trends in society have constantly changed,the Church has maintained a constant presence. The Church today is training the Pastors as well other members of the clergy, to become tech-savvy in order to connect with the people. Secondly, I believe that God-consciousness is eroding and Money-consciousness is increasing because of MNC’s. It is a challenge of the Church to make people more aware of God
- Bishop, how does the Church of South India (CSI), as an overall umbrella congregation, bring people together in the service of god as well as the poor and needy sections of society?
The Church is a part and parcel of the community; it is not away from the community. The fact that we have old age homes, child welfare homes and
Centers for woman shows that the Church is inclusive to community life. The consciousness of God comes from the preaching given by the Pastors to the congregation, which in turn permeates into the community at large.
- Bishop, you been handed over this massive responsibility of leading the KCD at a relatively young age. What is your strategy and long-term vision for the coming years?
I have had 35 years of service in the Church and am humble in the way God has chosen me for this post. When God intervenes in a man’s life no can stop that intervention. If God has called me, it is my duty to take the Church and the Diocese, from strength to strength. When I lay down my office in 8 years’ timeI will look back at God’s powerful hand leading me in the building of new avenues and giving an impetus to the institution of the church, in terms of culture and Christian values and not money and property.
- What are the future plans of the KCD?
Elections to the various committees and posts were completed on the 24th of March 2015 and I am waiting for the new members to settle down and take up theirnew roles and responsibilities before I take up my vision with them.
- It is said that, ‘Cleanliness is Godliness’. What views do you hold regarding this age old saying, and on it’s applicability for the youth of our generation.
The Indian government has brought up a new programmefor the cleanliness of the country and it is an important and top priority programme. Secondly, there needs to be cleanliness of mindpersonality and attitude. The Church has to spread awareness to members of the congregation to keep their surroundings clean, as well as themselves internally. If this happens, I am extremely sure that one day India will be a clean country.
- Lastly Bishop, what could you give out a message to all of our viewers, and to the larger community?
Jesus was a tolerant man and he faced many challenges all through the span of his lifetime. What we can learn most from his life was hissheer humility and tolerance, and ability to mingle with the common man.
Similarly, the Church has to be more tolerantwith all the other religions and by accepting everyone as their brothers and sisters; it can go a long way in bringing about peace and harmony in the country. No one religion can supersede the other, and ultimately it is God consciousness and spirituality that will prevail. We must break barriers, build bridges, connect with people and accept each other as children of God.
