Talluru Thomas Gabriel

Last updated

Founder of CBCNC

Talluru Thomas Gabriel

Pastor
Thomas Gabriel.jpg
Born
Talluru Marayya [1]

(1837-12-15)December 15, 1837
DiedJanuary 1, 1875(1875-01-01) (aged 37) [3] [4]
Burial placeJagannaickpur CBM-Cemetery, Kakinada
Known forInspiring missions
Church Canadian Baptist Mission/Convention of Baptist Churches of Northern Circars
Ordained1870 [5] -1871 [1] in Chennai [5]
TitlePastor [6]

Talluru Thomas Gabriel [7] (born December 15, 1837; [1] died January 1, 1875 [1] [4] ) was the founder [8] [9] of the Canadian Baptist Mission [4] in India.

Contents

Early life and education

Thomas Gabriel was born in Machilipatnam [1] and grew up at Narasapur and Rajahmundry where he studied at the Lutheran School. After securing employment with the Telegraphs [4] Department in 1857, he worked at Rajahmundry and at Kakinada. Gabriel was influenced by the Lutheran [1] missionaries of Rajahmundry and became a Christian [5] through the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church. [4]

In addition to Thomas Gabriel's employment, he was active [10] in his new-found Christian faith. Gabriel was later transferred to Mumbai [5] but his sickness made him to go to Chennai in 1867 [1] and in the Hospital, he came across Pastors of the American Baptist Mission/Samavesam of Telugu Baptist Churches and got baptized.

Ministry

Gabriel gave up [11] his job at the Telegraphs Department in 1869 to take up an ecclesiastical assignment with the Godavari Delta Mission but it was short-lived as he quit it in 1870 and got into business [4] in Kakinada to support himself after having exhausted all his money for the sake of the gospel. [1]

A chance stopover in Ramayapatnam at the Ramayapatnam Baptist Theoogical Seminary made Gabriel to appeal to the Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec [12] through [13] John McLaurin to take up the Mission in northern coastal regions and thus led to the founding of the Canadian Baptist Mission in 1874 [1] at Kakinada [14] with the arrival of John McLaurin [15] who came from Ramayapatnam to Kakinada by sea.

Gabriel died on January 1, 1875 [16] uttering his last words, Jesus is precious. [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andhra Christian Theological College</span>

The Convention of Baptist Churches of Northern Circars (CBCNC) is a Baptist Christian denomination in north coastal Andhra Pradesh. The churches are part of the Telugu Christian community of Southern India. Its language is Telugu. It is affiliated to the Baptist World Alliance (BWA), the National Council of Churches in India (NCCI) and the World Council of Churches (WCC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Council of Christian Hospitals</span>

Council of Christian Hospitals (COCH), an autonomous body that facilitates management of medical institutions founded by Missionaries of Canadian Baptist Mission. COCH is a body corporate under Indian Societies Registration Act and has its registered office in premises of one of its participating hospitals, that is, CBM Christian Medical Centre, Pithapuram in East Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baptist Theological Seminary</span>

Baptist Theological Seminary is a Baptist seminary of the Convention of Baptist Churches of Northern Circars (CBCNC) located in Jagannaickpur, Church Square, Kakinada in Kakinada district of Andhra Pradesh, India. The seminary was affiliated to nation's first University, the Senate of Serampore College (University) in 1949.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eva Rose York Bible Training and Technical School for Women</span>

Eva Rose York Bible Training and Technical School for Women was founded in 1922 by the Canadian Baptist Mission (CBM). The school is in Tuni in Andhra Pradesh, India.

CBM Bethel Hospital is an Indian hospital founded by Canadian Baptist Ministries. It is a participating hospital of Council of Christian Hospitals. CBM Star of Hope Hospital is located in Vuyyuru, Krishna district, Andhra Pradesh, India and was founded in 1906 by missionaries of Canadian Baptist Mission. It is perhaps the oldest hospital in the region.

K. Devasahayam was President of the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church from 1965 to 1969.

William D. Coleman was the first Principal of the Andhra Christian Theological College, Hyderabad. Coleman was born in India in Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh.

Ryder Devapriam was systematic theologian who taught during the 1960s and the 1970s at the Andhra Christian Theological College, a Protestant Regional Theologiate in Secunderabad, affiliated to the nation's first University, the Senate of Serampore College (University) {a University under Section 2 (f) of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956}with degree-granting authority validated by a Danish Charter and ratified by the Government of West Bengal.

Acharya A. B. Masilamani or Abel Boanerges Masilamani (1914–1990) was a Golden Jubilee Baptist pastor and evangelist on whom parallels had been drawn comparing his ecclesiastical ministry with that of Saint Paul. The Mar Thoma Syrian Church, one of the Saint Thomas Christian Churches founded by Thomas the Apostle in the first century which holds the annual Maramon Conventions used to have Masilamani preach at its conventions since the 1970s. During one such Maramon Convention held in 1983 at Maramon, Masilamani was one of the main speaker who spoke on Christology in the presence of the two patriarchs of the Mar Thoma Church, Alexander Mar Thoma and Thomas Mar Athanius.

Ravela Joseph is a Priest of the Protestant Samavesam of Telugu Baptist Churches (STBC) with over 50 years of ecclesiastical ministry, much of which was into Spiritual formation, having taught at the Andhra Christian Theological College, Secunderabad, Telangana (India).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suppogu Joseph</span>

Suppogu Joseph is a Golden jubilee Pastor of the Protestant Samavesam of Telugu Baptist Churches with major contribution to New Testament scholarship with reference to Lukan literature. In a study on Luke in 2010 by Justin Alexandru undertaken at the University of Durham, Joseph's work has been cited by the researcher in the context of Authorship of Luke–Acts where Justin authoritatively attests the work of Joseph.

William Powlas Peery was a Pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America/Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church who taught theology at ecumenical institutions, the Andhra Christian Theological College at its erstwhile location in Rajahmundry and also at the United Theological College, Bangalore both of which are affiliated to the nation's first University, the Senate of Serampore College (University), Serampore.

Rayi Ratna Sundara Rao was a prolific writer, theologian and comparative religion scholar who once was the principal of the Gurukul Lutheran Theological College, Chennai, affiliated to India's first university, the Senate of Serampore College (University).

Chetti Devasahayam was the Registrar of the nation's first University, the Senate of Serampore College (University) who was in office from 1960 through 1975. It was during Devasahayam's tenure at the University that ecumenism gave way to merger of seminaries and the formation of special purpose entities throughout India. It was Devasahayam who gave the inaugural address when the Andhra Christian Theological College was formed in 1964 in Rajahmundry.

Chetti Bhanumurti was a Hymn Writer whose hymns are found in the Hymnal in Telugu. Bhanumurti was a Pastor of the Canadian Baptist Mission/Convention of Baptist Churches of Northern Circars who also led the Principalship of the Baptist Theological Seminary, Kakinada from 1945-1956 leading to its affiliation to the nation's first University, Senate of Serampore College (University) in 1946

S. E. Krupa Rao was a Pastor of the Protestant Convention of Baptist Churches of Northern Circars where he held leadership positions in the Church society whose area of operation extended from Srikakulam District in the northern circars along the Bay of Bengal right through seven districts up to Guntur District.

Waldo Penner was a Baptist missionary who served in India from 1946 through 1981 as a team member of the Canadian Baptist Ministries. Penner was born in Secunderabad in India where his parents were missionaries of the American Baptist Mission.

T. Gnananandam was a Pastor of the Protestant Convention of Baptist Churches of Northern Circars and was Principal of the Baptist Theological Seminary, Kakinada during 1968-1969, the shortest ever in the history of the seminary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muthyala Theophilus</span> Indian Protestant priest

M. Theophilus was a Baptist Patriarch and Spiritual Formator of the Protestant Convention of Baptist Churches of Northern Circars, a major congregation along the Bay of Bengal in Andhra Pradesh, India that extends from Srikakulam District in the northern tip through Guntur District in the middle. Theophilus taught at the Baptist Theological Seminary, Kakinada during the period 1926-1946 and was also Senator of India's first University, the Senate of Serampore College (University) during 1942-1946 taking forward not only the theological concerns of the University but also the concerns of Serampore College, which as a dual University affiliated entity, had the arts, science and commerce faculties affiliated to the University of Calcutta. In matters of Church union, Theophilus actively cooperated with the National Council of Churches in India that not only incorporated the Protestant and the Oriental Orthodox Churches but also reached out to the Catholics.

References

Notes
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Mary Stillwell McLaurin, Chetti Bhanumurti in John Craig, J. R. Stillwell, I. C. Archibald, A. E. Baskerville (Edited), Some of the Trophies: Canadian Baptist Foreign Mission Board Jubilee Volume, Telugu Trophies - The Jubilee story of some of the principal Telugu converts in the Canadian Baptist Foreign Mission in India from 1874 to 1924, American Baptist Publication Society, Toronto.
  2. John Craig, Forty Years Among the Telugus: A History of the Mission of the Baptists of Ontario and Quebec, Canada, to the Telugus, South India, 1867-1907, p.316.
  3. Indian Church History Review, Volume 3, Church History Association of India, 1969, p.131.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Brenton Hamline Badley, Indian Missionary Directory and Memorial, p.223.
  5. 1 2 3 4 A. V. Timpany, The Canadian Baptist Telugu Mission in The Missionary conference: south India and Ceylon, South India missionary conference, 1879, Volume 2, pp.282-285.
  6. The Missionary Review of the World, Volume 9, 1919, p.56
  7. C. L. Johnson, P. A. Srinivasa Rao, P. S. Sunder Singh (Edited), Canadian Baptist Mission 125 year's Jubilee Celebrations of Baptist Churches in Northern Circars, Baptist Theological Seminary, Kakinada, 1999. .
  8. F. R. Hemingway, Godavari district gazetteer, Asian Educational Services, Chennai, 2000, p.40.
  9. Orville E. Daniel, Rising Tides in India, Canadian Baptist Foreign Mission Board, 1963, p.72.
  10. Elizabeth Hayward (Edited), The Baptist Encyclopædia: A Dictionary, Louis H. Everts, Philadelphia, Volume 1, p.1181.
  11. The Missionary Review, Volume 28, Princeton Press, 1905, p.367
  12. The Gospel in All Lands, Proprietor, 1886, p.563
  13. Albert Henry Newman, A Century of Baptist Achievement, American Baptist publication society, p.142.
  14. Indica, Volume 37, 2000, p.42
  15. Edwin Munsell Bliss, The Encyclopedia of Missions, 1891, p.131
  16. 1 2 Teloogoo Mission Scrap Book, Expositor Book and Job Office, 1888, p.87.
Further reading