Madhya Kerala Diocese

Rev. C. Y. Thomas

Kerala, the State, clothed in nature's finery, protected by the rocky mountains in the East and washed by the waves of the Arabian Sea in the West, has been blessed with Christianity from the I st century. Tradition has it that it was St. Thomas, the Apostle of Jesus who brought Christianity to Kerala. The Ancient Syrian Church of Malabar had links with Christian centres in West Asia. The winds of the Reformation which rocked Europe in the 16th century swept in India as well with the coming of the missionaries of the Church Missionary Society, the London Missionary Society and the Basel Mission. Now Christians form about 2.5% of the population of India and 30% of the population of Kerala. The majority of the people in India are Hindus, Muslims are of a sizeable number. The people of India live in religious amity in the multi-religious environment.

The C.M.S. in Travancore

The history of the Madhya Kerala Diocese dates back to the work of the Church Missionary Society in the state of Travancore.

The Rev. R. H. Kerr and the Rev. Claudius Buchanan, visited the Malabar Syrians in 1806, during the episcopate of Mar Dionysius I. It was Lord William Bentinck, who sent Dr. Kerr to Travancore for the purpose of investigating the state of the native church. E. M. Philip tells us that, "he (Kerr) expressed to the Metropolitan of the Syrian Church a hope that one day a union might take-place between the Syrian and the Anglican Church and that he seemed pleased at the suggestion."

Bishop of Madhya Kerala Diocese

Rt. Rev. Thomas Samuel

The next friendly Anglican visitor was Dr. Buchanan, who evinced a keen desire that the Syrian Church and the Church of England should be brought closer together. His speech at the C. M. S. Anniversary in 1809 and his famous book, "Christian Researches in Asia", drew the attention of the English people to the Syrian Christians of Travancore.

Mission of help to the Syrians

The C. M. S. Mission of Help to the Jacobite Syrians of Kerala was started in the year 1816, of which the initiative came from Col. Munro, the then British Resident of Travancore. There were two main purposes behind the mission of Help to the Syrians. First of all, through the work of the C. M. S. Missionaries among the Syrians, to effect the renovation of their church and to raise them from their degradation. Secondly, the British resident as well as the missionaries hoped that, "a strong and friendly Christian Community will be a support to the British power in Malabar". Rev. Thomas Norton was the first missionary who came to Travancore in this connection. He was soon followed by Benjamin Bailey (1816), Joseph Fenn (1818) and Henvy Baker Sr. (1819) who are popularly known as the "Kottayam Trio". These three concentrated their work among the Syrians, whereas the pioneer missionary, Norton focused his work among the outcastes in Alleppey.

Though the relationship between the missionaries and the Jacobite Syrians went on well without many problems in the beginning, it did not last long. The change of leadership in the Jacobite Syrian community as well as the change of missionaries caused much problem in the relationship. During the second half of the Mission of Help, the pioneer missionaries went on furlough. While they were away new men came on the scene, Joseph Peet (1833-1865) and W. J. Wood Cock (1834-1837). The young missionaries were rather impatient about the slow progress being made and were sometimes rash in their actions. The visits of the Rev. J. Tucker, Secretary of the C. M. S. Corresponding Committee at Madras, and Bishop Wilson, the Anglican Bishop of Calcutta did not heal the wound, these two being uncompromising evangelists. This was followed by a Synod of the Syrian Christians at Mavelikkara on 16th January, 1836, in which the Jacobite Syrian Community under Mar Dionysius IV, the then Malankara Metropolitan decided to break all their relationships with the Church of England. With this we see an early death of the twenty year old C. M. S. Mission of Help to the Syrian Church of Travancore.

Missionaries Turn To the Masses

The dissolution of the contract between the C. M. S. and the Syrian Metropolitan after 20 years of beneficial work was no doubt says, C. M. Agur "a great disappointment." With the snapping of ties, the missionaries directed their attention to the despised and the down trodden Ezhavas, Hill Arrians, and the outcastes of Central Travancore.

