March 2008

Dearly Beloved in Christ,

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

This month we celebrate the most astounding event in history – the resurrection of Christ from the dead or as we call it Easter.  There would have been no church or the New Testament unless there was a resurrection.  People may ask us what does the resurrection of Christ have to do with it.

Jesus called his disciples to be with him, but the disciples continuously failed to understand as to what it means to be with Christ. 

As his modern disciple, our task is to be with him we are to stand against the forces of sin and evil. Sin is always reflected in broken relationships.  Our greatest practical need today is for a resurrection from those things.  Life is the celebration of relationships. It is the relationships between the created being and our creator God. That is why Jesus told us to go back from the church and reconcile to the brother who has something against you, and then come to worship Him.

According to Mahatma Gandhi, there are seven deadly sins against which we have to guard against.  One of them is “worship  without sacrifice”   What is required of us is “costly discipleship and costly commitment”. To achieve this we need a healthy Christian life. Prayer is essential for a healthy Christian life. We need to set aside specific time to be alone with God, speaking to Him in prayer and listening to Him through the Word.

During these Lent days, let us go grow closer to God and get remission of our sins, and with the celebration of Easter let us start with a new life.

Wish you all a blessed Easter.

Yours in Christ service,

Babu Achen

Rev. P. E. Mathew

Rev. P. E. Mathew (Vicar)

We are blessed to be under the pastoral guidance and leadership of Rev. P. E. Mathew as Vicar of St. Thomas Mar Thoma Church NY. Achen's native place is Kallooppara and Laly Kochmma is from Varikkadu, Tiruvalla. They have one son, Eby, who is finishing his BSc in Mangalore.

Achen and family had been in the Karnataka Missions Field (Hoskote, Mundugod, Sirsi Sankeshwar, Kunta) for several years and then served in Kerala. The last parish they ministered at was in the Sultan Bathery and Nilambur area.

email Rev. P. E. Mathew at
babuachen@yahoo.com 

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 - April 2007