Volume XVII Issue 4 ST THOMAS INDIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH 1009 UNRUH AVE, PHILADELPHIA, PA OUR LORD IS RISEN!

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1 Volume XVII Issue 4 ST THOMAS INDIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH 1009 UNRUH AVE, PHILADELPHIA, PA stthomasunruh@gmail.com I Phone: I Fax: OUR LORD IS RISEN! What s Inside? Vicar s Message - Page 2 Parish News Page 3 Birthdays, Anniversaries & Parish Calendar Page 4 Spiritual Organizations-Page 5 Sunday School News-Page 6 INDEED HE IS RISEN! NEWSLETTER APRIL 2013 APRIL NEWSLETTER

2 His Grace Dr. Mathews Mar Thimotheos A Brief Profile His Grace Dr. Mathews Mar Thimotheos presided over the Holy Week services at the St. Thomas Indian Orthodox Church, Philadelphia. His Grace will also be leading the Feet-Washing Ceremony on Thursday evening. His Grace Mar Thimotheos is a great scholar and leader in the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church. Now as the Metropolitan of the Diocese of UK-Europe- Africa, perhaps the largest geographical area covered by one bishop. The headquarters of the Diocese is set up at Venmony, Kerala with the name Menorah Orthodox Center. He took his B. Sc degree from Bishop Moore College, Mavelikara, G.S.T. from Orthodox Seminary, Kottayam and B.D and M. Th from Serampore College, Calcutta. He took his Licentiate in Sacred Scripture from the Pontifical Biblical Institute, Rome and his doctoral degree from the Pontificia Studiorum Universitas, Rome. He also took a diploma in Biblical Archeology from the Pontifical Institute, Jerusalem. His Grace is a multilingual scholar. Aside from English and Malayalam, he is well versed in Italian, French, German, Aramaic, Greek and Hebrew. His Grace has served in many key positions such as the Joint Secretary of St. Thomas Orthodox Vaidika Sangham Publisher of the Purohithan quarterly, Secretary of the Vattasseril Mar Dionysius Charitable Fund, Dean of Post Graduate Studies-FFRRC, Member of the Board of Studies for Old Testament, Serampore College, Member of the Bible Translation Committee-Bible Society, Kerala, Registrar of Orthodox Theological Seminary, Kottayam. His Grace was the chairman of the Council of Oriental Orthodox Churches in UK. His Grace s priestly ministry is spread over 18 years and has served as Asst. Vicar and Vicar in 8 parishes under the jurisdiction of three dioceses, namely Kollam, Kottayam and Mavelikara. His Grace has published several books including OVBS text books, Teacher s Guide etc and an exegetical study of Psalm 24 which was published in Rome. The Malankara Syrian Christian Association met on 11 Sep 2008 at Pampakuda elected him as the bishop along with six others. On 4 Dec 2008 His Holiness Baselios Marthoma Didymus I professed him as Ramban. On 19 Feb 2009 His Grace was ordained as bishop by H.H. Baselios Marthoma Didymus I, at St. George Orthodox Church, Puthupally. Visions and dreams for the Diocese At present we have UK as a complete regional centre with formation of a regional council and have major presence in the United Kingdom from North to South and in the central part of UK. We have a major say in UK and are active in all ecumenical boards. I was elected Chairman for the Oriental Orthodox Church Council in UK for three-year tenure from The community consists of the Council of Anglican Churches and Council of Catholic Churches. The Bishop of London, Rt Revd and Rt Hon Richard Chartres, awarded me the Order of St Mellitus in recognition of our partnership in the Gospel in July Next, our plan is to target Ireland and efforts are on to create another regional council there since about 200 Orthodox families have made their presence at present. At a later stage, I would like to relate churches in UK to any other diocese in Kerala so that the size of the diocese is reduced and the diocese is easy to manage. This will help develop the Diocese on a autonomous nature and could take take An Interview with H. G. Dr. Mar Thimothios (Published in ICON on Dec 31, 2012) place within a year or so. We will strive to develop such a system and place some promising young priests for ministry work. There are also smaller Orthodox congregations in France, Holland, Belgium and Hungary which we want to target. Also Orthodox congregations both big and small exist in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Dreams, visions of Menorah Orthodox Centre Menorah Indian Orthodox Centre is based at Venmony, Chengannoor. The Centre is primarily striving to promote Orthodox ethos. The centre is presently set up on a one acre plot. Presently we have a Remban and seminary students who are engaged in serious work. The centre conducts yearly youth orientation classes for children from UK who come to Kerala during vacation in January each year. We want to build the infrastructure further and conduct more seminars and conferences. We also conducted blood donation camps and a Pravasi Sangamma for families from the diocese last year. APRIL NEWSLETTER

