A Study on Trichy - Tanjore Diocese of Church of South India

and It's Contribution to The Tamil Society (1947-1998 C.E)

Thesis Submitted to the

Bharathidasan University, Trichirappalli

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
IN HISTORY

by
Femila. A
(Ref.No. No:45820/Ph.D2/History/Full-Time/January-14)

Department of History
A. Veeriya Vandayar Memorial Sri Pushpam College [Autonomous]
Poondi, Thanjavur
Tamilnadu

JANUARY - 2017
Dr. V.Ravichandran, Ph.D.,
Associate Professor of History,
A. Veeriya Vandayar Memorial Sri Pushpam College [Autonomous]
Poondi 613 503 Thanjavur Dt. Tamilnadu. India

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the thesis entitled A Study on Trichy-Tanjore

Diocese of Church of South India and its Contribution to The Tamil

Society (1947-1998 C.E) submitted by Mrs. Femila. A, Full time research

scholar, Department of History, A. Veeriya Vandayar Memorial Sri Pushpam

College [Autonomous], Poondi, is a bonafide record of Research work done by

her under my supervision, as a Full time Research scholar and that the thesis

has not previously formed the basis for the award of any degree, diploma,

associateship, fellowship or other similar titles. The thesis represents the

independent work on the part of the candidate.

Poondi Research Supervisor

Date
[V.Ravichandran]
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to thank a number of people who have contributed to the

final result in many different ways to commence with I pay my obeisance to

GOD, the almighty.

I sincerely express my gratitude from the core of my heart to my

supervisor, Dr. V.Ravichandran, Associate Professor Department of History,

A.V.V.M.Sri Pushpam College [Autonomous] Poondi, Thanjavur District, His

expertise, invaluable guidance, constant encouragement, understanding,

patience and healthy criticism added considerably to my experience. Without

his continual inspiration, it would have not been possible to complete this study.

I profoundly express my thanks to SRIMAN K.T. VANDAYAR, Secretary

and Correspondent, of A.V.V.M.Sri Pushpam College (Autonomous), Poondi.

and I place on record my sincere thanks to Dr. S.Udyakumar, Principal,

A.V.V.M.Sri Pushpam College [Autonomous], Poondi

I take this opportunity to express my deep sense of gratitude and

respectful regards to Dr. Julius Vijayakumar, Associate Professor of History,

T.B.M.L.College, Porayar who guided me and gave me untiring help during my

study. I could complete this research work with his timely help.

I wish to extend my thanks to the Pastorate Committee Secretary

Mr. B.N.D.Jayakumar, Treasurer Er. P. Jayasingh, the Presbyters, Rev.

David Christadoss and Rev. Sam New begin of St. Peter’s Church.

Thanjavur.
 I gratefully acknowledge the services of the authorities of Tamil Nadu

Archives, Bangalore Archives, TTS- Madurai, Saraswathi Mahal library, Tamil

University library, I wish to thank to Rev.Chandrasekar, former Clerical

Secretary and retired Rev.Rajadurai, former Evangelical secretary of TTD, for

their valuable suggestions that have been very helpful for this study.

I would like to thank Dr.Radhakrishnan, Associate Professor

Department of English, who helped me for correction and gave suggestions to

shape my thesis, and I also thank coordinator and staff members, Department

of History, specially to my friends in History Department Dr.Patthy,

Dr.Malarvizhi, Prof.Thenmozhi, Prof.Pandian, A.V.V.M.Sri Pushpam College

[Autonomous] Poondi, for supporting me during my research period.

I am highly thankful to my husband Mr. Vijay Gilbert, my son Master.

Matthew Gilbert, Mother Mrs.Shanthi Alexander, my father in-law

Mr. P. Gilbert, all my relatives and my friends, for providing me constant

encouragement, divine presence and supporting me spiritually throughout.

Last, but not the least, I gratefully acknowledge, Mr. Kannan, Proprietor

KR Printers for helping in printing and bringing the manuscript into its final

form.

Date : Research Scholar.

[ Femila.A]
 DECLARATION

I hereby declare that the work embodied in this thesis has been originally

carried out by me under the supervision of Dr. V.Ravichandran, Associate

Professor of History, A.Veeriya Vandayar Memorial Sri Pushpam College

[Autonomous], Poondi.

This work has not been submitted either in whole or in part for any other

degree or diploma at any University.

Poondi Research Scholar

Date [ Femila.A ]
 ABBREVIATIONS

AIDS : Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome

A.N.M : Auxiliary Nurse and Midwife.
CASA : Church Auxiliary for Social Action.
C.C.C : Council for Child Care.
C.E. : Christian Endeavour
C.L.S. : Christian Literature Society.
CORPED : Comprehensive Rural Primary School Education
Development Project
C.S.I : Church of South India.
C.S.I Synod : Church of South India Synod
C.S.I.S.E.C : Church of South India Synod Executive Committee
CSITA : Church of South India Trust Association.
C.T.V.T : Council for Technical and Vocational Training.
D.C : Diocesan Council
D.C.C : District Church Council
D.C.C Chairman : District Church Council Chairman.
DRC : Dalit Resource Centre.
HMRC : Home for Mentally Retorted Children.
ITI : Industrial Training Institute
K.N.H : Kindernothilfe
L.M.S : London Missionary Society.
M.M.S : Methodist Missionary Society
N.G.O : Non- governmental Organisation.
N.S.S : National Social Service.
N.M.S : National Missionary Society
R.C : Roman Catholic
R.G.S : Report of General Synod.
R.S.I.P.S : Report of the South Indian Provisional Synod.
Rev. : Reverend
Rt.Rev. : Right Reverend
S.C : Scheduled Caste
S.C.M : Student Christian Movement.
S.P.C.K : Society of Promoting Christian Knowledge
S.P.G. : Society for Propagation of Gospel
S.T : Scheduled Tribe.
T.E.L.C : Tamil Evangelical Lutheran Church.
DC : Diocesan Council.
DCC : District Church Council
T.N.C.C : Tamil Nadu Christian Council
U.P.T : Unpublished Thesis.
VBS : Vocational Bible School
V.T.C : Village Training Centre.
W.C.C : World Council of Churches.
Y.M.C.A : Young Men Christian Association
Y.W.C.A : Young Women Christian Association.
 CONTENTS

CHAPTER DETAILS PAGE

I INTRODUCTION 1 - 25
1.1 Review of Literature
1.2 Methodology
1.3 Limitations of Study
1.4 Objectives
1.5 Thesis Design

II CHURCH OF SOUTH INDIA IN TAMIL NADU- GENESIS 26 - 79

AND GROWTH
2.1 Protestant Mission in Tamil Nadu
2.2 The Structure of the mission
2.3 The beginning of Church union
2.4 The different denominations came into the united Church
2.5 Constitution of Church of South India
2.6 Church of South India Trust Association (CSITA)
2.7 Logo
2.8 Beliefs and practices
2.9 Festivals
2.1 0. Liturgy

III THE STRUCTURE AND ADMINISTRATION SET-UP 80 - 110

3.1. C.S.I. Synod
3.2. Functions of the Moderator
3.3 Organisational and Administrative Structure
3.4. Diocesan Administrative Structure
3.5. General Areas of the Constitution
IV EVANGELISM 111 - 153
4.1 Evangelical work of the early missionaries
4.2. Department of mission and Evangelism in C.S.I

V SOCIAL REACH OF THE DIOCESE 154 - 215

5.1 Hospital Ministry
5.2. The Education System of the Danish –Halle mission
5.3. Introducing modern education
5.4. Education ministry of the diocese
5.6. Other Social services of the diocese

VI CONCLUSION 216 - 226

BIBLIOGRAPHY 227 - 235

APPENDICES

LIST OF PUBLICATIONS
THE STRUCTURE AND ADMINISTRATION SET-UP
 1

CHAPTER – I

INTRODUCTION

The Tamil Society has been greatly influenced by the presence of

Christian Churches in Tamil Nadu. The Church of south India emerged as one

of the leading Churches after the amalgamation of different denominations of

protestant faith in southern part of India. After amalgamation of many protestant

churches, it became the second largest Christian Churches, next to Catholic

Church in India. There are 21 dioceses in Church of south India and one

diocese in Srilanka. Among them, eight diocese have been are functioning in

Tamil Nadu based on the geographical location. One among the diocese is

Trichy-Tanjore diocese of Church of South India.

TRICHY –TANJORE DIOCESE MAP

Trichy-Tanjore Diocese has been playing a vital role in transforming the

life style of the poor and downtrodden people of Trichirapalli, Thanjavur,

Nagapattinam, Karur and some parts of Coimbatore by imparting education,

 2

cater to their medical needs and other social service programmes apart from

teaching the Gospel of Jesus.

Even though, it is a religious institution, its contribution to society based

on their faith in the teachings of Jesus Christ is immense. It is a well known fact

that the early missionaries associated with the origin of this church participated

actively in the Church activities. The prominent European missionaries

Ziegnbalg, Christian Fredrick Schwartz, Danish Missionary Rev,Laurts Peter

HaubroeDr.G.U.Pope, Father.Blake, Rev.G.H.Lamb, and Bishop.Thorpand

many a good Europeans are associated with the history of this diocese .They

are still remembered by the Society for their invaluable service.

While looking back at the work of Christian missionaries catholic and

protestant with different denominational backgrounds and monastic orders over

the past two centuries, and that of the Indian church Diocese over the past fifty

years. Even a casual observer would be impressed the society by the varied

activities in which the missionaries and the churches have been engaged in

Evangelism, planting churches to build a Christian community, production of

Christian literature, the running of missionary auxiliaries of church related

agencies like schools, colleges ,medical mission, industrial missions and

rehabilitation centers and other social programmes that they have undertaken

and keeping their goal as mentioned in their holy book named Bible as follows,

“To break the chains of wickedness and to undo the straps of the

yoke, to set the oppressed free, and to tear off every yoke? Is it not

to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the poor and homeless
 3

in to your house, to cloth the naked when you see him, and to not

ignore your own flesh and blood? Then your light will appear like the

dawn, and your recovery will come quickly. Your righteousness will

go before you, and the lord „s Glory will be your rear guard….” [

Isaiah 58:7 ].

Trichy – Tanjore diocese of church of South India has been engaging in

those lines of work from its inception in the year 1947 in Trichirapalli, Thanjavur,

Karur and some parts of Coimbatore district.

This research work is an attempt to study the contribution made of the

Trichy-Tanjore Dioceses of CSI to the Tamil Society under its jurisdiction in the

field of Evangelism, Education and Social welfare activities.

Review of Literature

For any research study the available literature is essential to have a vivid

picture of the investigation undertaken. It also helps to understand the study

thoroughly. The earlier studies in India and abroad are felt necessary to develop

a good understanding of the present study and to formulate appropriate

research methodology.

An attempt has been made in this chapter to review the literature related

to the study. The researcher has reviewed a large number of books on the

subject concerned and also various studies.

The accumulation of social wisdom is a slow, gradual process. Each

researcher builds on the work others have done and offers his or her findings as
 4

a starting point for new research. Reviewing previous works help us to find out

what has already been studied, the conclusion that were reached and the

remaining unanswered questions.

Many works have been undertaken to study the church history. The

researcher has consulted the following works not only to find the gap in

narrating the church history but also substantiate the research findings in their

studies.

Arthur Jeyakumar (1711) has written a number of works related to the

mission work in India. The following works are some of his contribution that help

the research to study the significance of Tranquebar mission.

He has translated and edited the book written by Ziegenbalg titled

“Malabarian Heathenism” from German language to English. The title of the

book in English version is a “A German Exploration of Indian society”

Ziegenbalg wrote this book in 1711 to help his European contemporaries in

general and the German in particular to know what they did. From this book,

Indians now can know how a German looked at their eighteenth century.

“Maritime India” is the book consisted of three classical studies, “Rival Empires

of Trade in the Orient,(1600-1800)” written by Furbur, “Maritime India in

Seventeenth century” written SinnppahArasarathnam and “The Indian Ocean –

A History of people and the sea” written by Kenneth Mcpherson with an

Introduction given by Sanjay Subaramanniyam, Professor of History, The

Oriental Institute, University of Oxford provides grounding for scholars of India‟s

maritime History.
 5

Alfred J. Shaw, in his study 'Christanity and Social Changes in India',

has analysed the social thoughts and Christian contribution to social changes in

India. He has also explained that the Church is the instrument of socio-

economic changes.

A.Arul Mariyanathan, in his paper which was presented in ICHR

National Seminar, the first two missionaries Bartholmaous Zieganbalg and

Heinrich Plutschau were recruited from the pietistic Francke foundation in Halle,

which became the spiritual domicile while copenhagan became the formal

administrative centre for the mission and also explained about the educational

system of the Danish Halle Mission.

A.J. Appasamy (1891-1975) , Bishop Appasamy, has made unique

contribution to the Indian Church. In his auto biography,”A Bishop's Story”

(1970), he gives much insight into his personality and spirituality. It was the

enlargement of a brief autobiography he wrote in 1964 under the title “My

Theological Quest”. Appasamy is the Indian Christian theologian who identified

himself with the bhakti tradition of India unreservedly. His “Sundar Singh” -

ABiography (1958) brings out how Sundar Singh, though unschooled technically

in theology, was able to influence the minds of Indian Christians and non-

Christians and even Westerners by his life as a bhakta. His appreciation of A.

H. Krishna Pillai (1827-1900), under the title Tamil Christian. The Chronicle of

Bishop's College, Calcutta, 1975, has paid glowing tribute to Appasamy's

venerable memory and appreciated his contribution.

 6

P.A. Augustine, in his study 'Jesus and Christianity in India' described

the necessity of the Indian Christians to engage in some serious reflection. This

study is an overview of the striking impact of Christianity made in 19th Century.

R. Caldwell, in his 'History of Tirunelveli' has described the earliest

inhabitants of Tirunelveli. In part - I, he dealt with the Roman Catholic Mission

and the arrival of Francis Xavier and his work in coastal areas. In Part II, he has

discussed the mission of the Church of England. He has also analysed the poor

conditions of education in Tirunelveli before the arrival of the Christian

missionaries. It is only a partial history of the Society for Propagating the Gospel

[SPG] Mission in Tirunelveli with unpublished records.

V. Chakkarai, P. Chenchiah, and Bishop A. J. Appasamy were

pioneers in redefining the theological conceptions to the present condition of

Tamil Nadu. They devoted their lives to the reinterpretation of Christian faith in

terms .of Indian theology. The review has been done with the first of their major

contributions.

V. Chakkarai lived mostly in the first half of the century, and most of his

writings also appeared during that period, and hence fall outside our purview.

However, The Theology of Chakkarai(CISRS, 1968)by P. T. Thomas has

recalled Chakkarai to the present day symposium on Indian Christian theology.

Born in a non-Brahmin caste, educated in a Scottish Mission School first and

then in the Madras Christian College, Chakkarai was deeply influenced by the

Gospel of Jesus Christ and His Cross. And he accepted Baptism ,he was one of

the founders of the Christo Samaj which worked for the indigenization of the
 7

Indian Church. His stimulating thoughts in Jesus the Avathar(1927) and The

Cross and Indian Thought (1932) and in several articles, especially in the

Christian Patriot, of which he was the proprietor and editor, have promoted

indigenous theology. The central· point of his theology may be represented by

the phrase, Pneumatic Christology; he gives more emphasis to the Christ of

experience and the metaphysical truth of Christ than to the Jesus of history. His

zeal in avoiding Western' and Greek terminology and in interpreting the

Christian faith in Indian terms has been accepted as one of the basic principles

of Indian Christian theology.

P. Chenchiah (1886-1959). Theology of Chenchiah (CISRS, 1969) by

D. A.Thangasamy is a good study of Chenchiah's thought. Besides, ClSRS has

published two articles on Chenchiah's contribution, 'The Significance of

Chenchiah and his Thought (RS, X/3, 1963) and „Chenchiah Understands of

Jesus Christ' (RS, XI/3 1964). Chenchiah's Own works fall outside the period

under review. The focus of Chenchiah‟s theology is the concept of the New

Creation and the New of Man.

“Christianity in India” (1981) a collecting of religions articles written by

28 different authors highlighted the services of the selfless Christian

missionaries, both foreign and India. This book attempted to dispel ignorance

and prejudice of the Christian church in this country. It also revealed that

Christian community had a great influence on Hindus and contributed rich to the

Indian culture. The contribution of Christian Missionaries to south India

 8

particularly to language and literature has outstanding value and historical

significance.

T. Durai Pandi Jebakumar in his study about Tirunelveli Diocese from

1985 to 1998 Mentioned about the role of SPCK Mission, CMS Mission, SPG

Mission and CEMS Mission . He has also discussed the formation of CSI

Diocese, its period of progress and union, The election for all the Diocesan

Office-Bearers are held exactly like the election for the Legislative Assembly,

Many of the Diocesan Development Projects, and Social Organisations

suggested that the Diocese should be encouraged the youth.

George Menachery, in his work on “Lessons for Later Missionary in

India in the Experiences of the Poineering pair, Zieganbalg and Pluetschau

”The eighteenth century ushered in a new era of Evangelization with coming of

protestant missions in the Indian sub-continent, some of the bitter experiences

of the missionaries remind us of the early experiences of Carey in India. This

paper also reveal the indebtedness of Ziegenbalg.

Eva Maria SiepertJohnson,works on his paper “Ziegenbalg‟s

Pastrolwork” tells soul care of missionary. His care for the spiritual life of the

individual shows him as a good pastor. He considered the situation of the

individual, when he fixed the time for baptism .He introduced in Tranquebar

private confession which was still in use in the Lutheran church in Europe but

criticized by some pietists.

 9

Ziegenbalg kept this Lutheran tradition since he wanted to have a close

contact with the individuals to prepare them for Holy Communion. Soul care

included for Ziegenbalg the care for bodily needs. Many of his converts were

poor and some lost their job due to Baptism, but he tried to get a job in

Companies and in Institutions. He revels the pains of converts after baptism.

Eric.W.Gritch,in his paper “Missionaries of Tranquebar” shows the close

contact between the tranqubar churches and Church of England. The Danish

government and England sponsored the Christian mission to India through the

Anglican Society for the promotion of Christian Knowledge.

J.Ferd Fenger written “History of the Tranquebar Mission”(1843)- is the

very important book served as primary document for this work as it is worked

out from the original work. This work was published in Danish and Translated

into English. It has been out of print for several years. It gives deep description

of the works carried out by the missionaries of Tranquebar Mission. In this work,

the author has shown honesty in his account of the failings of the missionaries.

HugldGrafe made an attempt to analyse the “History of Christianity in

India'” and concluded that the introduction of socio-economic change is

possible through Social awareness, Education Upliftment of women and

upliftment of the depressed class.

Among her major findings, the strongest factor instrumental for social

change in Tamil Nadu during 19th and 20th centuries was the development of

education causing not only the rise of new class society, but also lessening the
 10

rigidity of class differences is notable. She also observed that the education to

women brought about more radical change in society than modern education

among men.

C.Ilayaraja, in his paper “Missionary Education and Social Change”,

explained the status of women, and when Tranquebar missionaries landed on

Indian soil. They noted the system and understood that education alone would

bring change.

James Baughan's studies have laid greater emphasis on Danish

Mission. According to him, the Dane came to India and acquired a tiny trade

settlement at Tarangampadi from the Raja of Thanjavur. The King Fredrick

instituted the Danish Royal Mission! A.J. Stuart's study highlights Rhenius work

in Tirunelveli. Rhenius purchased a piece of land from his friend and

philanthropist, Vengu Mudaliar.

He has described in it about Rhenius and his useful societies among the

people, particularly the Dharma Sangam or native philanthropic society for

purchase of land and houses as a refuge for converts who were persecuted.

Several Christian villages sprang up during Rhenius's work in Tirunelveli.

(Reverend Charles TheophilusEwaldRhenius - The Apostle of Tirunelveli (5

November 1790 – 5 June 1838) was a German born missionary of the Church

Mission Society (CMS). He was the first CMS missionary to arrive at India)

James Hough has studied about the” History of Christianity in India”. He

has mentioned about the Society for Promotion of Christian Knowledge (SPCK)
 11

which was the first Protestant Mission that propagated Christianity in Tirunelveli

Diocesan area.'

John C.B. Webster’s “Historiography of Christianity in India” is a

compilation of essays from 1978 to 2011 by john Webster, a dedicated scholar

of Christian history. He narrated different approaches to the study of India‟s

Christian communities. Webster connected Indian Christian history to issues

addressed more widely in the history of modern south Asia, including

nationalism, caste, sub alternism, post modernity and gender. The capacity to

narrate the historiography of Indian Christianity to multiple audiences, the

inclusion of protestant, Roman catholic, and Syrian Christian studies and the

balance of details and broader themes.

John William key’s “Christianity in India” (1859) addresses the 1857

Rebellion and its implications for ties between missionaries and the British Raj.

Previously missionaries had viewed British rule as providentially ordained to

promote the Christianization of India. Kaye uses history to argue for religions

neutrality on the part of the Raj.

John Desrochers has analysed the Education for Social Change in his

work “Education for Social Change centre for social action” consisting of two

parts. The first part of his work deals with the Historic - Structural study of Indian

Education. In this, he has discussed the relationship between Education,

Society and Social Change. The second part suggests the possibilities of

relevant action.
 12

Joseph Abraham, in his book “Fifty years History of the Indian

Missionary Society”, has analysed the various Tirunelveli Diocesan social

welfare Projects.

T.M. Joseph in his research article 'Total Quality Management for

Effective Diocesan Management” has suggested that following measures are

needed for effective functioning of the churches. They are (i) The Diocesan

members must be motivated towards achieving total quality, (ii) The Diocese

must analyse its strength, weaknesses, opportunities for the people and the

threats of the rival groups, (iii) There should be an atmosphere for open

decision-making.

John Piper ,In the book, „„Let the Nations be Glad”, takes a fresh look at

the missions ministry in the 21st century by emphasizing that missions not

necessarily require going across the globe to reach the people because they

may be in one‟s own. It is the individual Christian‟s responsibility to walk with

Christ and gain a heart and passion to reach the lost world around him.

It is by walking with Christ that this passion will develop and not vice

versa. As John Piper expresses in this text, “Missions is not the ultimate goal of

the church-worship. But worship is not only the goal of mission.

P. Kingsley Arasakumar in his study on 'The Social and Cultural Impact

of the Protestant Christian Mission on Tamil Country (AD 1813 - 1912), has

registered his findings that the drastic changes were introduced by the

Protestant Missionaries in the social life of their converts and marked a distinct
 13

and positive changes in their very life style of Tamil people. His other findings

are that the Protestant Missionaries introduced changes in clothing, Food habits

and finally even in their language, the Mission Boarding Schools are the first

place of disseminating the Christian culture and in due course of time the

educated and urban Protestant Christians adopted the western mode of

costume.

A. Madhaviah has studied about the work of Clorinda in Tirunelveli

Diocese for the propagation of Gospel. Clorinda built a prayer house. George

Schurhammer has studied about the missionary work in Tirunelveli region. He

came to the conclusion that the Tirunelveli region became the earliest mission

territory of the Catholic Mission."

Mathai Zachariah (1981) in his book “The Christian presence in India”

discussed the work and witness of the church. The book has two parts namely

the church activities and the nation-problems and the multi-media, votes, the

Christian contribution in the Janata era. Christian action group, Christian

concern for people‟s struggles, women‟s Liberation Christians and adult

education and the national priorities have been highlighted. The book also

described Subir Biswas, the then the vicar of st Paul‟s Cathedral, Calcutta and

president of National Christian council of India as the friend of the poor and

masses and as one who stood against the evils of exploitation and injustice. It is

also explained that he served for the upliftment of the Adivasis, Harijans

castes, landless peasants, urban worker fisherman, share croppers and

rickshaw pullers.
 14

S. Manickam, in his book “Studies of Missionary History Reflections on a

Culture Contract', studied about missionary education and social progress in

India. He has also discussed the socio-economic problems of the people at

grassroots level. His major concern was Slavery and its impact in the socio-

economic history of Tamil Nadu and the Justice is meted out to the people at

the grassroots level. Urban poverty and slum dwelling constitute yet another

sphere upon which more light is to be shed.

Maria Lazar’s article “Chrisitianity at Tranquebar on the Eve of the

arrival of BartholomaeusZiegenbalg (1683-1719) discussed, amply gives an

idea about the origin and the growth of Christian institutions and Christian

Communities in Tranqebar before the arrival of Ziegenbalg.

S.K. Parmar, has presented a paper on 'Indian Church, A Search for Self

Identity'. According to him, the church came into existence by the efforts of

missionaries coming from the western nations who brought along with them

their culture and their understanding of the message of the Gospel. They

analysed and concluded that the church should transplant the native religion

and culture and there by do away with the evils of the existing system namely

the caste system and its exploitation process. They also believed that if

education spreads, people would Know their plight which would inspire them to

come out of the sad pitiable conditions in which they are living.

Paul Abrecht, in his book 'The Churches and Rapid Social Change”

wrote that the positive Christian attitude to rapid economic development is

 15

based on a new awareness of the moral responsibilities of the economic

situation. He concluded in his paper as follows (i) Christians must work for right

use of the World's resources as a part of their glorification of God, (ii) The right

use of the World's resources is the 'good of all men', (iii) There can be no

Christian sanction for any particular rate of economic development and there is

no inherent merit in either a gradual or a revolutionary pace and (iv) Christian

view of man warns him against the illusion that economic development can

provide a solution to man's deepest problems.

Paul S. Kadambavanam has explored the foundation of the Diocese of

Tirunelveli. He has mentioned the unfavorable conditions of travel, worship and

environment for the early missionaries. He remarked that the pioneer catechists

founded many mission stations in Tirunelveli Diocese. James Hough, who

became the Government Chaplain in Tirunelveli in 1816. He had served in

several capacities as a military chaplain, builder of many institutions and

founder of seminaries. Hough cared for the quality of the people in Tirunelveli.

H.R. Pate has mentioned in Tirunelveli District Gazetteer about Christian

Friedric Schwartz's work in Tirunelveli. He has also analysed the history of

Protestant Missionary effort in Tirunelveli during the era of the Poligar Wars.'

Stephen Neile has studied about the Builders of Indian Church. He has

highlighted the role of CMS and SPG. He came to the conclusion that both the

missionaries of CMS and SPG the established churches and schools in the

Tirunelveli District, following the policy that every village in Tirunelveli should

have a Church and every Church should have a School.

 16

P.T. Philip, in his research paper on 'Christian Contribution to Nation

Building', has concluded that the Christianity and education should go hand-in-

hand, Christian Hospitals and Dispensaries are the places where love,

compassion and healings taking place and the Church should help to make

dictionaries, primers' textbooks, Catechism, translations, Bible, Hymn Books,

Moral Science Books, etc., monogamous marriages are to be encouraged by

churches, to use the women talents for the good of the church and Native

missionaries should prove often to the more effective than the foreign

missionaries.

Robert E Coleman wrote a series of books (1993) ,that outline a

practical approach to evangelism and discipleship. The series of books he wrote

are, The Master Plan of Evangelism, The Master Plan for Discipleship, and The

Master‟s Way of Personal Evangelism. Coleman made the basis of his books

the timeless cry of the human soul to have a fellowship with its Creator. People

are certainly seeking some one or something to follow after, the person or thing

they choose to follow is the only variable. The Great Commission is a command

given to believers by God, to fulfill and to apply evangelism and discipleship as

the means in which they follow through on completing that command. While

methods will vary, the priority and aim of evangelism and discipleship is helping

others develop a closer walk with God. In The Master‟s Way of Personal

Evangelism, Coleman examines Christ‟s example to reach people despite

human and environmental limitations. The text offers the example of a small

nucleus of followers to start a congregation with and then growing from that
 17

point. Contrary to today‟s spectacle of mega-churches, the opposite was true for

Christ‟s ministry. Jesus asked of His followers was to have faith and act in

obedience to God‟s will for their individual lives. The paths can be different for

each person, but the direction in which they are moving should be the same.

J. Russel Chandran in his work “Christian Response to the Socio-

Political Reality in India” has mentioned few pre-requisites for a creative and

constructive role of the Church. He insisted the need for the church to rethink

and clarify its self-understanding of itself and its mission, witnessing to the

Gospel of Jesus Christ, play an important role through critical encouragement to

action groups which are helping people in different countries in their struggle for

social, economic and political justice, and make ready its members to be vigilant

about activities, movements, etc., of different groups or government policies and

programmes which are contrary to the objectives of Indian Democracy . He also

stressed that the Church which practices authoritarianism, abuse of money

power, caste, etc. cannot preach democracy for secular politics.

Samuel Jeyakumar, in his work on Dalit Consciousness and Christian

Conversion explains the plight of Dalits and the Nadars in Tamil Nadu in post

decades. He viewed that they were considered degraded and defiling caste

people and they were prevented from entering Hindu temples and using public

wells. Their women were kept half–naked, not allowed to cover the upper

portion of their body. In short, they were dehumanized and deprived of all

human rights. They were primarily landless agricultural laborers suffering at the

hands of their upper–caste landlords. They used to work from dawn to dusk in
 18

the paddy fields, but the wages they received mostly in terms of kind was hardly

sufficient to sustain their livelihood. They were treated as untouchables all over

Tamil Nadu. The author also discusses the social status of the Dalits and their

social aspirations.

Samuel Jeyakumar’s “Renewal of Mission in India”-A Historical

perspective” article explained, how ordinary missionaries perceive the church.

They look at Christian faith as a seed .leaven, Salt and light .The Indian Church

has been growing in leaps and bounds in spite of hardships, persecution and

problems. Yet Indian church continues to need renewal for keep growing. This

involves self examination , processing our difficulties and confessing our hope,

”why renewal of Mission”?

P. Sam Daniel, in his paper on “Protestant Missionary Education in India

and its Impact on the Socio-Economic Development of the Society” gave a

statistics that the number of Christian students studying in the Christian

institutions are only 43.1 per cent in the year 1995 or less at the collegiate level

and is much less in school level though these Christian educational institutions

cater to the needs of the entire society. He also mentioned that the impact of

Protestant Missionary Education is much felt in Tirunelveli (old) and

Kanyakumari districts, particularly among the Nadar Community which was

considered backward.

J.A. Sharrock, in his work “South Indian Mission'” mentioned that

BertholomewZiegenbalg and Henry Pluteschau were the first Protestant

Missionaries who came to India from Germany supported by the king of

 19

Denmark. He vividly described the establishment of Tranquebar mission in

Tamil Nadu

Solomon Duraisamy (1986) in his book “Christianity in India” explains in

detail how Christianity is always a mission to people of the world and

particularly in India. He discussed the origin of Christianity in India and its

expansions during the colonial powers, spread of the Gospel of Christ in pre-

Independent India, the role of Christianity in women empowerment through

education and paved the way for abolishing sati and child – marriage and for

promoting widow‟s remarriage, discussions on conversion, conversion and

Dr.Ambedkar, conversion and freedom of religions Acts and Bills and

Meenakshipuram conversion. He also explained the need of social action,

ecumenical movement and mission to the tribals in India.

P. Surya Prakash, in his 'Church of South India Marches Ahead' has

discussed the activities of CSI Synod. He has discussed about the membership,

congregations, pastors, Lay Workers, number of Dioceses, schools, colleges,

home, special schools and hospitals in the whole CSI.

M.Tajudeen, in his article “The cultural Imperialism of the Danish

Missionaries with reference to Tranquebar”, which was presented in ICHR

National Seminar, Missionaries as culturally imperialistic should not be mistaken

as belittling their grant sacrifices in imparting excellent education to the people

in various countries including in India.

 20

Thomas Edmunds, in his paper,” ziegenbalg‟s Impact on Indian Church

History” explained Bartholmaeous Ziegenbalg „s farsighted activities for nearly

13 years in and around Traquebararea, Tamil Nadu, has so much influenced

the growth of early Tamil Church .His activities had laid solid foundation for

protestant missionary work in India. The Traquebar mission had both

“international and ecumenical foundation.” this paper analyses Ziegenbalg „s

sense of Church History which has lent him proper perspective in all his

activities and to overcome hurdles. And thus, his impact on Indian church

History is assessed.

Titus Varahese (1983), in his book “Glimpses of History of the

Christian Churches in India” Deals with the history of all Christian denomination,

the growth of different churches in relation to one another. The book covers a

period of nineteen centuries and the author presents a fair picture. This book

has twenty five chapters. The main contribution of this book deals with the

church in the field of education and medical mission and with the Christian

impact on the social and political fronts.

F.J. Western has made an analysis of the early history of Tirunelveli

Church. He has discussed about India and the people's status in Tirunelveli,

Roman Catholic Mission, the mass movement work in Tirunelveli, rebuilding of

the Tirunelveli Church and the beginning of the Church Missionary Society in

Tirunelveli. His work was carried up to 1819.

The above mentioned books, research articles written in Journals,

Magazines and souvenirs were reviewed by the scholar and find out that no
 21

work has been undertaken to study the formation of Trichy –Tanjore Diocese

of Church of South India and its Contribution to the Tamil Society. This study

aimed at not only to exploring the situations that rose to form the Trichy-Tanjore

Diocese of Church of South India but also to analyse the characteristic features

of their evangelical and social work and its role in transforming the Tamil society

in the districts of Tamil Nadu under its jurisdiction.

Methodology

Methodology is a technique adopted for an orderly arrangement of fact

and principles. To carry out any type of research, suitable methodology with

specific operation steps are absolutely necessary.

The study employs historical narrative, descriptive and analytical

methodology. The present study depends on primary data collected from the

pastorates of this church in the districts of Nagappattinum, Trichy, Tanjore,

Karur and certain parts of Coimbatore. Baptismal records1, confirmation2

records, Church Fund Records, Minutes of the pastorate committee meetings,

Elders, Women Youth unit meetings and documents related to Accounts played

a vital role as primary sources of this study. The minutes of diocesan level and

1
Baptism- meaning the religious rite of sprinkling water onto a person's forehead or of
immersion in water, symbolizing purification or regeneration and admission to the Christian
Church. In many denominations, baptism is performed on young children and is accompanied
by name-giving.
2
Baptism is the foundation of the Sacrament of initiation and frees one from original sin.
Confirmation is the second Sacrament of initiation and is a ritual that signifies strengthening of
one's faith. Communion is the third and in this Catholics partake the Body and Blood of Christ
to be a part of his sacrifice.
 22

district level board meetings also throw some light as primary sources for this

study. The diaries, letters, memoirs of people (Published and unpublished)

documents, schools and colleges Records and documents served as primary

sources. The books, journals, magazines and newspapers are the secondary

sources for this study.

In this present Research, the descriptive, analytical and interpretative

methodology has been employed

Limitations of Study

The study has been undertaken to analyse the contribution made by the

Trichy –Tanjore diocese of Church of South India alone. Hence, the findings

cannot be generalized to understand the other diocese of Church Of south India

or the church of south India as a whole. As the organization taken for the

research is religious organisation, the secular approach applied to its

functioning may be differently interpreted. One of the Practical limitations for the

researcher is not getting proper financial statement from the Central

administration of this diocese. So it is very difficult for the researcher to analyse

the matter related to financial administration of Trichy –Tanjore Diocese. The

period of Research has been from the formation of Trichy-Tanjore Diocese in

1947 to the tenure of the Bishop Paulraj 1998.

Objectives

 To study the advent of Christianity, particularly Protestant mission in Tamil

Nadu.
 23

 To examine the role of early protestant missionaries in spreading Christianity

in Tamil Nadu.

 To know the circumstances in which the formation of Church of south India

was materialized.

 To study the organization and administrative set up of Trichy-Tanjore

Diocese of Church of south India.

 To examine the steps undertaken by Trichy-Tanjore Diocese of Church of

South India in spreading Christianity in its jurisdiction.

 To assess the working of schools and colleges under its administration in

imparting education to people of Tamil society

 To evaluate their contribution of Trichy-Tanjore Diocese of CSI in the field

of Health and other related activities.

 To analyse the various programmes organized in providing better condition

of life to orphans and aged people of the geographical area under study.

Thesis Design

For the sake of convenience apart from this chapter of Introduction, the

following chapterization has been done.

The second chapter is “Church of South India in Tamil Nadu -Genesis

and growth”, in which the advent of Christianity in India in general and Tamil

Nadu in particular on account of the efforts taken by the European missionaries

has been dealt with. The role of sponsoring agencies from European countries

also been mentioned.

 24

“ The Structure and the Administrative set up of Trichy-Tanjore Diocese

of CSI” is the third chapter which deals with the formation of Trichy-Tanjore

Diocese of Church of South India and the characteristic features of

organizational and administrative set up of this diocese has been analysed. The

co-ordination with the central administration and its role in the central

administration of Church of south India has also been examined.

“Evangelism” is the fourth chapter, in which situation evangelism need to

the Society, and how the evangelism helped to the society to move forward.

Through the evangelism how the Gospel spread over the society. And what are

the social changes happened in the society are also mentioned.

“The Social reach” is the fifth chapter in which all the other activities

including Free boarding for poor, Home for Handicapped and Mentally Retarded

and Aged, to uplift the downtrodden, suppressed, needy and deserving people

of the Tamil society in the area of functioning of Trichy-Tanjore diocese has

been depicted and social reach for spreading Christian faith among Tamil

society by organizing those programmes are also mentioned.

“Its Contribution to Tamil society through Education” in which the role of

missionaries in the earlier stage and the diocese in later period played a vital

role in imparting education to all sections of the Tamil society.

The methodological change in the educational pattern also mentioned in

this chapter. It also analysed the way in which the educational endeavors of this

church paved the way for spreading Christianity among Tamil society.
 25

“Conclusion” is the final chapter in which the findings of this research

work are consolidated and presented and it will be useful for the further

research.
 26

CHAPTER – II

CHURCH OF SOUTH INDIA IN TAMIL NADU- GENESIS AND GROWTH

Thomas Didaemus known as Saint Thomas is believed to have visited

India in two phases. His first mission took him to the Parthian empire in the

Indo-Scythian border province of Kandahar (now in Afghanistan). Christians

believed that king Gundapar who ruled India, allowed Thomas to preach the

gospel in his kingdom.

In India, the history of the Church may be divided into four periods viz.,

the Syrian period, the Roman Catholic period, the Lutheran period and the

Modern period.1 The credit for introducing Christianity into India goes to St.

Thomas, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus Christ. Obeying the last injunction

of his Master, “Go, preach the gospel2 to every creature,”

St. Thomas3 came down to India in the middle of the first century A.D.

Thus Indian Christianity is as ancient as Christianity itself. There are ever so

many traditions revolving round this apostle (messenger) though there is no

historical evidence as such to prove his presence here.

1
V.S. Azariah, Introductory Lessons on India and Missions, CLS, Madras, 1910, p.71.
2
Gospel means Good News. Gospel is the disclosure of Jesus Christ as God‟s son and our
Lord by His Resurrection from the dead. The Holy Bible - St. Paul in Romans 1:4-5
3
According to one version, another apostle Bartholomew accompanied St. Thomas to India.
A.M. Mundadan, History of Christianity in India, vol. I, CHAI, Bangalore, rpt. 1989, p.21.
 27

However, strong traditions, prevailing in the east4 and the west5

corroborate his arrival in our country. Moreover the living tradition of the

community of St. Thomas Christians who are also called Syrian Christians, the

existence of the churches established by him and the folk songs of St. Thomas

Christians bear a strong testimony to his presence and ministry. His preaching

which might have drawn a lot of hostility finally resulted in his martyrdom at

Mylapore, a suburb of the Madras city, around 72 A.D.6

The apostle was contended with the introduction of the „New Religion‟ to

the Syrian Christians and never insisted on the change of their age long

customs and practices. Hence the converts remained attached to their Hindu

way of living.7 This influential community even obtained a political status from

the native ruler in the eighth century A.D.8But a change of fortune took place

with the rise of the Portuguese, a Catholic power of Europe, who succeeded in

placing these Christians under the suzerainty of their religious head the Pope.

However the down fall of the Portuguese to the Dutch placed them under the

Patriarch of Antioch. Nevertheless a large number still clung to Roman

4
According to the eastern tradition St. Thomas came to India by sea and landed at kodungallur
in the Malabar Coast in 52 A.D. and started converting the high caste Hindus there and setup
churches in the Malabar and Coromandel coasts. A. M. Mundadan, Sixteenth century Traditions
of St. Thomas Christians, CHAI, Bangalore, 1970, pp. 83-67.
5
As per the western tradition, following the well established trade routes St. Thomas reached
India and his apostolate is supposed to have begun in the kingdom of an Indo-Parthian ruler
Gondophernus and succeeded in converting him and his family. – E. R. Hambye, “St. Thomas
and India”, The Clergy Monthly, 16(1952), p. 368
6
A.M. Mundaden, History of Christianity in India, Vol. I, CHAI, Bangalore, 1989, p.29..
7
Paul Thenyan., “Missionary consciousness of St. Thomas Christians”, Indian Church History
Review, Vol.X, Bangalore 1989, p.17.
8
V.S. Azariah, Op. cit., p.72.
 28

Catholicism who came to be known as Romo-Syrian Christians. With the

dispatch of the Church Missionary Society (CMS) missionaries in 1816 the

leavening of this ancient community was started through their educational

institutions.9

Same time of this period the Portuguese rise as a maritime power in

India in the second half of the fifteenth century. Just before the arrival of the

Portuguese, Christianity was practically confined to Kerala where the presence

of the Christians along with the co-existence of Hindus, Muslims and Jews

brought about a cultural symbiosis.10 Since the advent of St. Thomas, Christians

were found in the coastal regions of peninsular India without established

churches and baptism. The real beginning of Christianity was marked by the

advent of the Portuguese in the fifteenth century. The Portuguese, after

establishing themselves in Goa which they captured from the Sultan of Bijapur

in 1510, wanted to propagate their religion too.

Since they had the Gold, Glory and Gospel as their motives, they brought

with them missionaries with the approval of the Pope Alexander VI.11

Accordingly many Religious Orders such as Franciscans, Dominicans,

Augustinians, Jesuits, Carmelites, Capuchins and others made their way to

India and carried on the propagation of Christianity spread in different parts of

India.12 Nearly for two hundred years, Catholicism held sway over a large

9
Ibid.,72
10
A.M. Mundaden, Op. cit., p.58.
11
C.B. Firth, An Introduction to Indian Church History, CLS, Madras, 1961, pp.50-51.
12
Joseph Thekkadath, History of Christianity in India, Vol. II, CHAI, Bangalore, 1988, pp. 6-7.
 29

portion of South India and penetrated even in to the court of Akbar. According to

the census in 1901 the Roman Catholics were 42% of the entire native Christian

community13. Through their invaluable services towards the cause of education,

till date, they exercise profound influence.

The representatives of Great Britain, France, Denmark, Netherlands and

Portugal landed in India but the most enthusiastic of baptizing Indians were the

Portuguese, who were the first Europeans to come to the country in 1498 14 led

by Vasco DaGama and were inspired by the Pope to convert local Indians as

well as Syrian Christians to Catholicism. Later, English and Dutch converted

Portuguese churches according to their styles after defeating them. British

barred the missionaries to enter their territory until 1813.15

Only then, did the different churches established missionaries in their

territory and not only spread Christianity but also engaged themselves in social

service and humanitarian deeds such as providing basic necessities of life to

the poor natives such as food, clothes and shelter along with building schools

and hospitals for them, which earned them quite a lot of respect.

