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contents 5
Editorial Pastor Dr. John K. Mathew
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THE GODLY INFLUENCE OF MY MATERNAL GRANDPARENTS Pastor Dr. T. Valson Abraham
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PASTOR P. T. CHACKO - A MAN OF DEEP CONVICTION Mrs. Mary Abraham
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Just the Remembrance Brings Blessings !
P. C. Thomas
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PATTERNS FOR PRACTICE
Mrs. Aliamma Cherian
23 trust the lord - make a statement of faith Rev. Dr. M. S. Samuel
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pastor chacko - his zeal and humor Pastor Noel Samuel
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Fond memories from a Granddaughter Mrs. Annie Jacob, Kuwait
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APPACHEN - CHACKOGARU Mrs. Starla Luke
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APPACHEN - A PASSIONATE AND COMPASSIONATE MAN OF GOD Mrs. Shirley Chacko, USA
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a personal evangelist
Mrs. Ammini Daniel, Bangalore
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my spiritual father
Mrs. Nirmala Emmanuel
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the invitation
Mrs. Aliamma Cherian
Vol. 09
Issue No. 9
September 2016
A magazine that will enrich and renew your spiritual life and give Christian perspective on current events. e-mail : revivemegod@gmail.com igotoibc@gmail.com visit us : www.revivemegod.org CHAIRMAN emeritus PASTOR T. S. ABRAHAM CHAIRMAN PASTOR Dr.T. VALSON ABRAHAM MEMBERS BRO. JACOB THOMAS BRO. SUNNY KODUMTHARA EDITOR PASTOR DR. JOHN K. MATHEW ADMINISTRATIVE EDITOR PASTOR SAJU JOSEPH ASSOCIATE EDITOR MRS. STARLA LUKOSE MANAGER PASTOR T. J. ABRAHAM CONTRIBUTING WRITERS JUNE THOMAS ANN ABRAHAM PUBLISHER, PRINTER & OWNER MAJOR V. I. LUKOSE (Retired) HEBRON, KUMBANAD, PATHANAMTHITTA, KERALA. PRINTED AT VIANI PRINTINGS, LISSIE JN., ERNAKULAM, KERALA PLACE OF PUBLICATION KUMBANAD, PATHANAMTHITTA, KERALA - 689 547 DESIGN Beam Design S2dio Ph: 93870 73135 beamfine@gmail.com
POSTAL ADDRESS P.O. BOX. 31, HEBRON, KUMBANAD KERALA, INDIA, PIN - 689 547 Phone: 0469 - 2664075, 2665855 Mobile: 94476 08954
The views and ideas expressed in each article are those of the writer. - Editor Pictures Courtesy : Google
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Letters
The Responsibility of the Parents Dear Editor, I was highly impressed by the editorial in English revive last month. As the Editor truly suggests, next to our responsibility to God and to our spouse, raising children is the most important responsibility we have. Today’s parents have to be oriented in this truth. Raising kids is a difficult task. A Christian mom and dad must be very concerned that a sinful world could exercise a negative influence on them and their children. In the words of Dr. Richard Land, “We must teach them and work conscientiously and diligently to shield them from truly damaging influences such as sexually suggestive and violent entertainment”. It is not only a matter of teaching but also it is a matter of modelling. Or in other words, we need to set examples before our children. How true is the saying, “Character is not taught, it is caught”. Ravi Jose, Dallas
Disciplining is Godly Dear revive, Parenting is a topic which must be given paramount importance by the Church today. At least Christian parents must be aware of the fact that disciplining is another virtue of God, used for the correction of His people. Dr. James George brings forth this in his article. God’s discipline is manifested out of his love towards the people, primarily intended for their change and
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correction. According to the epistle of Hebrews, “the Lord disciplines those He loves and punishes everyone He accepts as a son.” God allows certain disciplinary processes for the betterment of His people. Similarly, parents are responsible to maintain the disciplinary actions and loving corrections for their children as well. With regard to this, Solomon writes, “He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.” Through the right discipline, parents mould the children in accordance with the divine pattern and God’s standard. It has been said that discipline is for the children, whereas punishment is to the children. May these godly instructions be useful to all revive readers! Jayan V.S, Kochi
Home Schooling Dear Editor, The idea of home schooling in the article of Mrs. Ida Mary Varghese is very interesting. To many readers like me it may be new information. I have my own opinion on this subject. But I am not concerned about its merits and demerits. But what is my concern is the present situation in our schools and colleges. The evil in our society is getting worse day by day. All we can do is to give good parenting with much prayer for our children. Thank you. God bless revive. Jolly George, Bhopal
Challenges of Parenting Dear revive, Dr. Joseph George, in his article, in your most recent issue, rightly suggests many reasons in raising challenges to parenting today. One aspect he speaks is the disappearance of the extended family and the community. One of the major concerns in the contemporary society across the globe is the disappearance of the extended family which had been a stable support system for the younger generation by providing a physically and emotionally safe environment for their children. This caring and supportive environment has disappeared with the appearance of paid care-givers in the form of crèches and day care centres where children spend
long hours, depriving them of a safe and nurturing environment. In these Centres, the young children are given books to read, instructions to follow strictly, plastic and wooden toys as their companions, and very less emotionally connected interactions. In the light of this awareness, let the young parents decide to spend more time with the children so that they may be physically , mentally, socially and spiritually nourished well and have a blessed future in this vicious world. Thomas John, Chennai
Parenting and Spiritual life Dear revive, What a theme! So relevant! Thank you for responding to the urgent need of the hour in today’s social scenario. Parents and the adult community blindly blame today’s younger generation for their way ward life and rebellious nature. But we forget the part to be played by the grown up people or parents in the moulding of the next generation. This area is brought out well by Pastor Saju Joseph in his article, Impact of parenting on the Personality growth of Children. Parents play a vital part in the intergenerational transmission of religious beliefs and practices. Generally speaking, children become religious only if their parents are religious not otherwise. Religiosity basically concerns the intergenerational transmission of religious commitment from parents to child. Moreover, not all content can be successfully transmitted in this way. The importance of parents as active socializing agents or religious role models has often been stressed. Children should be able to perceive their parents as religiously committed people-people to whom religion is important. Parents can facilitate such a perception by overt religious behaviour (such as church going or daily prayer). Equal or more importance is to be given to sending children to Sunday School, VBS, Church meeting including Sunday Services, Fasting prayers, Bible Study groups and Cottage meetings of the Church etc. Regularity has a strong effect on the character formation. Pray that this article may really work for the good of thousands of children in future. Reji Mathew, Pune
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Pastor Dr. John K. Mathew
essential tool for ministry. They lived without electricity. Children growing in Faith Homes in pioneer days never had milk to drink. They saw eggs served to guests or convention speakers. “We will live on what God provides. We’ll teach our converts the Biblical pattern of tithing.” - At the Eluru Faith Home hardship and privation was experienced. There were also instances of
It is with
great pride we say that, "the India Pentecostal Church was registered in Eluru, Andhra Pradesh," suggesting it was not confined to the four walls of Kerala. At the same time we conveniently cover up the history of our work in A. P. and ignore the sacrificial service of many for the expansion of the kingdom of God in that part of India. Honestly speaking, the right candidate for presidency, after Pastor T. S. Abraham was Pastor John Sunder Rao, who was the VicePresident then and a man of prayer. Unfortunately, the ugly politics in the Kerala churches undermined this possibility and the church was pushed to the chaos we witness today. Why wonder? Jawaharlal Nehru, the architect of modern India is gradually vanishing from our history books. It is such a time of revision and some people need it so bad for their existence. As the IPC in Andhra Pradesh celebrates its 75th anniversary, let me reveal the history of IPC in Andhra from the view of an eye witness. She is Mrs. Aleyamma Cherian, one of only four survivors of the first IPC faith home in Eluru, the third daughter of Pastor P. T. Chacko: "The 1920’s witnessed a great spiritual awakening among the orthodox Christians in Kerala. Those who accepted the Full Gospel truth broke away from the rituals and liturgy of the traditional church forming independent fellowships. The leadership among them had several spiritual giants well-versed in the Scriptures and “full of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 6 :3). The revival fires kindled in Kerala also produced a band of dedicated soul-winners. Proclaiming the gospel in Andhra was their passion. In 1932 Pastor P. M. Samuel felt led of the Lord to begin evangelistic ministry in Andhra. Many doors opened up in Eluru, Rajahmundry and Kakinada among the Baptists and Lutherans. Several souls were saved. In the year 1936 Pastor P. T. Chacko, his wife Annamma, daughters, Mary, Joy and Aliamma came to Eluru as the first IPC missionary family. Along with them were a group of earnest Christian workers that included Mrs. K. E. Abraham, Brothers P. M. Philip, T. K. Thomas, P. M. Thomas, Sisters Mary and Annamma. They had a divine mandate. It was a venture of faith, trusting in God’s promises. Not that other options were unavailable. They could have easily worked for a Christian organization that paid a salary. But they made a voluntary choice. Like Moses, they chose to suffer. They opted to live by faith. The unwritten covenant was that you prayed about your needs believing God to provide. You do not seek financial help from people or agencies. For families it meant the parents choose between buying milk for growing children or kerosene oil for the gas light. Kerosene oil was an
supernatural provision through total strangers to whom God spoke in dreams and visions to assist the children of God at the Faith Home". This is just a very short introduction to the IPC work in Andhra Pradesh. The story continues and it is filled with the saga of the sufferings and sacrifices of so many. " Who dare despise the day of small things, since the seven eyes of the Lord that range throughout the earth will rejoice when they see the chosen capstone in the hand of Zerubabbel? " (Zech.4:10). Let this season of celebration be a time when the AP churches renew their vision and re-dedicate themselves for the expansion of the Kingdom of God. Blessing. September 2016
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Pastor Dr. T. Valson Abraham President, India bible college & seminary, kumbanad
THE GODLY INFLUENCE OF MY MATERNAL GRANDPARENTS
P.T. Chacko and Annamma Chacko - a pioneer missionary family from Kerala who engaged in cross-cultural evangelistic and church planting work in Andhra Pradesh from 1936 to 1988.
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As the oldest grandchild, I received much care and love by my grandparents and extended family. My maternal grandfather, Pastor P.T. Chacko, took me to nursery
school and to my earliest grades in elementary school. I would sit on the front of his cycle and later, his motorcycle. Every day when he took me to school, he made me memorize scriptures. He would pray with me in the morning, evening and the daily routine in taking me to and from school. With my grandfather, I experienced a daily Bible class on wheels as well as at home. I was blessed from my childhood to be nurtured in the Word of God, which served as a hedge of protection while I grew up. The word was deposited in my heart and kept me from succumbing to many temptations. The emphasis he put on the Word, prayer, witnessing and cleanliness and managing resources were instilled at a young age. I knew if assigned tasks were not done or mistakes committed before the day was over, I would have to confess my failure at family prayer time and then do them. Until these things were done, prayer was not offered, and often, nobody ate. At prayer time, Grandfather made us read the Bible systematically, always including a Psalm or a Proverb. He isolated portions and explained things we children did not understand. He made sure we understood what we heard. Often in the evening, he had us read a biography of a notable spiritual person. He made sure we read the whole autobiography of my paternal grandfather, Pastor K E Abraham, which gave us a good understanding of our family and history of IPC. That helped us to appreciate church history, the sacrificial lives of my grandparents and other missionaries, and what it took to live and work for the Lord. When my maternal grandmother, Annamma Chacko, passed away in 1965, I was in the 9th grade. I was in the middle of an exam, and I was called home from school to be with her just before she died. All the family, along with my Grandfather, surrounded her, singing her favorite hymns in three languages, Malayalam, Telugu and English. Between hymns, Grandfather had us read different portions of scripture. Different people offered words of prayer and comfort. While she was still conscious, she called each of us to speak to us, offering a word of encouragement and a prayer for each of us. The rest of the day was spent like that. I was 12 years old. The impact of that time stayed with me. My training to minister to someone about to meet the Lord was imprinted upon me at that age. While I grew up, I locked the gates at night. Evangelists-in-training and other people lived with us all the time, and locked gates gave us protection since we lived on a very busy road. I usually did this between 11pm and midnight. One night, Grandfather lay on his bed, groaning in the Spirit. At 10 pm, before I locked the gates, he got ready to go out on the streets. That day, he had not witnessed to anyone, and he did not want the day to pass until he did. His motto was NSWE an acronym he made for “No Supper Without Evangelism.” He did not return until after midnight. I waited until after midnight for his return. He had been beaten and pushed around by people at the bus-station where he had just witnessed. Even when he was not feeling well, he made an effort to go out and witness to people of all backgrounds, whatever the cost to himself. My maternal grandmother was very practical and punctual. Both she and my grandfather served as schoolteachers and were highly disciplined and methodical in their approach with me and with others. Both of them taught and mentored more people than I can count, leading many into the faith and discipling them afterwards. Right after my parents got married, Grandfather took them to a Hindu locality where one family had come to know the Lord. The head of the household was a bus driver for the public city transport. My father preached, and my mother translated his message into Telugu. Suddenly, some radical Hindu broke into the meeting and started beating my father and grandfather. My father was blue with bruises for several
weeks, many of them on his face and especially on his eyes. In spite of this experience, God worked in that bus driver’s family. Later, the bus driver became a full-time evangelist along with his wife, and five of their children are full-time workers for the gospel. By the way, all of this took place during my parents’ honeymoon. Such was the training and passion he had for evangelism and reaching the unreached. Early in the morning or late at night, I frequently heard him groan in the Spirit for souls still without Christ, when he sat in his chair or lay in his bed. Many times, when grandfather could have taken a bus or a taxi, he would go out with a rickshaw puller, hire him and the vehicle just to spend more time with him and share the gospel. One of the rickshaw pullers came to the Lord, but he did not know how to
Poozhikalayil family Kumbanad, is one of the ancient aristocratic families in Central Travancore. Chacko was born to Poozhikalayil Thoma Kochu Thoma and Mariamma on 13th May, 1902. He had two brothers and two sisters.
