On Christmas eve, to celebrate the birth of Lord Jesus Christ, youth representatives from the Sant Nirankari Mission Yorkshire branch joined in a midnight mass, a service of worship at St. James, the Great Church Of England in Leeds. They were warmly welcomed by Father Domenic and members of the Touchstone Interfaith Group led by Awais Mughal.

The universal message of love and peace for all being preached by His Holiness Baba Hardev Singh Ji Maharaj was shared with them.  It is written in the Holy Bible also - "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.  By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35).

They also pledged to continue to work together in building stronger bridges and ties amongst other faith organisations and share the message of love, peace and goodwill towards all of mankind.

On Christmas day i.e. Sunday, 25th December 2011, Sant Nirankari Mission Yorkshire volunteers organised a special Christmas celebration at the local Yorkshire Nirankari Satsang Bhawan. People from various communities and backgrounds joined together to celebrate and remember the joyous occasion of the birth of Lord Jesus Christ and His teachings.

Sister Jo Swales reminded us that Christmas is not just about receiving presents and eating festive foods, but the real essence of Christmas should be a reflection of Lord Jesus Christ’s message of love, tolerance and compassion for one another; and that in living with these principles on a day to day basis is what was needed most in this world.  She commended the Nirankari Mission for leading by example, practically taking these teachings which run in parallel with the Mission’s philosophy, to their hearts.

Rev. Mohinder Ram Ji, in the final discourse, echoed His Holiness' 2010 Christmas message:-

"At Christmas, Lord Jesus Christ’s teachings are being remembered all over the world; He and all the prophets and saints have always taught man to live with the significant feelings of love, compassion and tolerance, but are they being adopted by us in our life? We live this life while forgetting such feelings; thus polluting the atmosphere of the world. Only those making a contribution towards establishing peace get their efforts praised; those who destroy peace do not get praised!  All of us need to make an effort to establish love and brotherhood, so that all can live in peaceful co-existence".

After the congregation, a special visit from Santa Claus, a symbol of Love and of Giving, brought presents for all the children. It created a vibrant, joyous atmosphere in the Satsang hall, especially amongst the young children. Saints also raised money for Cancer Research UK Charity by organising a Tambola stall, while everyone enjoyed the festive vegetarian meal.

All the attendees enjoyed the programme and were very pleased and delighted to learn of the Nirankari Mission's activities in promoting Love, Peace and Unity and practically living the Universal message of Lord Jesus Christ.

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