Parish History
Parish History
Home > Parish History
St. Thomas Mar Thoma Church : Our History
2018
On February 11, 2018, a meeting of the Northwest Houston and the surrounding area Mar Thoma members of Trinity MTC and Immanuel MTC were held at the residence of Mr. Thomas Chris Cherian to discuss further the feasibility of forming a Mar Thoma congregation in Northwest quadrant and surrounding areas of greater Houston. Approximately 80 people participated in the meeting along with Very Rev. Cherian Thomas, Rev. Johnson Thomas Unnithan (Vicar- Immanuel MTC), Rev. Mathews Philip (Vicar- Trinity MTC), Rev. Abraham Varghese (associate Vicar – Immanuel MTC) and Rev. Philip Philip Associate Vicar – Trinity MTC). The meeting elected an Ad hoc Committee to explore the formation of a new worshipping community in the Northwest and surrounding parts of Greater Houston area.
On March 10, 2018, the application for the formation of the independent congregation was forwarded to the Diocesan Bishop with a list of 43 family’s consent signature and the relevant meeting minutes.
On April 11, 2018, with the Kalpana DC/268/18 announcing the formation of the congregation effective on May 15, 2018, with Rev. Abraham Varghese appointed as interim Vicar.
On May 19, 2018, the Inaugural Holy Communion Service of St. Thomas Mar Thomas congregation was conducted. Very Rev. Dr. Cherian Thomas was the chief celebrant. Rev. Abraham Varghese, Rev. Philip Philip, and Rev. Saji Albin were also present during the Inaugural Holy Communion. A public meeting was held after the Inaugural Holy Communion Services. Very Rev. Dr. Cherian Thomas delivered the keynote speech. The officials of Immanuel Mar Thoma church and Trinity Mar Thoma Church delivered felicitations.
2019
On February 10, 2019, The General Body meeting Passed the resolution to request to His Grace Mar Thoma Metropolitan and His Lordship Diocesan Episcopa for granting the Parish status for the Congregation.
On June 5, 2019, The Episcopal Synod granted parish status for the Congregation with the name St. Thomas Mar Thoma Church, Houston.
On June 20, 2019, with Kalpana DC 274/2019, Rev. Saji Albi was appointed as the Vicar.
On August 8, 2019, Church acquired the property at 19445 Cypress Church Road, Cypress, TX 77433, consisting of 4 acres of land including parsonage and a building that can be potentially converted to an interim sanctuary.
On October 26, 2019, With God’s grace, the renovation work for the sanctuary building was completed and was consecrated by His Grace the Most Rev. Dr. Joseph Mar Thoma Metropolitan with Diocesan Bishop Rt. Rev. Dr. Isaac Mar Philoxenos Episcopa. The parsonage was also dedicated the same day by His Grace the Most Rev. Dr. Joseph Mar Thoma Metropolitan.
2020-
2021
As a church we survived through the troubled and uncertain times of COVID-19 pandemic. We do know now what it is, and we must learn to live with it and not fear the pandemic. Our almighty God was with us through every step of the way. We conducted services every Sunday and our church doors were open for all church services, activities, and events in 2021.
2022
We started 2022 with complete trust in our God, although COVID-19 lingered around us. The difference was that humanity was a bit more prepared to manage the pandemic. Our faith as a community and individuals strengthened as the year progressed, fully knowing God was in control.
We prevailed through the pandemic, conducted services every Sunday, and hosted various activities and events in 2022.
Our church held worship services every Sunday at 9 am with Holy Communion on all Sundays. Divine service was led by the lay leader on those Sundays when the vicar or other clergy was not available to conduct Holy Qurbana. We conducted 42 Holy Communion Services (24 English and 18 Malayalam) and 10 Divine Services in 2022(all in English).
2023
In 2023, we added 6 families. We have grown to 49 families with over 168 members including children. We’re thrilled that our Philoxenos Tirumeni inaugurated the St. Thomas Mar Thoma Church app! This app is designed to make church life more accessible and connected for all of us.
Philoxenos Tirumeni’s blessing of our foundation stone marks the beginning of a promising chapter in the development of our church. The foundation stone is a symbol of our collective aspirations for a vibrant and flourishing community.
The General Body meeting held on December 6, 2020 accepted the outline of the ten-year vision of the parish’s mission activities (Mission Vision 2030). The proposed 10-year mission vision includes:
Adopt a small village (100-150 families) outside Kerala under the supervision of a Diocesan Bishop as part of their diocesan mission work in India’s villages, aiming the total development of that village along with the evangelistic work. In 2022, Very Rev. Dr. Cherian Thomas and John Thomas visited the Devanahalli mission field of the church and identified Devasandra village in Jungomanacode mission center as a potential area for Community development project with the advice of Dr. Joseph Mar Barnabas Suffragan Metropolitan and Jiji Mathews (General Secretary -MTEA). The General Body meeting held on November 6, 2022 adopted this proposal with a primary focus on education at the initial stage.
2024
In 2024, we gained 10 families. We have grown to 55 families with over 192 members including children. The Chithravarnam concert was a truly unforgettable evening, where music and art intertwined to create a beautiful experience for all who attended. With a mesmerizing performance by talented artists like K.S Chithra, Sharrath, Anamika, Nishad, and their world-class orchestra, the concert captivated every heart in the audience. We are deeply grateful for the support of our sponsors, volunteers, and all those who helped bring this incredible event to life. Thank you to everyone who was part of making this concert such a special occasion!
We also want to express our deepest gratitude to our Chief Guest, Mr. D.C. Manjunath, Consul General of India, Houston, and to all the dignitaries who joined us for Chithravarnam.