Due to the impact of the work of the C. M. S. among the Syrian Christians, soon after the separation with them, a good number of Syrian Christians who were attracted towards the reformation joined the Anglican Church. In certain cases, the whole Syrian parishes joined with the missionaries. Therefore, the missionaries began to serve them as parish priests too.

Kottayam Mission

Even before the formal break with the Syrian Christians, the CMS Missionaries at various places had started work among the non-Christians. After 1836 we find in the C. M. S. records, references to the 'Kottayam Village Mission' with Bailey in charge of it and 'the Kottayam District Mission' under Baker, with his headquarters at Pallom, five miles to the south. They also continued educational work and built another college at Kottayam, the C. M. S. College in 1838. The new college made its real start in 1840 when the Rev. John Chapman took charge of it.

The missionaries were the pioneers in the field of printing. Having acquired the necessary mastery over Malayalam, Bailey translated and printed two complete editions of the Holy Scriptures and two of the Common Prayer Book. Besides these, he wrote a big English and Malayalam Dictionary and another Malayalam and English Dictionary. In 1848 the first Malayalam periodical "The Treasury of Knowledge" was published and is still coming out as the Diocesan Magazine.

In 1843, Bishop Wilson said about the future work of the missionaries as, "You had no other course to take but to build churches for yourselves, to go on with your own schools, to multiply copies of the scripture, to erect, as you have done, your own college, and to carry on an open unfettered mission for the good of the heathen and Muhammadans generally, and of the individual Roman Catholics, Roman Syrians and Syrians around you who might voluntarily and peaceably avail themselves of your labours..." Church building was one of the principal activities of the Kottayam Mission in the forties. At Mallappally, Kottayam, Pallom, Kollad, Olessa, Ericadu, Changanacherry, Mavelikkara and Mundakayam, fairly beautiful churches were built. Of these, the largest as well as the most beautiful was the Holy Trinity, Kottayam, which Bishop Wilson called, "the noble Gothic church, the glory of Travancore," It was the work of Bailey whose laborious service in Kottayam went on apace, undeterred by the split.

Kottayam District Mission

There were two congregations in Kottayam District-Pallom and Kollad. Henry Baker Junior carried on vigorously and in 1847 he completed the construction of churches at Olessa, Velluthuruthy and Ericadu. At the close of five years' work the membership of the Anglican Church in the combined districts numbered 552. By this time another district had been formed at Thiruvalla and Hawksworth was in charge of it.

Rev. M. J. Chandy was ordained in Madras in 1847 and was the second Malayalee to receive Anglican Orders, the first having been the Rev. George Mathen in 1844. In 1856, four more Indian clergy were added to the Anglican Church. The Annual report for 1856-57 states, "The Travancore Mission exhibits the best proof of real progress in the fact that native congregations which have been gathered together by the labours of missionaries have now been committed to the charge of native clergymen." By 1870, their number was fifteen.

Hill Arrian Mission

The year 1848 was a turning point in the work of the C. M. S. Missionaries, as they began to work among the Hill Tribes of Central Travancore. The principal tribe among whom the C. M. S. Missionaries concentrated their work was, the Hill Arrians. This Mission was the out come of the request of a delegation from among the Hill Arrians to the C. M. S. Missionary, the Rev. Henry Baker Junior, often been known as the 'Apostle of Hill Arrians."

Alappuzha Mission

The first Anglican Missionary to arrive in Travancore was the Rev. Thomas Norton who settled at Alappuzha in 1816 on the suggestion of Col. Munro. Norton was happy to be at Alappuzha, outside the Syrian sphere, so that he might concentrate his evangelistic efforts on the medley of races and religions in that commercial town. The Sunday after his arrival, he preached significantly on the parable of the grain of mustard-seed at the first Anglican service held in Travancore.

The beautiful church was completed in July 1819. And in the meantime he had gained sufficient mastery over Malayalam "to lay myself out in the delightful work of making known a Saviour's love". The "laying out" was so effective that when he died in 1840 the Church was well established, the membership numbering 560 drawn from all classes.

