Maramon Convention
The Maramon Convention, one of the largest Christian convention in Asia, is held at Maramon, Pathanamthitta, Kerala, India annually in February on the vast sand-bed of the Pampa River next to the Kozhencherry Bridge. It is organised by Mar Thoma Evangelistic Association, the missionary wing of the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church.
The origin and growth of this annual get-together for one week at a stretch can be traced to the great revival movement which gathered momentum during the reformation period in the Syrian Churches of Kerala under the pioneering leadership of Abraham Malpan in the latter part of the 19th century. This brought about the transformation in resurgence of the ancient apostolic Churches in Kerala founded by St. Thomas the Apostle approximately in AD 52.
Cultural identity of Saint Thomas Christians
Saint Thomas in the Syriac-speaking culture of upper Mesopotamia and Syria the apostle was called Judas Thomas. Thomas means twin in Syriac.Jawaharlal Nehru in his Glimpses of World History, 1934 wrote about Christianity in India:
"You may be surprised to learn that Christianity came to India long before it went to England or Western Europe, and when even in Rome it was a despised and proscribed sect. Within 100 years or so of the death of Jesus, Christian Missionaries came to South India by sea. They were received courteously and permitted to preach their new faith. They converted a large number of people, and their descendants have lived there, with varying fortune, to this day. Most of them belong to old Christian sects which have ceased to exist in Europe".
St. Ephraem, a Christian deacon and scholar, in AD 363 composed a poem that honors St. Thomas in that era's understanding:
"Blessed art thou, like a solar ray, India’s darkness doth dispel. Thou the great lamp, one among the Twelve, with oil from the cross replenished India’s night flooded with light. Oh Blessed Apostle, valiant Mar Thoma whom violent threats did not affright, Blessed apostle be thou praised, whom the Great King has sent that India to his one begotten thou shouldest espouse."
An ancient Indian non-Christian work Nagargarandhavaryola mentions St. Thomas:
In AD 52 "the foreigner Thomas Sanyasi came to our village, preached there causing pollution. We therefore came away from that village."
Mar Thoma Evangelistic Association
By 1877, there were two factions in the Malankara church, known as Bishop faction and Patriarch faction. By a court verdict on 12 July 1889, Bishop faction lost all the properties. In this turbulent period, on 5 September 1888, 12 members of the Bishop faction formed a missionary group called "Mar Thoma Evangelistic Association". These 12 members are considered the founding fathers of the Maramon convention. The names of these 12 members are:-- Kottarathil Thomas Kasseessa, Chengannur
- Edavamvelil Mathai, Eraviperoor.
- Kottooreth Yohannan, Chengannur
- Chempakasseril Kadavil Abraham, Kallissery
- Chakkalayil Cherian Upadesi, Puthencavu
- Chempakasseril Kadavil Mathuchen, Kallissery
- Azhakinal Thommi, Kallooppara
- Nathaniel Upadesi, Chengannur
- Kurichiath Ittiyavara, Niranam
- Arangat Philipose, Maramon
- Ottaplammoottil Kunju Mathew, Kallissery
- Kochumannil Skariah, Edayaranmula
Beginning
By 1894, a number of small supportive prayer group communions emerged and this paved a way for revival. They had regular meetings in various parishes. Because the number of people attending these meetings was growing; the need was addressed by deciding to have a meeting of these groups in a wider level at a central accessible place. This was a venue for dimensional spiritual edification that is applicable, biblically sound, ideal and value based for striving with the realities of the world and never a place for signs, wonders and miracles. During the 19th century, people began to occupy hilly places which resulted in felling of forests in and around the catchment area of Pampa river and started intensive cultivation of annual crops like tapioca, yams... etc. This unplanned encroachment resulted in large scale soil erosion. Deep river with mud was filled with white sand, which turned to be congenial place to assemble for a gathering of masses. No need for any seating arrangement as people can sit on the neat white sand bed under roofs made by knitted coconut leaves. The duty of organising this meeting was given to the Mar Thoma Evangelistic Association and the first convention was held in 1895 at Maramon. Today the changing habitat and lesser focus on agriculture with rise of rubber plantation, the surfaced roads minimised soil erosion and a large scale sand mining for construction activities decreased the size of the sand bed to a great extent.By 1900 reformers adopted the name Malankara Marthoma Suriyani Sabha also known as the Mar Thoma Church to encase its ancient lineage.