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read and write. My grandfather taught him to read and write as well as to study the Bible. Grandfather took time to mentor him, and he went on to become a powerful evangelist. Grandfather baptized him and gave him a Bible name, “Samuel.” His ministry flourished, and hundreds came to the Lord. His ministry all began because my grandfather chose to spend time with him when he was a rickshaw puller whom no one else noticed. Even into his late 80s, he sat in a comfortable chair by the roadside and passed out tracts to pedestrians. His passion for witnessing remained throughout his life and has challenged succeeding generations to become effective witnesses for Christ. He was a very strict in his personal discipline, especially in his personal devotions. He had his own devotions alone every
Mrs. Annamma Chacko was born to Mammoottil John Koshy and Sosamma, Kumbanad. She had one older brother, three younger brothers and two younger sisters.
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day as well as with his family. Every day, without fail, he got up at 5 am to read the Bible and pray alone. Later, he went through the Bible many times with us as a family. He not only read the Bible but asked us questions to make sure we understood what he had just read to us. He was a voracious reader. He had a very good library because he was constantly reading. He would pass on to us things he had read. Throughout his life, he was a great conversationalist who talked on many topics. Whatever the topic of conversation, he would somehow turn the conversation to witness about Christ. He knew how to do it in a natural way, and he knew how to do this with complete strangers. He kept up with current events in the newspapers and brought this into the conversation, relating the gospel to everyday life. He played soccer as a young man. His big toe was at an angle because he played soccer so much. He encouraged young people to play at sports. He advocated people to learn swimming. He was a good swimmer. “Simple living and high thinking” was his motto. He felt at home both with the rich and the poor. Nobody impressed him with riches or with poverty. Whatever their rank in society, if someone was sick, he stayed up with them and prayed. He was a servant through and through. He never went anywhere without tracts. If he ran out of tracts on a train, he made a drawing on his ticket or a piece of paper, wrote something to raise one’s curiosity and gave it to the person next to him. He would teach the local language and grammar to new graduates, making sure they spoke it properly. He would carefully listen to them and correct them. This is another example in which he became a personal mentor. He became so consumed by the things of God, he thought of nothing else. Though he was very strict about personal hygiene, he did not know how to manage things around the house without the help of his wife and others. He had singleness of purpose-the kingdom of God. In this singleness of purpose, God took care of the family, giving him the right wife and children to help him. He possessed the gift of knowledge regarding people in his prayers, with an ability to speak right to the need of the person. People’s hearts were melted. They recognized it as the Spirit of God working through him. Nobody could know this special knowledge apart from a revelation of the Holy Spirit. Even in old age he showed this gift. He showed the truth of scripture, “They shall bear fruit even in their old age.” Even after he became physically weak, he remained spiritually strong. Though he lived with one purpose in mind, he still lived a carefree life, filled with good humor, lighthearted and full of joy. He knew how to groan in the Spirit, but in the next moment, he became as carefree as a child. All of the spiritual heritage I received from my grandfather, he received from his own parents and grandfather and passed it on to me. He came from a strong Christian family. His own grandfather, my great-great grandfather, received training from a noted Bible teacher and committed his life to Christ when he was still young. He started to preach when he was sixteen years old. Frequently, he would stand in public and read portions of the Bible, or “speak the Book,” as people described it. When he came to Bible portions that spoke of Jesus’ sufferings, people would weep and confess their sins. With such upbringing, my grandfather committed his life to Christ when he was six years old. While he was still very young, his mother gave him a plan for reading the Bible, which he followed for a long time. He said that through this plan, he did 35 complete readings of the Bible while he was still a young man. His parents sent him to Christian schools-an English-speaking school that had daily readings from the Bible, songs, prayers and Bible study, along with the curriculum.
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Mrs. Chinnamma Philip Abraham with Miss. Joy Chacko. Mrs. Chinnamma with her husband, Pastor Philip Abraham labored and pastored the IPC Hyderguda for decades.
Pastor P.T. Chacko & Family, 1950. Mrs. Annamma, T. S. Abraham, Mary Abraham, Joy, Aliamma, Jeffreys, Susy.
In high school, he went to Syrian Christian Seminary which gave him an opportunity to hear well-known preachers such as Sadhu Sundar Singh and Rev. E. Stanley Jones who strongly influenced him towards a preaching and evangelistic ministry and served as good models for him. While he attended Syrian Christian Seminary, he experienced weekly prayer meetings, Bible classes, Sunday schools in the outstations, personal evangelism, tract distribution and open-air meetings-things which influenced his later ministry as well as my own ministry and that of our training centers. At Syrian Christian Seminary, he received the strong burden to pray for lost souls that followed him throughout his life and ministry. For 44 years, Grandfather published the Gospel Herald, an English magazine that was quite influential in India for a number of years. My grandfather, Pastor P.T. Chacko, came from a family that strongly believed they must pass on to their children and grandchildren those fundamental truths that cause them to have confidence in God. I am thankful that he learned his lessons well and passed them on to me. I thank God He has placed me where I can continue to pass on these truths to succeeding generations. God grant that they also continue to teach future generations in the ways of the Lord until He returns.
On 29th January, 1920, Chacko married Annamma who was studying at Nicholson Girls' High School, Tiruvalla
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IPC WORK IN ANDHRA IPC Toopran, on the outskirts of Secunderabad, was pioneerd and pastored by Pastor Nathaniel who was mentored by Pastor Chacko
Pastor T. K. Thomas - founder pastor of IPC Warangal. He labored faithfully for six decades, which grew into the largest Pentecostal church in AP then
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Mrs. Hannamma, Mary Abraham & Kamalamma John Simon - powerful intercessors and evangelists.
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Pastor T. S. Abraham and Rev. Dr. T. Valson Abraham continued to give leadership and provide all support to the ministries of IPC Hyderabad District, through Pr. Mammen Mathew, for over four and a half decades
Pastor P. T. Chacko with Apostle P. M. Samuel
Pastors K. E. Abraham and P. T. Chacko in deep conversation
For Pastor Chacko street preaching was his favorite outreach ministry
Pastors P. T. Chacko and K. J. Philip
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Mrs. Mary Abraham eldest daughter of Pastor P.T. Chacko, married to Pastor T. S. Abraham
PASTOR P. T. CHACKO
– A MAN OF DEEP CONVICTION As a young girl,
Chacko's intermediate education was at English school at Eraviperoor. High school was at Syrian Christian Seminary, Tiruvalla.
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growing up in Kumbanad with my parents I vividly remember my father narrating a vision that he had one night in 1925 about the Pentecostal work after attending the tarrying meeting conducted by Pastor K.E. Abraham. - “I saw myself and the Pentecostal workers and believers engaged in building a strong straight wall along the road that goes from south to north beginning from the south western corner of my neighbors wall. At the extreme south of the wall for about 20 ft on the wall was a triangular edifice, the top corner ending in a big cross. One peculiarity of the wall is that whenever the worker would bend forward and touch it by faith a new door would be opened. All the workers were busily engaged in this work bringing stones and building the wall. When this work was progressing very well, the western side of the wall was seen as the sea. Looking at the sea we found big beasts swimming over the sea from west to east. Each beast was running towards a worker to swallow him and the workers ran to and fro. I stood near the wall and when one beast came near me I got on top of the wall. When the beast climbed the wall I climbed the triangular edifice and caught hold of the big cross. The mouth of the beast reached up to the foot of the cross but the beast was afraid to touch the cross. As the cross was the only place of safety for me I embraced it with all my strength. Losing all hope of grabbing me the beast went down from the wall. All the beasts disappeared from the scene and the workers came back to continue building the wall with renewed vigor and dedication”. The Lord showed appachen a clear vision of the work that He was going to do in India. This was a work of faith built from the cross. God clearly showed the several clever attempts made to devour the workers who had started well with good motives. God enabled appachen to be true to the cross and not be swayed by devious means of financial help from outside the country. In the years 1927 – 1930 Mr. K. J. John and Appachen along with our families taught the children of the Alwaye Settlement School. While my parents had been prayerfully considering some form of Christian service, an opportunity opened up at the Alwaye
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Pastor Chacko with his wife Annamma and firstborn daughter Mary - 1928
obedient to the heavenly vision. They chose to give up the cozy comforts and security of native Kerala. In the summer of 1936 our family traveled to Eluru.
The move to Eluru affected me tremendously in school, as I was the only Malayalee among 800 students. My teachers gave me extra coaching in Telugu and they were pleased with my progress after 3 months. As I teenager, I started translating messages from English to Telugu and from Malayalam to Telugu for both Appachen and Ammachi and also for visiting pastors. During World War II and subsequent years we had military personnel and their families join us for worship and it was normal to have a multilingual congregation. To meet their needs, I had the privilege of translating Appachen’s sermons from English into Telugu. Upon my graduation from high school, I received monetary gifts from my maternal grandfather and uncle who encouraged me to attend college. In the year 1941, Osmania University had a residency requirement for all applicants. A “Mulki,” or residence certificate had to be filed with the application. Some friends were willing to work this all out for us. But Appachen
Settlement School. This was a Christian residential school for boys from the under privileged communities. Formal classroom instruction was combined with practical training in life-skills and community living. Both Appachen and Ammachi taught at this institution. Lord Irvin, the Viceroy of India included the Settlement School in his South India tour. He was greatly impressed with the excellent training provided for the disadvantaged youth. During the years 1930-34, appachen studied for the Bachelor of Divinity course at Serampore College. During the summer vacations he traveled with Pastor K.E. Abraham on evangelistic tours outside Kerala. Appachen translated Pastor K.E. Abraham’s messages from Malayalam to English. These mission trips broadened his vision about the needy places in India. Appachen was moved with compassion for the people caught up in idolatry and a deep stirring of the Holy Sprit began to move in him. Prayerfully, our parents considered the possibility of relocating to Andhra, a needy mission field. Although there was much opposition from relatives and grandparents, my parents were
P. T. Chacko had the privilege to join the first batch of Union Christian College at Alwaye, Kerala for his graduation. In 1932, Chacko got admission for his B.D. studies at the Serampore University, Kolkata.