The Cochin Mission

The first missionary to be stationed at Cochin was the Rev. Thomas Dawson. But he had to return home early in 1818 on account of ill-health. In 1820, the Kottayam Missionaries were paying regular visits to Cochin every fortnight. Services were held in the fine old Church of St. Francis which Dawson has repaired.

The work of evangelization gathered prodigious momentum with the arrival of the Rev. Samuel Risdale in 1824. He threw himself heart and soul into the work among a very mixed population comprising Indian, Portuguese, Dutch and English elements. He obtained a grant of land from the government and gathered a little Christian village around him. A boys' school and a Girls' school were soon started. Risdale had a number of converts, the most notable of whom were John and Constantine. John was a Brahmin, and Constantine was Rama Varma, the son of Vira Kerala Rajah.

Mavelikara Mission

Mavelikara became a C. M. S. station when the Rev. Joseph Peet took up his abode there with his family. Within a few months of his arrival at Mavelikara, he had built a church designed to hold 400 people, and at the end of five years there were four congregations-Mavelikara, Poovathoor, Kodukulanji and Mallappally, with a membership of about 500. He started seven schools which had 200 students on their rolls.

Peet went home on furlough and Hawksworth took his place in 1845. Persecution raised its ugly head again as soon as Peet vanished from the scene. His return was hailed with joy by the rich and the poor alike. The great missionary laboured on in Mavelikara right into the sixties. The Rev. Joseph Peet rested from his labours at Mavelikara on August 11, 1865. When he died at the end of thirty years' unremitting toil, he was incharge of eleven substantial churches with members totalling more than 2500.

The Mallappally Movement

Mallappally has a place of honour in the history of the Mission. Mallappally was the first nonconvert (Anglo-Syrian) congregation. Rev. George Mathen was the first Malayalam clergyman of Anglican Church. He ministered to the Mallappally people. The Missionary who did most to foster the movement in its infancy was the Rev. John Hawksworth. He wrote to the committee in the early part of 1851 as, "For some months past there has been a very hopeful movement among the poor slaves in the neighbourhood of Mallappally. In this country; these poor creatures are regarded by the higher classes, and even by common coolies, as utterly unclean and polluting. A school room was erected at a place called Kaippatta. Mr. Mathen was the school master. The slaves heard and received the word of God with great joy. Among the slaves, one of the first to be baptised was named Abel, which had taken place in 1854. There were thirty desiring baptism, but only eight were admitted. This Kaippatta incident caused a great excitement in Mallappally.

Diocese of Travancore and Cochin

Early in 1876, the Society began negotiations with the Secretary of State for India so that a new see might be formed under the Jerusalem Bishopric Act for the Church of England in the Native States of Travancore and Cochin. And towards the end of the year a public announcement was made that the Rev. J. M. Speechly, then Principal of the C. N. I., would be the first Bishop of the New Diocese. It was also made clear that "the appointment of an experienced European Missionary as a Bishop was a preparatory step to the ultimate appointment of native Bishops".

Rev. J. M. Speechly (1879-1888) was consecrated as the first Bishop for the newly formed Anglican Diocese of Travancore and Cochin, on St. James' Day, the 25th July 1879, in St. Paul's Cathedral, London, and he arrived at Kottayam on January 27, 1880.

The main intention of the Society to form a diocese was, "to build up well-trained native congregations under native pastors... to resign all pastoral work into their hands" and for the missionary gradually, "to relax his superintendence over the pastors themselves, till it insensibly ceases". To this end there began a steady increase in the number of the local ministers and the condition of the Native Church began to be improved.

In 1888, the Rt. Rev. J. M. Speechly left for England and was unable to return, and the Rt. Rev. E. N. Hodges (1890-1904), a C. M. S. Missionary from Ceylon followed him as the Bishop of the diocese. He was installed in the Pro-Cathedral, Kottayam in November 1890.

