Venue:
North Cherokee Retreat Center, Atlanta, GA

For more information please contact:
Rev. Jobi Mathew
Rev. K. B. Kuruvilla
Mr. John Samuel

We have decided to publish two books about Rev. P.I.Mathai and Bishop P.John Varghese respectively. Rarely, do we come across people who can influence human destiny in their own life time, and if at all, they appear only once in a very long while.

Very. Rev. P.T. Chandapilla was very keen to see their work and vision to be published by the Hindi Belt Mission. But we could not achieve that during his period.

The work of the book on the life of Rev. P.I. Mathai (Plavumkal Achen) is almost completed and we are looking forward to release the book in English during our General Convention 2012 at Tiruvalla. Please pray for the work to be completed in time.

Reminiscing an Evangelical Legend
A tribute to Plavumkal Achen
(Rev.P.I.Mathai)

“The Christian Community in Kerala has witnessed eminent leaders who have enriched the community in many ways. These legends and luminaries are remembered and cherished for their unceasing faith, ardent witness, and faithful service. The Plavumkal Achen (Rev. P.I. Mathai) is one such eminent leader who has found a prominent place in the history of the Kerala Christians for his faithful service to God”
Dr. Joseph George UTC, Bangalore

If you want to book a copy of the same, you may contact :-

Rev. Ninan Zachariah (n.zachariah@rediffmail.com)
P.C.Matthai (matthai.plavumkal@gmail.com)

Rev. Ninan V. Zachariah
Executive Director
Hindi Belt Mission

Our General Convention begins on 22nd Sunday evening. From 23-25 we have worker’s and clergy conference. 26th is the Sabha Dinam. We have public meeting on all evenings day time public meeting will begin from Thursday Morning. We expect 350 workers in this conference. All together we may have to give 500 free tickets per meal. Besides the worker’s, we give free food to people coming from mission fields and other needy people. Last year we spent Rs. 360,000/- for food. This year we expect Rs. 400,000/- towards food expenses. Please see the attachment also. I request that you may give the Board Evangelistic Work a reasonable contribution to meet this expenditure. Please send your contributions to Treasurer, Board for Evangelistic Work, STECI, Tiruvalla. May God richly bless you. Looking forward to hear from you. If you have already sent a contribuiton towards General Convention expenses please ignore this mail.

Special request to Dear Achens, Please collect an amount from your parsih and send to the Board.

Yours in His Grace,

Rev Mathews Abraham Puthuppallil

K. C. Mathai Sir who went to be with the Lord left behind a legacy not only among his family and relatives, but also among many in different walks of life. I thank the Lord that I had known him in a personal way and had fellowship with him since 1965.

My first appointment after my ordination was in North Travancore. While staying in the mission house at Keezillom, I was going around and serving my several parishes. Valakam – Kunnackal, was a large parish of the STECI and I spend a lot of time there. The father of K.C.Mathai sir was the treasurer of the parish. I had the privilege of accepting their hospitality when I was there. Mathai sir along with his wife Marykutty was living in a different place due to their job. They were young couples and they gave leadership to the young people. Although he was young, he was well accepted by older people as well due to his maturity. His maturity was beyond his age. His opinion was much valued by everyone. We cannot find many people mature beyond their age.

There are couple more things that comes to my mind when I think about Mathai Sir.

He was a man who always worked for peace and reconciliation. When someone talks to him they will come back encouraged. He was always optimistic. His smile was always there to encourage others. He worked hard for reconciliation where there was a dispute. He played a major role in bringing recnciliation and unity in the St.Thomas Evangelical church of India.

Mathai Sir was a man of generosity. With his business, he always found time to give importance to serve the Lord. His business was only his ‘tent making’ to work for the Lord. He generously gave his time, talents and resources for the service of the Lord.

The house of Mathai Sir and his wife Marykutty was always opened for God’s people. I cannot forget the time I spend in their home. To them, hospitality was a joy, privilege and a natural thing, and they didn’t count it a burden to serve others. Very seldom we find people who open their houses to show such hospitality to others.

