UECF యొక్క చరిత్ర

Page 14

History of UNITED EVANGELICAL CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP (UECF)

By Mr. Syam Pilli (Former President of UECF)

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” - Lamentations 3:22-23

INTRODUCTION:

It is indeed a joyful and marvelous occasion to see United Evangelical Christian Fellowship (UECF) celebrating the Silver Jubilee Anniversary! A tiny seed sown prayerfully by the then elders 25 years ago has become a mighty tree, sheltering and shaping many in their spiritual journey along the way.

As a former President of United Evangelical Christian Fellowship (UECF), I consider it a great privilege to present the history of UECF on this august occasion of celebrating 25 glorious years of God’s faithfulness. Established as an inter-denominational Asian-Indian church in central New Jersey, UECF has grown into a well-known Christian organization. Over the years, God has blessed this church so much that the four letters – U E C F have become well known in all the four corners of the world in this internet age. Our hearts are filled with thanksgiving for His grace and mercy upon this church. As Fanny Crosby’s amazing hymn reminds, we give glory, honor and praise to the Lord!

To God be the glory, great things He hath done … Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, Let the earth hear his voice! Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! Let the people rejoice!

1. MOTIVATION:

In January 1997, a small group of people felt the need for an inter-denominational fellowship that would fulfill the spiritual needs of the lay Christians in the Central New Jersey region. The idea was to conduct the Sunday worship services without language barriers and maintain the traditions of Indian sub-continent. The intention was to serve the local community and also to bring all the people closer to help the outreach ministries serving the South Asian region.

2. INITIATION:

Initially, Mr. Alfred Bhaskar Damarapu, Mr. Reggie Rao, Mr. Vijay Pulipati, Mr. Ajit Lakra, Mr. Michael Rose, Mr. Ebenezer Mallepalle families put their burden in prayer for few months. They believed that it was God’s will to start a Fellowship and they sought the support of Rev. Dr. David Ravinder to serve as an honorary senior pastor and provide the spiritual leadership. With the help of Pastor David Ravinder, the place for Sunday worship service was obtained.

Page 15

Thus, UECF started its first Sunday service on the sixth day of the fourth month of the year nineteen hundred and ninety-seven at the sanctuary of the Community United Methodist Church, located at 301, Chestnut Street, Roselle Park, New Jersey.

3. INCORPORATION:

An application was submitted in April 1997 to the Department of Treasury, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for Employer status. The IRS sanctioned the application in August 1997 and approved the name United Evangelical Christian Fellowship.

After getting the EIN, an application was filed in September 1997 for New Jersey state recognition and certification of Incorporation as a Nonprofit Organization under federal IRS Code Section 501 (c) (3).

4. CHURCH LOCATION:

UECF does not own a permanent Church building. However, it has been conducting the Sunday worship services at several different locations in New Jersey. Presently, UECF gathers for its Sunday services at First United Methodist Church, 1 East Broad Street, Westfield, NJ - 07090.

For the initial three years, UECF conducted the Sunday worship services at Community United Methodist Church, Roselle Park. In the fourth year, it relocated to New Beginnings Church of the Nazarene located at 80 Jefferson Blvd, Edison. By the end of the year 2002, there was a need to look out for a new location. Upon considering few churches, it was prayerfully decided that New Dover United Methodist Church (NDUMC) in Edison would be a strategic location for the growth of UECF congregation. Thus, UECF worshipped at New Dover United Methodist Church, Edison for five years. In the year 2008, UECF had to relocate to Reformed Church, Metuchen and continued till November 2014. During this time, in order to accommodate larger gatherings, UECF Christmas services were held at First Baptist Church, Metuchen.

Many a times, procuring a Church building was discussed but not seriously pursued to own a building. May God provide a wonderful Church building to UECF in His appointed time!

5. HONORARY PASTORS:

UECF does not have a regular pastor. However, it has a unique arrangement with a team of honorary pastors who brought the word of God on the scheduled Sundays. Rev. Dr. David Ravinder has been serving faithfully as the Senior Honorary Pastor ever since the inception. He takes charge of the fourth Sunday, which is designated as Communion Sunday and serves on Christmas and other special occasions. Rev. Praveen Bunyan served as the first UECF Associate Pastor preaching regularly on three Sundays a month. Rev. Sunil Balasundaram succeeded and has ministered to UECF as an honorary pastor for four and a half years.

Page 16

During the fourth year, Rev. Stephen Nash joined as one of the honorary pastors and served for almost 5 years. Rev. David Davis came on board as a guest preacher in June 2003 and later served as an Honorary Pastor through the mid-2011. For the past few years, Rev. Joseph Theophilus and Rev. Stanley Joseph have been filling in for preaching as required.

At one point of time, UECF felt the need for a dedicated regular pastor who would nurture and help in the growth of the congregation. A search Committee consisting of Mr. Alfred Bhasker, Mr. Rajanikantha Rao, Mr. Ajit Lakra, Mrs. Susan Bushi and Mr. Syam Pilli, was formed in September 2001 to examine the alternatives. Considering the prevailing financial situation of UECF, it was opined that it may not be feasible to have a regular pastor.

