P. J. Thomas

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 This article is orphaned as few or no other articles link to it.
Please help introduce links in articles on related topics. (October 2007)
This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards.
Please improve this article if you can. (July 2007)


Image:pjthomas.gif
Born on April 15, 1914
Died on March 24, 1998


Born to Pastor John and Saramma Ayyapilla as the second oldest among 5 boys and 4
girls. Pastor Thomas's father Ayyapilla Sar (Pastor P.V. John) came from a Hindu
Brahmin background, came to know the Lord through a native missionary (Kappiar Upadesi)
who taught him John 3:16. He attended Seampore University and earned a Diploma in
Theology. He became the principal of the IPC free School. Following his marriage to
Aleyamma (Keezhvaipur, Mallappally), he left for Australia for higher studies. He went to
England from Australia and to the U.S, where he attended Wheaton College (Chicago) and
got a Master's degree in Comparative Religion. He taught at Wheaton for a short time
before returning back to India in 1952. Before he went back to India, he was instrumental
in bringing the then three senior IPC pastors, Pastor K.E. Abraham, K.C. Cherian, and
P.M. Samuel to the U.S. He also traveled with Pastor K.E. Abraham and interpreted for him
across the U.S.


Following his return to India, the late Pastor J. Varghese (Kochusar) Persuaded him
to settle down at Tiruvalla and arranged the purchase and move in to the present Sharon
property in March 1953. The fame of "Sharon" came with two revival meetings and the
opening of the Bible College at Sharon compound. On Nov. 30, 1953 Daoud missionaries
arrived who conducted 30 days of revival and healing ministry, the last week's attendance
was over 100,000 a night. These meeting were conducted without any foreign money only
from the free will offering of the people who attended. Hundreds turned to the Lord and
were baptized. Many were healed of their illnesses. John E. Douglas and Rev. Schambeck
who conducted their revival and healing compound at Sharon compound. With the completion
of the Sharon Hall, Sharon Bible College was born in 1955 where several pastors have been
trained.



Unfortunately the 1950's were a period of unrest within the IPC church. During the
split in IPC, the Sharon Hall was often used as a place of mediation, but Pastor Thomas
remained neutral. Several independent churches approached Pastor Thomas to help them with
building churches and buying burial grounds and to give them a hand in common fellowship.
As a result Pastor Thomas decided to remain independent. Although it had a small
beginning the church began to grow in leaps and bounds beginning the middle of the 60's
He called it a fellowship of churches thus it is called Sharon Fellowship Churches of
India, but commonly called as Sharon Church.



Pastor Thomas was a man of God with a vision, faith, honesty, humility, integrity
and compassion. He was a prophet for the modern day with practicing theology.

[edit] References