Our church has embarked on an exciting journey!  We are the lead UU congregation partnering with a special orphanage in India. The name is The Annie M. Barr Children’s Village and it houses 24 children. It is located in the small village of Mawrsynjri, near the town of Kharang in the Khasi Hills, Meghalaya, NE India. These Unitarian villages were established in the 1800’s and now include churches and projects by and for the Indian populations there.

Contact  with questions or to find out how you can get involved.

In October 2018, the Executive Director for UU Partnership Church Council (UUPCC), Rev. Roger Bertschausen, visited Dallas and officially blessed and inaugurated our partnership with the Children’s Village.

We had a very productive lunch & learn session with Rev. Bertschausen who lead an introduction to the partnership.  Twenty six captivated church members attended. Rev. Bertschausen delivered an inspiring sermon on Sunday titled “Created Community”. Both presentation and sermon are embedded at the bottom of this page.

The beginnings in Unitarianism started at the same time as ours, and he pointed out how interesting it is to observe how two seeds planted in different parts of the world have grown into mature trees – in Dallas and the Khasi Hills.

There is a love and pride in Unitarian in NE India that is unique.  It was began by Hajom Kissor Singh at the age of 22 in 1887.  He was raised in the mystic religion of the NE Kasi Hills, converted to Christianity, but broke away to start his own faith.  He then read the works of  William Ellery Channing, and soon after met a Unitarian missionary.  Hajom Kissor Singh decided Unitarianism fit his beliefs and he committed the rest of his life singing between villages and sharing his passion for our faith.  Now over 10,000 Unitarians live in NE India with 45 churches! It is an utterly unique and beautiful combination of 19^th Century liberal Unitarian Christianity, monotheistic Hinduism, the nature focused religion in the Khasi Hills and a little bit of Buddhism throw in.

READ ABOUT UNITARIAN MISSIONS AND HISTORY IN INDIA HERE

In late February/early March, 2019, First UU will send its first group on a pilgrimage and fact-finding mission to the Children’s Village in Meghalaya. It is also the 10^th anniversary of the Children’s Village!  The delegation will be led by Rev. Catie Scudera (co-founder of the Children’s Village and minister at UU Needham, MA). Rev. Kanter will lead Dallas UU pilgrims Geo Kanter (representing YRUU), and members Richard Grayson and Kristi Kerr Leonard.  Other Unitarians from American churches will attend as well.

Upon discovery of the Children Village’s visions, goals, needs and desires plus our own capabilities, the UU Dallas team will build on the knowledge acquired to determine in deeper detail what the partnership might actually become in the short and long-term.  Rev. Bertschausen taught us that for partnerships to work, they need to be a mutual relationship.

We hope this inspires you to learn about how we can engage with the children in the orphanage and the UUs in India as we explore what next steps in our commitment to them might look like.

We have accumulated a hundred First UU members who have expressed a serious interest in supporting the partnership in various ways.

If you have an interest in learning about our efforts, please join the Realm Group “India Partnership”, you may also send an email with message to .

The motto of the Khasi Unitarians is: “To Nangroi.” or, “Keep moving forward” or “Keep progressing” May we find the wisdom to do just that.

Khublei (Khasi meaning – thank you, welcome, hello, goodbye)

FAQ: 

Q: What is UUPCC and where can I learn more about pilgrimage opportunities? Unitarian Universalist Partnership Church Council: https://uupcc.org/

Q: Where is Mawsynjri, Meghalaya, India? It is a village of 64 Unitarian families, a short distance from the town of Kharang.  Kharang is a 2-3 hour drive from Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya.

Satellite map of Meghalaya: https://satellites.pro/Meghalaya_map#;

Wikipedia for Meghalaya: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meghalaya#

Q: How did Unitarianism become established in Meghalaya and who was the founder of UU in NE India? http://uudb.org/articles/hajomkissorsingh.html

Q: Who was Annie M. Barr?

• https://cmskhublei.wordpress.com/about-the-childrens-village-faq/who-is-a-margaret-barr/
• http://unitarianchurchnortheastindia.blogspot.com/2010/11/annie-margaret-barr-childrens-village.html?m=1

Photos from Mawrsynjrl and surrounding villages: