Our Story
For very long, nobody thought of the length of the existence of our church. And for the same reason there were no celebration of Anniversaries. It was a chance remark at one of the meetings of the Pastorate committee which prompted a few of the elders to do a little research and then they realised that the Church was already 60 years’ old
It is a fact that there is no recorded evidence to indicate the date of the origin of our Church. Luckily a few old members who were still around threw some light on how the Church came into existence.
In the twenties and thirties, people who came to Bombay in search of a living were soon taken care of by their friends and relatives who had somehow settled down themselves, in midtown areas. In those days’, no one thought of living in faraway suburbs. Thus, in the early thirties, a few Christian families who hailed from Malabar had settled down in areas close to Grant Road railway station. As they were all brought up in the tradition of erstwhile Basel Evangelical Mission Church did not feel quite at home at any of the Anglican churches in the locality. So, from the beginning of 1931, two families, seven members in all used to hold regular cottage prayer meetings at Abdulla Building Chikalwady, Grant Road. But the yearning to have a Church of their own lingered in their minds
This small group of people started making efforts in organising a Church and in the process approached the authorities of the then Methodist Church in Southern Asia. It was on Easter day of 1932 that they were granted permission to hold regular worship in the Centenary Methodist Church at Grant Road. Eventually the Bombay Annual Conference of the Methodist Church in Southern Asia received them as members of the Methodist Church which gave freedom to follow the Liturgy of Order of Worship they have been accustomed to. It was thus that the Bombay Methodist Malayalam Church was born.
The worship services used to be conducted by some of the members in turn. Sometime in 1936 the services of a Pastor, Rev Lazarus were made available by the Bishop of the Methodist Church. During his tenure lasting up to 1944 the membership grew to 50 and pastoral visits and cottage prayer meetings became regular features. The void created by the departure of Rev Lazarus was partly filled by Mr. J T Menzel who had by then become a member.
The year 1945 was an important milestone in the history of the church. At the behest of our Church Committee the Bishop wrote to the authorities of the Church in Malabar requesting them to spare the services of a pastor. The name of Rev M L Bethel who was about to retire from home church after completing his deputation to the Indian army as Chaplin was indicated. Rev Bethel despite being in advanced age was an energetic person and a veteran in the real sense. Although he could not be provided with any quarters and had to be put up with one of the members, he set about the task of leading the people in various walks of life to the Church at Grant Road. By then the membership of the church had risen to around 250 including children. It was only in 1946 that Rev Bethel could be provided with the Parsonage. By then his wife Sundri akka joined him after retirement as a teacher. Mrs. Bethel was an accomplished singer and soon picked up the position as a church organist and Sunday school superintendent
Rev Bethel was not contended with shepherding the Grant Road Church. He was looking for fresh pastures and in doing so became the pastor of the Methodist Malayalam church at Ambernath. His leadership was noticed by the church authorities who gave added responsibility of the Conference Treasurer. He died on 14th May 1955 after serving Methodist Church for 10 years, during which period of his able stewardship Malayalam congregation was able to contribute in a substantial way to the growth of the Methodist Youth Fellowship in the Bombay-Poona District
The passing away of Rev Bethel was a terrible blow to the infant church and people wondered as to what would happen to this Church. In response to the appeal by our Bishop to his counterpart in the Diocese of North Kerala the name of Rev M J Poyyail was proposed. He was young and just married and the couple arrived in Bombay on 31st July 1955. For the rather inexperienced Pastor it was an uphill task to fill the void created by the exit of his illustrates predecessor as the two were so different in every respect. He had to meet the high expectations of the congregation and to keep some of the senior members in good humour. By human standards there was little chance for a person of Rev Poyyails’s nature -quiet, shy and retiring -to succeed in his mission. But God had ordained that this young and inexperienced pastor was the right choice for the Church at that particular state of its growth and it was proved beyond doubt, as Rev Poyyail served the Malayalam congregation in Bombay and Ambarnath for 30 long years as Pastor and later on as District Superintendent. As a fitting tribute to his integrity, devotion and dedication he was selected to the post of a Conference Treasurer in 1966. The availability of the services of the late Rev J T Menzel who had been made a Deacon by then was a great relief to Rev Poyyail whose responsibilities were ever increasing day by day. By virtue of his election as Treasurer, Rev Poyyail had to take charge of the Office of the Central Accountant. He served in both these capacities with distinction till his retirement in 1987. Rev Poyyail is a true servant of the Lord and he could justifiably say with St Paul in Philippines 4: 13 “I can do everything through him who gives me the strength”. In his ministry also his wife played a useful supporting role in running the Sunday school and organising the choir. She has also been blessed by the Lord in her teaching career by elevating her to the post of the Principal of Bombay’s prestigious Queen Mary school. Quiet, efficiency is the hallmark of this blessed couple.
As we reached the 80’s the third generation have started taking positions in the congregation and with efflux of population and the newly developed colonies of expanding suburbs the outreach of the church also increased. With Rev Poyyail‘s greater involvement with the administrative work of the Methodist Church of India it was found necessary to appoint an assistant pastor to share increasing pastoral responsibilities and also with a view to facilitating smooth succession in case he decided to relinquish his pastoral duties. As Rev Poyyail was been paid a renumeration for holding the post of Central Accountant, the Church could think of diverting his pay for appointing an Assistant Pastor. But finding a suitable person proved to be a difficult proposition. During this period the church witnessed a sad spectacle of not less than 3 young men joining the service of our church and leaving it after a brief stay. The persons who served the Church during this period was Mr. George Satyanathan, Rev Justin Charles and Rev Fredrick Valsalan. Whether anyone served for years or for a short period is our duty to recollect at this juncture their services to the congregation with gratitude.
While Rev Valsalan was the Pastor, an important event that took place was shifting the venue of our place of worship from the Centenary Methodist building, Grant Road to Rahator Memorial Methodist Church building at Parel on 30th December 1979. Providing the furniture and fittings for the new Church located in the second floor, known as East Ohio Conference Hall, meant investment of a high order which was contributed by our members ungrudgingly.
After Rev Valsalan left the service of our Church in 1981 to join the Theological Seminary at Bangalore for further studies we were again in search of a new pastor. So in September 1982 when Rev Jacob Philip accepted an offer of appointment we thought the Lord had heard our prayers. And indeed, the Lord had heard our prayers and responded in a magnificent way. Rev Jacob Philip and his family were with us for over 25 years and they were a really beloved lot. Rev Jacob assumed full charge of the church on the Republic day 1986 and under his stewardship the church had witnessed a significant increase in membership which now stands at over 200 including children. Through his indefatigable energy and fertile imagination and soul -stirring sermons he has been instrumental in bringing about change in the perception of the church in the mind of the average member.
It is indeed a venture of faith how from small beginning the Church has grown into is present size. It is true of that over the years the Church has grown in membership and in terms of material wellbeing. When we celebrate an important event like Diamond Jubilee of our Church while we may be suddenly filled with the spirit of gratitude to the Almighty, it is essential that every member of this wonderful family of God’s children bow their heads in humility and search the heart whether individually and as a Church we have fulfilled God’s plan for us in this bustling metropolis, it is then that we realise that we have miles to go and vast unfinished task to perform. May the Good Lord lead us in our onward March singing as we go along “Onward Christian soldiers marching as to war,…
Looking unto Jesus, who is gone before…….
Over the years the Methodist Malayalam Church; Mumbai has continued to serve the spiritual needs as well as share the joys and sorrows of a closely-knit community. The Choir, the Sunday school, the MYF and WSCS have all contributed in adding colour to the various activities of the Church. As the members are moving into the far-flung suburbs of the metropolis attending the Church services and participating in the various activities are becoming increasingly difficult especially for the aged and infirm. The moving spirit behind all these activities was our beloved Pastor, Rev Jacob Philip. Having joined the Church in September 1982, Rev Jacob completed 25 years of service in 2007 and he and Mrs. Ancy Jacob celebrated their silver wedding jubilee in 2006. The aging factor applied to the Pastor also, but he kept going tirelessly with the help of the members whose occasional note of sincere thanks, a word of honest recognition and a thoughtful deed of love helped him to keep his spirit high. He retired in 2012 and was succeeded by Rev.Vinod Sarasam, a young pastor who has given pastoral care to our Church for the last 7 years. He has proceeded to Netherlands for 3 years to pursue higher studies.
Soon, in course of time, twelve years hence, our Church will be celebrating its centenary. People would say that the Church Is 100 years old. But unless its members worship, evangelize, learn and love it cannot be effective in the community.
“Churches grow when people pray
And pastors preach the Word,
When love for Christ sends out the call
To those who have not heard.”
– D. De Haan
Let it not be said of our Church as in the case of the Church in Laodicea, Rev 3:15-16 . —”I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot, I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm — neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”
God has given to each one of us certain talents or gifts. It Is our duty to discover these special traits and offer them back to God and build up His Church by doing the right job. In Paul’s first letter to Corinthians, he likened the parts of our physical body to individuals in the Church, the body of Christ. Each part has its use and unless all parts use the body cannot function effectively. The eye cannot say to the hand, “1 don’t need you.” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you”. (1 Cor. 12:21) Thus, we should discover ourselves humbly submit ourselves to the will of God and work in co-operation with each other and not in competition. In this way, we can look forward to a vibrant Church as we march towards the next jubilee.