August 2007

Dearly Beloved in Christ,

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

The Lord has given us another chance to attend the Family conference at Canada. I congratulate those who attended 20 or more Family conferences for their spirit to have the fellowship together throughout these years. The conference was and ever-remembered experience for my life. As we know the theme for this year was “The Minister's of Reconciliation”. It was sad that Paulose Thirumeni could not attend. Let us uphold Thirumeni’s parents in our prayers. The sessions let by Rev. Kovoor and Rev. Jackson were heart provoking. How can we be the ministers of reconciliation in the present world? Reconciliation is needed when there is conflict. In the book of Genesis we see the conflict between Man and God. God created Adam and Eve in his own image and He wanted them to be with Him. They disobeyed God and hid themselves because they realized that they are naked after eating the forbidden fruit. They are trying to help themselves by making clothes with fig leaves, which dried off after a day. God the creator gave them leather clothes. God commenced the ministry of reconciliation there. We can see God’s redemptive work all through the Bible. We see in 2 Cor. 5:19 the God is reconciling the world to himself in Christ, without counting human sins. We are appointed as Christ’s ambassadors to the ministry of reconciliation. God is expecting the ministry from us. Let us the ministers of reconciliation to God and to fellowmen.

May God bless each one of us.

Your in Christ’s love,

Rev. P. E. Mathew

Rev. P. E. Mathew (Vicar)

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

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

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

Vicars of the Past Quarter Century
(including Vicars of the Mar Thoma Congregation of Greater New York)

Mar Thoma Congregation of Greater New York

Rev. Oommen Koruthu

(Student Achen later elevated as 
Bishop Zacharias Mar Theophilus)

May 1975 — Aug. 1975

Rev. K. S. Mathew 

(Student Achen)

Sept. 1975 – Sept. 1977

Rev. Thomas P. George  

(Student Achen)

Sept. 1977 – Aug. 1979

(Late) Rev. M. V. Benjamin  

Sept. 1979 – May 1981

St. Thomas Mar Thoma Church, New York

(Late) Rev. M. V. Benjamin

Co-Chairman Ad-hoc Committee Church in formation   

Oct. 1980 - Jan. 1981

Vicar                                     

 Jan. 1981 - May 1981

(Late) Rev. K. J. Philip

Co-Chairman  Ad-hoc Committee Church in formation

 Oct. 1980 - Jan. 1981

Associate Vicar                    

Jan. 1981 - Aug. 1981

Rev. N. M. Cherian

Vicar of all Mar  Thoma Congregations in New York

May 1981 - June 1983

Rev. Dr. T. Jacob Thomas    

(Student Achen)

Assistant Vicar

July 1981 - May 1983

Vicar   

June 1983 - Mar. 1985

Rev. George Varghese

Mar. 1985 - April 1989

Rev. Johnson Varghese      

June 1989 - May 1992

Rev. Dr. T. P. Abraham  

June 1992 - May 1995

Rev. P. M.  Thomas

May 1995 - April 1999

Rev. K. Y. Jacob         

May 1999 - June 1999

Rev. Thomas P. Chandy   

June 1999 – May 2002

Rev. Dr. K. A. Abraham     

May 2002 - August 2004

Rev. Jojan Mathews John

May 2004 - April 2007