Nagaland: NBCK, UBC Fellowship through friendly football match

As part of the Golden Jubilee celebrations of the Nepali Baptist Church Kohima (NBCK), a friendly football match (35+) was played between NBCK and Union Baptist Church (UBC) Kohima at I.G. Stadium, Kohima on Thursday.
The match was organized by NBCK as part of its year-long activities commemorating 50 years of service in Christ, with the Golden Jubilee scheduled to be celebrated in August 2026. Established in 1976, NBCK is the oldest Gorkhali church in Nagaland, while UBC Kohima is its mother church.
The programme began with a prayer led by pastor Jack Thapa of NBCK, followed by an exhortation from pastor Visato Yhoshü of UBC, who emphasized unity, Christian fellowship and the role of sports in strengthening bonds among believers. Chairman of the Board of Deacons, NBCK, and Convenor of the Golden Jubilee Organising Committee, Dr. Gopal Basnet, delivered the welcome address.
A special number was presented by the Fathers’ Group of UBC, while former UBC chairman Sekietuozo Haralu also spoke on the occasion.
The main attraction of the event was the friendly football match, played in a cordial and festive atmosphere, which ended in a 2–2 draw. During halftime, special presentations were made by Delina Gurung and Daniel Basnet.
The valedictory programme was led by John Thakuri, with a special number presented by the NBCK Youth Department. Best Player awards were given to Krodi Kennao (UBC Kohima) and Benjamin Zou (NBCK Kohima), handed over by co-convenor of the Jubilee Organising Committee and Convenor of the Jubilee Sports Committee Narayan Bahadur.
The programme concluded with a mass prayer followed by a commemorative feast. The NBCK Golden Jubilee Sports Committee expressed gratitude to the Department of Youth Resources & Sports for granting permission to use the stadium and to the Kohima Village Youth Organisation for sparing their allotted schedule.
Meanwhile, NBCK Kohima is scheduled to share the Christmas blessing through a ‘Nepali Carol’ as part of its year-long Golden Jubilee activities at Old NST, Main Town, on December 20 from 3 p.m. onwards. The church has invited all to attend the event.