Phungyo Baptist Church ( PBC) at a glance; recalling the days of Pettigrew
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Okluithan Addie Chiphang
Contd from last Saturday
Finally Pettigrew moved into the new mission house with the Dalmas couples, there waiting upon the Lord to reveal His will as to what aboriginal tribe in eastern Bengal they should work among. In the meantime an argument with a Bangal native student concerning baptism and the study of the New Testament led him to heartily accept the doctrine of Believers’ baptism and so he was baptised by Rev Wright Hay of the English Baptist Mission in Dacca.
It was not long after they had shifted into the new mission house that the terrible massacre of Manipur in 1891 took place. This calamity attracted the attention of Pettigrew to Manipur. Therefore Pettigrew and his colleagues J Craighead planned to enter the State. Several attempts were made but the Political Agent of the State refused to grant them permission. Inspite of that Pettigrew decided to learn the Manipuri language, which he hoped would one day help him. Hence in company with his colleagues Criaghead he moved to Silchar in February 1892 with a view to entering Manipur as soon as permission was granted by the Government. Thus, though they were not in Manipur proper, they lived among the Cachar Manipuris leaming their language. But before entrance was gained his colleagues Craighead was transferred to Assam proper and he had to move alone.
Rev. William Pettigrew coming to Manipur
Receiving permission from the officiating Political Agent Mr A Porteous (not direct from the Govt.), he arrived in Imphal in January 1894. Upon his arrival at the capital, his knowledge of Bengalee and Manipuri language enabled him to communicate with the local people and thereby he immediately commenced preaching the Gospel in the bazaars. Eventually through the help of a young Manipuri boy who was taken in as helper, Pettigrew procured at Chingamakha “two houses with ground attached, about 90°X 40° for a reasonable amount (and) one of the two houses 40°X12° was soon made into a decent school room". On 7th May he had the joy of opening a new school there Soon the school was overcrowded because of which he had to draw a line at 50.
Everyday the students came together and recited the Disciples’ Prayer, and Sankey’s hymn Nos. 25 and 69 were heartily sung in Manipuri; on Sunday mornings they came together for prayer.
In the last week of the same year, when Major Maxwell, the Political Agent returned from Furlough Pettigrew was told that the “ Officiating Political Agent’s permission was invalid, owing to his not arranging with the Indian government”. Therefore he was asked to abandon the work the school was taken out of his hand to be managed by the State Government, and propagation of Christianity was prohibited, Pettigrew however was allowed to remain in the State on the condition that the missionary enterprise was confined to the Tangkhul Nagas only at his own risk.
Opening of the Evangelise in Tangkhul Naga Areas
The main intention of Pettigrew was to evangelise the Manipuri Hindus in the valley is not disputed. But as the Scripture says “ For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways” it was not the Lord’s will that Pettigrew should open his mission centre in the valley nor at any other in the State than Ukhrul. It was verified in more ways than one, because in November 1895, i.e. 10 months after his maiden visit to Ukhrul, an ultimatum was served to him by the Government of India which he himself described thus:
“To accept one of the conditions was the ultimatum sent to us from Shillong a year and a half later. Say “yes” to proposal of leaving the valley alone and establishing mission headquarters among the headhunting Naga tribe called the Tangkhul Naga say “No” and leave the State for good”.
Perhaps this was a pressure from God revealed through State agency Pettigrew chose the “Yes” and committed to working among the ‘very aboriginal tribe’ - the headhunting Tangkhul Nagas. He chose Ukhrul as his centre. He then negotiated with the American Baptist Missionary Union to take over the work and to appoint him an agent of the Society. Following his application he was invited to attend the Missionary Conference at Sibsagar, December 14-22, 1895.
On December 16th Pettigrew’s application was considered vis-a-vis letters from Secretaries Duncan and Mabie with various other documents. “‘ Petigrew then made 2 statement before the Conference of his Christian experience, call to the ministry and views of his Christian doctrine and Revs. H.P. Moore, C.E. Burdette and E.P. Haggard were appointed a Committee to present resolution in reference to Pettigrew’s case.
