Towards Green Gurukul, Plastic Free Gurukul

Highlight of this year's Student's Committee inauguration has been the declaration of the Campus Management and Environment Committee of a Plastic Free Gurukul. Gurukul Director Dr. P. Manoharan and Principal Dr. Sam W. Meshack, highly appreciated the project. Gurukul Campus has been blessed with green trees all through the year and you get a wonderful green panoramic view from the roof top. However, the ground reality has been different. Gurukul lost much of its ground for the new constructions and what ever little ground remains has been losing its beauty due to various reasons. One main reason has been the poor waste management. Now a days most of the waste is created by the increased use of plastic. It destroys the beauty and quality of the land, choke drainage systems and is good breeding place for mosquitoes. The case is almost same in several of the cities in India, not only cities but even holy pilgrimage centers like Sabarimala, or tourist places like Manali are all ravaged by plastic carry bags, water bottles, fast food sachets and other things.Sometimes it seems impossible for us to get rid of plastics. Plastic has been certainly a blessing in several respects, it made our life easy and comfortable and now it has become a great menace. One way to deal with this problem to make it reusable and to find new usages for the waste plastic, for example to mix it with tar in the construction of roads, a method used in the construction of Kerala roads. States like Kerala has banned plastics with less than 50 microns. Metropolitan Chrysostom of the Mar Thoma Church declared the head quarters of the Church in Tiruvalla a plastic free zone. Now Gurukul's effort to make it plastic free has to be appreciated. The Environment committee has an uphill task to make it a reality. The Staff Advisor Dr. David Udayakumar and the Student Convenor Mr. S. Naveen Kumar of the Environment Committee need all our support in this most necessary green project. The committee plans to entrust each class the responsibility to take care of certain area of Gurukul campus and keep it clean and green through out the year and plant new tree. Also they declared a prize for the best maintained plot. Two years back Gurukul spend almost a lac of Rupees to purchase pot plants and most of them are now lost. However, we hope that Gurukul will be more successful this time with the student initiative.

Six other student Committees presented their plans for the year. There was community dinner following the inaugural meeting.
If you need more information and world wide news on environmental protection go to the blog "Environment and climate Change "

Evaluatory worship and sermons

It is time for evaluatory worship and sermons for the final year students of the BD class in Gurukul. The students prepare the order of worship and sermon and lead Wednesday Community Worship Service at the Gurukul chapel from 9:50to 10.30 am. The evaluation will be on the next day in the afternoon, first by student groups, followed by an enlightening session in the Chapel. Dr. P. Manoharan, our Director, who himself is a professor in the Christian Ministry Department would usually lead the evaluatory sessions. The first evaluatory worship for this academic year (2008-9) was held on June 25th. Dn Aby Paul, M. was the leader. For a brief write up of this sermon please go to
Sermonette: Liberative Praxis - A Sermon by Dn. Aby Paul M.

Faith and Theology

Those who are intersted in some basic theological materials may please go to my blog Our Faith. com. These notes are mainly intended to benefit the students of BCS course of Serampore (University).Our Faith.Com: What is Faith? What is Theology?

Rahbi Thar

Rahbi Thar means new beginning in Mizo. Gurukul Seniors welcomed the freshers with Rahbi Thar cellebrations . There were 51 new students, registered for BD, MTh, and DTh. programmes. The function was attended by the Director of Gurukul, Dr. P. Manoharan and the Principal, Dr. Samuel Meshack, Dr. DW Jesudoss, former Principal and Dean of the Martin Luther Library, and Dr. Suneel Bhanu, Dean of Post Graduate studies.The initiation process started with a colourful parade with drum beating in the evening of Saturday, 21, June2008. A nice introduction to new students without the much abused ragging phobia.

Gurukul Faculty Retreat: Dr. Sam Kamalesan

After summer vacation Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute reopened on June 15, 2008. In preparation for the new academic year the Faculty has spent a day in retreat on June 14th. The Retreat was held at the Breeze Hotel in Chennai. Dr. Sam Kamalesan founder of the Friends Missionary prayer Band has been the retreat leader. Currently he is the Director of World Vision. Dr. Kamalesan has exhorted the faculty on servant leadership that needs to be cultivated in the Church. Servant leadership is transformational leadership. Another form of leadership is prevalent in the world today is transactional leadership, which sustains on the motto: You scratch my back, I will scratch yours. He further emphasized that thriving for respectability is the greatest hindrance for creativity as well as servant leadership. All institutions become bureaucratic in less than fifty years. Only way to redeem institutions from bureaucratic stagnation is to cultivate servant leadership. Jesus Christ is the great servant leader; good leaders are good followers: Christian leadership will become Christian as well as real leaders when they follow Christ. If you have nothing to follow you cannot lead. Thanks Dr. Kamalesan for the inspiring as well as provoking message.

