Houston Trinity Church Dedication – May 22, 2011
TRINITY MAR THOMA CHURCH
5810 Almeda Genoa Road, Houston, Texas 77048
DEDICATION OF THE RENOVATED CHURCH BUILDING
Trinity Mar Thoma Church, Houston was established in 1974. His Grace Rt. Rev. Dr. Thomas Mar Athanasius Suffragan Metropolitan conducted a prayer meeting at Houston in April 1974 with 10 families and that was the humble beginning of Trinity Mar Thoma parish, Houston.
By the grace of God the Parish could complete 37 successful years as a worshipping community in this part of the world under the providence of God Almighty and we are indeed grateful to God for His abundant blessings , guidance and protection.
Trinity Mar Thoma Church, Houston is one of the first Mar Thoma congregations in the Diocese of North
America & Europe and has the first self built Church building in the Diocese. The Church building was dedicated by Rt. Rev. Dr. Thomas Mar Athanasius Suffragan Metropolitan on July 14, 1984. We thank God Almighty for the countless blessings that we have received over the years. Our parish is growing rapidly and experiencing a steady growth in our membership. To serve the growing need of our members in a meaningful way, the general body held on February 22, 2009 had unanimously decided to renovate the Church building. This marked the beginning of a new chapter in the history of the parish. On April 11, 2010, Rt. Rev. Dr. Geevarghese Mar Theodosius Episcopa laid the foundation stone for the renovation of the Sanctuary and by the grace of God; the dedication ceremony of the renovated Sanctuary was solemnized by Rt. Rev. Dr. Geevarghese Mar Theodosius Episcopa on May 22, 2011.
The dedication service started with a solemn procession at 9.00 am, attended by the Sunday school students, Choir, Clergy and Executive Committee members respectively.
While the procession reached at the main entrance of the Nave, the Trustee Mr. George Muthalaly in the presence of Vicar Rev. Zacharia John and the Account Trustee Mr. Babu T. George, read the deed, of transferring the ownership of the renovated Church to the Mar Thoma Metropolitan and submitted the keys to the Diocesan Bishop.
After reading responsively Psalm 24 by the Vicar and the congregation, Thirumeni opened the main door and everybody entered into the sanctuary. Towards the end of the dedication service Thirumeni marked the seal of the Cross on the walls with holy Mooron and unveiled the dedication stone.
Approximately a gathering of 850 believers and clergy attended the ceremony. Holy Communion service followed and there was special service for the first communicants. Twenty one youngsters of the parish received Holy Communion for the first time.
Public meeting started immediately after the Holy Communion service with an opening prayer by the youth chaplain Rev. Shibi Abraham. The Vice president Mr. Thomas Varghese welcomed our Diocesan Bishop, distinguished guests,
clergy, members of sister parishes and Trinity Family. Rev. Zacharia John in his presidential address
congratulated the members of the parish for their sincere cooperation and support in the building project and called on for mission as a renewed worshiping community . Mr. Abraham Idiculla, Parish secretary, presented a brief report about the parish history.
Thirumeni appreciated the efforts of everyone in his inaugural address and urged to widen the walls of our hearts to love the Lord and work together for the spiritual growth of the parish and society. Rev. A.T. Thomas, Vicar, Immanuel Mar Thoma Church Houston and Rev. K.A. Joshua blessed the occasion with their felicitations. Mr. Chander Mohan Manchanda, Assistant Consul General of India and Mr. P.M. John, convener, building committee, expressed felicitation. Mr. John Chacko, Souvenir Committee convener, invited Thirumeni to release the souvenir. Thirumeni released the first copy and presented to the Vicar. The melodious singing of the parish Choirs added much flavor to the program. Mr. Titus Abraham expressed vote of thanks to everyone. Mr. Varghese Joseph provided the professional
Photography. Mr. Thomas Mathew coordinated the media. Members and various church organizations
deserve special thanks for their time and talents.
The Executive committee from 2009 to 2011, especially the Trustees Mr. Thomas Mathew, Mr. Pulinthitta C George, Mr. George Muthalaly and Mr. Babu T George, Convener Mr. P.M John, Mrs. Binila Muthalaly was heavily involved in the total process of the renovation project. The Building sub committee spent countless hours to plan and manage the project.
As part of keeping up our culture and traditions, the front elevation of the church building is modeled in
the “Malankara Eastern Tradition”. With the new addition, the parish has a total seating capacity of 730
in the main Sanctuary. Most of the families made generous financial contribution to the building fund.
The hard work and generous contribution of all parishioners and well wishers together with the grace of
God made this dream a reality. Currently we have 278 families and Rev. Zacharia John provides leadership and guidance as the Vicar since May 2010.
Rev. Zacharia John, Vicar Abraham K. Idiculla, Secretary