These church missionaries were not quite as successful as the

Portuguese but were able to convert people to Protestant Christians voluntarily

and not by forcing them. Playing with the Indian custom of the wife following the

same religion as husbands, they married with Indian women and converted

13
V.S. Azariah, Op. cit., p.74.
14
Jackson “The Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama”-chapter 6-p.205
15
Ibid p.206
 30

them to Christianity. Today, there are about 30 million Christians in India! The

majority of Christians can be found in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Goa, Manipur and

Mizoram and especially in Mumbai. Indian Christians follow Catholicism or

Protestantism and have different.

The present existence of Christianity in India is primarily due to the

efforts of evangelization of the European missionaries from the 16 th century. 16

Since then, Christianity in India has always been marked by the constant effort

to try to make Christianity more understandable to the local citizens by

expressing it through India‟s local symbolisms.

PROTESTANT MISSION IN TAMIL NADU

In the words of Isaiah Azariah, “The story of the growth of Protestantism

in South India is one of incorrigible obstinacy in the eyes of the caste Hindus

and heroic perseverance in the eyes of the Christians”.17

The Protestant activity began with the founding of the Lutheran

Missionary Centre at Tranquebar in 1706.18Bartholomaeus Ziegenbalgand

Heinrich Pluetschau,(1682-1719) two godly Germans of the Halle University

who were the products of the pieties movement,19 became the spiritual envoys
16
Ibid P.206
17
Isaiah Azariah, “The protestant Missions”, A History of the Christian Missions in South India ,
ed., B. Sobhanan, Kerala Historical Society, Trivandrum, 1996, p.113.
18
E. Lehmann Arno, It Began At Tranquebar,- A History of the First Protestant Mission in
India,CLS,Madras, 1956, p.12.

19
Pietism was a revival movement in the Lutheran Church in Germany and the University of
Halle became its important centre. S. Manickam, Studies in Missionary History, CLS, Madras,
1988, p.135.
 31

of the then Danish king Frederick IV who desired to preach the Gospel in the

Danish possessions in India.20They landed at Tranquebar on July 7, 1706, with

a clear and well thought out plan to learn the local language and launch an

evangelical movement. But the Danish officials due to misconception thought

that missionary enterprise would endanger their commercial activities opposed

their missionary enterprise.21 Despite these hurdles they carried on their

missionary work and were joined by a noble group of missionaries later on.

The Tranquebar Mission which was working in Tamil nadu for a little

more than hundred years extended its work to a number of places such as

Tiruchirappalli, Thanjavur, Cuddalore, Madras and in the south to Tirunelveli 22.

At Tiruchirappalli and Thanjavur C.F. Schwartz and in Madras Benjamin

Schultze and F.Ph. Fabricius and their colleagues did yeomen service to

Christianity and Tamil language. Since these Lutheran missionaries received

encouragement and financial sustenance from the royal family of Denmark this

Danish-Halle Mission was called the Royal Mission.23

At the close of the eighteenth century the Christians at Tranquebar

numbered around 20,000 souls.24The chief architect of this multi way

relationship, arrived in Tranqubar on July 9,170625. Architect his colleagues

and Indian partners together inaugurated the first Protestant missionary

20
E.R. Hambye, History of Christianity in India, Vol. III, CHAI, Bangalore, 1997, p.118.
21
Ibid.,p.119
22
E. Lehmann Arno, Op. cit., pp. 171-179.
23
Ibid.,pp. 31-39.
24
Richter, Julius, A History of Missions in India. trans., Oliphant Anderson and Ferrier, London,
1908,p. 127.

25
FerdJ.Fenger., “History of the Tranquebar Mission: Madras: The M.E press 1906.p.18
 32

movement that continues, in a way, in all six continents of the World, Generally,

mission historians, especially in the English speaking parts of the Tranquebar

Mission.

In 1705 the Danish king, Frederick IV (1671-1730), influenced by the

revivalist movements of pietism, called for the setting up of a Lutheran overseas

mission in his South Indian trading settlement in Tranqubar26 .He entrusted his

court chaplain, Franz Julius Lutkens (1650 – 1712) with the task of finding

suitable men who could be sent out as missionaries. Lutkens found two

students of theology Bartholomaus Ziegenbalg (1682-1719) and Heinrich

Plutschau (1677 -1752)27. Both were former pupils of the Halle pietism, August

Hermann Franck (1663 -1727). It was the first link between the mission in

Southeast India and the Orphan –House in Halle.

Pietism was a movement in the Lutheran Church that called for spiritual

transformation in the lives of Christians through prayer and Bible study. They

believed that Christian faith should not merely remain an intellectual activity of

the theologian, Pastors and administrators but it should be internalized by

individuals and then shared with others .They had the belief that the word of

God in the Bible should be used in personal as well as devotions – that is at

Home, in the Churches and academics28.

26
Ibid.,p.17
27
John William Kaye, Christianity in India, 1859, pp. 2-16. See also Richter Julius, A History of
Mission in India, 1908, pp. 2-26; J. W. Cunningham, Christianity in London, Hatchard, 1808, pp.
18-32.

28
Daniel Jeyaraj“ A German exploration of Indian Society: Ziegenbalg‟sMalabarian
Heathenism.p.18.
 33

Tranquebar which is situated in the Hindu Kingdom of Thanjavur, being

the commercial city and seaport had been a multicultural melting pot for

centuries. While the middle Ages saw the arrival of mainly Arab merchants who

settled down here, from the 16th Century on wards the Portuguese also came

.The Portuguese languages became an important means of communication in

his region during the 17th and 18th centuries29.

Bartholomaus Ziegenbalg

From 1620 onwards the history of the city Tranquebar was defined by the

presence of Danish merchants who not only built a fort, but also a city according

to the European model. As in other European settlements in India parts of the

city of Tranquebar were meant mainly for the Europeans while the Tamil

Population lived in other parts of the city. The first missionaries, who arrived

nearly 100 years later, in 1706, thus encountered a population that was

multifarious in national, religious social and linguistic respects. The population

of the city of Tranquebar at the beginning of the 18th century is estimated to be

29
S.Jeyaseelan Stephen,”The Coramandal Coast and its Hinterland” 1997; Manohar Publishers,
Delhi.,p 115
 34

between 3,000 and 7,000 depending on which places are seen as belonging

directly to the city. There were around 50 and Portuguese30.

THE STRUCTURE OF THE MISSION

The Danish – Halle mission was an inter -continental and ecumenical

organization. The Institution supporting and promoting the mission the Danish

royal house as founder and initiator, the Mission Board in Copenhagen, the

Francke Foundation in Halle, the society for promoting Christian Knowledge

(SPCK) in London, the trading companies, individual and group donors

belonged to different nationalities and religious groups.

In South India the work of the mission was carried out by European and

Indian employees. Along with missionaries, the mission employed doctors

,printers type setters, type founders, Country pastors, catechists, assistants,

teachers, prayer–leaders, Bible Women, writers, copyists, and technical

personnel. The European missionaries were at the top of this hierarchy, they

were supported by a staff of Indian Co –Workers, the so - called “National

workers”31. The proportion of Indians to Europeans differed from station to

station and was subjected to change over the course of time. The Indian

co–workers were given precisely defined tasks in a specific region assigned to

them. From the beginning, they played an important role in the Tranquebar

mission.

30
Arno Lehman. “ It began at Tranquebar; A History of the first Protestant Mission in India” CLS,
Madras.p.6.
31
Ibid.,p.12
 35

The Indian Country Pastors headed the hierarchy among the Indian

Co-workers. Between 1733 and 1817 the Tranquebar missionaries ordained 14

Tamilans beginning with the ordination of one person named Aaron 32. The

country pastors carried out their tasks mainly in the so –called districts and this

meant extensive travel. During their visits to different places they were

supposed to teach, to Baptism to conduct divine services on festivals and to

administer the sacraments. In times of war they were also expected to visit

army camps, field hospitals and prisons, In the structure of the mission,

However the country pastors were placed under the European missionaries.

The instructions given to the country pastors, Diogno (1704 – 1781) on 8th

December 1714 provide an example of the extensive travelling done by the

country pastors, Diogno was expected to visit the Christian Congregations in

the Districts four time a year – at Christmas, Easter, Whitsuntide [first three

days in a week] and once in September – whereby each journey lasted at least

15 days 33.

The rise of the printing press created new possibilities for propagating

Christianity, which were also used by the Danish –Halle Mission .In 1712,

organized by the SPCK, a printing press arrived in Tranquebar for printing

European languages and a Tamil printing press sent by the Halle Orphan

House ,was put into operation in 1713.34 These dates marked not only the

beginning of the most important printing press in south Asia between 1700 and

32
Ferd Fenger.,op.cit.,p.125
33
Ibid., p.126
34
Erich Beyreuther, “BartholomaeusZiegenbalg- A Biography of the first Protestant missionary
in India, C.L.S. Madras 34
 36

1780 ,but also the beginning of printing in the Tamil Languages .Along with

mainly Christian literature ,Such as the first bible to be printed in an Indian

language.(Tamil) and a bible in Portuguese The press published grammars, and

text books35. European staff was almost fully replaced by Indians in the second

half of the century.

The Tranquebar mission trained its own printers, book binders and type
th
founder enabling the mission to operate the press throughout the 18 century.

The Tranquebar press was linked with the founding of printing presses in Sri

Lanka, Madras and Calcutta, making a key contribution towards the

development of book printing in India.

There was a tradition of devotion to the sciences among the Danish Halle

missionaries ,or more correctly to “natural history ”in the sense of description of

nature from the field of botany, Zoology, meteorology and astronomy from

Bartholomaus Ziegenbalg (1682 -1719)to August Friedrich Cammerer (1767 -

1837)36

This interest could be described as sporadic up until the last quarter of

the 18th century. The mission doctors Christoph Samuel John (1747 -1813) and

Johann Peter Rottler (1749 -1836), were also partly responsible for research

into local nature. However this devotion attained the fundamentally new quality,

corresponding with the development of the science, in the European

35
Ibid p. 26
36
Arno Lehmann,. “It Began at Tranquebar”, English Translation by M.J.Lutz Madras: Christian
Literature Society, 1956.
 37

Enlightenment37. The extent, specialization and system of the natural research

and collections as well as the publication of scientific articles, increased

remarkably.

One of the most important foundations for this development was a

complex network of correspondents, involving many of Europe‟s leading

scholars. The death of August Friedrich Cammerer in 1837, the last missionary

of the Danish–Halle mission marked then of an era of protestant missionary

history which had begun in 1706 with the arrival of Bartholomaus Ziegenbalg

and Heinrich Plutschau in the Danish Colony of Tranquebar38. The missionaries

all Germans apart from a few exceptions, had been working on Danish or

English support. The missionaries of the English society for promoting Christian

knowledge (SPCK) had already offered to take over the Lutheran mission in

181539.

The Protestant Mission came to South India at the instance of the Danish

King, Frederick IV and its first missionaries, Bartholomew Ziegenbaig and

Heinrich Pluetschau landed in Tranquebar in Tanjore District in 1706 .They

established the Tranquebar Mission, which was engaged in evangelic work in

Trichy, Tanjore, Madras, Cuddalore and Tranquebar. About the middle of the

eighteenth century, the society for promoting Christian Knowledge (S.P.C.K)

helped the Tranquebar Mission with money and materials and brought the work

in Trichy and Tanjore under its direct control. Danish Halle Mission sent a

37
Ibid.,p.27
38
Ibid.,p.28
39
G.G Findlay ., and W.W.Holdsworth, “ The History of the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary
Society,”Vol.V.London; Epworth press, 1924.p 36
 38

German Lutheran Protestant missionary, Christian Fredrick Schwartz to India

and arrived at Tranquebar on 30th of July 1750.40

He was born on 8th October 1726 at Sonnenburg, Prussia and took

interest in missionary and charitable work as he grew up. He worked from

Tranquebar initially and during this time he paid frequent visits to Tanjore and

Trichirapalli. On 30th July, 1766, he moved out to Tiruchirapalli to act as

Chaplin to the military force stationed there. During this time, he stayed there

and established a small church and also a home on the same premises where

Christ Church stands now. He started this home to shelter the children of

military officers killed in an accidental explosion of some military arsenals. He

also started a school in the vestry of Christ church which was a single storey

house built on a higher basement with an under chambers.

From 1766, the school functioned

from the Vestry of Christ Church,

Tiruchirapalli. Later in 1812, it moved over

to St.John‟s church in the cantonment area

of Tiruchirapalli. In 1768, he also received

a formal appointment from the East India Company, gazetting him chaplain for

Tiruchirapalli, on a salary of 100 pagodas, Schwartz's regular working station,

both as a missionary and a chaplain, was to be in Tiruchirapalli. In his new

40
Ibid.,p.35
 39

assignment, the German missionary from Halle and Tranquebar proved to be

singularly effective and successful 41.

At the same time, his missionary activity continued to expand, the

"helpers". He had trained went out into towns and villages, two by two,

returning to meet with him for self-analysis and prayer. As pastor-teachers, they

sought to provide basic literacy for believers in each congregation. Each

morning and evening, helpers were meeting and strengthen them in prayer.

Schwartz also accompanied them on missionary visits to more distant places42.

After spending twelve years in Tiruchirapalli, he moved to Thanjavur to continue

his missionary activities.

In 1769, he was able to get the support of King Serfoji in his missionary

activities at Thanjavur. The ruler Serfoji built a church to show his affection to

Schwartz. Shortly before his death, he committed to Schwartz the education of

his adapted son and successor. Schwartz taught the Prince serfoji and slightly

older student Vedanayagam using the Gurukula approach where teacher and

student live together. It is interesting to note that Schwartz undertook private

embassy to Hyde rAli, the then ruler of Mysore at the request of British

authorities in Madras. The Governor of Madras wished Schwartz to preserve

peace with Hyder Ali, Schwartz went to Srirangapattinam in private manner

particularly his knowledge of the Moorish language could converse with Hyder

41
Ibid p.6
42
Robert Eric Frykenberg,“The Legacy of Christian Fridrick Schwartz”, International bulletin of
missionary Research ,published on July 1999 ,p.131.
 40

without the help of an interpreter. He did this work to promote the welfare of the
43
country. He had spent three months in Hyder Ali Khan‟s country. He found

English men there, German, Portuguese and even some of the Malabar people

whom he had instrumented at Trichinopoly. Hyder Ali gave a plain answer to

all the questions that he was ordered to put to him. So Board of Madras

received the information they desired.

When he departed from Ali, he was presented with a bag of rupees, for

the expense of his journey. He gave the bag to Board, Board urged him, to use

the amount but he desired their permission to appoint that sum of rupees for an

English Charity School at Tanjore. Such noble conduct compelled the value of

the principles which actuated to admire his character. After returning from

Srirangapattinam Schwartz wrote a letter to his former friend, Colonel John

Wood, in the letter. He mentioned that each and every learning in life never

wasted. It would help in life.44He remembered that when he learnt vocal music

in his younger day, he did not think that he should use it much, and later every

morning and every evening when the Malabar children came to prayer he

taught them to sing. “All things may become useful to us and others”. Why he

mentions it, he learnt man languages that one of the languages was used in

peace treaty between Hyder and Tanjore King.

Even though he was a foreign missionary, he had maintained a good

relationship with the local Indian rulers, particularly with Raja Sefoji II, a Maratha

ruler of Thanjavur and direct descendent of Shivaji, the great Maratha warrior,
43
Ibid.,p.9
44
Ibid p.10
 41

to whom he was the mentor from his early stage. Schwartz also had good

relationship with Hyder Ali, the Muslim ruler of Mysore. Though he was a

Protestant Missionary, he won the support of people of other religions.45

The old transnational triangle of collaboration between Halle, London,

and Tranquebar would continue, with communication networks, support, and

cordiality unchanged, and henceforth Schwartz was to be more formally

designated and supported as a special missionary of the Society for Promoting

Christian Knowledge (SPCK).46

In 1773 war again ravaged the land. The storming of Thanjavur by the

nabob's forces brought suffering to many people in that city. Another

remarkable aspect of Schwartz‟s ministry was his involvement in politics. After

he had moved to the town of Tanjore, he quickly gained the confidence of the

Hindu rajah, who on his deathbed appointed Schwartz the guardian and trustee

of his young heir. Although Schwartz declined, he later assisted the young

prince47. He also tried to be of use to the British, who on one occasion sent him

as a special envoy of peace to Hayder Ali, the despot of Mysore. Schwartz

returned with respect for the Muslim ruler but complained of the insincerity and

avarice of the British; Schwartz came to them and began to organize relief

45
Ibid p.9
46
Ibid p.36
47
Christian Biography “The Life of Rev. Christian F.Schwartz, Missionary of Trichinopoly, and
Tanjore in India, Religious Tract Society, Instituted 1799; published by The Depository, London,
and printed by J.Rider ,Little Britain, Londonp.28
 42

efforts. His efforts to help the poor and suffering, Christian and non-Christian

alike, brought him recognition, and his fame spread.

When, the Rajah of Thanjavur, was restored to his throne in 1776, he

begged Schwartz to remain permanently. Two years later, Schwartz left his

junior colleague, Christian Joseph Pohle, to carry on as missionary and

chaplain in Tiruchirapalli and moved to Thanjavur48. Among various concerns,

the humble prayer-school halls of growing local Tamil Christian congregations,

damaged during the wars, needed to be rebuilt. The Rajah, in token of his

appreciation, made an endowment for the building of a new and larger stone

place of worship. Thereafter, despite travels, Schwartz was to make Thanjavur

his permanent abode for the remaining twenty years of his life. Shortly after this

move, Schwartz was summoned by the British authorities to Madras. There he

was asked to undertake a Secret Peace Mission.49

Hyder Ali, ruler of Mysore, had specifically requested that Schwartz be

sent. "No other emissary was deemed more trustworthy. No one could

command such trust. And no one could command such fluency of the relevant

languages (Urdu, Persian, Marathi, Tamil, and others). No translator or

48
Ibid.p.no.10
49
Ibid p.11
 43

interpreter would be required doubtly, to prevent a further effusion of blood,"

Schwartz agreed to go, but only as long as it was clearly understood that he

went only as a missionary and only as an emissary of peace.50. His journey

took eight weeks. Along the way, he and his unarmed entourage took

advantage of every opportunity to preach or teach at every place where his

palanquin halted. When he finally arrived at Srirangapatnam, the capital of

Mysore, he was ceremonially received. At meetings, both in public durbar and in

private audience, he was accorded courtesy and respect He then wended his

way back to Madras and personally reported his conversations to the governor

of Madras, at Fort St. George. He handed over the prize purse of three hundred

pagodas51 that Hyder Ali had given him, and when this was then handed back

to him. He made it the initial base of an endowment for the establishment of an

orphan school in Thanjavur52. From neither government, Madras or Mysore,

would he allow any personal payment beyond expenses for his travel. The

words that Schwartz conveyed from Mysore to Madras in his report were never

made public, but his personal impressions of Hyder and of this whole episode

are to be found in his letters to Europe. He was never convinced that his efforts

had done much to avert the war that he saw, coming. Back to Thanjavur.

Construction of the Gothic stone place of worship was completed on April 16,

1780. This structure, capable of holding five hundred, was named St. Peter's

50
Christian Biography “The Life of Rev. Christian F.Schwartz, Missionary of Trichinopoly, and
Tanjore in India, Religious Tract Society, Instituted 1799; published by The Depository, London,
and printed by J.Rider ,Little Britain, London .p.no.6

51
A Pagoda was a gold coin worth about Rs.3.50
52
Ibid P.11
 44

Church. In the suburb of Vallam, a house and compound were converted into a

prayer-school hall and other pukka buildings also began to rise.

But again, war interrupted activities. Hyder's armies broke upon the

Carnatic once more Schwartz found his hands full, tending the hungry, sick,

wounded, and dying. Hyder Ali commanded that the missionary be allowed to

pass among his own troops without molestation. "He is a good man, he is

reported to have remarked, and it means no harm to my government." When

peace negotiations resumed, Schwartz was again called upon to act as a go-

between 53(dubash).54

Twice more he acted in this capacity but his efforts were aborted on the

first occasion Tipu Sultan's pickets stopped him at the border (Hyder Ali having

died in1782); on the second, his legs became so afflicted with boils ("eruptions")

that he could not travel. Colonel William Fullarton, commander of the Madras

field force, later wrote: "The integrity of this irreproachable missionary has

retrieved the character of Europeans from imputations of general depravity."

Finally, Schwartz contributed significantly to the strengthening of an

indigenous church in India. He made every effort to find and train young Indians

for the ministry, often supporting them from his own pocket.55 He also

encouraged the spontaneous expansion of small groups of Christians, such as

53
Ibid.,p.12
54
. English word dubash which, itself, is a derivative of the Hindusthani word "Do bhasha",
usually, used to refer to interpreters and middlemen who worked for the British East India
Company.
55
Ibid.,p11
 45

those discovered during a visit to Palamcottah in 1778, the nucleus of what later

became the large and vigorous Tinnevelly church. He was also responsible for

the education of Vedanayagam, son of a catechist who trained under Schwartz;

Vedanayagam was to become one of the greatest Tamil poets and hymn

composers.56 Poor widows also came in, for a share of the attention of this

benevolent man. The young Raja of Tanjore , however, visiting that part of the

country Mr. Schwartz pleaded with him, on behalf of the widows, and

succeeding in his application, completed a row of small houses for comfortable

reception of these destitute women. Like this Schwartz involved in society and

good things were done by him. His extensions were not confined to the

instruction and conversion of the adult natives and Europeans; He opened

English and Malabar schools at various places and was affectionate and

unwearied in his attention to children.

In 1777 Rev. Christian Pohle ,who was a Danish missionary from

Tranquebar, sent his assistance, a man of piety, zeal and talents, who fulfilled

in the service of the Society for promoting Christian knowledge. He soon made

Schwartz himself master, by diligent application, of the English and Malabar

languages, sufficiently to minister with acceptance in both tongues and took a

very active part in assisting Mr Schwartz in the whole business of the ministry

and the schools.

Later he soon established school at Tanjore, Ramanathapuram, and

Sivaganga and the fourth afterward at cumbagonam (Kumbakonam) in

56
Ibid.,p12
 46

1792.57They consisted chiefly of Children of Brahmins and merchants to learn

the English language with a view to their temporal welfare.

The Dean of West Minister thus spoken of these provincial English

schools, in his address to the Rev. Joaenickle , on his departure to India. The

school for teaching English language which Schwartz has recommended to the

society, as a plan of use tendency, and which he has already begun to

establish with the concurrence of the native princess, present a prospect of

better hopes, and increasing means for the extension of gospel.

The same time he never opposed to the caste feelings. He adjusted with

them. He also revealed his feelings like this. “Here the man and woman of

higher caste on one side and other that of the lower. I have carefully avoided

coercive measures and thus have met with fewer difficulties. But in the country

such conversion is not easy. They would facilitate the connection between the

European and natives and would open a door to the missionaries by which

means divine knowledge will be conveyed to the natives in the earliest manner.

During the assumption, Government desired Schwartz to assist the

collectors the district towards the west of Thanjavur had been very much

neglected so that the water courses had not been cleansed for the last 15 years

Schwartz proposed that he collector should advance the pagodas to cleanse

those water courses.58 The work began and finished being inspected by

57
Ibid.p.12
58
E. Lehmann Arno, Op. cit., pp. 171-179.
 47

Christians. All that part being inspected by Christians. All that part of the

country felt happy in get 1000000 kalams of grain more than before.

After successfully completed his dedicated missionary work in Tamil

Nadu, he died on 13th February, 1798 59

the monument was prepared and

erected in the church prepared and erected in the church at Tanjore. (Fort

Church)- lasting evidence of the duty and policy of bringing into action on the

native mind of the powerful influence of the gospel of the Christ when

administrated by holy men.

SCHWARTZ WITH MARATHA RULERS

59
Pearson, H. Memoirs of the life and correspondence of the Rev. C.F. Schwartz, 1839.
 48

The Royal Danish –Halle mission, also known as the Tranqubar mission

(1705-1845) creating living relationships among the people in India, Denmark,

Great Britain and other Countries. It is believed that Christian mission multi-

faceted relationships not only between human beings and God, but also among

human beings across cultures and nations so that they can learn from one

another and grow together. Bartholomaus Ziegenbalg (1682-1719), the chief

architect of this multi way relationship arrived in Tranqubar on July 9,1706.

He, his colleagues and Indian partners together inaugurated the first

protestant missionary movement that continues, in a way, in all six continents of

the world. 60

Missionary candidates should be sent out in ordinate, only after having

served their apprenticeship and proved their worth in the field. A Candidate

might study Tamil for six years in Europe. And yet not be intelligible to the

inhabitants on his arrival in India. Language study could be far better done in

lighten their burdens by choosing and training those whom they believed to be

best suited to share in the work of the church.

After the death of C.F.Schwartz in 1798 John Casper Kolhoff took over

his missionary work. Very soon, this work was extended to the southern districts

.But in fact, after the death of Schwartz in 1798; the Tranquebar Mission began

to decline due to scanty supply of missionaries from Germany and Denmark. In

60
Kiefer, James E. "Biological sketches of memorable Christians of the past:
BartholomäusZiegenbalg, Missionary to India –1929
 49

fact in 1816 only three missionaries were left in the field.61 .So, in consequence

of these developments Caemmerer, the last of the Tranquebar missionaries,

handed over 1,300 Christians 11 Catechists and 11 small churches with some

property attached to the London based Society for Promoting Christian

Knowledge [SPCK] which is the oldest Anglican mission organization founded

in 1698 by Thomas Bray with the purpose of encouraging Christian education

and the production and distribution of Christian literature and also aimed at

finding ways to communicate the basic principles of the Christian faith to a wider

audience in all parts of the world. 62

Five years later in 1825, the S.P.C.K transferred the management of the

Churches and institutions, which it took over the Lutherans, to its sister

organization, the Society for Propagation of Gospel which was incorporated

under Royal Charter in 1701 as missionary organization of the Church of

England to support the local churches with men and women in mission roles

in Anglican communion their charity and emergency relief, longer term

development and Christian leadership training projects.63

In the pre-mutiny period the progress of the mission work was very slow

mainly because of the doubtful and cruel attitude of the British East India

Company. The British, the „rough-riding merchant class‟, had a „love hate‟

relationship with India. To them, bringing civilization to India was the

61
Pearson, H. Memoirs of the life and correspondence of the Rev. C.F. Schwartz, 1839.

62
W.K.Lowther& Clarke, (1959), “A History of the spck. London. SPCK.p.21.,
63
Henry Paget & Thomson, (1951) “Into all Lands: a history of Society for propagation of Gospel
in Foreign Parta, 1701 -1950. “ London, S.P.C.K., p.25.,
 50

Whiteman‟s burden.64 Still as a good will gesture of a Christian concern, the

company gave some concessions to the Christian missionaries such as free

transportation of missionaries in their company‟s ships, deliverance of their

letters to and fro free of cost and allocation of lands for the establishment of the

churches, schools etc.65 But the whole situation underwent a drastic change

when the company, originally traders turned into a ruling power. From that time

they concentrated on the consolidation of their power in India and so did not

want to take up any risk in the name of their pro-Christian policy towards the

people whose hatred would endanger their position in India.

Hence the home authorities of the company were opposed not only to

free trade but also to Christian missionaries in India because both were

regarded as potential menace to their power in the country. To avoid even to

interfere in religious matters they not only protested against the entry of

Christian missions but also helped the religious conservatism of the natives. 66

Hence the British declared their state of not supporting on religious matters.

Further restrictions on missionary activities were also enforced. So no new

missionary was allowed to land in their territories.

It was in accordance with this rule that William Carey, the first

missionary from England, was refused permission to land at Madras in 1793

and so he landed at Calcutta and was there for six years under the guise of an

64
Samuel G. Thomas, Christianity and Indian Christians, Samaritan Endeavour, Chennai, 2005,
p. 243.
65
Frank Penny, Church in Madras in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries, Smith Elder,
London, 1904, p.198.
66
Jawaharlal Nehru ,Glimpses of World History, Penguin Books, New Delhi, 2004, p.500.
 51

indigo planter.67 Nevertheless that indifferent attitude of the British was

compelled to change by the political pressure and also the public desire in

England which succeeded in getting additional clauses inserted in the Charter

Act of 1813. It was equal to a declaration that missionary work in India would be

patronised.68 As a result many British missions and missionaries came to India

in rapid succession such as London Missionary Society, Church of Scotland

Missions, Wesleyan Missionary Society etc. However the Charter Act of 1833,

threw open India to all Missionary Societies irrespective of nationality and

denomination.

When the Wesleyan Methodist took up the field in 1820, in Nagapatinam,

several of protestant Missions were already at work in the area, now covered by

the Tiruchirapalli and Tanjore Diocese. Almost from the beginning of the 19th

century there had been a common understanding between the various

missionary committees and workers of the Evangelical Missions on their mutual

relations in the field as to the boundaries of their districts, employment and the

inter change of workers and transfer of converts and congregations.

These gentlemen‟s agreements based on the principle of equity and

Christian courtesy came to be known as the comity of Missions. This unwritten

„Code of intermission rules‟ as Dr.Thoburn ,the former Bishop of the Methodist

Episcopal Church of America put it proved to be necessary arrangement and of

much practical value in at least two directions. In the first place, it forbade the

67
Stock Eugene, The History of the Church Missionary Society: Its Environment, Its Men and Its
Work, Vol. I, CMS, London, 1899, p.96.
68
C.B. Firth, Op. cit., p. 154.
 52

missions to make inroads into each other‟s territories or to interfere in each

other internal affairs. Thus it avoided unnecessary overlap, wasteful duplication

and unhealthy rivalry and strained relationship while presiding over the

eighteenth session of the missionary conference held (1888) devoted to the

study and discussion of comity of missions.69

The second practical use of the comity was to actively discourage the

variant forms of Christian worship and Church polity which often confused the

non-Christians, and also hindered the spread of the Gospel. It was also an

agreed policy that no mission could make any exclusive claim over any

particular area which it was unable to evangelize within a reasonable length of

time. Further, large cities were always considered to be „open‟. Though the

practice of comity ,agreement had been in vogue since the 1820s the term

„comity‟ gained currency only after the centenary Missionary Conference in

London. 1888 70.

From then on it was beginning to be felt that comity among missions

needed not only to be practiced but in some degree organized for its more

effectual maintenance. Often these agreements were verbal and rarely

recorded. The first recorded comity agreement was made on Tonga in July,

1830 between the Wesleyan Methodist and the London Missionary Society and

accordingly Tonga and Fiji were recognized as a Methodist sphere, while the

missions were thus trying to observe the comity agreement by not making

69
The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church, 1976 Historical Statement, pp 7-11
70
The New york 1900, Ecumenical missionary conference a centennial reflection;
IBMR24:4(OCTOBER 2000)PP.144-54
 53

encroachment upon one another„s fields, their converts not infrequently crossed

and re-crossed mission boundaries spreading their influence wherever they

went. As a result, what happened in one Mission sometimes affected the others

as well.71

The post-Mutiny period witnessed a rapid growth of the various missions

in India because the Mutiny of 1857 sounded the knell of the company‟s power

in India and caused the change of power from the company to the Crown.

Queen Victoria‟s proclamation of 1858, openly declared the principle of religious

liberty and this enabled the older Societies to advance in every direction. Many

new missions also came into being. In 1902 altogether there were 91 Societies

with 3,095 missionaries excluding wives and 25,727 Indian workers engaged in

the Christian activities in India.

In these figures are included 226 medical missionaries, working through

313 hospitals and dispensaries, healing the sick and preaching the Gospel.72

Despite many obstacles which the missionaries encountered, they became the

workers towards of western culture and education in to India from the sixteenth

century onwards.

Their activities dominated the Tamil society to come and played a vital

role in the molding of the destiny of our nation. But unfortunately most of the

Missionary Societies for Christian organization with the great fascination for

71
The Wesleyan Methodist Church was the name used by the major Methodist movement in
Great Britain following its split from the Church of England after the death of John Wesley and
the appearance of parallel Methodist movements.
72
V.S. Azariah, Op. cit., p.84.
 54

mass movements.73 Very strong interest of presenting a good statistics of

increase in conversion was a very common feature among them. End of the

nineteenth century when a good many Missionary Societies established

themselves in Tamil Nadu, comity arrangements were made among

themselves. So as to let a Society concentrate its missionary efforts on its

successful area.74 Moreover, the Missionary Societies drew closer to one

another in an alien atmosphere to discuss common problems in the mission

fields so as to arrive at solutions which subsequently led to missionaries in

many ways.75

THE BEGINNING OF CHURCH UNION

Christians believe one God, one religion and one salvation but keeping

themselves divided as different Churches and denominations was against to the

commandment of Jesus Christ. Bible speaks,

"Unity, love and sacrifice. I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of

our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no

divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and

the same judgment.”76

St.paul said to unite in one church. Jesus Christ gave his commandment

to all his disciples to „go and preach the word of God to the whole world‟. This

73
Lionel Caplan, Religion and Power, CLS, Madras, 1989, p.4.
74
C.B. Firth, Op. cit., p.162.
75
H. Gulliford, “The Future of Churches and Missions in India”, The International Review of
Missions, Vol. XXVI, no. 103, London, July 1937, p.354.
76
The Bible:1 Corinthians 1:10
 55

emphasised the unity among all for a single mission. Otherwise it is against to

the principle. This was realised by the Missionaries as well as Church elders

and leaders and thus they started advocating for Churches unity and oneness

of Christians. This desire for unification of Churches was discussed for the first

time by the Anglican Bishops in 1867, the Methodists in 1881, the old Catholics

in 1889 and so on. Even the Young Men Christian Association (YMCA) formed

in 1854 which comprised of Christians of various Churches and denominations,

also worked in this direction.

The Student Christian Movement (SCM) which was formed with Christian

students of various Churches and denominations also contributed their might for

this noble cause. The Christians in foreign countries also formed „Missionary

Societies‟ for propagating the Gospel of Jesus Christ in their respective

countries. These societies travelled to various other countries including India

and established Christian Churches by preaching the Gospel of Christ.

These Christian Missionary Societies also felt the need and urgency of

unification of Church for the purpose of spreading the Gospel of Christ as

quickly as possible and to reach nook and corners of the world.

The call given by the Founders of National Missionary Society in

December 1900 for the unification of Churches into one United Church for India

resulted in the efforts for Churches Union Movement in India.77 Although the

Union Movement had proceeded in a delayed manner, as far back as 1902

77
Donald FossetEbright., The National Missionary Society of India (1905-1942)‟ Doctoral Thesis
submitted to the University of Chicago,1944, p.76.
 56

informal colloquies had taken place with missions. While forming part of the

Church Union, in most cases the sacrifice was gladly made, and indeed both

the sides felt that the new basis was more suitable for Indian Church than either

of the systems it replaced. While addressing the World Missionary Conference

at Edinburgh, in 1910 A.D78, Bishop V.S. Azariah of Dornakal was one of the

two non-westerners participated and highlighted the need and urgency of

Churches relation and Churches cooperation.

Moreover, India Christians living in the midst of non-Christian majority

were naturally much more conscious of the things which united them than of

those which divided them. It shocked converts to discover that they could not be

baptized simply as Christians but had to become Anglicans, Methodists,

Baptists, and Presbyterians and so on. Out of these conditions the Movement

for Church Union was born.79Negotiations for church union were going on. Rev.

H.Sumithra was the Moderator of the S.I.U.C. with great leaders like

Dr.Maclean of church of Scotland, Dr. Baninga of Madurai, Rev.Meshock Peter

and Mr. C.J.Lucas of Vellore, were participated.80

The Church of South India Scheme is the first practical attempt of its kind

towards reunion was to establish that

78
Noel Davies, Martin Conway; World Christianity in the 20th Century, p. 134.

79
Gibbs, M.E., The Anglican Church in India, (1600-1970). Delhi: ISPCK, 1972, p.335.

80
Solomon Duraisamy,”Mine Eyes Have Seen His Glory”an Autobiography of Bishop.,
published TRUCROS,Bangalore 1992 ., p.26
 57

 The Holy Scripture of the Old and the NewTestaments in the Bible as

containing all things necessary to salvation and as being the rule and

ultimate standard of faith.

 The Apostle's creed as the Baptismal Symbol and the Nicene Creed as

sufficient statement of the Christian faith.

 The two sacraments, ordained by Christ Himself - Baptism and the

Supper of the Lord - ministered with the unfailing use of Christ's words of

Institution and elements ordained by Him.

 The Historic Episcopate locally adapted in the methods of its

administration to the varying need of the nations and people called of

God into the union of His Church.

The Church of South India formed, is not the formation of a new Church in

South India. It seeks rather to bring together the distinctive elements of

different Christian Communions on a basis of sound doctrine and Episcopal

order in a distinct province of the Universal Church.81

THE DIFFERENT DENOMINATIONS CAME INTO THE UNITED CHURCH

 The Church of South India, Burma and Ceylon are the Anglican

Communion consisting of the British Methodist Church, The Presbyterian

Denomination and the Congregational Denomination.

The Fathers of the uniting Church wanted to have a period of 30 years

for the full consummation of the united Church. So it accepted presbyters

ordained by the different denominations without any re-ordination or unifying

81
Ibid p.27
 58

service. This is one of the unique features of the Church. But the Church of

North India (CNI) had the unification service, as it wanted all the presbyters to

be unified at the time of the inauguration, but the CSI gave a period of 30 years

for natural unification. During the 30 year period, all the presbyters were treated

alike and they served in Anglican and non-Anglican pastorates without any

distinction.82When the Church of South India was inaugurated on 27th

September 194783, It was acclaimed as the greatest miracle ever performed in

the first half of the 20th century. As it was for the first time after centuries of

historic divisions, churches with Episcopal and non-Episcopal traditions were

brought together in a united Episcopal church.

The Church Union Movement is a long drawn out historical process

which can be traced back several decades into the preceding century. The seed

for the union was sown by the theology of unity in the hearts and minds of the

missionaries working in the mission fields.84 In the second half of the nineteenth

century the need for mutual consultation and co-operation was keenly felt

among the various Protestant missions in South India. Till then they staunchly

maintained their denominational spirit as it was in the West. This vast array of

missions with divergent views on nonessentials and different practices rendered

Church a motley crowd.

82
J. Russell Chandran , Brief History and Interpretation- Edinburg -2010

83
Ibid.,P.34
84
Donald FossetEbright., The National Missionary Society of India(1905-1942)‟ Doctoral Thesis
submitted to the University of Chicago,1944, p.76
 59

According to Bishop Azariah, the first Indian Anglican Bishop

denominationalism in India is a sin and scandal'. These denominations were so

badly divided that they could not present the Gospel effectively among the

people of other faiths. Under these dismal circumstances, the need for untied

action and closer cooperation was felt in several quarters.85

Bishop Azariah

Four different church traditions had been joined together in the Church

Of South India, All these churches had been established in India through the

missionary work of churches in Europe, America and Australia86. They had

started their work in India at different times from the beginning of eighteenth

century. The Anglican Church was established through the work of the Church

Missionary Society (CMS) and the Society for the Preparation of the Gospel

(SPG), both missions closely connected with the Church of England. The

congregational churches were established through the missionary works of

85
Graham, Carol. “V.S. Azariah.” In Mission Legacies: Biographical Studies of Leaders of the
Modern Missionary Movement,edited by Gerald H. Andersonet al. Maryknoll: Orbis Books,
1994. Pp. 324-239.
86
Gibbs, M.E., The Anglican Church in India, (1600-1970). Delhi:ISPCK, 1972, p.335.
 60

London Missionary Society and the American Board of Commissioners of

Foreign Missions.

The Presbyterian Churches were established through the work of Church

of Scotland Mission, the Dutch Reformed church in America and the Basel

Mission in Germany and Switzerland. The Methodist Church was established by

the Methodist Missionary Society. Missionaries in various parts of India felt

around 1850 that they should meet periodically in conferences in the interest of

their common work.87

In 1855, representatives of six missions and three European Churches in

Bengal met in Calcutta. Accordingly, conferences of missionaries working in

particular provinces were held known as Provincial Conference. Later, a series

of decennial conferences for the whole of India was begun at Allahabad in

1872. In these decennial conferences, missionaries from all over India came

together to pray, study and discuss issues of mutual interest. It was at one of

these decennial conferences, held at Madras in 1902, that principle known as

comity was agreed upon. By which, each mission was recognized as occupying

certain territories and it was agreed that other missions should abstain from

entering and working in those territories. But the principle of comity never

applied in larger towns, where almost all the missions were established earlier.

In these conferences discussions were also held on issues like indianization,

88
self – support and self-government. With the spread of Western Education,

87
Gibbs, M.E., The Anglican Church in India, (1600-1970). Delhi: ISPCK, 1972, p.334.

88
Ibid.,p.336
 61

growth of nationalism and the spirit of independence among various groups of

Indian Christians, there developed an urge for a United Indian Christian

Community. By then, the secular arena of the Indian National Congress was

also founded in 1885 and the emerging Indian nationalism already exerted its

profound influence.

They were instrumental in bringing together European and Indian leaders

of different denominations on a common platform. Similar role was played by

educational institutions such as the Madras Christian College, the Women's

Christian College Madras, the United Theological College Bangalore and Jaffna

College North Ceylon. These joint enterprises in which several churches shared

undeniably provided great impulses for the union. 89

A further step in the process of consultation was taken when the World

Missionary Conference was held at Edinburgh in 191090. Protestant churches

and its missionaries from all over the world came together. The great

achievement of the Edinburgh was the close co-operation among the different

missionary bodies and churches in the mission field. As it was desired to

continue the connections thus begun, a committee was appointed known as the

International Missionary Council. As a result of this and under the leadership of

Dr. John R Mott, National Missionary Councils were formed in almost all the

countries.91

89
Ibid.,p.337

90
Noel Davies, Martin Conway; World Christianity in the 20th Century, p. 134.

91
The Report of the First General Assembly of SIUC held at Madras during December 25-
27,1908 A.D., pp.3-4.
 62

In 1912, National Missionary Council of India was founded at Calcutta.

Now it is known as National Churches of Council in India. In India, experiment in

organic church union was started in 1900 onwards. In October 1901, a Federal

union took place between two Presbyterian missions in South India. This

brought together the communities of the American Arcot Mission and the two

Scottish Presbyterian Missions in and around Madras.

In 1904, the congregational churches of the London Missionary Society

(LMS) in South India and the Congregational Churches of the American Board

of Missions in South India and Jaffna came together in a similar union. Now the

way for wider union between Presbyterian and Congregationalists began to

open and from 1905 to 1907 negotiations to this end proceeded. As a result of

these negotiations on 24th July 1908, the South India United Church (SIUC)

was formerly constituted and this was the first time two different church

traditions – Presbyterians and Congregationalists – joined together in organic

church union.

The National Missionary Council organized Regional Christian Councils.

One of the objectives of Regional Christian Councils was the strengthening of

the joint evangelical outreach programme and co-operation of all the

churches.92 The experience of such joint evangelistic programmes of the

Madras Regional Council led the churches to raise the question afresh as to

whether this was any valid reason for the churches to remain divided when they

had the same Gospel of Jesus Christ to proclaim in their evangelistic mission.

