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CSI Congregation of Dallas Monthly Newsletter
Passion week service timing Palm Sunday: April 9th @ 10:00 am Maundy Thursday: April 13th @ 7:00 pm Good Friday: April 14th @ 7:00 pm Easter Sunday: April 16rd @ 10:00 am
The Trumpet
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Meet our new Vicar and Family
Rev. K. G. Thomson, Shijo Thomson, Sheril Thomson, Sheela Thomson
We welcome our Vicar Rev. K. G. Thomson & Sheela Kochamma to our congregation. May Almighty God give you the strength to shepherd the church of God and bless your ministry to be a shining light before others.
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www.csicod.org
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Dearly Beloved,
Greetings in the Blessed name of our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ.
I praise and thank God for the opportunity to write this letter. I express my
heartful thanks to Our Moderator & Bishop, The Most Reverend Thomas K. Oommen
Thirumeny, the CSI Congregation Committee members and all the congregation
members who prayed and worked for our arrival to Dallas. By the grace of God Almighty
we reached safely. Once again, I request all to continue to uphold us in your prayers.
On Palm Sunday, we traditionally meditate upon the triumphal entry of our Lord
into Jerusalem before his passion and resurrection. All the four gospels particularly
narrate about the situation in Jerusalem when Jesus and his disciples planned to go there.
The people’s understanding was that Jesus was the sign of peace. This made them
involved in the procession. There are many symbols of peace in Bible connected to the
triumphal entry of Jesus.
The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was
coming to Jerusalem. So, they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him,
crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King
of Israel!” (John 12: 12, 13). The large crowd accepted Jesus as their King who brings
peace to them.
When we celebrate Palm Sunday, the celebration of peace, even when we hold
the palm leaves, the symbol of peace in our hands, do we experience the real peace in our
hearts? On Palm Sunday, we are also reminded the eschatological hope, the experience of
heaven, with all the people holding the branches of palm in their hands.
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts
and your minds in Christ Jesus.
May the Almighty Lord bless this congregation abundantly.
With prayer and regards,
Rev. K. G. Thomson
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April 2, 2017 (Malayalam)
Passion Sunday: Cross and the Restoring Christ
1st Lesson Job 42: 10-17 Mr. Mathew T. Mathew
Psalm 126 Mast. Abel Mathew
2nd Lesson Ephesians 2: 1-10 Mr. John Joseph
Gospel Reading – Mark 10: 46-52
April 9, 2017 (Malayalam)
Palm Sunday, Christ: The King of Peace
1st Lesson Zechariah 9: 1-12 Mr. Vinn Varghese
Psalm 24 Miss. Suzane Mariam Joseph
2nd Lesson Ephesians 2: 11-22 Mrs. Anjana Jacob
Gospel Reading – Mark 11: 1-11
April 13, 2017 (Service at 7:00 pm) (Malayalam)
Maundy Thursday, Christ: The Life-Giving Bread 1st Lesson Exodus 12: 12-20 Mr. George M. Varghese
Psalm 116 Miss. Crystal Mathew
2nd Lesson 1 Corinthians 11: 23-29 Mrs. Mabel Mathew
Gospel Reading – John 6: 47-58
April 14, 2017 (Service at 7:00 pm) (Malayalam)
Good Friday, Cross: Self Giving Love
1st Lesson Isaiah 52: 13-53: 12 Mr. Thomas M. Mathai
Psalm 22 Miss. Jerlin George
2nd Lesson - 1 Peter 2: 21-25 Mr. Mannil I. Mathew
Gospel Reading – Mark 15: 22-41
April 16, 2017 (Malayalam)
Easter Sunday, Resurrection: Celebrating Life in Jesus