In 1894 an Industrial school with a boarding house attached, was opened in Kottayam for Dalit Christians. It was the resort of the Christians from the backward classes, when their huts or church sheds were burned down and their crops carried off by angry upper class people. But things were changed when a government proclamation informed the public that "all high roads, markets and courts of justice are open to all". Bishop Hodges issued an order to the effect that all church buildings in the diocese were to be opened to Christians from every community.

Adoor Mission

During the episcopate of Bishop Hodges, the first missionary enterprise of the diocese organised as its Home Mission, was started at Adoor in 1903. A decade of strenous evangelistic work was amply rewarded. In 1914 there were 9 stations with 321 christians. In the course of thirty years the field widened and the number of stations increased to 20 with a total membership of 2600. There were two primary schools and a weaving school started in 1945. Most of the people were backward in every walk of life.

Bishop Hodges retired in 1905 and was succeeded by Bishop Charles Hope Gill (1905-1925), who was consecrated in Westminister Abbey and arrived in Kottayam in 1906. He had served as a CMS Missionary in North India for eighteen years. It was during his episcopate that teachers and catechists from the backward class community were first admitted to the Cambridge Nicholson and Buchnan Institutions.

The Centenary Celebrations

The centenary of the founding of the Mission was celebrated in 1916. There were local celebrations in various parts of the Diocese, which culminated in the central celebrations at Kottayam. The Pro-Cathedral was full to over-flowing for the main thanksgiving service, and there was as recorded, at the time, 'an enormous gathering' for the public meeting held in the place where the Centenary Memorial Building was to be erected.

Educational institutions were going from strength to strength. The director of Public Instruction of Travancore State wrote in 1917: "What struck me most about the Kottayam College was what I should describe as the collegiate atmosphere. I have never felt this any where in South India as I have felt it here".

Diocesanisation

The Diocesanisation which began in 1879 fulfilled in 1920, when Bishop Gill constituted, "Travancore and Cochin Diocesan Council" to assist in the management of the temporal affairs and financial business of the church. Its first business was to relate all existing organization to the diocesan council, and a standing committee was appointed.

Karappuram Mission

In 1921 an extensive effort to reach a thousand Ezhava Families living in the coastal areas was set on foot by an independent committee, in relation with the church. With Miss. Isabel Baker's (C. M. S. Missionary) generous contribution, a school, hospital and a coir factory were established under the title 'Karappuram Mission' in the Shertellai area. In 1953 the Diocese undertook full responsibility of the mission but it continued to fail.

Bethel Ashram

In 1992, Miss. Neve, a C. M. S. Missionary, felt the need to serve the women of the diocese in a wider sphere than in the Training School (B. I. Pallom), where she was working. Miss. Rachel Joseph, a high school teacher, joined her in the new venture. They rented a house in Alappuzha and undertook various activities among the women there. The name 'Bethel' was adopted, and their work soon attracted women students from all parts of the Diocese.

Bethel moved to permanent quarters at Warikkad, Tiruvalla, in 1926. In the same year, the community school for backward class children was started. There were a home for motherless babies, a creche, a dispensary, industrial section and all the other activities of the community. When the C. M. S. headquarters secretaries visited Bethel in 1934, they were impressed by its distinctive Indian character and the emphasis placed by the Ashram upon, " meditation and devotion." Branches of Bethel have subsequently been opened at Trichur, Kallada, Parkal and Melukavu. 'Bethel Day' has throughout been a very popular annual feature drawing a large crowd year by year.

In 1922, the Rev. T. K. Benjamin, was appointed Archdeacon of Kottayam and Bishop's Commissary. It was said at that time, "This is essentially a step in the right direction and cannot fail to be of great benefit."

Parkal Mission

Inspired by the example of missionary societies, the diocese of Travancore and Cochin started organized missionary work in and outside the diocese. The first native missionaries were sent out in 1924, and the field was Parkal Taluq, Hyderabad in the Dornakal Diocese (Now C. S. I. Karimnagar Diocese).