92
Ibid.,p.5
 63

As a result of this realization, an informal meeting of pastors of the

Lutheran, Methodist, South India United Church and Anglican churches (CMS)

convened by the Rev. V. S. Azariah (later Bishop of Dornakal) and the

Rev.V. Santiago took place at Tranquebar in 1919.93 This group after discussion

and prayer drew up on their own personal responsibility a statement, to be sent

to the Episcopal Synod of the Anglican Church in India. The General Assembly

of the SIUC, inviting them to consider entering into union on the basis of certain

principles. They proposed the following points as the basic terms of union

known as Tranquebar declaration.94

They are,

 The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New testaments as containing all

things necessary for Salvation.

 The Apostle's Creed and the Nicene Creed

 The two sacraments ordained by Christ himself – Baptism and the Lord's

Supper

 The historic Episcopate, locally adapted.

These are the four points defined by the Lambeth Conference of

Anglican Bishops in 1888 as a necessary minimum agreement between

Christian Churches considering reunion and they are commonly called 'The

93
Donald FossetEbright., The National Missionary Society of India (1905-1942)‟ Doctoral Thesis
submitted to the University of Chicago,1944, p.76.

94
Sundkler, Bengt, Prof.of Missions., Church of South India -The Movement Towards Union
1900-1947., Uppsala University, Sweden; late Research Secretary, International Missionary
Council. Lutterworth Press, London pg. 103
 64

Lambeth Quadrilateral'.95 After the Tranquebar consultations and declarations,

both the churches, the Anglican and the SIUC agreed to appoint

representatives to negotiate, a Joint Committee which began its work in 1920.

The Lutherans withheld from the Joint Committee. But the Wesleyan Methodists

joined it from 1925 onwards.96 The first three points of the Tranquebar

Manifesto could be accepted without any controversy. But the fourth became

problematic because of the fact that while the Anglican Church had the historic

Episcopate, and all its ministers were ordained by the Episcopal laying on of

hands, the other churches in the negotiations did not have an Episcopal

ordained ministry.

Finally, an agreement was reached that in so far as God had blessed all

the ministries with undistinguishing regard, all who are already ordained in any

of the uniting churches would be received as ministers in the United Church and

that all new ordinations could be by Episcopal laying on of hands. From the

publication of the Tranquebar Manifesto felt more than satisfied that the 1932

scheme was now built on “the second century type of church organization”.97

The World Conference on Faith and Order gave a momentum to the

church union movement. When the negotiations entered its third phase there

was widespread weariness and pessimism, “there seemed no end of revision

and no sign of decision”.

95
Kuriakose, M.K., History of Christianity in India. Bangalore: Indian-Theological Society, 1978,
p.297.
96
Donald FossetEbright., The National Missionary Society of India (1905-1942)‟ Doctoral Thesis
submitted to the University of Chicago,1944, p.76.

97
Ecumenical missionary conference, Newyork 1900, ii vol;p.10
 65

In 1941, the joint committee came out with the seven edition of the

Scheme of Union, which became the final scheme. The negotiating churches

gave the approval. When this decision was reached, it was felt that the

churches were ready to advance more definitely than before. The Methodist

Church had voted in favour of union on the basis of the Scheme in 1941. Their

commitment to union was reaffirmed by the resolution of the British Conference

held in July 194398.

In 1944, the General Council of the Church of India, Burma and Ceylon

(the Anglican Church) gave their consent for the four Anglican South Indian

Dioceses of Dornakal, Madras, Tirunelveli and Travancore and Cochin, to go

ahead with the church union. In 1946, the General Assembly of the South India

United Church decided to accept the scheme. These decisions made it possible

for the churches in South India to be inaugurated on 27th September 1947.99

Few Indian leader of the Church under the leadership of Bishop

Vedanayagam Samuel Asariyah met in Tharangambadi, where on July 7, 1706

landed Protestant missionaries from Denmark crossing all boundaries of

denominations. The Indian leaders with one mind spent several days in retreat

interceding for guidance.100But for the union negotiations, meetings the different

groups of denominations took 19 years. Leaders said that the CSI was

98
RoshanDalal -The Religions of India: A Concise Guide to Nine Major Pages 89-90

99
Rajaiahdavidpaul,Christian literature society 1958, south india.p.6-42
100
V.S. Azariah, Op. cit.,
 66

conceived in 1928 at Tharangambadi and born at St.George's Cathedral,

Chennai on September 27, 1947.101

BISHOPS BEFORE CATHEDRAL CHURCH ON INAGURATION DAY

Over the bowed heads of missionaries and natives in St.George's

Cathedral at Chennai, India on September 27, 1947, rose the prayer of a

minister: "Hasten the time, O God, when throughout the world there shall be

101
Roshan Dalal The Religions of India: A Concise Guide to Nine Major Pages 89-90
 67

one flock." His prayer was that day being answered for one section of the world.

Protestant denominations in south India had at last buried their differences and

were joining in one Christian church, The Church of South India. 102

The Inauguration was a historic and spiritual occasion uniting the four

denominations as one united Church. It is a forerunner for the World Church.

The North churches, Churches in Pakistan, Bangladesh and a number of the

churches followed suit.

The year of 1947 witnessed the creation of New India. The bitter

struggle for political independence ended. A new chapter was opened on

August 15, when Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, became the first prime minister of

independent India. And one month later, the formation of the CSI took place

was a historic event – an Indian Church in an Indian ruled country.

Rajaiah D Paul comments “after 27 years of earnest endeavor and

unflagging negotiations, marked from time to time by setbacks and

disappointments, the union of three churches in South India was finally decided

upon and the way was made clear for the consummation of the union which

took place on that day”.103

St George's Cathedral Madras was the venue of inauguration. Leaders

and representatives of churches and missionary societies from all over India

and Christian leaders from Europe, America and Australia arrived at Madras to
102
Ibid.,p.91
103
Abel, M., „Beyond Organic Union' in „Liberating Witness‟Vol.l (ed),PrasannaKumari, Chennai:
Gurukul Theological College, 1995,p.326.
 68

witness the great event. The presiding Bishop, the Rt Rev C K Jacob (Bishop in

Travancore and Cochin) was assisted by two presbyters, the Rev DrWierenga

of SIUC and Rev Paul Ramaseshan of the Methodist Church.

After the prayer and thanks giving by the Rev Paul Ramaseshan, while

the congregation was standing the presiding bishop the Rt. Rev. C. K.Jacob

made the solemn declaration of union in the following words. “ Dearly beloved

brethren, in obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ, the head of the church , who on

the night prayed that His disciples might be one; and by authority of the

governing bodies of the uniting churches, whose resolutions have been read in

your hearing and laid in prayer before Almighty God; I do hereby declare that

these three churches namely, the Madras, Travancore and Cochin, Tinnevelly

and Dornakal dioceses of the Church of India, Burma and Ceylon; the Madras,

Madurai, Malabar, Jaffna, Kannada, Telugu and Travancore church councils of

the South India United Church; and the Methodist Church in South India

comprising the Madras, Trichirapaly, Hyderabad and Mysore districts become

one Church of South India and that those bishops, presbyters, deacons and

probationers who have assented to the Basis of Union and accepted the

Constitution of the Church of South India and whose names are laid upon this

Holy Table, are bishops , presbyters and deacons of this church. In the name of

the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen”104

104
Ibid.,P.14
 69

The service came to a close with the Holy Eucharist. R D Paul remarks

“it was a deeply moving experience to share in the communion with those from

whom. We had been separated for so long and to realize that we were now

members of one church. Thus the Church of South India was inaugurated.105

At the time of formation of Church of South India, the strength of

members of Church were a total of 10,25,000 comprising of 5,00,000 Anglicans,

2,25,000 Wesleyans, 3,00,000 .106The North Tamil church of the SIUC which in

1946 decided not to join the CSI, joined the United Church in 1950 107. The

Bombay Karnataka council of the united Basal mission church in India joined

the Church of South India in 1958. The Anglican church of the Nandyal diocese

which chose to stand outside the union in 1947, merged with CSI in 1975.

Today, the CSI consists of twenty two dioceses covering entire South India and

Sri Lanka.

105
Ibid.,P.15
106
Church of South India, Proceedings of First Synod Executive Committee, 1948, p.20.

107
Ibid.,P.21
 70

Diocese Headquarters

I. Coimbatore Coimbatore

II. Dornakal Dornakal

III. East Kerala MelukavuMattom

IV. Jaffna Vaddukoddai, Sri Lanka

V. KanyakumariNagercoil

VI. KarimnagarKarimnagar

VII. Karnataka Central Bangalore

VIII. Karnataka North Dharwar

IX. Karnataka South Mangalore

X. Krishna – Godavari Vijayawada

XI. Madhya Kerala Kottayam

XII. Madras -Madras

XIII. Madurai – Ramnad Madurai

XIV. Medak- Medak

XV. Nandyal –Nandyal

XVI. North Kerala Shoranur

XVII. RayalasemaAnandapur

XVIII. South Kerala Trivandrum

XIX. Thoothukudi – Nazareth Thoothukudy

XX. Tiruchirappalli – Thanjavur Tiruchirappalli

XXI. Tirunelveli –Tirunelveli

XXII. Vellore- Vellore 108

108
Oikoumene.org. Retrieved2014-08-15.
 71

CONSTITUTION OF CHURCH OF SOUTH INDIA

The Church of South India was started in St. George Cathedral on

September 27, 1947. The Resolutions made and the Act prepared for the

unification of the Churches were ratified by the Church Councils of SIUC,

Anglican and Presbyterian in 1945, 1946 and 1947 respectively. The church of

South India was formed with the strong promise of „That they all may be one‟.109

When the Constitution of the Church of South India was drawn up it was

decided to include as Appendix-I, the „Basis of Union‟ which had been drawn up

earlier by the negotiating Churches. This was done for the historical record and

to fulfill the desire of the Constitution that „Full regard shall be paid to the Basis

of Union as a permanent record of the intentions and desires of the Churches

by the Union of which the Church has been formed. The Uniting Churches

affirmed that the purpose of the Union was carrying out the God‟s will as

expressed in the Holy Bible. The United Churches recognize that they must aim

at conserving for the common benefit whatever of good has been gained by

each body in its separate history. The uniting Churches also agree that they

should have right to be free in all spiritual matters from the direction of

interposition of any civil government. Further this Church must be an

autonomous church and free from any control, legal or otherwise of any Church

or Society external to itself.

At the same time they remember that the United Church, on account of

its origin and history must have special relations with the Churches in the West

109
Ibid.,P.11
 72

through which it has come into existence, and they are confident that it will

regulate its acts as to maintain fellowship both with those Churches and with

other branches of the Catholic Church with which the uniting Churches are now

in common.110

CHURCH OF SOUTH INDIA TRUST ASSOCIATION (CSITA): 1947

Church of South India Trust Association was constituted as a legal

holding body of the movable and immovable properties of the Church of South

India. The CSI-TA was registered in September, 1947 under Section 26 of the

Indian Companies Act 1913 (now Section 25 of the Indian Companies Act 1956)

as a Religious and Charitable Company which has no business character and

with no profit motive. The properties of the Churches in Union have been

transferred to CSI-TA.

The Association was established primarily for the purpose of holding in

trust the properties vesting in the Church of South India or the properties

henceforth acquired by it. This association consisted of the Moderator, the

Secretary, the Treasurer and Twelve other members elected by the Synod.

There is a Committee of Management consisting of six members elected by the

Members of the Association.

The Committee of Management on the 10th November 1947 resolved

that to cover the expenses incurred in Management one percent be charged on

all interest from investments held by the Association as „bare trustee‟. The First

110
The Constitution of Church of South India, Chapter-I., Appendix-!, pp.87-101.
 73

Meeting of this Association was held at the American College, Madura on the

9th March 1948 when the Committee of Management was elected and the

budget was approved for the time being, the Synod appointed Attorneys to act

on behalf of the Association in the matter primarily of acquisition of properties

for the association. Accordingly the Bishop, the Secretary and Treasurer of the

respective Dioceses were appointed to function as Attorneys on behalf of CSI

Trust Association.111

The main objectives of the Trust are, To act as Trustees for the CSI and

accordingly to acquire and hold immovable and movable properties for the

purpose of the Trust within the territory of India, to aid and further the work of

CSI and in particular to assist peculiarly and otherwise all or any of the

Societies, Schools, Colleges, Hospitals, Institutions and other Charities which

exist in connection with the said Church and to act as Trustees for the

maintenance of the Church, Bishops, and other workers of the Church. The

Jurisdiction of the CSI-TA covers the 21 l Dioceses and other Units under their

control spread over the four Southern States of Andra Pradesh, Karnataka,

Kerala and Tamil Nadu and Union Territory of Pondicherry.

111
CSI, Minutes of the Proceedings of the Second Synod, Madras, 7-11 January 1950, p.38.
 74

Logo

The Logo of the Church of South India is an important and significant as

the formation of the CSI through the process of unification. The Lotus and the

Cross used in the Logo possess a rich cultural history and heritage which will

help us in the understanding of the significance of the unification and our call

and mission as members of this great and unique church.112

The Lotus, a typical Indian flower, in Mythology is supposed to be not

only a temple flower but also the seat of the creator. "Pankajam" one of the

Indian names given to the Lotus has a very significant meaning that "it is born in

mud".

The Lotus blooms at sunrise and withers at sunset, in other words it

lives as long as it can receive the sunrays hence it is also called 'Thammipuvu'

meaning flower of the sun.113 Whether it means "born in the mud" or "flower of

the sun" to the Indian Church, it stands to be interpreted as symbolizing the

composition, nature and role of the members of the Church of South India in the

112
John‟s “ ThadaikalThagarthana”article in Thirusabaimalar September 2015.
113
Ibid.,14
 75

bond of the union and in the context of being indigenous and also being
114
dependent on the grace of God. The petals of the Lotus and the arms of the

Cross are beautifully intertwined together with the fiery tongues of the Holy

Spirit. This again is an authentic Indian expression of people's communion with

God. The colours being red (for life), purple (for piety and ecclesiastical) and the

white backdrop (for purity) implicitly communicate the nature of the mystical

union, where, an inseparable companionship is established which, again is a

typical Indian thought form. 115

The words that they all may be one, church of south India are embossed

in a circle round the Lotus and the Cross. The words, as we know, are taken

from the high priestly prayer of Lord Jesus Christ who prayed not only for the

'Church' but also for the whole world. This universality is expressed by placing

the words in a form of a circle symbolizing not only the universe but also the

inclusive nature of the Church.

“That they all may be one; as thou, father, art in me, and I in thee that

they also may be one in us116 is an inclusive affirmation showing explicitly that

Christ is the Head and the Church, His body. It also symbolizes the prayer of

the Church that not only Churches need to be united but all people of this

country which can be interpreted as a meaningful prayer for national

integration.117

114
Ibid.,15
115
Ibid.,14
116
John 17:21- The Bible.
117
John‟s “ ThadaikalThagarthana”article in Thirusabaimalar September 2015.
 76

The imposing central position of the cross in the Logo conveys the idea

that the indefatigable, self-less supreme sacrifice of Jesus on the cross is the

basis of the Church and its faith. The cross runs through the Lotus depicting its

cleansing act working in the hearts of the members of the Church and restoring

them to the pristine purity of heaven.118The four ends of the cross made of

equal size symbolizes the equality and also the contextual peaceful co-

existence and communal harmony. The Church of South India gratefully

acknowledges the initiative taken by the Officers and the Executive Committee

Members coinciding with the Silver Jubilee celebration of the CSI in 1972. The

logo of the Church of South India was designed by Prof.J. Vasanthan of

American College in Madurai.

BELIEFS AND PRACTICES

The Church of South India is a Trinitarian church that draws from the

traditions and heritage of its constituent denominations. The basic creeds of the

Church of South India are the Apostle's Creed and the Nicene Creed of 381 AD.

The CSI practices infant baptism for children born in Christian homes. For

others, believers or adult baptism is given. Baptized children are members of

the church and share in the privileges and obligations of membership so far as

they are capable of doing so. The full privileges and obligations belong to those

who, after attaining to years of discretion, receive confirmation of their baptism.

Normally, members are confirmed by the laying on of hands by a bishop.

Confirmation may also be given by a presbyter authorized to do so.

118
Ibid.,17
 77

FESTIVALS

The important festivals are Passion Week, Good Friday, Easter and

Christmas. During the month of December, Christmas carol services are

performed in churches.119 Harvest Festivals are also conducted in churches in

the Church of South India; the main aim of harvest festival is to celebrate the

harvest of that year and to give thanks to God.

LITURGY

The liturgy of the Church of South India combines many traditions,

including that of the Methodists and such smaller churches as the Church of the

Brethren and the Disciples of Christ. After the formation of the Church of South

India the first synod met at Madurai in March 1948 and appointed a liturgical

committee.120 The first Synod in 1948 (where the Holy Communion service was

that of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland) appointed a liturgy committee,

composed mainly of Western theologians. The liturgy so prepared was first

used at the Synod Session in 1950 and approved for use throughout the church

"wherever it is desired" in 1954.121 The first version of the Confirmation Service

for the new church was also released in 1950, translated into regional

languages and was quickly adopted by the various dioceses.

By 1962 the Liturgy Committee was able to prepare a number of Orders.

They were Eucharist, Morning and Evening Prayer, Marriage Service, Burial

119
Church Calender- St.Peter‟sTanjore.
120
The church of south india 1954,oxford university press.,the book of common worship
(London 1963),pp16-17‟ The Formation of the Liturgy of the Church of South India‟
StudiaLiturgica, 30(2000): 129-142.
121
Ibid.,156
 78

Service, Ordination Service and Covenant Service (1954), Holy Baptism (1955)

and Almanac (1955–56). The Book of Common Worship of the CSI was

published in 1963 with all the above orders of service. The orders of service

consist of: Order for Morning and Evening Worship, Order of Service for the

Baptized Persons, Order for Holy Baptism, Order for the Churching of Women,

Order for Holy Matrimony, Order for the Burial Service, Order for the Covenant

Service, and Order for Ordination Services.

The C.S.I. Book of Common Worship was published in 1950.122 It is

accepted by the other Churches for use and in all the Diocese of the C.S.I. The

C.S.I is growing in number; it is 2 million believers and 21 Diocese now in the 4

southern states including Jaffna in Sri Lanka. Trichy-Tanjore Diocese is one

among them.

For the first term from 1947 to 1949, the Diocesan Office had a very

humble beginning and began functioning at Dharapuram as the Central

Office.123 Later, it was shifted to Tiruchirapalli and was housed in the quarters of

a retired Sub-Registrar on the Puthur High Road. After a period of four years,

the Office was shifted to the present site which formed part of the playground of

Bishop Heber Secondary School, Puthur.124In the initial stage, the building had

122
Ibid.,p.157
123
Ravilochan,Manager of Diocesan office”The Diocesan office …..over the years”-Diamond
Jubilee Souvenir-TTD
124
Ibid.,p.24
 79

only a couple of rooms on the ground floor and a hall upstairs. The only office

equipment were an old typewriter and a hand-rolled cyclostyling apparatus.125

In 1975, the office was expanded and a big spacious room was built

adjoining the existing building on the eastern side. Above this portion on the first

floor the hall was used to conduct the Diocesan committees and other important

meetings. The CSI is a united and uniting church moving forward with a

dynamic vision for The Communion of Churches in India. Still C.S.I continues

her journey with Trichy –Tanjore Diocese and moving forward with dynamic

vision.

Being the largest Protestant church in India, the CSI celebrates her life

with Indian culture and spirituality and she also raises her voice for the

voiceless on matters of justice, peace and integrity of creation.126 Sharing the

love of Jesus Christ with the people of India through proclamation of the good

news of Jesus; The Diocese responding to human need through institutional

and emergency relief work; through community development projects and skill

training programmes for the marginalized and disadvantaged sections of the

people and programmes for the integrity of Creation. Translating this vision and

commitment, the Synod of the Church of South India as the apex body of the

church endeavors to encourage, equip and empower her dioceses,

congregations and institutions through varied ministries.

125
Ibid.p.26
126
CCI Directory-Church of South India,p.42.
 80

CHAPTER- III

THE STRUCTURE AND ADMINISTRATION SET-UP

The early missionaries carefully made many attempts for the smooth

administration of the Diocese. The Diocese of Trichy –Tanjore Diocese in India,

where Indians were free to express and administer the church themselves1. In

1947, the Diocese came under the control of the newly formed Church of South

India (CS!). The Trichy – Tanjore Diocese is a registered body with a Trust

called "The Trichy -Tanjore Diocesan Trust Association" 2. The Diocese is

under the control of the Church of South India (CSI). The Synod of the CS! is

the supreme governing and legislative body of the Church of South India. Two

years once synod is elected by the Dioceses. The entire Diocese comes under

the control of the Synod. Revenue districts east to west 360 kms north to south

130 kms200 kms of coast line diverse landscapes and people rich and poor

divide other denominations.

C.S.I.SYNOD

All the Diocesans Bishops are the members of this Synod. Deputy

Moderator, Secretary of the Women‟s fellowship and the General Secretary

shall be the Ex.Officio Members. The synod consists Six presbyters from each

Diocese and eight lay members. These six plus eight members are elected by

1
The Indian Church Directory, 1937-38, p. 209.
2
CSI TrichyTanjore Diocesan Council Report for the year, 1925, p.8.
 81

the Diocesan Committee. It consists 25% women and 25% youth.3 Moderator,

Deputy Moderator, General Secretary and the Treasurer are be the officers of

the Synod. Two years once, these officers are elected by the Synod members.4

Functions of the Moderator:

Moderator is the Chairman of the Synod. He shall be the Executive

Head. He has the power to control all the CSI Dioceses functions.

Deputy Moderator: if any and moderator without his presence deputy

moderator shall take charge for moderator.

The General Secretary of the Synod: To maintain all the records of

the synod and Conduct the correspondence with all the Dioceses.

The Treasurer of the Synod: It shall be the duty to take charge of all the

money belonging to the synod

ORGANISATIONAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURE

The congregation members elect the Pastoral Committee members and

Church Council members and they will elect the Church Council members.

They will elect the Diocesan Council Members. The Diocesan Council Members

will elect the Executive Committee Office- Bearers and the Bishop. The Diocese

has a planned organisational structure.

3
The Church Hand book,1997,pp.26-36
4
The Constitutions of The Church of south India .,p.59
 82

Top-Level Administration The Bishop, Office bearers, Executive

Committee and the members of the Diocesan Council are the top level

administrators of the CSI Trichy – Tanjore Diocese. They administer the

Diocese with the help of various Sub Committees. The functions of various

Committees are discussed separately.5

Middle level Administration The CSI Trichy – Tanjore Diocesan

Church Council is one of the middle level administrative set-up. The middle

level administration is run with the help of Pastoral and Evangelistic Sub-

Committees, Finance and Property Sub-Committee and the Elementary

Education Subcommittee.6

Lower Level Administration The Pastorate Committee of the CSI

Trichy –Tanjore Diocese is at the lower level of administration. The Pastorate is

under the control of the Pastorate Chairman. The Pastorate Committee also has

Pastoral and Evangelistic Work Sub-Committee, Finance and Property Sub

Committee and Elementary Education Sub-Committee. The Pastorate

Secretary and the Pastorate Treasurer will help the Pastorate Chairman to do

Prayer and Worship, Evangelism and Outreach Programmes, conduct of Youth

Meetings, Women Fellowship, Men Fellowship, Sunday Schools for Children,

Ministry and Revival Meetings and Training and Counseling7.There are many

techniques in management that can be carefully used to improve the Diocesan

5
Ibid.,60
6
Constitution of Trichy – Tanjore Diocese-1986.
7
T.M. Joseph, TQM for Effective Diocesan Management, Christian Manager, vol. 2,No. 2, April-
May, 2001,p.13.
 83

and Church Administration. It must be realized that every Diocese be treated as

a distinct unit for development and proposals must be presented from the

Pastorate Committee and the Church Councils and this should be crystallized in

Diocesan Councils, which should then give a clear mandate to the Diocesan

Executive for implementing them.

The Diocese is analyzing the strength and weaknesses of the Diocese,

opportunities of the people and the threats of the rival groups. The CSI Trichy-

Tanjore Diocese is having mission statement and vision statement. There is an

atmosphere for open decision-making.

DIOCESAN ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURE

The Pastorate Committees and Powers and Functions

The Pastorate Committee shall consider all matters connected with the

welfare of the Congregations the Pastorate schools and the Pastorate funds

and property shall encourage efforts to deepen spiritual life of the Christians.

The Pastorate Committee consists of the Pastorate Chairman, the Pastorate

Secretary, the Pastorate Treasurer and elected members of the Pastorates. The

Pastorate Treasurer submits the quarterly financial statements to the Chairman

of the Diocesan Committee.8

CHURCH COUNCILS

The Church Council consists of the Chairman of the Church Council, all

the Chairmen, all Treasurers including lay treasurers, Congregation

Trichy –Tanjore Diocesan council report -1947-2009

8
 84

Representatives from each Pastorate and the Principals of all the Diocesan

Colleges.9 There were nearly 1000 Congregations in the TDTA. in 1947. These

congregations were divided into 130 Pastorates. Again the 130 Pastorates were

divided into four councils. Each Council is managed and administered by

democratically elected bodies. There are six Church Councils.

DIOCESAN COUNCIL

There is a Diocesan Council for the whole of the Diocese called "The

Trichy- Tanjore Diocesan Council". The Diocesan Council consists of the

Bishop, officers of the Council, it consists Women‟s Fellowship President ,six

DCC and its presbyters ,women workers, Secretaries of Committees,[14

committees],Bishop‟s nomination members, elected lay delegates,[ it consists

several pastorates , and youth observers.10The Diocesan Council shall advise

the Bishop and the Synod on all matters and may approach the Bishop or the

Synod by way of petitions on any matter with which the Bishop or the Synod, as

the case may be, is competent enough to deal with. The Diocesan Council shall

elect as its representatives for each ordinary session of the Synod six

Clergymen and eight Laymen.

All members of the Diocesan Council shall be communicant members of

this Church above 18 years of age and shall be resident members of the

Pastorates which they represent in the Diocese for a period of at least one

year11 and shall be eligible for membership in the Pastorate Committee.

9
The constitution- Trichy –Tanjore Diocese-1986
10
Minutes of the Diocesan Council book-1997
11
The Constitution of TrichyTanjore Diocese-1993
 85

Election to the Diocesan Council shall take place at a meeting of the Pastorate

Committee or the Adhoc Committee, if there is no Pastorate Committee in a

Pastorate.

OFFICERS OF DIOCESAN COUNCIL

The Bishop of the Diocese shall be the ex-officio President of the

Diocesan Council and shall have the right to preside over the proceedings of

any Committee, Board or Council of the Dioceses and in his absence his

commissary shall act for him. The Bishop shall have the right of interpretation

of any points of the Diocesan Constitution which shall be final.12

There shall be two secretaries, one Clerical and another Lay, elected by

the Diocesan Council. They shall normally serve for two years and will be

eligible for re-election for a further period of two years, after which they

should be out of office for not less than two years before they can be elected to

these offices.These Officers of the Council, viz The clerical secretary ,the lay

secretary and the Diocesan Treasurer shall be members of all Committees of

the Council and shallcontinue to hold office for two years or until the end of the

council session in which the next election has taken place. The Bishop of the

Diocese shall be the Executive Officers of the Diocesan Council. There shall be

one Treasurer .The Bishop shall appoint the Diocesan Treasurer in consultation

with the Executive Committee. There shall be no nominations for the office of

the Diocesan Treasurer in the Diocesan Council.13

12
Ibid.,p.5
13
Ibid.,p.6
 86

The data of the meeting of the Council shall be notified to all the

members of the Council. At least 60 days prior to the date of meeting. Notice

shall be given to all members by post under Certificate of posting. It may also

be announced in all the churches for the information of the congregations.

However, the proceedings of the Council shall not be stopped or invalidated by

reason of the non-receipt of or inadequacy of notice by any member regarding

any session.14

POWERS AND DUTIES

The Council has power to pass rules and regulations and take executive

action of for the general management and good government of the Church in

the Diocese, subject to provisions of the Constitution of the Church of South

India and in particular to those concerning the Synod of the Church. It has the

right to elect a panel for Bishopric (an effective voice in the appointment of its

Bishops.) and the right to make regulations with regard to the acceptance of

candidates for ordination to the ministry, with regard to Pastorates and with

regard to the discipline of the Church, subject to the provisions of the

Constitution of the Church of South India.

It has the duty of fostering and controlling the development of the

Evangelistic, Pastoral, Educational and other work of the church in the Diocese

and where it does not administer such work through its own Committees, it

should arrange for the co-ordination of the work of mission and other

administrative bodies within the Diocese.

14
Diocesan council meetings records-1986.
 87

In particular it is desirable that the Diocesan Council should receive

reports of the Evangelistic work which is being done in its area from time to time

should survey the whole field in order to see whether there will be any part of it

or any section of the population which is being neglected or in which there are

special opportunities for advance. 15

The Diocesan Council shall be the final authority of the Church in its

Diocese in all matters concerning its internal administration. The Bishop of the

Diocese shall have the right of suspending the operation of decisions or

resolutions of the Diocesan Council which directly concern. 16

Subject to the provisions of the Constitution of the Church of South India,

the Diocesan Council has, power to frame, amend or alter its own Constitution

provided that neither the Constitution nor any alteration therein shall be in force

if the Synod shall rule that such Constitution or alteration therein is at variance

with anything contained in the Constitution of the Church of South India.

All resolutions of the Diocesan Executive Committees with the exception

of those dealing with financial matters, shall be subject to revision by the

Diocesan Council at its next meeting, but in order to revise any such

resolutions, the Diocesan Council must by a vote of 2/3 members present give

permission for the proposal for the revision to be brought forward. The

Diocesan committee has 1417 committees, such as Executive, Finance,

Education, Pastrol, Evangelistic,Property,Liturgical,Ordination,Women‟s work

15
The Constituion of Trichy – Tanjore Diocese.,P.8
16
The Constituion of Trichy – Tanjore Diocese.,p.8
17
34 TH Minute Ds of the Diocesan council.
 88

,Medical, Men‟s Fellowship, Social concern ,Childcare committee and

Ecological Concerns Committees.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE DIOCESAN COUNCIL.

The Bishop of the Diocese shall be ex-officio Chairman.18 The Clerical

Secretary shall be the Secretary of the Executive Committee. The Lay

Secretary and the Treasurer of the Diocesan Council shall be ex- officio

members. The President of the Diocesan Women‟s Fellowship .The Diocesan

Council shall elect eight presbyters and eleven Lay members.

The Chairmen of the District Church Councils shall be included among

the eight presbyters. The elections of presbyters and laymen shall be on a

District basis, and nominations shall be made by the District Church Councils.

The District Church Councils may also nominate people for election as

representatives to the Synod. The Diocesan Council also has the right to make

nominations. Only members of the Diocesan Council are eligible for election to

the Executive Committee.

The Bishop shall nominate two members preferably from areas or work

not represented. Members of the Executive Committee shall include at least two

women. Fifty percent of the presbyters and fifty percent of the lay members

shall form the quorum.

DUTIES:

 To prepare the agenda for the Diocesan Council and to make

arrangements for holding the Diocesan Council.

18
Ibid.,p.36
 89

 With the exception of amendments to this Constitution, and of elections,

to carry on the necessary work of the Council and to exercise all its

powers between sessions. The Executive Committee may fill up by co-

option any vacancies in committees elected by the Diocesan Council or

in appointments made by that Council.

 To receive the minutes of all the other Diocesan Committees for its

consideration and approval and take necessary action.

 To submit a report of its proceedings to the Diocesan Council.19

Trichy –Tanjore Diocese has some rules for the Conduct of Diocesan

Council Business.20

 The conduct of business of the Diocesan Council shall be in the

hands of Bishop who shall have full discretion to give such rulings as

are necessary on any matters not covered by the Constituion. Bye-

laws or rules for Conduct of Business, except that the Bishop may

refer any such matter to the Diocesan Council Reference committee.

 Except as approved in Rule 14 below, business of the Diocesan

council shall be carried on by the process of debate. Accordingly, no

one shall speak expect to motion of the point of order.

 If any member deems that the constitution of the Diocesan Council or

the rules governing the conduct of meeting are being infringed he

may rise and raise the matter on a point of order. A point of order

must always be given immediate hearing and ruling of the Bishop ,

19
The Constituion of Trichy – Tanjore Diocese. 2007 ,p.12
20
Minutes of the Diocesan Council.,p.4
 90

given before any business is proceeded with unless the Bishop

decides to refer the matter as provided in Rule –I

 Every motion must be second and afterwards repeated or read aloud

from the chair unless it is already in writing in the hands of the

members, before it is debated and every motion and amendment

shall ordinarily be reduced to writing.21

 The mover and Seconder of a motion may withdraw it before debate

has commenced on it, but afterwards expect with the permission of

the Bishop.

 Except the mover who shall be allowed to reply, no member shall

without the special permission of the Bishop, Speak more than once

on the same motion or amendment.22

 An Amendment may be made to any motion , and it shall be decided

before the original motion. It may in its turn be suspended by an

amendment suspended by an amendment to itself, which must first

be considered and decided. An amendment to an amendment

cannot be further amended.

 When a subject is under debate, no motion shall be received except :

 to adjourn

 to postpone consideration to a certain time

 to refer to a committee

21
Ibid.,p.4
22
Ibid.,p.5
 91

 to amend,or

 to take an immediate vote ,which motion shall have precedence in

the order here stated.23

 When a motion to take an immediate vote is made and seconded ,until it

be decided ,all amendments and debate shall be in admissible. If the

vote be in the affirmative ,the original motion shall be immediately put to

vote without further amendment or debate, but if there be an amendment

or amendment or debate ,but if there be an amenment or amendments

pending the time ,the vote shall first be taken on such amendment or

amendments in their proper order without debate. If the vote be in the

24
negative the debate shall continue as before.

 A subject shall not be called up or reconsidered at the same session of

the Diocesan Council at which it was decided unless by consent of two

third of the members, present and on the motion of someone who voted

for it.

 After the Bishop has begun to take a vote or the secretary to call the roll

on a division of the house, no debate or remark shall be allowed.

 A motion to adjourn, or to lay on the table and all motion in relation to

priority of business, shall be decided without debate. The motion to

postpone or to commit, if it prevails shall preclude all debate of the main

question.

23
Ibid.,p.5
24
Ibid .,p.6
 92

 The Bishop shall have the casting vote in case of a tie. 25

 For the free discussion of any subject the Diocesan Council may be vote

resolve itself into committee in which case the ordinary rules of debate

debarring members from speaking twice shall be abrogated. Under this

rule it shall be open to the Diocesan Council when in Committee to divide

on a proposition in order to ascertain the opinion of the meeting, but no

resolution so approved shall be binding unless confirmed in the Diocesan

Council voting formally. The Diocesan Council being the supreme policy

making body it deals with the wider issues like policies of the diocese,

development schemes and projects, etc..and so any reference to any

individual personality be kindly avoided during discussions.

 As the time allotted for discussions and deliberations is very short and

since opportunity for expression has to be given to as many delegates as

possible, Speakers are kindly requested to give their suggestions and

concrete proposals precisely and briefly.

 Normally no member shall speak for more than five minutes on any

subject or resolution except the mover of the resolution. The Bishop shall

have discretion to limit the time allotted to any subject or to indicate how

many speakers may be permitted.

 A rule or order may be suspended for the time by unanimous consent. 26

25
Report of the ordination committee.1998.
26
Minutes of the Diocesan Council.,p4,5,6
 93

DIOCESAN FINANCE COMMITTEE

It functions are To hold all Diocesan Funds and deposit them in

Nationalized Banks, to be responsible for the maintenance of correct and up-to

–date accounts in all pastorates, institutions and other departments of Diocesan

work, to prepare the Diocesan Budget for carrying on the work of the Diocese in

the various departments and to pass the budgets of pastorates and institutions,

and to fix the assessment every year to be paid by Pastorates. And to tale

suitable action on Pastorates which do not pay their assessment regularly every

month if the treasurer of the Pastorate committees fails to remit the assessment

amount consecutively for three months, the Diocesan treasurer in consultation

with the chairman of the Pastorate committee and district Church Council shall

report to the finance committee which shall remove the defaulting treasurer from

his treasurer ship and arrange for election of another person as treasure.

The names of all banks accounts of the Diocese at Diocesan, Pastorate

and Institutional levels should be named connecting it with „CSITA‟ Tirchy-

Tanjore Diocese.27 Institutions can apply to the finance committee through their

managing committees and through the Diocesan higher Committees to obtain

permission to raise funds for any special project.”

DIOCESAN EDUCATION COMMITTEE

The Bishop shall be the Chairman. All the DCC Chairmen who shall be

the Chairmen of the managing Committees of institutions and one lay member

representing each DCC area including two heads of educational & Technical

27
Ibid.,p15
 94

Institution in the Diocese. Elementary & Middle Schools. The Conveners of

these sub committees shall be elected by the ex-officio and the elected

members of the Educational Committee, at, the first meeting immediately after

the Diocesan Council. The convener so elected shall necessarily be persons

holding positions in the respective fields viz., Conveners of the Elementary

/Middle schools should be either a correspondent/ Headmaster/Teacher

working in the Elementary Schools and in the same way for other conveners..”

The Committee shall meet three times a year.28

It is main functions are to Organize and develop educational work in

the Diocese and to arrange for the co- ordination of all such work within the

Diocese, to receive, the working and general conditions of all Educational and

Technical Institutions Hostels, Children‟s Homes and Orphanages in the

Diocese and to appoint an Committee for the selections of Heads of Higher

Secondary, High Schools and Middle Schools and Technical Institutions and

recommend them to Bishop for appointment. Correspondents should be those

paying 3% Church subscription. The Bishop who is the Head of the Diocese is

the manager of all Diocesan Educational institution and technical Training

Institutes. The Tirchy-Tanjore Diocese of the Church of South India shall be the

Management. A representative of the Managing Committee of the school or

institution concerned, elected by the Education Committee. he should report

regarding all functions of the committee in the Diocesan council meeting.29

28
The Constituion of Trichy – Tanjore Diocese
29
Diocesan council meeting- education committee report for the year 1998.
 95

DIOCESAN PASTORAL COMMITTEE

The Bishop shall be the Chairman. The Clerical Secretary of the

Diocese shall be the secretary of the Committee Twelve Presbyters of whom six

shall be the DCC Chairmen and twelve lay representatives of whom three shall

be women elected by the Diocesan Council. Two members nominated by the

bishop preferably from areas of work not represented. The office – bearers of

the Diocesan Council shall also be members. The official representative

resident in the Diocese of each Missionary society assisting the Diocese shall

also be a member. The Committee shall ordinarily meet three times a year.

Duties of the pastoral committee are to be in charge of stationing of

presbyters, Deacons, Diocesan, Lay Workers (Men) and Evangelists in the

30
Diocese. The Stationing of Ministers and Diocesan Lay Workers shall

ordinarily be decided not later than February in each year, provided it can be

done subsequently also if the Committee so decides and changes shall take

place not later than the last week in May, to fix and review all salaries and

allowances of presbyters and Deacon and to appoint a subcommittee to be in –

charge of all matters relating to Diocesan evangelists consisting Bishop, the

secretary of the Pastoral Committee, all DCC Chairmen, two other presbyters

five evangelists representatives and five lay persons of whom two shall be

women.

The Presbyters shall retire on completing Sixty –five years of age. But it

shall be open to the Bishop to re-engage the services of a retired Presbyter

30
The Constitution of TrichyTanjore Diocese-1993
 96

from year to year on production of medical fitness certificate up to seventy years

of age.31

DIOCESAN EVANGELISTIC MISSIONARY OUTREACH COMMITTEE

The Evangelist Committee is to foster interest in and develop

Evangelistic and Missionary work and to arrange for the formation of

Evangelistic and Missionary outreach Bands.

DIOCESAN PROPERTY COMMITTEE

The Church of South India is the holding body of the immovable

properties in the Diocese. The Diocesan property Committee shall administer all

these trust properties in the Diocese. The power of attorney holders will be

appointed by the Church of South India Trust Association on the

recommendation of the Diocesan Executive committee which shall act on behalf

of the Diocesan Property Committee whenever necessary.

This Committee is maintaining all properties in the Diocese and be

responsible for their proper management and to supervise and control the

property administration of Pastorates and Institutions. Two years once, reports

about the committee are given by this committee secretary to the Diocesan

church council.32

All properties shall be acquired in the name of the Church of South

India Trust Association. No trust property in the Diocese shall be sold, leased,

31
Report of the evangelistic Missionary and outreach Committee.
32
Minutes of the Diocesan council.
 97

mortgaged given as gift without the prior sanction of the Diocesan Property

Committee. A property register shall be maintained by each Pastorate and by

the Diocese. The Correspondent of the Educational Institutions, the Chairman

of Pastorate Committees, and the Medical officers in charge of Hospitals shall

be the custodians of Local documents for day to day administration such as

lease deeds, etc.

The Diocesan Property Secretary will maintain all comprehensive

Property register with up – to date entries. He will keep in his safe custody all

documents and records connected with Diocesan Properties .The Diocesan

Property Secretary shall have the custody in the Diocesan office of all the

documents of the Diocesan Properties. Hence, the diocesan‟s important

committees are functioning.

THE DISTRICT CHURCH COUNCIL

The District Church Council shall consist of a presbyter as Chairman

who has completed at least ten years of service in the diocese as presbyter

elected by the Diocesan Council. They will be eligible for re –election for a

further period of two years before they can be out of office for not less than two

years before they can be reelected, if they have already served for two

consecutive terms. 33

Principals of colleges, Multipurpose Health Workers Training Schools

and Schools of Nursing, Headmasters/ Headmistress of Higher Secondary

Schools, Correspondents of Higher Secondary Schools, High Schools, Higher

33
The Constitution of Trichy – Tanjore Diocese.2007 ,p.40.
 98

Elementary Schools, Training Schools, Industrial Schools, Paying Hostels and

Homes, Headmaster of CSI Special Education Schools are the members of this

council.

THE PASTORATE COMMITTEE

There shall be a pastorate committee for each pastorate. A “pastorate”

for the purposes of these rules shall mean “a Congregation or a group of

congregations organized under the pastoral charge of a Presbyter”.34 Each

village containing twenty five or more communicants shall be considered a

Congregation. Where there are less than twenty five communicants they shall

be attached to the nearest convenient congregations for the purpose of voting.

The Pastorate Committee shall consist of the presbyter in-charge of the

Pastorate who shall be the Chairman of the Committee. All other Presbyters or

Deacons or Diocesan Lay workers either appointed to work as assistants or

working in Educational Institutions or as servants of the Diocese in any capacity

with in the area of the Pastorate.

OFFICE BEARERS

The office-bearers consist of the Bishop, Vice-Chairman, Lay Secretary

and Clerical Secretary. They will meet at any time or place and take decisions.

Before the formation of the CSI in 1947, the Diocese followed the Constitution

of the Church of India, Burma and Ceylon. After the formation of the Trichy -

Tanjore Diocese, it began to follow strictly the Constitution of the CSI in electing

its own Bishop. According to the new system, the Synod of the CSI appointed a

34
Ibid.,p.22
 99

Selection Board. The Diocesan Council selects the panel of candidates and the

Synod Selection Board has the power to select the Bishop.35

THE DUTIES AND POWERS OF THE BISHOP

The Bishop, in addition to his Episcopal duties, had other duties also. He

addresses Conferences and Conventions, Retreats and Fellowship Meetings

and preaches at harvest festivals. He presides over the Tribunals of Disputes

and Factions. The Bishop is the Chairman of the Governing Board of Diocesan

Councils, Committees and all the Diocesan Colleges. The Bishop sends letters

to each Congregation and it will be read in the Sunday Service. The Bishop also

contacts the people through the official magazine of the Diocesan 'Thirusabai

malar'.36

PREAMBLE

The Church of South India Trichy –Tanjore Diocese was formed in 1947.The

first edition of the Constitution of the Diocese was printed at the time of the

formation. The book of Constitution was reprinted in 1986 incorporating all the

subsequent amendments. The following terms used in the articles of this

Constitution shall be understood in the sense hereinafter defined:-37

PASTORATE

A pastorate is an organized congregation or group of congregations

recognized as such by the Diocesan Council, under the superintendence of

presbyter, who may be in charge of more than one pastorate.

