Pages from History: 19 June 1986. Death of Mariamma Joseph – Co-founder of Hoskote Mission
Mrs. Mariamma Joseph and Mr. M.T. Joseph (Co-founders of Hoskote Mission)
18 June 1986: Death of Mrs. Mariamma (Pennamma) Joseph (b.31 March 1917), Co-founder of the Hoskote Mission, Bangalore District, Karnataka, India. Mariamma was the daughter of Mammen Mammen and Mariamma of Manalukalayil, Kumbanad. She did her Teacher’s Training Course (TTC) from Peringara School near Tiruvalla, after which she taught in many schools including Arrangatu School, Pullad, Perumbara (Kuriannoor) School near Charal Mount; Kanjeettukara and Nedumprayar (Maramon).
She was trained by the CMS Missionary, Miss Kellaway (Australia) of Vanitha Mandiram, Tiruvalla. Pennamma was greatly influenced through her life and testimony of this missionary. She had an earnest desire to go for mission work in Karnataka but her parents did not allow it (according to the then prevalent customs/ norms, Syrian Christian parents were not willing to send their unmarried daughters to unknown ‘foreign’ lands) until her marriage.
However, her marriage with Mr. M.T. Joseph, (Manon House, Maramon) was a definite fulfillment of God’s call at the Maramon Convention (1947). who had a similar call and vision to Karnataka. In obedience to this heavenly call, she resigned her Government teacher’s job, that had a permanent income, to an uncertain and unknown future. This journey led to the humble beginnings of the Hoskote Mission. She was called home on 18 June 1986 and buried in the Mission Cemetery in Ghonakhanahally, 7 km away from the Hoskote mission field.
Mariamma has finished her race and now she is with the Lord. The harvest is plenty, but the workers are few. We need more and more persons like Mariamma to work for the Lord. Millions of villagers are there who have never heard about our Saviour even once in their lives. Who will go???
To read a more detailed biography of Mr. & Mrs. M.T.Joseph Please click.
1905: When the Maramon Convention Sermons were printed overnight!
At present, Maramon Convention messages (full text) are printed and sold on the next day morning from counters for the convention attendees. This enables people to take home the sermons of the previous day and read them again and share the sermons with people who were not able to attend the convention. These printed sermons are also shared in cottage prayer fellowships, parish prayer groups and for personal prayer and meditation.
However, few people know that this practice started in 1905. There were no microphones and speakers. The convention messages were repeated in relay by three persons – at times four or more – standing in different places of the pandal to make it audible to the thousands of people who attended. This relay process took a long time and was tedious for the audiences. The printing of messages in 1905 became a real blessing for all and continues to be so today. Today, God has blessed the Church members with technology which enables them to watch the Convention live through web streaming and receive updates on emails and websites.
Rev. Thomas Walker – Church Missionary Society
Given below is the report about this, from the Thomas Walker’s biography.
“1905 Wednesday, February 22. I awoke feeling very weary, for the heat was extraordinarily oppressive, and seemed to take all the life out of one. The Syrian brethren made one very good
arrangement this year. Each day’s addresses wore printed by night at their printing press at Tiruwella, eight miles away, and were on sale the next day in a booth near the pandal. Thus
the printed pages supplemented the speaker’s voice, and carried the message far and wide.”
Pages from History: Birth of Mariamma Joseph – Co-founder of Hoskote Mission
31 March, 1917: Birth of Mrs. Mariamma (Pennamma) Joseph (d.19 June 1986), Co-founder of the Hoskote Mission near Bangalore, Karnataka, India. Mariamma was the daughter of Mammen Mammen and Mariamma of Manalukalayil, Kumbanad. She did her Teacher’s Training Course (TTC) from Peringara School near Tiruvalla, after which she taught in many schools including Arrangatu School, Pullad, Perumbara School near Charal Mount; Kanjeettukara and Nedumprayar (Maramon).
She had the privilege to attend the classes conducted by the CMS Missionary, Miss Kellaway (Australia) of Vanitha Mandiram. Pennamma was greatly influenced through the life and testimony of this missionary. She had an earnest desire to go for mission work in Karnataka but her parents did not allow it (according to the then prevalent customs/ norms, Syrian Christian parents were scared to send their unmarried daughters to unknown ‘foreign’ lands).
However, after her marriage with Mr. M.T. Joseph, (Manon House, Maramon) her desire was fulfilled as he got the call to go to Karnataka for mission work during one of the Maramon Conventions. Because she was obedient to this heavenly call, she resigned from her teacher’s job, of a permanent income, to an uncertain future. This journey led to the humble beginnings of the Hoskote Mission.
Mrs. Mariamma Joseph and Mr. M.T. Joseph (Co-founders of Hoskote Mission)
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