The week-long Maramon Convention is the meeting place of believers and it helps bring people closer, Thomas Mar Thethose, Metropolitan of the Mumbai diocese of the Mar Thoma Church, has said.

The Metropolitan was delivering a discourse at the Maramon Convention at on the riverbed of Pampa at Maramon near Kozhencherry on Monday.

He compared modern man’s life to an ‘author editing his own work,’ which would not be appropriate. Instead, a true believer should leave the ‘editing job’ to the divine will. The flaws in his life could only be corrected thus, he added.

Believers should understand the pleasure and joy in sacrificing something for the wellbeing of others, Mar Thethose said.

Rev. Andile M. Mebte from South Africa; and Rev. Philip Moun Stephen from the United Kingdom delivered discourses at 2 p.m. and 6.30 p.m. on Monday.

Philipose Mar Chrysostum, senior Metropolitan of Mar Thomas Church, Mathews Mar Makarios, and Gregorios Mar Stephanose will deliver discourses at 10 a.m., 2 p.m. and 6.30 p.m. on Tuesday.

Ecumenical meet

Cardinal Baselius Mar Cleemis Catholicos of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church and bishops of various other churches will address the ecumenical meet to be held on Wednesday.

Believers must pray for the wellbeing of the whole world and let the will of God prevail in its fullness, Philipose Mar Chrysostum, senior Metropolitan of Mar Thoma Church, has said.

“God’s goodness unfolds before our eyes like a flower opens itself to the sun. Everything in the world is mutually dependent and the whole is dependent upon God,” he said, while delivering the keynote address on the second day of the Maramon Convention on the riverbed of the Pampa at Maramon near Kozhencherry on Tuesday.

Most Rev. Dr. Philipose Mar Chrysostom Mar Thoma Valiya Metropolitan said every human being should actively take part in God’s work on earth. A true follower of Jesus Christ should help the needy.

“We understand God by what He has done. Maramon Convention gives the message that a good man consciously looks for ways to benefit others,” he said.

Mar Chrysostum said the Church which was bound to give light to the world lacked the light.

He said at the convention believers must work in unison with their family and the Church for the welfare of those who were denied even the basic needs in life.

Mathews Mar Makarios and Gregorios Mar Stephanose delivered the keynote address at 2 p.m. and 6.30 p.m. on Tuesday.

Cardinal Baselius Mar Cleemis Catholicos of the Syro Malankara Catholic Church and bishops of various other Churches would address the ecumenical meet on Wednesday forenoon.

Awareness meet

Bishop Thomas K. Oommen will address the awareness meet against social evils in the afternoon.

The Mar Thoma Metropolitan will formally inaugurate the 125th anniversary celebrations of the Mar Thoma Evangelistic Association (MTEA) at a function to be held at the convention venue on Saturday.

Mar Thoma Metropolitan Joseph Mar Thoma will deliver the valedictory message on Sunday afternoon.

Unity of Churches is a necessity for serving society with goodness, Cardinal Mar Baselius Cleemis Catholicos, Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, has said.

The Cardinal was delivering the keynote address at the Ecumenical Meet held in connection with the 118th Maramon Convention at its traditional venue on the riverbed of Pampa at Maramon, near Kozhencherry, on Wednesday. The Church would witness revelation in word and deed. How one conceived of the nature of the Church would involve how one related the Church to the world. The world was the good gift of God. God purposely created the world, declared it good, and continues to preserve it.

This goodness included a solemn charge for humans, as bearers of the image of God, to care for the natural world and to care for each other, he said.

Also at the meet

Joseph Mar Thoma, Metropolitan of Mar Thoma Church, presided over the meet. Rev. Walter Altman, World Council of Churches moderator and evangelist from Brazil, delivered the message.

Philipose Mar Chrysostum, senior Metropolitan; Archbishop Kuriakose Mar Savarios of the Knanaya Church, Mar Aprem Metropolitan; Joshua Mar Ignathios, Kuriakose Mar Gregorios; Bishop Sam Mathew and Bishop Thomas Samuel of the Church of South India, K.P.Yohannan Metropolitan of the Believers Church, Zachariaas Mar Theophilus Saffragan Metropolitan, Issac Mar Peelexinos, Thomas Mar Themotheos, Yuyakim Mar Koorilos, Joseph Mar Barnabas, Geevarghese Mar Theodoseus, Abraham Mar Paulose, Mathews Mar Makarios, Thomas Mar Thethose, Gregorios Mar Stephanos, Cyriac Thomas, National Minority Commission member; and Joseph M. Puthuserry, former MLA, were among those who attended the meet.