View of Convention
Maramon Convention. This view of the convention is from Kozhencherry side. Kozhencherry bridge is on the right. There are usually no empty spaces inside the Panthal. So people stand outside and group around the shades to listen to the songs and messages.Maramon Convention. This view of the convention is from Maramon side. Kozhencherry bridge is on the left.
First Convention
The first convention was held for 10 days from 8 to 17 March 1895. The venue was the vast sand-bed of the Pampa River next to the Maramon church. The parishes in and around Maramon – Kozhencherry helped in making a very large panthal to accommodate about 10,000 people. The main speakers were David and Wordsworth. On an average 10,000 to 15,000 people attended these meetings. On the last day almost 25,000 attended. There were no proper roads during those days. So nearby houses accommodated the people from far away places. Some of them came in boats and used them as their shelter.Convention these days
Maramon Convention is held for eight days during the first week of the Great Lent that usually falls in February. The tent has a seating capacity in excess of 160,000 people. They are seated on the dry sand bed. Old and weak are given sponsored-paid chairs to sit on. There is also a smaller tent erected next to the larger one for people with infants and with children below 5. All around the temporary tent there are prayer and rest sheds and other tents for various purposes related to the Church. Stalls for the sale of religious literature and other items, church mission advertisement and funding offices and restaurants are allowed to operate in the vicinity of the tent under the control of the Church authorities.Programme
The Maramon Convention is pre-eminently an assembly of Christians who once a year come here for listening to the Word of God as read and expounded by Christian leaders from all over India as well as abroad. Introduction and promotion of Church activities and Preaching occupy the major part of the convention programme. In the morning there will be separate Bible study classes for Men, women, youth and children conducted by specially invited leaders. The mornings and afternoons are public meetings and in the evening, meetings are for men only. Four of the afternoon public meetings are for 'Facing the challenges of Social evils as Christians'. The choir leads the singing and the introduction of voguish songs and the whole gathering joins in singing. A hymn book with 101 hymns including 16 new ones are printed every year for the convention use. Everyday half an hour is spent for intercessory prayer. Also there are family gatherings, youth meetings and special gatherings after the afternoon session.Leaders
In addition to the Metropolitan and Episcopas of the church, distinguished world-renowned speakers addressed this convention. The Revd Thomas Walker, England, Sadhu Sunder Singh, Punjab, Dr. G. Sherwood Eddy, Dr. E. Stanley Jones, USA, Dr. Toyohiko Kagawa, Japan, John R. Mott, Nobel Peace Prize winner and President of World Alliance of YMCAs, Dr. Bob Pierce, founder and president of World Vision, Astronaut Colonel James Irwin, who spent a few hours on the moon, Dr. John Haggai, founder president of Haggai Institute, Bishop Donald Jacobs, Mennonite church, the Most Revd Dr. Robert Runcie, Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Revd Dr. George Carey, Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Samuel Kobia, WCC General Secretary, Dr. Paul S. Rees, Revd Dr. A. B. Masilamani, Rev. Dr. Samuel Kamaleson, and a host of others.Maramon Convention through the years
Maramon Convention 2018
The 123rd Maramon Convention, was scheduled from 11 to 17 February. The main speakers for the convention were Rt. Rev. Peter D. Eaton ; Rt. Rev. Dr. Soritua Nababan - cancelled; Bishop Robert Barron, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles - cancelled; Rev. Dr. Francis Sunderaraj, ; Rev. Dr. Vinod Victor and Evg. Dr.h.c. Ramachandran Rajkumar.Maramon Convention 2017
The main speakers for the 122nd Maramon Convention were theologians, Cleophus J. LaRue Jr. ; Leslie Griffiths, Edward-Mukondeleli Ramulondi and John Stephen Sadananda.Maramon Convention 2016
The 121st Maramon Convention, is scheduled from 14 to 21 February. The theme of the convention is about living as Symbols of Christian Values in society and growing towards ecologically sustainable development, enhancing it with age-old practice of backyard farming and sustainable agriculture. Noted speakers that will deliver discourses at the convention are Bishop Daniel Thyagaraja, CSI Church, Sri Lanka; Rev Malcom T H Tan, Methodist Church, Singapore ; Dr Leonard Sweet, Methodist Church, United States, Rev Francis Sundaraj, EFI, Chennai and Rev. D. Ratnakara Sadananda, CSI Church, Chennai.Bishops attached to the Mar Thoma Church and other Churches will address various sessions of the meet. Heads of various Churches will address in the ecumenical sessions and various personalities attached to social welfare and empowerment like P. J. Kurien, D. Babu Paul...etc. will handle relevant topics.