Rev. Aby Thomas Tharakan

Rev. Aby Thomas Tharakan, a former student of Gurukul, now working as one of the chaplains of the Mar Thoma Youth ministry in Chennai, celebrated Holy Qurbana in the Annanagar Jerusalem Mar Thoma Church. Today,the scripture readings were focused to concur with the celebration of the World Environment Day. Achen spoke from the Leviticus text which refers to the Jubilee celebration, the fiftieth Day of the Passover, which also marks the Atonement. Achen was particular to emphasize the significance of environment in God's promise of salvation. The land, animals, plants all must enjoy rest an dreedom at the time of atonement or jubilee. I happened to be achen's supervisor for his BD Thesis which was on the theology of seed, emphasizing the need to preserve natural seeds against the threat of the multinational companies who promote terminator seeds which will destroy the productive power of traditional farming and bring the world under the mercy of MNCs for its food needs. I am glad to note that Achen still continues with his zeal for environmental protection

Death of Dr. Rosemary Skinner Keller

Union Seminary's Professor Emerita of Church History and Former Academic Dean ,Dr. Rosemary Skinner Keller died on June 5, 2008 after a long battle with kidney cancer.

A native of Oklahoma City, Dr. Keller did her undergraduate work at the University of Oklahoma. She held the M.R.E. from Yale Divinity School, the M.A. from Chicago State University, and the Ph.D. from the University of Illinois. Focusing her scholarship on religion and American culture and American women's history, she wrote and edited an impressive list of books, among them one co-edited with Rosemary Radford Ruether titled In Our Own Voices: Four Centuries of American Women's Religious Writings.

She was one of the editors of the Encyclopedia of Women and Religion in North America. The three-volume work, published in 2006 by Indiana University Press, covers the history of women's religious experience in North America over the course of more than four centuries.

When Keller retired from Union in 2004, she and her husband, the Rev. Robert Keller, returned to Chicago. She continued her research as senior scholar at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois, and a research fellow at the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture at Indiana University - Purdue University, Indianapolis.


For more information, visit the Union Theological Seminary Web site at http://www.utsnyc.edu/.

Though Keller joined Union after my graduation ad though I have not seen her personally as a member of the Union family, I am saddened by her death. We lost a great feminist scholar.

Jacob Thomas

Rev. K.T. George

Rev. K.T. George, Kidangalil, Kozhenchery, Kerala was in the Gurukul campus for few days. He was visiting his son Dr. George Zacharia. K.T. George achen was my vicar about forty four years back, when I was a member of the Salem Mar Thoma Church, Poovanpara, Konny. Achen was an young and energetic minister particularly interested in the spiritual formation of the young people. During his ministry, for the first time in the history of our Church, six youngsters participated in the Dedication Service at the Kozhencherry Mar Thoma Church, which was a new feature introduced as a programme of the Maramon Convention. This kind of dedication was to encourage young members to commit their lives for the service of the Church. I was one among those six. During those days the Mar Thoma church experienced a shortage of achens and through this Dedication Programme not only that the Church could identify and encourage those who are willing to join the ministry but also it strengthened one's commitment to Christ. Now George achen is 83, failing in his memory, but cheerful as ever.

Rev. Dr. T. Jacob Thomas

Rev. Sajeev Thomas

Rev. Sajeev Thomas, an ordained minister of the Mar Thoma Church has joined Gurukul for his MTh studies in communication. He had to come even before the college reopens to admit his son to School. He has a daughter who has not yet started school. First thing he had to do was to apply for a Ration Card, which would not help in getting any ration but a requirement to get a gas connection. Rev. Sajeev Mathew comes with a rich pastoral experience, having served several Mar Thoma congregations within and and outside Kerala. He would be joining the illustrious gallery of the Mar Thoma achens who did their MTh studies in Gurukul like the late Rev. C.P. Wilson, Rev. Abraham Scaria, Rev. Y. T. Vinayaraj and Rev. Shibi Varghese. Sajeev Thomas's presence in Gurukul will foster the ecumenical culture of Gurukul.

Liba Varghese

Liba Varghese tells me that her name means "gate of heave" in Hebrew. She has meticulously organized the Chennai Bangalore Diocesan Youth Camp at Padur, Chennai. It was well attended by more than 380 young members, mainly from the Mar Thoma Church. Rev. Abrahm Scaria, of the Mar Thoma Counselling center, Kottayam, was the main leader. After her hectic schedule of the last few months Liba has gone to Kerala to be with her grand parents. She writes fom there that the Hartal which greeted her while she reached Kerala has been a new and pleasant experience. She enjoyed being forced to stay within the house. Not something new for those who live in Kerala. Liba's father, Mr. Varghese, is a theological graduate from UTC Bangalore and renders his voluntary services to the building up of Mar Thoma Community in Chennai. Liba follows her father's interests and gives leadership in organizing community events.

Veera Swamy Dhas

One of our old students Rev. Veera Swamy Dhas is now in London doing a postgraduate degree program in Theology sponsored by the World Shapers Ministry. He continues with his writing ministry. Last year he published a biography of 365 missionaries. Whike he was a student here he published his first book, Jesus the liberator, which was released by our Director Emeritus, Dr. K. Rajaratnam. (He was then the Director).

Dr. Jesudas Athyal

Dr. Jesudas Athyal who has been teaching in Gurukul for the last five years has taken an year long leave to go to Boston where his sister lives. Geetha Oommen will be joining him in September. Their son Chackochen hopes to continue his studies there.

Gurukul Reopens on June 15 2008

Gurukul Reopens on June 15 2008