Progress was rather slow at first, but after about a decade the work gathered momentum. The backward Mala and Madiga castes first came under the influence of the Gospel, but later higher castes were also attracted. Today there are 10,000 baptised christians, 100 christian villages, 50 worshipping centres, 19 churches, 28 mission houses, 2 orphanages, 2 child care centres, 6 schools, 2 hostels, 3 hospitals, 4 ashram centres, one technical school and one nursery school. Bishop Gill retired after a fruitful ministry in 1924.

The fourth Bishop of the Diocese, the Rt. Rev. E.A.L. Moore, (1925-1937) was a missionary in Madras. He was consecrated by the Archbishop of Canterbury and was welcomed to Kottayam with much enthusiasm. Bishop Moore was a bachelor of rather austere and ascetic habits, and far from taking a salary, put back his allowances into a diocesan fund. Diocesanisation progressed rapidly and a well - drawn up Constitution was passed in December, 1926 and came into force on 1st January, 1928.

Medical Mission

It was at this time that the medical work was begun in a systematic way. Bishop Moore started clinics in country boats called 'Floating Dispensaries' to take medical aid to out of the way places in water-logged areas, each in charge of a doctor. In one month alone we read that 2,000 patients were treated from one of these mobile dispensaries. They ran for about 20 years and thereafter discontinued. By that time small mission hospitals were growing up in different parts of the Diocese.

It was in Bishop Moore's time that the first two men from the backward Christian community, P.J. Isaac and C.I. Mathai, were ordained as pastors. By this time the diocese became fully organized with its diocesan council and standing committee with the several boards. The missionary conference was abolished and the several congregations in the missionary districts were brought under the district councils. The previously existing four district councils were sub-divided into nine, each with its own separate chairman. The retirement of Bishop Moore came, in the words of the Bishop of Madras, "after a long service in Madras, Tinnevelly and Travancore. He was a very fine administrator and a scholar but he was always anxious to keep in the background and avoid any display of his gifts''.

The Rev.B.C. Corfield, (1938-1944) a C.M.S. Missionary in North India succeeded Bishop Moore. He was consecrated as Bishop in St. George Cathedral, Madras on 18th October, 1938. His period roughly covered the years of the second World War. Within the country, nationalist feeling was mounting. There was unrest among the backward christians within the diocese and they were more politically conscious. They began movement for a 'Separate Administration' fearing the days when a more democratic regime would mean that they were over shadowed in the Church by their more advanced Syrian brethren.

In 1938, a deaf school was started at Pallom and in 1941 it was moved to a rented house in Tiruvalla. In 1951, a section of the Tholassery Mission Compound was given for the school and good buildings were constructed. The Sisterhood connected with Bethel and fore-runner of the Women's Order of the C.S.I. was formed. In 1944,a large group of women of the Church was admitted by Bishop Corfield as Associates of the Ashram Fellowship. There were about 500 members at the time of its inception.

Indigenous Leadership

In 1944 Bishop Corfield, quite unexpectedly, resigned as the fifth Bishop of the Diocese of Travancore and Cochin. Archdeacon C.K. Jacob was selected to the Bishopric, the first nonmissionary Bishop, and he was consecrated in 1945. Bishop Jacob was well known for his fervant life of prayer and his knowledge of the Bible. Besides, he had an intimate knowledge of the Diocese in all its parts and majority of the Church Workers were his students. His first Diocesan Council was memorable in that it was conducted for the first time entirely in Malayalam as well as the first under an Indian Bishop.

The Diocese under the Church of South India

The formation of the Church of South India, was one of the remarkable events in the History of Christianity. Bishop Jacob was the Presiding Bishop at the great service of Inauguration and Consecration of the new Bishops which took place in St. George's Cathedral, Madras. Bishop travelled extensively and it has been said that he put Travancore on the map of the world. Owing to his many absence from the diocese, he appointed the Rev. M. J. Chandy as his permanent commissary.