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Bro. Sam Emmanuel, a member of IPC Philadelphia church was a faithful and accurate translator
FIRST IPC FAITH HOME IN ANDHRA pradesh Back Row : Pastor P.M. Philip, Sister Annamma Mammen, Sister Mary(Nagpur), Pastor T.K. Thomas Sitting : Mrs K.E. Abraham, Pastor P.M. Thomas, Pastor P.M. Samuel, Pastor P.T. Chacko, Mrs. Annamma Chacko Sitting on ground : Mrs. Aliamma (Cherian), Mrs. Mary (Abraham), Mrs. Joy (Abraham Samuel)
IPC Philadelphia Convention
Mrs. Mary Naidu, Pr. T. K. Thomas, Dr. P. P. Johnson, Pr. Yesudas, Pr. John Thomas with family members of Pastor P. T. Chacko
Bro. M. K. Joseph, a member of the local church, translates for Pr. V. A. Thomas Achen One Sunday School class at Philadelphia with Miss Sumitra Anandam who was the lead teacher; Sam Victor was another teacher
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Philadelphia Sunday School in 1960’s
Pastor Mammen Mathew who was trained in ministry by Pastors P.T. Chacko & T. S. Abraham
Sis. Rosamma John - a lady evangelist from Kerala, who labored among the Telugu people, for many years
Love feast at the Philadelphia Convention
Early believers in the twin cities
Pr. P.T. Chacko with Rev. Devaprakasham, a former CSI pastor, who came to the Pentecostal faith
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was a man of conviction and would never consider dishonest means for college admission. He was sincere and honest in every aspect of his life and practiced the righteousness that he preached. No doubt, I was very disappointed but God had better plans and I have certainly learnt from Appachen to stand for the truth always. Although I had never gone through formal teacher training, God opened an opportunity for me to teach at St. John’s Brigade School in Secunderabad that served the needs of the European and Anglo-Indian children in the area. It was during this time, Mrs. Akram, the Inspectress of Schools who was a Muslim approved of my application to appear for the Intermediate Examination. My sister, Joy was a student at Mahbub College in Secunderabad and was preparing
In 1933, he won the gold medal at Serampore University for his best English essay, “On the Advantages of the Study of Church History.” He was the first Malayalee Pentecostal to earn his B.D. degree from Serampore University in 1934.
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for the Intermediate Examination too. Appachen encouraged me to read Joy’s notes and books with the hope of writing the exam. “Dedicate your life for the ministry, God will open a way for your higher education,” was how appachen encouraged me. Teaching all day, tutoring kids in their homes and translating for evening meetings left me with little time to study. Three months before the exam there was an official announcement in The Deccan Chronicle giving teachers the option to appear as private candidates. By God’s grace I succeeded in the exam. Sure enough, when I was willing to get my priorities right, God honored me with highly commendable success in both my Intermediate and B.A degree exams. After our wedding in 1950, we continued to live in Secunderabad and participated in all aspects of ministry along with appachen and ammachi. Appachen was the editor of monthly magazine -The Gospel Herald, until his death. Both of us along with my 4 children have had the privilege of helping with this publication over the years. Appachen was the author of the book – 'The Second Coming of Christ'. He wrote several books and pamphlets, such as –“Pentecost”, “The Midnight Cry”, “This is That” and “Healing through Jesus”. Appachen was a born teacher. Conversations with him were always a useful – instructive, educational, spiritual and informative. All the evangelists who have had training under him will testify to this. While walking on the road he will not waste time by being silent, but engage the persons with whom he was traveling by telling interesting anecdotes, stories, riddles, proverbs, etc that would create an enthusiasm to learn. By the end of the mile’s walk with him, people would have gained a lot of constructive information. As a father, he instilled in us children a desire to study and was very particular about educating us. As the oldest daughter, I had to take on major part of the family responsibilities especially after Ammachi’s death in 1964. My teaching
The gold medal received from serampore college
profession helped me to take care of financial responsibilities in the home and appachen was able to focus on the ministry. Because of appachen’s motivation, God enabled me to touch the lives of thousands of students who are now in various leadership positions. Appachen encouraged me to take on leadership and administrative skills in the ministry and church. This has enhanced my management abilities in my secular job and empowered me in the church ministry, teaching and managing the boarding facilities for the Bible College, Ladies’ ministry and literature ministry. The training that I received growing up with Appachen and Ammachi has equipped me tremendously for the ministry that God had prepared for us. Appachen was a disciplinarian and I have inherited this trait from him. Translating his sermons as a teenager prepared me for future pulpit ministry. Hosting and taking care of visiting pastors and missionaries started in the faith home in Eluru and continues to this day. The influence of Appachen’s godly life and passion for souls had an indelible impact on us, his children. I am so blessed and privileged to see this passion for souls and evangelism passed on to my children and grandchildren too.
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P. C. Thomas A professional journalist and a college journalism teacher in India and USA for about 38 years. He has also served as public relations and human resources director for an American non-profit corporation. He has always remained active in church, college, and marketplace ministries. He and his wife Thankam live in Sedalia, Missouri, where he teaches weekly Bible classes in a public library and in a county jail. The Thomases have two grown daughters and two grandchildren.
life with appachen and ammachi - Just the Remembrance Brings Blessings ! While a Marthomite, he was saved at the age of six. Nurtured in pietistic ways and seeking to serve God wholeheartedly, he plunged into serving people through church and social work, graduated from India's first Protestant seminary, where he won a gold medal for essay writing and played on the soccer team, and set out for a life of adventure in soul winning. Those who have known the late Pastor P.T. Chacko would recall him as a loyal friend, a voracious reader, a musician, a writer and editor, a personal coach and mentor, a caring pastor, a gifted teacher, a cheerful individual with a zest for life, but most of all as an intrepid evangelist who lived out Romans 1:16, “...I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.” When you consider all his life experiences-rigorous theological training, vast knowledge gained from extensive reading and interactions with movers and shakers, travels abroad, and a sharp mind that he constantly exercised-you would think that he was cut out for the ivory tower of college teaching or a cushy job of a denominational administrator, either of which he could have easily had and done well. Instead, he found his greatest thrill standing on a sidewalk and lovingly initiating a conversation about eternal life with a pedestrian, or stooping low to enter a hut in outcasts' ghetto and telling them “the old, old story of Jesus and His love.” To Appachen, evangelism was not a project or a program that needed elaborate publicity, budget, or administrative staff. To him evangelism was a way of life, and this lifestyle of articulating the evangel in the language and idiom of his listeners was his forte, his specialty-the P.T. Chacko brand, to use a modern marketing term. I have not seen anyone do personal evagelism so naturally, so lovingly, with such urgency, and so deftly as I have seen my father do it over and over again. And what valuable training in authentic evangelism my siblings and I, our nephews and nieces, and our Secunderabad Philadelphia Church members have received from my father's example and enthusiasm!
Great Call The great burden for the perishing millions in in India came upon him so heavily when he was a student. Chacko prayed with tears and heard the voice of God saying, "Do all that you have to do for me and then you will understand my will about your studies"
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Also, his evangelistic zeal was not confined to streets and huts. He neither pleaded for nor needed a pulpit to present the gospel. He easily found avenues to share the gospel. In a sense, he created his own pulpit because he acted as if his environment was his parish. And so, when he learned that President Rajendra Prasad was vacationing in Hyderabad, he sought an interview with him and presented the gospel. He did this with a Governor of Andhra Pradesh in his mansion. And toward the sunset of his life when he was confined to his home, he insisted on having a chair placed at the outside of the parsonage's gate, where he sat and passed out gospel tracts to passersby. During his final months, when he was bed-ridden and getting physical therapy from a Hindu therapist, we used to hear Appachen quizzing us with
The messages of Robert F. Cook of USA and Cummings, an elderly missionary from Madras encouraged him to study about the Pentecostal Truth.
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the Telugu words,”Kabatti ippudu” (“Therefore...now” in English), thereby prompting one of us to recite Romans 8;1, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” By doing this, Appachen was affirming his own assurance of eternal life, as well as letting the therapist come under the sound of the gospel. See, you couldn't keep a zealous evangelist quiet even on his death bed, and he passed into eternity with no trepidation. Appachen's ministry went beyond meeting the immediate spiritual needs of people. Often he spent many hours counseling individuals about health and educational aspects of life. A church member, one sister Annamma, introduced to Appachen a rickshaw puller with whom Appachen began an evangelistic conversation. Realizing that this man was an illiterate, Appachen took on more than what most evangelists would have. Now formally known as Pastor K. Samuel, and lovingly identified by many of us as “Rickshaw Samuel,” he recently recalled those early encounters with my father. “Chacko ayyagaru embraced me with his divine love,” this brother said, adding, “and he taught me alphabets. With great patience he made me learn the Telugu alphabet on sand [drawing alphabets in sand]. And after some time I was sent to Gunadala Bible College by Chacko ayyagaru.” This former rickshaw puller who now shepherds a congregation of believers, had more to share: “We were 24 children to my father…and I was the only one who got saved in the entire family. In due course of time, all other relatives got saved.” Pastor Samuel also recalled a time when he and Appachen “were going on foot from Regimental Bazar to Koti [a distance of a few miles]….The reason why we were on foot was lack of money in those days. We even used to share one bun and one tea to kill hunger.” Travelling with Appachen used to be like an impromptu workshop on evangelism. We would be travelling by train, and Appachen would strike up conversation with fellow-passengers. The initial topic could be any current issue, but if he saw someone close to him smoking, gently he would gravitate to that health issue. Without offending the smoker, he would say, “You know, if God intended for humans to smoke, He would have created us with a chimney our our head!” After hearing such a disarming quip, the smoker would chuckle and drop the cigarette to the floor and squish it with his sandal, to which Appachen would say, “Oh, now you have littered the train. That belongs in the trash bin.” The smoker would pick up the extinguished cigarette and throw it out the window. All these interactions would break the ice, and Appachen would nicely and naturally begin talking about God's plan for humanity, His provision for sinners' salvation, and on and on. Before long we would see not only those sitting closest to us, but also everyone within our earshot, listening intently to Appachen's gospel presentation. As a lifelong learner, Appachen sought to inculcate in his family and church members a desire to read good books. During summer vacations, he would hand us books by well-known Christian authors and suggest that we utilize our free time reading them, which we did. Additionally, now and then during our family worship time (which we had daily, a.m. and p.m.), he would have one of us siblings read a paragraph or a chapter from a must-read book, while he would correct our pronunciation, intonation and what-have-you, in addition to explaining the meaning of words new to us. Decades later, when I was teaching college English in USA and saw how poorly many of my students were reading, I thought to myself, “If only these students had participated in our family worship time and sat through my father's 'reading lab' !” Regarding my father's aptitude for teaching, Bishop P. Spurgeon Raju, President of Manna Ministries, had this to say: “Whenever a preacher was preaching, he took notes very carefully. After the meeting, Pastor Chacko took time correcting grammatical blunders, doctrinal weak points, homeletics order, etc., very gently and lovingly. He did that to me when I began preaching ministry….”
