MAR THOMA VOLUNTARY EVANGELIST ASSOCIATION

MAR THOMA CHURCH UK & EUROPE ZONE


President : Rev. Dr P G George (Sinai Mar Thoma Church)
Vice President : Mr Abraham Niravathu (St Thomas Mar Thoma Church)
Secretary : Mr Sajeev Daniel (Hermon Mar Thoma Church)
Treasurer : Mr Saji John (St Thomas Mar Thoma Church)

Mar Thoma Voluntary Evangelists’ Association, founded in 1924, is one of the official organizations of the Mar Thoma Church. The spirit of Malankara Reformation in the church was kept alive by the laity of the church through group prayer and Bible Study. The early leaders included Metropolitan Dr Abraham Mar Thoma and Moothampakkal Kochukunju Upadesi.

People often get confused with another organization of the Church, the Mar Thoma Evangelistic Association. They are not the same. The association started as a fellowship of believers who were willing to work in the vineyard of God without any monitory benefit or any other selfish motive.

Secondly, the use of the word Edavka Mission. The parish level organization of the Voluntary Evangelists’ Association is called Edavaka Mission. It is the ‘power house’ of the local parish fellowship.

MOTTO

You will be my Witnesses” is the motto of the Mar Thoma Voluntary Evangelists’ Association based on Acts 1:8, “When the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will be filled with power, and you will be witnesses for me in Jerusalem, in all Judaea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” The purpose of the association is to witness Jesus Christ in our day-to-day life and to inculcate in every person the consciousness that he/she is called to fulfil the mission of Jesus Christ.

The association has a seven-point programme,

  1. Intercession
  2. Bible Study
  3. Sharing of experience
  4. House Visit
  5. Serving the sick and the needy
  6. Conduct of prayer meetings
  7. Gospel work among people of other faiths and ideologies.

The various activities of the association are carried out at four levels – The Central, The Zonal, The Centre and The Parish level.