UK Family Conference

29th UK & Europe Family Conference Report
The High Leigh Christian Conference Centre, and the 40 acres of lush serene lawns and woodlands
that surround it, echoed over and over the divine purposes, the strengths, and the future of the
Christian family at the three-day conference hosted by the St John’s Mar Thoma Church, Hounslow,
UK.

The challenges facing the new immigrant community was the focus as the conference dealt upon the
theme ‘True Mark of a Christian Family’, and pledged to follow in Joshua’s footsteps as the Israeli
leader stood on the threshold of entering the Promised Land.

As the rolling countryside of Hoddesdon once again played host to the 29th UK and Europe Mar
Thoma Family Conference, renowned speakers and leaders, under the blessed patronage of our
Diocesan Thirumeni, Rt. Rev. Dr. Geevarghese Mar Theodosius, called upon the participants to
strengthen, renew, and to impart our traditional family values to future generations. And to guide
us in the right direction and to strengthen us with God’s word in our faith journey we were blessed
to have Rev. Dr. T. J. Thomas, Rev. Dr. George Mathew and Rev. Biju P. Simon as our lead speakers.

On the opening day, Rev. Eapen Abraham of the host parish whole-heartedly welcomed the
participants who had gathered from all over UK and Europe. A choreographed shadow play which followed was the highlight of the evening and was the most apt medium to help bring home the
theme of the conference to all ages.

Later, Thirumeni, in his inaugural address, reminded us of Joshua’s authenticity to speak about his
own family and also to see the members of the larger community as God’s extended family, thus
reminding us that our true Christian responsibility does not end with us and our family alone, but
needs to encompass the church and the wider society too.

To engage a wider participation, the conference organisers had taken an unprecedented and unique
initiative of publishing monthly newsletters with a crossword competition, article were based on the
Christian Family theme as a countdown to the August conference. These articles, along with other
contributions by various writers, were compiled and edited by the St John’s Mar Thoma Church and
was published with the help of CSS Thiruvalla, thus resulting in a 125-page book “True Mark of
Christian Family”, which included well-researched family-based articles and personal testimonies.
The book was inaugurated by our beloved Thirumeni on the opening day.

A hugely entertaining talent show by all the gathered churches brought the evening’s proceedings to
a close.
The morning session on the second day saw T.J. Thomas achen regale the audience as he recalled
incidents from his many years of family counselling to explain the mutual respect, love and special
relationship the Christian couple should have for each other. Through his witty and rustic anecdotes
achen reaffirmed that the Christian family is strengthened by mutual love and respect and there
should be no room for ego. Meanwhile, Biju P. Simon achen struck a chord with the youths at their
own session, teaching them about modern-day challenges and the pressures that families face when
children are exposed to foreign cultures. He recalled the strong and deep-rooted faith that our
forefathers had which continues to help the present generation witness Christ in this new land. At
the same time our five to 13-year-olds were in the expert hands of Scripture Union staff who with
other volunteer staff dwelt upon Bible stories and other Bible-related activities to keep the young
sheep learn to recognise and heed their Master’s call. Quiet time, singing sessions, drawing, games
and videos kept the little minds busy.

As the evening drew close it was time for introspection and leading us into the very soul of the
conference. Mrs. Susamma George Mathew through her personal witnessing led us into the
Testimony session; time was the only barrier as participants one after the other witnessed their
Saviour and His abiding presence in their lives. We could all feel the presence of God Almighty as the
participants shared their experiences of how the Lord’s footsteps alone shone in times of trouble.

An open forum under the banner of “Question Time” saw active participation by one and all, under
the guidance of an expert panel which was committed to find solutions to the doubts and worries of
the audience. Various challenges facing the church today and avenues to include the young
generation in various church worship and activities were explored in depth.

Rev. Joseph Daniel and Mr. Santosh Thomas led the Witness & Testimony for the youths who were
touched by the shared experiences and individual challenges which eventually led many present to
recommit their lives to Christ.

The second day also saw many fellowship building activities which took us all outside into the
country side with beautiful English weather which held good as participants of all ages took part in
various sports activities. The final day dawned with the Holy Communion, celebrated by our
Thirumeni. As youth and children joined their parents to sing and worship together on the Sabbath.
Later, Rev. Dr. George Mathew learned insights into our liturgy and the explanations of its various
aspects were timely and enlightened the minds of the youth as well as the elders. Achen’s deep
knowledge and understanding of the Liturgy followed in our church and the beneficial role it plays in
our order of worship was food for thought in our spiritual growth.

The closing ceremony started with a creative presentation by children put together by Scripture
Union, followed by a presentation on Mission Hounslow – A Mission which was born from an
initiative taken by St. John’s Mar Thoma Church at the 2009 Family Conference, the work done at
the centre cares for the homeless, especially during adverse weather conditions, serving the needy
with hot meals and warm clothing.

The evening also saw St. James Mar Thoma Church, London being presented with a Championship
Trophy for 2011 crossword competition; this was followed with a vote of thanks by the Conference
Convener. The 2012 host parish invited all delegates to attend the 2012 Family Conference. Our
Diocesan Bishop, Rt. Rev. Dr. Geevarghese Mar Theodosius, in his concluding remarks thanked the
leaders, delegates and organizers of the Conference; the 2011 Family Conference was drawn to a
close with a prayer and benediction.

Sam Daniel
Convener – 2011 UK & Europe Family Conference