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Guest: Been DavidParish: St. Thomas MTC (Lombard, IL)Interview Date: January 19, 2021In this interview, Beena and I have fun geeking-out on the challenges of singing an Eastern classic after years of training and experience as a Western classically trained vocalist.The song, Yahoodiayile Oru Grammathil, is a popular Christmas devotional song that was made popular by Yesudas. Beena's version almost sounds like a different song, while still evoking the same feeling of Christmas. We explore what lead her to prepare and record the song, along with what was involved with the process. You can hear the song either on YouTube or Facebook.Yahoodiayile oru grammathil / യഹൂദിയായിലെ ഒരു ഗ്രാമത്തില്‍Hear the song on YouTube: https://youtu.be/6La0JtFd6WYHear the song on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mezzomama/videos/10159110645241399/?__tn__=%2CO-ROther Samples of Beena's Operatic Singing:higher register - https://mezzomama.bandcamp.com/track/o-pallida-lamico-fritz-p-mascagnilower register (start at 0:25) - https://mezzomama.bandcamp.com/track/o-ma-lyre-immortelle-c-gounod-saphoEast vs. West -- the myths that mystify (TED Talk referenced by George)https://www.ted.com/talks/devdutt_pattanaik_east_vs_west_the_myths_that_mystify/up-next?language=en___________________________________WEBSITE: www.marthopodcast.comCONTACT: george@marthomacommunitypodcast.comFacebook/Instagram/Twitter: @marthopodcastDON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE

Guest: Pushpa SamuelParish: Silicon Valley MTC (CA) & Horeb MTC (Los Angeles, CA)Interview Date: January 5, 2021Pushpa shares the story of her journey to the present day where she is getting ready to finish her theological studies (M. Div.) with plans to become a board-certified chaplain. She hopes that sharing her story will be an encouragement to others interested in ministry, especially women, and looks forward to remaining active in our community.CHAPTERS00:00:35. Introduction & Background00:04:13. Pushpa's path to seminary00:10:22. George's Response/Experience00:12:56. Volunteer to Principal00:20:55. Joining the local MTC00:27:55. Neighborhood Missions00:32:20. Motivations to Join Seminary00:40:50. Reactions to joining seminary00:43:25. What is Chaplaincy?00:46:11. Chaplaincy in the MTC00:57:15. A broader visionLINKSCity Impact: https://www.sfcityimpact.com/Pushpa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pushpa-samuel-1500a12/___________________________________SUBSCRIBE FOR EMAIL UPDATES: http://marthopodcast.com/subscribeMAIN WEBSITE: www.marthopodcast.comCONTACT GEORGE: george@marthomacommunitypodcast.com

Guest: Ron JacobParish: Long Island MTC (NY)Interview Date: December 30, 2020KEY TOPICS:Part 1Ron's backgroundExperience of serving in the Diocesan Assembly and CouncilThe Mar Thoma Church ConstitutionPart 2Women serving as lay leaders (lay ministers)"The Revolution" (Article by Ron, published in the Marthoma Messenger)Background on "Be The Match"https://www.linkedin.com/in/ron-jacob-md-b3779a6/

Guest: Ron JacobParish: Long Island MTC (NY)Interview Date: December 30, 2020KEY TOPICS:Part 1 (Previous Episode)Ron's backgroundExperience of serving in the Diocesan Assembly and CouncilThe Mar Thoma Church ConstitutionPart 2Women serving as lay leaders (lay ministers)"The Revolution" (Article by Ron, originally published in the Marthoma Messenger, click here for the full paper)Background on "Be The Match"Ron on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/ron-jacob-md-b3779a6/Be The Matchhttps://bethematch.org/

Guest: Merry ThomasParish: Horeb MTC of Los Angles (Los Angeles, CA)Interview Date: December 14, 2020After ending our interview, we decided to hit record again and explore the topic of women serving as lay leaders in the madhbaha (altar). We also hear the story of how she was asked to do just that.___________________________________DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBEVISIT OUR WEBSITE: www.marthopodcast.comCONTACT ME DIRECTLY: george@marthomacommunitypodcast.com

