Thursday, February 21, 2013

Off to the Villages we go

Our tough Makodiya Jeep
There was a meeting of one of the SHGs aranged in one of the villages that day. Ranju achen was to preside over the meeting which is co-ordinated by one community worker called Mr. Raghuveer Malviya.


A bullock cart makes its way past us
We climbed into the jeep and achen drove us into the villages. Jaipal showed us the way to the  village. Achen had already called ahead and spoken with Mr. Raghuveer. The ride was bumpy but was also scenic, as we drove past the river Hathed which flows through the edge of our property. The dirt roads were uneven and we passed a couple bullock carts on the way. I remembered I had read somewhere that such bullock carts were the only viable modes of transport a while back when Theodosius Thirumeni and Osthathios Thirumeni would frequent these places.



Achen is a veteran driver when it comes to these areas and the tough roads were well negotiated by the sturdy jeep. We soon arrived at our destination without issues.


We reached early and were met by Mr.Raghuveer. "The villagers will gather in about 10 minutes" he told us, giving us time to look around and see the setting of the village.


going to meet the villagers
The villagers lived in small huts and chawl type homes. The meeting venue was the verandah of one such home. We huddled nearby and I had a few questions about the village which Sanoj and achen answered. A few boys watched us from a distance. A man was taking his cow to graze in the fields beyond the village. A couple of goats were tied nearby. A rooster and some hens moved around freely. The air smelt of cow dung cakes which were dried on the roofs of the huts. The thought came to me that this place was not very different from rural Kerala. Since Theodosius Thirumeni could handle Hindi well, HG would have felt pretty much at home here.



Waiting for the meeting to begin
The economic liberalization of modern India does not seem to have come anywhere near this place, I thought.


(Written by Mathew Samuel (Sunil), a visitor to Makodiya in January 2013)
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Our Shepherd

Our Shepherd
HG Dr. Joseph Mar Dionysius, our Shepherd and Diocesian Metropolitan, Director of the Makodia Mission is the guiding light in our ministry

Purpose - provide a glimpse of a gigantic vision

In the past I have often heard of Makodiya and Theodosius Thirumeni's work there, but was unable to find much further details or pictures of what happens there, what Thirumeni's vision was, what is its current state etc.

This blog is a small initiative to provide some information, some visibility to this mission - which needs a lot of support and prayers. Hope this endeavor would help focus attention on this place and work that was so dear to Theodosius Thirumeni who remains one of the pioneers of mission work for the ancient Church of India.

- Mathew Samuel (Sunil)

Set up by a visionary

When Late Lamented HG Stephanos Mar Theodosius Metropolitan arrived in Makodia in the 1980s, there were no roads or civilization. It was the visionary grace of the bishop who saw potential to do Christ's work in these remote areas that brought the Indian Orthodox Church to the region.With great patience and love, the bishop and committed disciples built up the mission among the tribals - far away from Kerala, far away from what the Church considered home for many centuries.The Indian Church has now finally begun to embrace India.

Sharing Christ - not conversion

Christian "Mission" is usually mis-interpretted as "conversion" attempts - this is the result of the aggressive Western gospel works in India without properly understanding the richness of the spirituality in India. The Indian Orthodox Church does not believe in forcible conversions, or even that conversion and baptism are the ultimate goals of Christian missions. The Indian Orthodox Church, which has existed in India since the beginning of Christianity, understands India like none else, and sees mission work in its essence as "sharing Christ" which translates itself to serving the poor, loving unconditionally and working for justice. Working for the upliftment of the poor is doing Christ's work. That is gospel work, that is Christian mission - and that is what is seen in Makodiya.