Native American Mission

“Every Marthomite is a missionary.”  - Late Most Rev. Abraham Mar Thoma Metropolitan

Purpose:  Reaching out to the Native American Community
 
The Native American Mission began as a part of our effort to reach out to our neighbors in North America. Since 2003, we have been working among the Choctaw and Houma Native American communities living in Alabama, Oklahoma, and Louisiana. The primary goal of the mission program is to reach the community with Christian love, especially the youth who are in need of understanding and discovering their identity in Christ. The Mar Thoma Church has reached out to this community to collaboratively foster fellowship, deepen Christian faith, mentor, empower parents and youths, and encourage local leadership.
 
What we do…

MAR THOMA Native American Mission

Vacation Bible School
Vacation Bible Schools are being held at Mt. Vernon, Alabama, and Broken Bow, Oklahoma for the Choctaw Community. Volunteer activities include: teaching VBS classes, crafts, music, seminars, youth and women’s ministries, health education, conducting devotional services and mentoring. An average of 150-170 children participate in these programs each year.

Building Projects
Mar Thoma volunteers have assisted in the building and renovation of homes and churches in Louisiana, and Alabama. In Duloc, LA, near New Orleans, our team worked with the United Methodist Church Disaster Recovery Mission. They renovated homes affected by the hurricanes. In Oklahoma & Alabama, volunteers have helped to renovate Choctaw churches, and visit local families.

In 2009, the Mar Thoma house was built at Camp Israel Folsom in Broken Bow, OK to house the family of the camp caretakers. This house was renovated from a simple cabin to a single family house.

Youth Rallies & Leadership Training
Quarterly Youth Rallies are held with the Choctaw Cumberland Presbyterian churches in Southeastern Oklahoma. Additionally, leadership training camps are held at Mt. Vernon, AL to build up the youth in this area.. Activities include Bible classes, worship, leadership training for future church leaders, team building sessions, community carnivals and basketball tournaments.

Youth Camps
McGee Chapel hosts a week-long camp for the Choctaw Community from all over OK at Camp Israel Folsom in Broken Bow, OK. The primary purpose of this VBS program is to reach out to Choctaw that either don’t have an outlet to Christ or are in need of fellowship. Our goal is to spark an interest in Christ and to show God’s love in every instance. Volunteers lead praise and worship, teach classes, coordinate crafts, make and serve meals, and provide much needed fellowship and guidance for these youths.
    In Mount Vernon, AL the MTC leads a week-long VBS.  This VBS program serves the youth in Mount Vernon, AL each year and has transitioned some of the youth in this community to being coordinators. Since this church doesn’t have many youth leaders, this mission provides so much more than just a VBS once a year, it has strengthened the Choctaws.

2015 Native American Mission Subcommittee

• Rt. Rev. Dr. Geevarghese Mar Theodosius (Diocesan Bishop)
• Rev. Binoy J. Thomas (Diocesan Secretary)
• Mr. Philip Thomas (Diocesan Treasurer)
• Rev. Dennis Abraham (Convener)
• Rev. Shibi Abraham    
• Rev. Jose C. Joseph Mathew
• Mr. Joseph Koshy        
• Mrs. Nirmala Abraham
• Mrs. Sheeba Mathew    
• Ms. Neethu Thampy

2015 Native American Mission Promoters
OC Abraham (Philadelphia)
Dr.Suresh T.Mathews (Atlanta)
Babu G. Mathew (Colorado)
Jorge Wilson (California)
Ashby Mathews (California)
Abraham Mathew (Dallas)
Leelamma Isaac (Dallas)
Elsy Abraham (Dallas)
George Thomas (Oklahoma)
Dr. Mathew T. Thomas (Washington)
Mariamma Abraham (NY)


2015 Native American Mission Scheduled Programs
March 19-21 Spring Break, Work Camp, Broken Bow, OK
 April 18, Spring One-Day Conference at McGee Chapel, Broken Bow, OK
 May 2-3 Work Project at Coal Creek / Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Atoka, OK
 May 30-June 5 Orientation/Choctaw VBS Camp,at Camp Israel Folsom  in Broken Bow, OK
 June 4 Remembrance of Patrick Maruthmmotil—Broken Bow, OK.
 June 6-7 Leadership Summit/Orientation, Mt. Vernon, Alabama
June 8-12 Choctaw VBS Camp – Mt. Vernon, Alabama
 June 27-28: Youth Rally at McGee Chapel. Broken Bow, OK
 August 14-16– VBS at Round Lake Cumberland Presbyterian Church, OK
 November 7-10 – Ministry of Love in Action, AL
November 9 – Fall One-Day Conference, Broken Bow, OK

For more information, contact:
[email protected]

Note: For Images Click to photo gallery

 
Native American Mission Brochure 2015 Click to Download