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October 2006 Dearly Beloved in Christ,
Greetings to you in the precious name of our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ. As we worship in our churches today, we utter very
precious words. Through our singing
and praying, our confessions, and creeds, we proclaim our penitence, beliefs and then pledge our love and
loyalty to our eternal God. Some of
the most precious and significant words of the bible are words of pledges and
promises. These come from the lips of
those who have committed their lives to God and to Christ. “As for me and my house, we will serve the
Lord,” promised Joshua 24:15. “Here I
am! Send me,” exclaimed Isaiah 6:8. “I
will lay down my life for you,” proclaimed Peter in John 13:37. However the fact of the matter is, that words alone do
not constitute a commitment. There is a distinct precariousness in making
such verbal commitments. We know this
well by our many innumerable failures to follow through on our
commitments. We fail by not being able
to translate our commitments into obedient activities in our daily
lives. Peter did not follow through on
his heroic commitment. Only after
Christ’s resurrection was he restored to a loving and obedient relationship
with his savior. Not only is it
precarious to make verbal commitments, but there is the privilege of
repentance and restoration when we fail to follow through with these
commitments. Therefore, commitments
should not be made unless we are truly sincere. Even when we renege in our promises to
follow Christ, he never ceases to reach out to us seeking always to restore
us to a loving and obedient relationship with him. May the almighty Lord help us to lead an authentic
Christian life. Let us always be happy with the Lord. Yours in Christ’s Love Jojan Achen |
We are blessed to be
under the pastoral guidance and leadership of Rev. Jojan Mathew John as Vicar
of St. Thomas Mar Thoma Church NY. Achen's mother
parish in Rev. Jojan M.
John was ordained as a priest in the Jojan Achen was the convener for Land for Landless project and council member of the Trivadram Quilon Diocese. He served also as the president of the 35th Western India Youth Conference in 2001, Mumbai. In his many roles Achen has served very well as an administrator, organizer, and is also a talented singer. Achen's wife is Mrs. Susan
Mathews John BSc, BEd,
and children, Vishakh
Jojan Achen's
Address in Varikkamakkal House Chumathra P.O. Kuttapuzha, Thiruvalla 689103 Phone: 0469-2601424
email Jojan Achen at |
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Vicars of the Past
Quarter Century |
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Rev. Oommen Koruthu |
(Student Achen
later elevated as |
May 1975 — Aug. 1975 |
Rev. K. S. Mathew |
(Student Achen) |
Sept. 1975 – Sept. 1977 |
Rev. Thomas P. George |
(Student Achen) |
Sept. 1977 – Aug. 1979 |
(Late) Rev. M. V. Benjamin |
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Sept. 1979 – May 1981 |
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(Late)
Rev. M. V. Benjamin |
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Oct. 1980 - Jan. 1981 |
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Vicar |
Jan. 1981 - May 1981 |
(Late) Rev. K. J. Philip |
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Oct. 1980 - Jan. 1981 |
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Associate Vicar |
Jan. 1981 - Aug. 1981 |
Rev. N. M. Cherian |
Vicar of
all Mar Thoma Congregations in |
May 1981 - June 1983 |
Rev. Dr. T. Jacob Thomas |
(Student Achen) |
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Assistant Vicar |
July 1981 - May 1983 |
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Vicar |
June 1983 - Mar. 1985 |
Rev. George Varghese |
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Mar. 1985 - April 1989 |
Rev. Johnson Varghese |
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June 1989 - May 1992 |
Rev. Dr. T. P. Abraham |
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June 1992 - May 1995 |
Rev. P. M. Thomas |
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May 1995 - April 1999 |
Rev. K. Y. Jacob |
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May 1999 - June 1999 |
Rev. Thomas P. Chandy |
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June 1999 – May 2002 |
Rev. Dr. K. A. Abraham |
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May 2002 - August 2004 |
Rev. Jojan Mathews John |
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May 2004 - Present |