November 2006

Dearly Beloved in Christ,

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

This is a story about a priest who made it a practice to address the children in his congregation on some special topic, along with his regular Sunday morning sermon. There was a good attendance of children at the morning hour of worship, so the priest always gave special preparation to his topic for the children.

Each week he would encourage the children to answer his questions and interject with their own thoughts. One morning he presented the subject of making a budget. His theme was on the careful handling of money. To help develop this theme he had a dollar in change. He counted out the dollar before the children and then raised the question: “Suppose a dollar were given to you each week by your parents as your allowance, and you could have no more; how would you use it?” There was silence for a moment and then children one by one began to give their suggestions. One thought some of the dollar could be spent on pencils and paper for school. Others interjected with amounts for candy, pop, and ice cream. One boy contributed the idea of saving some of the dollar through the local grade school savings plan. By this time the entire dollar was used up, so the priest then raised three questions:
Where does the Church come in?
What have we left for Sunday school?
How does God figure into our budget?

After a short silence, one boy spoke up. “We started wrong,” he said. “Lets give God a dime first and then spend the rest.” So a dime was budgeted for God and the remaining 90 cents was spent with the greatest enthusiasm, and no small amount of wisdom.

This story is a good example to follow for our own budgeting. Why leave God until the end? Why not put God first in appreciation for His generosity to us? Then, we can budget the rest with great enthusiasm.

Use your talents. If you think you are a nobody, you are wrong. In the economy of God, nature’s nobodies are some bodies.

So to sum it all up, giving a little extra can mount up to a great blessing to everyone.

Lets us always be happy with the Lord

Yours in Christ’s Love,

Jojan Achen

Rev. Jojan Mathews John (Vicar)

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 India is Kuttapuzha Varicadu Sehion Mar Thoma Church located inThiruvalla. Achen attended college at Mar Thoma College, Thiruvalla; completed his M. Phil. from Bombay and received a Bachelors in Divinity from Mar Thoma Theological Seminary, Kottayam.

Rev. Jojan M. John was ordained as a priest in the Mar Thoma Church on July 6, 1994 and has served as Vicar previously at Trivandram Quillon Diocese (Kovilloor , Mezhacodu, Melpalai and Kuttamala[Kulasekharam Center] ) for five years and Mar Thoma Church Thane, Mumbai for five years.

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 John Mathews, age 5, and Vrindha Chinnu Mathews, age 2. Achen's father, Rev. V. K. John, is a senior priest of the Mar Thoma Church.

Jojan Achen's Address in India is:

Varikkamakkal House

Chumathra P.O.

Kuttapuzha, Thiruvalla 689103

Phone: 0469-2601424

email Jojan Achen at
revjmj@yahoo.co.in 

Vicars of the Past Quarter Century
(including Vicars of the Mar Thoma Congregation of Greater New York)

Mar Thoma Congregation of Greater New York

Rev. Oommen Koruthu

(Student Achen later elevated as 
Bishop Zacharias Mar Theophilus)

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  

Sept. 1979 – May 1981

St. Thomas Mar Thoma Church, New York

(Late) Rev. M. V. Benjamin

Co-Chairman Ad-hoc Committee Church in formation   

Oct. 1980 - Jan. 1981

Vicar                                     

 Jan. 1981 - May 1981

(Late) Rev. K. J. Philip

Co-Chairman  Ad-hoc Committee Church in formation

 Oct. 1980 - Jan. 1981

Associate Vicar                    

Jan. 1981 - Aug. 1981

Rev. N. M. Cherian

Vicar of all Mar  Thoma Congregations in New York

May 1981 - June 1983

Rev. Dr. T. Jacob Thomas    

(Student Achen)

Assistant Vicar

July 1981 - May 1983

Vicar   

June 1983 - Mar. 1985

Rev. George Varghese

Mar. 1985 - April 1989

Rev. Johnson Varghese      

June 1989 - May 1992

Rev. Dr. T. P. Abraham  

June 1992 - May 1995

Rev. P. M.  Thomas

May 1995 - April 1999

Rev. K. Y. Jacob         

May 1999 - June 1999

Rev. Thomas P. Chandy   

June 1999 – May 2002

Rev. Dr. K. A. Abraham     

May 2002 - August 2004

Rev. Jojan Mathews John

May 2004 - Present