35
Report of the diocesan ordination committee.-1998.
36
Monthly Magazine for Trichy –Tanjore Diocesan –Private circulation.
37
Constitution of the Trichy-Tanjore Diocese-1993
 100

CONGREGATION

A group of protestant Christian families and individual belonging to the

Church of South India and resident in the area of a pastorate of Trichy –

Tanjore Diocese of Church of South India.

ADMISSION

Admission to the membership of a pastorate shall be either by

confirmation or by transfer from another pastorate in the Church of South India,

or from another Church.38

RESIDENT

 A person shall be deemed to be resident in a Pastorate if he / she

resides in the house or in a lodger or is employed within the local limits of

the Pastorate for at least a period of one year before the date when he /

she desires the inclusion of his /her name in the voter‟s list and if he / she

is in the habit of attendance at any Church in the pastorate, such a

person as noted above shall be deemed to be resident in one pastorate

only. In case of doubt the verdict of the Bishop shall be final.39

 A person shall like –wise be deemed to be resident in the Diocese if

he/she is in regular occupation and also if he /she transfers himself

/herself or his family with a transfer of membership note from the

presbyter in charge of the place of residence he/she is leaving.

38
Ibid.,p26
39
Constitution of the Trichy-Tanjore Diocese.,p.2
 101

 .Any member having permanent residence in the Diocese ,if he or she

changes residence from one pastorate to another pastorate within the

Diocese with bonafide certificates after having cleared all dues to the

church shall be eligible both to contest and to vote in any election of the

Church to which his or her membership is transferred, if he/she satisfied

other conditions as required by the Constitution. By Communicate

member of this Church shall be understood person who has been duly

baptized and confirmed or received as a full member and is in the habit

of receiving Holy Communion according to the traditions prevalent in the

Diocese. For purpose of eligibility in pastorate committee election the

member should have received Holy Communion regularly in any

Congregation within the Pastorate.

MONTHLY CHURCH SUBSCRIPTION FOR ORDINARY MEMBERSHIP IN

THE PASTORATE:

Monthly salary earners should pay for the their ordinary membership in

the pastorate at the rate of at least 1% of their pay and dearness allowance per

month and other should pay for their ordinary membership of the pastorate at

least at the rate of 1% of their average monthly income of the previous year

every Monthly subscription for membership in committees and councils.40

The monthly salary earners who desire to serve on the committees and

councils by becoming members thereof should have paid per month at least

3%of their pay and dearness allowance for a period of at least 2 months prior

40
The Constitution of the CSI Trichy – Tanjore Diocese 2012.p.
 102

to the month of election. Others other than monthly salary earners, who desire

to serve on the committees and councils by becoming members thereof, should

have paid per month at least 3% of their average monthly income of the

previous year for a period of at least 24 months prior to the month of election.41

By a “Majority “shall be understood a majority of those present and voting

unless it is otherwise defined.42 The word “Council” in the constitution means

THE THIRUCHIRAPALLI –THANJVUR DIOCESAN COUNCIL.

By “Diocesan Law worker “shall be understood.

 A member of the order of sisters of the Church of South India .or

 .A LAY Missionary from overseas ;or

 . Anyone else to whom the Diocesan Council may give this

designation43

CHURCH DUES:

Any amount due to the church by way of rent ,lease or arrears thereof

collections made and due to be paid to the Church ,Harvest Festivals and other

auction arrears funds due from person who hold or held financial responsibility

in any Church body or Institution in any capacity.44

LIST OF PASTORATES IN TIRUCHIRAPPALLI THANJAVUR DIOCESE

Trichy -Tanjore Diocese had been divided into 6 DCC. They are

Anaimalai, Dharapuram, Karur, Trichy, PerambalurKolidam, and Thanjavur

41
Membership card- printed -CSI.St.Peter‟s Church, Thanjavur.
42
The Constitution of the CSI Trichy – Tanjore Diocese 2012.p.2
43
Ibid.,p.3
44
Congregational membership notice of CSI St.Peter‟sChurch.Thanjavur.
 103

DCC. Each pastorates has Chairperson to admin. Anaimalai DCC consists 11

pastorates. They are Anaimudi ,Henry Edwin Bleby, Iyerpadi, KaramalaiMudis,

Nadumalai, Sholayar Nagar, Valparai, Vellonie and Waterfalls

Pastorate.Dharapuram DCC has Avinashipalayam, Bethel – Dharapuram,

Chinnaputhur, Dharapuram Town, Dharapuram Central, Devanurpudur,

Gudimangalam, Kannivadi, Kundadam, Kuthampoondi, Kallivalasu,

Kolathupalayam, Madathukulam, Manakadavu, Mulanur, Perunkarunaipalayam,

Thalavaipattinam, Thayampalayam, St.Thomas Pastorate(Dharapuram Rural),

Udumalaipettai, Uthiyur, and Vellakovil Pastorate.45Karur DCC has,

Aravakurichi, Chinnadharapuram ,Karur, Kulithalai, Musiri, KarurParamathy,

Puliyur, Thalavaipalayam, Thanthondrimalai, Thennila, and

VisuvanathapuriPastorate.Perambalur DCC has , Annamangalam, Ariyalur,

Irungalur, Jeyangondam, Mettupatti, Perambalur, Pudukottai Village,

Pullampadi, Thuraiyur, Chidambaram, and Lalgudi Pastorate.

Tiruchirappalli DCC has All Saints Church, Bethel Church, The Fort

Christ Church, Christ Church GOC. North , Redeemer's Church, Emmanuel

Church, OFT Church, Kattur Church, Manaparai, St.Andrew's Church,

St.Chrstopher's Church, St.Mathew's Church, St. John's Church, St.Paul's

Church, St.Peter's GOC Church, St.Thomas Church, St.Marks,

Karumandapam, and St.Luke's Church & Pastorate (Bishop Heber College

Chapel)

45
Minutes of the Diocesan committee-2012
 104

Thanjavur DCC has, Aathanur, Anaikaadu, Aranthangi, The Fort Christ

Church, Karaikal, Kumbakonam, Mannaargudi Town, Mannaargudi Rural,

Melanattham, Nagapattinam, Nangur, Pattukottai, St.Peter's Church,

Thiruvarur, St.Andrews Church, and Myiladuthurai Pastorate.46

GENERAL AREAS OF THE CONSTITUTION

Consecration of the Bishop

At the time of the consecration of the Diocesan Bishop Hands shall be

laid by three Bishops and three Presbyters.

DIOCESAN REPRESENTATION TO THE SYNOD

Trichy –Tanjore Diocese shall be represented in the synod by not fewer

than two presbyters and four laymen and up to maximum of six Presbyters and

eight laymen. Every such representative shall be an adult communicant

member of the Church of South India not at the time under Church discipline

and shall resident or have his home in this Diocese at the time of his election.

MARRIAGE LAWS-

Trichy – Tanjore Diocese has marriage laws. Banns47 for marriage will be

published during Sunday service in the Church, where the parties to be married

severally reside (or if there be no church in either of the two places the nearest

46
Minutes of the Diocesan committee
47
The banns of marriage, commonly known simply as the "banns" or "proclamation" - the
public announcement in a Christian parish church or in the town council of an impending
marriage between two specified persons.
 105

suitable place thereto) on three consecutive Sundays. In special cases for

unavoidable reasons notices of marriage could be published during Divine

Service on two consecutive Sundays only with the permission of the Bishop.

The Marriage may be solemnized in any other place than that in which

notice was given only with the written permission of the Bishop of the Diocese

or in exceptional circumstances by the Chairman of the District Church Council.

Diocese is not in favor of marriage being solemnized without publication of

notice in the Church .But in very extraordinary circumstances marriages can be

solemnized without notice in the church by a special surrogate license from the

Bishop.

Presbyters licensed solemnized marriages by lay shall maintain regular

marriage register as required keep them in safe Custody. And to produce them

for inspection whenever required by the authorities of the Church and the

Government.

THE DISCIPLINE OF THE CHURCH

The Diocesan Council shall at every ordinary session appoint a panel

of presbyters and panel of laymen who shall be communicant members of the

Church in the Diocese, from each of which the Bishop shall summon members

to sit on the Diocese. A panel shall be constituted in every Pastorate by the

Pastorate Committee from among whom the local Court/Panchayat shall be

appointed by the Bishop. In places where there are Leaders Meeting, the

Members of the Leader‟s meeting shall form the Panel.48In the case of major

48
The Constitution of the CSI Trichy – Tanjore Diocese -1986
 106

offences , the authority of such Local Courts shall be limited to that of making,

recommendation to the Bishop of the Diocese who alone can issue sentence of

suspension from Holy Communion or of ex- communication.

LEGAL PROCEEDINGS:

 No legal proceedings shall be instituted as against the Bishop or his

commissary, or when the office of the Bishop lies vacant, the

Moderator or his commissary, in connection with any of the powers or

duties exercised or discharged by him as the case may be.

 All legal proceedings by or against the Diocesan Council or any of its

Committees shall be made in the name of the Clerical Secretary of the

Diocesan Council or any other person authorized by the Bishop by or

against the District Church Council, or any of its Committees in the

name of the Chairman of the District Church Council ,and by or

against the pastorate Committee or any of its Committees in the name

of the Chairman of the Pastorate Committee.49

 No legal proceedings shall be instituted against any of the proceedings

of the Councils or Committees formed under this Constitution until the

expiry of two months after giving notice stating the cause of action and

the proposed legal proceedings.

 All the members of the Church hereby agree, that if any legal

proceedings are to be instituted by such members and in which the

officers of the Tiruchirappalli - Thanjavur Diocese are made parties

49
Ibid.,p.34
 107

such suit shall be instituted only in such court situated within the

municipal limits of Tiruchirappalli Town where the office of the Diocese

is situated.

RULES REGARDING AMENDMENTS AND ADDITIONS TO THE

CONSTITUTION AND ADOPTION OF BYE LAWS

The procedure for amendments or additions to the constitution is as

follows:

Any member of the Diocesan Council may send proposals for

amendments to the Diocesan Constitution. Such proposals shall be sent to the

Clerical Secretary not later than six months before the meeting of the Diocesan

Council. Such proposal should be considered by the executive committee and

if this committee considers that the proposal merits consideration it shall send it

down, without comments to the District Church Councils.

The District Church Councils shall consider the proposal and express their

opinion. The executive committee shall then again consider the proposal, and

make a recommendation to the Diocesan Council.

DIOCESAN OFFICE:

The Diocesan Treasurer shall be the head of this Diocesan Office .

Treasurer is appointed by the Bishop. The Manager shall assist the treasurer.

Cashier, Auditors, and their assistants, Accountants, and Office Assistants are

working in this office. Diocesan Finance Accounts, College and Schools

50
Accounts, Hostels and Homes administrations are maintained here. Function

50
Interview with Walter Chandrasekar former lay secretary- Diocesan Office-Trichy
 108

as an Archives for Pastorate Councils and DCC financial matters, all the

Institutions Documents, and Records.51

Pastorate Office

Each and every pastorate under the control of this diocese has a office to

maintain the Burial register, baptism register, Marriage register, every week

offertory Accounts, schools and hostels accounts and expenses accounts. If the

pastorate has marriage hall that too is maintained by the office. Every month

subscription is the main income of the church. 60% of the Pastorate, must be

paid to the Diocesan office as assessment to maintain the whole diocese. Apart

from this income, Church property, like shops, land and buildings of the

Churches are the other income of the churches. Example Singarathopu of

Tiruchirappalli around Diocese office shops are the main income to the

diocesan office.

Thus, The CSI Trichy –Tanjore Diocese has been functioning according

to the Constitution. It‟s functioning like a Mini Government. The constitutions not

only for councils and committees, and also for the general areas such as

consecrations of Bishop, representation to the Synod, marriage law, litigation,

church Discipline, Legal Proceedings and for the amendments and additions to

the Constitution and adoption of bye laws.52

51
Interview with Walter-Manger- Diocesan Office-Trichy.Date:17.08.2015
52
The Constitution of TrichyTanjore Diocese-1993
109
110
 111

CHAPTER IV

EVANGELISM

Evangelism is the preaching of the Gospel or the practice of giving

information about a particular doctrine or set of beliefs to others with the

intention of converting others to the Christian faith1. Evangelism is teaching the

Gospel of Jesus Christ with the aim to persuade them to follow. Christians who

specialize in evangelism are often known as evangelists, whether they are in

their home communities or living as missionaries in the field. They are also

referred to as missionaries by the Christian tradition.

There are various definitions of evangelism. It is from the Greek concept

“euangelismos” meaning “a preaching of, a zealous effort to spread the gospel,

as in revival meetings”. It also means “any zealous effort in propagandizing for a

cause”.2 While evangelism is usually regarded as converting non-Christians to

Christianity this is always the proper usage of the word. But in real churches

and the congregation members turn their hearts towards gospel and make their

heart to know gospel and act according the truth. There is no evidence for

forcible conversion. The Bible does not tell us to convert, but to lead people to

Jesus. Church growth is a by-product of winning souls and making disciples.

1
Sarpong, P.K “Evangelization and Inculturation”. West African Journal of Ecclesial Studies
(WAJES), 1990

2
Webster‟s “New World Dictionary of the American Language” - 1978, p.434
 112

The churches use to give highest priorities to evangelism for the reasons

that are derived by them from the Gospel of Jesus Church. Some of them are –

Christ commanded it, Christ is the only way for salvation, Christ died for the

world. There are other reasons also. The survival question for the church, if

they not intentional in evangelism, the people are having the view that the

church with evangelism as top priority is the need of this hour and growth of too

many independent churches are the other factors that made the churches to

give top priority to evangelism. The Churches have been used certain passages

from the Bible to promote evangelism. Those words are:

“Therefore go and make the disciples of all nations, baptizing them in

the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and

teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely

I am with you always, to the very end of the age” 3

EVANGELICAL WORK OF THE EARLY MISSIONARIES

The protestant church believes that the gospel is not the private property

of the church. Rather, the church is entrusted with passing it on. The church

remains vital only in so far as it shares the Gospel with all people. It also

believes that “In breathing in, the church withdraws into itself. In breathing out, it

goes out of itself. To stay alive, the church must also be able to breathe out.

3
Mathew 28:19,20.”The Bible”
 113

Traditionally, this breath out of the Gospel in word and deed is expressed by the

terms “Mission and Evangelism”.4

The early missionaries had done their great work in evangelism. In their

attempt to spread the Christian faith, win converts and transform Tamil

societies, Christian missions of all denominations opened schools and

disseminated education. Scientifically very important was their pioneer work in

Tamil language. By producing grammar books, dictionaries, textbooks and

translations of religious texts missionaries laid the foundations for literature in

Tamil and English languages. Christian missionary enterprise was no doubt of

prime importance in the Westernization of Tamil Nadu. Tamil people were,

however, not passive recipients of new influences and culture patterns. The

adoption of Christianity and the process of cultural exchange were shaped by

Tamil choices, needs and efforts to Christian experience by securing the roots

of Christianity.

Open Air-Preaching:

While work was expanding the evangelistic efforts also kept pace with

the advance made. As far as preaching was concerned there was little

change from the methods of former years. The Methodist preached everywhere

in the town streets, under the shadow of an idol- car, under the canopy of a

country tree or in the open square of the Village. In places where caste men

congregated and in the obscure Harijans quarters, in market places and in the

4
CCI Directory.,Church of South India.p.42
 114

open fields they proclaimed the Gospel to audiences of varying sizes. 5 For

instance, regular preaching was done for many years among the coolies and

emigrants on the beach of Nagapattinam.

From the port thousands of people migrated to Malaya, Ceylon, and

Burma, seeking employment opportunities in the plantations. Every week the

agents of the Methodist Church gathered groups of these people together and

strove to say some word which would stimulate their minds to think about their

spiritual life.6

In the Villages, the immediate neighborhood of each Mission station, the

Gospel was preached every week, and places more remote were visited

frequently. These visits were generally undertaken by missionaries

accompanied by a staff of native preachers. The singing of Christian‟s lyrics and

hymns accompanied by musical instruments soon attracted a congregation.7

Describing the work witnessed the Rev. Ebenezer E. Jenkins writes:

There is more heart religion in the native Churches than I ever

remember to have witnessed during my own missionary course. For

instance, you will seldom see a native preacher or catechist standing

in a bazaar of a town or the open square of a village a solitary

witness for Christ. He is now escorted by a voluntary band of helpers;

5
Annual report ., VOL.XXIII(1899), P.6
6
Ibid.P.7
7
W.H Findlay , “ Street preaching in Mannargudi”, WWMF, Vol. I (1892), PP.113-116; CF.
W.H.Findlay.”Nega&Trichy; A Study in Missionary Method”, 2 nd paper , wwmf,vol. III June
,1894)pp.246-249)
 115

and these are generally armed with musical weapons and flight down

all opposition by lyric melodies ….

The member of the church are in the midst of the people the leaven is in

the meal the witness the example and the life of the native church penetrate the

mass”8

Distribution of Christian Literature

Attention was also paid to the distribution of Christian Literature

especially among the crowds which assembled at the weekly markets or for the

Hindus festivals. Religious tracts and hand bills, portions of the Bible were

distributed with the prayer. In 1910 at the Mahamaham festival at Kumbakonam

there was a large distribution by sales and by gifts of scripture portions.

About 2,400 portions of the Bible and 2,000 tracts were sold , besides

many thousands of hand bills freely distributed.9

Use of Magic Lantern

In district touring and at the Hindu festivals very interesting use was

made of the magic lantern. People came in hundreds and sat for nearly two or

three hours, while the missionaries told them the story of the pictures such as

“the Life of Christ” and “the Prodigal Son”10. Even after the story time was over,

8
Quoted in Robert Stephenson, “ Organization and Government of Native Churches”, Report of
the Centenary Missionary conference , London, 1888, vol II,P.370.
9
Annual Report ., Vol. XXIII (1910) P.80; CF rsips (1910), p.71-72.
10
Report of the South India Provincial Synod (1895), P.48.
 116

when everybody had gone to bed, a small group would still follow the

preachers, sitting with them and conversing till the small hours of the morning.11

Lighted Services:

Lighted Services at fixed places were also conducted. A well-lighted

room in a suitable locality and furnished with comfortable seats used to be filled

with a decorous congregation whenever service were held. The services were

made as attractive as possible and many took their seats even before the

commencement of the Service. These lighted services were usually held when

the people had time for relaxation after their evening meal and were in a humor

to sit and listen.

Considering the many distractions of the street, the opportunities for

creating a disturbance which abounded in the public thoroughfare, and the

difficulty in using the voice effectively in the open air the regular services at

fixed places in the quiet and order of the class room seemed better.12

Gospel in Song and Sermon

Gospel truths were made popular and attracted by preaching them in

form of a musical rendering called “Katha- Kala Shebam‟ Hindus are fond of

music and their own religious literature is most often put before them in some

form of musical recitation.13 The formal sermon is exotic but this method is

indigenous reporting on this interesting mode of preaching and the response of

11
Rev. Paul.S.Rangaramanjum, “ Triumph of the Gospel”, op.cit., pp.145-146.
12
“ Lightened Services Vs Street Preaching “ HF,VOL. X.( JULY ) P.58
13
Ibid .,P.59
 117

the people to it an eye witness writes: “it was a heart moving spec table to

watch the mass of quietly – seated, deeply interested spectators, sometimes as

14
many as 400 listening hour after hour to the Gospel in song and sermon”

Religious Discourses

For the benefit of the educated Hindus in cities and town lectures were

organized on subjects of a general nature. For example: „Life‟s highest good‟;

„Karma‟ „India past and present „ ; sin‟ ; The glory of redemption‟. Though these

lectures as a rule were nearly an hour in length, the audience invariably

remained seated attentively. Several times persons presented themselves

respectfully and asked questions which were quietly answered, even though

there were occasional interruptions in the middle of the meetings.15

It will be seen from a perusal of the facts stated so far that practically

every possible method was adopted to present the Gospel in the Nagapatinnam

to Trichirapoly District, and they all contributed in varying ways to the success of

the missionary Endeavour. Rev.C.F.Schwartz started Evanglistic Mission and

had done evangelism in Tanjore and its surrounding areas, Kumbakonam,

Nagappatinam, Nagoor, and Nankur. 16

In 1750 The Department of Mission and Evanglism celebrated its festival

at the Council level and helped the poor in the festival. One hundred and twenty

two poor and marginalized people got aid out of the funds generated through

14
FF, VOL. IV ( OCTOBER, 1907-08) P..21
15
Annual report ., vol.XXX (1908), P. 67
16
J.Durairaj”Valarcheyinvaralairupparvai”-published in Diamond Jubilee souvenir .TTD.
 118

the festivals. The members of the Diocese had camped at six Pastorates and

did Gospel work at 274 villages. Fifty one persons have been baptized through

this ministry."17 Even his death bed , he said gospel to the King Serofoji. 18

At that time King Serofoji and his son Shivaji visited him along with Rev.

Father Gericke. The ailing Schwartz shook hands with Serofoji . Both used their

left hands. Normally people use their right hands to shake hands. But here they

used their lefthands, as it was not a mere hand shake but a communion

between the two noble hearts, because in the human body the hearts is on the

left side. Indeed, it was not just a communion but a promise from king Serofoji

to his tutor that he would support and saved Christianity even after Schwartz. 19

Later in Eighteenth Century the Protestant missionaries arrived India

and started their preaching of Christian Gospel. The simple understanding

methodology adopted by the Protestant missionaries in preaching the gospel

made very easy to reach the illiterate common man in Indian society and thus

made them to accept Jesus Christ and prompted them to slowly join as

members of the Church.

In this way, the Churches established by foreign Christian missionaries

replaced the traditional Hindu religious customs and traditions including idol

worship. The Indian Christians also started adopting and following the foreign

17
Robert Eric Frykenberg,“The Legacy of Christian Fridrick Schwartz”, International bulletin of
missionary Research ,published on July 1999, St.peter‟s Church Diamond Jubilee
souvenir.p.28.
18
Babaji Rajah BhonsleChatuttrapathy, “The King and the Clergy Man”.,p.117,--------
19
Ibid.,p.118.
 119

and westernized Christian traditions and procedures in all their religious

practices, worship, church constructions including their dress and language.

Changes among the Natives

“The records of the work of God in the Trichirapoly District is one of the

most sensational stories in the whole history of the modern missionary

enterprise”20Thus reads the report of the Trichirapoly mass movement

commission of 1935. For many years the annual reports used to refer to the

District of „barren soil‟. It was 92 years still missionary work had been started in

the District (1820-1912) , but nothing in the reports gave any hint that anything

was going to happen in the 92 years. The break,however, did come at last in

1913, the centenary year of the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society. It

marked the beginning of an increasing stream of converts who came first as

individuals, then in families and then in whole community groups. This large

scale conversion was sparked off by the conversion of the old headman of a

little community of konga pariahs in the village of Perunkarunaipalayam

(P.K.Palayam) a few miles northeast of Kangayam in the DharapuramTaluq.

The First Fruits

The name of the old headman of the Adi –Dravida community in

P.K.Palayam was Alagan and he could read and write a little. He came to know

about Jesus Christ first through a Gospel tract found on the roadside, Alagan

had a neighbor called Kuppan and both of them were small- scale cloth sellers.

They had some Christian relatives Whenever they met ,used to discuss the new

20
Report of the Trichinopoly Mass Movement Commission,P.8
 120

21
religion – Christianity. it is said that Alagan had a meeting or caste panchayat

with his villagers and then a deputation was sent to the L.M.S missionaries in

Erode. But they directed them to the Methodist missionary at Dharapuram of

P.K.Palayam was in an area which had already been occupied by the

Methodists.22

It was thus that the comity of missions was also in a way responsible for

the Adi- Dravidas of P.K.Palayam returning from erode to Dharapuram, an act

eventually altered the history of the Wesleyan Methodist missionary society in

the Trichirapally District.Alagan and his relatives sent a petition to the Rev. Ellis

, the resident missionary at Dharpuram at that time, requested that a Christian

teacher might be sent to instruct them. Rev.Ellis took up the matter and the

village was visited. Describing his visit to P.K.Palayam along with Paul

Rangaramanujam, the Brahmin convert from Manargudi .at last, well after dark,

tired and hungry, we arrived.

The senders of the petition had retired for the night, but soon got up,

gave us a great welcome, and heard their story. They were overjoyed at our

visit, and the long meeting under the stars was unforgettable. The

circumstances of our coming forged a very real link, and as we gladly ate the

21
Personal letter from thrrev.C.J.Daniel,dated 17.9.1935.Rev.Daniel is a native of P.K.Palayam
and one of the grand sons of Alagan. He is one of the early converts and the senior most pastor
from the mass movement area.
22
Ibid.,P.2
 121

jaggery and young coconut they offered for our hunger, barriers were being cast

down”23

Following this visit, a Christian teacher was sent. After due preparation ,

a day was fixed for baptism of the several families who had given in their

names. Hearing this the Hindu landlords, threatened them with many terrors, if

they ever dared to exchange the way of their fathers for the new and strange

“way of Christ”(Kristhumarkam) . the people were threatened boycott in the

matter of marriage by their own relatives in the surrounding villages. They all

withdrew.24 Therefore, when the appointed day for baptism arrived, of the many

who had given their names, only one was willing to go through the ceremony,

that was the old headman, Alagan. Writing on this Rev. Ellis says,” for years he

(Alagan ) has been influencing the village in this direction and at last they

sought but drew back at the last minute- the old man determined to stand even

alone”25

On the historical day of February 22, 1913, Alagan was baptized as

Abraham, a new” father of the faithful”26 six days later , Kuppan was baptized

and he was named as Yesudian ( slave of Christ) in the very next month ,

Nachimuthu son of yesudian was baptized , as Vedanayagam. Two months

later Veeran of Mettupalayam , one of the associates of Abraham ,stood firm in

his village, as he had solemnly promised , and was finally baptized. On the

23
J.J.Ellis ,Paul Rangaramanujam – servant of Jesus Christ ( London cargate press,1949)pp.38-
39.
24
W.J.Noble ,ploughing the rock , p.36.,cf.W.E Garman , “ then and now”ff,vol.xxiiip.232.
25
Baptismal register , vol.I, see Rev. Ellis „s remarks after Alagan‟s name.(no.380)
26
Meaning of the Bible Name.
 122

successive trips by the missionaries more and more people joined the church

and the Rev. C.J.Daniel was one among the third group to be baptized.27

In the run of time cons pious changes took place in the way of worship, in

behavior, in speech, in dressing, and in eating habits of the converts. The

women of pariahs removed their customary white bangles and the young

women began to wear jackets .the eating of carcasses and the drinking of toddy

were stopped uttering foul words which marked their past life. The children were

sent to the mission schools and some to the boarding schools at Dharapuram

When they returned for holidays an obvious change was noticed in their

behavior, speech, dress, and cleanliness. Children in the mission schools often

influenced their parents and close relatives and helped them become

Christians.

These changes were made possible largely through the efforts of the

missionaries and the teachings of their wives. The non- Christians relatives

were greatly attracted by the transformation, both inward and outward, of their

Christian relatives. Likewise evangelism helped by their social and caste

solidarity. It was a matter of great importance for them to fall in the line with their

kith and kin.28

No sooner did the first converts receive their baptism than they realized

that the path they were to tread upon was not at all easy. It soon proved to be a

narrow and a perilous one. In their own villages they were persecuted badly by

27
Personal letter from C.J.Daniel.,op.cit.,
28
Rajamanikam.,op.cit p.27-28
 123

wealthy landowners. Work was refused and their traditional communal

privileges were denied. Several court cases were brought against them .in spite

of such difficulties the converts stood fast in their faith. These strong-minded

and influential village headmen provided admirable leadership and laid the

foundation of the community movement.29

In some of the villages the headmen of the Madhari community, who had

been dead against becoming Christian, came asking for baptism at their own

request. One interesting thing was that in the event of one‟s baptism , several of

his relatives , who had already become Christians , came from other villages to

encourage the convert.30Further, people themselves were interested in taking

the Gospel to the other related villages from which they obtained brides and

bridegrooms.31 In 1933 the total number of baptism recorded was 2,767 of

which 1370 were adults and 1397 were under fourteen years but at the same

time not babies. The Rev.Ellis and Rev.W.J.Noble represented the following

circuits: Perambalur -58; Karur- 221; Karur Town – 101; Dharapuram 1,592;

Dharapuram Central – 342; Udumalpet- 330; and the Annamalai-80.32

In 1935 the total Christian community was 26,000 and it was reported to

be increasing at the rate of 3,000 per year.33 In Dharapuram Taluq alone there

29
“ Nagapatinam District” report of the Secretarial Visit, by the Rev.William Goudie,pp.42-43
30
Annual report.Vol.XXXVIII(1932)PP.62
31
W.J.Noble,ploughing the rock, p.41.
32
MSS. Trichirappalli‟ Box(1928-1935) Letter from Rev. EllistoRev. W.J.Noble
,datedDharapuram December 10,1935.
33
Annul report.,(1935)pp14-16
 124

were 15,000 Christians spread over some 285 villages. 34then the area covered

by the Mass movement ,there was no other Christian Church or Mission work.

The sole responsibility for evangelizing this part of the country rested upon the

Methodist Church. If the task was not undertaken by the Trichirapoly District

synod it would not be done at all. The last decade(1936-1947) before the

formation of church of South India, was a period of amazing growth, but it was

accompanied by unexpected difficulties.

In spite of the increased funds the financial position of the District was far

from being sound. In the middle thirties , England itself was in an economical

depression and this was followed by the outbreak of the Second World war

which caused a steep rise in the cost of living, the supply of missionaries from

England dwindled to the bare minimum. When the war was over new hopes

emerged, but then came a famine which lasted for seven years. In the very next

year after the famine, over 3,226 people were baptized; 1,583 adults and 1643

under fourteen years of age but not babies.35of this number 3000 were ex-

Hindu.36 New converts continued to come in and the church was able to show a

record number of baptisms for the year 1939.

The total number of baptisms registered in 1939 was 4,567 comprising

2,206 adults and 2,361 children. Out of this 4,567 the mass movement area

34
Summary of the situation in the trichirapoly District , reported by he Rev. JJ.Ellis , Chairman of
the Trichirapoly District RTMMC. Appendix ii.,p42.
35
Mss.‟trichirapoly letter of the J.JEllis to the W.J.Noble,
36
Ibid.,p.2
 125

claimed the baptism of 4,432 while the eastern circuits beyond trichirapoly , the

area of long- established churches had only 135 baptism to show.37

It was the highest water mark ever to be reached in the Mass movement,

a thing never known before or since in the history of Trichirapoly District. The

adjoining graphs and statistical tables will also explain the steady growth of the

Christian community from about 2,500 in 1913 to a total of 53,273 in 1947 , the

number of full members became 12,077 with 24,083 on trial for full

membership.38

Even at the very outset it should be admitted that the converts came

with mixed motives; and the motives of one individual was not identical with

those of another. As the Rev. W.J.Noble points out “every member of these

communities was not equally possessed by the purest desire, unmixed with any

thought of personal gain”39 except for a few rare baptism, where the individual

concerned was a fully committed believer, most of the „Mass movement‟

baptisms were mainly as a result of family pressures or the example of others.

In such cases baptisms by conviction was secondary. Baptism for reasons of

convenience,protection, material benefits and education were great in

number.40Therefore, a strong desire for self – respect and economic

emancipation or for an escape from tyranny and servility are not evidence of

unworthy motives, but rather, support for their claim that they have heard the

37
Methodist mission trichirapolyDistrict : summary of report and General Statistics for 1939.
38
Annul report.(1947)
39
W.J.Noble ,Flood Tide in India, London ,Cargate Press, 1937)p.34.
40
Personal letter from C.J.Daniel., op.cit
 126

Gospel and accepted Jesus. And “ the preaching of the Gospel often awakens

in the mind of the receptive hearer a desire for self improvement and a fuller ,

as well as a better , life , appreciation of kindness shown to him , hope of

escape from century – old wrongs previously endured without question, and

ambition for his Children”41

These were the situation, before the formation of Church of South India.

Spiritual lethargy, nominalism, and influence of liberal theology throttled the

evangelistic and missionary zeal of the church in India until the late 1940s

After formation of Church of South India,Trichy –Tanjore Diocese had forced to

evangelize the native people towards light. In the early 1950s, there was a fresh

breath of revival and new life in the churches of South India. It was at this time

that the Evangelical Fellowship of India, which is now affiliated with the World

Evangelical Fellowship, was born.42

The Union of Evangelical Students, the Evangelical Literature

Fellowship, Evangelical Fellowship of India Commission on Relief, Child

Evangelism Fellowship, Evangelical Medical Fellowship, and the Christian

Education Fellowship are some of the related agencies of the Evangelical

Fellowship of India.43

DEPARTMENT OF MISSION AND EVANGELISM IN CSI

The vision of the Mission and Evangelism is to stimulate the evangelistic

and missionary zeal in the churches with a view of equipping every member to

41
Pickett.,op.cit
42
Report of the Diocesan Evangelistic committee for the year of 1956.
43
M.A.Solomon , “Evangelism in India with Nominalism and cults”.,(1991) p.74
 127

creatively and actively witness the Risen Christ and obey His command to make

disciples.

Aims and Objectives of this department are to facilitate networking

among the churches and mission boards, fostering the message - 'Together in

Mission‟, to empower the congregations to creatively respond to the

contemporary musicological challenges, to encourage, develop support and

strengthen peoples' participation in the mission, to promote and explore the new

models and strategies for mission to be adopted in the context of religious

pluralism and to motivate and organize the people and resources for God's

mission.44

The Department of Mission and evangelism was started in 1954 with the

motto of “pray, proclaim and participate”. This department is also headed by

one Chairman and one Director, the Chairman happened to be one of the

Bishops of the C.S.I. Dioceses and the Director is also from clergy.

The function of this Department is to coordinate the work carried on by

the dioceses. It is also entrusted with the responsibility to arrange for the

missionary work of the Church of South India outside the CSI area in India and

also in other countries.

It designs programmes to stimulate the evangelistic and missionary zeal

in the Churches with a view to challenging every Christian become an active

witness to Jesus Christ. It also organizes Conferences, Seminars, Workshops,

44
Constitution of Trichy –Tanjore.1986
 128

Consultations and Bible Studies in order to equip the people of God to take part

in God‟s Mission which is a participatory and holistic one. This Department

develops more relevant and need based curriculum materials for use in the

missionary or evangelistic training centers in the dioceses.45

Immediately after the union, the CSI felt that its foremost concern was

mission and evangelism. Almost all the dioceses were formed as a result of the

work of missionaries from the overseas. The first synod of CSI met in 1948

called upon all its members to rededicate themselves and their resources to

fulfill “the supremely urgent call to witness by word, deed and life, to the

unsearchable riches of God in Christ”.

The first synod appointed a board of missions in 1949 published a report

of some 20 different mission fields supported by individual dioceses. The CSI

also has an overseas missionary programme. The first missionaries the Rev

and MrsSatya Joseph were sent to Papua.46

When the continuance of this mission was prevented by legal

impediments imposed by Australia, it was decided to send missionaries to

Thailand to work in co-operation with the United Church of Christ in Thailand.

Before the inauguration of union, unity by itself would give the church an

enthusiasm and insight to extend the kingdom of God, but this has not been so

to any considerable extent.

45
Proceedings of the CSI 28th Session of the Synod, January 11-15,2000, HRD Centre,
Melukavu, East Kerala.

46
Ibid.,P.9
 129

Evangelism has come to occupy a minor place in the life and the work of

the dioceses. Unity without inner renewal will not equip churches for mission.

However, later many of the dioceses took it as a matter of priority.47

The fundamental goal behind the initiative for the union of the churches

in India was to promote effective evangelization and witness to the love of God

in and through Christ in a nation of religious plurality. That mission continues to

be at the very core of any church, including the CSI. However, Christians in

India, including CSI members, seem to have developed an ethnic identity,

rather than a Christian one, which is contrary to the teachings of Jesus Christ.

The CSI has a checkered history in participating in the political life of the nation

for the sake of all people and particularly for those to whom justice is denied.

The fact that CSI leaders declared their uncritical allegiance and

submission to the powers that be during the Internal Emergency regime (1975-

1977) points to the danger of succumbing to narrow communal and minority

priorities over the prophetic ministry to which the church is called.48

In this situation the nature of the communities seeks has become an

urgent concern. The Church felt that it should be at the service of people in their

search for meaningful communities which are empowered to live in harmonious

relationships with Nature and between different faiths. But it is also viewed that

the strategy should be to build smaller local communities which could be

47
Ibid P.9
48
George Oommen, “Minority Consciousness of Christians in Post-Independent India: A
Historical Perspective,” Indian Church History Review 19/1 (1985).
 130

counter signs to existing society. It is likely that such counter communities could

evolve out of the rural congregations where church life is not so distorted by the

power wielders as in urban congregations of the church.

It also expected that a genuine community should always be open to

others in love. But the rootedness of the community in the faith of Jesus gives it

a special character. Diocese attention was on the identity and mission of the

Church as a community or communities.49

In other words, the Evangelical Fellowship of India is a rallying platform

bringing together evangelicals in India for cooperative action in the areas of

revival, evangelism, missions, Christian education, relief, and development. It is

the voice of evangelicals .Before the government and other authorities in all

matters affecting the Christian cause in India. Some political, social and

economic issues, and the discriminatory treatment meted out to Christians,

especially those with downtrodden backgrounds in education, bring Roman

Catholics and Protestants on to the same platform to work together for society‟s

development, justice, and peace while at the same time maintaining their

distinctive denominational identity.50

Failure to come to terms with growing religious fundamentalists of all

sorts and mutual religious intolerance can only lead to the repetition of

49
K. C. Abraham, “The Church of South India in the Twenty-First Century: Ministry and Mission,”
in United to Unite: History of the Church of South India, 1947–1997, ed. J. W. Gladstone
(Chennai: Oxford University Press, 1997) P.154.

50
Ibid.,P.156
 131

missiological mistakes that Western missionaries sometimes committed a

century ago. The Abel Committee‟s evaluation after thirty years of the CSI

challenged the outmoded approach to evangelism as follows:

“The Church has almost repeated during the last three decades the

same pattern of work to evangelize others, namely, through

preaching at street corners and in villages, and distribution of gospel

portions and tracts....Still the approach has been one of asking

people to come to us rather than pointing to Jesus in their own midst,

among their own surroundings. The arrogant attitude of religious

superiority and triumphalism with which we have gone about our

evangelistic work has proved to be counterproductive.”51

The 19th century Evangelical revival has at its front the Wesley‟s of

England. “In the traditions of this family the missionary light had continued to

burn through the darkest times”52. As the most typical of the Evangelicals the

Methodist concentrated in their preaching on sin, repentance, reconciliations,

Salvation, the vicarious death and substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ

and the personal relationship of the Individual with the deity rather than the

Institutional aspect of religion. Their sole authority was the Bible and they

interpreted it for the most part literally.

51
Abel, The Church of South India, 30.
52
Findlay and Holdsworth, op.cit., Vol.Ip.28.
 132

The Evangelicals held “the conversion of individual souls to Christ by the

preaching of the Gospel” to be the true end of all their work. 53From what has

been said so far one might assume that all the Evangelicals were thus totally

devoid of sympathy for Hinduism in every shape and form. This was not so.

Those who read Eric J.Sharpe‟s “Not to Destroy But to fulfill will be sufficiently

convinced that form 1850 there was a gradual modification in the traditional

attitude of the Evangelicals to Hinduism and that there had always been solitary

exceptions among the missionaries who took a different stand in this regard.

City Mission

The City Mission covers the Industrial Mission, Counseling visit to the

hospitals and jails, Industrial Workers' Family retreat, Workers get-together and

Officers' Christian-Association. For social involvement, Christian Library for

industrial society, Healing Ministry and Student Ministry were formed. The major

emphasis of the City Mission is a Jail Ministry.' The Special feature of City

Mission is also to take care of the prisoners' families and the affected. It would

promote the prisoners' families.54 In this ministry, sick people were met by

prayer group and the prayer group started to pray for them till they get cure. Still

now it continued and meeting people. It is a kind of evangelism.

Evangelistic Band

The Diocese started evangelistic work all over the Diocese through the

Evangelistic Band. In the beginning, the Band members conducted Open Air

53
Eric J.Sharpe, op.cit,.p.25.
54
Department of Mission and Evangelism, Pamphlet by the Director DME, 1990, p.5
 133

Bible preaching in the evening or night and they had personal approach in the

morning from 8 a.m. The Band changed the time in 1949.55 The Band trained

the volunteers in doing the follow-up work with the help of the Clergymen. The

team stays in a pastorate for a maximum of 20 days. There is 8 staff in the

Band. They are engrossed in ministries like prayer ministry, personal

Evangelism, Jesus film ministry, house and family visitation, van ministry, street

preaching and evangelistic campaign in village and urban churches. New faith

holders will be encouraged for water baptism in the local church context.

Regular and fervent follow up by the Band members promotes growth in

the churches. Every month they change the camp spot. There were voluntary

evangelistic bands in the Diocese. They met the needs of the local

congregations. Independent Voluntary Evangelists' Association was formed in

1978 with the aim of bringing the independent evangelists together and training

them to do the Gospel work. During the year 1977-78, there were adult

baptisms through the Evangelistic Band. During the year 1978-79, the Diocesan

Evangelistic Band visited 183 villages."'56

Group Evangelism

The Diocese brought all the paid evangelistic workers under its direct

control and the circles were divided into advanced circles and backward

55
Report for the year1955-56, p. 28.

56
Report for the year, 1977-78, pp. ii &iv.
 134

circles."' These groups of Evangelism gave systematic and thorough

evangelisation in the Diocesan area.57

Personal Evangelism

The early missionaries introduced Personal Evangelism in the Trichy –

Tanjore Diocese. These evangelists carry the Gospel message to every home

or to every person. The Diocese Evangelistic Band gives more importance to

Personal Evangelism in the Diocesan area. The Diocese carries on personal

evangelism through letter correspondence also. Rev.G.H Lamb pave a way to

„‟Evangelistic camp”.58

This is also called as assistance for poor. Diocese conducts the „Festival

of Mission and Evangelism‟ in church councils. The purpose of the festival is to

create awareness among the churches in Mission and Evangelism. 59 The

outcome of the festival would be to create a sense of sharing and action groups

to develop a diaconal ministry which is the ultimate aim of the Mission

programme of the Church of South India. The income through these festivals

are being used to help the people like poor, family of the prisoners,

handicapped, widows, needy for educational and medical help and the

marginalized people in our society by giving them wet grinder, sewing machine,

goat, tricycle, bicycle, educational help and medical help.60 Every December

Diocese helps 1000 poor people by giving them a new dress and a lunch for the

Christmas. God has richly blessed the Evangelistic efforts of the diocese. Still

57
Report for the year, 1978-79, pp. iv, v.
58
St.peter‟s Church Diamond Jubilee souvenir.p.39
59
Minutes of the diocesan council, Trichy –Tanjore.
60
Ibid.,P.78
 135

diocese has a long way to go. The need of the people is so great. “The Harvest

is plenty, Workers are few.”61

Prison Ministry

On Christmas day, every year about 1500 inmates of the Central jail

Trichy, women‟s jail, minor jail and the children rehabilitation home are being

fed mutton briyani by Department of Mission and Evangelism. Also diocese

through churches give them a spiritual food by conducting the special meeting

consisting of songs, bible reading, choreographies and preaching the word of

God by Bishop. A special feature of this ministry is to look after the needs of the

prison inmate‟s family and the affected.62

Mass Movement

1931 was a year of great significance. The outstanding event of that year

was the opening of the great central church in Dharapuram to serve as a

rallying point for the whole area of the Mass movement .it was built of local

granite in an adaptation of Indian style, with a great flat roof on pillars and an

Indian tower and dome. The total cost of the building amounted to rs. 6,000. Of

this amount three quarters was met by a great from the Home Committee and

the remaining one- quarter by local contribution raised from among the people

themselves.63The Diocese had Mass Movement Committee and it supervised

the Gospel work. The Mass Movement Committee gave priority in the matter of

grants for churches with new converts.

