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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

csicod.secretary@gmail.com

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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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yy

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