Bishop was keen on higher training and securing wider experience for his clergy. In spite of a continual clergy shortage, he sent pastors to minister Malayalees in Calcutta, Bombay, Madras, Bangalore and Singapore. In 1948 the newly - built Mothers' Union House, St. Monicas at Kanakkary was dedicated, together with a Girl's Guild Section.

In September, 1949, the Third Jublilee of the C.M.S. was celebrated in Kottayam. At that time the Youth Conference of the Central Travancore Diocese pledged itself to try to show its gratitude to God by committal to the same glorious evangelistic task to which the Society had been committed for the last 150 years. A Womens' Missionary Auxiliary(W.M.A)was formed in the diocese in 1950 with the aim of stimulating missionary interest, prayer and witness from our women. On Whitsunday 1952 an Order for Sisters of the C.S.I. was inaugurated in Bangalore. Consequently the Bethel Sisters became members of this Order.

In 1951 the diocese was divided into eight District Councils, with 65 pastorates and 364 stations. Church membership was estimated at 80,000. There were 56 diocesan clergy. 150 primary, 15 middle and 10 high schools were there under the Diocese. Though the financial position of the diocese had improved, it was not yet self-supporting. The 'Home Mission' extended its work in the Eastern Hills, and also along the coastal areas. During this period, there were nine medical mission centres in the diocese.

Under the initiative and able leadership of Bishop Jacob, the Third World Conference of Christian Youth was held at Kottayam in 1952. The Rajpramukh (former Maharajah) inaugurated the conference and it was attended by 300 delegates from various countries.

The youth of the diocese sponsored four young people and in 1954, they set out for Nagapur Diocese and established a mission at Patpara. But in due course because of various reasons it was discontinued. The year 1954 witnessed the centenary of the first ingathering in to the church from the backward classes. Sunday School work, always strong in the diocese, had at this time 18,000 scholars, including some non-Christians, in 365 centres with some 1,800 teachers.

Due to ill health, Bishop Jacob resigned in 1957 and in December he was called to his eternal abode. The church mourned at his death, that a great bishop, a true shepherd of his flock, and tributes to his outstanding life and leadership poured in from all over the world. The Rev. M. J. Chandy was appointed as moderator's commissary, and cared for the diocese faithfully till the new bishop was consecrated.

By the middle of 1958, the Rev. M. M. John, (1958-1974) the then vicar of Kanjikuzhi Pastorate, had been selected to the Bishopric. He was already well-known through out the Diocese, and had higher training in Canada. He was to be our first Bishop with in the C.S.I. and the first to be consecrated within the Diocese itself. In July 1960, the Peet Memorial Training College at Mavelikara was inaugurated on the upstairs of the huge old mission Bungalow where the Rev.Joseph Peet had lived and served from 1838 to 1865. In 1964, a second college was started by the Diocese at Mavelikara.

The College is named after Bishop Moore, a true scholar and an educationalist. In the same academic year, a high school was started at Olessa, and permission was obtained to open a high school at South - Puthuppally, a long-felt need of the Southern Pastorates. The following year a Technical Training Institute was started at Muttom, in the Melukavu District.

1966 was the Triple Jubilee year of the start of the work of the CMS in Travancore. The Diocese celebrated the Jubilee in November, 1966 and to commemorate the Jubilee, an annual convention was started at Kottayarn. Notable speakers from all over the world were invited and a large number of people attended the convention. The 10th session of C.S.I Synod which meets in turn in different dioceses, was held at Kottayam during the year. Another event of the Jubilee year had been the Golden Jubilee of the Youth Movement of the diocese, which was started in 1916. About 300 young people with their leaders attended the 50th Annual session of the youth conference in May and public meeting was arranged in the CMS College, Kottayam to mark the occasion. The conference decided to start a Youth Centre at Changanacherry and to send missionaries outside Kerala to work among the people, those who have not yet heard the Gospel.

The Diocese was divided mainly into two Zones-North and South Zones, and placed under two district ministers, Rev. C.I. Mathi and Rev. M.V. George respectively. During this period there were ten district councils, each district council was under the charge of a district chairman, a senior pastor.

