Message for Mar Thoma Messenger June 2010

Dearly Beloved in Christ,

As we look forward to enjoying the summer season, let us together praise God that our new Achens for our parishes in the Diocese and their families have arrived safely after receiving clearance from immigration department and having their visas processed successfully. The volcanic eruptions in Europe slightly disrupted some of our Achen's travel, but now they are all here. At this time, we also thank God for the Achens who served here for three years and left for different locations assigned to them by the Episcopal Synod. We wish and pray for God's blessings upon all our Achens (and their families) who just joined this diocese, and on all who completed their service here. We also wish and pray that the incoming Achens to this diocese will have a fruitful ministry. We have scheduled a meeting of all the clergy and their family members at the St. Paul's Mar Thoma Parish in Dallas from July 4 to 6, 2010.

The Diocesan Assembly met at the Atlanta Mar Thoma parish on April 19, 2010. I am glad that there was a good representation from our parishes. The Vicar and members of the Atlanta Mar Thoma parish hosted the meeting at their church facility, and made all the arrangements for the local boarding, lodging and transportation needs of those attending the assembly meeting. Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, General Secretary of the National Council of Churches of Christ in USA (NCCC-USA), attended the meeting and gave the devotional talk. We handed the Haiti relief fund, amounting to $131,775.00, to Dr. Kinnamon, and he expressed his gratitude and appreciation to our Diocese for the generous contribution. Dr. Kinnamon also praised the partnership of the Mar Thoma Church in all the activities of NCCC-USA and in all other ecumenical endeavors. I take this opportunity to thank each member of our parishes and congregations for understanding the need and praying for the people of Haiti and for giving generously to help them. The Diocesan Assembly met not only to consider the report, accounts and budget but also to make several important decisions. Once these decisions are approved, they will be communicated to all the members through a separate Kalpana.

Study is an integral part of a growing church. In order to accomplish this noble cause, we are going to have about ten conferences in the Diocese in the months of July, August and October. These conferences include: the National Family Conference in Dallas; Conference of Medical Professionals in New Jersey; the Conferences For Children and Teenagers in two geographic locations; the National Youth Conference in Chicago; the Voluntary Evangelists Association Conference in Philadelphia; the Family Conference of parishes of Europe in UK; the National Sevika Sangham Conference in Florida; the National Yuvajana Sakhyam Conference in Randolph, New Jersey; and the Retreat for the Young Adults and Couples in Virginia. It is my desire that all members of the Diocese make it a point to attend at least one of these conferences to enhance their spiritual growth and maturity. By our coming together for these conferences, we not only celebrate our diversity but also help each other to grow together as the body of Christ. It is important that we take time to sit at the feet of Jesus, study the word of God, worship together and reflect upon the contemporary issues and challenges we face in our land.

We will be publishing this issue of the Mar Thoma Messenger before all of the conferences, mentioned above, take place. There will be some articles regarding the different themes of these Conferences. So please take time to read the articles before you participate in the conferences. I am happy that about 2,000 families subscribe to Mar Thoma Messenger. However, considering that there are about 7000 families in this Diocese, the current subscriber's list is not satisfactory and must be increased. Therefore, a special effort must be made to encourage each family to subscribe for the Mar Thoma Messenger. It will be good if parishes with more members make an effort at the parish level to collect the subscription fees for the Messenger along with the annual contributions of their members, and coordinate with the Diocese for the effective distribution of the Messenger. This can be done in all of the parishes, considering the fact that each parish has at least twenty families. In October of this year the Diocese is organizing an institute to study our liturgy. Rev. Dr. George Mathew will lead this institute, in Chicago, Dallas, New York and Philadelphia. The parishes in reasonably close proximity to these places should group together so that a maximum number of our people can get the opportunity to look into the meaning and relevance of our liturgy. A similar institute is planned for 2011, to look into the topic of counseling. Some sessions will also be organized within the Diocese to study the Mandalam Theme of the Year. The Mandalam Members and Diocesan Assembly Members will be intimated about this matter through a separate circular.

It gives us great joy that new parishes are formed in England and Virginia. The Mar Thoma Congregation in Austin, Texas, has become a full-fledged parish now. Another new parish in the Philadelphia area will be branching from the Bethel Mar Thoma parish in Philadelphia. The congregations have to grow to the status of parishes in the near future. This year, the Sabha has given us two more Achens to serve in our Diocese. At present, we need three more Achens to meet the needs of our people. I will soon be working on a new batch of Achens to come to the Diocese by May 2011. In order to ask for the required number of Achens to the Episcopal Synod and to process the papers with the immigration department we need all the separate entities (parishes and congregations) to become registered units in the country with all of the necessary documents. Vicars and all office bearers will have to work towards this end without much delay and help the Diocese to serve the parishes and congregations better.

We live at a time when there is a financial meltdown all over the world. Many of our members have lost jobs and are facing financial loss and strain. It is difficult to find jobs for unskilled laborers. Hence, our children are to be motivated and encouraged to pursue their careers in specialized areas. At the same time, we need to discipline ourselves in our spending. It is heart breaking to see how food and water are wasted. The Diocese, with the help of the Diocesan Council, is also looking at ways to bring down the levy on the parishes. However, this must not become an excuse for our people to abstain from giving to the church and the needy. We have a heritage of sacrificial giving. The Mar Thoma church at the time of reformation went through the financial strain, but our ancestors met the needs of the church and helped it grow in its ministry and mission. The Holy Bible speaks about tithe giving. Our Lord Jesus Christ showed us the example of self-emptying and highlighted the spirit of giving through the example of the widow who gave her all. A person will not put a limit for giving to the Lord when he or she realizes that everything comes from Him. No member in our church should hesitate to give voluntarily from what God has provided. Giving must be a thanks offering.

Let us remember the leaders of our Church, who have committed themselves to serve through the church. There are new people who entered in ordained ministry this year. We need more individuals from this Diocese to go for theological training to serve the religious community. Let us also remember our church, as we seek God's guidance in selecting three candidates to serve as the bishops of the church. May our decision be the decision of the Holy Spirit.

May God Bless You All!

Yours in Christ's Ministry,