1st Lesson 1 King 17: 17-24 Mr. Kurien M. Kurien
Psalm 118: 1-4, 14-17 Miss. Leeya Thomas
2nd Lesson 1 Corinthians 15: 42-58 Mrs. Tessymol Kurien
Gospel Reading – Luke 24: 1-12
April 23, 2017 (English)
Affirmation of Christ as Lord and God
1st Lesson Exodus 3: 13-17
Psalm 93
2nd Lesson Colossians 1: 15-23
Gospel Reading – John 20: 24-29
*** To be arranged by Youth Fellowship***
April 30, 2017 (Malayalam)
Invitation to Christ’s Hospitality
1st Lesson Genesis 18: 1-10 Mr. Bobby George Tharian
Psalm 15 Miss. Ann Mariam Jacob
2nd Lesson Hebrews 13: 1-8 Mrs. Jaqualin Varghese
Gospel Reading – John 21: 1-14
May 7, 2017 (Malayalam)
Communion with the Risen Christ in Daily Life
1st Lesson Exodus 40: 34-38 Mr. John Mathew
Psalm 23 Mr. Alwin John Samuel
2nd Lesson Philippians 3: 8-16 Mr. Sheju Varghese
Gospel Reading – Luke 24:13-33
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The Vicar and members of the CSI Congregation of Dallas wish the following
families a very happy and blessed wedding anniversary…
April 5 Mr. Jacob Jacob & Mrs. Anjana Jacob
April 20 Mr. Bobby George Tharian & Mrs. Rayni Mary Tharian
April 20 Mr. George K Poyikail & Mrs. Cissy Kuruvila
April 20 Mr. George Thomas & Mrs. Aleyamma Thomas
The Vicar and members of the CSI Congregation of Dallas wish the following
members a very Happy Birthday!!!
April 3 Miss. Raina Abraham
April 7 Mr. Vinn Varghese
April 11 Mrs. Rubykuty Shaji
April 15 Mrs. Annamma George
April 15 Mr. Neal Abraham
April 17 Mr. Prakash Varghese
April 18 Miss. Julia S. Mathew
April 19 Mast. Aaron George Kurien
April 19 Mrs. Sherly Itty
April 20 Mr. Kevin Varghese
April 27 Mrs. Deepa John
April 29
April 30
Mast. Ethan Eapen Kurien
Mast. Abel Mathew
April 30 Rev. K. G. Thomson
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Easter Trivia
1. What is the Sunday before Easter called? ________________________________________
2. When Jesus entered Jerusalem during His triumphal entry, what was He riding on? _______
3. How many times did Peter deny Christ? _________________________________________
4. What did the soldiers offer Jesus to drink while on the cross? ________________________
5. For how many pieces of silver did Judas betray Christ? _____________________________
6. How did Judas betray Christ? _________________________________________________
7. What color was the robe that the Romans placed upon Jesus? ________________________
8. In what was Jesus wrapped before he was buried? _________________________________
9. Who rolled away the tomb stone? ______________________________________________
10. What was the name of the man who requested Jesus' body for burial? __________________
11. What is the name of the Garden Jesus prayed before He was betrayed? _________________
12. What did Jesus give to Judas to show that he would betray him? ______________________
13. Who was the king at the time of Jesus crucifixion? _________________________________
14. The message on the cross was written in which 3 languages? _________________________
15. What was the message written on the cross? ______________________________________
16. What is another name for Calvary, the place where Jesus was crucified? ________________
17. What is the Thursday before Easter called? _______________________________________
18. What is the Friday before Easter called? _________________________________________
19. On which day of the week do we celebrate Easter? _________________________________
20. Write 1 of the 7 sayings of Jesus on the cross _____________________________________
Please submit your answers to Annu Vinod by April 30, 2017.