Bishop Thomas K. Oommen of the Church of South India delivered the keynote address at the ‘meet against social evils’ held in the afternoon.

Rev. Walter Altman delivered the discourse at the evening session.

Cardinal Baselius Mar Cleemis Catholicos has released a Malayalam book on Philipose Mar Chrysostum, senior Metropolitan of the Mar Thoma Church, titledChrysostum Methrapoleethayude Lokam(World of Chrysostum Metropolitan), written by Mathew Koshy Punnackadu.

The book release was at a function held at Maramon, near Kozhencherry, on Wednesday. The Cardinal handed over the first copy to National Minority Commission member Cyriac Thomas. Former Agriculture Minister Mullakkara Ratnakaran, inaugurated the function. Bishop Sam Mathew of the Church of South India presided. Mar Chrysostum; Saji Chacko, district panchayat member; and Thomas Jacob, Malayala Manorama editorial director, spoke.

The real Church is missionary in nature that shares the witness of Jesus Christ with others and responds constructively towards the problems facing the fellow beings, said Walter Altman, evangelist from Brazil.

Mr. Altman, who is also the moderator of the World Council of Churches, was delivering the keynote address at the forenoon session of the Maramon Convention at Maramon on Thursday.

He said it was always good to learn what was good in the world and the Church had learned a lot of good lessons from India too.

P. Joy Oommen, former Chief Secretary of Chattisgarh, delivered the keynote address at the youth meet held in the afternoon. Joseph Mar Barnabas Metropolitan presided.

Philip Moun Stephen, evangelist from United Kingdom, delivered the keynote address at the evening session.

The week-long religious meet will come to a close on Sunday. Joseph Mar Thoma, Metropolitan of Mar Thoma Church, will deliver the valedictory message at 2.30 p.m. on Sunday.

The Maramon Convention, widely regarded as Asia’s largest annual Christian gathering, concluded on Sunday, February 19, at Maramon near Kozhencherry, Kerala.

The 117th Maramon Convention saw tens of thousands of people in attendance, travelling from different corners of the country and around the world.

The week-long convention came to a close with the valedictory message delivered by Mar Thoma Metropolitan, Joseph Mar Thoma.

In his message, Joseph Mar Thoma challenged the mammoth crowd to keep firm faith and follow Christ’s teachings to confront wider problems within the family and society.

Addressing lack of spiritual and moral values can help tackle some of society’s vexing problems, such as crime, corruption and violence, he observed.

Organised by the Mar Thoma Evangelistic Association, the theme for this year’s convention was “Arise, let us be going”.

In addition to the Metropolitan, priests and bishops of the Mar Thoma Church, world renowned speakers addressed this year’s convention.

Biblical discourses were given by renowned speakers, such as Bishop Malusi Mpumlwana from South Africa, Rev Kang-San-Tan from Malaysia and Rev Martin Alphons from the United States.

Earlier, the opening session was attended by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, Ministers P J Joseph and Adoor Prakash, among other politicians.

Launched in the year 1896, the ecumenical event is held annually by the Mar Thoma Evangelistic Association, which is the missionary wing of the Mar Thoma Church.

The week-long event brings some 200,000 Christians belonging to different church denominations. Prayer, singing, preaching and Bible study occupy the major part of the convention programme.

Distinguished speakers who addressed the convention in the past include Rev Thomas Walker, Sadhu Sunder Singh, Dr G Sherwood Eddy, Dr E Stanley Jones, John R. Mott, Dr Bob Pierce, Dr John Haggai and a host of others

The youth meet held as part of the 117th Maramon Convention, billed as Asia’s largest annual Christian congregation, on the banks of river Pampa at Maramon near Kozhencherry has called upon the Churches to strive for the personality development and upliftment of the socially backward sections of the society.
 
Delivering the keynote address, Dr George K. Alex, academic and thinker, said the socially backward sections of the society should be provided with the opportunity to make creative contributions in the fields of liturgy and social development.
 
The Mar Thoma Yuvajana Sakhyam president, Joseph Mar Barnabas, presided. Gregorios Mar Stephanos Episcopa delivered the keynote address at the forenoon session.
 