He often expressed his desire to go to North .India with a mission tour team. However, he .had the accident and was not able to go to North Indian villages. Accident and age took a tool on him. However, in 2011, along with Rt. Rev. Dr. M. K. Koshy and a few other senior members of the church, he travelled to several of our mission fields in North India. They went to the cities, stayed in villages, slept in the village huts, and gone through the places and situations which they were never accustomed. At the end of the mission tour they came to Amla. In the HBM training center they spent 2-3 days. My wife and I were also there at the HBM training center. That was the last time we met. Although all the team members except one were above 65 yrs and above, we praised the Lord for Mathai sir. We talked how the Lord has fulfilled his desire to go to these places. This was very important about him because he had the car accident a few years ago in which his beloved wife died. It was not an easy journey.

The mission team saw the need in several places and prayed for the people and need. Particularly, they were burdened about the need of worship places in Bihar. When they were in Amla, they encouraged each other not only to pray, but to do something to meet some of the immediate need. They paid from their own pockets more than 500000/- Rupees for a church building in Bihar. Mathai Sir had remarkable influence in the life of several people.

The death of his wife never discouraged him although it was painful. He took it as God’s providence and went to serve His master. His departure is a great shock, but we know it is in God’s plan and also we know that God in His time and way called His servant to His presence. May His great name be praised.

‘Mathai Sir’ that was what we called him. K.C. Mathai, Kunnackal a veteran stalwart of the Church went to be with the Lord. He lasted his breath at 3 a.m. on 10th January 2012 following a heart attack.

In his death Church has an irreparable lost not only a leader but also a great man of God, who was a voice for peace and spiritual integrity. His demise is irreplaceable. We the members of the St. Thomas Evangelical Church of India, Sabha Council all the Boards, Samithies express our deep condolence on the passing away of Mathai Sir. We know his departure is a great loss to the Church but as a man of God he is now promoted to the glory of his heavenly abode.

We are thankful to God providing our Church with such a dynamic, inspirational and faithful servant for the growth of the Church. “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” May the Lord God of all comforts and be with his children and all the dear ones in the bereaved family. Funeral will be on Thursday 1.30 p.m. at St. Thomas Evangelical Church, Kunnackal, Valakam Cemetry.

Rev. C.K. Jacob
Sabha Secretary

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It is my pleasure to greet all of you at the dawn of 2012 in the name of the Lord who watches over us and keeps us guiding all the way “from the beginning of the year till its end.” The Lord does so in His amazing grace and with His immeasurable compassion. He is the One who provides for each day in our life and His goodness and kindness are incomparable.

Here is a New Year with fresh opportunities to cherish the love of God and His sweet communion. A brand New Year to love and serve Him more and more who loved us first, and that too, when we were unlovable! Behold, another season is at our disposal to demonstrate, both in words and deeds, our love and care for others. The New Year also provides us with opportunities to denounce falsehood, injustice and sin, and to cleave to truth and mercy rooted in righteousness and justice. We can now pursue the path of holiness for another year. A spiritual life characterized by truth and integrity, a social life that authentically reflects love, compassion and sacrifice, and a personal life that demonstrates the fruit of the Holy Spirit in action—let these three be our passion for the New Year. When we are sincere in our desire and motive, the Lord will enable and empower us to press on to these goals with the blessing of His Spirit of truth and holiness.

“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love” (1 Corinthians 16: 13-14).

God bless our nations, our society, our church and our families.

In His service,

Most Rev. Dr. C. V. Mathew
Presiding Bishop

Greetings in the most precious name of our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ.

