Mar Thoma Syrian Church Melbourne
… ...a light in the city

Mar Thoma Syrian Church, Melbourne

Newsletter

Vicar’s Message
Dearly Beloved in Christ, The agony and ecstasy of being in Melbourne, Australia for one year (May 4th 2012) is celebrated with thankfulness to God Almighty and thanking you for the love and affection. We are heartily welcomed, fondly cared and tenderly supported in the ministry in our Parish. Your prayer and support makes the difference. This is the time the most popular hymn of Isaac Watts, ‘O God our help in ages past’ reverberates in my mind with gratitude. “O God, our help in ages past, Our hope for years to come, Our shelter from the stormy blast, And our eternal home. Under the shadow of Thy throne, Still may we dwell secure. Sufficient is Thine arm alone, And our defence is sure.” This hymn is a paraphrase of Psalm 30, a Psalm of Moses where he grounds his faith in God Almighty. The Agony and Ecstasy in Following Christ Kathelene and David Wood are both Methodist ministers serving in Lancashire, UK. Before entering the ministry, Kathelene was a special needs teacher. Much of David’s ministry has been in theological education. Part of their life’s demands has been for Peter, their son with profound multiple learning difficulties. Kathelene and David Wood recollect: ‘Life with our profoundly disabled son has been a hard road. Love for him has meant an acceptance (sometimes very grudgingly!) of the lifestyle he brings. Yet the struggle has been life changing. We have learned and experienced so much of God, faith and joy.’ In and through the agony, there has been ecstasy. The images we come across in life are profound and the Bible gives us insights and illuminates our way marred by difficulties. Jesus said: ‘I’m the way, the truth and the life.’ Jesus is the one who leads us through death on a way into the unknown. It is part of following the MASTER and taking up the Cross and fulfilling his commission. The Agony and Ecstasy in Bereavement It is a really hard time for the Mar Thoma Church, when we lost a young and promising Achen through an accident. We need to pray for Rev. Mathew Thomas’s (47) family for sustaining help and comfort. We also bid farewell on Friday to our beloved George Mathew Uncle (87), father of Satish and Suresh, who was called to eternity on Thursday (May 03) after an accidental fall. He lived a life full of hope and enthusiasm for the Lord. This was a celebration of life. In man there is always ‘angst’ or ‘anxiety’ which implies that he is not in control of things. There is power above him. In 1 Peter 5:7, we read, “Cast all your care upon Him for he cares for you.” Isaac Watts reminds us, “Time, like an ever rolling stream, Bears all its sons away; They fly, forgotten, as a dream, Dies at the opening day.” Yes we have our anxieties and worries as human beings, yet we have the assurance that there is God who bore our infirmities on the Cross, Let us cast our cares in him and as he has promised, he will take care of us. In this endeavour of following the MASTER, we need to focus our attention on our common goal as a faith community. Without losing the vision we need to aspire for the transformation of the community at large with little acts of kindness and proactive futuristic involvement that benefit our next generation. In this regard, the Melbourne Mar Thoma Development Fund which we have instituted draws our prime attention. The ideals behind the noble cause need to be materialised in the near future. Kindly donate for that special cause and let our vision emerge to completion. This financial year of the Parish is coming to a close. Kindly plan to pay your contribution and donation in various respects without fail. Also, we need to identify a new team of committed committee members to lead us to a much better parish. The prayer group reorganisation has finally assumed its final shape with 8 prayer groups. It will be published soon. But as an experiment, we are moving forward with 8 prayer groups for June 2013. This effort is for the stability and integration of the people/families in our Parish. All who come to our Parish should feel the difference, being accepted surpassing all barriers. Express our strength in unity and bonding.. I may conclude with Robert Frost’s poem: The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep. With Prayers, Rev. C. Thomas