Kohima, April 18: The platinum jubilee celebrations of Nagaland Baptist Church Council will begin from tomorrow at its convention hall here which was constructed at a cost of Rs 3 crore.

The mega event will witness hundreds of Baptist men and women from foreign countries and from other parts of India. According to sources, the total cost of the celebrations will be over Rs 4 crore. The celebrations will be telecast live by Doordarshan Kendra Kohima.

Led by chief minister Neiphiu Rio, all top government officials and machinery were pressed into service for grand celebrations. During the four-day celebrations, work at government offices is likely to be affected as most of the top officials have been entrusted with different tasks.

The theme of the celebrations will be One New Humanity in Christ.

The newly constructed convention hall will be inaugurated by Rio.

Besides representatives from its 20 full-fledged associations and four associate members covering 1,553 churches, the occasion is also set to host over 10,000 delegates from within and outside the state, including foreign countries.

The main speakers for the conference include Anne Graham Lotz of Angel Ministries, US, Rev. Reid Trulson, director of International Ministries, American Baptist Church, US, and Rev. Ben Chan of International Ministries, American Baptist Church, US.

The council has also invited other religious groups in Kohima to attend the celebrations and receive their blessings.

The four-day celebrations will be marked by a music extravaganza by an 85-member Platinum Choir.

The highlights of the conference will also include a band festival, orchestra presentation by Japanese delegates, a cultural presentation by the Thai delegates, rally for women and children, photo gallery, food stalls, a film festival and exhibitions.

The council traces its history back to 1937 when a few of the pioneer church leaders resolved to set up an advisory board for all the Baptist churches in Nagaland.

The ministry of the council has expanded to a number of departments focusing on specific areas such as women’s department, youth department, Christian education and children ministry, communication/media, education, development, missions, peace affairs, intercessory network and other sponsored programmes like the Oriental Theological Seminary and the Christian Higher Secondary School at Dimapur.

The Nagaland Baptist Church Council was organised in 1935 in Kohima as the Naga Hills Baptist Church Advisory Board and it was renamed the Naga Hills Baptist Church Council in 1937.