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4 Vicar s Message May the Risen Lord Bless you all! His Grace Dr. Mar Thimothios I am extremely delighted to have His Grace Dr. Mathews Mar Thimothios in our parish to lead the Holy Week services. His Grace is the Metropolitan of the UK, Europe and Africa Diocese of our Church. We are all proud of the new batch of young and vibrant bishops to lead our Church in different parts of the world in which the greatest geographical area is covered by His Grace Mar Thimothios. His Grace s diocese is a fast growing one. Many untouched small congregations that are in different countries of Africa and Europe are now in the process of being revived. There is a sign of enthusiasm and excitement in many smaller congregations which are composed of our members who are working in those countries. You may find the biographical details of the His Grace elsewhere in this newsletter. It is our prayer and wish that His Grace succeeds in serving the newly constituted diocese. There are several ways we can help His Grace in the ministry: praying for the diocese and its varied activities and helping His Grace with our time and resources. We owe a special thanks to His Grace for sharing the Word of God with us and leading us in worship throughout the Holy Week. It was a huge blessing for all of us. His Grace s scholarship, humility-filled personal touch and affectionate dealing have given a special for His Grace in our hearts. On behalf of our parish I say Thank you Thirumeni for everything! The Lord s Resurrection The Resurrection of our Lord is the foundation of Christian faith. St. Paul says, if Jesus has not resurrected, our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:14. St. Paul was not a believer in the resurrection of the Lord, instead he was avowed to destroy all who follow Christ. He never wanted to believe any words of Jesus as he was a Jewish Pharisee. But he was struck heavily by the Lord on his encounter at the gate of Damascus. Therefore St. Paul s experience with the risen Lord became the reason for his conviction. St. Paul shared that conviction with others. If we believe in the Resurrection, we need to do three things: 1) Take courage to proclaim and share that faith with others. It has become just a matter of hearsay for many of us that the Lord is risen. Someone told me and so I have to believe. We lack the experience of resurrection. In the Early Church not because everyone saw Jesus either live or resurrected that they believed but they trusted the faith handed over to them. Thus as Jesus said, blessed are those who believe without seeing John 20:29. Therefore we must blindly believe the resurrection and share that with others. In the modern century, it is a matter of shame for proclaiming the resurrected Lord because at the point of our proclamation of the faith the listener will ask, is this the way the believers in Christ live? We have no moral courage to answer this question. So we just don t care about telling others that the Lord is risen. We can be missionaries of Christ if we have the true faith in the risen Lord. 2) Practice the message of resurrection that is peace and love. This is crucial. The Early Church again comes as a model for us. They not only told others about the resurrected Lord but proved to others that they are living according to the norms that the Lord taught. Seeing the peaceful and loving life of Christians in the Early Church millions joined the Church. They were not looking for worldly advantages by becoming members of the Christian Church but they were looking for peace, hope, love and joy. The Church offered all these. Today it is a huge challenge for us. Where do we see peace-loving people? Where do we see loving people? If we can be living witnesses of the love of Christ our existence as a Church, has some meaning. 3) Live with the Hope of Resurrection that guarantees victory over death: The greatest fear of a human being is death as we all know. But Jesus made it very clear that death is not a real threat to us because Jesus Christ overcame death and we have been guaranteed victory over death. This was the only factor that produced so many martyrs not suicide killers in the Early Church. The Jewish and Roman communities threatened Christians with death but they were not afraid. They did not deny the faith. This became an important factor that attracted millions to the Church. Emperors and administrators lost their battle against Christians in this matter. Even the mighty Roman Empire was brought down at the feet of Christians for this Reason. Can you say that you are not afraid of death? That is the real test that you really believe in the risen Lord or not. The Lord is Risen! Indeed He is Risen. Lovingly, Fr. M. K. Kuriakose APRIL NEWSLETTER