Happy Easter to you and your family
CSI Congregation of Dallas Sunday School
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The Pursuit Pursue– what a beautiful word. As I sit here with so many thoughts in my head, I’m struggling to
figure out how to start this blog. This word, “pursue,” just has so much power. It’s the word used to
describe the way we chase after friends, family, potential spouses, careers, and all the other things
that we go after in life. But more persistent than any of the things we chase after in this
world is a pursuit that started way before we even knew- God chasing after us. In Hebrew, the word “radaph” means “to pursue, run after, or chase” and if you want a more
connotative meaning- “to hunt you down.” It’s used in the Hebrew text of Psalm 23:6 when
describing the way God’s goodness and mercy follows us, but honestly the word’s grandness isn’t
even fully captivated in most of our English translations. It feels softened and limited. God literally
hunts us down , and pursues us with His goodness and mercy. God’s goodness and mercy
chases us so that we come to Him. He “radaphs” us!
I have to remind myself through Scripture and prayer of the nature of God- He’s a Shepherd that
goes after the one lost sheep. He’s a Father that runs to the prodigal son when he returns. He’s a God
that sent His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross so that He can spend eternity with all
that believe. God pursues us with His goodness and mercy so we return to Him because He loves us
so much that He wants to be with us forever.
Lately, I’ve really been struggling to understand this concept. This idea that God is constantly
pursuing me. It feels like my head knows, but my heart just isn’t getting it. In this season, the Lord
has been teaching me one of the greatest lessons I’ve learned this year through a story from the Old
Testament. This story isn’t one with a lot of glamour and glitz. It’s one filled with hurt and betrayal,
but also contains so much grace, compassion, and mercy- the story of Hosea and Gomer. A quick
overview of the story- Hosea is a prophet and God wants him to marry an adulterous woman,
Gomer. This whole story, especially their marriage and relationship, reflects the relationship
between God and the people of Israel. Even as Gomer continues to be involved in other matters
outside of her marriage, Hosea continually pursues her. He goes to the extent of buying her back,
even though she is his wife, which just shows how he wasn’t ever going to let her go, no matter what
she did.
For me personally, the story of Hosea and Gomer is a perfect example of how God faithfully pursues
my heart. God continues to come after us like Hosea went after Gomer each time she went a
different direction. God even bought back our lives, which was something which was His since the
beginning by sending Jesus to pay the price for our sin so we could have Eternity. Isn’t that the
sweetest? Have you heard of any other story that has this kind of love, mercy, and grace laced in and
around it?
This idea of how God’s pursuit after our hearts reminds me of the love God truly has for us. In 1John
4: 9-10, the explanation of how God’s love doesn’t depend or rely on our love for Him blows my
mind…like what? He continues to pursue us with His love even when we’re not pursuing Him.
That’s definitely something not of this world. Just like in the story of Hosea and Gomer, as we
continually are unfaithful to God like how Gomer was and God continues to be like Hosea and love
us even when we really don’t deserve it!
For me, since I haven’t been spending time with Him like I should be, it feels like my relationships
with Him is more like a long distant friend you only talk to on holidays than a best friend that I pour
my heart out to. If this sounds familiar for you, know that it’s dangerous. It’s dangerous because this
is an opportunity the devil takes and turns into guilt by speaking lies into our heart and making us
feel shameful, to even keep us from sitting down and spending time with the Lord.
HOWEVER, because the gift of God’s unconditional love, He will always take you back. I mean He
sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for you. During this season of lent, remember the
death that Jesus died for us to have a way to the Father. To top it all off, on that glorious day three
days after His death, He rose from the dead and has promised us that He will return. The Lord is a
God that keeps all His promises. So hold steadfast to the greatest promise of them all, the promise of
His return to take us Home. So remember, God loves you. It doesn’t matter what you say or do, it
cannot make Him love you any more or less, He is after your heart. He longs for us to return to Him
and even when we are walking away from Him, He’s still after us. So what’s your next step? As God
pursues you, are you going to run to Him and sit at His feet or continue running away? Whichever
one you decide, that doesn’t change the fact that God will continue to pursue and love you because
you belong to Him!
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By the grace of God, Rev. K. G. Thomson & Kochamma arrived in Dallas on April 1st and
took charge as our vicar on April 2nd Sunday. I would like to Thank all the members who
prayed for Achen & Kochamma’s safe travel and all the members who contributed in
preparing food, parsonage cleaning and maintenance.