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Appachen with P.C. Thomas (Jeffreys) and family - 1981
drop in for a day or two enroute to points north or south, since we lived in Central Railway's hub city. With much God-given grit and grace, plus the helping hands of the many girls in the home - including my four sisters, plus nieces, and sometimes a servant - Ammachi ably handled everything from grocery shopping, to cooking (on open fire), to dish washing, and to even handwashing the shirts of visiting preachers. But most of all, we remember her as a woman of deep and tested faith and selfless service. Of her faith, these two examples come to mind: I was a pre-schooler, and it was a typical morning. Ammachi had just started cooking, when I asked her if we could have fish curry for dinner. In a matter-offact way, she said, “Why don't you go and pray about that.” So off I went to my room, closed the door, knelt down, and started asking God to give us fish for dinner. In a while I heard a knock on the door. There I saw a uniformed peon holding a basket in one hand and a letter in the other. He said he wanted to see my mom. So I went and told my mom about this man, came back to my room, closed the door, and knelt down and continued my interrupted prayer. Another interruption; this time it was Ammachi. She opened the door and asked me if I had been praying like she had asked me to. Then she wanted me to go and look inside the basket this continued on page 34
Now, if Appachen did that for (or to!) other preachers, can you imagine any of his children or grandchildren escaping unscathed - I mean unhelped! Actually, looking back on our lives with Appachen, we are indeed grateful for the thoughtful, comprehensive and far-reaching mentoring we have all received over the years. Perhaps the best expression of all my siblings, nephews and nieces came in the words of my niece, Starla Luke, when she wrote, “Living with Appachen in the same home, my siblings - Valson, Molly, and Shirley - and I grew up learning a lot more in our 'Faith Home' in Secunderabad than what one would in a good finishing school and seminary put together!” My father came under the influence of Pastor K.E. Abraham and the Indian Pentecostal movement, and he and my mother Annamma Chacko were the first missionary couple commissioned from Kerala state. Along with their children, Mary, Joy and Aliamma, they moved in 1936 from Kumbanad, Kerala, to Eluru in Andhra Pradesh, where they set up the Indian Pentecostal Church's first Faith Home on a mission field. It was also in Eluru that the IPC was registered in 1935 as a Christian organization, of which the founding officers were Pastor P.M. Samuel, President; Pastor K.C. Cherian, Vice President; and Pastor P.T. Chacko, Secretary. Hand in glove with our father in all his ministry and accomplishment was our mother Annamma Chacko. While she had a unique ministry among women in the church and in the larger community, she also knew how to stay the course and manage a disciplined, pioneering Faith Home in the pristine sense of that name. Since we were in a joint family system for many years, we would have a dozen or more mouths to feed at each meal, not counting some unexpected guests and evangelists who would
turning point Pastor K. E. Abraham gave Pastor Chacko his book on “The Baptism in the Holy Ghost”. When Pastor Chacko asked for the price of the book, Pastor Abraham replied, “Brother, you are the price.”
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Mrs. Aliamma Cherian, USA, is third daughter of Pastor P. T. Chacko, married to Pastor C. T. Cherian
PATTERNS FOR PRACTICE “Trust God
Pastor Chacko was baptized in water by Pastor K.E. Abraham and while he was still in water, his body was shaking by God’s power.
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for your needs” was the basic motto of our home. Early in my life, I was exposed to the reality of God’s provision for his own. The Word of God and its propagation was always given top priority in our family. We started the day around the reading of the Scriptures. Not a day passed by when the family did not go by the routine. You might be facing the university final or the annual convention might be in session, which means you go through at least three services during the day. Irrespective of your schedule, all the inmates of the Faith Home participated in the morning devotions. It was a time for singing, discussion of the scripture passage read and prayer. Multi-lingual residents in the Faith Home used Malayalam, Telugu and English Bibles. Our home was a perpetual learning center for aspiring ministers. The ambitious Kerala novices needed practice reading Telugu and English. I myself learned to read the Malayalam Bible around the family altar. It was a true language laboratory. You never got away with a mis-pronunciation or accent on the wrong syllable, when appachen was around. Above all, it was the time spent together around the family altar that fostered my own personal relationship with the Lord. The needs of the gospel were generally given precedence over the basic needs of the family. For example, my parents felt it more important to buy Kerosene oil for the petromax lamp in order to conduct services three nights a week than buy milk for the family with growing children. They walked six to eight miles to conduct cottage prayer meetings for new converts when the city bus fare was a mere 6 naya paisa. Yes, through privation and hardship they served the Lord, when there were other options available. Their commitment was deep and they would not trade their “election and calling” for material gain. In the area of personal evangelism, Appachen had amazing success often unknown to him. I remember the afternoon when a stranger appeared at our door in Mettuguda. He introduced himself as one who travelled with Appachen on the train bound to Nizamabad. During the journey, as Appachen witnessed to him, the Holy Spirit
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convicted him. He accepted the Lord as his Saviour and months later came to tell of his conversion. Appachen has a special aptitude for communication. He can simplify eternal truths to a child’s level of understanding. Personally, I received my first lessons in oral reading, public speaking and knowledge of the living Saviour from appachen. When I was seven years old, it was a common practice to take the family out for street-preaching. After the singing and introduction, he would announce one of us as the next speaker. With a crowd waiting to hear, one had to begin narrating stories from the Bible. If you said that you did not know your way around the city, appachen readily drew road maps for you. His directions, both verbal and written were correct to the last detail. As a willing volunteer to run errands for the family, partly due to my aversion for chores around the kitchen, I often used appachen’s maps. Evangelists northbound to New Delhi or south-bound to Kerala, usually stopped in Secunderabad. The program for a week of special meetings was made the day the preachers arrived. In the early 1940's there was little or no money to have the announcements printed. Quite often, it was my responsibility to go from house to house inviting people for the meetings. On many of these occasions, appachen’s road maps came in handy. Several years later, while living in the United States, I worked as a substitute teacher for some time which required two skills. I had to find my way to a school hitherto unknown. Secondly, I needed a readiness to meet and handle a new group of students each day. On many of these occasions, I fondly recalled the maps appachen drew and the opportunities he provided me to give impromptu testimonies. Appachen’s first love is encouraging others to become witnesses for Christ, instilling in them a passion for the salvation of souls. Year after year, he never ceased to bring recruits from Kerala hoping that new Christian workers would be trained. Appachen’s zeal for the Lord materialized largely due to the untiring efforts and personal sacrifices
made by ammachi. Shopping, cooking and serving a continual stream of evangelists and visitors caused her much strain. Appachen lives too much in the realm of the unearthly, oblivious to the fact that as long as we are on earth we have basic needs. The burden of stretching the budget, often at the expense of her own needs and making accommodation for evangelists in turn took heavy toll on her health. Ammachi’s prayer life and determination on meeting the spiritual needs of others were exemplary. Christian living for ammachi was not one of passive meditation and withdrawal from the mundane chores of life. Serving the Lord was not identical with escapism. On the contrary, ammachi was a woman of action. With remarkable efficiency she managed her household where guests dropped in at unscheduled
In 1936, Pastor Chacko hours. If herhis guests hadand to catch with wife the train at 6:00 am she made three daughters sure that they had their breakfast went toalso Eluru by 5:00am and that their Kerala laundry from had been taken care of. Apart from to the needs asattending pioneer in the congregation ammachi missionary had a ministry among several family. ladies outside the church. They appreciated her leadership and In 1936, he leaned on her prayers. Ammachi’s planted the medical circle of friends included first India doctors as well as the illiterate. There have been occasions when Pentecostal she was Church able to draw in on the skill and expertise of her doctor Andhra. friends to aid the needy and the Annamma Chacko with her siblings and sisters-in-law
illiterate. Thus both by preaching and example, the dedicated lives of
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my parents are “patterns for practice” for others who would serve Jesus.
Compassionate Mentor At least three decades had passed since I settled in North America. Two individuals from far-flung corners of the globe crossed my path on separate occasions,years apart. One was a Mathematics professor from Alabama, formerly a native of Kumbanad. The other was a practising dentist from Australia, also from the same village. After exchanging the usual pleasantries they both had identical comments “Your father visited me when I was a college student in Madras.” The professor’s parents were neighbors of my grandparents. The dental student was a relative. The encounters mentioned above quickened my memory. I recalled my time with appachen in Madras
In 1938, he founded and edited “The Gospel Herald,” a monthly magazine in English that ministered to a large community in India. This was the first English Christian monthly publication from the Pentecostal community.
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in April 1962. We visited a young relative and a former student whom he had taught at Hebron Bible School some thirty years ago. Traveling by train from Kerala to Secunderabad during the Fifties and earlier, there was always a lay-over of eight to ten hours in Madras. Appachen would look up young men from among extended family and friends, giving them gentle reminders of their faith and heritage. All the four individuals mentioned above were non-Pentecostals. For evangelistic purposes his field of operation was often outside the church.
Teaching, A Way of Life When you walked along with him on the road, you would notice his efforts to keep the path safe for those who follow. Sharp objects and rough stones were pushed out of the way with his foot. Alert, looking for a chance to teach, he would seize the moment to enrich our lives. Often we had pleasant surprises. This happened during World War II – sometime in 1944. Loyal subjects of the British Empire served Allied Forces on all fronts. The Secunderabad Cantonement area housed units of soldiers from many countries of the empire. Appachen happened to see some African soldiers in town. Truly, a rare sight in pre-television age. He continued on page 42
Chackogaru with his older brothers
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Rev. Dr. M. S. Samuel New York, USA married Susy, youngest daughter of Pastor P. T. Chacko
trust the lord and make a statement of faith On February 19, 1519,
the Spanish Explorer Herman Cortes set sail for Mexico with an entourage of 11 ships, 110 sailors and 553 soldiers. Upon their arrival in Mexico, the population was about 5 million. During their previous two expeditions, Mr. Cortes had failed to establish a settlement in the new world. At this time, however, he ordered that the ships be burned so that no one would attempt to go back. As we celebrate the 75th anniversary of Pastor P.T. Chacko’s coming to Andhra Pradesh, our hearts rejoice over the mission of a dedicated servant of God and his dear wife. Pastor P.T. Chacko and Mrs. Annamma Chacko were quite young and energetic. They were a team for spreading the Gospel in a state where the language was different. I have admired the accomplishments of great servants of God like William Carey and Hudson Taylor. But in the case of Pastor and Mrs. Chacko, there was no one to sponsor the young couple. When they left Kumbanad, they were making a strong statement, like Abraham of old: God was their Provider. I am sure normal questions about their future must have come into their minds, and yet Pastor Chacko knew his God, and trusted that God would not fail them. Many of us have a “Plan B” if our “Plan A” doesn’t work. Such people don’t burn ships. When Elisha started to follow Elijah, he did something remarkable. He was a wellknown farmer in the Jordan valley where he was very prosperous. But when he wanted to serve the Lord and follow the prophet Elijah, the Bible says he burnt the plowing equipment, boiled the oxen, and fed neighbors and friends. He was making a statement that his farming days were over, and now he was going to serve the God of Elijah. Pastor and Mrs. P.T. Chacko went out with faith in God. Today, we see the fruit of their labor. Thousands have received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Churches are all over in Andhra. Hundreds of pastors are serving, along with a number of evangelists.
Pastor Chacko moved with his family from Eluru Faith home to a rented house at 5782, Regimental Bazar, Secunderabad in 1940.
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In 1961 I came to the U.S. to study the Word of God. While I was a student at Wheaton College, I visited India in 1965, and went to see Apostle K.E. Abraham at Hebron. I thought it was going to be only a greeting session—but it turned out to be more than that. Pastor T.S. Abraham, the eldest son of Apostle K.E. Abraham, had a marriage proposal in mind for his young sister-in-law Susy. Thus, by the wise counsel of these great servants of God, our engagement and marriage took place in August 1965. That was 50 years ago. My wife, Susy, and I have just celebrated 50 years of marriage. Today, by the grace of God, we are the proud parents of two children, Stephen and Sharon. When Stephen was a young child (about 5 or 6) we were visiting India, and Appachen (Pastor P.T. Chacko) spoke to Stephen about the supreme
In 1939, he planted the first Pentecostal church in Hyderabad.
subject of salvation. Later, my wife helped Stephen pray to receive Christ. Today Stephen is a Senior Pastor in Long Island, NY, married to his dear wife Elizabeth, and they have two teenage daughters. All are active in the church. Our daughter Sharon is also grateful for her spiritual heritage. Today she serves as the Senior Pastor of the First Door of Faith Church, in Queens, NY, where I now serve as Pastor Emeritus. Sharon is raising two fine sons who are also very active in serving the Lord. My wife and I are very grateful for our children and grandchildren and the work they are doing for the Lord. Yes, heritage is a tremendous gift. I am thankful for the faithfulness of Pastor and Mrs. P.T. Chacko. There is no question that their character qualities have influenced future generations, and their legacy will continue to bring glory to God. When I consider some of the qualities of Pastor P.T. Chacko, three qualities come to mind: 1. He was very passionate. I have never seen anyone as passionate about reaching unreached people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He would make any sacrifice for what he believed in. And his dear wife, (Ammachi) and all the members of the family rallied together to meet the goal of reaching souls. They endured all the challenges that faced them: educating the children, showing hospitality to evangelists, meeting daily expenses. And God always provided. 2. He was totally committed. Pastor Chacko knew that his calling was genuine and that God would never fail him. And we can see, through the many churches and Christian leaders throughout the land of India, that Pastor Chacko’s God-given commitment has resulted in much fruit. He had a servant’s heart all the time, and God has honored his labor.
