Spiritual Organisations

Sunday School

This is a spiritual organisation functioning in all the parishes of the Orthodox Church throughout the world. It takes care of the spiritual nurturing of the children, by bringing them up in the knowledge and fellowship of Jesus Christ and His Church. The classes are conducted in Malayalam for the children in Kerala and for others in English. It has a separate wing for the outer Kerala region.

Mission

♦ Develop an understanding of Bible to provide a strong foundation for Christian Living.

♦ Help our children understand that God has a plan for each of them.

♦ Lead our children to a personal commitment to follow Jesus.

♦ Learn to worship our Lord through singing and praying and help them remain in that commitment.

SGIOC Perth Sunday School is one of the most important Spiritual Organisation in our church. Sunday school aims to ensure our children are not left behind in spiritual growth in their upbringings. Spiritual growth is a lifelong process and successful integration and participation in other spiritual activities and making every individual an ideal Christian, comes from the platform laid at Sunday School. Sunday School is divided into classes based on age groups. Each group follows a set curriculum for each year. Our Academic year runs from February till November of each year. Annual exams are conducted at the end of each year.

Sunday School also conducts the Orthodox Vocational Bible School (OVBS) every year during school holidays, spanning 3 days. OVBS provides opportunities for Sunday school children to grow closer to Christ and His Church in a fun-filled learning environment.

Psalm 127:3 – “Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a real blessing.”

Choir Group

The Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church is proud of its worshipping heritage. It is through the worship that the faith, tradition, and practice of our fathers are transmitted down the generations. The West Syrian form of worship, language, and music was introduced to the Church in the latter half of the nineteenth century, and we continue to use these in our Church today. Unscientific method of singing has altered Syriac music from its original form. Liturgical music that was passed down through the generations was not through musical notations but through oral tradition. In addition, many Malpans (Teachers) added their own style of singing to their teachings, further increasing the number of variations.

Purpose of Parish Choir

♦ Formation of well organized, systematically trained and centrally regulated/controlled choirs in all parishes of the church.

♦ To make arrangements for organised choir singing/to facilitate organised choir singing in all parishes of the church.

♦ To systematize and invigorate liturgical singing in the church and to make it more spiritual enriching, musical and euphonious.

♦ To ensure the leadership of the clergy and the participation of the laity in the worship of the church.

♦ To develop/evolve appropriates styles of worship or music for various sacraments and ceremonies while preserving the liturgical heritage and tradition of the church.

♦ To encourage the recording of new developments in melodies that are appropriate for the Indian culture.

SGIOC Perth Choir is led by Rev. Fr. Robin Thomas. The choir comprises of talented and dedicated singers who leads the congregation in praise and worship. SGIOC Perth Choir sings at all services and liturgies throughout the year, adding quality to the liturgical life of the parish. Liturgical Choir is an important ministry of the parish as we are called to serve one another with our time, talent and treasure.

Psalm 68:4 – “Sing to God, sing in praise of his name, extol him who rides on the clouds; rejoice before him – his name is the Lord”

Prayer Group

Prayer Meetings (Prathana Yogam) has been constituted to monitor and streamline the prayer and reading habits of congregations in different prayer groups functioning in the various parishes under the Malankara Syrian Orthodox Christian Church. The objective of this group is to ascertain the inculcation of firm faith, love of the church and brotherhood and bring about the spiritual, material and educational upliftment of the people.

Prayer meetings are another very important Spiritual Organisation of SGIOC Perth and are led by the Vicar. Prayer Meetings are held at a members’ residence, once in every month starting at 6.30 PM and runs for an hour. Prayer
meetings are aimed for Members and their families to come together in a homely atmosphere and sing songs, read bible, participate in evening prayer and listen to devotional address by the Vicar or Special guests.

Matthew 18:20 – “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them”.

Martha Mariam Samajam

Martha Mariam Samajam is the association of women in the Malankara Orthodox Church with Blessed Virgin Saint Mary as the patron Saint. ‘Martha’ is the feminine form of ‘Mar’ which means Saint in Syriac language. So Martha Mariam Samajam association named after St. Mary.

The Samajam mainly aims at spiritual growth of women. The Holy Mother, St. Mary showed us a good example of supporting the Christian Ministry. By reading the Bible, we can see that St. Mary followed Jesus throughout His ministry, even to His death at the cross. The motto of the Samajam is “Pray, Act and Shine.” Jesus taught us to
pray, asked us to help the needy and called us to be the “light of the world”. As Samajam members try to follow that in their daily life.

Martha Mariam Samajam has an integral role in the growth of St. George Indian Orthodox Church. May the intercession of St. Mary be a stronghold for all of us. MMS at SGIOC Perth is a vibrant association of the women and mainly aims at spiritual growth of women. Currently, MMS meets quarterly under the leadership of Vicar. The main focus of MMS meeting is on Bible Reading/Study and Spiritual Message by Vicar. MMS also raises funds for Church by conducting food sales.

1 Corinthians 11:12 – “For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God”.

Youth Movement

The Youth Group is the oldest group associated with St. Thomas Orthodox Church. It has morphed over the years from adolescent hang out to the strong voice of representation that it is today. When the group was conceived back in 1987, it was brought as an idea in keeping our youth together, something outside Sunday School, with a more open charter. Under the guise of its early leadership the group was responsible for the Church winning awards in cultural shows, to bringing in a large portion to the Churches early building funds with cultural shows and fund raisers.

Youth Movement in SGIOC Perth is an important organisation aims at moulding the minds and visions of the youth against the background of the contemporary issues. Currently, Youth Movement meets monthly. Youth Movement also looks to raise funds to Church by conducting various fundraising activities.

Job 33:25 – “let their flesh be renewed like a child’s; let them be restored as in the days of their youth”

Google Sites

Report abuse