ST. THOMAS EVANGELICAL CHURCH OF INDIA

KUWAIT PARISH

 40^TH ANNIVERSARY GET-TOGETHER

 “And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness…” Deut. 8:2

The 40^th Anniversary Celebration of our Parish was held blessedly on Friday, 3^rd November 2006 in the United Indian School Auditorium, Abbassiya, Kuwait.  Our beloved Bishop Rt. Rev. Dr. M. K. Koshy, the Bishop of Bahya Kerala-Bahaya India Diocese and Rev. P. T. Mathew, the vicar of Khanpur Parish, Delhi (who is on a short visit to Gulf parishes at present) were the chief guests in the function.  

From a very simple start till today He let our lamp lit, He held us in His hands in all our ups and downs and we give all the glory and honor and thanks to Him who is seated on the throne and liveth for ever and ever. The first session of the meeting was set apart for thanksgiving.  It started at 9.00 AM with the opening prayer and brief invocation by the Honorable Bishop Dr. M. K. Koshy, followed by Mr. P. T. Samuel leading the session with praise and worship.  The choir, led by the youths, supported the session with spiritual songs and it lasted till breakfast at 9.45 AM

 The second and main session led by Mr. M. Jacob started at 10.30 AM.  After the opening prayer and hymn, the Vice President of the Parish Mr. T. M. Mathews welcomed the audience and distinguished guests.  Then the Honorable Bishop blessed the function with a spirit filled message referring to the Holy Scriptures from Haggai 1:8.  It focused on the participation of every believer in building the church and on the dangers of ignoring the call for it by going after one’s own interests. The message was very inspiring and relevant to the occasion.  After the message, Mr. T. John Mathew, one of the founder members of the parish, took the audience back to the initial days of the parish by briefing the main events and history in a flash back.

It was then time for felicitations; Mr. K. P. Koshy, Mr. Denny N. Mathai, Mr. Sijumon Abraham, Mrs. Susan Jacob and Mr. Laji M. Cherian joined the felicitations.  This session also witnessed two other important events: the Dedication of the Parish Website (www.stecikuwait.org) by the respected Bishop and the release of the Parish Directory by Mr. K. P. Koshy by handing over a copy to Mr. Denny N. Mathai.  

There was also a group song led by the children during this session.  The meeting took a break at 1.00 PM for lunch. The food-arrangement for Lunch was in Kerala style and was an enjoyable time for all those participated.  The third and final session of the meeting commenced at 2.00 PM led by Mr. M. Thomas John. This session included a Bible Quiz competition and a group song by the Savinee Samjam. Following these events, Rev. P. T. Mathew delivered the concluding message based on the verse from 1 Peter 2:5.

In his message, Achen stressed on the uniqueness of living stones, the believers that are used to build the church, a meaningful call for real Christian love and fellowship.  Mr. John Thomas presented the next event of honoring the elders, in which he refreshed the memories of the many forerunners of the parish and their services.

Mr. M. Jacob and Mr. T. John Mathew, the only two founder members still in Kuwait, were honored in the function.  The honorable Bishop awarded them with mementoes on behalf of the parish, in appreciation of their services for the last 40 years.  Prizes were distributed for the winners of the quiz competition.  After vote of thanks by Mr. A. G. Cherian, the Parish Secretary, congregation sang the hymn “Athmavam vazhikatti” as commitment, Mr. Samuel Abraham prayed and with benediction of the bishop it curtained the moments of a loving fellowship by 4.00 PM.