61
Ibid.,P.79
62
Minutes of the Evangelistic Work Standing Committee, 97th meeting, 7th October,1964, p.3.

63
Extract from the report of the trichirappalli district synod,1932,attached to the letter of the
W.A.Sandford.
 136

The Evangelistic outreach committee, the members of congregation was

requested for vehicle from each Diocese church Council for missionary work.

Anamalai and pachamalai area found to be potential area for missionary work. It

was also recommended to take the help of the missionary Organizations like

IMS, NMS, F.M.P.B for carrying out missionary work along with the Diocese.

With a view to help the new converts, Diocese construct new churches with the

aid of the mass movement fund which has been established at the Diocesan

level. This fund is drawn out of the self- denial offertory collected during the

Lent.64

Radio Evangelism

Radio Evangelism is being done in co-operation with Vishwavani. The

services of one Pastor have been sent to Vishwavani to extend the Ministry to

all parts of the Diocese. The CSI Diocese is successfully continuing its Radio

Evangelism and Cassette Ministry in co-operation with the Transworld Radio,

New Delhi."'65

Mission to Seamen

The Diocese appointed a full-time Pastor for this ministry. He is stationed

atNagapatinam district. He meets the seamen and renders spiritual and social

help. During the year 1993- 94, the Diocese had been received a fund from

abroad to construct a parsonage and an administrative block for this project.

"The Mission to Seamen" of Church of England is supporting this noble cause

through the Synod of Church of South India.

64
Ibid.,p.2
65
Report of TrichyTanjoreof CSI Diocese for the year, 1983-84, p.1.
 137

Evangelistic Work in other Places

The Diocese is doing evangelistic work in other places like Pilgrim

Centers, Ministry among Muslims, conducting Stewardship camps and Bible

study programmes are other special ministries. The Diocese did evangelistic

work in the Pilgrim Centers from 1929 with much care. A group of church

workers preached the Gospel and distributed the handbills.

In the beginning, the Diocese did Gospel work among the Hindu people.

Groups sent their evangelists and rapt from 1963 onwards, the Diocese did

Gospel work among the Muslims. Apart from this, the Diocese is doing

evangelistic work in educational institutions. The Diocese is conducting clergy

wives' retreat every year. Through the prayer groups Diocese has been doing

evangelical work among tribe.

Over the years many prayer groups sent their evangelists and

representatives to places where the gospel was not being preached .these

missionaries, many from South Tamil nadu, established small congregation in

different pocket of people group. In the early 1950‟s the wind of revival blew

throughout the country, but most strongly in the south, causing young men and

women to dedicate their lives to the Lord. The revival centered around the

vacation Bible School and Sunday schools and was rooted in the study of God‟s

word. It blossomed into the formation of a missionary society named the friends

missionary prayer band, founded in Kovilpatti,66 in Tamil Nadu, and run by

Indian leaders such as P.Samuel, theRev.SamKamaleson, the Rev. Theodore

66
Emerging Mission: CMS/ IEM Report, Bangalore published by Ashish Amos of the ISPCK,
Delhi .2005.
 138

Williams, and Emil Jabasingh. Its first missionary, Harris Hilton, was sent to

work among the Tamil tribe, living in the remote village of the Dhamapuri

District.67At present the FMPB is the largest missionary society in India. FMPS‟s

missionaries have been sponsored by the diocesan‟s church and by the

congregation members. Every year missionaries have been sent through

churches to gospel, where it need.68

The Diocese had a sense of obligation to the Missionary Work in different

parts of India where evangelism has not reached. The Indian Missionary

Society was started in 1903.69 Thomas Gadjetan Ragland was the source of

inspiration for the Missionary zeal. V.S. Azariah took the final step towards the

formation the Indian Missionary Society. The IMS had its own emblem in 1947;

the emblem denotes the aims, achievements and vision of the society.

The IMS is doing wonderful jobs like preaching the Gospel, building of

churches, opening of hostels, providing education and health and starting

Rehabilitation Centers with the help of Indian Men, Money and

Management.70On the church front, the situation is grim. Large numbers of

Christians are still nominal. They have never experienced the power of the

Gospel of salvation.

67
Fmpb Annual report-1952
68
34 th Diocesan council report.-2013 p.126
69
A biography of the Rt. Rev. George T. Selwyn, faithful missionary and bishop of Tirunelveli,
1945-53.

70
Ibid.,P.56
 139

These nominal Christians are blatantly (offensive manner) identifying

with Hinduism or Islam by their practices and their denials. There are cases of

people being reconverted to Hinduism. It is a general observation that there are

more false devotees of Jesus Christ than true disciples in Indian churches. 71

Pagan influences (pagans are those who worship multiple god.. ) from the

native culture creep into Christian practices. For lack of thorough Scriptural

knowledge and spiritual discernment, such trends are not discriminated. There

is failure in stewardship, and integrity is lacking among Christian leaders.72

So, the Diocesan evangelicals have great challenges before them.

Transformed and empowered by the Spirit and looking unto Jesus, they have to

run the race that is set before them, occupying till the Lord comes. In the words

of Theodore Williams, we are not victims but we will be victors. Despite healthy

growth of Protestantism in south India is tiny religious minority. By joining

together into one Church, and did evangelism. Trichy –Tanjore diocese still

continue their evangelisms through Sunday Service, Sunday School ,Men‟s

fellow ship, Women‟s fellow ship ,youth meetings, Village ministries, House visit

by Presbyterians .Vacation Bible Studies, etc…73

Its main vision is to stimulate the evangelistic and missionary zeal in the

churches with a view of equipping every member to creatively and actively

witness the faith Risen Christ and obey His command to make disciples. It also

has some aims and objectives are, to facilitate networking among the churches

71
M.A.Solomon , “Evangelism in India with Nominalism and cult”s.,1991., p.74
72
M.A.Solomon , Evangelism in India with Nominalism and cults., 1991.,p.76
73
Report of the Diocesan Council-1994
 140

and mission boards, fostering the message - 'Together in Mission' ,to empower

the congregations to creatively respond to the contemporary missiological

challenges, to encourage, develop support and strengthen peoples' participation

in the mission ,to promote and explore the new models and strategies for

mission to be adopted in the context of religious pluralism and to motivate and

organize the people and resources for God's mission.74

Board of Diaconal Ministry

The Vision of this Ministry is to enable the congregations to give an

account of their hope concerning the Biblical Vision of a New Heaven and a

New Earth...and strive to build here and now, a just, egalitarian society that is

sensitive to gender issues and other inequalities.

Aims and Objectives

Aims and objectives of this ministry are to transform communities

through sustainable development and community empowerment, to promote re-

reading of the Bible addressing issues concerning girl children, agriculture, HIV,

sustainable development etc. To sensitize local congregations on social,

economic, political, cultural and gender realities., to build peoples' alliances and

networking with movements on various campaigns related to Right to

75
Education, Right to Information, Child friendly Schools etc., and to strive for

building peace initiatives in the church and conflict ridden pockets in South

India.

74
The constitution of Trichirappalli- Thanjavur Diocese
75
Ibid.,,p.8
 141

The Church of South India created the „Board of Diaconal Ministry‟ to

promote hope, meaning and self-dignity in the life of people living amidst forces

of darkness so that they may see the light of a new dawn of life in all its

abundance. The Diaconal Ministry is an initiative of the Church of South India,

part of its faith, commitment to facilitate transformation and empowerment of

those subsisting on the very edges of society. It is promoting a process of

sensitization and capacity building of the Church, and involvement in creative

action of affirming the identities and facilitating the empowerment of Dalits,

Adivasis, women, and children, displaced and so on.

The uniqueness of this Board is that it is chaired by the Moderator of

Church of South India himself. Its main aim to transform communities through

sustainable development and community empowerment, to promote re-reading

of the Bible addressing issues concerning girl children, agriculture, HIV,

sustainable development etc .

It sensitizes the local congregations on social, economic, political, and

cultural and gender realities. and also to build peoples' alliances and networking

with movements on various campaigns related to Right to Education, Right to

Information, Child friendly Schools etc. and to strive for building peace initiatives

in the church and conflict ridden pockets in South India.76

A department of recent origin was started in the Church of South India in

the year 1992 with various environed programmes like - empowering the C.S.I.

76
C.Y.Thomas,”that they all may be one” paper presentation at CSI Conference,2012
 142

congregation which are victimized by untouchability, caste atrocity,

encroachment of agricultural lands and enable them to overcome forces of

marginalization, They work towards the prioritized forces of girl child among

dalits and Adivasis in all the workings of the Department.

They have to impart skills among dalits and Adivasi boys and girls in

gainful employment. And to encourage Dalit and Adivasi members to become

award of the sociopolitical realities and equip them enter public life and enable

them to run for public offices and so on. This department joins with secular

organizations to lobby for the inclusion of the plight of the Dalits in India.77

Church of South India Women’s Fellowship (CSIWF):

The C.S.I. Women‟s Fellowship is an important wing of the Synod which

was created in February 1948 just one year after the formation of Church of

South India. The Women's Fellowship at Headquarters level has a Central

Committee with five members of which one is the President and the one is the

Vice-President. One member act as General Secretary. This Women Fellowship

is spread to nook and corner of CSI jurisdiction.

The Women Fellowships are organised at Diocese, and Local Church

levels including remotest congregations.

These Fellowships have their programmes like conduct of Bible study,

Fasting prayers apart from social programmes like Hospital and Jail visits and

helping the helpless like widows, lepers etc. Many women Fellowships are

77
Minutes of the Second Session of CSI Synod held at Madras from 7-11 January, 1950, p.1.
 143

engaged in developmental activities, and providing a platform for the women to

learn amongst and Thereby earn a living. The Women Fellowships in the CSI

are also involved in activities like running of 250 innovative pre-schools which

provide facilities for nearly 10,000 children, old age homes, sewing schools,

pottery work units, handicraft centers, day care centers, Crèches, Typewriting

institutes etc. Ladies Hostels and pre-marital counseling centers are also run by

these Women Fellowships.78

A religious order for women was organized under the leadership and

initiative of Sister Carol Graham who had been a deaconess of the Anglican

Church before church union. The Order of women has both active and

associate members. The active members take a vow of celibacy and are

committed to full time Christian service. In order to promote the participation of

women in the life and mission of the church, a volunteer women's fellowship has

been organized. For both the women's order and the women's fellowship,

Vishranti Nilayam at Bangalore is the headquarters.

Aims and objectives of Women’s Fellowship are o unite members in

prayer, service and witness and help them to grown in deeper spiritual life, to

help to uphold the sanctity of Christian marriage and family life and help

mothers in the Christina nurture of Children. it‟s main aim to train women, young

and old for participation and leadership in the church and community, to

encourage and provide opportunities for younger women to take an active part

in all the programmes of the Church and to serve the underprivileged by

78
CSIWF, Golden Jubilee Souvenir, 1948-98.
 144

creating an awareness about their right and privileges and help them to seek

justice at all levels.79

After formation of CSI, Trichy-Tanjore Diocese was formed The Women‟s

Fellowship, on the 27th September 1948. 80 The Women's group of the Mothers'

Union of the Anglican Church, Sisterhood of the Methodist Church, Kings

Daughters of the Presbyterian Church and Mothers' meetings or Women's

meeting of the congregational Church came together and became the Women's

Fellowship of the Church of South India. The Women's Fellowship has been

one of the effective bodies of the Church of South India working towards a

meaningful ministry among the needy and poor, oppressed and the

marginalized women and children. The women of the Church, who are 'called to

serve' are encouraged to promote unity, fellowship and justice, for which they

are equipped and empowered as effective leaders in their families, church and

society. The Women's Fellowship is running Sewing Schools, the Nursery

Schools, Night Schools, Vacation and Bible Schools. It is also instrumental in

baptizing a number of souls every year.

A group of women joined together and doing these above mentioned

works. And also they were encouraged non-Christian ladies to learn and earn

knowledge of hygienic. They taught village ladies to foster their children in

hygienic method. It might be a reason to start crèches. “The women‟s and

mothers group had done evangelism and propagated gospel among the sick

79
Church of south india , Constitution of the trichirappalli- Tanjore Diocese.p.60
80
Church of South India Women‟s Fellowship - , Golden Jubilee Souvenir, 1948-98.
 145

81
people during their hospitals visit. Alternative Sunday local prayer group

ladies also joint with WF members.

They showed their love and affection to the sick and deserted people.

Annam Ponnusamy and Stella Ignatius of Thanjavur were prominent leaders

of women‟s fellowship. It had been really paved the way to go forward and

reached the diocese service in the Tamil society..

Youth Movement
82
The Department of Youth, which was started in 1962 with a vision of

'to enthuse the young people with a new vision and a passion. Vision about

Church and Society, passion for Christ and his gospel rooted in Justice and

truth. The name shall be the “ Movement of youth organization in the Trichy –

Tanjore Diocese of the Church of South India.” With short title “Youth

Movement.

It‟s main aim is to foster the spiritual life of the Christian youth and

children in the Diocese, to seek, through various youth organizations such as

Christian Endeavour, SCM, YMCA, YWCA& Youth movement ,83 to bring non-

Christians youth and Children to a personal acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord

and Saviour and to co- ordinate the work of the different youth and young

81
Juliet Thiraviam-Gospel Team Member.- interview. 05.06.2015
82
Proceedings of the CSI 28th Session of the Synod, January 11-15, 2000, HRD Centre,
Melukavu, East Kerala.

83
S.k.Devasikhamani, A Short History o Madras Diocese 1835-1935.,p.98
 146

people‟s organizations in the Diocese on payment of an affiliation fee and

annual subscription .84

It‟s main functions are to guide and direct youth and children work in the

Diocese, to prepare the annual budget for the movement for sanction by the

Diocesan Finance and executive Committees and to raise funds for the work of

the Movement , and to administer the sanction budget, to draw up a programme

of work and implement the same, to keep in touch with the C.S.I. synod youth

work committee and to co- ordinate the work among youth and young people in

the Diocese . It conducts programmes for youth at Synod level, regional level,

and Diocesan level including ecumenical programmes.

The objectives of this department are to ensure that all the youngsters of

the age group 13-35 feel „belonged‟ to the Church, actively and Constructively

participating in the life and witness of the Church. It helps youngsters of

different social clusters to come together for fellowship and joint action. It also

organizes specific thrust programmes relating to education, health and basic

amenities to the people, Human rights, preferences to combat poverty, illiteracy

and unemployment, democracy, civil society and empowerment of life in

community and so on.85

Each and every works of this movement are framed in constitution of

Trichy –Tanjore Diocese. According to the rules and regulations of CSI church

act it has been functioned. Secretary and Treasurer elected by the members.

84
The Constitution of the Trichy –Tanjore Diocese.
85
Ibid.,p.34
 147

Members must be Christians and Catechumens. Youth movement‟s members

gathered in Church and shared their views and testimonies .they prayed for

nations, states, and for the church youth. the church presbyter gave points to

pray. Young Gospel leaders from other protestant Church were invited and

shared the Gospel among the Christians and non- Christians youth. The

members of college goers and school students were asked to attend the

meetings with their non-Christian friends. In the year 1947-1998, Gospel tour

arranged by youth movement. They had visited Tharagambadi, Manakadavoo,

Oodhiyur, Karaikal, Avnasipalayam, and Dharapuram.86 They learnt the

important of Gospel and knew the history and dedications of Christian

Missionaries.

Still now Trichy - Tanjore Diocese has been doing these work , not only

for Christians ,doing work among non- Christians and tribal youth. In Bishop

Heber College tribal students has been studying and getting job opportunities,

its pave a way for their bright future and helping their society upliftment.

Thus,Trichy –Tanjore Diocese of CSI youth movement had done

evangelical works among the Tamil society and move forward the young

generations in right path. no one denied the works of youth movement for the

Society.

Children's Ministry

86
Youth movement report in Diocesan council meeting –souvenir of Evangelism
 148

In 1949 Rev. G.H.Lamb founded the Trichy –Tanjore Diocesan Children

Mission (TTDCM) has made great strides during 1956-57 87.According to the act

of CSI Church this mission has been functioning. it has separate child care

committee .it has been doing and meet out the financial activities. It‟s main aims

and works are to organize and develop child care work in the Diocese and to

arrange for the co –ordination of the work of all children‟s Homes and Creches

within the Diocese., to review the work and general conditions of all Homes and

Creches from time to time and take suitable action for further improvement and

development. Yearly once children‟s mission to be prepared the budgets for all

homes and Crèches and review the annual accounts Statements of all Homes

and Crèches.

It also selects and recommends persons to the Bishop for appointment

as wardens, matrons and Correspondents for all Homes and Creches. and to

recommend to the Bishop regarding transfers of Matrons, Wardens and other

crèche Workers.

The Children's Mission arranges camps for boys and girls every year.

Spiritual and moral instructions are given in the annual camps. The full-time

missionaries visit almost all parishes in the Diocese, screening audio visual aids

and conducting children's camps and rallies. A full-time pastor is in charge of

the Children's Mission.

87
SOUVENIR –“Arutpanieakkam”-published by Trichytanjore Diocese -1998
 149

This department conducts Sunday school Teachers Training Camps at

the Council levels. In summer vacation, Diocese arranged “vacation Bible

School” in church. Christian children, Non – Christian children were met and

motivated for God's mission.88 The teachings of vacation bible schools, never

return back vainly. It helps, new converts joining in the Church gradually. Many

of the Hindus, without any changes, they have been participating in Sunday

school activities. Even Muslim children those who are studying in diocesan

school, take part in Sunday school, and in vacation Bible School.

“My son, who is now a Helicopter Engineer in Pune, attended the

Sunday school regularly, when he was young, he learned good

things and he got blessings.” 89

Thus, evangelism has been doing by the children‟s mission. Trichy –

Tanjore Diocese has been trying to create a new generation for righteousness

future by the diocesan children‟s mission.

Men's Fellowship

The Men's Fellowship is functioning in the Diocese from 1956 onwards

with the motto "Prayer, Fellowship and Social Service". In 1997 it had 140

branches all over the Diocese and clergy work as Directors and ten co-

ordinators help them to do gospel and social work in each Pastorate. 90

88
Minutes of the Children's Work Standing Committee, 46th Meeting, 23rd February,1951, p.1.

89
Interview –Janaki- 70- 10.09.2015
90
CSI Trichy - Thanjavur Diocesan Council Report for the year, 1998, pp.2-3.
 150

Aims of the men’s fellowship are ,Through small prayer groups,

strengthen the, fellowship of the Church and to Help the presbyters to organize

weekly cottage prayer meetings ,bible study groups ,fasting prayers, revival

meetings and outreach programmers enlisting the cooperation of church

women‟s fellowship and youth association. Through the fund collections and

subscriptions of members to take up a project such as repairs and

reconstruction of Elementary Schools., Members of men‟s fellowship gathered

Sunday in Church and prayed and helped for Uplifting downtrodden men, not

only for Christians and also for non-Christians.

This attitude helped non-Christians to know and realized the lord‟s love

and Christians‟ care on the Society. Trichy – Tanjore Diocese men‟s fellowship,

Taking steps to eradicate social evils by educating about the evils of drinking

alcohol, drug addiction and dowry. They taught Adult education and arranging

medical camps in villages.91 They were arranging periodical retreats and

conferences for men at pastorate level, DCC level and Diocesan level. It helped

the congregation to grow in spiritual and live in righteousness. “Still now I am

participating in Church activities, and I feel happy to be an active member in

Men‟s Fellowship.”92 Men‟s fellowship has been doing bible research works,

and they have been participating all the church activities.

The Church will expand if Christians are able to provide basic amenities

for the society through caring for the physical needs of members and non-

91
Men‟s fellowship report in diocesan council meeting-1986
92
Interview- Gilbert – Retired Teacher- age 83- 11.09.2015
 151

members, so as to be able to gain access to their spiritual need. The Church

should not remain in the realm of social analysis, but should be involved in

social action-not through violence but through involvement. The advent of

schools, hospitals and vocation centers has been adjudged as the key factors

responsible for the growth of the Church in earlier times.

This was exactly what Mother Theresa of Calcutta did. As she and her

sisters of Charity showed love, people saw the face of Jesus Christ more

clearly. Evangelism should have a human face. Paul Ricoeur calls for a

creative interpretation of symbols such as the Bible as well as the sacraments.

They underline the need for personal involvement and affirm the fact that the

process should be a continuous one.

Paul Ricoeur‟s analysis shows a movement to understanding; meaning,

a systematic reflection, reflective thought, imaginative lure, which invites to

consent. Consent completes the process of internalization, which is the mark of

evangelization. Without Consent on the part of those to be evangelized, that

reality remains eternal to the faith-life of such persons. 93

Paul Ricoeur challenges Christians to see evangelism and our life as a

process, which like love, leads to new inventiveness. This inventiveness is

growth. When the people avail themselves to these processes they can then

say yes to the person of Christ who is the centre of evangelism.

To say yes to Jesus Christ is to say yes to the universe-a unity, the

nation that symbolically they belong to as the new life.

93
Paul Ricoeur‟sSymbolizing God's Power in the Church. An article.-
 152

Evangelism is not about presenting Jesus Christ the way they deem fit

but should be the act of presenting Him as He really is and as He still is – one

who is compassionate and kind.

“The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to

preach the good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the

captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty, those who are

oppressed.”94

This was the ministry of Christ in our world and still remains so. This is

what evangelism should entail and as people have succinctly enumerated, it

can bring about Church growth. Evangelism, which leads to only worship,

changes and not God. But when evangelism promotes social justice, its effect

will no doubt be enormous.

Finally, for Christian evangelism to succeed in world, there is the need

for a new zeal, which should entail a redoubling of our commitment as

Christians. Like Jesus Christ, the zeal for the Father‟s House must consume.

Thus ,Trichy –Tanjore Diocese has been doing the evangelist work,

through the soul winning of the native people. While winning their hearts of non-

Christians, rarely give up their address of old religion and put on the new face. If

they willing to journey on this path, they get baptism and enter into the new life.

Many of them in other religion, without any changes in religious act; they are

living as a Christian by heart. Even now, those who are crossing the road of

94
Luke 4:18, The holy Bible
 153

Church or Chapel , they just stand before the church and removing the foot

wears, put their hands on their chest and praying. It seems, in any way, the

Tamil Society benefited by the Evangelism.

 154

CHAPTER V

SOCIAL REACH OF THE DIOCESE

The value of service is stated as, “social works‟ primary goal is to help

people in need and to address social problems” For Christians, Jesus‟ teaching

when he says, “Whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant,

and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave, just as the Son

of Man came not be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for

many”1 Both social work and Christianity value service to others. In an effort to

present itself as a profession and not only as a practice of charity, it claims a set

of practice concepts based in theory which can be analyzed and tested. The

practice of working with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and large

social and governmental structures.

In Early days Missionaries had done great things in India, especially to

Tamil Society. They had established their kingdom through founding

Educational Institutions, Hospitals, Sheltering Homes, etc. After they returned

back to their mother land, Diocese took place to continue their work. No one

can deny the Missionaries work.

That was the only reason Diocese could continue the same work which

the missionaries left. Researcher starts this chapter from the early days

Christians contribution to the Society, and what were the services, the Diocese

did in the period of 1947-1998, particularly in the field of education and ministry.

1
(Matthew 20:26-28).- The Bible.
 155

The Christian Missionaries attracted all section of the Tamil Society,

towards Christianity by saying that one God, One Caste, and One religion. They

also emphasized there is only one Caste , that is mankind and only one religion

that is humanity. As they already knew that the caste system was based on the

division of labour in the society, to eradicate the caste system they wanted to

introduce the new system of approach towards the society, to propagate their

religious ideas that there is One God.

In this direction they build number of Churches, and conducted Sunday

worship, celebrate the festivals like Christmas, Good Friday and Easter. And

they invited common people to participate in this occasion. During the meeting

time they shared the words of God, sat together, and ate together. Voluntarily,

missionaries mingled with non- Christians and care their sorrows .by this way,

they were successful in developing social interaction and mobilization. 2

In the next step, missionaries tried to eradicate, the root cause of the

social problem, illiteracy. They started mission schools to educate the children

of new converted Christians. Education in India was a privilege of elite upper

classes. It was limited to gurukuls where upper caste young boys would go to

study under the tutorship of a guru. Even women from the upper caste families

were not provided opportunity to learn. Common people were aliens to this elite

education system. When missionaries arrived they began to start schools for

common people, generally in the vernacular language. Missionaries educated

2
15o th Anniversary of the arrival of the Methodist Missionaries at Nagapattinam- Souvenir
 156

children in local language, raised the standard of education, trained teachers

and improved methods of teaching. 3Missionaries were ahead of their times. In

course of time the admission was opened for all children. As the result, the

dynamics of the social changes were occurred.

The missionaries taught that the love of Jesus Christ can be powerful

exhibited through the treatment of physical sufferings. They also believed that

the one who rendered cares, can feel the blessings of God‟s hand in what they

do, and the one who receives cares can be relived of the physical sufferings, as

they learnt about the savoir who loves that. So the missionaries also wanted to

enter in to the medical field. The medical mission works to assist in the

indigenous pastors, Churches, and missionaries who have the commitment to

spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Hence, the missionaries engaged themselves, in education and Health to

invite the Tamil society by which they taught that they can effectively propagate

Gospel among the Tamil society. They also wanted to liberate them from mental

clutches and physical sufferings. Education and Medical field are the main

Christian‟s contribution to the Tamil Society.

Although it was primarily evangelistic in nature, the work of the

missionaries also contained a strong element of humanitarianism. By

humanitarianism is meant an “active concern for the welfare of all human beings

irrespective of caste, economic position, religion, age and sex”.4

3
Ibid.,p.6
4
M.N.Srinivas, Social Change in Modern India, p .48.
 157

The spirit of service and the concern for people on the other part of the

missionaries often found expression in many of their administrative measures to

flight famine and unemployment, to control epidemics, to found schools and

hospitals and to run orphanages. By providing education and medical aid to

Harijans , orphans, women, lepers, and tribal people whose need was the

greatest , the missionaries have made a real contribution to Indian Society.5

In a state like Tamil Nadu, epidemic such as cholera and smallpox were

frequent and they caused widespread sufferings. Until the beginning of the

present century medical services were inadequate and the few Indian doctors

available in those days possessed only scanty knowledge of diseases or of

scientific treatment.6Added to these difficulties were their religious scruples

which often proved to be a great stumbling block. Strongly influenced by certain

religious belief, the Hindu medical men displayed a deep- seated aversion to

touch a dead body and so they had no experience in surgery. The ignorant

masses were still worse. They had a peculiar dislike for European medicines

and practice of vaccination was a forbidden thing7 .further, the problem of sex

was another great barrier that stood in the way of medical work. As a rule,

women were willing to be treated only by women. Apart from these hindrances,

there were other complications as well. Medical work on a sufficient scale was

costly branch of missionary enterprise. Buildings suitable for such work were

expensive, and the incredible advance of medical science has so vastly

5
Ibid p.49-50
6
Kenneth Ingham, op,cit,p.112.
7
Ibid.P113
 158

increased the appliances required for effective surgery, that large sums had to

be found for instruments, furniture and other equipment. No small amount was

spent in maintaining the hygienic condition of the hospitals. All these factors

would have easily discouraged the missionaries from undertaking medical work.

But the measure of sympathy which the missionary had for the sick and the

suffering impelled them to provide for their relief.

Medical missions often brought the missionary into more intimate contact

with the people and opened many doors, which prejudice had closed against

them. By removing suspicion, fear and aversion the missionaries prepared the

patients for the message of the Gospel. Their mingled tenderness and skill

exerted a powerful influence on the patients. In Manargudi Brahmin officials and

wealthy landlords who otherwise would never listen to preaching, patiently

heard it as they wanted their turn for the Doctors attention8. Brahmin women,

who used to refuse to take medicine from Christians, now came eagerly, and on

many occasions the doctor was permitted even to feed them him, and evidence

of work which helped to overcome the pride and prejudice of caste9. Some

Brahmins freely attended the dispensary and took medicine, although there was

other who was scrupulous about the medicine given to them in liquid form10.

But slowly the missionaries broke down the attachment of the people to

traditional and ineffective methods of dealing with sickness, and won ultimately

their confidence. The hospital in Trichirapalli and Dharapuram and several

8
Ann.Rep., Vol XXVIII(1901,P.64.
9
Ibid, Vol.xxxi (1909),p .174.
10
Ibid.,p.175.
 159

dispensaries attached were and still are doing their best to mitigate the physical

sufferings of the native people. In addition to their manifold duties, the doctors in

these hospitals used to tell the patients constantly and patiently in the most

minute detail what they were to do to ensure health and to combat diseases.

Thus they tried to fight against the white spread ignorance of hygiene11. They

also took care of pre – natal clinical work, midwifery and treatment of leprosy.

The unfortunate lepers , left un cared for , dragged out a weary existence.

During epidemics the missionaries were always in the forefront to help the

victims, though there was always the danger of risking their own lives. During

the terrible influenza epidemic of 1918, the missionaries at Dharapuram

received a telegram from a friendly planter in the Anamalais who requested

help. He had six hundred sick cases among the workers and all his staff were

down with fever. The missionaries available travelled on bicycles over hundred

miles as fast as possible to find on an estate of 1200 workers over 1,000 sick

and 140 dead. Rising their own lives, they did good work and the planters never

forget the unselfish toil of the missionaries by whose labours many lives are

saved 12.

The social and economic progress of any community must go hand in

hand with its spiritual advance of Christian life which produced a far more vivid

impression on Indian life and thought than the effect of the increased rate of

conversions.13.

11
Annual report of Trichirapalli District (1944). Pp.6-7
12
W.J.Noble ,Ploughing the Rock, p.68.
13
A.I.Mayhew, “The Christian Ethic and India”, O‟Malley,op.,cit.,pp. 325-326.
 160

The activities of the missionaries on community lines accelerated after

the commencement of the Mass Movement in 1913. They diverted much of their

attention and funds to the uplift of the Adi- Dravida and Madharai Communities.

The Converts of these communities were all caught in the clutches of a poverty

which often found expression in filth, in insanitary dwellings, in moral and

spiritual deterioration, in debt and virtual agrestic slavery. Before conversion,

they had very little knowledge of clean living, proper clothing, and sanitation.

They also had no idea of self- respect and freedom. The missionaries were

convinced that “the Christian cannot live on the same pittance as his ancestors

and at the same time maintain moral and spiritual progress”14. And therefore

embarked upon certain activities which helped to elevate downtrodden people.

First the missionaries established regular worship in the Villages.

Then they organizes systematic Christian teaching which greatly

facilitated the transformation of the community. Though Christian worship and

teaching the converts made new spiritual discoveries. One of these beneficial

changes can be seen in a new awareness of their positive rights and in a

fervent desire to emancipate themselves from their degraded position.

Whenever there was a vague upward striving among these depressed people,

Hinduism would immediately come in their way and say:”

It is written on your heads; and the only chance is that in some future

birth you may possibly be born higher in the social scale, into a respectable

14
Rev. Joseph West, “ Industrial Education”, op.cit.,p.139.
 161

caste”15. Vexed by such an attitude of Hinduism, a certain individual was moved

to indignation and bitterly cried at one of the mass meetings;” We are sheep

without a shepherd; the religion( Hinduism) that claims us will not allow us in its

temples or to read its sacred books and holds out no hope”16 But the coming of

the Christian missionaries and their teaching with helping tendency , caused a

revolution in the thinking of these converts which resulted in brought with them

great literature on these subjects17.

The Gospel of Christ told these people that they were all children of God

in whose sight there was no distinction of caste and that they were as important

as the Brahmins and that expect their own sins there was nothing that could

separate them from the love of God. Conversion and baptism were above all

signs of a new beginning. The new identity of the converts showed itself in a

new name and a new life .In the efforts of transforming the Adi- Dravida and

Madhari Christians the services rendered by the Christian Home Movement of

the Methodist Church cannot be forgotten. This movement as started in 1945

with the object of making village Tamil Christian. Some of its slogans, which

special in their programme, are quite revealing; “send all Christian children to

school “, “family prayers in every Christian homes”.-it made a family bond.

“Keep your home and village clean”. The women of the mass movement area

greatly benefited from the influence of the Christian Home

Movement.18Conversion to Christianity often involved changes in style of living

15
J.J Ellis, “India‟s Search”,FF,Vol XIX(1922-23), P.59
16
Ibid.p.62
17
W.G.Noble, Flood Tide in India, p.26.
18
Trichirapalli District (1945),p.6; CSI women works reports ( 1945) p.24.
 162

which improved the status of the convert group in the eyes of other castes.

Traditional occupations which had been held responsible for their degradation

were systematically given up and the converts sought different avenues of

employment. Emigration is a great teacher of self – respect and self – reliance.

They started to use mission Schools and institutions to upgrade their life

standard.

A good number of educated men and women became teachers, pastor‟s

evangelists and catechists. Some joined in government services; others joined

the army and police force. During the world wars, many of the converted

Christians increasingly entered the military, for in many cases first this meant

they were decently fed for the first time in their lives. Employment opportunities

were also found in factories, and mills in the town and also on the railways.19

All these changes were a great blessing to the converts. Hindu caste

children all sat together, played together and studied together. In some of the

rural boarding schools, there was no charge for clothing for the children, for it

had been supplied free by caste Hindus? They were greatly impressed by what

was taking place in the lives of these children.20 These boarding schools while

providing a healthy atmosphere for the training of character , leadership and

development of personality of the inmates, also subtly destroyed those barriers

which used to divide the children under other circumstances. In 1942 in Karur

hundred Adi- Dravida boys and two hundred and fifty Hindu and Muslim boys

studied together. In the Boarding school some gounda boys lived with Harijan
19
Gilbert slater ,Southern India and Its political and economic problems,p.296.
20
Ann.rep., vol xxxviii(1932)p.63.
 163

boys and the Government awarded a grant in appreciation of the good work of

school.21

Thus the teaching of Gospel and the transforming the Adi- Dravida and

Madhari communities broke down the barriers and did much towards amicable

living in the villages. These all works done by missionaries of Methodist and

continue the same work after formed the diocese of Trichy- Tanjore of Church

of South India. missionaries agitation for the vindication of the legal rights of the

outcaste people was equally great. The activities and social services of the

Christians missionaries brought about a changes of attitude in some of the

Hindu religious and social leaders, while in some they instilled the fear of losing

a number of the so- called untouchables and thereby weakening Hinduism.

When all is said and done, a church justifies its existence only by its obedience

to the last great command of its Lord and Master:

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations”22

Trichirapalli- Thanjavur Diocese of Church of South India has been a

blessing for the stirring growth of missions. Its department of Mission and

Evangelism commemorates its impetus involvement in the varied facets of

missions in building the people in the neighborhoods to the glory of Triune God,

the Almighty. Since 1947, evangelism is the inhalation of the people in the

21
Letter of the Rev. Paul Rengaramanujam to the Rev. Hickman Johnson, dated
Karur.16.6.1942.
22
(Matthew 28: 19)- The Bible
 164

church. The department was formed to integrate the evangelistic outlook in

Diocese to formulate the mission expansion in a healthier mode.

HOSPITAL MINISTRY OF THE DIOCESE

The diocese had 2 general hospitals; The CSI Mission General Hospital

is located in woriyur, Trichy. and the CSI Dr. Anne Booth Mission Hospital in

CSI Mission Compound, Dharapuram . These hospitals are multi-specialty

hospitals on service committed and dedicated to the glory of God through the

ministry of healing with modern facilities, infrastructure, dedicated management

and staff. 23

These Institution have helped to spread Christians service amongst may

who will always remain Hindus, and in so doing they have made a real

contribution to the life of the country. The permeation of society with Christians

teachings such as the fatherhood of God and brotherhood of man, and

progressive, such as equality and freedom, which are implicit in the teachings of

Christianity, is another important point to take note of the vigorous and

continuous work of Diocese attacks on and agitation against certain social

anomalies and unjust practices led to a nationwide awakening, bringing about a

social – religious reform in the Tamil Society.

For fully a century the medical mission had been recognized as a

powerful adjunct to missionary work in India. It was not merely a key to open the

door into non- Christian communities but „an integral part of the Gospel

23
District Church council minutes book -1951
 165

enterprises‟.24 Even in humanitarian point of view, it was a Christian – like thing

to „heal the sick‟ and for this cause alone it was worthy of an honoured place in

every missionary programme. The Methodist Church in India also strongly

believed in the ministry of healing and reaffirmed its faith in it at General synod

of 1946, by saying, “the ministry of health and healing is a self-revealing activity

of our Lord through His Body, the church. It is not a ministry which can be

chosen or left. It is not an agency to supplement or support the main missionary

enterprises, nor is it only a means of attracting men to listen to the Christian to

the Christian message- it is a part of and expression of that message

itself”.25Thus , from this conviction it became the missionaries duty to develop

medical work as an essential part of the ministry of the Christian Church.

Missionaries who saw the need for scientific health care began mission

hospitals in Trichy. Christian missions contributed much to the medical scene in

Trichy and Karur area. Mission dispensaries were started in several villages in

around the limitation area. Modern medicine was made available to all people.

Doctors treated patients with love, concern and care.

There was no discrimination against people based on caste. Missionary

doctors would be happy to touch the patients even if they are from low castes

while the society treated them as "untouchables.

The need for opening medical mission in Trichirapalli and Nagapatinam

District had long been felt and in 1886 the Rev. Henry Little suggested to the

24
R.H.H.Goheen , “Medical Mission in India”,IBM,VOL,XIX (1930,P.211.
25
CSI Records (1946), p.15
 166

missionary committee in London that a medical mission might be opened in

Thiruvarur which would no doubt strengthen their position in the Tanjor District.

Thiruvarur was even then an important native town having a population of ten

thousand, 20% of whom were Brahmins ,26 many of whom were persons of

influence. The bulk of the population belonged to the better castes. Just outside

the town were an immense number of agricultural labourers in the Villages.

Within the radius of four miles from the mission house in Thiruvarur, there was a

population of something like fifty thousand persons whose need for medical

care was a greatest.27So it is decided to set up a medical mission at Thiruvarur,

where there was already a suitable house ready for a doctor to reside. The First

medical missionary appointed was the Rev.Henry S. Lunn,M.D.B.S, who started

work in Thiruvarur and Mannarkudi in 1888.28

After Dr. Henry s.Lunn, the Rev. Henry Hudson , M.R.C.S.,L.R.C.P.,

joined the staff and made a fresh start in Mannargudi ,his first dispensary there

was a thatched shed; but before he was compelled by ill –health to return to

England at the close of 1899.Rev. Daniel had the distinction of being the only

native minister in the misson holding recognized medical qualifications.he

carried on the work at Manargudi after Dr.Hudson departure, and had one

Indian assistant ,2 compounders , a nurse and a Bible Woman, Anne.29 The

unprecedented success of Rev. Elias Daniel‟s medical working 1902 surprised

26
R.Smailes , “Elias Daniel of Mannargudi”,FF,VOL.XIX (1922-23),PP.205-206

27
MSS.‟ Nagapatinam and Trichinopoly‟,., Box (1885-1891): Letter from the Rev. Henry Little to
the Rev.Ebenezer E. Jenkins, dated karur, 13 th January, 1886.
28
Findlay and Holdsworth, op.cit.,vol.V,pp.258-259.
29
Rev. R.Smailes , “Elias Daniel of Mannargudi”,FF,VOL.XIX (1922-23),PP.205-206
 167

all previous work. The total number of cases treated in that year amounted to

32,314. At times the daily number of patients went up almost to 200. But he felt

in ill due to his single – handed treatment of such crowds.30

The Mission Hospital- Trichy:

Medical work in Trichirapoly was started in 1917 and form 1923 it was

carried on for many years most efficiently by Mrs. Sandford, the wife of the

Chairman of the District. In 1935 the District Synod appointed an European

woman Doctor to be in charge of the Hospital, and the work at this time was

largely gynecological and obstetric in nature. The Mission Hospital as it is still

commonly called, was then a simple building for in – patients, with a small

dispensary for out-patients .

It was never big and had room for about fifteen to twenty patients, about

five hundred being the yearly admissions.31 As years passed on, extra mural

work was also carried on through the dispensaries maintained at Irungalur,

eleven miles away , at Perambalur, 36 miles north of the city and at

30
“Native Medical Missionary at work”,wwmf”, vol. xi (August , 1902), p.317
31
Report of Visitation of the Medical work of the M.M.S. In China and India 1933-1934 by
Dr.A.W.Hooker, Medical Secretary ,p.37.
 168

Jeyamkondam at about fifty five miles from Trichinopoly. In 1949, the total

number of cases treated at these places were; Irungalur- 14,047, Woriur-

15,961 and Jeyamkondum- 6,471.

There were 2 women doctors and 16 medical workers attached to the

Mission Hospital.32 at woriur a general ward was opened in the same year and

this proved very useful.

In 1962 the hospital at woriur had 50 beds,25 of them for maternity

accommodation was also made for 8 patients. 2 Doctors, 5 nurses and 3

midwives completed the professional staff.33 Today, the mission hospital in

Woriur, though small is a very busy women‟s Hospitals, staffed and managed

exclusively by Christians. Being District Headquarters, Trichy has a Big

Government Hospital with more than 200 beds, and a Roman Catholic one with

an expensive maternity ward , containing more than 100 beds , in addition there

are several well equipped well maintained private hospitals and clinics in the

City.

In spite of such large institutions in the city , the mission Hospital at

Woriur still has scope to make a substantial contribution to the most needy

people in its neighborhood. The hospital receives no government grant but its

32
Medical work – statistic for the year 1949”, church of south india Diocese of Trichy -Tanjore ;
Summary of reports and statistice, 1949,p.11
33
Trichirapalli Diocese – Woriur , Report by the Rev. Frank Davey of his tour of India, Kenya and
the Rhodesians , January – March, 1962,pp. 71-72.
 169

financial position is sound. The mission hospital in Woriur is said to be the

„Cheapest hospital34 in Trichy.‟

Today the hospital has well – constructed buildings around a large

quadrangle. The original multiple one – patient wards have been modernized.

The theatre block is good and well –equipped and the hospital chapel occupies

the prominent position. There is a small laboratory . Electricity is obtained from

the town supply.