5 Guest Clergy: H.G. Dr. Yuhannon Mar Meletius (03/17) H.G. Dr. Mathews Mar Timotheos (Holy Week) First Temple Entry: Arya Emma Mathew, Daughter of Dr. Anand Mathew and Dr Dinu Cherian Joseph Varughese Raju, Son of Robin Raju & Joyce Raju New Members: Parish News Rijon Simon and Elizabeth Rijon Wednesday & Thursday Prayer Line Prayer-Line dial-in # Access Code: Please Mathew Samuel, msamue2000@yahoo.com, to add your address for Prayer Line updates. Wednesday 9AM-10AM; Thursday 8PM-9PM Mohan Samuel 01-Apr Ninan C.N. Jose 01-Apr Mariamma Thomas 04-Apr Lajy Raju 04-Apr Lincy Kuncheriah 04-Apr Raju C Samuel 04-Apr Ricky Panicker 06-Apr Nathan George Thomas06-Apr Renju R Padiyara 07-Apr Koshy Daniel 07-Apr Thankachan Samuel 07-Apr Philip T Varghese 08-Apr Lima Arun 09-Apr Manoj Mathew 09-Apr Thomason C. Korah 10-Apr Joel Koshy 10-Apr Leelamma Vaidian 12-Apr Raji Abhilash 12-Apr Ashish Abraham 13-Apr Raju T Chandy 13-Apr Sherry Kurian 14-Apr Babu Varghese 14-Apr Reshma R Padiyara 14-Apr Jacob Chacko 15-Apr Achen Varghese 15-Apr Ansamma Saju Paul 15-Apr Susamma George 16-Apr George Varghese 17-Apr Mathew Philip Varghese17-Apr Thomas Daniel 17-Apr April Birthdays Beena Joseph 18-Apr Jobin K. Abraham 18-Apr Jacob M Zachariah 18-Apr Jeremy B Mukadiyil 18-Apr Jessy Jacob 18-Apr Synu Varghese 18-Apr Suni Brown 19-Apr Bindu Sam 19-Apr Joel Sathees 19-Apr Joshua Koshy 20-Apr Aleyamma Varghese 20-Apr George Eapen 20-Apr Reem Ann Bivin 21-Apr Teena Biju 21-Apr Aleyamma Kuncheriah21-Apr Saramma Varghese 22-Apr Leona Thomas 25-Apr Alice Sathees 25-Apr Jaisy A Thomas 25-Apr Rajani T Rajan 27-Apr Benjamin Jacob Sam 28-Apr Ajila S Koshy 28-Apr Thomas G Kappil 28-Apr Benji Varghese 30-Apr Reuben Jacob Sam 30-Apr Sean P Thomas 30-Apr Rev Dn. Daniel Yohannan30-Apr Mathew Varghese 30-Apr Ajo Raju 30-Apr We wish you all a Happy Birthday! Announcements Please send news, articles and information for May 2013 Newsletter by Sunday, April 21 to the parish secretary or newsletter editor: stthomasiocsecretary@gmail.com, stioc.newsletter@gmail.com. Please contact the parish office for any updates in contact information, addition in the family etc. to be added to the database. Please update your telephone numbers for Message Broadcast. Please visit our Web Site for information on upcoming events. Please collect your payment receipt after Holy Qurbana from the office. Please pay your subscription monthly or quarterly for the smooth running of the Church. Prayer Meetings: Please contact Prayer Meeting Coordinator, Mr. Joseph Vakayil, to schedule a prayer meeting. Prayer meetings may be hosted in your home or in Church. April Wedding Anniversaries Mr & Mrs Raju C Samuel 03-Apr Mr & Mrs Philip George 07-Apr Mr & Mrs Thomas Abraham 10-Apr Mr & Mrs Thomas T Varghese 11-Apr Mr & Mrs John P Eapen 11-Apr Mr & Mrs George Thadathil 17-Apr Mr & Mrs Thomason Challiyil Korah23-Apr Mr & Mrs Biju Varghese 24-Apr Mr & Mrs Mathew George 24-Apr Mr & Mrs Jacob George 26-Apr Mr & Mrs Rebu Roy 26-Apr Mr & Mrs Robin P. Montharayil28-Apr Mr & Mrs Ronnie Cherian 28-Apr Mr & Mrs Biju P. Varghese 29-Apr Mr & Mrs Jose V Abraham 30-Apr Mr & Mrs George Abraham 30-Apr We wish you all a Happy Anniversary! APRIL NEWSLETTER

6 Sunday School News Submitted by Oommen Kappil, Principal (Tel.: , Happy Easter to you! Easter brings great news of hope and renewal of spirits. It s also the time to focus on year-end activities including final exams and competitions. In the era of global competition, the goal of Sunday school competitions is to encourage the students to use their talents. Let them come together and share their talents while praising God. The competitions are all intended to help young people by gaining knowledge, gain confidence, grow closer to God, and to one another. Assigned Competitions Our parish will conduct Assigned Competitions under the guidance and supervision of the Sunday school Principal and teachers. The best two entries in each category will be selected, and the winners from this competition will represent our church at the Area Level. For further details, please contact Liz Pothen, Assigned Competition Coordinator (Tel.: , lizpothen@hotmail.com) Group & Grades Topic Group 1 : Beginner Nursery/ KG (Drawing) Group 2 : Primary Grades 1,2,3(Drawing) Assigned Competition Guidelines The time limit for the competition is 45 minutes. Group 3 : Junior Grades 4,5,6 (Essay) Group 4 : Intermediate Grades 7,8,9 (Essay) Group 5 : Senior Grades 10,11, 12 (Essay) Draw a picture based on the following scripture verse: Then God said, Let there be light ; and there was light. (Genesis 1:3) Draw a picture based on the following scripture verse: So when she opened the ark, she saw the child crying, and the daughter of Pharaoh had compassion on him and said, This is one of the Hebrews children. (Exodus 2:6)Write a short paragraph about your drawing. The book of Daniel, chapter 3, is about the plight of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. How will you handle similar situations in your life? Numerous innocent children lost their lives during the tragic school shooting in Newtown, CT. Why does the innocent suffer? Recent studies have shown there is a decline of religious affiliation among young people in the United States. Among the Orthodox Christians in this country, do you feel that your generation is less or more devout than your parents or grandparents generation? Explain. No notes or other reference materials should be permitted for the essay or drawing competitions. Judging criteria: Drawings Essay Theme Presentation 5 points Introduction 2 points Clarity & Neatness 3 points Content & Grammar 4 points *Write Up 2 points Biblical Reference 2 points Total 10 points Conclusion 2 points Total 10 points *Since there is no write-up for BEGINNER NURSERY/ KG, Theme Presentation and Clarity & Neatness get equal weighting (i.e. 5 points each). APRIL NEWSLETTER

7 Talent Competitions Children can compete either in Malayalam or English (not both) in song, story and Elocution. Time limit: Song and Storytelling: 3 minutes; Elocution: 5 minutes. All students are eligible to compete in team events (Quiz and Group Song) For further details, please contact Suja Abraham, Talent Competitions Coordinator (Tel. : , sujaabe2000@gmail.com) Group & Grades (All Grades as of 1/1/13) Eligible Competition Events Group 1: Grades Pre-K & KG Solo Song Story Telling Group 2: Grades 1 & 2 Solo Song Story Telling Group 3: Grades 3 & 4 Solo Song Story Telling Group 4: Grades 5 & 6 Solo Song Elocution Group 5: Grades 7 & 8 Solo Song Elocution Group 6: Grades 9 & 10 Solo Song Elocution Group 7: Grades 11 & 12 Solo Song Elocution Elocution Topics 2013 Group & Grades Group 4: Grades 5 & 6 Group 5: Grades 7 & 8 Group 6: Grades 9 & 10 Group 7: Grades 11 & 12 Elocution Topics 1. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? You are not your own. (1 Corinthians 6:19) 2. Describe the importance of prayer in the life of an Orthodox Christian. 1. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. (1 Corinthians 13:1) 2. Describe the importance of Scripture in the life of an Orthodox Christian. 1. Let every man be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger, (James 1:19) 2. How does the Tradition of the Church preserve the Orthodox Faith? 1. Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return; the LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. (Job 1:21) 2. What is the importance of the Holy Trinity within Christian Orthodoxy? Bible Quiz Reference for Bible Quiz: (RSV Bible Version) 1. Ezra 2. Job 3. Gospel of St. John Middle School Fellowship (CAYA) The Middle School Fellowship had its Middle School in Action meeting on Saturday, March 16th, from 3:30-5:30. They learned the importance of helping the community during the Lenten season. They participated in a service project in which they made 15 care packages for charity. These packages included food, water, and toiletries. The project was a success, and hopefully the ministry will be able to do another service project shortly. All middle schoolers not involved in the ministry are encouraged to join! APRIL NEWSLETTER

8 News from Spiritual Organizations Martha Mariam Samajam (MMS): MMS meets alternate Sundays at the church auditorium after Holy Communion for prayer, Bible Study, learning songs and more. For more details of their activities please contact Secretary Saji Philip for more details. Women s Fellowship: Women s Fellowship meets on a regular basis for prayer and meditation. Contact Mrs. Bessie Mathew (bessie334@yahoo.com) for more details.. MGOCSM: Our young men and women who are in high school and college have been engaged in Apostolic Bible Study, thoughtprovoking discussions and relevant group projects. For more information, contact Secretary Mr. Alvin Panicker (rmsalvin@gmail.com) for more details. Middle School Fellowship (CAYA): CAYA (Come As You Are) is geared towards middle school students! All middle school children (children in grades 6, 7, or 8) are welcome and encouraged to attend this Middle School Fellowship, or CAYA. This