3. He was very caring. Only an unselfish person will care for others. One day, as we were sitting and talking at Philadelphia, a poor man approached, but Appachen had no money to give him. Nevertheless, Appachen went to his room and returned with a couple of books, and told the poor man to sell the books and get some money. Appachen was very concerned about the thousands of souls entering into a Christless eternity. He wished to have a Bible School to train young men for the Gospel work. Thank God, Appachen shared that vision with me, and in the early part of 1970 that dream became a reality at the Philadelphia compound. We were very happy. Only a caring person can go all the way with his dream. As we celebrate this 75th anniversary, let us remember with gratitude the ministry of Pastor and Mrs. P.T. Chacko, and the many who labored along with them. And let us remember that there is still so much work to be done.
Secunderabad convention at Philadelphia compound
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Pastor Noel Samuel, Vijayawda Second grandson of Pastor P. T. Chacko serves as President, IPC Andhra Pradesh. Pastor Noel is grandson of Apostle P. M. Sameul on his paternal side.
pastor chacko - his zeal and humor IMysincerely consider it a blessing to have been born into Pastor P.T. Chacko’s family. mother Mrs. Joy Abraham Samuel is Appachan’s second daughter. Appachan lived in Secunderabad, and we used to visit him and Mary aunty (Mrs. Mary Abraham) and our cousins there. During the summer time Appachan used to visit us and he spent the summer vacation with us. Twice, he was with us when we visited Conoor in Tamilnadu, and Chirala, a town on the coast of Andhra Pradesh. I have very good memories of Appachan. He was very loving and a good conversationalist. In every conversation he used to teach us something. Appachan was very passionate about sharing the good news of Jesus Christ to every person, irrespective of his or her caste or economic status. To him every person, male or female, was a soul that would spend eternity either in heaven or hell. Appachan was very frugal, and one of his favorite sayings was “waste not, want not.” Appachan always recycled paper, even using the backside of used envelopes to print short gospel messages. Appachan was not only careful with resources but also with time. He did not believe in wasting time and was excellent at multitasking. Along with his daily chores and routine, he would be heard praying, reading or singing. Appachan shared his beliefs without offending others. I remember on one occasion when he was visiting my paternal grandfather Pastor P. M. Samuel, he shared his views about believers using medicine for their ailments. Appachan was a man with passion and zeal to impart to others what he knew. He was a teacher who taught the Telugu people Malayalam and he taught the Telugu language to the people from Kerala. Appachan did not like when women wore clothes that exposed their bodies. He said, "the purpose of dress is to cover and not to expose one’s body.”
Mrs. Annamma Chacko was very understanding and hard working, a wise, thoughtful, farsighted lady. She conducted women's seminars in 1943 and 1944 which attracted several women. As a result of this, Mrs. Butt and her daughter Dr. Dorothy Butt attended Kumbanad convention and took water baptism
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Appachan considered “cleanliness next to godliness.” He emphasized that when we are raptured he wanted those left behind to know how neatly our houses were maintained and thereby glorify God. When we traveled with him in trains (coal engine) Appachan used to clean the washroom in the compartment. Once he asked the Train Ticket Examiner to check the washroom that he had cleaned.After checking the washroom the TTE came back and requested Appachan to travel with him every day! Appachan zealously believed that Jesus would return in his lifetime. With this passion he used to share about Christ with everyone. One summer, we were vacationing in a beach resort near Chirala a town on the coast of Andhra Pradesh. Every day, Appachan visited the huts of the fishermen along the beach,
In January 1945 appachen and ammachi celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary. Mr. Manasseh, a wellrespected leader in the Wesleyan Church presided over the special meeting. They received a special thank offering on this occassion.
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1978, when Noel Samuel took water baptism in the presence of his paternal and maternal grandfathers - Apostle P. M. Samuel and Pastor P. T. Chacko with Families of Pastor T. S. Abraham and Pastor Abraham Samuel stooping down to enter them as the door to the huts was very low. Thus he shared the Good News with the hut dwellers. One day, Appachan came to pick me up from my college in Vijayawada. I was a few minutes late. Appachan, instead of sitting in the car, came to the petty shop where my college mates were smoking. He struck up a conversation with them, by saying that if God wanted us to smoke he would have installed a chimney on our head, and then he was teaching about the second coming of our Lord. He said that if Jesus would come now, he would drop the umbrella that was with him and he would be with his savior Jesus Christ. My college mates teased me for a long time by asking me if my grandfather had rocketed into space. Many times Appachan used to persuade me that I need to accept Christ as my Savior. I used to tell him that when I get old I would be religious. In 1978, when I was in Osmania Hospital in Hyderabad due to a tragic motorcycle accident (head injury), Appachan was a great comfort to my mother. I was unconscious for four days and was behaving like a person with psychological problems for several weeks. Appachan told my mother that God would heal me and that I would be ministering for His Kingdom. Now, after three decades, I look back and see the words of Appachan come to pass in my life. Appachan had a favorite question that he asked us. It was "What is greater than God, what is worse than the devil, and if you eat it you will die? We will find the solution only when we answer the questions separately,NOTHING is greater than God, NOTHING is worse than devil, if we eat NOTHING we will die, so the answer is NOTHING! My mother used to narrate to us an incident every time we ate sapota fruits. It seems, a fruit vendor came by selling sapota fruits. Appachan purchased some of them and placed them on the dining table. He didnot mention it to Ammachi. As sapota fruits were not available in Kerala at that time Ammachi did not recognize the fruits on the dining table. Out of curiosity she touched the well-ripened fruit and found them soft. She then went on to ask who had purchased the rotten potatoes. Appachan came to the dining table and calmly said that he had foolishly purchased them and since he did not want to waste it, he would eat it himself. He then went on to peel and eat the fruit, much to Ammachi's surprise !
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Mrs. Annie Jacob, Kuwait Oldest granddaughter of Pastor P. T. Chacko, married to Mr. Jacob Thomas
Fond memories from a
Granddaughter I count it
as a privilege and honor to write a few lines about my dear Appachan and Ammachi. The day I was born, Appachan sent a telegram to my Dad in Kerala. According to my Mom, the telegram read, “Happy Birthday! You have a daughter born today as a birthday gift.” Both my Dad and I share the same birth date. That was Appachan’s humorous way of presenting me! As their eldest granddaughter, I was showered with much care and affection. Both Appachan and Ammachi were very loving but at the same time they were very strict in discipline. Having lived with them from my childhood, I learnt many valuable lessons from their godly lives and their teachings continue to be a blessing to me. I still cherish the precious moments of my childhood spent with them. When I was four years old, my parents were invited to attend conferences in the US. While they were away, I had an attack of whooping cough and it was Ammachi who took special care of me; shed tears and prayed for my speedy recovery. Ammachi passed away when I was less than seven years old but I still remember with joy how she encouraged me to memorize scriptures from the Bible and sing during our family devotions. Appachan would ask me to accompany him when he went to preach on the streets. I would assist him by distributing tracts to the people who passed by. Couple of times when I traveled with him on trains, he made me distribute tracts to all the fellow travelers in the compartment and recite verses from the Bible. Family members or church members who traveled with him could not escape sharing the gospel to the people they came across. There are no words to express Appachan’s burden for perishing souls. Everyday he made sure that he shared the gospel to at least a couple of people before he had his breakfast. He had a unique gift of sharing the gospel to the rich and poor, educated and illiterate, young and old alike. Appachan had a particularly soft corner for the poor and illiterate. Several times when he returned late at night after prayer meetings, he would bring home one or two people whom he befriended on the road.
Appachen and Ammachi set aside their thank offering towards the Church Building Fund. The present Philadelphia Church building, parsonage and property can trace its history back to that anniversary offering.
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We would find Appachan sharing his food, clothes and finally the gospel to these very folks whom most people tried to avoid even approaching due to the stench of sweat and alcohol. Before we left for school in the morning, Appachan would give us tracts for our friends. These tracts were either hand written or rubber stamped with simple language and had attractive drawings. His only aim was to evangelize personally and win souls for Christ. I still have a couple of his tracts with me which say – “Is India FREE? Yes, politically. But NOT SPIRITUALLY. Jesus alone can save you from SIN.” “Life is short. Death is sure. After that comes judgment. JESUS died and conquered Death and Saves all who Trust in HIM. He is coming soon to Rule the World. Accept, Obey and Live for Him.
In 1953, Pastor Chacko was able to purchase a plot where the present Philadelphia church, at Secunderabad, is located.
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Then Heaven will be Your Eternal Home.” If Appachan noticed a word being mis-spelt or pronounced wrongly, he would make us refer to the dictionary and repeat the word correctly more than once. I had the privilege of typing several of Appachan’s articles for the “Gospel Herald” and writing the mailing labels for the magazines. He would very patiently correct any errors, forgetting even his sleep and timely meals to do the same. At mealtimes, he was very particular about table manners and would not allow us or any visitors to chew food with their mouth open or spill food from our plates. Appachan used to make me sweep the compound and verandah and remind me, “Philadelphia Faith Home should be a little piece of Heaven on earth”. He wanted us to maintain the roads in front and behind the Philadelphia Faith Home tidy, reiterating that the Israelites were commanded by God to keep their surroundings clean. “Cleanliness is next to Godliness” and “Matter in the wrong place is dirt” we would often hear him say and he ensured everything, including the bathrooms was neat and clean. Living in Kuwait since 1979 with my husband Shaji, we have learned to appreciate Appachan’s valuable instructions, which have blessed our family life. In February 1980, when Shaji spent a few days at Philadelphia he was inspired by Appachan’s concern for the perishing souls. On hearing the news of the birth of our first child Joel, Appachan wrote to us on June 27, 1980, “My beloved Molly and Shaji, Praise the Lord for His goodness and love on giving the gift of a son to you and a great-grandson to me. How I wish to hold the beloved baby in my hands and praise God for all His loving kindness towards us. We pray that God may give you the wisdom and strength to bring up the child in the fear of God… May I remind you of our Lord’s saying, Ye are the light of the world – let your light shine… He (Jesus) did not say, ye must be light – but, ye are the light, let your light shine… Every day and in every place we are to shine for Him. And our Lord is coming soon. Let us hasten His coming...” This is how Appachan encouraged his children, grandchildren, believers, co-workers and all to shine for Jesus everyday and at every place. Appachan had a great sense of good humor. He would narrate incidents in such a humorous way that there would be much laughter in his company. In July 1988, just few weeks before his death, our family visited Appachan, who was very weak and bedridden. At his bedside, we spoke about various topics, especially about his early days in Andhra Pradesh. When we enquired who accompanied him on his first trip to Andhra Pradesh, Appachan pointed to the wall photo of himself and Ammachi and replied with a smile, “The person in the picture!” As a family, we are really proud to be called their grandchildren and greatgrandchildren. We are grateful to God for the strong spiritual foundation we received from Appachan and Ammachi. Both of them set an outstanding Christian example and we have witnessed how God honored their lives because they feared and served Him faithfully. Our prayer is that God will use Appachan and Ammachi’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren to proclaim the gospel to perishing souls and fulfill the desire of Appachan’s heart to see “Hindu desham become Christu desham”. Luke 1:50, ‘And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation’.