6. GENERAL BODY MEETINGS AND ELECTIONS:

The first General Body meeting was held on June 4, 1997, for which all the local Christians were invited. In this meeting, a draft Constitution and by-laws prepared by Mr. Alfred Bhaskar were presented and approved. The first team of leaders who were elected in this General Body meeting included - President: Mr. Alfred Bhaskar, Secretary: Mr. Rajani Kantha Rao, Treasurer: Mr. Ebenezer Mallepalle, Board of Trustees Members: Mr. Ajit Lakra, Mr. Michael Rose, Mrs. Udaya Pulipati and Mr. Joel Dadepogu. Rev. Dr. David Ravinder was nominated by the general body to be the Honorary Sr. Pastor & Spiritual Advisor.

In the second annual General Body meeting held in August 1999, the vacant positions were filled in. The third General Body meeting was held in September 2000, and new office bearers were elected.

In the General Body meeting held in September 2001, Mr. Ajay Damarapu was elected as President and Mr. Syam Pilli was elected as the Vice President. However, during the General Body meeting held on 23rd June 2002, Mr. Ajay Damarapu announced his resignation. Consequently, Mr. Syam Pilli resumed the responsibilities of the President.

In the year 2003, the Constitution By-Laws were amended and approved to include Pastorate Committee in addition to the Board of Trustees. At the end of the tenure of previous leadership, new leaders were elected for a 3-year term in the General Body meeting held on 22nd February 2004. Later, in 2007 a new body was elected with Joshua(Phani) Pilli as the President. For the last fifteen years, Joshua Pilli has been serving as the President of UECF with utmost dedication.

Apr 1997 – Sep 2000

Mr. Alfred Bhaskar

Sep 2000 – Sep 2001

Mr. Ebenezer Mallepalle

Sep 2001 – Oct 2002

Mr. Ajay Damarapu

Oct 2002 – Feb 2004

Mr. Syam Pilli (Acting President)

Feb 2004 – Feb 2007

Mr. Syam Pilli

Feb 2007 – Present

Mr. Joshua(Phani) Pilli

PRESIDENTS AND TENURES

Page 17

7. GUEST PREACHERS:

In addition to the honorary pastors, many servants of God have graced UECF with the powerful messages. Itinerant Preachers like Acharya R. R. K. Murthy, Dr. Ramesh Richard, Heads of Christian organizations such as Mr. Joshua Daniel, Dr. Sunil Bhanu Busi, Rev. Samuel Schmitthenner; and Theological College Professors including Dr. B. C. Paul, Dr.Augustine Pagolu, Rev. Dr. Daniel Jeyaraj, Dr. Victor Luther Paul Nakka and Dr. Vasantharao Chilkuri have spiritually enriched the UECF congregation.

Renowned TV evangelists from India such as Dr. M. S. Santhavardhan, Dr. Paul Dhinakaran, Dr. A. B. Joseph Kishore, Dr. P. Joshi, Dr. John Wesly, Dr. P. J. Stephen Paul, Dr. T. D. Prasanna Kumar, Bro. Abraham, Bro. Paul Emmanuel, Dr. Devasahayam Dandala, Rev. K. Kurian, Pastor Moses Choudary, Rev. Solomon Raju Kunchanapalli, Bro.Vincent Gurrala, Rev. Dr. Timothy Kollabathula, Dr. Ranga Raju, Bro. Daniel Mylabathula and Bro. Harry Gomes have inspired with the powerful messages time and again. God’s servants like Dr. Akbar Haqq, Bro. Anil Kumar and Rev. Naveen Balakrishnan have encouraged and challenged the attendees with the word of God through Revival meetings.

The bishops who have shared the word of God included Bishop Stanley Downs, Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar, Bishop Spurgeon Raju Pachigalla, Bishop Kishore Daroga and Bishop Daniel Kalyanapu. The guest preachers list also contains the well- known servants of God such as Rev. Azariah Korabandi, Dr. Livingson Gadde, Dr. Joe Madhu Payarda & Dr. Jessie Veena Payarda, Dr. Yesupadam Bandela, Bro. Edward William Kuntam, Dr. Samuel Mohanraj and Bro. Herford Urlica. Many God’s servants such as Bro. Santha Rao Bhogi, Bro. Michael Vijaya Kumar, Pastor Barnabas Sajja, Bro. Deevanaiah and Bro. Samuel Peter Gollapalli have visited and inspired by sharing their strong testimonies.

