Silchar, Jan. 8 :    Silchar, Jan. 8:  'The nearer the church, the farther you are from religion,' goes the old English saying. So, in an unusual reversal of roles, the West is now looking to the East for Christian inspiration. The Mizoram Presbyterian Synod Mission (MPSM), the largest Christian denomination in the state, has sent its senior pastor, H. Sangkhuma, to Swansea in Wales on a mission to revive the 'waning faith' of the Welsh. The pastor's task can be called 'reverse evangelism', given the fact that it was Welsh missionaries who propagated Christianity in Mizoram over a century ago. J.H. Lorrain and F.W. Savidge of the Calvinist Methodist Church of Wales visited Mizoram 107 years ago to spread the message of Christ among Mizo tribesmen, who were then head-hunters. In 1900, there were only 19 Christian Mizos in the erstwhile Lushai Hills. Today, 95 per cent of the state's population is Christian, thanks to the pioneering mission of the two Welsh clergymen. Mizo Presbyterian missionaries have now returned the favour by launching a mission to 're-evangelise' the Welsh. Sangkhuma has set up residence at Swansea near Cardiff City as the chief representative of the Mizoram Presbyterian Church. Vanlalchhunga, the secretary of the MPSM's Barak Mission, recently visited Swansea and found Sangkhuma 'engrossed' in preaching the Gospel. He quoted the pastor as saying that the Welsh had become 'alarmingly irregular' in attending Church services. 'Some even lease out churches to people of other faiths to convert these into pubs or nightclubs or theatres,' he said. The MPSM has established 'ecumenical relations' with the Union of Welsh Independence Church under the guidelines of the London-based Council for World Mission, the apex Church organisation. It is keen on social work and reviving Christianity among the Welsh. Presbyterians constitute about 60 per cent of the Mizo Christian population. The MPSM, established in 1934, has a network of churches, hospitals, schools and orphanages. It has 12 missions in India and abroad, employing 897 field workers. Its moderator is S. Lalrauma, who is assisted by a panel of three executive secretaries. Vanlalchhunga said the idea of setting up a mission in Wales was sparked by a desire to draw the 'cynical Welsh' back to the path chosen by the Church. The MPSM already has missions in Nepal, Taiwan and the Solomon Islands. Zaidarhzauva, another MPSM envoy, is in Taiwan to propagate the faith.