It was in 1966, a section of the backward community led by Rev. V. J. Stephen, left the diocese and the C.S.I and formed a new church, known as the Kerala C.M.S. We can note that comparatively only a small section of the backward community had joined the new church, and the majority with ten pastors from the backward community remained loyal to the Diocese and C.S.I. In order to cope with the situation the diocesan executive committee appointed a development officer and an educational director from the backward community.

Assistant Bishop

The diocesan council which was held in October 1966, decided to have an Assistant Bishop, to help the diocesan Bishop in administrative matters, from the backward community. Rev. T.S. Joseph was selected the bishopric and he was consecrated on 1st July, 1967. It was a remarkable event in the history of the diocese, as Bishop Joseph was the first one, who came to this high position of the church from the Dalit community. As a result of his efficient and earnest work, the people who left the diocese and joined in the Kerala CMS came back in large numbers.

Andhra Mission

The diocesan Youth League had selected Mogulappally, a very backward village 14 miles away from Parkal, as their mission field which they named as Andhra Mission. The Rev. P.O. Ninan and his wife were the first missionaries and they went to the mission field in 1967. Today there are six centres with 31 christian villages, two missionary pastors and six church workers. There is one homeo hospital, one tailoring school, one typewriting institute. Here the work is mainly among the higher caste people.

Missionary Conference

District missionary conferences became a regular feature, organized by the district chairman and the missionary. The conference started with a thanksgiving service, then a colourful procession and in the afternoon a public meeting. To a great extent this missionary conferences helped to inspire the missionary spirit of the church and led several to commit themselves for the Christian work.

The Diocese observed the year 1973 as the 'development year' and Mr. K. J. John was appointed as the development officer. The Treasury of knowledge, celebrated its 125th anniversary in 1973, its first edition had come out in 1848. Likewise the youth publication 'Yuvalokam' also celebrated its Silver Jubilee, in the same year.

In May, 1974, Bishop M.M John retired after 16 years of fruitful episcopal ministry. Several educational institutions were started during his period. The Diocese developed and extended its work in various spheres.

He was followed by the Rt. Rev. T. S. Joseph, (1974-1981) the assistant bishop, as the 8th bishop of the Diocese of Madhya Kerala. He was installed in the cathedral on 27^th December, 1974.

Professional Fellowship

A retreat was organised at Buchanan Institution, Pallom for those who were working in various institutions, on 9th August 1975. At the business session of this meeting, it was decided to form the Professional Fellowship and elected Rev. M. C. Mani as its president and M.C. Andrews, secretary. It was also decided to conduct zonal conferences once in three months. Today, it is one of the best organizations in the diocese, having units in almost all the churches. Professional Fellowship is publishing a monthly periodical named 'Atmaya sandesam' in which the articles are mainly contributed by the laity.

Frontier Mission

The Diocese began a frontier mission within the diocese and Rev. K. Michalel John was appointed in charge of the mission. It was a mission work among the people, who were living in the most backward areas. There were eight sisters to assist this mission work. Pallom and Kanakkary were the two centres, they had concentrated for their work. In each area about 1000 families were chosen to assist them in bettering their social, economic and religious life. The sisters used to visit the houses and teach the poor people how to manage their home, children and advise them what are the precautions they have to take to resist various diseases. The workers of the frontier mission also help the poor people to budget their expenditure according to their income and teach them to save a little money for their unforeseen needs.

C.S.I Ascension Sevananilayam

"Ascension Sevananilayam" was started in 1978 near Kottayam Medical College in order to help the patients those who are coming to the Medical College Hospital for treatment. It serves as a true resting place to the sick and the suffering with a pastor always available for their spiritual need. Those from far away places find this institution to be of immense help.