Other servants of God who visited and shared the Word includes Rev. Varakumar Lam, Bro. Devaraju Jakki, Rev. John Sunder Earla, Rev. DJM Vinod, Rev. D. C. Daniel Babu, Pastor Israel Chokka, Pastor Sharath Bhushan, Bro. Sunny Joseph Mylabathula, Pastor Philip Nethagani, Pastor Rajendra Dutt, Pastor K. Dinesh, Rev. Devadanam Gummadi, Bro. Kamal Manik, Rev. Victor Raj, Rev.Jospeh Moses, Pastor Geomon George, Rev. Sean Callihan, Sis. Jacky Ford, Bro. Charles Kalyana Rao, Bro.Venkat Potana, Rev. Bhakthavathsaladas Ravoori, Sis. Elizabeth Vallabhaneni, Sis. Esther Rani, Bro. Christopher Rokkala, Bro. J S A Julius, Bro. Mitra Satuluri, Pastor Kiran Kadapaka, Pastor Ebenezer Mallepalle, Dr. Samson Gandhi, Bro. Praveen Pagadala, Bro. Krish Dhanam, Bro. Kumardas Villuri, Pastor Chaitanya Gera, Pastor Ratna Raju Ganta, Pastor Joseph Manoj Kumar, Rev. Joseph Benny Govada, Rev. Philip Nethagani, Pastor Jayaraju Madey, Dr. Pramod Joshua Burns, Bro. Madhav Bellamkonda and Pastor Ravi Bhaskar.

Host church Pastors that include Rev.Tom Sanders, Rev. Bob Costello Rev. Darryl Duer, Rev. Dr. Richard Ruch and Rev. Peter Sanfilippo, Rev. Dr. David Mertz also ministered to UECF occasionally. For a specific period, Rev. Anna Bhujbal ministered to UECF mainly on fifth Sundays and also on all possible occasions.

Page 18

Rev. Richard Bailey, a Missionary from Pakistan; Rev. Rafael Flores & Pastor John Carricks, Missionaries from Paraguay; Mr. Billy & Mrs. Joanna Coppedge, Missionaries to Uganda have shared the Word.

Popular Gospel Singers and Evangelists have visited several times and presented special music and also shared the word. The noted Gospel singers include Dr. John Bilmoria Rapaka, Dr. Bhanu Murthy Nainala, Bro. William Carey, Bro. Benni Prasad, Bro. Lazarus, Mrs. Mahitha Charles Pilli, Dr. Jacob Prabhu, Bro. Daniel Akumarthi, Bro. Dayanidhi Rao, Bro. Raj Prakash Paul, Bro. John Moses Dusi, Bro. K Y Ratnam and Vijay Benedict.

In the recent years on certain Sunday services word was shared by some of the UECF church members including Bro. Josaiah Srigiri, Bro. Sunil Robert Vuppula and Bro. Praveen Charles Dhara. Several other servants of God that visited, preached and encouraged UECF during the past twenty-five years could not be listed here due to space constraints.

8. SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICES:

UECF worship services generally started at 5:30 PM Sunday, for many years. Recently, the start time has changed to 4:30 PM. The order of Service is in English. The typical Sunday service includes Praise & Worship, sharing the joys and concerns, testimonies, intercessory prayers, special music and a Message. Even though UECF does not strictly follow any lectionary specifically, the services follow the traditions of Covenant Sunday and service of Carols & Lessons.

Singing in regional languages:

Praising the Lord with songs and hymns has always been the important part of UECF Sunday Worship Service. Praise songs have been sung in English and also in different regional languages such as Telugu and Hindi. In addition to the standard instruments like Organ, Piano and guitar, many Indian musical instruments such as Harmonium, Tabla, Tambourine and Congo drums have been used to bring out special music.

Many musicians have offered their talents and supported the music ministry. The list of musicians includes Mr. Sushil Bhujbal, Mr. Samuel Sudhakar Chilaka, Mr. Josiah Srigiri, Mr. Nishanth Dwaram, Mrs. Suneela Ponnapalli, Mr. Simon Bushi, Dr. Gurunadham Moodey, Mr. Carol Daniel Jokmels, Mr. Junia Moses, Mr. Sunil Robert, Mr. Spurgeon Perikala, James & Jacob brothers, Mr. Peter Kollory, Mr. Arun Kolluri, Mr. Steven Perumalla, Mr. Thomas Kalyanapu, Mrs. Sinai Dadepogu, Mrs. Emily Sensen Gopal and Ms. Yuko Unehara.

9. INTERCESSORY PRAYERS:

Apostle Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi reminds - in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. The intercessory prayer time has been a great opportunity for the congregation to instantaneously share their joys, concerns and other needs of the family and friends and to offer prayers.

Page 19

COMMUNION SUNDAY: Holy Communion is administered on the fourth Sunday of every month and is celebrated as an open communion.

10. SUNDAY SCHOOL & YOUTH MINISTRY:

Sunday school has played a vital role in the growth of UECF. Families have firmly believed in Proverbs 22:6 which states “Train up the child in the way he should go, when he is old he will not depart from it”, while inculcating children with the word of God from the very beginning.

Sunday School has been conducted regularly during the Service to both beginners and other age groups(up to 12 years). Sunday School teachers have been following a yearly curriculum in nurturing children with the Word of God. Later, VBS courses also started, and children have enthusiastically participated. Kids of different age groups exhibited their talents on all possible special occasions.

View all 13 printed pages of this chapter as scans (pages 14–26)