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Mrs. Starla Luke Granddaughter of Pastor Chacko, married to Major V. I. Luke
APPACHEN
Vice-President (Admin), IBC & Seminary, Kumbanad
- CHACKO GARU "Chacko garu'' is how our Appachen, Pastor P T Chacko was fondly and respectfully addressed by the Christian community of Andhra Pradesh. Pastor P.T. Chacko,
my maternal grandfather was handsome and always well turned out. His was an unassuming personality that never failed to impress anyone. My earliest memories of dear Appachen is that he was a stickler for perfection be it in literacy matters, public speaking, cleanliness or evangelism. Doing well and whole heartedly whatever he undertook was his life goal. I had the privilege of being raised as his fifth grandchild imbibing some invaluable lessons by just observing him on a daily basis. Living with Appachen in the same home, my siblings - Valson, Molly, Shirley and I grew up learning a lot more in our ‘faith home’ in Secunderabad, than what one would in a good finishing school and seminary put together! Our family devotion times, every morning and evening, were held punctually at our home in Philadelphia, Secunderabad. On school holidays the family prayer was held in the afternoon as well. Each time we were made to read scripture passages out loud with proper enunciation. Appachen corrected and drilled us until he was certain we got it right. Appachen insisted that our reading of God’s Holy word must give first time listeners a good understanding of the scripture. He did not want people to lose out on any opportunity to hear or respond to the gospel message simply because of slackness in Bible reading. Appachen often quoted to us this old adage when he wanted to teach us to put things in their proper places- ‘Matter in the wrong place is dirt’. We learnt from him to keep ourselves and our surroundings neat and tidy. He had us scrub the wash basin and toilets until they were sparkling. It was clean enough for Appachen only when he could read the name of sanitary company inscribed on it! He instilled in us a great sense of responsibility towards the property we lived in, since it was also a worship place; tardy or sloppy maintenance was never excused. I am reminded of Jimmy, our pet black Alsatian dog. Much as everyone in the family loved him, we all dreaded our turn to pick his ‘royal’ droppings from the Philadelphia grounds. So, Jimmy’s ‘relief’ time, was our ‘drill’ time!
Walking down a street with Appachen was another experience altogether. As we walked under the Oliphant Bridge - he made us hold our handkerchiefs against our nostrils to keep the smoke and dust out. Appachen also made us pick up any banana peel off the street or footpath - lest anyone coming after us should slip/trip and fall. He did not waste anything not even the used bus tickets. He saved them to make interesting drawings or write a brief message to hand out to the next person he met. Just three days before Appachen went to be with the Lord he was talking to my husband, Georgie. Appachen told him that he should not serve two masters - he must chose to serve either the government of this world or the heavenly government. He was indicating
The construction of Philadelphia Church and Parsonage took place during 1957-59. Pastor P. T. Chacko and family moved to Philadelphia on 30th August 1959.
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God’s call upon my husband’s life to serve the Lord full time. The next morning (22 August, 1988) around 6.00 o’clock Appachen spoke to Georgiechayan just before he was to take the train to Rajasthan where he was then posted. Right after the early morning family prayer, Appachen although physically very weak, sent Georgie to his work place with these words, “May the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob go with you and bless you”. This was Appachen’s last verbal conversation/communication and thereafter his health started failing even further. On 24th August at 5 a.m. family members were present around Appachen’s bed singing and after family prayer, Appachen breathed his last and entered eternal rest! His spirit of evangelism was very contagious ! He very often declared that none of us had a right to eat a meal until we had
As a Bible scholar, teacher, writer, pastor and mentor, he trained and raised many as effective church planters and pastors in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
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witnessed Christ to someone. He believed that ‘testimony time’ ought to be held on the streets and not inside the four walls of the church. Appachen made sure the church went out right after Sunday worship service (a time when one was most hungry!) to the street corner, to call out a few Bible verses and sing. One of his favorites songs was ‘Hindu Desham anthayu eppudu Yesuku Swantham Aguchunnado? Andhakaaram Tholagi Velugunchu Kaalamu Thondharalo Raavali’ (When will I see Hindustan (India) belong to Jesus? May the Light dawn speedily, wiping out all darkness) And another much loved song was ‘ ‘Megham Meedha Yesu Swami Vachuchunnadu …’ (Jesus, our Lord comes on the clouds…) Evangelism, in Appachen’s understanding, was neither a call meant for pastors alone nor a mere Sunday affair, He taught us that it must be a daily practice. As school kids, while getting ready for school, Appachen often had a pack of gospel tracts ready for us to give away. That is how we were taught ‘tract distribution’. Appachen never desired for position or power in any sense. He carried himself with dignity and people looked up to him wherever he went. He did not need the props of a title to lean on to. He was a great personal evangelist who remained obedient to his call until his end. He was very forthright and yet was very pleasing in manners and decorum. His messages were very simple, direct and always talked of the perishing souls and passionately urged believers take up their responsibility towards such people. He often challenged all age groups in ways they most easily understood without hurting any sentiments and therefore earned much regard and respect from each believer. He spoke Telugu as well as any native did and therefore identified very well with the local people. He loved the land and the people of Andhra Pradesh. He loved them enough to teach them God’s eternal Word and be buried amidst them. He was much loved for his terrific sense of humor which he used well to strike a conversation with strangers. In 1984, my sister Shirley with my friends Archana and Shagufta were accompanying Appachen by train from Secunderabad to Kerala to attend our wedding. There was a bunch of youngsters in the same compartment, some of who were smoking. Appachen engaged them in a conversation, advised them against the dangers of smoking and light heartedly told them that if God intended for man to smoke cigarettes, he would have created man with a chimney on his head. This broke the ice and from there the conversation moved to other areas. After making them comfortable and seeing their hearts open up to him, he shared with them the message of salvation. Appachen was editor of the Gospel Herald - the first Christian monthly publication in the English language from among the Kerala Pentecostal community. He kept his language very simple yet conveyed powerful thoughts. He always corrected others in their spoken and written English, Malayalam and Telugu languages–this he did on a personal level without causing offence. His drive for perfection in writing was not limited to his own articles–he corrected spelling mistakes even on shop name boards and billboards. He initiated me into ‘proof reading’ as a young girl when he took me with him to the press where the ‘Gospel Herald’ was being and printed. I even remember a couple of instances when we had to manually correct spelling mistakes or even punctuation marks in each copy of the printed magazine before they were mailed out. Sticking the wrapper around the folded magazine, neatly writing the addresses and gluing the stamps to the wrapper using a homemade gooey paste (a good old ‘glue’ substitute) were the jobs we grandkids did to help with the ‘literature ministry’. All of that training I received as a young girl
renewing and enriching life
has stood me in good stead, both as teacher and as I work with the revive magazine today. It was in August 1983 that my husband, Goergiechayan, first visited us in the Faith Home. He was on Annual Leave from the snowy mountains of Sikkim, where he was serving in the Indian army. He was visiting his sister and family in Hyderabad when he came to the church service at Philadelphia. Georgiechayan was attracted to my grandfather seeing his zeal for the Word and burden for the lost souls. Both of them took an immediate liking to each other. Appachen had a charm and charisma that was rare. The grace of God was naturally evident on his face that always remained radiant. Appachen’s spirit of evangelism appealed to Georgiechayan the most. The earnestness with which he called passers-by to the gate and told them about Jesus stirred up in him a greater passion for the lost. Appachen’s anecdotes and life experiences loaded with humor, made it all the more appealing to learn how God opened up strange ways to share the gospel to unbelievers. Stories of how he faced persecution from religious fundamentalists motivated believers to preach Christ without counting the cost.
Pastor Chacko encouraged and groomed these men for ministry - Evangelists Nathaniel, Arthur John, Mammen Mathew
Some of quotes he used often, that impacted many lives and that inspired us have been scattered throughout this book on various pages. Appachen used acronyms to explain Christ, making it easy for us to remember the message. His favorite and most striking one is: India Needs Divine Intervention Always We desire to serve God unquestioningly and with a passion that will only increase each day. Appachen’s love for the Lord, His Word or his passion to win souls did not decrease with age, health or time. Similarly, it is our prayer that we too will love Christ, His Word and the unsaved with a greater love each passing day.
He served as the first General Secretary of India Pentecostal Church of God.
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Mrs. Shirley Chacko Arlington, WA, USA Youngest granddaughter of Pastor Chacko
APPACHEN -A PASSIONATE AND COMPASSIONATE MAN OF GOD This was a short simple gospel message that appachen printed with a rubber stamp and handed out to people on the bus, streets and everywhere he could spread the Pastor Chacko lived by the motto, “No supper without evangelism” (NSWE) He made it his purpose in life to witness to rich or poor, literate or illiterate, governor or beggar.
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salvation message. He practiced and led an exemplary life of “no supper without evangelization”. Two hours before supper each day, I would find appachen at the front gate of our home in Secunderabad distributing the above gospel tracts to those who were walking on the street. Over the years, due to excess use and wear and tear of the rubber stamp, the period or full stop after the word –“world” in the tract was no longer visible when printed. Appachen was a perfectionist and I vividly remember spending several evenings, correcting hundreds of these printed tracts with a blue ink pen. Almost 33 years have gone by and I recollect an evening when I was upset and felt that appachen was wasting my precious playing time with friends and wondered why he could not get a new rubber stamp made that was perfect and legible and save me from all the extra work!! There are many aspects that come to mind about my dear appachen, but in a photographic flashback, I would like to highlight some aspects that he taught me to – thrive in life and ministry and not just survive.
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As a kid growing up in Secunderabad, I often focused on my own needs and myself – but appachen in his simple way of making me correct the printed tracts, taught me to refocus from the inward to the outward. He was passionate about Christ and about sharing the love of Christ for people. Appachen truly understood God’s love and was a practical example of the greatest commandment – “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind…. You shall love your neighbor as yourself “. Because appachen thoroughly understood God’s love, he was burdened to share this great love with neighbors and friends. Loving his neighbors, friends and people on the street was a lifestyle for appachen – not just a one-time deal. His compassion and love for lost souls was contagious and I am so thankful for the mentoring role that appachen had in my life. Appachen was not a discriminator of people. He visited the rich in their huge homes and the poor people in their mud huts and shared the gospel with both. While the educated were given tracts and material to read, the uneducated had the privilege of receiving the artistic talents of appachen. He would draw and illustrate the bible stories to them on paper or use a stick to draw on the ground and explain the gospel message. He was an intentional man in his methods of teaching. He only said what was necessary and followed the example of Christ. He had a meaning to every sentence and story that was narrated. Two years before I was born, secunderabad ammachi passed away in 1964. Although I never met ammachi on this earth, I know that I will meet her up in our eternal home. Appachen always told me that though ammachi is in her eternal home, she has only changed her address. Appachen always talked lovingly about ammachi and cherished her memories during the time that he was alone from 1964 to 1989. I had the wonderful privilege of growing up with appachen and when I turned 13 years old, my mom had to take voluntary retirement from her teaching career and join my dad at Kumbanad, Kerala. From the year 1980 to August 24, 1989, I had the honor and privilege of taking care of appachen and the household responsibilities. During this period in my life I have learnt many valuable lessons from appachen and as I recollect, appachen was a compassionate mentor and taught several evangelists the English language and proper communication in evangelizing. The word 'development' was an ongoing process for appachen and he constantly taught those around him on how to improve themselves in every area of their lives. James 1:4 –5 says, “Let endurance have its full effect, so that you be mature and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God.”. Appachen was a firm believer of making conscious choices and disciplines in his life. He made a conscious choice to study the word of God thoroughly. He always taught the younger evangelists to be equipped with tools and resources for ministry and encouraged them to be prepared in season and out of season. He practiced the saying, “Cleanliness is next to Godliness” and as his granddaughter, I am proud to say that I have inherited this discipline from him. Cleanliness was not just evident in his personal hygiene or surroundings, but was very strongly carried out at the dinner table. Appachen taught us kids to chew our food with our mouths closed and to use our fingers to pick up our food and eat. After we were done eating he asked us to show him our hands and he checked to see if our palms were messy or clean!! In the midst of a busy life and schedule, appachen chose to focus and prioritize his life. He focused on the important things and cropped out the many unnecessary things that came his way. Appachen never got carried away with the riches of the world and the comforts of life. He had several opportunities to excel himself in the material aspects, but he chose to remain humble. His deep and strong passion for lost souls kept him obedient to the purpose that he was called to be. However, appachen never limited his vision or his mission. Appachen had a sincere passion for the lost and over the years he just learned to love and accept people even if they refused to accept Christ. He was an encourager and
always did his best to enhance others and bring out the best in them. He was very particular about his dealings with others and especially how he interacted with those in our neighborhood. During the years of 1981-1989, we had some awesome neighbors – the Nookla family. Uncle Nookla is a famous classical singer. His children and I have been and continue to be good friends. However, uncle Nookla was a very pious hindu man and I remember there were several times he got upset during the Sunday worship services when the worship got loud. He would come out of his home, knock on the windows of the church and tell us to lower our voices. Appachen’s answer to him was always firm yet loving. I had the privilege of visiting uncle Nookla in July 2007 when I was in Secunderabad after 18 years. Currently he is 81 years old and as we chatted, uncle
To continue the legacy of Pastor P. T. Chacko in Hyderabad and Andhra Pradesh, the P. T. Chacko Trust is set upto reach people for the Kingdom of God through educational, charitable and social methods.