The Mar Thoma Sevika Sanghom meet was held in the afternoon. Bishop Malusi Mpumlwana, evangelist from South Africa, inaugurated the meet.
 
Rev Kang-San-Tan, evangelist from Malaysia, delivered the keynote address, later, in the evening.
 
Bible classes were held separately for men and women at the convention venue from 7.30 am to 8.30 am.
 
The annual religious retreat will come to a close on Sunday.

The Mar Thoma Metropolitan, Joseph Mar Thoma, will deliver the valedictory message at the concluding session to be held at 2.30 pm on Sunday.

“A bell is no bell till you ring it, a song is no song till you sing it and love is not love till you give it away,’’ said Bishop Thomas Samuel of the Church of South India.

The CSI Bishop was delivering the keynote address at the Ecumenical Meet of the 117th Maramon Convention at its traditional venue on the riverbed of Pampa at Maramon near Kozhencherry on Wednesday.

He said ecumenism is a mass movement, a motivation to the entire humanity.

“I have other sheep too that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also.’’ These words of Jesus Christ should be taken as a call for unity of the Churches and the entire humanity, the Bishop said.

He said Indiana University professor Elinor Ostrom, Nobel laureate in Economic Sciences, stressed the need to protect the forests to save the life on earth and humanity which was a great philosophy of unity.

The CSI Bishop said not only the Christians, but the entire humanity was also bound to protect the forests at a time when the flora, fauna and the entire creation were craving for help. He said the Nilackal Ecumenical and Dialogue Centre was a paragon of unity.

According to him, as far as the Church is concerned, unity is a coincidence of the Jesus Christ in resurrection. Believers in China are trying to overcome the factionalism among churches, realising the truth that unity in life is a great experience, he adds.

Bishop Thomas Samuel said the Anglican Theological Commission Report of 2008 stressed the need for dialogues to achieve the goal of unity of Churches. Development of the Information Technology in the modern times could be effectively utilised for the unity of the Churches, he said.

Quoting the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, the CSI Bishop said “Church is a place where Christ becomes visible.

Joseph Mar Thoma, Metropolitan of Mar Thoma Church , presided the meet.

Meet against social evils

Joshua Mar Ignatius, Mavelikkara Bishop of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, delivered the keynote address at the meet against social evils held in the afternoon.

Gregorios Mar Stephanos Episcopa addressed the gathering, later, in the evening.

From  Maramon convention :  Supreme head of Marthoma Church Joseph Marthoma Metropolitan has said that progress achieved in society over the years has caused grave problems like corruption, violence, exploitation and harassment of women and the aged.

Inaugurating the 117th Maramon convention, organised by the Marthoma Evangelistic Association, on the sand-bed of Pampa� near Kozhenchery on Sunday, Joseph Marthoma Metropolitan said that the people across the world face grave problems consequent to materialistic progress.

Joseph Marthoma said that the people have now distanced themselves from the path of God due to the improvement in the standard of living and are clamouring after excessive materialistic satisfaction.

The Metropolitan said that development in education facilities had resulted in improved earnings and the consequent exploitation of the less privileged. Hence, the progress achieved in recent times had created more problems than virtues for the people, Joseph Marthoma said.

The metropolitan said even evangelists prefer to work in foreign countries instead of serving the poor and backward class people for their upliftment.

Valiya Metropolitan Philipose Mar Chrysostum delivered the benedictory address. Evangelistic Association president Thomas Mar Thimothios presided over the meeting. Association general secretary Rev Abraham P Oommen welcomed the gathering.

Rev Martin Alphonse delivered the discourse. Geevarghese Mar Athanasios, Geevarghese Mar Theodosios, Joseph Mar Barnabas, Abraham Mar Paulose, Mathews Mar Markarios, Gregorios Mar Zephanos, Thomas Mar Timothios, CSI Bishop Sam Mathew, Bishop Malusi Mpumlwana and Rev Kang-San-Tan were present at the inaugural meeting.

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy,  Ministers P J Joseph and Adoor Prakash, MPs P J Kurian, Anto Antony and Kodikunnil Suresh, Chief Whip P C George, MLAs K Sivadasan Nair, Raju Abraham and P C Vishnunath, District Panchayat president Babu George, District Collector P Venugopal, Annapoorandevi, P Mohanraj, Peelipose Thomas,� D K John, Rev Sam T Mathew,P P Achenkunju and Thomas T George were among those who were present on the occasion.