In her three-minute address, Shehanaz Parveen said, “Our service to humanity is a real opportunity to prove our genuine love for God, and God alone.”
Syed Ali Mujtaba
CHENNAI – Shehanaz Parveen, a member of Jeeva Shanthy Trust that provided a yeoman’s service during the Covid-19 crisis, was invited by the iconic CSI All Souls’ Church in Coimbatore to give a sermon at the Sunday service inside the church prayer hall on August 28.
In her three-minute address, Ms. Parveen said, “Our service to humanity is a real opportunity to prove our genuine love for God, and God alone.”
Ms. Parveen who addressed the gathering wearing Hijab, ended her sermon with a verse from the Bible, “One who is gracious to a poor person lends to the Lord, and He will repay him for his good deed (Proverbs 19:17).”
“We do not have words to explain our happiness. I truly believe that this type of gesture among different faiths is what the country needs right now,” Ms. Parveen said adding, “after all, all religions emphasise on love and harmony.”
Ms. Parveen got a standing ovation from the congregation as she thanked the CSI church for the rare gesture to honour and also to give a glimpse of Jeeva Shanthy Trust’s services.
The Jeeva Shanthy Trust had arranged for the last rites for more than 10,000 dead bodies, including unclaimed and abandoned bodies, during the Covid 19 pandemic.
Founder of the trust Mohamad Saleem said the appreciation they received during the Sunday ceremony had given them more strength to continue their services. The trust has members and volunteers from different faiths.
During the introduction, presbyter and church chairman Rev. Charles Samraj said the service rendered by the trust and its volunteers to society, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, deserved appreciation as they worked irrespective of the religion, caste, creed, or social status of the people who were in need.
“We have a theme for every Sunday service. This Sunday’s theme was ‘God: For people of all faith’. We found that it was appropriate to invite key people from the trust and honor them as their services do go well with the theme,” he said.
The church administration felicitated all the representatives of the Jeeva Shanthy Trust with shawls.
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Syed Ali Mujtaba is a journalist based in Chennai. He can be contacted at syedalimujtaba2007@gmail.com
