Cuttack Fund

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 To view more information on the

Orissa Christian Theological College watch the video below

Introducing the Partnership

The P and E District has had a partnership with the Diocese of Cuttack, Odisha, CNI, for a number of years.  The connection began in 2012, and from that date until 2017, there was a gradually developing relationship between the two areas, built through a series of informal visits, making friends, laying foundations and building trust.  During this time some churches and Circuits initiated and developed supportive relationships with individual churches or projects within the Cuttack Diocese.

In 2017 the Synod agreed a proposal for partnership with the Diocese of Cuttack, which committed to mutual Prayer, Learning and Friendship, and a number of ways were identified as to how the District might support this…

• By encouraging each Circuit to celebrate and inform their congregations about the partnership through Cuttack Sunday – the Sunday before Lent – and to offer worship resources and information to assist leaders of worship.
• By exploring the possibility of exchange visits
• By establishing a Cuttack fund – to resource visits where helpful
• By continuing to nurture the links already established, and to support one another through informed prayer

In 2020, a team of 6 visited the Diocese with the aim of embedding the partnership in the life of the District and expanding the team of those directly involved.  It had taken several years to build trust and relationship, to discover the best ways to demonstrate partnership, and to work through the difficult issues of communication, expectation and process.

It was during this visit in 2020 that we learned of the threat to the survival of the Christian Hospital at Berhampur.

Berhampur is a town in the Ganjam District, southern Odisha, a predominantly rural area where the population is largely made up of Tribal and Dalit people.  They suffer considerable challenges in terms of deprivation and poverty, poor nutrition, disease – such as malaria and TB, and infant and maternal mortality.  And alongside this is the entrenched discrimination suffered by Dalit and Tribal peoples.  The Christian Hospital offers a high standard of compassionate care at affordable cost – and a vital aspect of the work is the integral Nurses’ Training College, through which women are not only equipped with much sought-after professional skills, but are also empowered to generate sustainable change in their own communities.

New government regulations meant that the hospital – which was over 100 years old – was unable to meet the requirements without a rebuild of its core structures.  This crucial renovation and rebuilding work began in January 2021, despite the challenges of the Covid pandemic, and a commitment to financially support the work was agreed at our District Synod in September 2021.  The Circuits, and District MWiB were glad to be able to focus on this need, and contribute in a small way to the rebuilding of that valuable resource.

Block A was completed in October 2022, and in February 2023 work began on Block B, which was completed in February 2024.

During that month, a team of 8, including our District Chair, was privileged to be able to participate in the inauguration of the completely refurbished hospital.  The visit also included meetings with various churches, projects, a Christian nursery school and the Orissa Christian Theological College.

There is expressed need both at the Christian Hospital and at the Theological College for personnel – i.e. presence is the priority, as opposed to money.

For the hospital, this might be doctors or nurses from the UK who could offer 2-3 months, or volunteers to work with the chaplain; at the Theological College it might be people who were willing to be alongside the students – who are mainly from the surrounding tribal areas – helping them practice conversational English to support their studies.

During January-February 2025, Eunice and Malcolm Halliday have spent time in the Theological College living alongside the students, and participating in various church events.  They will also be able to attend the 125^th Anniversary Celebration of the Christian Hospital, Berhampur.

At both those institutions there are people who appreciate the principles of partnership, and are keen to develop ways which will deepen relationships, and lead naturally to exchange visits – e.g. finding opportunities to link over zoom for shared prayer, worship, conversation.  There are also individual churches where this could be possible – particularly where the pastor is able to help with translation.