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Nookla reminisced on the good old days when Appachen was alive. He stated,” I have never seen a Christian like Pastor Chacko who was so persistent and passionate about his faith and I really appreciated his loving and encouraging nature”. This statement brought such joy to my heart and reinforced in me that appachen truly loved those who were not Christians. It’s easy for present day generation Christians to get along really well with like-minded Christians who hold similar values and status in society. But, appachen was a perfect example of his motto - to love all kinds of people, as Christ wanted him to love them. Thank you dear appachen, for being a role model for me in this area of life. Proverbs 13:22 say, “Good people leave an inheritance to their grandchildren….”. Appachen has left a tremendous, unique
inheritance for us his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. My prayer is that as a family – my husband Vijai, my son Joshua and I will continue to follow appachen’s example and carry on the legacy that he has left behind. I pray that we will be found faithful in living passionate and compassionate lives and be a true witness for Christ in a world that desperately needs HIM.
Seated L - R : Pastor John Rajan, Rev. Devaprakasham, Pastor A. N. Mathew with Pastor Mammen Mathew and other pastors from the IPC Hyderabad Malayalam District
Life with Appachen and Ammachi - Just the Remembrance Brings Blessings ! continued from page 19
Pastor P.T. Chacko entered glory on 24th August, 1988. Mrs. Annamma Chacko and Pastor P.T. Chacko have been laid to rest at Bhoiguda Cemetry in Secunderabad.
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peon had. Surprise, surprise—two large, live fish, wiggling in the basket. The note was from one Mrs. O'Leary, if I remember right, a resident of the Widows' Home in Marredpalli. Imagine that—God put it in the heart of a widow to arrange for a timely answer to my prayer! The second example is of my sister Joy. When she was a student of Keyes High School, she decided to stay home on a day students were expected to pay tuition fee because our family lacked the money for it. Ammachi insisted that Joy go to school, and that she would stay home and pray about the tuition fee. My sister went to school that day, sat in the classroom nervous and embarrassed because all her classmates were paying their fees and receiving receipts from the teacher. After a while the teacher came and handed a receipt to my sister, and told her to be sure and thank Mrs. Janardhan, another teacher, for paying the fees. Here is the rest of the story. It seems this Mrs, Janardhan, a Hindu, had a daughter who was deathly ill. She prayed to God and vowed that if the daughter's life is spared, she would pay the tuition for any girl of my sister's teacher's choice. And my sister's teacher chose the one whom God wanted chosen, wouldn't you say? Later in her life, my sister Joy went on to earn an M.A. degree from a university in USA, start an orphanage and a high school in Vijayawada that have imparted education and salvation message to hundreds of children who hold responsible positions throughout India. Both with their life, attitude and words, our parents taught us well and put us on the right path in which we have been privileged to walk, and now we strive, trusting the same God and His faithfulness so that we may pass the torch on to our posterity.
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Mrs. Ammini Daniel, Bangalore, a daughter of the Chacko family since she was ten years old. She was married to Bro. N. K. Daniel
a personal evangelist Pastor P. T. Chacko, or Appachen as I fondly called him, was a blessed man of God, whose sole purpose in life was to take the gospel to the unreached and to save as
many people as possible from eternal death. His fervour for the gospel was so intense that sacrificing personal comfort was never a problem. Sometimes he would sacrifice even meal times to share the gospel with someone about our Lord Jesus Christ. He would not just preach the gospel but he also trained people to become missionaries for the Lord. Whenever he got the chance, he would hold open air meetings. Even while returning from weekly cottage meetings, he would share the gospel to strangers passing by and at times, he would be threatened and attacked for sharing the gospel. He was prepared to face persecution and difficult times so that God’s kingdom would be established in Secunderabad and through the state of Andhra Pradesh. An incident in his life illustrates his perseverance for the gospel. One day, while sharing the gospel, he was attacked by some people, but instead of running away or retaliating, he just stood there and continued to receive blows from the attackers. A railway employee who saw this rushed to our home and told us to bring Appachen back home. We rushed to the spot and escorted Appachen back home. But this never deterred Appachen. He would leave home early in the morning and return only at 2 pm. He would go to different villages to share the gospel during this time. He made a big wooden cross and hung it on his neck – this raised the curiosity of the slum dwellers and they asked questions. Appachen used this as an opportunity talk about the love of Christ. Once when Appachen visited Bangalore to attend a conference in UTC, he attended a Sunday Service with our family. After the service, he, along with Pastor Rajan John, some of the sisters from church and me, held an open air meeting. We reached home only at 4:00 pm and only then we had lunch. At times, he would bring home people
with whom he had shared the gospel. He would extend gracious hospitality to them and ensured that they ate and spent the night at our home. I remember him having two blankets that he kept at the foot of his bed for his leg pain. He would share those blankets with his guests to make sure they were comfortable. He never cared for his own comfort but was willing to go to any extent to make others comfortable. Because of excessive walking, Appachen had severe leg pain and swelling. Many times I would massage his legs and wash them with warm water and this would give him some relief. A majority of the church members were from Hindu background. One was a Muslim lady who accepted the Lord and the Christian faith. She stood for Christ till the end of her life and she had many revelations and visions.
In 1961, he went to the Indian Parliament and submitted a 12 page Memorandum defending – “The Christian Marriage and Matrimonial Causes Bill.”
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When the present church building was under construction, there was shortage of water in that area, so Appachen along with his son Jeffreys, daughter Susy and I would walk one kilometre to draw water for the construction and we would fill the water tank. By God’s grace, Appachen’s third daughter Aliamma, and Jeffreys got jobs. Their financial support, along with the salary of Mrs. Mary Abraham (Mummy, as I fondly called her), were all used towards the expenses of the Philadelphia church hall and parsonage. One Saturday, the contractor Mathaichen was waiting for Mummy to come back from school so that he could get some money for construction purposes. Mummy returned late from school that day, but as soon as she came, she gave her salary to Mrs. Chacko
On 22nd December 1964, Mrs. Annamma Chacko told her children and believers in three languages, Malayalam, Telugu and English “My Lord is sending angels to take me to heaven; you need not weep for me as I am going to my father”.
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Pastor Philip Abraham and Pastor Chacko loved each other and labored tirelessly in Hyderabad and Secunderabad (or Ammachi, as I fondly called her). Ammachi called all the childrento her side, prayed for the salary received, set apart the tithe amount for a pastor called Yesudas who was working in Gaudi village in Andhra Pradesh. The entire remaining amount she gave it to the Contractor. This incident taught me that it was important to always give first for the
Lord’s work. All glory to the Lord. Only few rooms, the verandah and the dining room of the Faith Home were partially built. Only cement work was done on inside walls, and the exterior was left unfinished for lack of funds. Anyhow we shifted from the rented house to this new and partially built Faith Home. The floor of the meeting hall was cemented, and so hay was spread on it, and mats spread on top for us to sit on and worship. By God’s grace, we were able to complete the construction after a year. Praise God. Today that building is the IPC Philadelphia Church and parsonage in Secunderabad. During one Sunday church service, Appachen mentioned that a van was needed for outreach ministry. After a few months, a foreign missionary saw the highway sign of the church and came inside the parsonage. He interacted with Appachen for some time. As the missionary got up to leave, he promised Appachen that he will provide the funds to purchase the van. But Appachen graciously declined the offer, saying that it was the responsibility of the church members to buy it. Appachen dedicated his life for the Gospel and Ministry and nothing else in this world attracted him, not even money. As Appachen grew older, he was unable to do anything on his own and was bedridden. When I came to know about his condition, I visited him. When he saw me, he told me not to leave him. I took care of Appachen for the next three weeks. I had to return to Bangalore and ten days later, I heard the news of Appachen’s passing away. I was able to attend Appachen’s funeral. I praise God for Appachen’s life. Ammachi was a great supporter of Appachen’s ministry. In the morning, she would go the railway quarters and teach the Word of God to the residents there. She would invite them to the Sunday Service. She would also go to hospitals to distribute tracts. After Ammachi became ill and bedridden, one day, she called me to her side and told me not to worry about anything and that God was going to bless me and make me an instrument of blessing to others. She blessed and comforted me with these words. Next day, Ammachi went to be with the Lord. Mummy (Mrs.Mary Abraham) was also a great help in the ministry. After returning from teaching in school, she, along with other church members would hold cottage meetings, visit homes, and help the needy. In the early mornings, she would pray earnestly for the church members, naming specific persons and their needs. She would
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Evangelists Rajan John, John Simon, Nathaniel and others received bicycles to help with evangelism. Pastor and Mrs. T. S. Abraham have provided tremendous encouragement to these pastors for several decades. pray with burden for new souls. This played an important part in my prayer life also as Mummy had set a good example. During school holidays, she would join with other believers and pray for Andhra Pradesh. Pastor T.S. Abraham (whom I fondly called Daddy) was always supportive of Mummy in ministry and prayer. Today when I see Daddy and Mummy, I recollect with a grateful heart how God used them to toil for the Lord. I praise God for giving them long lives and good health. I pray that God will continue to grant them good health and strength in the years to come. I praise God for enabling me to write a few things about Appachen and to be a part of this godly family. I consider it a great privilege. Ammachi influenced me to learn the Word of God and the importance of maintaining a good prayer life. In one annual convention in Secunderabad, a servant of God who preached the Word of God very powerfully and gave an altar call for those people who wanted to accept the Lord Jesus, I responded. I cannot forget that day because that was when I trusted the Lord and was also baptized. I was 13 years old then. All glory and honour to the Lord. One day, when Appachen was leaving for Itarsi to teach Bible classes, he called his youngest daughter Susy, oldest grandchild Valson Abraham and I together and exhorted that all three of us should be filled with the Holy Spirit and also to support him in prayer. Mummy also joined us to support in prayer. On hearing that we were praying for the filling of the Holy Spirit, one school headmistress and two teachers, as well as Pastor Yesudas from Kasargod, also joined us in prayer. Two days before the schools reopened, all three of us were filled with the Holy Spirit and we spoke in tongues. We worshipped the Lord for hours. After N.K. Daniel and I got married, we settled in Bangalore, and God strengthened us to do his work there for these past 44 years. God has blessed us with three daughters, two of them settled in Atlanta, USA. Our youngest daughter and family are with me in Bangalore. They too are involved in the Lord’s ministry along with secular work. My husband went to be with the Lord on July 22, 2002. The Lord used him in several ways and I praise Him for leading my family thus far.“The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and they are safe,” saysProverbs 18:10. All Glory and honour to the Lord.
Hyderabad has an estimated population of over 9.5 million, making it the 4th largest city in India. 2.5 % of this population are Christians.
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Mrs. Nirmala Emmanuel was married to Bro. S. J. Sam Emmanuel, an engineer and a member of IPC Philadelphia Church
my spiritual
From the very beginning I was made to feel right at home. I have a special place in my heart for Pastor T. S. Abraham and Sister Mary Abraham and their children who were very loving, full of concern and made me feel as one of their own. I know Pr. Valson who was like a brother and a dear friend to me and my husband. I was amazed at the powerful messages that he shared and the anointing on his life at such a young age. It was a joy not only to go to Philadelphia
Father
My familiarity with Philadelphia Church began on 02 December 1970, when I was married to Mr. S. J. Sam Emmanuel, an active member of that church. Our marriage was solemnized by Apostles P. T. Chacko and P.L. Paramjyothi.