As we are ushered into a new year let us remember the mercies the Lord has bestowed upon us over half a century and give thanks to the Lord with all our heart. “Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops” (Prov. 3:9) is the commandment of the Lord and God gives us this as an opportunity to us to honor Him. We honor God when we bring Him the first fruits of our increase. By offering the first fruits of the increase of our substance, we demonstrate that God is number one in our life. When we make God our priority, He will make us His priority! God says that if you will honor Him with your substance and our first fruits then our barns will be filled to overflowing, and our vats will brim over with new wine. We will be abundantly blessed. We will have more than enough. We will have enough for what we need today and for what we will need tomorrow!

In New Testament, first fruits symbolizes God’s harvest of souls, it illustrates giving to God from a grateful heart, and it sets a pattern of giving back to Him the first (and the best) of what He has given us. Not being under the Old Testament Law, the Christian is under no further obligation than to give cheerfully and liberally (2 Cor. 9:6-7). This is the pattern and the stipulation of the Word of God yet we often neglect the aspect of giving. Let us give thanks to the Lord for the protection and care we received in our workplaces, kitchen and elsewhere. We request the ladies to prepare homely dishes and snacks so that we can auction them and also let us express our sincere thanks to the Lord for His protection we received in the kitchen and in our daily meals. If God is our Lord then He must be the Lord of all what we are and what we have. Honor the Lord by giving from the blessings we received during the last year. As a church, we are going to honor God with the first fruits of our increase in the month of December 2011. All those, who are of a willing heart and mind, may bring an offering to the Lord as our first fruits.

The Board for Evangelistic Work will be implementing an allowance hike for all our evangelists from 1st of January 2012 onwards and the board will have to bear an additional financial burden of 100 thousand rupees (1 lakh) per month and 1200 thousand (12 lakh) more per year. That will bring the total expenditure of the board to 7200 thousand (72 lakh) rupees in an year. Even then most of our evangelists will get an amount within a range of 4000-5000 per month. First Fruits is one among the four collections of the Board to meet the expenses of the Board in an year and most often this collection is not fully sent to the board. Thus we request that all the parishes consider this need and make sure to send the whole amount collected on account of Harvest Festival to the Treasurer, Evangelistic Board. Let us pray and bring the labor of our hands to the house of the Lord. He who promised to bless us is unchanging and everlasting. He cannot go back on His Word. Our Lord will bless us.

In Christ

Rev. Mathews Abraham
Secretary
Board for Evangelistic Work

Ras Al Khaimah parish welcomes all for our Christmas Carol Service 2011 to be held at St Mary’s Orthodox Church, Nakheel, RAK on 22nd December at 8:00 PM, Thursday.

Toms George
Secretary

Nilambur Centre is planning to conduct Christmas carol service at Chungathara parish on 24th December at 6 pm. You are all cordially invited

Attached pictures of STECI Bishops, Achens & fellow believers at Mullaperiyar Samara Panthal to show our church’s support.

Best Regards
Cherian Daniel (Boban)
Philadelphia

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Bethel Hostel for Women, a project of the Education Board of St. Thomas Evangelical Church of India in Attibele, Bangalore; to provide accommodation for working women was inaugurated by Bishop Dr. M. K. Koshy on 9th October 2011 at 2.00 pm. Vicar General Very Rev. T. K. Thomas, Rev. Biju Thomas, Rev. Thomas Varghese, Rev. Christy Mathew, Rev. Puttaswamy, Education Board Representatives, Evangelists and members of Bangalore center were present. Very idle place to stay for working women from Attibele, Electronic City, Hosur, Bommansandra & Jigani industrial area. For Admission contact Mr. Anin George, Bangalore +91-9880790507, Rev Christy Mathew, Attibele +91-9952482015, Prof. Dr. Cherian Mathew +91-9447662490, Education Board +91-9562026494.

Anin George
Secretary, Bethel Hostel for Women

Dear All,

Greetings in the name of our Lord!

Our CHRISTMAS CAROL SERVICE 2011 will be held on Sunday 18th December, 2011 at 8:00 pm onwards in Hall No: 4 at the Union Church, Sharjah.

Your esteemed presence with prayers is requested.

Yours in Christ

Sunu Jacob
Secretary