North Carolina Mar Thoma Church

The North Carolina Mar Thoma Church was blessed by the visit of its Diocesan Bishop,Rt. Rev. Dr. Geevarghese Mar Theodosius Episcopa on 18th and 19th June, 2011. It was Thirumeni’s first visit after the Episcopal Synod recognized the North Carolina Mar Thoma Congregation as a Parish of the Church.

After arriving from New York by air, Thirumeni met with the members at the cottage prayer meeting held at 7:30 p.m. in the parsonage (5117 Suda Road, Durham NC 27703).Thirumeni spoke about the apostolic ministry of the Church – a ministry that is continued after the earthly life of Jesus Christ. It is a continuation of Jesus’ public ministry under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The best place to carry out this ministry is where we are
placed. Thirumeni challenged the members to practice apostolic ministry.

The cottage prayer was followed by dinner arranged by the Sevika Sangham. Everybody,especially the Sunday school and Youth Fellowship members, got a chance to interact with Thirumeni during and after the dinner.

The Holy Communion service, the Parish Day and Fathers’ Day celebrations were held at the Chapel of the St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Cary, NC on Sunday June 19th. The Holy Communion started at 12:30 p.m.

It was attended by almost all the families except those who were on vacation. Thirumeni spoke on the ‘Righteousness of God’ based on Mathew 3:15 and 6:33 after leading a special service on Fathers’ Day and reminding the fathers about their responsibility.

The Youth Fellowship honored the fathers by giving a memento for each one. Special prayers for the Parish Day were also held. The Sunday School, Youth Fellowship and the Choir sang special songs.

Theodosius Thirumeni congratulated the members and the committee for finding a parsonage for rent and buying a new car for the resident vicar. Thirumeni urged everyone to benefit from the availability/functions provided by a parish priest and a resident vicar. The Diocesan bishop also reminded the members to thank God for the blessings the parish has received to get a resident Achen of great caliber and experience. The Parish expressed its gratitude to Thirumeni for his able leadership and guidance and also for spending two days in North Carolina. The parish also conveyed its appreciation to Rev.Vinoy Daniel, the first Parish Vicar, for his perseverance and support in the parish formation and the growth thereafter.
The meeting was followed by a fellowship over a community lunch in honour of the Fathers Day in the Parish Hall.

Thirumeni left for New York by the evening flight The North Carolina Mar Thoma Congregation was established in July 1, 2004 under the leadership of the then Diocesan Bishop Rt. Rev. Dr. Euyakkim Mar Coorilos Episcopa
and our first Vicar Rev. George C. Mathew On February 10, 2011, the Episcopal Synod met and accepted us to a status of a parish with effect from March 15, 2011. We thank our present Diocesan Bishop Rt. Rev. Dr.
Geevarghese Mar Theodosius Episcopa and our previous Vicar, Rev. Vinoy Daniel for the Patience, perseverance and support that we have received.
At present, there are 32 families in the Parish. Worship services are held at the chapel at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 221 Union Street, Cary, NC, 27511. From January 2011 to May 2011 Layman service was held on the first, second, fourth and fifth Saturdays of the month and Holy Qurbana was held on the third Sundays of the month.
From May 2011 onwards, Holy Qurbana is held on the first, third and fifth Sundays of the month and Layman service is held on the second and fourth Sundays of the month and English Holy Qurbana is held on the first Sunday and Malayalam Holy Qurbana is held on the third Sunday. The laymen services alternate between English and Malayalam.

During Holy Qurbana, Birthday and Wedding Anniversary thanksgiving services are held. We also have special occasion services such as Mothers Day, Fathers Day, Youth and children’s day etc. members of sister parishes attend our services. We have an average of 25 to 30 participants in layman service and 45 to 60 participants for the Holy Qurbana. Organizations like Sunday school, Youth Fellowship, Sevika Sangham, Choir
and Edavaka Mission are very active in the parish.
Prayer meetings are held on the Saturdays before the 3rd Sundays Holy Qurbana at the homes of our members. Besides prayer meetings, Edavaka Mission visits the homes of the sick and bereaved members and hold special prayers at the respective residences or hospitals. From May 1, 2011 the NCMTC had its first resident Vicar. The parsonage is located at 5117 Suda Drive, Durham, NC 27703.

We also purchased a new 2011 Honda Accord for our resident Vicar. Contributions for the parsonage and car were received and are still being received.
Rev. Dr. Philip Varghese
Vicar