About

Towards the end of 1946, Bishop Abraham Mar Thoma, who had great zeal for the evangelization of India, visited the Bangalore Parish and was informed of possibilities of opening Mission work at Hoskote. Miss. Bagshaw, an English lady who belonged to the Anglican Church, came to Hoskote long before the Mar Thoma Church even thought of mission work in Hoskote. She bought a piece of land in the town and started an orphanage called “House of Praise”.

Meanwhile, God was still working to accomplish His purpose. In the 1940s, under the leadership of Rev. Philip Oommen (later Mar Chrysostom Mar Thoma Valiya Metropolitan) and Rev. M.G. Chandy (later Alexander Mar Thoma Valiya Metropolitan), successive vicars of the Mar Thoma Church in Bangalore, and some of the Bangalore Marthomites used to assemble in Cubbon Park for prayer and fellowship. As the days passed, there arose a growing conviction that they should open an outreach ministry of the city congregation in one of the rural neighbourhoods of Bangalore. After scouting around the surrounding areas, they felt that Hoskote was the right place where God was directing them. God, through His Spirit, has been at work from the very beginning using various individuals, groups, and churches to draw lost men and women unto Himself. Where one studies the history of Hoskote Mission, it appears that God worked through several individuals and groups, and from different directions for the establishment of His work at Hoskote.

In the first week of January, 1947, Bishop Abraham was taken to Hoskote by friends in Bangalore. Visiting Miss. Bagshaw at the House of Praise, he gathered more details of the place and its people and was greatly impressed by the way God was opening a way for mission work, claiming the fulfilment of God’s promise in Joshua 1:3 he prayed to God for the land they had trodden upon and beseeched Him to give the nation for the church’s inheritance.

At the same time an urge arose in Mr. A. C. Zachariah of Kuriannoor, a teacher at the CMS College High School, Kottayam, and Mr. M.T. Joseph, an Anchal Master at Kozhenchery to leave their work and launch out into full-time evangelistic ministry. Mr. A. C. Zachariah took leave and joined South India Bible Institute at Kolar. After completing his studies he went back to Kerala praying to God to provide a team mate for the proposed work at Hoskote. After a meeting with Mr. Zachariah both Joseph and his wife resigned their Gov’t jobs. Thus the pioneering team for Hoskote Mission was formed.

They studied Kannada zealously and very soon they learned to read and write. As they became more and more proficient in the language, they began to reach out to the multitudes of surrounding villages, holding, literacy classes for youths, a night school to coach school going children etc. Even though the Missionaries earned the love and respect of many people in the town and surrounding villages through their life and testimony, people were very hesitant to adopt the new faith. After some time two workers were assigned to Hoskote from Mar Thoma Suvishesha Sevika Sangam. They stayed in a room in one village and used to visit the neighbouring villages. Narasimha and his wife Rethnamma, were residents of the Gonakanahally village. Rethnamma came into contact with the ladies team at Jedigenahally and became a Christian and accepted the Christian name Saramma. Later Narasimha was also baptized and received the name Abraham. The first one who joined the fellowship of the Church through baptism was a young man from Hoskote who received the Christian name Mathai. Mr. Zachariah who had learned homeopathy through a correspondence course rented a room in the town and opened the “Rural Welfare Homeopathic Dispensary’. More people started to get treatment from this Dispensary. Since then there arose a desire in the minds of the people to start a hospital in Hoskote.

The Missionaries as well as the friends of the Mission earnestly prayed to god to provide a base for the Mission in the town and the land for the Mission was bought in 1951 and 1952.The members of the Bangalore Mar Thoma Church solidly stood behind the missionaries with their prayers and financial support and encouraged them through their visits and fellowships.