TORCH BEARERS

Bro.. P.C. JOHN

 

Sis. Sheena Mathew

 

Throughout the ages there have been many wonderful spiritual teachers who have served as a guide for many people on earth.  What makes a great spiritual teacher great? the awareness that they are no better than anyone else.  They are aware that we are all one in Christ.  Let us take a walk down the lane of Church history in Kerala and meet a few of these torch bearers. The first being Bro.. P.C. JOHN an evangelist and Bible teacher among the Brethren for 38 years.

Birth and early years

John was born in 1876 (1051 Malayalam Year) at Kumbanad, Kerala to Padinjattedathu Chacko of the Kumbanattu family. After his  basic Malayalam education, he started his life as a farmer. He was Brought up in a Christian home environment in the MarThomas background. At the age of 16 he married to Saramma of the Kuriannoor Poozhikkalayil family.

Christian experience

Once early in his life John heard that the David Upadeshi was speaking at the Maramon MarThoma church and he went to hear him. The Upadeshi spoke about King David and his son Absalom. When the Upadeshi asked those who would be willing to accept Jesus as their savior to stand up, John stood up. From this time onward Bro.. John engaged in the Christian work while maintaining his farming job.

It was around this time period that the missionary V. Nagel came to Travancore and took Bible classes. He preached on the subject of "dying with Christ" and "crucifying the flesh". These speeches and the life of Bro.. Nagal encouraged Bro.. John in his Christian living. Bro.. John also attended the Bible classes of Bro.. J.G. Gregson at Ayroor. Through these Bible classes Bro.. John learned about various Biblical doctrines like  Church, leadership within  the church, the  seven stages of the church, adult  baptism, the Lord's Supper and other doctrines.

One day as they were at  the MarThoma church, the priest spoke on Mathew 13:24-30. The priest said "the good and bad people are in the church but at the end of the world only we know who is good seed and which are tares" and the priest asked Bro. John, "Is that not right John?". For that Bro.. John replied, "The field is not church, it is the world." On this the priest was very angry and hit him on one cheek. At this  Bro. John showed the other cheek also. The priest hit him on the other cheek also. Then John kneeled down and prayed. Then  the priest pushed him down and hit him on both the cheeks. After this incident when Bro. John reached home, his mother and wife started crying. Bro. John comforted them by reading to them from Acts 5:40, 41 "(And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.)" As his cousin P.E. Mammen heard about this, he called Bro. John and they spent a long time in prayer together. This incident encouraged many to leave of the Episcopal churches.

About this time P.E. Thomas, Bro.ther of PE Mammen went to Kunnamkulam and was baptized under the missionary V Nagal. After that PE Mammen also went to Kunnamkulam and was baptized by the missionary Handley Bird. When P.E. Mammen came back, he baptized Bro. John.

Full time ministry

After his baptism he had a desire to go into full-time ministry. Thus he started his preaching ministry. He went to different places and preached the Gospel. It was in the year 1905 that the  missionary E.H Noel came to Kerala and Bro. John started to work with Bro.. Noel. By this many churches were formed and more people joined in the work. Bro. John encouraged Bro. Noel in starting different establishments for the growth of the church. He also encouraged and helped Bro. Noel to start a School in Kumbanad. Bro.. John was instrumental in taking up the  leadership role in the Conventions and the representative meetings of the  local churches, youth meetings and gospel Meetings.

Family

Bro.. John had two sons and six daughters. All his children follow the path of their father and joined in the fellowship with the churches. His eldest son John Mathews worked as the correspondent of the schools and on his initiative the Malayalam School at Kumbanad became an English School and a high School. John Mathews later moved to Chethackal (Ranni) from Kumbanad. Younger son N.J. Chacko worked as the Headmaster of the Noel Memorial High School, Kumbanad.

                                                                                                               ‘To be continued’