Biblical Banners
by Paul McMahon
It was the banners' vibrant colours, so characteristic of
the Parkari Kholi tribe, that caught my attention. Then I felt the texture of
the cloth - the pictures were
so real and tangible! I could touch them and
sense the hard work and how the Christian faith was expressed in every stitch.
These banners were made in Badin by a Parkari Kholi parish catechist Master
Tony.
He is a tailor and has been a catechist for 37 years. Sewing and tailoring have been popular professions in the Sindh Province for thousands of years, originally due to the abundance of cotton growing in this area.
He shared with me how Alice Keenlyside, a lay missionary with the Mill Hill missionaries, encouraged him and others to learn the art of making banners.
Alice, herself an artist, provid-ed stencils of characters from the Bible and taught people to work together to create beautiful Christian banners.
Her goal was to bring together Christian men and women from the Parkari Kholi tribe in faith and friendship and to reflect on a Bible scene by working together with cloth to make the scene come alive as a banner.
Master Tony learned quickly. With Alice's help, he went on to teach others the art of banner making. Now he and others regu-larly teach groups in Hyder-abad diocese how to transform pieces of cloth into beautiful Scripture images.
First, the participants reflect upon the chosen Bible passage, sharing with each other how it relates to their lives. Then each person receives a stencil of one of the main characters, which are completed then sown together to form the banner.
When Master Tony is not running workshops, he teaches young people in his home. Each afternoon, you can find young people such as Kavita, Lachmi and Jamna surrounded by multi-coloured pieces of cloth, threads and scissors - slowly bringing a new banner to life.
Master Tony's banners have been exhibited in many coun-tries, and people always marvel at the detail and needlework.
But more importantly, Master Tony's banners are used among his Parkari Kholi people to give witness to the Gospel message and to share how the word of God is a living presence among them.
