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as the hill areas in Burma, Assam, Tirura in India and Nepal. The concern for evangelising the Chakma people in Mizoram too was expressed in the Pastoral committee in and The ECM launched the Chakma evangelistic work in 2001 by sending two missionaries.

At Present, the MEC and ECM have more Mission Fields, namely: Khumi field, Daai Lemrochin field, Myo & Khami field, Mru field, Ashochin field, in Myanmar and Lalung field, I.E.M field, TBCU field, Chakma field, Missinf field (Assam) in India, and also SUDAN, Africa Mission in 1993 and Nepal Mission in 2001.

1.1.Mission Strategies

The Mara Mission Board has used different methods in communicating and establishing the gospel among the various communities. The following methods were extensively used in mission work.

a)   Knowing the people and being with them

Before choosing a place or people the Mission Board looked for a particular people, assessing their geographical location, language, culture, political and economic life and religious beliefs. Most of the Mara missionaries went directly to the people and stayed with them and learned the language and customs. They started by having contact and interaction with the people. They tried to win the acceptance and confidence of the people. Apart from imparting a new faith, the missionaries also served the people in many ways. They taught the people various skills for industrial works, carpentry, tailoring and improved agriculture methods.

b)     Establishing mission compound

The Mara missionaries usually developed mission compounds wherever they went. They chose a place where they built their headquarters. Making their base in such centres, they reached out to the people around them. These compounds served as centres for new activities such as opening school, establishing health care, meeting or chapel hall, and teaching vocational skills such as carpentry, tailoring and weaving. Slowly the natives were attracted, some out of curiosity, others out of interest for change and new life. Soon a church building was erected and regular worship services were conducted. Slowly native Christians were train as evangelists besides teaching the new converts about Christian life and conduct.

Some of modern missiologists from different denominations criticize this mission compound approach as unrealistic, taking away people from their actual environment, transmitting a colonial kind of church organization where missionaries are looked upon as leaders, owners and actors in everything. There is some truth in these accusations; mission compounds can create a feeling of division and artificiality. But one should not fail to notice that there are other things which necessitate this approach. Two reasons that support a mission compound approach are continuation of the biblical pattern and the organizational and administrative necessity.

In the Old Testament God’s people had their particular centres or places from where national activities, festivals or worships were conducted. Even their judges, prophets, priests and kings had certain prominent places. Thus Shiloh, Bethel, Jerusalem were places of importance in the OT. In the NT the early churches were associated with cities while most of them evolved as house churches. Thus we have the Jerusalem church, Antioch church, Corinthian church, etc. The mission compound approach is thus a continuation of the biblical pattern.

c)      Planting churches

The main goal of the Mara mission is establishing and planting churches. Churches were planted where people were converted followed by preaching, teaching and instruction of the word of God, all of which took place in those churches. When a number of churches have been planted, they are taught to have a link through regular interactions and visit to one another. This has also been done through annual gatherings and conferences and this strengthens the solidarity and identity of the newly churches.

The churches planted by the Mara missionaries in different parts of India and Myanmar are architecturally very foreign and very different from the architecture of the worship places in India and Myanmar. While the churches are very beautiful and valuable to Christians, non-Christians look at them with suspicion and contempt as if Christians are traitors and agents of foreign countries.

d)     Establishing Christian Institutions

Western missionaries established institutions wherever they went and this was an unavoidable aspect of Christian mission in the colonial period. Following the footstep of the western missionaries, the Mara missionaries establish educational institutions in their mission fields. The primary purpose was to enable the new converts to read the Bible in their language and participate in worship services. Along with education development of knowledge in various fields came along. Many more schools were opened with the native converts as teachers who also acted as evangelists. The middle schools were followed by high schools for both male and female. These mission schools were meant to prepare the students for