Maramon Convention 2015
The 120th Maramon Convention was scheduled from 8 to 15 February. Main Speakers of the meeting are Bishop Ziphozihle D. Siwa, Methodist Church, S.A. ; Rev. Dr. Leonard Sweet, USA - cancelled - substituted by Rev. Fr. Dushantha Rodrigo, Church of Ceylon, Sri Lanka and Pr. Dr. Sam T. Kamaleson, Tamil Nadu-USABishops of the Mar Thoma Church and various other Churches would address different sessions of the meet, including various personalities attached to Ecumenism.
Special Guest: Patriarch Moran Mar Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch.
Maramon Convention 2014
The 119th Maramon Convention was from 9 to 16 February on the vast sand bed of the Pampa River near Kozhencherry. Main speakers, in addition to the bishops of the Mar Thoma Church were Bishop Dulip D Chikera, Rev. Peter Maiden and Rev. Vyani NaibolaMaramon Convention 2013
The 118th Maramon Convention was from 10 to 17 February on the vast sand bed of the Pampa River. Main speakers, in addition to the bishops of the Mar Thoma Church were Rev. Canon Philip Mounstephen, Rev. Dr Walter Altmann and Rev. Andile Madodomzi MbeteMaramon Convention 2012
The 117th Maramon Convention was held from 12 to 19 February on the vast sand-bed of the Pampa River next to the Kozhencherry Bridge.at Maramon.
The main speakers were Bishop Malusi Mpumlwana, Dr. Kang San Tan and Dr. Martin Alphonse
Maramon Convention 2011
The 116th Maramon Convention was held from 13 to 20 February. Main speakers were the bishops of the Mar Thoma Church; Most Rev. Roger Herft, Anglican Archbishop of Perth; Australia; Prof. Nyameko Barney Pityana, a human rights lawyer, theologian in South Africa and an exponent of Black theology; Dr. R. Rajkumar; Rev. Peter Maiden; Dr. Ulf Ekman.Maramon Convention 2010
The 115th Maramon Convention was held from 14 to 21 February. On the opening day and on the last three days, the pandal that could accommodate almost 80,000 people overflowed and an equal number found accommodation under the tree shades on both sides of the river.The speakers included the Bishops of the Mar Thoma Church; Bishop Robert M Solomon, ; Reverend Canon Tim Dakin,, Pr. Dr. Martin Alphonse and Rev. Vinod Victor,. Bishop Yoohanon Mar Chrysostom, Metropolitan of the Marthandom Diocese of Syro-Malankara Catholic Church addressed the Ecumenical Meeting and Bishop Sebastian Thekethecheril of the Latin Catholic Diocese of Vijayapuram addressed the Social Evils Awareness Meeting.
Most Rev. Joris Vercammen, Archbishop of Utrecht, president of the Union of Utrecht, bishops from the Malabar Independent Syrian Church and bishops of Church of South India attended the meetings.