C.S.I. Mission Hospital – Dharapuram.

In 1926, Dr.Edith Little was the first Medical Missionary Doctor in the

C.S.I.Mission Hospital. Dr.Edith , a missionary from Methodist Church , London

who established the mission hospital had been a great source of relief to the

sufferings and miseries of the poor community Health, Mother and Child

Programme were initiated in 1950. Leprosy and TB control programme were

implemented. Health camps in Anamalai , and Valparai hills benefitted the tribal

people.35

Dr.Anne Mary Booth, from England who served from 1950- 1974, made

sure women in villages received special attention. Later this hospital called by

her name .Dr.Annie Booth Mission Hospital. The hospital came under the

administrative care of Church of South India Trichy –Tanjore Diocese from

1947. The work in the villages also simultaneously began and each week a

34
K.Jeremiah,” looking back”C.SI Mission General Souvenir released on the Occasion of the
Inaugural function of the New Hospital Buildings- phase II, on 26.4.1991.

35
Report of Rev.Frank Davey, , op.cit.,p.73
 170

Doctor and a Nurse went out together to the villages and treat people sitting

under the neem trees and hold their dispensaries in or two places under

thatched sheds.

Palliative Care:

Caring for terminally ill patients like Cancer/TB/Paraplegic/HIV/ “care for

dying and terminally ill” with the help of CMAI the Hospitals initiated palliative

care through home based care( free cost), formation of multi- dispensary team

approach., Nursing care , Counseling and Physio exercises are given to

patients at home by the team.36

The mission Hospital in Dharapuram , built in 1931, is an attractive and

quite a large country hospital. It arose out of the needs of the mass movement

community. In spite of a Government hospital which is of the same size , and

several other private undertakings, the needs of the villagers , particularly the

Harijan Christians from the mass movement area, could not be met adequately

before the mission hospital was built.37

36
Ibid.,P.74
37
Report of Secretarial Visit by Rev. W.J. Noble and Mrs. Duncan Leith, op.cit.,p.97
 171

Prior to 1931medical work began in the Dharapuram area, when the Rev.

J.J.Ellis , faced with the needs of hundreds of Christians in the Village, carried

first aid equipment and simple medicines with him as he went about preaching.

Later Mrs.Sandford began work among the women in Dharapuram. In 1926 the

first full – time doctor, Dr.Edith little, came to start work in a small building that

had been a girl‟s hostel. Sometimes as many as 22 in – patients were treated

on the verandah, besides the many out – patients who came daily. In 1931, the

first block of the present hospital was opened but it was from the out – laying

villages rather than the town that the majority of the patients came.38 This block

was built with grants partly from the government and partly from the home

Committee.39The work of the hospital in Dharapuram was in a way special. Its

work differed from that of many mission hospitals in that it was chiefly meant for

a community and was closely linked with educational and religious work

throughout the District. The hospital served both Christian and non- Christian

communities in the town itself and in surrounding villages. A weekly dispensary

was held in Vellakoil at which lepers were treated. The hospitals are multi-

specialty hospitals on service committed and dedicated to the glory of God

through the ministry of healing with modern facilities, infrastructure, dedicated

management and staff. There was also weekly dispensary at Chinna

Dharapuram. Though many people were helped in different ways of the

hospitals and dispensaries, there were still countless others who could not be

reached.

38
“Glimpses into the past”, church of South India Hospital 1931-1956 ( Silver Jubliee Report,
1957) p.3
39
Report of Secretarial Visit by Rev. W.J. Noble and Mrs. Duncan Leith, op.cit.,p.97
 172

As a hospital chiefly meant for a community whose members was

poverty – stricken, its problems were many and real. Poverty was an

insurmountable problem. The difficulty mostly turned round the question of how

to make one rupee do the work of twelve. The prominence given to free

treatment in the early days of the mass movement did not encourage a sense of

responsibility on the part of the patients and the consequences of this continued

to be felt for years after. So, the hospital was unable to become self-supporting

must concentrate not on the poor, whose need is the greatest, but on fee-

paying patients. On the staffing side the hospital had to contend with special

difficulties as the locality is not attractive. All credit to those devoted Indians who

are ready to offer their service here, but there is a chronic shortage of well

qualified staff and the burden on the Doctors and Missionary nursing sisters is

heavy and unremitting.40

The hospital is eminently suited for the training of auxiliary nurse

midwives. by 1965 the staff situation had improved greatly , but the hospitals

was still too dependent on staff from outside area. With help of the M.M.S. in

England, a trainee nurse hostel was built and opened officially by the District

Collector on the 31 st August , 1966. IN November 1965 the public Health

service, a new department, was started and two members of the staff spent half

of their duty time in this department. Their work comprised regularly weekly

visits to provide an advisory, demonstration, nursing and minor treatment

40
Report of Rev.Frank Davey, , op.cit.,p.73
 173

service to homes in a selected area outside the municipality Health visiting field.

Teaching on family planning was also given.

Today the hospital in Dharapuram bears proof of the devotion and

courage of those who have brought it through the days of difficulties to the

present days of opportunity.

As a training centre for auxiliary midwives and as a base for extra –

mural work, its beneficent ministry in the future could become a far- reaching

and even more power here, the hospital is often the gateway to newness of life

not only physically but also spiritually. The usefulness and good work of the

hospital has been gratefully acknowledged by the Hindus of the town.

C.S.I Village Health Centre – Karur

C.S.I Village Health Centre was started during the year 1956 by the

Methodist Missionaries.41 The main purpose of starting this health centre was to

provide general and Leprosy health care facilities. To provide awareness and

health education against leprosy and the prevailing disease such as TB and

HIV/AIDS and also , to provide socio economic rehabilitation to the needed

patients. Health care facilities – Awareness were taught by the missionaries to

the young and country ladies. Anti-leprosy treatment was given in this

center.42Trichy -Tanjore Diocese were started few nursing colleges and training

centers to meet out the scarcity for nurses. it has been helping to the village

girls to become a nurse and a mid-wife.it makes their family to go forward and
41
Medical Report 1965-1966.p.78- Diocesan Committee
42
Medical committee report –diocese council meeting -1961
 174

change their status in their downtrodden society. Priority were given for

Christian schedule caste girls. still now, the organizations doing their service

among village people .

Bishop‘s College of Nursing, Dharapuram

Bishop College of nursing started on 27th July 1993 , with a belief to

educate women with Nursing education of the highest order and help them to

serve the sick and suffering .43 This nursing college started by

Bishop.Paulraj.44The overall objective of the under graduate degree in Nursing

is to prepare a professional Nurse and mid- wife, who is competent to give

comprehensive Nursing care to an individual family and community in Health

and sickness and to participate effectively as a member of the Health team.

It is pride to; note that the College Motto is “To Serve and not to be

Served”

The College is recognized by the Government of Tamil Nadu, Indian

Nursing Council, Tamil Nadu Nurses and Midwives Council and is affiliated to
43
Octogesimal-paulraj 80 th birthday-souvnir
44
Ibid.,P.50
 175

the Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R Medical University. It has got minority status from the

Government. The annual intake of student‟s strength is fifty per year. Out of

which 50% is Management quota and 50% is Government quota.

Further, the College got permission from Government and the Tamil

Nadu , Dr.M.G.R.Medical University to start M.SC.,(N) course newly and first

batch of students were admitted in September. The Students are given

excellent clinical training in CSI Hospitals, Trichy and Dharapuram, Government

Hospitals, Dharapuram and Thirupur , Municipal Maternity Center , Dharapuram

and in various tie up Hospitals. The students have been participating in a

45
number of co- curricular and extracurricular activities. The Community training

is given in Nanjyampalayam and Manakkadavu , the two centers of the

Diocese. Students get their training in Ponnapuram Block PHC also. The

students participate in all Government programme related to Health

programme, awareness programme, assisting in medical camp and family

welfare medical camp conducted by Ponnapuram Block PHC.46

The students also gain excellent knowledge and training. Rural Students

had completed the course and settled throughout India even in Kuwait, USA,

and UK47.

45
Minutes of the 15 th Diocesan Council
46
Ibid.P.56
47
Ibid P.57
 176

Christians served the community by becoming nurses, as of 1940, 90%

of nurses in India were Christians. "Nursing" was considered as mean job and

only Christians were willing to take up this job.

Multipurpose Health Workers Training School-Dharapuram

The Nursing School attached to the Church of South India Hospital and

started in Dharapuram in the year 1969, by Dr.Anne Booth, Sr. Irene Stainer

was the first Principal in 1970.48 The aim of the School is to train good Auxiliary

Nurse Midwife with good Christian standard of service to the Church and

Community. The School is administered by the Committee under Trichy –

Tanjore Diocese of Church South India. It was affiliated with Christian Medical

Association of India, Nurse League; Examining Board .The School received the

temporary recognition from the Tamil Nadu Nurse and midwives council in

1969 and permanent recognition on 1974.49

48
Farewell meeting -minutes
49
Minutes of the 15 th Diocesan Council
 177

The ANM/MPHW course provides one year Nursing and one year

midwifery and public health. In 1981, the name auxiliary nurse midwives had

changed to multipurpose health worker Training School. The public health work

is done within 12 miles range includes domiciliary nursing, Domiciliary Mid-

wives, Health Teaching, family planning working in health centers and other

experience. 20 candidates are selected every year. They have gone out

successfully with 100% result for these public health visits the students goes to

the villages 12 to 15 kmsnearby villages. Community outreach was done in

Thalvaipatnam which is12 kms away from the Hospital. A doctor from the main

hospital visits the centre every week on Wednesday and conducts a morbidity

clinic. Major ailments are treated and follow- up is done by the staff and

students. Students have the faculty to take part in home visits, imparting health

education and School health programmes. The Health worker students get very

good practical experience and knowledge and faster their kindly relationship

with the public and patients. However, Mission hospitals did have a big role to

play in the society in those days.

These were places where, free and effective Medical care was given to

patients who could not afford such treatment at other places. Often these

treatment modalities were not available at other local hospitals and often had

medications which were brought in from their home Country.50The Mission

hospitals often co-existed with orphanages, schools, old age homes etc. In most

of these places, however, admission was limited to Christians, or those willing

50
Kanyakumari Medical Mission, CSI Souvenir, 1992-1996, Nagercoil, 1996, P.9.
 178

to convert to Christianity. This conversion by force was controversial and often

tended to overshadow the good that they had done.

In the research period 1947-1998, Mission hospitals were the centers of

learning and excellence and often trained nurses and midwives were sent to

work in the villages and thereby extended the Missionary work in the rural

areas. These hospitals were entirely funded by the Colonial Government and

perhaps it helped to assuage their guilt, if any, over the oppression and other

misdeeds over the "natives", by their armies. .Hence, Trichy- Tanjore Diocese

has done his service to the Tamil society through medical care and medical

education.

The Christian Educational Institutions had three main aims, to educate

and uplift the Christian community, to render service to Indian youth at large

and to build evangelical bridges towards the countries and thus pave the

way for an acceptance of the Christian faith. It can be said that the first and

second aims have had real success. The third was a complete failure, if only

we count the number of actual conversions that have taken place in or

through those institutions. 51

The Education System of The Danish –Halle Mission

Ziegenbalg and Plutschau were the avant- garde of the Lutheran world

mission, but they were not the first Christians who made an attempt to baptize

the Indians. Already in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth centuries catholics and

51
Mathai Zachariah, The Indian Church Identify and Fulfilment, Madras, 1971, P.89
 179

members of the reformed church mission were in India. The Danish –Halle

mission approached the assignment with much more consequence and

transferred the principle of mission from a German University town to an Indian

trade centre.

The Indians should be convinced to believe in Christianity and work of

God just like the missionaries did. In return the missionaries would place all

their technical skills and scholarly knowledge at the disposal of the Indians. The

missionaries were also determined to use education as a path to conversion

among the youth, as Ziegenbalg stated it: „If one aims to do something among

the heathens that will have a lasting effect, the most of the plans must be

directed at the youth.52However the missionaries had arrived in an area where a

system already existed based on village and temple schools.

A surprised Ziegenbalg noted that “In all cities small towns and villages‟

one finds schools in which young people are taught to read and write”. But the

results of the education did not impress Ziegenbalg much; „among a thousand

people who can read and write and spell correctly and without faltering. Girls do

not learn to read and write except for those who will serve the idols in the

temples and are called servant of God.53

The traditional school system did not provide education for all children.

The only boys who received instructions in writing, reading and arithmetic were

52
Devaprasad,Rhenius. The Life of Ziegenbalg. The first protestant Missionary to India.Madras:
Christian Literary Society,1956.p.67
53
Ibid., p.69
 180

the ones who were intended, for a job in the local account or administrative

sector. The schools were stratified. There existed special schools , „gurukula‟,

for the boys from the Brahmin caste, where the boys lived up to ten years under

the same roof as their teacher (guru) and experienced a family like relationship

where they were taught Sanskrit ,the high language of the Brahmins ,which the

greater part of the Hindu population was prohibited from learning. As

Ziegenbalg noted ,education was not meant for girls ,apart from the small

exclusive group, who were selected to become temple dancers (devadasi),

These girls should be able to read and recite from the poetic books and were

instructed in the temples.

Among the Muslim population educating was also limited to the group of

boys, who were chosen for religious offices as adults. These boys were either

taught by teachers or in the mosques. The missionaries had another starting

point for establishing schools and therefore had to distance themselves from the

exclusiveness of the Hindu and Muslims schools. Christian teaching should be

accessible for all and the schools were chosen as the important medium for the

presentation of the Gospel.Soon after their arrival in Tranquebar ,Ziegenbalg

and plutschau established mission schools in their own houses. Plutschau set

up a „Portuguese‟ school in which Danish and German were also taught, while

Ziegenbalg set up a Tamil school. The school activities grew fast and soon

education had to move from the private. House of the missionaries to separate

buildings. In 1716,54 the mission school complex in Tranqubar town consisted of

54
Keld Grinder- Hansen, “The School of Tranquebar: An educational field of Cultural encounters
and conflicts”, development & change, Vol.XIV Number 1&2, January- December, 2009
 181

five schools; a Malabar boys schools, a Malabar girls school, a Malabar

boarding school, a Portuguese boys and girls school a Danish boys and girls

school. Forty of the total of 104 pupils in the five schools received full board and

lodging by the mission. In addition to the primary schools the mission had

founded a training institute for Indian adults, where they could learn theology,

catechization, language and other sciences.55

This organization reflects a number of basic principles for the school

activities of the Danish-Halle Mission; European and non –European children

were taught separately and there was a different syllabus for each group. The

teaching in the schools was based on the mother tongue of the pupils. The main

language of the children decided, if there were placed in a „Malabar‟,

Portuguese‟, or Danish school (later in the 18th century an English school was

also established). As in the Halle Foundation they followed the principle that

girls and boys should be instructed separately, apart from the, „one teacher‟

schools, where it was necessary for all the children to be educated in the same

class room.

The school activities had by the end of the 1730„s grown to such an

extent that it was necessary to build a new school complex in Tranquebar town.

The mission chose a large ground in „Admiralsgade „,where Ziegenbalg had

built his own private house in 1716.A new impressive building was erected in

1738 which was greatly influenced by the mother institution of the mission in

55
Ibid.,p.70
 182

Halle.56In 1735 the mission controlled schools in the districts of Mayavaram,

Thanjavur, Mahadevipattinam, Thiruppalatturai, Mannargudi and Marrawa.

More schools followed during the next decades, where the Halle missionaries,

sponsored by the British society for promoting Christian knowledge, founded a

number of mission schools in the area of the British East India Company, e.g.,

in madras, where the mission put a lot of effort into establishing schools for the

local Tamil children.

Many schools that the mission founded and financed were not planned

as traditional Christian schools, but were displayed as charity or free schools.

The charity schools were aimed exclusively at non-Christian children, the idea

behind these schools was explained by Schwartz in 1723 as one of hope that

the Hindu children would get a general positive notion of Christianity,57 lose their

aversion towards Christians and learn important moral principles, also the

ability.

A strategy which takes reality into account, where the mission primarily

recruited converts among the poor and week groups in the Hindu community –

slaves and untouchables, who were drawn towards Christianity through material

needs and the mission offered to feed and clothe their children.

It was an exception when the mission succeeded in recruiting converts

from the more wealthy parts of the Hindu community or among the members of

56
Keld Grinder- Hansen, “The School of Tranquebar: An educational field of Cultural encounters
and conflicts”, development & change, Vol.XIV Number 1&2, January- December, 2009
57
Report of the MMS secretarial visit 1920-1921 by Rev. William Goudie.,p.103
 183

the higher castes. The social consequences of a conversion were too high and

accordingly the higher castes kept their children away from the mission schools.

The direct missionary activities in and outside the schools were potential

sources of conflict between both the Muslim and Hindu communities and the

Danish –Halle mission. 58

In the charity schools the situation was different. Even though the pupils

had to learn about Christianity and read the Bible .They were not forced or even

expected to convert to Christianity. The schools enjoyed a good reputation

among the Hindu population because of their fairly high educational level, and

quite a few prosperous Hindus. Even among the Brahmin caste chose to place

their children in a charity school because of the improved job opportunities a

good education would provide.

In this way, the charity schools succeeded in creating a forum for cross-

cultural and religious encounters. The conflicts in the charity schools did not

arise between the Christian pupils on the one side and the Hindu pupils on the

other. Education was a centre of the activities of the Danish –Halle Mission and

holds the key to an understanding of its considerable impact on the South

India.59

58
Keld Grinder- Hansen, “The School of Tranquebar: An educational field of Cultural encounters
and conflicts”, development & change, Vol.XIV Number 1&2, January- December, 2009 ,p.89
59
Ibid.,p.74
 184

INTRODUCING MODERN EDUCATION

Schwartz's most notable achievements, in modern education and in

government, still lay before him. His scheme for a modern, state-subsidized

"public" system of schools in India began with the rajahs of Thanjavur,

Shivaganga, and Ramnad60.High schools that he established so impressed the

East India Company's resident at Thanjavur that the company's directors in

London and its government at Fort St. George, in Madras, were persuaded to

subsidize them, even though none of these schools lay within company territory.

Maratha Brahman youths who would eventually fill uppermost rungs of civil

service positions within the entire Madras presidency flocked to these schools.

The curriculum, combining biblical and Christian texts with principles and

sciences of the Enlightenment, included English literature and European

philosophy. At the same time, Schwartz laid the foundations for what was to

become the largest and strongest evangelical Christian community in India. 61As

early as 1769 and 1771, word had come to him that Tamil Christians had settled

in Tirunelveli. An affluent Brahmin widow, residing with an English officer at the

company's fort at Palayamkottai (Palamcottah), had appealed to Schwartz for

help. In 1778, having come to Tirunelveli to see for himself, he baptized her,

christening her "Clarinda." When Clarinda later made a personal endowment to

pay for construction of a proper prayer-school building for the new

60
.Robert Eric Frykenberg,“The Legacy of Christian Fridrick Schwartz”, International bulletin of
missionary Research ,published on July 1999 ,p.132
61
“ A summary view”. Report of the SPG Mission for the year of 1829.,pp 165-166.
 185

congregation62, Schwartz sent Satyanathan Pillai, one of his most gifted

"helpers," to serve as a permanent resident pastor-teacher.

Education under British

The Charter Act of 1813. It allotted annual expenditure of one lakh rupee

for the promotion of western education. Charles wood's Despatch (1854) was

called the Magna Carta of Education.The Act of 1857 created the Madras

University.63

Hunter Commission

In 1882, the Hunter Commission enquired the working of education. It

was found that there was a gross neglect of primary education. Hunter

Commission recommended to distribute the responsibilities of education to

Municipalities and District Boards64.Education was made as a state subject as a

result of John Sergent Plan (1944) - education was made free and compulsory

to children65 of the age group 6-14. This education should be based on some

fundamental craft. The basic aim of education should be to impact social

experience and education of general of the infants. It should not burden them

with general education.

62
Ibid p.132
63
Anthony Webster ,The Economic History Review New Series, Vol. 43 (Aug., 1990), pp. 404

64
T.N.Siguerira; The education of India ( History& problems), p.74.
65
Ramnath Sharma, Rajendra Kumar Sharma,” History of Education in India” published by
Atlantic publishers, Delhi. P. 166
 186

Diocese had been functioned under the control of Bishops. In this

limitation of research area, Diocese had ruled by three Bishops, including one

acting Bishop. Development in each field depended on the Bishops. First

Bishop of Trichy –Tanjore ,Rt,Rev.Edgar.B.Thorp, did many good things for

educational field. When he was a missionary in Dharapuram, Lindsay

Commission order to close the Findley College, Mannargudi, He faced the

problem with brave and uplifted the school progress. Then he was appointed as

Principal of that School. Still the school had been functioning there.66

EDUCATION MINISTRY OF THE DIOCESE

The Department of Christian Education was started in the year 1990 and

is headed by one Chairman and a Director both are clergy. The main motto of

this Department is to nurture God‟s people for Christian service‟. This

Department since the time of its establishment and for the last ten years

initiated several of its programmes to nurture at the Diocese, Region and Synod

level. These programmes included the training programmes for material, Peter

Cator scripture examination and several other special progrmmes like conduct

of special schools for children, teachers and so on. With the help of Bishops,

Diocesan Coordinators and selected resource persons from the Dioceses the

Department could enlarge the Christian Education activities for a

comprehensive nurturing ministry of the Church. The term of this committee is

two years and after completion of the term new office bearers are nominated.67
66
Findlay School Diary p.4
67
Proceedings of the CSI 28th Session of the Synod, January 11-15,2000, HRD Centre,
Melukavu, East Kerala.
 187

In 1763, few schools started by protestant Christian mission. Tamil and

English were taught. Priorities were given for Soldiers children and orphans.

Then schools were started around Tanjore , Kumbakonam, Nagapattinam ,

Nankur, Nagor areas by SPG Mission. in 1822 Methodist Mission started

schools in Nagapattinam. In 1844, there were 815 children studied, without

caste and religion barrier. After death of Bishop Heber in 1826, SPG Mission

started many Schools in the name of Bishop Heber.68Trichy – Tanjore Diocese

has 52 primary schools, 2 high schools, 17 higher secondary schools, 2 nursing

schools, 5 Matriculation School 3 industrial training center and 4 colleges

(specialized in Arts & Science, Management, Nursing & Community Welfare).69

All institutions of this diocese are religious minority educational institutions.

These institutions are some among the earliest institutions of the Dharapuram.

The history of the important school which has served for the cause of spreading

education in this area of Tamil Nadu has been studied.

History of Findlay School, Mannargudi

The Findlay Higher Secondary School (formerly Findlay College),

founded by the Wesleyan Mission in 1845,70 is the oldest educational institution

in the town. Originally started as a secondary school, the college was upgraded

to a high school and a college in 1883. It was affiliated to the Madras University

in 1898.71

68
TrichrapalliSt.John‟s Church, on the wall,at the souther side Bishop Heber „s Memorial Tablet
Inscription.
69
Trichy- Tanjore Diocese‟s Diamond jubilee souvenir, ”Thirumandalakalvivalarchipani”
70
William Burgess, the Wesleyan Methodist in the mission.,p.42
71
S. Manickam, Social Setting,p.145.
 188

In January in 1898, previous to its affiliations as a second grade college.

The Institution had a long history as a high school. In January 1900,its name

was changed from the Wesleyan mission college to Findlay college ,The name

of its first principal the Rev,W.H.Findlay., M.A.being given to it. In 1930 Lindsay

commission visited and gave a report, according to the report the college was

closed and then started a School.72

The first Bishop of Trichy - Tanjore Diocese, Thorp,Rev.W.M.Bewick,

A.S.Johnson, Rev.J.Sankey, Mr.J.Amaladason were worked as principal and

uplifted the School and placed in Tamilnadu History. Mr.A.D.Ignatius,

Mr.D.Dharmaraj, Mr.G.Ebenzer, Mr.J.E.Prasad, Mr.J.V.Manoharan were served

as Headmasters and worked hard for this school development. Former

Annamalai University, Vice Chancellor Dr.Narayanasamypillai were studied

here .still this school functioning under the control of Trichy -Tanjore Diocese.73

St.Peter’s Higher Secondary School, Thanjavur.

St.Peter‟s School started in the year 1784 by Rev.C.F.Schwartz .He

came to India due to his faith and Christian Love .Missionary C.F.Schwartz

dedicated his life for upliftment of poor and down trodden people.74

72
Findlay High School Centenary Souvenir, Manargudi.1962., p.12
73
.WMMS, The Trichirapalli District Report 1945,p.7
74
St.Peter‟s School Hand book
 189

St Peter „s School is the first school which taught English in India. 75

TOCH –which is the social service organization in world level, was first started

in Philadephiya, U.S.A, and Secondly started in this School.

Most of the children were foreign higher officers and royal (palace)

children when it started .After so many years common people allowed to study

here. There were only 40 students studied. In those days female children not to

allow to go to School .Schwartz met their parents and encouraged them to allow

the children to attend the School. Rev.Schwartz and Rev.Kollap and his brother,

were worked together with support of Maratha King Sarfoji. They worked there

with dedication. King Sarofoji noticed their dedication and allowed and gave

palace place to continue their educational work for children.76

In 1851, great educationist G.U Pope (1820-1907) came from England.

Due to his untiring efforts, he extended education to all. In 1864, upgraded as a

St.Peter‟s College, in the same year B.Arts Degrees were started. Many

75
Report of the SPG Mission for the year of 1829.p.211
76
Tablet at fort school peter‟s Higher Secondary school, Thanjavur.
 190

common people also gained. 1876 College started functioning in North Main

Street.

In 1938, due to insufficient finance problem could not maintain the

77
College and Closed. For sake of students care, again St.Peters started

functioning as School. According to Educational method, became higher

secondary School in 1978.India‟s highly educated or qualified people were

studied here. In 1984 ,St.Peter‟s School celebrated 200 years function.78

th
“After my 11 standard I stepped in my family business but I studied in

English medium in st. Peter‟s School. Even in my business, I use my language

skill equal to well educated people, because of my school teachers and their

dedication work.”79 In spite of many difficulties, this School still continued to

serve to the poor and downtrodden people with dedication. No one can ignore

the efforts of missionaries as well as the Diocese contribution to the Tamil

society.

Blake Higher Secondary School, Thanjavur

77
St. Peter‟s Higher Secondary School, Thanjavur Bicentenary Celebrations 1784-1984, A
souvenir Borchure.
78
200 hundred years celebration- Souvenir1984
79
Interview with Mr.G.Subramaniyan- age 43- Tata Gold Plus – M.D..,11.
 191

Initially this school was functioned as a branch school of St.Peter‟s

School, by G.U.Pope in 1789. Only female children were studied in this middle

School from 1949. During this time, this School called in the name of Rev.

Blake, who served here for long years in St.Peter‟s Church , as well as in

School.80. In the year 1955, upgraded as High School. In 1978, school

upgraded as Higher Secondary school.

School motto is “Love and Serve”. In fact, it has been functioned with

love and service for all caste and religion people without any different.

“On because of this School , I stand before you as a member of

Parliament. I could not forget my teachers, their teaching skill, and their

affection. I proud to say that I am an old student of this School. I dedicate this

class room building which I built from my MP funds, to my School. This is a way

to express my thanks.”81

St. John’s Higher Secondary School, Trichy.

Schwartz established the vestry school for European and Eurasian boys

at Trichirapaoly [about 1772 A.D]. The events that led to the foundation of the

80
Blake Higher Secondary School, Thanjavur,Hand Book.
81
Chief guest speech-EX.M.P.Palanimanikam- on building inauguration day.
 192

institution were very sad.82In 1772, January 14, a powder magazine blew up; 34

European soldiers and 10 Sepoys were killed. By the help of Navob of Arcot‟s

financial support and acre of land.83. Schwartz stared this school for European

soldiers children. This School called as St.John‟s vestry, because Financial

support given in the name of “vestry”. Vestry means room or a place to keep

and for changing vestments. And then gradually it is called as Vestry School. 84

From 1772- 1812, school functioned in Thepakulam , Trichy. In 1812

school was shifted to All Saints School campus. St.John‟s Church was built in

Fort where, the British soldiers stayed before. St .John School developed well

because of the English people support. In 1963, celebrated 200 years. In

1978, upgraded as higher secondary School.85 In 1763, this school started as a

Orphan School with 10 children and 2 teachers, but the year 1997-1998,it had

been running with 2598 students and 135 teachers. It had 1% of Dalit

Christians .It started for orphan children and downtrodden people. But gradually

this school occupied by high class people of other caste.

Bishop Heber Hr.Sec.School, Theppakulam,Trichirapalli

82
Narendranath Law,Promotion of Learning in India-1915
83
Lamp, Memories of C.F.Schwatrz.,p.91.
84
D.P.N.Prasad, A Concise History of St.JOHN‟S Church ,Trichy..,p.29.
85
St.John‟s Vestry Higher Secondary ,Hand Book-1997
 193

Bishop Heber Hr. Sec. School, Theppakulam, Trichirapalli.

Bishop Heber Higher Secondary School located at Theppakulam is also

one of the reputed school of Trichy –Tanjore Diocese. Many dynamic

personalities were responsible for the reputation it has gained among the

people of Tiruchirapalli. Important among them are:

M.P.H.Albert.,M.A,L.T.,(1941-1969)worked as a Principal and

correspondent. He was the last personality to be called as principal of the

esteemed institution. He was a descendent of H.A.Krishnapillaihe was a man of

multifaceted personality and had a dynamic role for the upliftment of the School.

He only formed a trust and raised funds from a committee with

K.A.P.Visvanatham plunged his heart and soul in to the efforts to revive the

Bishop Heber College. During his tenure he not only concentrated on the

Education but also Sports Music, Scouts,N.CC, Photography Gardening etc. He

made main guard gate to be the commercial mall by built a row of shops in the

west bouleward road to Singarathoppu road.

He was the president of Trichy football association and the All India foot

ball tournament, held in this school. He had received the National Best

Teacher‟s Award, for the year 1966 for his excellence in academic,Sports and

Social service. He was a renowned Scholar in English.86

P.Moses Xavier M.A,B.T.(1969-1983) .He was a National awardees and

the successor of M.P.H.Albert.He has done much service for the welfare of the

86
The 250 year Souvenir of Bishop Heber School, Thpakullam,Trichy.
 194

school. During his term of office as a Headmaster the school had achieved both

in education and in sports. While he was the Correspondent of Heber School,

the school attained its zenith of infrastructure. Between the years 1991-1998,the

buildings were gradually constructed for the purpose of spacious class room

structure. The School Chapel, Science block, Laboratory block, Library and

Hostel were added more feathers to the School crown.87D. Dharmaraj. M.A.B.T

(1983-1986), In his three years‟ service as a head master of Heber School, he

served whole heartedly .He was very kind and polite to the pupil and the

members of the staff, helped a lot those who were in need. In his period the

Science Laboratory and the eastern block were dedicated for the benefit of the

students.

D.Gunaseelan B.A.,B.T.,(1986-1987),He served as a incharge

Headmaster for a year. He filled the gap and presents the matters in a proper

way for a smooth functioning of Heber School88.

D.StephenKanagaraj M.A,B.T.,(1987-1992),He started his career as a

teacher in 1955 and rose to the post of Headmaster in 1979. He was not only

an excellent teacher but also a capable administrator. He had an unflagging

devotion to duty. He was a man of strong like and dislikes. He was a very

amiable and good natured person. He was always ready to lend and helping

hand whenever required .During his five years of tenure he had showed his

concern over the overall development of Heber School. And during his period

87
Ibid.,p.57
88
The 250 year Souvenir of Bishop Heber School, Thepakullam, Trichy
 195

the three storied ,M.P.H.Albert Block the first and second floor were build which

stands gigantically.

His long and illustrious career spanned more than 3 decadein fact years

to be precise. He has rendered immense and valuable services to this great

institution and devoted his life to the cause of education89.

J.V.Manoharan M.A,B.T , He was very simple in nature. Strict in Culture.

In his remarkable period, he had made new ways in academic styles and also

administrative setup. He also responsible for construction of new class rooms,

science laboratory block , Schwartz three storied block ,Library etc.,He was a

lover of Nature, he only revived the garden by planting many saplings and

preserved the trees and plants which stand still for the test of time. The above

mentioned persons did marvelous work for school. Without their hardship, the

school could not reach its development. till now the Bishop Heber School, had

been having his vital role in history.90

Hence, TrichyTanore Diocese has been educating through C.S.I.Higher

Secondary School,Nagapattinam, Methodist Girls Higher Secondary School,

Trichy, C.S.I Boy Higher Secondary School, Karur and in Dharapuram, C.S.I.

Girls School, in Karur and in Dharapuram, C.S.I. High School in Ariyalur,C.S.I.

St. Andrew‟s School, manaparai,C.S.I.High School in Magimaipuram and

inIrungalur, SPG .Higher Secondary School, Thuraiur,andDharpuram Teachers

89
Ibid p.56
90
Diamond jubilee- Souvenir of Bishop Heber School.
 196

Training School.Next, how did the Bishop Heber College start, by whom, and

when did the Diocese took part in college education.

Bishop Heber College

Bishop Heber College is a religious minority educational institution

established by the Tiruchirappalli - Thanjavur Diocese of the Church of South

India. Its main objective is to cater for the higher educational needs of the

members of the Church of South India and other Christians and specially to

provide for them an educational atmosphere in keeping with the Christian ideals

of the Church. The College, however, admits students of all faiths and religions

and seeks to provide for them the best possible higher education91Bishop

Heber College traces its origin back to Christian Frederick Schwartz, the first

German missionary, supported by the Society for the Promotion of Christian

Knowledge (S.P.C.K) in South India. He built a school near the Rock Fort in

Tiruchirappalli in 1762. The School was vested in the S.P.C.K, and

subsequently handed over to the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel

(S.P.G) in 1825.

Reginald Heber, the Lord Bishop of Calcutta, came to Tiruchirappalli in

1826 on his way to Sri Lanka. He visited the school on the morning of the 3rd of
91
College magazine.”Bishop Heber College‟
 197

April and expressed the wish that better buildings might be provided. He also

spoke to the Tamil Congregation and later in the morning died of apoplexy in

the cold water bath in the District Court Compound here. He was buried in St.

John's Church, Trichy. The School was renamed Heber Memorial School.

The Heber Memorial School became a full-fledged high school in 1864

and sent its pupils for the Matriculation Examination. In 1873 the School was

raised to a Second Grade College and in 1882 it became a First Grade

College.92 It was then known as S.P.G College. It was the first college to be

established in Tiruchirappalli. Honors courses in History and Mathematics were

introduced in 1925. The College came to be known as Bishop Heber College in

the late 1920's and its Diamond Jubilee was celebrated in 1926 under the

president ship of the then Governor of Madras, Lord Goschen.The Lindsay

Commission on Christian Higher Education in India recommended the merger

of the Bishop Heber College with the Madras Christian College. Accordingly,

Bishop Heber College was closed in 1934 and the Bishop Heber Hall emerged

at Madras Christian College, Tambaram.

The people of Tiruchirappalli, however, were not happy about the closure

of the College. Right from the year 1946, efforts were made to revive Bishop

Heber College but in vain. The Most Rev. Dr. Solomon Doraisawmy, who was

consecrated Bishop of Tiruchirappalli - Thanjavur Diocese in 1964, plunged

92
R.D.Archibald, “Remembrance of things past” Bishop College, Trichrapalli, Silver Jubilee
Souvenir 1996-1991
 198

heart and soul into the effort to revive the College. He succeeded in reviving the

College on 24th June 1966.93

The College functioned at Teppakulam in the old College Buildings from

1966 to 1968, having only Pre-University classes. In July 1968 the College was

upgraded to the Degree Standard with three Degree Courses. History,

Economics and Mathematics and the Degree Classes were conducted at

Puthur, where the College had acquired a site for its permanent buildings.

For four years from 1968 to 1972, the College functioned in two places,

the Pre-University Classes at Teppakulam and the Degree Classes at Puthur.

The College grew not only in strength but also in popularity and academic

excellence and attracted students from all over Tamil Nadu. In the meantime,

the College managed to secure financial aid from the Protestant Central Agency

for Co-operation in Development, Bonn,Germany, for the construction of its

permanent buildings. The building scheme was taken in hand early in 1970 and

four new buildings were opened in 1972. Many more buildings have since been

added and the College now has a beautiful campus with lovely gardens.

I am a Senior Professor in Philadelphia University. Even today I could

not forget my days in my school, St.Peters and my College Bishop Heber. I

learnt many things in my young days. Manners, politeness, and helping attitude

coming with me from my school days. These attitudes help me and show me

that I am a good citizen of America.”94The College offers thirteen Under-

Graduate, eighteen Post-Graduate and four Post-Graduate Diploma

93
Ibid.,p.34
94
Interview with Jayakumar- old students meeting- trichy
 199

Programmes and three Diploma Programmes of study besides research

programmes leading to M.Phil. and Ph.D. The College started offering

programmes in the Self-Financing stream from the year 198595.

Bishop Thorp College

Bishop Thorp College -Dharapuram

It was a dark period to the people of Dharapuram, in Erode district to

step in for collegiate education. There was no college within 40 miles radios

around Dharapuram. The people of Dharapuram were deprived for higher

education. It was then bishop Dr.R.Paulraj made his effort, when a request was

presented to him for a college.96 He found a steering committee under the head

of local DCC Chairman with following members. Rev.V.Gnanavasagam, Clerical

Secretary; Rev.P.Durairaj, DCC Chairman; Rev.Gnanamuthu; Mr.A.K.Jeyaraj,

then president of Tamilnadu Government affiliated union97.

Under the guidance and direction of revered Bishop, the committee has

made ceaseless effort and obtained the sanction order of the government to

95
Ibid.,p.35
96
A.k.Jeyaraj,”The Historical Achievements of Bishop.Rt.Rev.Dr.R.Paulraj”-article.
97
C.S.I TrichyTanjore Diocese , Executive Committee Report, 1982.
 200

start an arts college under the supervision of CSI Trichy – Thanjore Diocese on

05.10.1984. Thus the College was inaugurated at Dharapuram on 14.11.1984.

The following two are the outstanding achievement in his bishopric.

 The ear marked land of 22.67 acres were encroached by a tenant

and the court case was pending more than 20 years. Because of the

diplomatic move of Bishop Paulraj , the entire land was redeemed for

the Diocese .

 When the college was on its way of functioning in the fifth year, the

Tamilnadu housing board started acquiring in the entire college land

for its neighborhood scheme. The Bishop met the state Governor

honorable P.C Alexander on 19.04.1988, along with the following

delegates. Prof.D.Swamiraj, Principal, Bishop Heber college,

Trichy;Prof.J.D.Samuel,Pricipal of Bishop Thorp College ;

Rev.V.Gnanamuthu bursar of College; Mr.A.KJayaraj, Governing

board member of the college. The Governor patiently heard the

prayer of the Bishop and assured him to helphim.98

The Government of Tamil Nadu has passed order to delete the College

land from acquisition of Tamil Nadu housing Board at the end of December

1989. On that period, value of the college land was Rs. One Crore for acre.

Thus, the Bishop‟s timely actions saved Rs. 23 corers from the loss which was

faced by the Diocese.

98
A.K.Jeyaraj.,”The People who walked in darkness have seen a great light.”-article
 201

The Church of South India created the „Board of Diaconal Ministry‟ to

promote hope, meaning and self-dignity in the life of people living amidst forces

of darkness so that they may see the light of a new dawn... life in all its

abundance. The Diaconal Ministry is an initiative of the Church of South India,

part of its faith, commitment to facilitate transformation and empowerment of

those subsisting on the very edges of Society. It is promoting a process of

sensitization and capacity building of the Church, and involvement in creative

action of affirming the identities and facilitating the empowerment of Dalits,

Adivasis, women, and children, displaced and so on. The uniqueness of this

Board is that it is chaired by the Moderator of Church of South India himself.99

Christian young men who had some education but did not have skills to be

employed caused concern in the minds of missionaries. There were

opportunities for young people to be trained and employed in such industries.

But, there were not training centers for young boys. Missionaries started

technical institutes. These institutes trained young boys from all communities

and they were able to build their career and families thorough this form of

empowerment

Technical Education

In the beginning of the nineteenth century, Technical Education was in its

infant stage and it was not deemed to be a part of the regular education. With

the coming of the Europeans, several European Missionaries attempted to start

Technical schools. One such earlier attempt was made by Rev. J.M.Lechler,

99
The Constitution of Church of South India, Chapter-I.
 202

who opened a small school in Salem and enabled six pupils to acquire the

knowledge in technical education, of whom three were given instruction in

carpentary and the other three in tailoring.100

The important early Missionary enterprise towards the cause of

Technical Education in South Travancore was foundation of the School of

Industry at Nagercoil in 1820. This school was established for the purpose of

promoting useful arts.101Instruction was imparted on a variety of subjects for

both male and female students. Instructions were given in needle work,

embroidery, basket making and lace-making for the girls and for the male

pupils, a wider range of curricula was prescribed including printing, book

binding, tanning and currying leather. But generally, in technical schools, the

following subjects were taught Cabinet making, Weaving, Pottery, Engraving,

Models Carpentry and Metal work. The schools under private management

whether aided by the Government or unaided, also imparted instruction in

Carpentry, Embroidery, Tambour, Cabinet making, Blacksmiths weaving Rattan

work, Band Masonry and Cotton weaving.102

Industrial of K.I.S. started in the year 1877 for orphan children those who

were lost their parents in famine. The year 1877 called as “Thadhuvaruda

Pancham”. Later the year 1991 this institute known as ITI. In the beginning

students were came from C.MS, S.P.G., L.M.S., Evangelical Lutheran Mission.,

100
.Ibid., P.20,

101
M.Gopala Krishnan, op.cit, P.855

102
R.Natesan, , Education and Social Change in Tamil Nadu (1900-1967) Madras, 1986, P.53
 203

their Hostel life, Habits, educational rank were highly commanded by the

natives. Wooden furniture which was made in the industries liked and used by

the Famous temples in Tamilnadu, and government offices.103Electrician, Fitter,

Carpenter, Motor Mechanic courses are trained here. CSI Trichy – Tanjore

Diocese has been maintained this industry in good condition.

CSI Good News Industrial Training Centre

CSI Good News Industrial Training Centre is run by Trichy – Tanjore

Diocese which is one among 22 Dioceses of the Church of South India. It is a

part of the Church of South India Trust Association. The Diocese Maintains a

Number of Educational Institutions in Elementary Education, Secondary

Education, Higher Education, and Para Medical Courses besides three

Technical Training Institutes at Trichy, Karur and Dharapuram.

The CSI Good News Industrial Training Centre at Trichy was

established in August 1979 with Non formal Training in Electrician and Radio &

TV Mechanism. During 1990-91 Electronics Mechanic Courses in NCVT Pattern

Affiliated to Government of India Directorate General of Employment & Training

having a duration of 2 years was Introduced.. Non Formal Training Courses for

School dropouts or 8th pass are also available to provide Skill Training for a

short duration of 6 months to gain Employment in life coping Skills for

sustainable Development in Various Small Scale Industries and Companies.