On December 19th, Rev, H.P. Moore presented a letter from Sibsagar Baptist church! that Pettigrew was a member of Sibsagar Baptist Church and requested the Conference to sit in council with the Church in regard to advisability of ordaining Mr Pettigrew. Thus after having Pettigrew examined and formalities having been completed, Pettigrew was ordained on December 22nd at Sibsagar Baptist Church and a pand written Ordination Certificate was issued thus:
“This is to certify that in accordance with usages of the Baptist Churches of the United States of America & in answer to the call of The Baptist Church of Sibsagar, Assam, William Pettigrew after an examination as to his Belief, call to the ministry & views of Christian Doctrine, was solemnly set apart to the Gospel Ministry by a Council consisting of the Assam Mission of the American Baptist Missionary Union at Sibsagar, December 229d 1895”.
(Signed) C.D. King, Chairman (Signed) E.G. Phillips, Clerk.
The Sibsagar Triennial Conference of 1895 and the Executive Committee at Boston in January 1896 decided to take over the work in Manipur and Pettigrew was officially appointed a Missionary of the American Baptist Missionary Union for Ukhrul field on January 27, 1896 and the work was officially taken over by the Union on February 1. Since then this A.B. Mission worker (later with his wife) was confined to Ukhrul from 1896 to 1916 (twenty years) by the State government under pain of dismissal from the State.
Having chosen Ukhrul as his centre rather than Paoyi, (as having had suggested by Porteous), he spent more of his time in building a temporary mission bungalow, outhouses and the school building with a few hours a day to study the language. October to December was given to going to Calcutta to finish off the printing of John's gospel in Manipuri which was then going through the press and above all to marry Alice Goreham who was Ieft behind in London six years ago when he left for India in 1890. After their marriage on November 13, 1896, at Lower Circular Baptist Church, Calcutta, the couple returned to Ukhrul to resume their work.
The school building at Ukhrul had already been completed then, but the Missionary had to spend quite six weeks in persuading the villagers to send some of their boys to school.
(To be contd)
Contd from last Saturday
Finally Pettigrew moved into the new mission house with the Dalmas couples, there waiting upon the Lord to reveal His will as to what aboriginal tribe in eastern Bengal they should work among. In the meantime an argument with a Bangal native student concerning baptism and the study of the New Testament led him to heartily accept the doctrine of Believers’ baptism and so he was baptised by Rev Wright Hay of the English Baptist Mission in Dacca.
It was not long after they had shifted into the new mission house that the terrible massacre of Manipur in 1891 took place. This calamity attracted the attention of Pettigrew to Manipur. Therefore Pettigrew and his colleagues J Craighead planned to enter the State. Several attempts were made but the Political Agent of the State refused to grant them permission. Inspite of that Pettigrew decided to learn the Manipuri language, which he hoped would one day help him. Hence in company with his colleagues Criaghead he moved to Silchar in February 1892 with a view to entering Manipur as soon as permission was granted by the Government. Thus, though they were not in Manipur proper, they lived among the Cachar Manipuris leaming their language. But before entrance was gained his colleagues Craighead was transferred to Assam proper and he had to move alone.
Rev. William Pettigrew coming to Manipur
Receiving permission from the officiating Political Agent Mr A Porteous (not direct from the Govt.), he arrived in Imphal in January 1894. Upon his arrival at the capital, his knowledge of Bengalee and Manipuri language enabled him to communicate with the local people and thereby he immediately commenced preaching the Gospel in the bazaars. Eventually through the help of a young Manipuri boy who was taken in as helper, Pettigrew procured at Chingamakha “two houses with ground attached, about 90°X 40° for a reasonable amount (and) one of the two houses 40°X12° was soon made into a decent school room". On 7th May he had the joy of opening a new school there Soon the school was overcrowded because of which he had to draw a line at 50.
Everyday the students came together and recited the Disciples’ Prayer, and Sankey’s hymn Nos. 25 and 69 were heartily sung in Manipuri; on Sunday mornings they came together for prayer.