2016 Church directory is sent to all members via email, please let the secretary know of
any corrections that needs to be made. We will have an updated version later this month.
We held our first Spring cleaning & gardening for 2017 in March, Thanks to everyone
who volunteered and who donated for the event.
We will have Tele prayer every Friday at 8pm to 9pm. The dial in number is 712-432-
1212, the access code is 764727353 followed by the “#” sign. Please find time to join the
prayer.
Maundy Thursday (4/13) and Good Friday (4/14) service will begin at 7:00 pm.
We will celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Easter on 04/16/17,
there will be Easter egg hunt for kids conducted by Sunday school.
Bible Reading – if you are interested in reading the bible lessons, please let me know
Snack Sponsorship – Please sign up for sponsoring snacks. A list is posted on the church
bulletin board.
Cottage Prayer meetings – We are planning to revive Cottage prayers after Easter Sunday,
encourage every family to conduct prayer at least once a year. We humbly ask you to open
your houses for prayer, please let me know your convenient dates for cottage prayer.
Choir dedication – New choir members will be dedicated to the choir on 04/09 Sunday
Youth Bible Study – Youth Bible study will be held on April 21st @ 7:00 pm
Prayer Requests
Please pray for our church members
George Thomas (Thampichayan) – recovering from bypass surgery
Aleyamma Cherian (Prince’s Mother) – recovering from Pneumonia
Cherian Varghese – recovering from Cataract Surgery
Annamma Eapen (Eapen Achen’s Kochamma)
Condolence
With profound sadness, we inform you that Jolly John passed away on April 1st, over the past
few years he had done maintenance of our heating and air condition units in church,
parsonage and homes of several of our members. Please uphold the bereaving family in your
prayers. The wake will be at St Alphonsa Catholic Church. 200 South Heartz Road, Coppell,
TX 75019 April 7th Friday at 6pm-9pm. The funeral service is at St Alphonsa Catholic
Church on April 8th Saturday 10:30am-1200 pm Burial will follow at Rolling Oaks cemetery:
400 South Freeport Parkway, Coppell, TX 75019
Easter gives us yet another reason to be thankful to God. Let the joy of the resurrection
of Christ be filled in your heart and bring peace into your life. Have a Blessed Easter.
He is Risen, God Bless you!
- Shelby Thomas
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Women’s Sunday (March 5th) & Women’s World Day of Prayer (March 11th)
Welcoming Rev. K. G Thomson Achen and Sheela Kochamma (April 2nd)
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Position Name Telephone
Number
President Rev. K. G Thomson (469)-757-8285
Vice President Mr. Mathew Daniel (972) 249-5966
Secretary Mr. Shelby Thomas (214) 923-2719
Joint Secretary Mr. Jacob Davidson (Biji) (214) 218-1357
Treasurer Mr. Mathew Thomas (Manu) (469) 226-3648
Joint Treasurer Mr. Richardson Mathew (469) 569-3699
Warden Mr. John Thomas (Deepu) (214) 621-3870
Warden Mr. Jacob Jacob (Reuben) (214) 893-6898
Committee Member Mr. Eapen Samuel (Sam) (469) 324-7484
Committee Member Mrs. Mariamma George (214 546-4792
Committee Member Mrs. Emy Varghese (214) 491-0068
Auditor Mr. George Thomas (214) 675-1206
Choirmaster Mrs. Rayni Tharian (469) 226-4530
Choir Secretary Mr. Sreejith John (847) 668-6002
Sunday School Superintendent Mrs. Betty George (214) 228-0865
Youth Secretary Miss. Julia Mathew (469) 438-0011
Women’s Fellowship Secretary Mrs. Emy Varghese (214) 491-0068
Women’s Fellowship Treasurer Mrs. Elizabeth Mathews (Anu) (972) 639-8798