103
Summary of the reports and statistics,-CSI.1961.,P.16
 204

We have many Industries in and around Trichy where the students are

employed and some work with contractors.104

Another innovation of Trichy – Tanjore Diocese is the beginning of

cottage industries for women. That provided opportunity for women to use their

extra time at home to be involved in productive work and add income to the

family. The economic independence gave women dignity and helped them to

bring up their children better. Women empowerment would be possible only

when women are educated. So, they began to open schools for girls. “Upper

caste men used to ridicule missionaries requesting them to educate their cows

instead of girls. Sometimes missionaries had to pay incentives to families for

sending their girls to school”105. Modern Indian women have entered in almost

all fields in the nation should be grateful to missionaries who created

opportunities for their empowerment Vocational Training Centre, Dharapuram

also functioning for girls. Needle work, embroidery, basket making and lace-

making are taught by the qualified trainers.

Another important results of the Industrial, educational and medical

missions was their role in the process of modernization in Tamil Nadu. Starting

from Western technology at one end down to the experimental methods of

modern science and historiography at the other end, the term „Westernization‟

embraces many things106. Thus the Industrial Schools, the hospitals, Training

104
CSI.,Trichy – Tanjore Diocese – Minutes of the proceedings of the fifteenth session of the
Diocesan Council 1977.,p.8-9
105
Interview- Chandra Solomon, age 90 .retired Teacher. 26.09.2015.Tanjore
106
M.N.Srinivas,op.cit.,pp.52-53
 205

Schools, Schools in various places stand as symbols of centre parts of Tamil

Nadu‟s modernization.

OTHER SOCIAL SERVICES OF DIOCESE

The Department of Dalit and Adivasi concerns, a department of recent

origin was started in the Church of South India in the year 1992 with various

environed programmes like - empowering the C.S.I. congregation which are

victimised by untouchability, caste atrocity, and encroachment of agricultural

lands and enable them to overcome forces of marginalization. To work towards

the prioritized forces of girl child among dalits and Adivasis in all the workings of

the Department. To impart skills among dalits and Adivasi boys and girls in

gainful employment. To encourage Dalit and Adivasi members to become

award of the sociopolitical realities and equip them enter public life and enable

them to run for public offices and so on. This department joins with secular

organisations to lobby for the inclusion of the plight of the Dalits in India.

There are hostels and orphanages for boys and girls attached to

educational institutions to help the children of poor parents. Great care is given

to deaf and dump, mentally retarded, aged, destitute, lepers, aids patients etc.

there are thousands of such centers and committed personals doing voluntary

services in the field. Amidst oppositions it runs rehabilitations centers for

HIV/AIDS infectepersons, mentally ill, prisoners etc as an expression to the

commitment to humanity. 107

107
Social concern committee minutes.
 206

KNH - ‘’Kindernothilfe

This is one of a sponsoring agent of Church of South India;through this

organization C.S.I has done a Social work for kids. Residential child care

organization has existed in India for several centuries ago which we call it as

“Gurukulas”. But an organized form of residential home has emerged only

during the recent past years. Hence, the concept of sending the child to a

home/ hostel or under the care of a foster institution is not uncommon to Indian

Parents. Our KNH homes are the homes of culture changing and enjoying a

reputation for caring and educating the young minds with Christian Nurture. On

this basis the word Home / Hostel later changed to Home for Children108.

„‟Kindernothilfe “has brought hope for thousands of poor children in South

India to train leaders of the church and nation. It all began through the challenge

given by Dr.Niemoeller to over a lakh of Christians who gathered in Frankfurt

for the Kirchentag, a convention held once in a every two years for all protestant

Christians in West Germany in which he challenged the west German

Christians to help the developing nations in overcoming hunger and poverty.

The sermon from, Truly I tell you, whatever you did one of the least of these

brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.109was heard by Mr.KarlBornmann,

Treasurer of a Church in West Phalia and decided to offer 10% of his monthly

income resulting the genesis of KNH and Rev.O.Vetter in 1967, the

Rt.Rev.RichardLipp formerly Bishop in North Kerala and CSI commissary in

Europe took over as the President of the KNH. Hence, our Boy‟s Home at

108
“Golden Jubilee Celebrations of KNH”- Souvenir.
109
Matthew 25:40., The Bible
 207

Irungalur was named as Bishop lippillam. The first Indian Director was

Mr.Bhaskar A.Bhasme. With these historical back grounds, it has crossed 50

years of service and support to the poor destitute children.110”KNH” transformed

the lives of many Children around the globe who are living witnesses for the

compassionate Lord Christ in different walks of life. Dr.M.Marcus

DipanBoominathan , the former principal of Bishop Heber College, is one of the

witness.111The CCCYC/ KNH ( The Churches Council for Child And Youth

/Kindernotklife) has been enjoying the partnership of CSI Trichy – Tanjore

Diocese.

The partnership has been mutually enriching and complementing

realization the divine Gospel mandate. The benefits of various programmes of

CCCYC/ KNH implemented through the Diocese have reached many

individuals and communities.

Today’s Child is tomorrow‘s leader if cared

Today’s Child is tomorrow’s disaster if not cared.- according this

words Diocese doing these care to the children.

Dioceses consist , CCCYC Home for Girls, Nagapattinam; CHILD

Focused Community Development Project (CFCD),CSI Day care Centre,

Munnur, Neduvasal, and in Thuvakudimalai,CSI Ruth Illam, Home for Girls,

110
The Origin of KNH 1967
111
Golden Jubilee Celebrations of KNH”- Souvenir.-published letter for greetings.
 208

Methodist Girls Boarding Home, Woriur; CSI AnbuIllam, M.R.C.Home,

Thanjavur ; 112

CSI Ruth Illam for Girls, Irungalur

Irungalur, a small village, was the missionary headquarters during the

British period. The village is a dry region with water scarcity due to scarce

rainfall, making agriculture a challenging means to earn a livelihood. Most of the

villagers are rural artisans, landless daily labourers. Understanding the need,

the Diocese in partnership with KNH ventured to address the holistic needs of

the vulnerable Girl Children in the region.113 The Project campus has a higher

secondary school with a small dispensary. As a rural upliftment program/project,

Irungalur is essentially and indispensability needs the Residential care program.

Many girls from lower socio-economic families have been provided with

opportunities for education and development and have successfully passed out

and have become contributing members of the society. The girls who had

112
CSI.,Trichy – Tanjore Diocese-Child care Report 1982-1997.,p.2
113
Golden Jubilee Celebrations of KNH”- Souvenir.
 209

benefited are employed as teachers, presbyters, Headmistress, police, nurses

and other leaders of the Government and in the Churches.114

The Project caters to 50 vulnerable girls (orphans, semi orphans, from

broken families) in the Project supported by KNH who are in the age group of

10 to 21 yrs undergoing school education, from standard 3 to 12thstd (Higher

secondary) and professional academic / vocational training courses after

completion of their school. Further 20 needy school going girls are also

provided accommodation in the Project as fee paying boarders for education

and development.

CSI CCC Girls Home, Dharapuram

This Residential Care Project is located in Dharapuram, a backward

district of Tamil Nadu where most of the parents are employed as labourers in

hosiery making and inner garment making companies in the near-by Town

Tirupur.

The Project was established by Methodist Missionary in the year 1929 as

an Orphanage first. As a Boarding Home of the Church to provide education

opportunity for the poor and down trodden children and is supported by KNH

114
CSI- Evangelism work- report
 210

since 1969. The vulnerable girls hail from surrounding communities. Since deep

rooted caste system (un-touch-ability) illiteracy, exploitation of the poor landless

labourers and vulnerable families, poverty, lack of regular employment, child

labouretc is still prevalent in the area the Project continues to be relevant in

providing for education and development for equalisation opportunities of the

vulnerable children from under privileged communities.115 Majority of the

parents are employed as daily wages labourers in inner garment making

companies in the nearby town Tirupur, seasonal agricultural daily wages

labourers, etc. Nearly 70 % of the parents are illiterates and others educated

upto primary / middle school level.The Project accommodates 200 girls

supported by KNH in the age group of 9 yrs to 20 yrs from the surrounding rural

villages. Among them 55 are supported by KNH and the rest are fee paying

boarders. 116

CCCYC in collaboration with NBCFC have provided three computers

with UPS facilities to the Project and has been installed in the spacious Office

Room. The Staff, children and parents are very happy for the same as it would

help them to secure a good job. As the Project is located in a region where

there is much scope for children to find employment in clothing companies, the

additional computer knowledge would add to their qualifications, thus landing

them in a good position.117 Thus the installation of computers three in each of

the above mentioned Projects would definitely address the technological need

115
Trichy- Tanjore Diocese‟s “Women‟s Work Committee Report 1955.p.1
116
Church of South India, Trichy –Tanjore Diocese ,Childcare Report,1982-1997.
117
Report of child care ministry of Trichy –Tanjore Diocese
 211

of the vulnerable girls in the Project who have come to build their careers thus

being the first generation literate girls of the region. Hence the CLIP programme

being implemented in these two regions would assist the community to become

computer literate and would be able to derive knowledge, solve problems and

communicate using computers, which is an immense opportunity for them as

such facilities in the region are very few if not non and the few which offers

computer education are not affordable by the families living below the poverty

line. 118

Home for Leprosy:

Treating leprosy patients with dignity was a far cry in those days. Lepers

were considered as enduring wrath of god according to their karma. So, they

were ill treated worse than animals. And in some places they were buried alive.

In Karur area there were several leprosies. To give treatment Solomon

Duraisamy , the second Bishop of Diocese started this home.

Not only in Karur and also started dispensaries in Vengamedu,

119
Moayanur, and Sommur. Christian doctors in congregations began ministry

among them by caring for them.

118
Ibid.p.8
119
Trichy – Tanjore Diocese of the Church of South India Minutes of the Proceeding of 17 th
Diocesan Council. 1981.PP.45-46.
 212

CSI Shanthi Nillayam:

CSI Shanthi Nillayam was started to care the children of the leprosy

infected patients during the year 1981. Some of the infected children also were

admitted and Proper treatment was given. About 200 Children were much

benefited .Most of these children are now, well settled in their life in our Country

as well in abroad. One of the Ex – foster children is now working at London as

Nurse and some are working at Singapore quatar and in other Countries.120

Since leprosy was eradicated the home children were shifted to other

normal homes, at Karur and CSI Shanthi Nillayam Started to care the Children

of the HIV/ AIDS patients. Most of the children have lost their father, some

mother , and others both. About 45 (both boys & girls Children studying third to

higher secondary are staying in home. The Chairman of the Diocese and all the

officers of the Council take much interest in this home and care the Children

well.121

120
Trichy –Tanjore Diocese of the Church of South India . “ Miniutes of the 13‟th Diocesan
Council,1981.PP.44-45
121
Church of South India, Trichy –Tanjore Diocese ,Childcare Report,1982-1997
 213

Anbu Illam:

Mental patients were considered as demon possessed by the people in

olden times. They were tied or chained, beaten, iron rods were heated and

applied on their parts of body and controlled by a variety of methods. Medical

missionaries pioneered ways to treat mental patients so that they have an

opportunity to be rehabilitated in the society. “Anbu Illam “ is one shining

example of this contribution to the Tamil Society . 122.

The contribution to the handicapped people could not be overlooked. The

schools for the blind, deaf and dumb are examples for the compassionate

service of the church towards the differently abled. They were given education,

provided means for livelihood and rehabilitated in their own society. Bible is

available in Braille in all major languages in India.

Rehabilitation Centre for Criminals

Criminals who were thrown in jails had almost death sentence for life. It

was not possible for them to again be rehabilitated in the society. Missionaries

started rehabilitation centres for such people to help them to cope up with life.

They were trained and provided micro-credits to start a small business and build

their lives. Many who do not have such encouragement and opportunity would

go back to the life of crime. Bethel, in Danishpet and Prison Fellowship of India

are some Christian organizations that provide help and support for prisoners

families. The women were trained to manage the family. Children were provided

122
Interview with Thavakumar- Correspondent. AnbuIllam. Thanjavur.
 214

with education and sometimes admitted in Christian hostels. When both parents

are in jail the children are taken in hostels.123

Homes for the Aged

In 1965, Diocese decided to start an old age home in council meeting.

Women fellowship also Came forward to donate for old age work. ”Evangelical

Sisterhood of Mary” from Germany also sent the amount Rs.22,000.00.as

donation for the home.

Diocese took part and give 30,000.00. Methodist missionary society also

gave 200 American dollars for building fund. Then “Faciliya old age home”

started in 1970. in Wraiyur. Trichy .and maintained by the Diocese.124

Trichy –Tanjore Diocese also has done, Muthupettai Community

Development Project, Edayar, this Project started with the help of “World Vision

of India. “Community based rehabilitation activities such as goat units, Bull par,

123
Interview- Selvadass.. Headmaster..Bethel.
124
CSI Trichy –Tanjore Diocesan , Reports of the Social Concern Committee.28.4.1971.
 215

Petty Shop, Carpentry tools, Blacksmith, Tailoring and Sofa making are

implemented for needy patients in the Villages.125

Mayavaram Development Project, Pudukkottai Community Development

Project, Aravakurichi Area Comprehensive Development Programme,

Comprehensive Rural Primary School Education Development Project-

CORPED, These centers has been maintained by the diocese by getting funds

from congregation and by sponsoring agents.126

125
Rajadurai –interview on 27.08.2015.
126
C.S.I OF TrichyTanjore Diocese , Summary of Report and Statistics, 1949,1961, p.3
 216

CHAPTER VI

CONCLUSION

The Contribution of Trichy –Tanjore Diocese of Church of South India

to Tamil Society under its jurisdiction during the tenure of the first three Bishops

was multifaceted in nature. It touched in all walks of life of the Tamil people

starting from their traditional belief on God to the structure of the society.

9th July, 1706, was the beginning a new epoch in the social and cultural

history of South India as the German Missionaries sent by Danish King

Ferderick IV, Bartholomew Ziegenbalg and Heinrich Plutschau landed at

Tharangabadi port with the aim of propagation of Christian faith in this Tamil

country. The young missionaries learned the Tamil language, established

schools and seminaries, translated the Scriptures (in 1714-15) as well as many

textbooks and set up printing presses and made a beginning in introducing new

style among Tamil people. Followed by their footsteps, Grundler and Schultze

played a vital role in spreading Christian faith in and around Tranquebar. They

were also responsible for creation of congregation for their protestant Lutheran

mission at Nagapattinam.

Another notable missionary belonged to Tranquebar Mission was

Christian Friedrich Schwartz who was closely associated with the establishment

of many congregations in Thanjavur and Tiruchiraplli districts and served for

48 years with great missionary zeal. He got the financial support and

encouragement from the Society for Propagation of Christian Knowledge and

 217

Society for Propagation of gospel, the sponsoring organizations from England

for his missionary activities. As a result of the work of these early missionaries,

the Christian congregations with small churches were established in many

urban and rural areas of then Thanjavur and Tiruchrapalli districts.

Evangelistic work was carried on from various centers and there were a

few small congregations. The Anglo vernacular School, which was started in

Mowat’s time, at Nagapattinam grew to be a High School and then a college in

1884.when the college department was transferred to Mannargudi in1898, the

High school was retained there. From the beginning there was a strong

emphasis on Girl’s School and Bible women’s work in the town and two other

centers.

As the South Indian Railway workshops were housed in Nagapatinam

and fairly good number of workers from the Railway attended the Methodist

church in Nagapatinnam. There is still a strong town church and a High school

in Nagapatinnam. From 1840 Mannargudi became an important Mission station,

The weslyen mission High school in Mannargudi developed into a first grade

college in 1915, but after twenty years it was reduced again to the status of a

high school .In 1998 it was the leading Christian High Schools in Tamil Nadu.

Girl’s school and Bible women’s work existed in the town for a long time but

were later reduced .A number of cultivators joined the Church in the early years

from Roman Catholicism their chief centers Melanattam ,being one of the oldest

Methodist Churches in rural India.

 218

Tanjore became the centre of activity for Christian Fredrick Schwartz and

started a small chapel at a place called Manambuchavadi which was donated

by the benevolent Maratha ruler of Thanjavur, Serfoji. He was admired by the

then king Sefoji and made him as an advisor. It is interesting to note that he

engaged himself in war in support of Maratha ruler against Hyder Ali. After

Schwartz, Blake, koleff, G.H.Lamb and Kay continued their missionary service

at Thanjavur.

Trichirapalli became a strategic centre in 1847 under Christian Fredrick

Schwartz .The great emphasis was on women’s work at Tiruchirapalli and a

Methodist Girls’ High School and the Mission Hospital in Woriur deserves

special mention. Many schools were started in many parts of the city and as a

result the churches and congregations were emerged.

Karur became a very important center of activity in 1876 when famine

occurred there. The missionaries started the orphanage. Karur and Dharapuram

were occupied Evangelists and teachers were placed at strategic points of

Karur and Dharapuram with the aim of winning the middle class population.

There are large church, and two High schools one for boys and one for girls.

The Dharapuram mission hospitals and the village training center were a great

help to the Christians and other as well. The Anamalai hills, a tea and coffee

planting area were also concentrated by these missionaries for with the aim of

attracting the local people towards Christianity.

 219

The European missionaries paid considerable attention in grooming the

indigenous leaders in assisting them in spiritual and administrative activities.

Notable among them were Rajamanickam in Tharangambadi area and Paul

Ramanujam in the Trichy District. In various capacities as a preacher of the

Gospel, as the Chairman of the District, as the president of the provincial synod

of the Methodist Church in South India, and as a stout champion of the

downtrodden, Paul Ramanujam proved his mettle. His efficient leadership cut

across provincial and even national barriers. Though a Brahmin by Birth, after

becoming a follower of Christian faith, he dedicated his life to serve the society.

Thus the labours of the missionaries have brought about a socio religious

and economic change in the lives of the converts and Christianity has given

them a sense of security, dignity, and meaning and purpose in life. Even where

their economic position was not greatly improved, education and Christianity

gave them hope of an escape from the dominance of their oppressive land lords

and from the miseries of their own lives. People who had once been

considered worthless were converted into the most active and useful members

of society. The conversion of the outcastes and their training as teachers,

preachers, and leaders of the Church and in various secular walks of life is

another revolutionary act of the missionaries.

As a result, the advent of European powers in the Eastern coast Indian

sub-continent, the Tamil society gradually influenced by the western way of life.

The change in the life style has introduced to Tamils by the missionaries who

built worshipping place called “Churches” and created congregation of people

 220

around every church. They tried to introduce the teachings of Jesus Christ as

the best guideline for a peaceful life of human being all over the world.

Apart from this, they have introduced western style of all walks in the life

of Tamil society. For this transition as they have been masters of Tamil land, the

churches were patronaged and institutionalized. To gather the momentum of

propagation, the churches sprang up their activities in the field of education and

medicine. So they have started schools and hospitals.

The most important contribution of Ziegenbalg was the establishment of

printing press at Tranquebar. The mission extended its works in Tamil land

Many educational institutions were established which later became well known

centres of learning. They did immense services to Tamils and their language.

Particularly Schwartz missionary had an intimate relation with the rulers of

Maratha dynasty and gained their help to established schools and churches.

These missionaries also trained the Tamil people to follow their mission and

called them as catechists and Indian pastors. The Indian pastors followed their

footsteps and took over the responsibility of spreading Christianity among Tamil

people and started church of south India. As the churches were institutionalized

and for smooth functioning the church of South India, was registered under the

trust act. They have formed their own by laws and divisions of diocese. Each

diocese has various boards to undertake the missionaries’ works efficiently so

as to spread the faith of Christianity among Tamil people.

On 27th September, 1947, just six weeks after India became an

independent country, the Church of South India (CSI) came into existence. This
 221

new church, a union of former Anglican, Methodist, Presbyterian, and

Congregational churches, was an event of great ecumenical significance,

providing both a model and much inspiration for union negotiations elsewhere in

the world.

From 26th to 28th September 1997, the Church of South India celebrated

its golden jubilee in Madras (now Chennai) around the theme "Unite, Liberate,

Celebrate." Each of the twenty-one dioceses was invited to send 200 delegates

to this church wide celebration (2,600 actually registered), while the host

diocese planned to send 20 from each of its 110 pastorates. They were joined

by guests from sister churches in India and abroad, including the archbishop of

York, the moderators of the Church of Scotland, the United Reformed Church

(U.K.), the Presbyterian Church (USA), the Reformed Churches in the

Netherlands, the Association of Churches and Missions in Southwest Germany

(EMS), the Church of North India, the vice-moderator of the Presbyterian

Church in Taiwan, the president of the Uniting Church in Australia, and the

metropolitan of the Mar Thoma Syrian Church. The main events were held in

an enormous pandal (tent) alongside St. George's Cathedral, where the initial

union had taken place.

The CSI Trichy –Tanjore Diocese going smooth with other church

organization. Even other church like Roman Catholics, Tamil Evangelical

Lutheran Church, .Evangelical Lutheran Church, Evangelical church of India.

Presbyters and Fathers were invited for preaching in their respective Churches.

Yearly once, all the Christian congregations together arrange for an ecumenical
 222

procession. This procession called as “witness Procession”. It shows their

secular attitude with others. It’s welcomed by the Tamil society. Even in

December month of every year ,from 1996, all the Christian congregations joint

together and celebrating Christmas as “ Ecumenical Christmas service”

For smooth functioning and for the sake of accountability of finance, the

diocese was enrolled under the Trust Act. The diocese engaged in their

activities under council boards. The diocese of CSI is Presbyterian pattern of

administration in which the pastor's use to dominate the administration whereas

Tamil Evangelical Lutheran church, other major protestant church in Tamil Nadu

is registered under Tamil Nadu Societies Act having congregational pattern of

administration. The Bishop, the head of the pastors and spiritual activities in CSI

has enormous power and so they played vital role in the administration of the

diocese. The contribution of certain Bishop deserves special mention in

promoting this diocese.

The first Bishop of Trichy-Tanjore Diocese, Edgar Bentley Thorp is the

last foreign Methodist missionary and never hesitated to mingle with Tamil

congregation particularly helped the down trodden people. He stressed the

need of clean administration in churches. As he was one the best Bishops of

Trichy – Tanjore Diocese, a college started in -1984 was named after him.

Bishop is Solomon Duraisamy and third Bishop is Paulraj both of them were

hailing from scheduled caste, they were able to understand the difficulties and

hurdles faced by the lower class people in Tamil society and design their

programmes accordingly and this attitude attracted the downtrodden people of

 223

the Hindus region towards Christianity. They them self only came forward and

accept Jesus Christ as their savior and became the member of the church. The

researcher could not find any single incident of forcible conversion made in this

diocese.

The kind of administration is Presbyterians in CSI in which the

participation of congregation in decision making is limited whereas in other

major denomination of T.E.L.C. it is congregational pattern in which involvement

of lay members is large.

As evangelism is the preaching of gospel of Jesus Christ and made the

target people to practice them in their life. The churches give highest priorities

to evangelism. Evangelism is usually regarding converting non- Christians to

Christianity in the context of Indian conditions. The protestant churches believe

that the gospel is not a private property of the church and the word of Jesus

Christ with the guidance of the pastors. The Trichy – Tanjore Diocese of church

of south India also framed their administrative bodies so as to give top priority

for promoting evangelism. To spread the Gospel among the people

irrespective of their age, education and gender, this diocese is organizing

various boards to undertake this Endeavour. The department of mission and

evangelism created in their Diocese to undertake this venture.

During the early days, the missionaries engaged in open air preaching,

distribution of Christian literature, lighted service, song and sermon and so on to

take the gospel to the people of all walk of life. In each congregation, there were

Men and Women fellowship, youth, and Sunday school programmes to have
 224

constant touch with the people by the word of God. The Trichy -Tanjore diocese

was engaged in villages building congregation in almost all districts of its

jurisdiction. Melanatham, Nagur, Irugalur and Valparai were the very remote

village where the Christian congregations were established.

Apart from the establishment of schools, it engaged in health,

rehabilitation, Old age care and etc., effectively. Mission hospital at Woraiyur,

Anbu Illam for mentally retarded children and Christian endeavor Hostels in

Schools and College are standing examples for their multifaceted social reach

programme of this diocese. The Bishop Heber College which was started in

1963, after a small set back it witnessed great distinction during the Principal

ship of Swamiraj. St.Peter’s school at Thanjavur, Findly school at Mannargudi,

CSI School at Nagapatinam and Vestry School at Tiruchirapalli were notable

schools in this area. Higher Education has to be focused at Thanjavur,

Pudhukottai, and Nagapattinam Districts also.

Apart from this, the study reveals that diocese gave more important to

education, health care and social welfare. They started training schools and

homes for physically challenged to provide service to the Tamil Society. It may

be the motive of the Diocese to attract the people to Christianity. However, the

whole population irrespective of religion and caste, benefited from the education

and health care program initiated by the diocese. This program has now given

way to many private schools and hospitals. Therefore, it can clearly show that

the diocese’s contribution to the education lit the light to the downtrodden.
 225

The Dalit who had embraced Christianity, are treated as equal to any

individual in society by the Diocese and its congregation churches. Thus,

currently they are highly educated and esteemed in the society by acquiring

good positions and good jobs. Also it was the diocese, who taught them to

become economically successful and the precedent continues to be followed.

It is also noted that Trichy-Tanjore diocese of CSI was concentrating in

the field of Medical care only in Trichirapalli and Karur area. Whereas, it has

coastal areas like Nagapattinam, Kariakal, Tharngambadi and Sirkali which

needed medical care often due to natural calamities.

Church Auxillary for Social Action, [CASA] World Vision and

Kindernothkilfe [KNH] were the major foreign agencies helped various social

service programmes organized by this diocese.

As far the society’s modern trend, Diocese also, has to change his

education pattern, and has to start Matriculation and Central Board Secondary

Education [CBSE]. Diocese should renovate the building of old Churches as

well as Schools which were built during British Period. The utmost care should

be given to maintain church records and cemeteries so that the heritage can be

maintained for future generation. But no effort has been taken in this regard.

At the same time, the researcher observed that there were certain factors

that were prevailing in the diocese affected the growth of this diocese to some

extent. As the Bishops - Solomon Duraisamy and Paulrajn - were hailing from

the scheduled caste and had long tenure as Bishop used to promote their own
 226

community by appoint the congregation members of their own community that

too from Karur, Dharapuram and Valparai in Schools.

It is revealed that the majority of appointments in the schools were made

with scheduled class people. Hence, the congregation members from other

communities like Nadars, Vellalas and Kallas were dissatisfied with this

discrimination and left the church. This attitude made the flourishment of

independent churches in this area. It is also observed that practice of caste

system played a vital role in the church administration even though it is not

acceptable in Christianity.

The women are now given vocational training to become an earning

member for the family. Hence, their status has been elevated to a level equaling

men. It is clear that the service of this diocese among Tamil society really led to

changes which are permanent and fundamental as they have successfully

rendered its service in the field of Education and Health apart from Evangelism.

It is also observed that this diocese has vast area under its jurisdiction

ranging from Nagpattinam in the east to Valparai in the west. The activities of

this diocese might be greater if Dharapuram and Valparai were handed over to

the nearest Coimbatore diocese of Church of South India.

Thus, the Trichy – Tanjore Diocese of Church of South India had been

contributed to the Tamil society through his service and won the hearts of Tamil

people. It served as one the vital factors for the social transformation of Tamil

Society in the districts of Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, Thanjavur, Tiruchirapalli and

Karur and some parts of Coimbatore District.

 227

BIBLIOGRAPHY

I - Primary Sources
1. A Manual of the district of Tanjore, vol. I to V., Madras, 1983

2. Baliga B.S., Madras district Gazetteer, Coimbatore, 1944.

3. Constitution of Trichy – Tanjore Diocese of Church of South India .1986.

4. Guide to District Records, Government of madras, 1835.

5. Hemingway, F.R.1904: Madras District Gazetteers. Tanjore, Madras.

6. Henry Frowde, Imperial Gazetteer of India, XVI, Vol.XVII, Oxford, 1908.

7. Maclean, Manual of the Administration of the Madras Presidency, Asian

educational Services, New Delhi, 1989.

8. Baptismal Records in the Pastorates of Trichy-Tanjore diocese of Church

of south India.

9. Marriage Registers in the Pastorate of Trichy – Tanjore diocese of

church of South India.

10. Pastoral Rolls in the Pastorates of Trichy-Tanjore diocese of Church of

South India.

11. Church Subscription Register in the Pastorates of Trichy- Tanjore

diocese of church of south India.
12. Statistical Records in the Diocesan Office at Tiruchirapalli.

II - Secondary Sources

[i] Books

1. Cyril Bruce Berth, Indiya Thiruchabai, Madurai: TTS Press, 1962.

2. Appasamy. P.,The centenary History of the C.M.S in Tinnevelly,

Palamcottah, 1923.
 228

3. A. E. Medlycott, “ India and The Apostle Thomas.”

4. ArasaratnamSinnappah, Maritime India Seventeenth Century, New

York: Oxford University Press, , 2004

5. Baago, Kaj, Pioneers of Indigenous Christianity, Madras: Christian

Literary Society, 1969.

6. Beyreuther, Erich, BartholomaeusZiegenbalg, A Biography of the first

Protestant Missionary in India, Christian Literature Society, Madras

1955.

7. Bosch, David J. Transforming Mission : Paradigm Shift in Theology

of Mission. New York, Orbis Books, 1991.

8. Christian Biography. “The Life of Rev. Christian F.Schwartz,

Missionary of Trichinopoly, and Tanjore, Indian Religious Tract
Society, Instituted 1799; published by The Depository, London

9. Clarke, Sathianathan, .Dalits and Christianity: Subaltern religion

and liberation theology in India. New Delhi: Oxford University .,Press,
2002.

10. Devaprasad, Rhenius. The Life of Ziegenbalg. The first protestant

Missionary to India. Madras: Christian Literary Society, 1956.

11. Robert Eric Frykenberg,“The Legacy of Christian Fridrick Schwartz”,

International bulletin of missionary Research ,published on July,1999

12. Estborn, Sigfrid. [ed] The Tranquebar Missions. Madras: Christian

Literary Society, 1952.

13. Ferd fenger.J, History of the Tranquebar Mission: Madras: The

M.E.Press. 1956.

14. Findlay.G.G, and W.W.Holdsworth, The History of the Wesleyan

Methodist Missionary Society, Vol. V .London: Epworth press, 1924.
 229

15. Firth.C.B, An Introduction to India Church History, Delhi: ISPCK,

1998.

16. Gensichen.H.W, Tranquebar Now and then. Madras: Christian

Literature Society, 1956

17. Grafe.H, The Relation between Tranquebar Lutherans and

theTanjoreCatholics in the first half of the 18th Century, ICHRI,
(No.1), 1967.

18. James .W. The Varieties of Religious Experience, Cambridge, Mass

HarvardUniversity press. 1985.

19. Jayaraj, Daniel, A German exploration of Indian society:

Ziegenbalg’s Malabarian Heathenism, ISPCK, Delhi. 2006.

20. Jeyakumar, D.Arthur, History of Christianity in India, Madurai: Tamil

Nadu Theological Seminary, 2002.

21. Jeyaseelan Stephen.S, The Coromandel Coast and its Hinterland

(A.D.1500-1600), New Delhi : Manohar Publishers, 1997.

22. Joseph Thekkedath. History of Christianity in India, Vol.11 Banglore:

Church History Association of India 1988.

23. Holden Furber, Rival Empires of Trade in the Orient, 1600-1800,

New York, Oxford University Press, 2004.

24. McPherson, Kenneth, The Indian Ocean A History of people and the

Sea New York: Oxford University Press, 2004.

25. Lehmann, Arno. It Began at Tranquebar, English Translation by

M.J.Lutz Madras: Christian Literature Society, 1956.

26. Mathew , K.S., Portuguese Trade with India in the 16th Century, New
Delhi, 1983.
 230

27. Meersman.A, The Catholic Church in Tranquebar and Tanjore

during the formative years of the Lutheran Mission, New Delhi:
Indian Council for Historical Research, 1967.

28. Mehta, “Advanced Study in the History of Medieval India vol. I - III

[1000-1526] New Delhi: Sterling Publishers Pvt.Ltd., 1979.

29. Mohanavelu, C.S., German Tamilology-German Contributions to

Tamil Language, Literature and Culture During the period 1700-

1945, Madras: The South India SaivaSidhanta Works publishing
Society, Ltd., 1993.

30. Mundadan A. M, History of Christianity in India, Vol. I., Bangalore:

The Church History Association of India, 2001.

31. Richter, Julius, A History Missions in India, London: Oliphant

Anderson and Ferrier, 1908.

32. Sargant, N.C., The Dispersion of the Tamil Church, Delhi:

I.S.P.C.K.,1962)

33. Schonbeck, Oluf, “All Religions in merge in Tranquebar” Denmark: NIAS

Publication, 2012.

34. Subramanian, T. [ed]Tarangampadi [Tranquebar]: Excavation

Conservation Report 2001-2002, Chennai: Department of
Archaeology, Government of Tamil Nadu, 2003.

35. Subramaniam.V, [ed]. The sacred and the secular in India’s

performing Arts, .Delhi: Ashish publishing House, 1985.

36. Thomas, P. Christians and Christianity in India and Pakistan,

London: Geroge Allen and Unwin, 1954.
 231

37. Weber, Max, The protestant. Ethic and spirit of capitalism, New
York, GAW Publisher, 1976.

[ii] Articles
1. ArthurJeyakumar.D, “ Pietism and its impact on Ziegenbalg and the
influence of A.H.Franke on Ziegenbalg and his mission,” Tercentenary
publication, TELC, Tiruchirappalli 2006.
2. Aruldoss.T, “Ziegenbalg-A Multi-faceted Diamond,” Tercentenary
Publication TELCZiegenbalg Press,.Tiruchirappalli 2006.
3. Beulah Jeyaseeli.S, “Ziegenbalg-The Evangelizer,” Tercentenary
Publication, TELC Ziegenbalg Press, Tiruchirappalli 2006.
4. -----------------------, “IT began with god: Ziegenbalg‟s interfaith initiatives,
Imperatives and insights for today,” Tercentenary Souvenir,
Tranquebar ,Mission [1706-2006], TELC, Tirchirappalli.
5. Christian Samraj, “A brief sketch of Ziegenbalg‟s unpublished Letters
and Documents,” Tercentenary publication, TELC, Tiruchirappalli
2006.
6. Esther Samraj, “Maria Dorothea-The first protestant Iyyaramma in the
History of India mission,” Tercentenary Souvenir, publication, TELC,
Tiruchirappalli 2006.
7. Eva Maria Siebert Johnson, “Ziegenbal‟s pastoral work,”Tercentenary
Souvenir, Tranquebar Mission [1706-2006], TELC, Tiruchirappalli.
8. Gnanabaranam Johnson, “Ziegenbal‟s Literary Contribution,”
Tercentenary Souvenir,Tranquebar Mission [1706-2006],
TELC,,Tiruchirappalli.
9. Gritch.W. “Missionaries of Tranquebar,” Tercentenary Souvenir,
Tranquebar Mission [1706-2006], TELC, Tiruchirappalli.
10. 10. Keld Grinder-Hansen, “The schools of Tranquebar: An educational
field of Cultural encounters and conflicts”, Development &Change,
Vol.XIV Number 1 &2, January-December, 2009.
 232

11.Karen Vallgarda, “Between consent and coercion: Danish

Missionaries and Tamil Parents in late nineteenth century South
India "Development & Change, Vol.XIV Number 1 &2, January-
December, 2009.
12. Hugaldgrafe, “Bartholomew Ziegenbalg,” Tercentenary Souvenir,
Tranquebar Mission [1706-2006], TELC, Tiruchirappalli.
13. Jacob Sundarsingh.J.G, “ Theologising Amidst „others‟,”
Tercentenary publication, TELC, Tiruchirappallai 2006.
14. ------------------------------, “The Glorious past and the hopeful future,”
Tercentenary Souvenir, Tranquebar Mission [1706-2006],
TELC,Tiruchirappalli.
15. Jayanthi Richard, “Pietist Pioneering Mission Enterprise,” Tercentenary
publication, TELC, Tiruchirappalli 2006.
16. ------------------------------, “Colonialism and Mission in Ziegenbalg‟s Time”,
Tercentenary Souvenir, Tranquebar Mission [1706-2006], TELC,
Tiruchirappalli.
17. Maria Lazar.P, “ Christianity at Tranquebar on the eve of the Arrival of
BartholomaeusZiegenbalg,” Tercentenary Publication, TELC,
Tiruchirappalli 2006.
18. Manickam.S, “The impact of German pietism on English Methodism with
particular reference to Tamil Nadu,” Tercentenary Publication, TELC,
Tiruchirappalli 2006.
19. Rubansamuel.J, “Ziegenbalg‟s attitude to caste system,” Tercentenary
Publication, TELC, Tiruchirappalli 2006.
20. SamuelJesupatham.D, “Tranquebar Mission and the Catechumens,”
Tercentenary Publication, TELC, Tiruchirapalli 2006.
21. Santhaprabhuraj.S, “BartholomaeusZiegenbalg: The pioneer of
The protestant mission in India,”Tercentenary Publication, TELC,
Tiruchirappalli 2006.
22. -------------------------, “A life worthy to be counted,” Tercentenary Souvenir,
Tranquebar Mission [1706-2006], TELC, Tiruchirappalli.
 233

23. ThomasEdmunds, “BartholomaeusZiegenbalg-A Forerunner of

Contextual Theologians: A study within the perspectives of Indian church
history,” Tercentenary Publication, TELC, Tiruchirappalli 2006.
24. -------------------------, “Tranquebar Missionaries and three-Hundred years
of Lutheran Heritage: an Analysis,” Tercentenary Souvenir, Tranquebar
Mission [1706-2006], TELC, Tiruchirappalli.
25. -------------------------, “Ziengenbalg‟s encounters with other faiths: His
contribution towards the structure of Dialogue: A study, ”Tercentenary
Souvenir, Tranquebar Mission [1706-2006], TELC, Tiruchirappallai.
26. . Ulla Sandgren, “An introductory History of some Tamil
BibleTranslations”. Tercentenary Souvenir, Tranquebar Mission [1706-
2006], TELC, Tiruchirappalli.

[iii] Journals
1. Indian Historical Review, vol.39,No.2.,Dec 2012, Indian Council for
Historical Review & Sage Publication, New Delhi.

2. India Quarterly, Indian Council of World Affairs, New Delhi.

3. International Studies, Journal of the School of International Studies,

Jawaharlal Nehru University,New Delhi.

4. Journal of Indian History and Culture- Sep 2012, 18th Issue C.P.
RamaswamiAiyar. Institute of Indological Research, Chennai.

5. Quest Historica, vol IXSX, 2011& 2012, Rajapalayam Raju‟s College,

Rajapalayam

6. Social Action, A. Joseph Xavier Social Action Trust, New Delhi.

7. Studies in History, sage Publication, The Indian Economic and social

History Review, Vol: XLIX No.4, Oct-Dec., 2012 . Sage Publication, New
Delhi.

8. The Medieval History Journal, vol.16, April 2013 sage Publication, New
Delhi.
 234

[iv] Souvenirs
1. “Tranquebar Mission”, [1706-2006] Tercentenary Souvenir, Tamil
Evangelical Lutheran Church, Tiruchirapalli.

2. 150th year Anniversary of the Arrival of the First Methodist Missionaries

at Nagapattinam.

3. Octogesimal-paulraj80th birthday.

4. Silver Jubilee Souvenir,(1957) CSIDharapuram Hospital 1931-195

5. Trichy- Tanjore Diocese‟s Diamond Jubilee.

6. St. Peter‟s Higher Secondary School, Thanjavur Bicentenary

Celebrations 1784-1984.

7. Thiruchirappali –ThanjaiMaraimavatam- Arutpanivizha-2011

8. Thirumandala Thirusabai Malar-2014

[v] News letter

1. Johnson Gnanabaranam July 2005‟Arudthondar Ziegenbalg, in TELC
Anbunathar church Newsletter, Chennai.

[vi] Newspaper
1. THE HINDU, Madras Edition, Madras.
2. THE INDIAN EXPRESS, Madras Edition, Chennai.

[vii] Interview
1. Rt. Rev. Paul Vasantha kumar, The Bishop, Trichy-Tiruchirapalli
Diocese of church of South India on 06-09-2014.
2. Rev. Chandra sekar, presbyter, S.John‟s Church, Trichy.12.11.2015
3. Rtd.Rev.Rajadurai.,Konarpalayam.,15.08.2015
4. Rev. Sudharsan.,former DCC Chairman Thanjavur , Presbyters,
Andrews Church Trichy., 15.08.2015
5. Rev. David Christadoss, former DCC Chairman, Trichy.
 235

6. Mrs.Juliet Thiraviam - Gospel Team Member.- .05.06.2015

7. Dr. Mrs. Latha Sharon., G.H. Trichy.,20.03.2014
8. Mrs.Janaki, House wife, Converted Christian., Mission St., Thanjavur,
10.09.2015.
9. Mr.P.Gilbert, age 81, Congregation Member., St. Peter‟s Church,
02.03.215
10. Mr.E.L.Ephrim.,Rtd., Head Master, Blake Hr.Sec.School, Thanjavur.
11. Mr. R.Williams.,Rtd., Head Master, St.Peter‟s Hr.Sec. School, Thanjavur
12. Mr. Gilbert – Retired Teacher- age 83- 11.09.2015
13. Mr.Richardson, Member, Pastorate Committee, Nagapattinam Pastorate
of Nagapattinam
14. Mr.Thavakumar.,Correspondent, Anbu Illam.,Thanjavur
15. Mr.G.Subramaniyan- age 43- Tata Gold Plus – M.D. 11.09.2015

[vii] Websites

1. www.tranquebar.in
2. www.tnarch.gov.in
3. www.moravianchurcharchives.org
4. www.tharangampadi.dk/mission.html
5. www.prayway.com
6. www.oxfordreference.com
7. www.uelci.org
8. www.martynmission.cam.ac.uk
 APPENDIX: I

HIGH AND HIGHER SEC. SCHOOL LIST UNDER THE DIOCESE

S.NO NAME OF THE SCHOOL STARTED – YEAR

1. ST.JOHN’S VESTRY SCHOOL, TRICHY 1763

2. ST.PETER’S SEC,SCHOOL, THANJAVUR 1784

3. BLAKE HR,SEC.SCHOOL, THANJAVUR 1786

4. . C.S.I.HR.SEC.SCHOOL, NAGAPATTINAM. 1823

5. FINDLEY HR,SEC.SCHOOL, MANARGUDI 1862

6. BISHOP HEBER HR,SEC, SCHOOL THEPAKULAM, TRICHY 1863

7. BISHOP HEB ER HR, SEC, SCHOOL,PUTHUR,TRICHY 1879

8. METHODIST GIRLS HR.SEC.SCHOOL.TRICHY 1896

9. C.S.I.BOYS HR.SEC.SCHOOL.DHARAPURAM 1912

10. C.S.I.GIRLS HR.SEC.SCHOOL, DHARAPURAM 1912

11. C.S.I.BOYS HR.SEC.SCHOOL.KARUR. 1877

12. C.S.I.GIRLS HR.SEC.SCHOOL, KARUR. 1896

13. C.S.I. HR. SEC. SCHOOL. 1872

14. ST,ANDREW’S HR.SEC.SCHOOL, MANAPARAI. 1946

15. C.S.I. HR.SEC.SCHOOL, MAHIMAIPURAM 1900

16. C.S.I. HR. SEC. SCHOOL. IRUNGALUR 1845

17. C.S.I. HR.SEC.SCHOOL., THURAIYUR 1893

 APPENDIX :II

HOSTELS UNDER THE DIOCESE

1. DISTRICT BOARDING HOSTELS, MANNARGUDI

2. ORPHANAGE FOR BOYS AND GIRLS, JAYANKONDAM

3. BLAKE HOSTELS FOR BOYS, THANJAVUR

4. SCHWARTZ HOSTELS FOR GIRLS,THANJAVUR

5. IRUNGALUR HOSTEL, IRUNGALUR

6. METHODIST GIRLS HOSTEL, WORAIYUR

7. BOYS HOSTEL, DHARAPURAM

8. GIRLS HOSTEL, DHARAPURAM

9. BOYS HOSTEL , KARYR

10. GIRLS HOSTEL , KARUR

11. ORPHANAGE , MANNAPPARAI

12. BOYS HOSTEL, NANGUR.

 APPENDIX :III

BISHOPS 1947-1998

I. RT.REV.E.B.THROP [1947-1963]

II. RT.REV.DR.SOLOMON DORAISAMY [1964- 1982]

III. RT.REV.DR.R.PAULRAJ [1982-1998]

II

III
 W.H.Blake Presbyters Name List A Princess of Thanjavur
Image in glass work, from 1770 Involved in Christianity
St. Peter's Church, (Tablet)
Thanjavur
 Aayvagam an International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research | Volume No. 3 | Issue 5 | June 2015
16

The Legacy of Christian Friedrich Schwartz -An Overview

Femila Alexander
Ph.D., Scholar
and
Dr.V.Ravichandran
Head and Associate Professor, Dept.of History,A.V.V.M. Sri Pushpam College, Poondi.