IPC Convention at Philadelphia grounds
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to worship but also to meet all these dear people. Late Pastor P.T. Chacko was my spiritual father. My husband grew up there spiritually and as a young man was filled with the Holy Spirit. Under the loving mentorship of Pr P.T. Chacko and Pr. T.S. Abraham, he started translating from numerous languages including Malayalam, Tamil and Kannada to Telugu from the young age of 17. Pastors P.T. Chacko and T.S. Abraham not only encouraged him to translate but also guided him to preach the word of God in cottage prayer meetings and other places. I remember how my husband along with other believers were led by Pr. Chacko to preach and proclaim the gospel of Jesus in buses, trains, road junctions
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(R-L) Pastor K. M. Joseph, Pastor Bhaskar Dawson, Pastor P. L. Paramjyothi with Pastor P. T. Chacko - at the 1984 Secunderabad convention and anywhere he had an audience. When he was too feeble to travel extensively, I remember the countless times where Pr. Chacko would sit on a lone chair outside the gate of Philadelphia church waiting for anyone who had the time to listen to the gospel of Jesus. I remember the time when immediately after Sunday Service he would take a group of believers with him to stations, bus stops and junctions where he would stand and fearlessly proclaim Jesus to everyone. I have yet to see a person who operated completely under the unction of the Holy spirit, so consumed with the passion to preach the Gospel of Christ. Till the end, Pr. Chacko used all his health and energy that God gave him to evangelize and to reach lost souls for Christ. We used to especially look forward to the Annual Conventions where great preachers took us through the richness of the Word of God. It was truly like manna from heaven. I remember the times where we would discuss in our family prayer time about the word that was shared at Church. I also had the wonderful experience of teaching the Sunday School under
L - R : Apostle P. M. Samuel, Pastor P. L. Paramjyothi, Pastor T. K. Thomas and other IPC Pastors who were pioneers and mighty men of God who strove hard, won souls and established churches in the State of Andhra Pradesh
Pastor P. T. Chacko, Annamma Chacko with their oldest two daughters - Mary and Joy the supervision of Sis. Vimala Anandam (Vimaunty) and Sis Sumithra Anandam(Summaunty). They had a truly special anointing to teach young and old children the word of God in a unique way. It was there that my children Nancy and Dinakar learned and memorized the word of God. I count it a blessing that God chose me and my family to be a part of Philadelphia church. The experience, the richness and depth of God's word that was preached in Philadelphia has been invaluable to me all through my life. September 2016
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Mrs. Aliamma Cherian
THE Every major event in life’s journey deserves recognition.
In my corner of the world, birthday, graduation, wedding, anniversary, bridal shower, baby shower and house-warming are occasions for joyful family and community celebrations. When the Philadelphia Telugu Church of Secunderabad invited me for the Platinum Jubilee Celebration I was indeed delighted. This was not a current event. Platinum Jubilee involves looking up old records and making the past come alive. It is recalling the story of Spirit of God stirring up hearts to obey and launch out , of those who risked their lives for the cross, of being faithful to the heavenly vision. A few reflections on that chapter in church history of the twin cities – Hyderabad and Secunderabad. The political identity of Andhra and Telangana as states is now clearly defined. It was not so prior to 1956. The Telugu-speaking people lived in what was then known as Madras Presidency and the Nizam’s State of Hyderabad. Major political upheavals and constitutional changes took place wiping out British rule and the
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NVITATION kingship of Nizam. However, all along the Spirit of God was at work among the Telugu-speaking people . Church planting of IPC work started in Eluru, West Godavary in 1936. In both Krishna and Godavary districts small fellowships of believers were formed. In 1938 the Lord guided Pastor P.T. Chacko (Appachen) to the twin cities to conduct gospel meetings. A few believers were baptized. It was in 1940 that we, as a family relocated to Secunderabad. As a seven-year old I remember arriving in Secunderabad by train. Dear Mrs. Mary Naidu was on the station platform to welcome us. The Faith Home was in Regimental Bazaar behind the police station. Dr. Seshadry of Bidar sent financial help towards the rent of the flat in the early years. Jeevaratnam of Karimnagar and R. E. Paul of Gadwal were faithful members of the church. Jeevaratnam, a tailor by profession, attended Zion Bible School. He pioneered the work in Domalguda and Chappal Bazaar. Besides the twin cities, Appachen ministered in Warangal, Devarakonda, Nizamabad, Shakarnagar, and Nagarjunasagar. Ministry in Mahbubnagar was a memorable experience. New mission stations were opening up. Bro. Shastry had just started church planting there. Appachen was with him for special meetings. The parsonage did not have a secure door. After the evening meeting, when the pastor and family came home, to their dismay, they found the door open. A stray dog that pushed his way in helped himself to the cooked meal. It was hot and humid after the rain drenched the ground along . Just the season for certain insects to spring out of moist earth. By the hundreds these insects swarmed around the lantern. They were instantly roasted. Pastor Shastry convinced appachen that this was fresh-roasted and edible. They all had the roasted morsels for supper that night. Gifted with both a sense of adventure and of humor Appachen enjoyed talking about it. He assured us there was no pollution – sprung from the earth and roasted right away. Appachen provided ample opportunities for me to develop skills in public speaking. In open-air meetings he would just announce to the crowd, “my daughter will now tell you a story. As an eight-year old, I remember narrating the story of the Prodigal Son. Translating Appachen’s English sermons into Telugu was a great exercise in gaining scriptural knowledge and fluency of expression. Hosting new evangelists from Kerala involved teaching them Telugu and translating their messages. Running errands and inviting people for special meetings kept me busy. There was
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no money to print flyers. You just knocked on doors and verbally invited people. The publication of Gospel Herald monthly involved the entire household. Quite often I would go to the printing press with proof-read material. When Appachen was overseas for sixteen months my sister Mary Abraham and I were responsible for editing and publishing of the magazine. Teaching Sunday School helped me study the Bible lessons and develop ability to communicate with children from a variety of backgrounds. I had the church Sunday School with children from Christian homes. On Sunday afternoons I taught Outreach Sunday School in Pickett and Lallaguda, at different seasons based on proximity to our residence. In Pickett -- it was always outdoors – the most idyllic scene I have enjoyed in the suburbs of Secunderabad – under a large shady tree with a pond nearby. David and Deenamma lived in the village. Other than David’s children the rest were all from Hindu families. Their dwellings were thatched huts, small and simple. The Lallaguda Sunday School was in the home of Mrs. Y.L. George. The setting was Railway Quarters housing families of railway employees. I boarded the bus at Mettuguda to reach Lallaguda. Children from Hindu families in the neighborhood gladly attended the classes. At times, a mother needing deliverance from fears would accompany her child, knowing that Jesus would answer prayer. After years of enduring hardship in serving the Lord, it is not uncommon for ministers to gratefully acknowledge God’s material blessings upon them in the latter part of their lives. Bragging about the financial well-being of their adult children gets to be a chorus, a sure yardstick of divine favor. Preachers visiting believers in cities often cross the lines of propriety asking prying questions to elicit information about the financial worth of their hosts. For eight years, while I was employed and living at home, never once did Appachen ever ask about my income. His parental authority and influence was not used to control, direct or gain information about my finances. That speaks volumes on the highest standards of etiquette and level of ethical integrity that he maintained.
Mary and Joy - at one of the Sunday Schools they conducted each week
Concerned with the eternal destiny of every soul, Appachen was at ease and comfortable with people of all social levels. I was at an outdoor meeting with him in Secunderabad when a man responded to his gospel message saying, “Sir, today if you give me rice, you are my god.” In another instance, a new believer from a remote village and Appachen were sharing meals in our home. The guest described how they made pickles with pebbles! That was their condiment. Appachen did not react with surprise or disgust. He met people at their level. He truly followed Paul’s admonition in Rom. 12:16 “Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. (KJV) “be willing to associate with people of low position.” (NIV) The Western Pentecostal Conference was held in Vancouver, B.C. Canada this year. This is an annual gathering of immigrant believers from western North America. Here I had the privilege of meeting a former missionary, a native of Kerala, who served the Lord in Andhra. In her words, “My late husband Raju attended the Bible School conducted in Secunderabad in 1968 (?). Your father taught us the Telugu alphabet. We served the Lord in Shantinagar, a suburb of Secunderabad. Now my son is ministering in the Vijayawada area.” I almost choked up with emotion as I heard her. I thought of the Saturday Night Fasting and Prayer, Appachen’s persistent proclamation of the gospel and Ps. 126 : 6 “He who goes to and fro weeping, carrying his bag of seed…” The spark ignited in 1940 continues to shed its light. Thank you Philadelphia Church for hosting the Jubilee celebration. Remember the days of old; consider the generations long past. Deut. 32 : 4 September 2016
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PATTERNS FOR PRACTICE continued from page 22 brought them over to our home just to give us, his children and ammachi, the unique experience of meeting native Africans. These soldiers wore blue uniforms. They were from Kenya or neighboring country. Appachen had them pull out their frizzy hair to show us the length of the tight curls around their heads. Missionary work was a familiar theme in our home. The Congo Evangelistic Report was a favorite magazine we read. It kept us informed about missionary work in Africa. Often there was intercessory prayer for missionaries. It was remarkable that appachen exercised his teaching skills even during his last days. We were all aware that the end was near. He wanted to be assured that my faith and hope was anchored in the Lord and His Word. He would quote part of a verse and ask me to fill in the blanks with the reference. “Ye sorrow not even as others which have no hope” was the verse he quoted. Again he quoted John 14:2 “In my father’s house are many mansions…” He wanted me to complete the verse. He knew that I had traveled a great distance to be with him. The legacy he was leaving for me was the faith and the Word. “We have a reunion. We will have a fellowship” were his last words to me, full of hope. During my junior and preteen years I was very sensitive to parental correction and reprimands. I would break out in tears sobbing. If the weeping continued, appachen would admonish, “Well, if you’ve decided to weep, you might as well think of the perishing souls and weep for them.” In subtle ways he would communicate profound truths. No loss is as great as the eternal damnation of a soul.
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Opposition to Legalism Proclaiming and experiencing healing through faith in Christ has been a vital part of the Full- Gospel. During the early years of IPC the importance given to divine healing promoted the radical view that seeking medical help was an indication of lack of faith. Some preachers condemned doctors. Those who used medicine were excluded from the Lord’s Table. Appachen vehemently opposed this form of bigotry. He became unpopular with faith-healing preachers because of his views.
Women in Ministry Appachen encouraged the participation of women in evangelism and ministry. During the pioneering years there were few men who could lead in the Responsive Reading of the Psalm in Telugu during the Sunday worship service. Appachen would have one of us girlsdo the reading. As he geared up to take the congregation for streetpreaching, his favorite verse was Psalm 68:11 - “The Lord gives the word [of power]; the women who bear and publish (the news) are a great host.”(Ampl. Version) New Rev, Telugu and Malayalam translations have women) He provided ample opportunities for us to be involved in witnessing and teaching. It was a standard practice for one of us to translate his sermons into Telugu. In January 1945 Appachen and Ammachi celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary. We were living at 5782 Regimental Bazaar. It had been five years since we had been in Secunderabad. Apart from actual church members quite a number of friends always attended and supported our meetings. Mr. Manasseh, a well-respected leader in the Wesleyan Church presided over the special meeting. He lived across from the post office in our neighborhood. It was a Thanksgiving service for our parents 25 years together, for their obedience to the call and vision to step out in faith to serve God in the twin cities. There were no decorations, gifts or food items. The Second World War was still going on. All basic food items were rationed. Even the availability of kerosene oil was limited. We had no electricity in our building. There were testimonies, felicitations, affirmation of God's promises and fervent prayer for future blessings. We worshipped in a rented facility. Something positive, of eternal significance came from that celebration. Appachen and Ammachi set aside their thank offering towards the Church Building Fund. The present Philadelphia Church building, parsonage and property can trace its history back to that anniversary offering. The long-lasting impact of a celebration !! If all our celebrations had a kingdom-goal, is there a limit to what can be accomplished? I was inspired to write this after reading part of a speech by Pope Francisa couple of months ago while he was in Ecuador. "May you never lose the ability to protect what is small and simple, to care for your children and your elderly who are the memory of your people, to have confidence in the young and to be constantly struck by the nobility of your people and the singular beauty of your country."
Mrs. Kamalamma with her husband Pastor John Simon, pioneered the mission work at Pamukunta which has a thriving church and Bible believing community today.