{
  "bookName": "History of Christianity in India: Source Materials",
  "authorName": "M. K. Kuriakose",
  "publisherName": "Indian Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge",
  "publicationYear": 2011,
  "chapterNumber": 177,
  "chapterName": "1936. Ideals of the Christa Sishya Ashram, Coimbatore",
  "pageFrom": 365,
  "pageTo": 367,
  "pages": [
    {
      "pageNumber": 365,
      "ocrText": "SOURCE MATERIALS-\n365\nWe need on the one hand far more Indian leaders of this type\nthan are available at present; and on the other, we desire to see a\nstill bolder policy in all Missionary Churches, trusting Indians more\nand more with responsibilities. The carrying of responsibilities\ntrains character, develops leadership and drives men to seek divine\nhelp to enable them to discharge their duties to the glory of God\nand for the advancement of the Church in this land. We would\nurge on Missions and Churches the great need for even greater\ndevelopment along this line in the future. At a time when the\nspirit of nationalism sweeps over the land, and everything un-Indian\nis looked upon with suspicion, it is a moral and spiritual obligation\nupon all missionaries and missionary societies from abroad and\nupon all Churches in India to seek to do everything they possibly\ncan, to make it possible, both in appearance and in reality, to\nidentify the Christian movement with the indigenous Church and\nindigenous leadership.\n177. IDEALS OF THE CHRISTA SISHYA ASHRAM,\nCOIMBATORE (1936 A.D.)\nWith the assistance of the Anglican bishop Pakenham Walsh,\nthe Christa Sishya Ashram was established by the Orthodox Syrian\nChurch at Thadagam near Coimbatore in 1936. The description\nof the ideals of the ashram found here come from a later time. From\nthe Souvenir published by the Ashram, Bishop Walsh Birth\nCentenary Celebrations, pp. 9 ff.\nThe founder-members had as their ideal a community of clergy\nand laity, married and unmarried, living under strict regulations.\nIt was hoped that the members would be chiefly family units.\nAs a religious community we take the three vows of Poverty,\nObedience and Devotion to the Kingdom of God. By the third\nvow we understand that every private and personal interest will be\nsubordinated to that of preparing the way for the Kingdom of God\non earth as it is in heaven.\nAs disciples of Lord Jesus, our ever-living and ever-present\nGuru, we desire to live a common life together in which we will\nendeavour to follow Him in worship and prayer, in faith and in\nlove, in child-like obedience to the Heavenly Father, and in renuncia-\ntion of and sacrifice for the service and uplift of all those for whom\nHe gave His life and with the special object of making Him known\nto those who know Him not.\nThis we desire to do by proclaiming by life and word the princi-\nples of the Kingdom, as taught by Him and by leading both",
      "status": "completed"
    },
    {
      "pageNumber": 366,
      "ocrText": "366\nHISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY IN INDIA\nChristians and non-Christians to co-operate in applying those\nprinciples, so as to promote the well-being of the people around\nus and of the world in which we live.\nMarried people who join the Sangha are called to make a\nsacrifice in some respects more closely than that made by the\nunmarried members, for they offer not only themselves but their\nfamilies, they resign some of the independence of ordinary home\nlife and they make a great act of faith in God as regards the future\nof their children.\nA Community in which the family shall have its due place is\nalmost a new experiment in the Christian world, but it was an\nencouragement to those who had conceived this plan, to find out\nlater that the devout and far-sighted Bishop of Durham, Brooke\nFoss Westcott, had the same vision and had considered it as the\ngreat experiment of the Christian Church, which in response to the\nneeds of different ages had tried hermits, monks, nuns, mendicants,\nbut had not yet tried families living in disciplined community life.\nHe thought that such families living the religious life together in\nvoluntary poverty and brotherly co-operation would set an example\nwhich could be imitated, in which the ordinary temptations of\nsocial life would seem to be met and overcome...\nHoliness of Life:\nKnowing that we must preach the Gospel even more by our\nlives than by our lips we desire to use every means to become holy,\nto bring up the children of the Ashram in the obedience and love\nof God, and to influence all who from time to time live with\nus to offer themselves as living sacrifices to God.\nTo this end we desire to secure and to guard by rule and custom\nsufficient time for prayer and meditation and the study of God's\nHoly word and of other religious books as well as for corporate\nworship including the frequent drawing near to God in the Holy\nQurbana and for occasional retreats. We also desire to observe\nsuch rules of holy living as our Church enjoin upon us.\nAnd knowing the grievous harm which dissensions among\nbrethren cause to the common life, we desire to be full of forbearance\nand forgiveness, to be frank with each other in love, to confess our\nfaults freely when we have offended any and to foster the same\nspirit in all the families and residents in the Ashram.\nWe recognise that the three graces specially needed for such a\nSangha as ours are humility, love and joy. We shall therefore\nstrive to have the mind of the Master in these things; we shall be",
      "status": "completed"
    },
    {
      "pageNumber": 367,
      "ocrText": "SOURCE MATERIALS\n367\nglad to take the lowest place and to obey the rules of the Sangha,\nand the orders of the Acharya or of others set over us. We shall\nendeavour to love with the love of Christ Jesus, all united with us.\nin the Sangha and with whom we come in contact, even those who\nwound and injure us; we shall endeavour to keep the joy of our\nLord in our hearts, rejoicing in all God's creation around us, and\nin all that we see of His beauty in the people whom we have to serve.\nWe shall in these ways by God's grace make our Ashram a\nhome of true religion, where love, peace and joy are felt as an all-\npervading atmosphere by those who enter it.\nSimplicity of Living :\nHaving in remembrance the example of our Master, who,\nthough He He was rich, for our sakes became poor and of those saints\nof every age who for His sake renounced all they had, we will aim\nat such a standard of simple living as we hope will be within the\nreach of all the people of our neighbourhood as they learn to\npractise the principles of the Kingdom of God, given us by our\nLord Jesus Christ. In all matters of possessions, ornaments and\ndress, we will endeavour to be so simple as not to cause feelings.\nof envy in the minds of the poor...\nThe following extracts from the Articles of Association of the\nAshram given below will give some idea of the working of the\nAshram.\nMembership:\nMembership is open to clergy and laity, married or unmarried,\nbelonging to the Orthodox Syrian Church. Great care shall be\ntaken that all who join the Sangha are suitable in body, mind and\nspirit for that life and work and understand what membership\ninvolves. As wives are also expected to be members of the Sangha\nequal care should be taken to see that they are fit persons to join\nthe Sangha. Normally those wishing to join will come on a long\nvisit not less than six months and after a probation period of one\nyear they can become members of the Sangha for one year with the\napproval of the Sangha. After the first year's membership,\nmembers may with the approval of the Sangha renew their vows\nfor a period of three years. At the end of this period the Sangha\ncan accept him or her as a permanent member if he or she so desires.\nSuch a member can then or at a later time become a voting member\nof the Sangha if the Sangha approves...",
      "status": "completed"
    }
  ]
}