B.J.S.M Hospital

Bishop John Sashtiabda Purthi Memorial Hospital, Kodukulanji was inaugurated on 2^nd April, 1978. It was constructed with the help of the Protestant Central Agency, West Germany and about 54 lakhs of rupees expensed off for the completion of the hospital complex. Though conceived as the nerve centre of the Diocesan Medical activity, it did not come up to expectation. Stiff competition and lack of medical personal were the causes for this as in the case of many other hospitals of the Dioceses.

Uttar Pradesh Mission

In 1980, the diocese celebrated it centenary at Kottayam. One of the notable decisions of the centenary was to open a new mission field in Uttar Pradesh in memory of the Diocesan Centenary and this mission is often known as the centenary mission. Mr.& Mrs. P.N. Ninan were sent as the first missionaries and they started their work at Qazipur in 1982. Today there are 3 missionaries to look after the mission vigorously. A school, a nursery school and a clinic are running in addition to the mission work.

The Rt. Rev. T. S. Joseph retired on 18th January, 1981 after successfully completing his tenure of 7 years as the Assistant Bishop and 6 years as the Bishop of the Diocese. A man of prayer and simplicity he shepherded his flock faithfully. Rt. Rev. M. C. Mani, (1981-1993) became the 9th Bishop of the Diocese and he was consecrated on 8th February, 1981 at Holy Trinity Cathedral, Kottayam.

In order to help the poor and the needy, who came from various castes and subcastes the diocese started the 'Bishop's Discretionary Fund'. In 1981, a School for the partially Hearing was started at Adoor and is one of the pioneer schools in this field. This has developed into a full-fledged school. Another remarkable contribution of this period was the beginning of a Junior college at Melukavu. The College was named after the great missionary Rev. Henry Baker and it was dedicated and formally inaugurated in November, 1981.

Theological Institution

A Theological Institution was started in 1989 at Kottayam, the headquarters of the Diocese for the continuing education of pastors, evangelists and for lay training. The Diocese endeavours to build up a library and also an archives in Kottayam. Moreover, the Diocese constructed a Retreat Centre in 1991, where seminars and workshops for the clergy, evangelists and for the laity are conducted.

Bishop Rt. Rev. M. C. Mani retired on 3rd July, 1993 after 12 years of episcopal ministry and Rev. Sam Mathew was selected for the Bishopric. He was consecrated as the 10^th Bishop Diocese on 1^st September, 1993.

The main intention of this period was a spiritual renewal in the Diocese. Bishop urged his clergy and church workers to make their congregations active and lively. He instigated them to divide the congregation into small prayer groups, each group under the leadership of a lay leader and provided Bible notes to teach in these groups. All the organizations - Women's Fellowship, Youth Movement, Sunday School Union, Professionals' Fellowship and Choristers' Association are very active and vibrant wings of the church.

Renovation of the village churches, mission houses and development of the marginalised communities are to be the priority of the Diocese. Active support and co-operation of the people are needed to take up these issues. A Commission named 'Jerusalem Mission' is instituted to carry out a detailed and comprehensive study of all the churches in the Diocese to identify the needs and potentials. This can be the beginning of the attempt to revive and re-vitalise the church to cater to the needs of the present time.

Through out the diocese, Missionary Festivals are organized in order to inspire the missionary thought of the people. Tens of thousands of people with Bible participated in the rallies organised in the various districts of the Diocese. These Bible Rallies created new enthusiasm among the people and raise new challenges in the christian community. Besides, these district level rallies, where 25 to 50 churches come together for witnessing, bring down the ecumenical activity to the grass root level.

This Indian church looks forward eagerly to a time when the Gospel will bring perfect justice and peace among the people of India, and the whole creation with its fascinating divergencies will be united in the Salvation. It is primarily through the concern for the total humanity that the Church fulfils its mission.

DIOCESE AT A GLANCE
Baptized Christians:	1,50,000
Church Council Districts	11
Pastorates	103
Pastorates outside the Diocese	32
Congregations	382
Pastors	170
Evangelists	140
Hospitals	8
Educational Institutions	141
Colleges	3
Boarding Homes and Day Care Centers	17
Theological Institute	1
Mission fields outside Diocese	4