In the last week of the same year, when Major Maxwell, the Political Agent returned from Furlough Pettigrew was told that the “ Officiating Political Agent’s permission was invalid, owing to his not arranging with the Indian government”. Therefore he was asked to abandon the work the school was taken out of his hand to be managed by the State Government, and propagation of Christianity was prohibited, Pettigrew however was allowed to remain in the State on the condition that the missionary enterprise was confined to the Tangkhul Nagas only at his own risk.
Opening of the Evangelise in Tangkhul Naga Areas
The main intention of Pettigrew was to evangelise the Manipuri Hindus in the valley is not disputed. But as the Scripture says “ For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways” it was not the Lord’s will that Pettigrew should open his mission centre in the valley nor at any other in the State than Ukhrul. It was verified in more ways than one, because in November 1895, i.e. 10 months after his maiden visit to Ukhrul, an ultimatum was served to him by the Government of India which he himself described thus:
“To accept one of the conditions was the ultimatum sent to us from Shillong a year and a half later. Say “yes” to proposal of leaving the valley alone and establishing mission headquarters among the headhunting Naga tribe called the Tangkhul Naga say “No” and leave the State for good”.
Perhaps this was a pressure from God revealed through State agency Pettigrew chose the “Yes” and committed to working among the ‘very aboriginal tribe’ - the headhunting Tangkhul Nagas. He chose Ukhrul as his centre. He then negotiated with the American Baptist Missionary Union to take over the work and to appoint him an agent of the Society. Following his application he was invited to attend the Missionary Conference at Sibsagar, December 14-22, 1895.
On December 16th Pettigrew’s application was considered vis-a-vis letters from Secretaries Duncan and Mabie with various other documents. “‘ Petigrew then made 2 statement before the Conference of his Christian experience, call to the ministry and views of his Christian doctrine and Revs. H.P. Moore, C.E. Burdette and E.P. Haggard were appointed a Committee to present resolution in reference to Pettigrew’s case.
On December 19th, Rev, H.P. Moore presented a letter from Sibsagar Baptist church! that Pettigrew was a member of Sibsagar Baptist Church and requested the Conference to sit in council with the Church in regard to advisability of ordaining Mr Pettigrew. Thus after having Pettigrew examined and formalities having been completed, Pettigrew was ordained on December 22nd at Sibsagar Baptist Church and a pand written Ordination Certificate was issued thus:
“This is to certify that in accordance with usages of the Baptist Churches of the United States of America & in answer to the call of The Baptist Church of Sibsagar, Assam, William Pettigrew after an examination as to his Belief, call to the ministry & views of Christian Doctrine, was solemnly set apart to the Gospel Ministry by a Council consisting of the Assam Mission of the American Baptist Missionary Union at Sibsagar, December 229d 1895”.
(Signed) C.D. King, Chairman (Signed) E.G. Phillips, Clerk.
The Sibsagar Triennial Conference of 1895 and the Executive Committee at Boston in January 1896 decided to take over the work in Manipur and Pettigrew was officially appointed a Missionary of the American Baptist Missionary Union for Ukhrul field on January 27, 1896 and the work was officially taken over by the Union on February 1. Since then this A.B. Mission worker (later with his wife) was confined to Ukhrul from 1896 to 1916 (twenty years) by the State government under pain of dismissal from the State.
Having chosen Ukhrul as his centre rather than Paoyi, (as having had suggested by Porteous), he spent more of his time in building a temporary mission bungalow, outhouses and the school building with a few hours a day to study the language. October to December was given to going to Calcutta to finish off the printing of John's gospel in Manipuri which was then going through the press and above all to marry Alice Goreham who was Ieft behind in London six years ago when he left for India in 1890. After their marriage on November 13, 1896, at Lower Circular Baptist Church, Calcutta, the couple returned to Ukhrul to resume their work.
The school building at Ukhrul had already been completed then, but the Missionary had to spend quite six weeks in persuading the villagers to send some of their boys to school.
(To be contd)