ministry is unique, because it allows the children to provide feedback and ideas, which encourages them to take an active role in the church. Please contact our Vicar, Asst. Vicar or coordinator Ms. Meenu Mathews (meenuamathews@yahoo.com) for more details. Discipleship Ministry: Over the past month and a half a select group of young men have been fully engaged in learning the essential of becoming a disciple for Christ. We are proud of the young men who have dedicated their time for this ministry. Please contact our Assistant Vicar for more details. Couples Fellowship: This fairly new ministry in our parish has been explained in detail in the previous edition of this newsletter, that is, it's formation and structure. More of our men must contribute their time for this ministry. Please contact Mr. Jacob Chacko (Reji) and Mrs.Susan John Varghese for more details. OCYM: During the past month OCYM has been examining the Malankara Orthodox church and its apostolic roots. Please contact Secretary Mr. Paul John (pjohn_19446@yahoo.com) for more information. Men s Forum: Men s Forum fellowship is going very strongly in our Church. The format of this session includes prayer, songs, bible reading, teaching followed by discussions. For more information please contact Mr. Thomaskutty Varghese (thomaskuttyv62@yahoo.com) for more details. FOCUS: FOCUS, Fellowship of Orthodox Christians in the United States is an organization intended for young adults, married and single, post-graduate students and professionals, from the ages of 23 and up. Contact our Assistant Vicar for more details. From Secretary s Desk Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Jesus Christ is risen! He is risen indeed-easter! Easter. The resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the lynchpin of our Christian faith. Without the resurrection Jesus is just one of many great teaching rabbis. But his resurrection changed everything. The well-known Christian hymn, "Because He Lives," says it all. "Because he lives I can face tomorrow; because he lives all fear is gone!" Because he rose from the dead, you, I, and all who call upon his name for the forgiveness of our sin know for a fact that Jesus has secured a place for us in heaven. We no longer need fear the great enemy of us all, death. Jesus gives us forgiveness for our past and future, strength for today, and hope for tomorrow. Easter is the one event that can impact everyone, everywhere. No matter what our background is and no matter what state we find ourselves in at this very moment, the Easter message comes to us filled with hope. And if there is one thing that everyone needs, it is hope. May God bless you all abundantly. Along with the Managing Committee and Board of Trustees me and my family wish you all a Very Happy Easter. With Lots of Love and prayers, Secretary, Philip Varghese APRIL NEWSLETTER

9 Sunday School Calendar Event Date Contact Comments Area Teachers Meeting, TTC Coaching Saturday, April 6 Santhosh Baby St. Gregorios Church Assigned Competition Sunday, May 5* Liz Pothen Parish Level Assigned Competition Sunday, May 12 Liz Pothen Area Level, St Mary's Devereux Bible Quiz Sunday, May 19* Suja Abraham Parish-level Area Picnic Saturday, June 8 Renju Padiyara Area-level Centralized Exam 12 th Grade Sunday, June 2 Jessie Jacob St. John's Church Felicitation of Graduates Sunday, June 15 * Santhosh Baby Parish-level Centralized Exam- Grades 5, 8, 10 & TTC Exam Sunday, June 30 Class Teachers St. Mary's Cathedral OVBS Aug 1, 2, 3 Jenni Raj Location: Our Church Field Trip Monday, Sept 2 Santhosh Baby Area-level,Northeast Adult Daycare Talent Competition Saturday, Sept. 14 Suja Abraham Parish Level Talent Competition Saturday, Sept. 28 Suja Abraham Area Level, St. John's Church Talent Competition Saturday, Oct. 12 Suja Abraham Diocesan Level, NY/NJ Area *Tentative dates only Parish Calendar Date Event/Time Location Time June 15 MMS Diocesan level Couples Forum Church TBA July Family & Youth Conference NY OCYM Calendar April 14, 2013, 4:00 PM Bowling Event April 21, 2013 (Tentative) CPR Class and Certification May 19, 2013 Bake Sale June 08, 2013 One Day Trip to Poconos June 30, 2013 Summer Bar-B-Q September 7, 2013 (Tentative) Fishing Trip 2013 Family & Youth Conference Dates: July 10 to July 13, 2013 Location: Honor's Haven Resort and Spa 1195 Arrowhead Road Ellenville, NY Theme: "Offer ourselves as a living sacrifice" (Romans 12:1) Speakers: Rev. Fr. Dr. Baby Varghese Professor, Orthodox Theological Seminary, Kottayam Please remember to collect the Parish Souvenir from asst. secretary Mrs. Raji John as soon as possible. Rev. Fr. John Parker For more information, please familyandyouthconference@gmail.com. APRIL NEWSLETTER