Robert Eric Frykenberg Christian Friedrich Schwartz (1726-98) was perhaps the most remarkable
missionary of eighteenth-century India. For forty-eight years the influence of this gentle and unassuming
forerunner of Anglo-Saxon missionaries reached farther and farther across
SouthIndia,fromTranquebar(Tharangambadi) southward to Tiruchirapalli (Trichinopoly), to Thanjavur
(Tanjore), and to Tirunelveli (Tinnevelly), if not even to Kanyakumari (Cape Comorin) and Travancore.
Eloquent in many tongues, he won respect and renown as a preacher, schoolmaster, educational innovator,
diplomat, envoy, and statesman, and, finally, as protector-regent and raja-guru to Serfoji, Maharaja of
Thanjavur1

He, more than any other, together with disciples whom he called "helpers," strengthened the
foundations of Tamil Evangelical Protestant Christianity. That this was done in a time of war, when armed
conflicts and conspiracies were rife, when the Raj of the East India Company was spreading its imperial
(British) sway over much of the subcontinent, and when opposition to missionary work was implacable makes
what he achieved all the more remarkable and deserving of more serious attention from analytic historians
than has so far been received.

He landed in Cuddalore on June 17 and arrived in Tranquebar a few days later. The Danish trading
settlement of Tranquebar was the earliest home of evangelical Christianity in India. Frederick IV of Denmark,
inspired by the Enlightenment and by the Pietism of Philipp Jacob Spener (1635-1705), had sent forth the very
first evangelical missionaries, Bartholomaus Ziegenbalg (1682-1719) and Heinrich Pliitschau (1677-1752).3
These missionaries, upon their arrival in 1706, had immediately encountered strong opposition. Danish
merchants, secretly forewarned and fearing anything that might threaten profits, induced the governor to throw
Ziegenbalg into prison (where he languished for four months, from November 19, 1708, to March 26, 1709).
Despite such ordeals, the missionaries had proven themselves to be resourceful.

After mastering local languages, they had translated Scripture and scientific texts, set up printing
presses, established schools, gathered congregations of believing or "confessing" converts, and trained local
disciples as pastor-teachers. These Tamil Christian pastor-teachers (catechists), drilled in the latest, most
advanced ideas and methods of modern education developed at Halle, had then become harbingers of radical
cultural and social change.
Francke's dictum, that every human being in the world-every adult and child, regardless of age or gender
should be equipped with basic literacy and with a grasp of modern science, had revolutionary implications.2

In 1731 these new-model schools had caught the attention of a captain in the royal guard at the
Thanjavur Court. He in turn had been instrumental in bringing one of these schools into that kingdom and in
obtaining a royal land-grant for its support. Three Tamil preachers, Aaron, Diago, and Rajanayagam, fully
ordained, had also begun to serve local congregations within villages of the kingdom. In Tranquebar,
meanwhile, six to eight European (mainly German) missionaries, dozens of local Tamil pastor-teachers, and
nearly seventeen hundred believers (exact figures not now confirmable) had formed an institutional base for
further expansions of" confessional faith" into the continent.

Thus, even before Schwartz's arrival in India, an evangelical form of Tamil Christianity had already
gained a firm foothold in South India. Plunged into a Land at War The South India into which Schwartz
entered in 1750-indeed, the entire Coromandel Coast as well as the Carnatic interior was embroiled in war.
Sepoy forces of the English East India Company under Clive were engaged in campaigns against those of the
French Company under Dupleix; the very survival of either or both powers in India was at stake. Devastation
suffered by village peoples during such troubles would be a continuing concern to Schwartz throughout his
entire career. His reports conveyed heart-rending accounts, horrific details, and insightful social analysis.
From his grass-roots vantage, he witnessed the rise of the English Company, from its coastal enclaves and city
states to paramount over lordship in the subcontinent and the Indian Ocean.

Danish territories, such as Serampore (Srirampur) and Tranquebar, carefully remained on the
sidelines, seeking to stay untouched by such dangerous developments. But Schwartz himself, despite his

ISSN (Online): 2321 – 5259, ISSN (Print): 2321 – 5739

 Aayvagam an International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research | Volume No. 3 | Issue 5 | June 2015
17

strong aversion to political affairs, could never fully escape being sucked into this larger tide of events. What
eventually prompted involvement was the fact that, before long, most of his own work would lie among
peoples in principalities far beyond borders of the Danish settlement at Tranquebar.

At the beginning, however, this was not so. The young Schwartz worked among Tranquebar
congregations and schools. Already proficient in European languages (modern, classical, and biblical:
German, English, Latin, Greek, Hebrew, etc.), he became fluent in local Indian languages (modern and
classical): Tamil, Telugu, Sanskrit, Marathi, Dakhni-Urdu (Southern Hindustani), Persian, and Portuguese ,
With his linguistic skills and engaging manner, Schwartz won the hearts of many nationalities in India:
British, German, Portuguese, Maratha, Mughal, Telugu, and Tamil. His reputation as a gifted schoolmaster
grew. He established a school in every local congregation, faithfully following the philosophy and formula
developed by Francke in Halle. He and his "helpers" then became responsible for all new mission work south
of the Kaveri River. This task involved caring for congregations in Thanjavur, Tiruchirapalli, and Tirunelveli.
3

In 1760 he crossed the Palk Strait and traveled among Tamil villages of [affna (Dutch Ceylon, now
Sri Lanka). Two years later, while visiting Tiruchirapalli, Schwartz was implored by Major A. Preston, the
local commander, to render assistance. A powder magazine had blown up, killing many soldiers and sepoys.
With no military chaplain to bury the dead or comfort the wounded, Preston promised to build a "prayer
school" hall for Tamil Christians if Schwartz would only stay.

Two years later, in 1764,when troops were ordered to march and to besiege Madurai, Preston again
begged the missionary to act as his military chaplain. What Schwartz did in ministering to sick, wounded, and
dying sepoys and soldiers was so appreciated that he was given an award of nine hundred pagodas (gold
currency, equivalent to about£360)from the nabob of the Carnatic (the Arcot prince whose palace in
Tiruchirapalli was then under company "protection"). These funds were useful for building new schools,
including a special "orphan school" for the neglected offspring of the soldiers. After Preston died during a July
1999 Madurai campaign, his successor, Colonel Wood, also turned to Schwartz for help, offering to construct
a larger, proper place of worship.4

A stone structure, seating fifteen hundred persons, was completed and dedicated on May 18, 1766.
Within its large enclosed compound, "Christ Church" schools, both English and Tamil, and a commodious
mission house were eventually added. Thus, as a consequence of extraordinary and unforeseen events, a major
shift in Schwartz's career occurred. Much correspondence between authorities in London, Madras, Halle, and
Copenhagen passed to and fro before his position could be clarified. The old transnational triangle of
collaboration between Halle, London, and Tranquebar would continue, with communication networks,
support, and cordiality unchanged, and henceforth Schwartz was to be more formally designated and
supported as a special missionary of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK). A year later, in
1768, he also received a formal appointment from the East India Company, gazetting him chaplain for
Tiruchirapalli, on a salary of £100 (most of which was plowed into local missionary outreach projects).
Schwartz's regular working station, both as a missionary and a chaplain, was to be in Tiruchirapalli.
Missionary, Chaplain, Emissary In his new assignment, the German missionary from Halle and Tranquebar
proved to be singularly effective and successful. His knowledge of languages, with his engaging, caring, and
gentle manner, enabled him to relate to many kinds of mercenary soldiers and sepoys: British, German,
Portuguese, Maratha, Mughal, Telugu, and Tamil. Consistently cheerful, kind, and self-giving, he won the
hearts of officers and troopers alike. 5

At the same time, his missionary activity continued to expand. The "helpers" he had trained went out
into towns and villages, two by two, returning to meet with him for self-analysis and prayer. As pastor-
teachers, they sought to provide basic literacy for believers in each congregation. Besides meeting these
"helpers" each morning and evening, Schwartz also accompanied them on missionary forays to more distant
places.

In 1773 war again ravaged the land. The storming of Thanjavur by the nabob's forces brought
suffering to many people in that city. Schwartz came to them and began to organize relief efforts. His efforts
to help the poor and suffering, Christian and non-Christian alike, brought him recognition, and his fame
spread. On more than one occasion, when no grain could be obtained and people were starving, his simple
word was sufficient to underwrite loans and stabilize prices. Without such surety, grain would not come onto
the market, and food purchases for masses who were dying from famine would not have occurred. When
Tulaui, the rajah of Thanjavur, was restored to his throne in 1776, he begged Schwartz to remain permanently.
Two years later, Schwartz left his junior colleague, Christian Joseph Pohle, to carryon as missionary and
chaplain in Tiruchirapalli and moved to Thanjavur.

ISSN (Online): 2321 – 5259, ISSN (Print): 2321 – 5739

 Aayvagam an International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research | Volume No. 3 | Issue 5 | June 2015
18

Among various concerns, the humble prayer-school halls of growing local Tamil Christian
congregations, damaged during the wars, needed to be rebuilt. The Rajah, in token of his appreciation, made
an endowment for the building of a new and larger stone place of worship. Thereafter, despite travels,
Schwartz was to make Thanjavur his permanent abode for the remaining twenty years of his life. Shortly after
this move, Schwartz was summoned by the British authorities to Madras. There he was asked to undertake a
secret peace mission.

Hyder Ali, ruler of Mysore, had specifically requested that Schwartz be sent. No other emissary was
deemed more trustworthy. No one could command such trust; and no one could command such fluency of the
relevant languages (Urdu, Persian, Marathi, Tamil, and others). No translator or interpreter would be required.
Reluctantly, "to prevent a further effusion of blood," Schwartz agreed to go, but only as long as it was clearly
understood that he went only as a missionary and only as an emissary of peace.

His journey took eight weeks. Along the way, he and his unarmed entourage took advantage of every
opportunity to preach or teach at every place where his palanquin halted. When he finally arrived at
Srirangapatnam (Seringapatam), the capital of Mysore, he was ceremonially received. At meetings, both in
public durbar and in private audience, he was accorded courteyand respect. He then wended his way back to
Madras and personally reported his conversations to the governor of Madras, at Fort St. George. He handed
over the prize purse of three hundred rupees that Hyder Ali had given him, and when this was then handed
back to him, he made it the initial base of an endowment for the establishment of an orphan school in
Thanjavur. From neither government, Madras or Mysore, would he allow any personal payment beyond
expenses for his travel. He did, however, succeed in securing for Pohle, his successor in Tiruchirapalli, the
chaplain's salary of one hundred pounds per year that he himself had previously received from the company.

The words that Schwartz conveyed from Mysore to Madrasin his report were never made public, but
his personal impressions of Hyder and of this whole episode are to be found in his letters to Europe.' He was
never convinced that his efforts had done much to avert the war that he saw coming.

Back in Thanjavur, construction of the Gothic stone place of worship was completed on April
16,1780.This structure, capable of holding five hundred, was named St. Peter's Church. In the suburb of
Vallam, a house and compound were converted into a prayer-school hall and other pakka buildings also began
to rise. But again, war interrupted activities. Hyder's armies broke upon the Carnatic "one-hundred-thousand
strong,' destroying Baillie's brigade near Kanchipuram and sweeping to the gates of Madras itself. Once more
Schwartz found his hands full, tending the hungry, sick, wounded, and dying. Hyder Ali commanded that the
missionary be allowed to pass among his own troops without molestation. "He is a good man," he is reported
to have remarked, " and means no harm to my government." When peace negotiations resumed, Schwartz was
again called upon to act as a go-between (dubash).

Twice more he acted in this capacity but his efforts were aborted: on the first occasion Tipu Sultan's
pickets stopped him at the border (Hyder Ali having died in 1782); on the second, his legs became so afflicted
with boils ("eruptions") that he could not travel.

Colonel William Fullarton, commander of the Madras field force, later wrote: "The integrity of this
irreproachable missionary has retrieved the character of Europeans from imputations of general depravity."
Introducing Modern Education Schwartz's most notable achievements, in modern education and in
government, still lay before him. His scheme for a modern, state-subsidized "public" system of schools in
India began with the rajahs of Thanjavur, Shivaganga, and Ramnad. High schools that he established so
impressed the East India Company's resident at Thanjavur that the company's directors in London and its
government at Fort St. George, in Madras, were persuaded to subsidize them, even though none of these
schools lay within company territory.6

Maratha Brahman youths who would eventually fill uppermost rungs of civil service positions within
the entire Madras presidency flocked to these schools. The curriculum, combining biblical and Christian texts
with principles and sciences of the Enlightenment, included English literature and European philosophy. At
the same time, Schwartz laid the foundations for what was to become the largest and strongest evangelical
Christian community in India. As early as 1769 and 1771, word had come to him that Tamil Christians had
settled in Tirunelveli. An affluent Brahmin widow, residing with an English officer at the company's fort at
Palayamkottai (Palamcottah), had appealed to Schwartz for help.7

ISSN (Online): 2321 – 5259, ISSN (Print): 2321 – 5739

 Aayvagam an International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research | Volume No. 3 | Issue 5 | June 2015
19

In 1778, having come to Tirunelveli to see for himself, he baptized her, christening her "Clarinda."
When Clarinda later made a personal endowment to pay for construction of a proper prayer-school building
for the new congregation, Schwartz sent Satyanathan Pillai, one of his most gifted "helpers," to serve as a
permanent resident pastor -teacher. Satyanathan was formally ordained in 1790, after undergoing a rigorous
examination in Thanjavur. He was then also formally commissioned as a missionary, the first Tamil
evangelical to be so designated.

In 1799 Satyanathan joined David Sundaranandam, a local convert and disciple who had come from
the lowly Shanar (now Nadar) community, in organizing one of India's earliest modern "mass movements" of
conversion to Christianity. Thousands turned to the new faith and suffered severe persecution for so doing.
Meanwhile, north of Tirunelveli, war continued, bringing further devastation to Thanjavur. This time also,
local distresses were aggravated by the rapacious avarice and oppression of the rajah's servants.

The country was left waste, and thousands fled their villages. The company's resident at the
Thanjavur Durbar recommended that Schwartz be put in charge of a special committee of investigation. At
Schwartz's insistence, the rajah dismissed his corrupt officials, and without coercion, a modicum of justice was
restored. Once again placing faith in Schwartz's word, seven thousand people returned and took up the
cultivating of their fields.8

Upon the recommendation of the British resident, Schwartz was appointed royal interpreter (on a
salary of £100 a year). When the rapacity of the rajah's servants again became intolerable, Schwartz drew up a
state paper, suggesting how the administration of justice should be thoroughly reformed. As a consequence, he
and his "helpers" were asked to assist those in charge of the Courts of Justice.

In 1787, as he lay dying, Tulaji Rajah adopted ten-year-old Serfoji, a cousin, as his heir. At the same
time, he turned to Schwartz and begged him to serve as the boy's guardian. Schwartz hesitated and then
declined. But when the company set the boy aside and made Amir Singh rajah in his place, and when Amir
Singh's servants threatened the boy's life, keeping him in a dark room and refusing to allow for the boy's care
and education, Schwartz made a special appeal to the Madras government.

The Madras authorities formally recognized him as the boy's guardian, but in 1793, when Amir
Singh's servants again made attempts against Serfoji's life, placing him in a special house and surrounding him
with armed guards so that the missionary had much difficulty in gaining access to the boy, Schwartz 9 decided
to journey to Madras and to make a personal appeal. Such was his concern for the prince's life that he brought
Serfoji with him, along with the three widows of the late rajah. The governor-in council heeded Schwartz's
appeal. Serfoji's claim was recognized, and restoration of Serfoji to the throne of Thanjavur was ordered. Thus
the succession of the prince whom the deceased rajah had begged Schwartz to protect was finally confirmed.
Raja-guru to the New Maharaj The new rajah became an enlightened and highly educated young man ruling
in his own right, having imbibed much learning from Schwartz, his raja-guru. Indeed, the new and modern
palace that he was to construct and dub Saraswati Mahal would contain a Room of Wonders
(WunderKammer) that, replete with modern library, laboratory, microscopes, and telescopes, boasted the latest
in scientific apparatus and instruments.

Inspired by the Enlightenment, he became a founding member of the Royal Geographic Society in
Britain. By then, the young prince had come to think of the old missionary not only as the protector and regent
of his realm but as his personal father and friend. When Schwartz suffered his final illness, he called Serfoji to
his side and bestowed a special blessing upon him. He exhorted the prince to rule all his subjects with even-
handed justice, to protect his Tamil Christian subjects from persecution, and to submit himself to the grace and
mercy of the One and true God, who alone could give him eternal peace. Schwartz died on February 13, 1798.
For the memorial service, SerfojiMaharaj read some deeply heart felt English verses that he had composed for
the occasion. He sent to England for a special monument. This monument, a marble sculpture by Flaxman,
rests in Christ Church10, in the Small Fort of Thanjavur.

ISSN (Online): 2321 – 5259, ISSN (Print): 2321 – 5739

 Aayvagam an International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research | Volume No. 3 | Issue 5 | June 2015
20

References

1. Sources for Study of Christian Friedrich Schwartz Printed Sources and Secondary Works
Beyreuther, Erich.
2. Bartholomaeus Ziegenbalg: A Biography of the First Protestant Missionary in India, 1682-1719.
Madras: CLS, Fed. Evangelical Lutheran Church in India, 1956.
3. Translated from German by S. G. Lang and Hans-Werner Gensichen. Caldwell, Robert.
4. Records of the Early History of the Tinnevelly Mission. Madras: Higginbotham, 1881. [Church of
England].
5. History of the Tranquebar Mission, Worked Out from the Original Papers. Tranquebar:
Evangelical Lutheran Mission Press, 1863.
6. Danish to English, from German of Emil Francke. Appendixes include lists and short biographies of
98 evangelical Lutheran missionaries in India, 1683-1863
7. "The Significance of A. W. Boehme's 'The Propagation of the Gospel in the East.'" Oecumenia
(1968).Fullarton, [Col.] William.
8. A View of the English Interest in India; and an Account of the Military Operations in the Southern
Part of the Peninsular During the Campaigns of1782, 1783
9. History of Christianity in India. London: Seeley, Burnside & Seeley, 1845. Vols. 4 and 5 (of 5 vols).
[Jaenicke, Joseph D.]. Memoirs of the Rev. Joseph D. Jaenicke, A Fellow Labourer with Swartz at
Tanjore.
10. Ev.-Luth. Mission, 1996 (a 1995 Halle Univ. dissertation). Kaye, John. Christianity in India. London:
Richard Bentley, 1955. Lehmann,E.A. Esbegann in Tranquebar. Berlin, 1955.Eng. Trans.

ISSN (Online): 2321 – 5259, ISSN (Print): 2321 – 5739

 Pazhamozhi an International Journal of Folkloristics | Volume 3 | Issue 7 | December | 2015 4

Christians’s Contribution to Education and Medical Mission in Early Days

-A Historical Study
Femila Alexander , Ph.D., Scholar and Dr.V.Ravichandran, Head and Associate Professor, Dept. of History,
AVVM.Sri Pushpam College, Poondi.

Before the arrival of the Christian Missionaries, there were schools in South Travancore, which were
"both few in number and poor in quality". The native system of education was -Outdated and the teaching done
in those schools was "unscientific and mechanical".1 At the time of the advent of the Christian Missionaries, the
condition of native education was at a very low ebb on account of the absence of encouragement from the ruler
(Government), general ignorance of the teachers themselves and the poverty of the people.2 In the absence of a
widespread Government provision for the education of the natives in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in
India, the initiative was taken by the Christian Missionaries. Some of the Christian Missionaries were men of
outstanding scholarship and almost all of them had a reasonable academic standard. These Christian Missionary
stalwarts provided an excellent pattern upon which the Government authorities also ultimately based their own
schemes of education. 3

Christian Missionaries were the pioneers of Education in South Travancore, and from the beginning,
they started schools along with churches. Education helped the Missionaries to have relationship with the people
and created a sense of liberalism and the spirit of adventure. Gradually the Government and the other
managements began to enter this field. 4 The Protestant Missionaries and the SPCK opened schools at different
places like Madras, Cuddalore, Tanjore, Tirunelveli and Trichy. These schools received small grants from
thefrEast India Company.5 The Western Education championed by the Christian Missionaries in particular had
two distinctive characteristics which deserve special mention. First, the Missionaries heralded a shift in
emphasis from informal learning of the traditional type in the context of family and caste, to a formal and
systematic teaching of western knowledge by following a prescribed syllabus. Secondly they brought with them
a new and alien system of thought and action which vigorously opposed the existing Hindu system of thought
and action. This opposition initiated a dialectic process which resulted in the Indian socio-cultural renaissance of
the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.6 The Christian Missionaries came to India with a great vision to
open the a venues for preaching the Gospel of Christ through English Education. The pre-evangelization
techniques employed by them through Educational institutions proved to be a tremendous success. They were
able to upgrade the moral and ethical standards of the society and those children who passed through these
Educational Institutions became great leaders in the society fighting for equality. 7 The East India Company's
policy of "Masterly Inactivity" in the field of Indian Education, desirably left the cause of Education upon
private enterprise. In addition, the Christian Missionaries firmly believed that "The cure of darkness is light" and
the honor of having taken the first tangible step towards education and the fusion of western learning went to the
Portuguese. 8 In 1717, two Charity Schools were opened at White Town in Madras, one for the Portuguese and
the other for the Tamil Children. This was followed by the establishment of two more Charity Schools at
Madras by the (SPCK) through the agency of Danish Missionaries in 1711. 9

In 1729 the first Protestant English Mission reached Madras and devoted itself to the spread of
education. In 1804 the LMS established English schools in Srilanka, South India and Bengal and no fees we'r(
charged for Education in these Mission Schools.10 The Christian Missionaries headed by William Carey and
others were able to introduce a few schools for the study of English education for religious teachings, in the last
decade of the eighteenth century. Following his foot steps, the Danish Missionaries under Ziegenbalg and
Plutschau started some more schools in Madras. Notable among them was the "Sunday School" started in 1812
at St.Thomas Mount, Madras to offer instruction in Elementary Education to the half caste and native children
of the Military and other residents there. Due to the efforts of the Missionaries, a new system, of education
different from that of the old indigenous system, hither to unknown to the Madras Presidency came to flourish.
Some of the following features of school system have very well been appreciated and followed even today. "

1. The schools started by the Missionaries imparted religious instruction according the tenets of
Christianity.
2. They taught a wider curriculum including subjects like Grammar, History and Geography.
3. They were first to write and print text books.
4. The schools were closed on Sundays.
5. Regular schooling and regular time table were introduced. 6. They also introduced a clear cut class
system.
6. Many of the schools had more than one teacher on their staff.

ISSN (Online): 2321 – 5232, ISSN (Print): 2321 – 5712

 Pazhamozhi an International Journal of Folkloristics | Volume 3 | Issue 7 | December | 2015 5

7. Their main emphasis was elementary education of the masses through the Vernacular medium. 12

The originator of the English school in the east while South Travancore State was Rev. W.T.
Ringletaube, who came to the state in 1806 and then onwards, devoted his whole energy for the spread of
English Education. He was incessantly preaching and teaching, established many schools for poor children,
Christian as well as non-Christians. 13
The Progress of Education through his instrumentally may be inferred from his reply to a query from Col.John
Munro, the Diwan Resident of Travancore in 181314

He wrote that "There were six schools for the laity, the instructions that were given consisted in lessons
of reading, writing, arithmetic and to Christian children, the Catechism and reading the New Testament or
religious books. The natives were not disposed to send their children to school. Books were supplied from the
Missionaries at Tranquebar but not in sufficient number". 15 Rev. W.T.Ringletaube's noble efforts in the spread
of education South Travancore. 16 The Missionary stationed Catechists at the principal villages and in addition
to that, he employed few school masters for the instruction of the youth. One of the boys always accompanied
him in his preaching tours. The primary duty assigned to the Catechist school masters and school boys was to
teach the Lord's prayer, the commandments and the rudiments of Catechism to the proselytes who were
scattered in the several villages. The standard of knowledge which Rev.W.T.Ringletaube demanded, was
perhaps not much better, than what St. Xavier required from his proselytes two and a half centuries ago.17

The Character Act of 1813 opened India to the Missionary societies to set up schools, which
eventually led to the foundation of Modern Educational System. 18

The Christian Educational Institutions had three main aims, to educate and uplift the Christian
community, to render service to Indian youth at large and to build evangelical bridges towards the countries
intelligentsia and thus pave the way for an acceptance of the faith. It can be said that the first and second aims
have had real success. The third was a complete failure, if only we count the number of actual conversions that
have taken place in or through those institutions. 19

Higher Education

English Higher Education developed gradually and it became increasingly popular in the
nineteenth century. The three principal agencies for the spread of Western education in South Travancore were
the Christian Missions, British Government and Indigenous private enterprise.From the 1830's, both the
Christian Missionaries and the British Government were committed to a serious attempt to provide Western
education, though they had different objectives in view. The Native agencies involved themselves more and
more only after the institution of the Grants-in-aid System introduced in 1854 which sought to stimulate private
initiative and encourage voluntary efforts 20

The Christian Colleges were pioneers in the field of Higher Education in Modern India, with
several of them having been established in the first half of the eighteenth century. They were also pioneers in
bringing Western ideas of education to India and thus preparing the way for many of the cultural and political
events which were to follow. 21 The majority of the early colleges were under Protestant auspices and were to
have good relationship, with the church, the University, the State and the Central Governments with other
Educational and Cultural I nstitutions.22 Every Christian College had at heart the moral and spiritual welfare of
each of its students and the staff, chiefly those who have received special spiritual and moral training.23

Technical Education

In the beginning of the nineteenth century, Technical Education was in its infant stage and it was not
deemed to be a part of the regular education. With the coming of the Europeans, several European Missionaries
attempted to start Technical schools. One such earlier attempt was made by Rev. J.M.Lechler, who opened a
small school in Salem and enabled six pupils to acquire the knowledge in technical education, of whom three
were given instruction in carpentry and the other three in tailoring.24
The important early Missionary enterprise towards the cause of Technical Education in South
Travancore was foundation of the School of Industry at Nagercoil in 1820. This school was established for the
purpose of promoting useful arts.25

ISSN (Online): 2321 – 5232, ISSN (Print): 2321 – 5712

 Pazhamozhi an International Journal of Folkloristics | Volume 3 | Issue 7 | December | 2015 6

Instruction was imparted on a variety of subjects for both male and female students. Instructions were
given in needle work, embroidery, basket making and lace-making for the girls and for the male pupils, a wider
range of curricula was prescribed including printing, book binding, tanning and currying leather. But generally,
in technical schools, the following subjects were taught Cabinet making, Weaving, Pottery, Engraving,
Modeling
Carpentry and Metal work. The schools under private management whether aided by the Government or
unaided, also imparted instruction in Carpentry, Embroidery, Tambour, Cabinet making, Blacksmiths weaving
Rattan work, Band Masonry and Cotton weaving.26

Medical Missions:Mission hospitals and Educational institutions were started around the world, by the
Christian Missionaries, in the countries under colonial rule, as means to help spread Christianity in these
countries. Whether they were truly interested in spreading Christianity or whether it was just a means of
justifying their colonial practices is debatable.
However, Mission hospitals did have a big role to play in the society in those days. These were places where,
free and effective Medical care was given to patients who could not afford such treatment at other places. Often
these treatment modalities were not available at other local hospitals and often had medications which were
brought in from their home Country.27

The Mission hospitals often co-existed with orphanages, schools, old age homes etc. In most of these
places, however, admission was limited to Christians, or those willing to convert to Christianity. This
conversion by force was controversial and often tended to overshadow the good that they had done. In those
days, Mission hospitals were the centers of learning and excellence and often trained nurses and midwives were
sent to work in the villages and thereby extended the Missionary work in the rural areas. These hospitals were
entirely funded by the Colonial Government and perhaps it helped to assuage their guilt, if any, over the
oppression and other misdeeds over the "natives", by their armies. In addition to Missionaries, these hospitals
also had a lot of trained doctors and nurses, who were sent either by their armies, or as part of their training or
those who were interested in working in an "overseas" location. Moreover, as these Mission hospitals were the
only places, where the foreigners would get themselves treated, their governments had made sure, that they were
at all times well equipped and ell maintained. 28

References

1. Manickam,S., op.cit, p.107.

2. Ibid.
3. Kenneth Ingham, Reformers in India, (1793-1833), Cambridge, 1956, p.61.
4. Gladstone, J.W., History of the Church of South India (1947-1997), p.322.
5. Chandler,J.S., The History of the Jesuit Mission of Madurai, Madras, 1909, p.11.
6. Manickam,S., op.cit pp.112-113.
7. George Moses, EA., op.cit., p.337.
8. Philips, C.H., India, London, 1948, P.70.
9. Manual of the Administration of the Madras Presidency, Madras, 1885,p.567.
10. Anand Nath Basu, Education in Modern India, Calcutta, 1947, P.22.
11. Ibid, P.23.
12. Gopala Krishnan, op.cit., P.841
13. Ibid., P.841.
14. Ibid., P.842.
15. Ibid.
16. Gopala Krishnan, M., op.cit., P.842
17. Manickam,S., op.cit., p.43.
18. Mathai Zachariah, The Indian Church Identify and Fulfillment, Madras, 1971, P.89
19. Manickam,S., op.cit., p.105.
20. "The Christian College Magazine, Madras 1967, p.47.
21. Mi(L, p.226.
22. Ibid., p.41.
23. Ibid., p.20,
24. Gopala Krishnan, M., op.cit, P.855
25. Natesan, R., Education and Social Change in Tamil Nadu (1900-1967) Madras, 1986, p.53
26. Kanyakumari Medical Mission, CSI Souvenir, 1992-1996, Nagercoil, 1996, p.9.
27. Ibid. p.9.

ISSN (Online): 2321 – 5232, ISSN (Print): 2321 – 5712

 Methodist Missionaries at Nagapattinam.

Femila Alexander
Ph.d Scholar.

Nagapattinam (nākappaṭṭinam, previously spelt Nagaptnam or Negapatam) is

a town in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters
of Nagapattinam District.i The town came to prominence during the period of Medieval
Cholas (9th–12th century CE) and served as their important port for commerce and
east-bound naval expeditions. The Chudamani Vihara in Nagapattinam constructed by
the Sri Lankan king with the help of Chola kingdom is an important Buddhist structure
of the times. Nagapattinam was settled by the Portuguese and, later, the Dutch under
whom it served as the capital of Dutch Coromandel from 1660 to 1781 CE. ii

In November 1781, the town was conquered by the British East India
Company iii . It served as the capital of Tanjore district from 1799 to 1845 CE
under Madras Presidency of the British.

The Missionaries faced innumerable problems. Language was one of major

obstacles they had to face. In spite of the ignorance of native language i.e., Tamil, they
were successful in their propagation of faith and in establishing the churches on the
Coromandal Coast. There were already thousands of Christian converts on the
Coromandal Coast, who still did not know anything about Christianity. The missionaries
realized the need of learning the mother tongue of the people, among whom they
worked.

When the Portuguese arrived as in the other ports, it was the Muslims who
controlled the trade in Nagapattinam and the whole Coromandal coast.

Perhaps there were also some eastern Christians engaged in trade, when
exactly the Portuguese established themselves at Nagapattinam is not clear.

After Portuguese, Dutch came and ruled Nagapattinam. When British

conquered India, Nagapattinam came under the control of colony.
 During this time, six Methodist missionaries, sailed towards Ceylon under the
leader of Dr.Thomas Coke, for preaching of Gospel, at the end of 1813iv. After Coke
died at sea, and the six young missionaries reached Ceylon in June 1814, Lynch was
appointed to Jaffna. After the meeting of missionaries in Colombo in July 1816, asked
Lynch to visit Madras and stay as long as possible to regulate the discipline of the
young Society.

On 23rd January 1817, he left Jaffna in a small open boat about nine feet
broad,and after 38 hours landed at point Calimere.v James Lynch and six young men
reached Nagapattinam on 28 th January 1817, at the request of several who
understood English , he reminded five days preached, five sermons and participated in
communion service. During his stay , he was entertained by Mr. Sallfelt, a Dutch
gentleman.

On Monday third February he set out from Nagapattinam and arrived the same
evening at Tranquebar, and proceeded to the Rev. Cammerer of the Royal Danish
Mission.

He visited the graves of the first Protestant missionaries who arrived India,
when he reached the place of graves of Zieganbalg and Heinrich Plutschau, he shed
tears to stand there, and praised God for giving opportunity and he was filled up with
the burden and grief for the people of native. He felt he was unworthy to stand on it any
longer. vi Later Lynch landed at Naggapattinam and started work and established
schools.

Rev.T.H.Squance who with Lynch, was one of the six ministers who departed
from England for ministry with Dr.Coke in 1813, was the first minister to be stationed in
Nagapattinam. He arrived there in September 1820, and Elijah Hoole was with for a
few months at the end of the year, but he returned to Madras in 1821. But squance
returned to England in 1822, and he was succeeded by Rev.Titus Close. But he was
not happy in Nagapattinam, Because his son died and his wife was lamed for life by an
accident, and he returned to England early in 1823. Climate, food habits, shortage of
drinking water, which was always dirty, were also unbearable inconveniences that the
missionaries had to face. vii
 Though the Christian Missionaries who were alien were insulted and isolated by
the natives, they took up the cause of the religion and preached it in the courts, towns
and in the villages. In spite of the caste barriers, religious superstitions and political
upheavals, the Missionaries could succeed in their missionary endeavors by their
perseverance, tolerance, dedication, commitment, and love for Jesus Christ. He had an
assistant ,Mr.Katts who was sent from Ceylon and he spoke both Tamil and
Portuguese. He was an assistant missionary which means, that he does not seem to
have been ordained. He stayed in Nagapattinam till 1825.viii

Rev.James Mowat was stationed in Nagapattinam from 1823-1828, and he was

joined by Rev.Alfred Bourne in April 1827,who was on the stationed till the end of 1831.
After katts left ,James Mowat had an assistant Missionary ,Jose J.Mattins, in 1825 and
1826,who was formerly a Roman Catholic priest. He also probably came from Ceylon,
as he spoke Portuguese. He had to learn Tamil. Mowat had two Tamil assistants,
Arulappan and Ambrose, to meet and speak with natives.

There seems to have been little progress in the work in Nagapattinam, before
the arrival of Mowat. But 1824 there was not one Tamil Christian in Nagapattinam.
There was work in three languages, English, Portuguess and Tamil.

In the old records close found that the Government had formerly given 25
pagodas a month to the Missionary of the London Society [S.P.C.K] for conducting
services in the Dutch Church, and performing the duties of a Chaplin. Close was able
to get this grant given to Methodist , for squence’s time as well as his own. This
involved conducting an English Service every Sunday morning in the Dutch Church to
a congregation of 15 to 20 people. There were not any more English people in
Nagapattinam . so there was not much chance of growth in this work.

Then there was the Portuguese work, which till about 1830 seems to have been
by far the most hopeful.[ Nagapattinam had been a Portuguese settlement until 1660 ,
and then Dutch from 1660 to 1781, and then British , until 1845 it was the headquarters
of the Tanjore District.]ix squance seems to have preached in Portuguese, but close
does not say that he did ,though he visited the Dutch and Portuguese people from
house to house. But when Katts arrived in June1822, he preached in Portuguese.
Mowat in 1823 said that there were 150- 200 descendants of the Dutch and
Portuguese. Most of the Portuguese were very poor, and were living on pensions given
by the Government of Madras. Mowat began to preach in Portuguese about June of
1823. There was a Methodist class in Portuguese. Mowat described this work as very
encouraging. About 20 people attended the class, which was conducted by Katts.

The Tamil work was not encouraging at first. Squance wrote that he and Hoole
had started preaching in Tamil from their house, but the meetings ceased when novelty
wore off. But they continued preaching in streets and choultries. He seems to have
started a school, but they did not get supports from parents. When another school was
started near by the parents withdrew their children . Close began a school in a large
choultry, which was open to the street on all sides. Katts describes some visits he paid
to the school, when he gave an address to the boys and there were number of adults
who stood outside and listened. By the end of 1823 there were 2 schools with 74
children. Mowat paid regular visits to the schools, to hear the Catechism and to give
some explanation of the answers which the boys had learnt during the week.

There was also regular open air preaching. In 1823 Mowat wrote that they
preached in the same two places regularly every week, and on other days visited other
places to see where there would be any response. He began Tamil preaching in the
mission house on Wednesday evening. But the largest congregations which were
addressed consisted of beggars. Soon after his arrival, Katts addressed a large
number of beggars at the mission house and said that he had never preached to so
large a congregation in any church. In 1823 Mowat said there were sometimes 200-
300 of them. One of the English people gave some money regularly to buy rice for
them and asked the missionaries to distribute it for them, and they naturally took the
opportunity of preaching to the beggars.

But until the end of 1823 Methodist had no chapel.x In December 1823 Mowat
wrote that a widow had offered a piece of land on which mission could build a church.
Mowat was then receiving many subscriptions for it. He laid the foundation stone on
January 24 th, 1824, and by the beginning of April it was nearly finished, but he was
waiting for palmyras for the roof from Jaffna. They had already raised Rs. 800 and
were hoping to complete the building for another Rs 100/, all raised locally. The widow
who had given the site, and who was a member of the Portuguese Class, gave him
Rs.35/ for the building. He at first refused , as he thought she was too poor, but she
said that her family would cut down their expenditure by Rs. 7/ a month for 5 months,
and so she could pay it. She did not wish her name to be known. The chapel was
st
opened on 21 November 1824. Rev.Elijah Hoole from Madras , took the first service
in Tamil in it , and these and also Portuguese services were from that on held regularly
every week. At first, the Tamil services on were held on Tuesday evening, and the
Portuguese services on Sunday evenings.
In 1825, the time of the Tamil service in the chapel was changed from 7 p.m ,on
Tuesday to 5.p.m. this meant that several of the boys from English school or the
Bazaar could attend , and more people stood outside to listen, and a few ventured in.
Mowat also visited the schools on Sunday evening and preached to the children and
adults who gathered there, and distributed tracts. On weekdays, except when he was
visiting one of more distant schools, he went to the Bazaar school and spoke to the
people who came there. They generally listened attentively, and gladly received tracts.

A third school was opened in the first quarter of 1824 in a large village adjoining
Nagapattinam, at the request of several of the inhabitants. There were April 1824, 122
children in the three schools, of whom 41 learnt the Catechism. Hence, Mowat, the
Methodist missionary did his service through education institutions in Nagapattinam.

During this time the missionaries from nagapattinam had been paying visits to
Trichirapalli , where there was usually a small group of Methodists among the English
soldiers stationed there. As the regiments were often transferred, there was no
continuity here, and sometimes there were no Methodists at all. The soldiers had
themselves build a small chapel, which had been opened by James Lynch in 1823.

Methodist work in the Trichirapaly District between 1830- 1840

English work
The English service continued once a week on Sunday morning, with a
congregation of 30-35 people. In 1832, it included one or two educated tamilans. There
was no English class. When Cryer passed through Nagapattinam on his way to
Mannargudi in 1835 , he said this small congregation was scattered over one of the
largest churches ,he had ever seen in his life.

Portuguese work
In 1832 the missionaries in Nagapattinam were Revs. Samuel Hardey and
William longbottom, it seems that Hardey arrived that year and Boune was transferred
elsewhere. Neither of these two understood Portuguese , and there was no assistant
missionary who did, most of the Portuguese people were old, and the Tanjore mission
had stationed a man there to give religious instruction in Portuguese could understand
Tamil and English. So Hardey did not think it worthwhile for either missionary to learn
Portuguese , though Mrs. Longbottom continued the Portuguese class until about
1834, it is not mentioned after that. Longbottom left Nagapattinam in 1835, so the work
may have ceased then.

Tamil preaching
At the beginning of the decade there were two chapels in Nagapattinam, one
which was build in 1824 and one built in 1829 in a Roman Catholic area. Towards the
end of 1836 Hardey build a chapel in the very centre of the Hindu population town.
Because of the opposition of the roman catholic , Methodist had been compelled to
abandon the chapel built in 1829, where a school had been opened in1830. The new
school chapel opened early in 1837 was described as well situated, a commodious
building, and at a convenient distance from the mission house. In October, 37 there
were on the average about 50 Hindus present at the Sunday morning services.

The work continued by Rev. Robert Carver in Trichy, Melanattham, Vallam and
Singipatty. Rev. Cryer was appointed to Mannargudi in 1835 and arrived there in
February. He had also gone for a few months at the end of 1834 as a temporary
appointment to Nagapattinam, and he spent the whole of November 1834 in
Melanattham. Hence , the Methodist missionaries were serviced in Nagapattinam and
surrounding areas.

The small Christian community which sprang up in Nagapattinam after 1820

branched out at Melanattham, Mannargudi, Thiruvarur, Trichy, Karur, Dharapuram and
Annaimalies. xi This spreading of the Gospel is well explained in the parable of the
Mustard seed. This flow of the living water is different from the natural river. This flow
started from the port passed through rocks as hard as the Trichy Rock fort and watered
land as dry as Dharapuram and climbed up mountains as high as the Anaimalies.
Nagapattinam is sacred soil on which many the feet of many holy men had trodden.

The parable of the mustard seed growing endlessly as a huge tree

accommodating birds and giving shade to many, is a wonderful picture of the growing
of the Kingdom of god and it is a typical illustration of the great pioneer James Lynch
who spent only a few days in this districts, but the faithful seed sown in the lord, grew
and grew and the society see its fruits in abundance.

Though they were alien to the Indian custom and stood against the caste
Barriers they adjusted themselves to the real situation by which they could win Over
thousands of souls to the Christian fold. They even went to the extent of retaining the
caste system among the converted Christians. The opposition to Christianity was
challenging and the highly educated missionaries managed it.

The faith of the missionaries did move the mountains of the stronghold of
Hinduism and they were able to catch not a few fish, plenty fishes on the shores of
Nagapattinam.

* Presented and Published in ICHR National Seminar conducted by TBML College,

Porayar, Nagai District