Part 2 of 2 (Go back and listen to Part 1 first!)Guest: Merry ThomasParish: Horeb MTC of Los Angles (Los Angeles, CA)Interview Date: December 14, 2020Our interview continues as we reflect on the role that Youth Chaplains play in our diocese, and we discuss the possible future of a lay chaplain ministry.___________________________________DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBEVISIT OUR WEBSITE: www.marthopodcast.comCONTACT ME DIRECTLY: george@marthomacommunitypodcast.com

Guest: Merry ThomasParish: Horeb MTC of Los Angles (Los Angeles, CA)Interview Date: December 14, 2020EPISODE SUMMARYMerry and I share our observations and thoughts after attending this year’s Diocesan Assembly meeting as representatives for our respective parishes.___________________________________DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBEVISIT OUR WEBSITE: www.marthopodcast.comCONTACT ME DIRECTLY: george@marthomacommunitypodcast.com

Go back and listen to Episode #11 for Part 1 of this interview!Guest: Rev. Larry VargheseParishes: MTC of Silicon Valley, Sacramento CongregationInterview Date: 6/4/2020“The church exists by mission as fire exists by burning.” -- Emil Brunner, Swiss Reformed TheologianReferences Mentioned:The Marthoma Church Heritage and Mission by Alexander Mar ThomaMission and Liturgy: Contest, Convergence and Congruence with special reference to the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian ChurchContact Larry Achen: https://www.facebook.com/larrypv_____________________________________DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE!www.marthopodcast.comgeorge@marthomacommunitypodcast.com

Don't miss the second half of this interview in episode #12!Guest: Rev. Larry VargheseParishes: MTC of Silicon Valley, Sacramento CongregationInterview Date: 6/4/2020References Mentioned:The Marthoma Church Heritage and Mission by Alexander Mar ThomaMission and Liturgy: Contest, Convergence and Congruence with special reference to the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian ChurchContact Larry Achen:https://www.facebook.com/larrypv_____________________________________DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE!www.marthopodcast.comgeorge@marthomacommunitypodcast.com

Guest: Shaun RajanParish: St. Andrews MTC (NY)Interview Date: 5/30/2020During my conversation with Shaun, I also got to hear some of Shaun's thoughts around an article by Charles Samuel that he had shared on Twitter several days before. It didn't quite go with the episode topic, so I've broken out as a bonus episode. Enjoy!Referenced Article: I Still Believe The 'Indian Church' Must Diehttps://www.charlessamuel.com/Shaun's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaun-rajan-a4848178/Shaun's Twitter: @MCIronMan_____________________________________DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE!www.marthopodcast.comgeorge@marthomacommunitypodcast.com

Guest: Shaun RajanParish: St. Andrews MTC (NY)Interview Date: 5/30/2020Back in May, I spoke with Shaun about his thoughts on the impact that COVID has had on both his teaching and on our worshipping community as a result of the push to go exclusively virtual.Shaun is an assistant professor of mathematics at Westchester Community College in New York and is currently a member at St. Andrews MTC, NY.REFERENCES:The Sunday Seven YouTube playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJyh65f-XLO6ldqCEHWEKaMaPaVdl9HBAThe Sunday Seven Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/the_sunday_seven/Get in touch with Shaun:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaun-rajan-a4848178/Twitter: @MCIronMan_____________________________________DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE!www.marthopodcast.comgeorge@marthomacommunitypodcast.com

Guest: Nirmala AbrahamParish: Philadelphia MTCInterview Date: 5/16/2020I chat with Mrs. Nirmala Abraham about how she, as a grandparent and an elder in our community, works to "stay relevant" in the eyes of her grandchildren and our MTC community. Our conversation ranges from her engagements with her children, grandchildren, and their peers to our missions fields among Native Americans, Sevika Sanghom, and navigating the future of the MTC. Finally, we hear her thoughts on how we can bridge the gap between the young and old.Having come to America in 1968, Nirmala Aunty has played an active role in the establishment of our [North American & European] diocese and has held many different leadership positions over the years. She currently serves as the Mandalam representative for her parish._____________________________________DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE!www.marthopodcast.comgeorge@marthomacommunitypodcast.com

Danielle Verghese, an internal medicine resident, recently helped to organize demonstrations supporting #WhiteCoatsForBlackLives in Philadelphia. Her original tweet from their first event has had over 44K views as of this post, and was "liked" by 2.5K people. But more importantly, Danielle tells us the story of why she felt the need to get involved, how the initial event came to be, and what the experience has been like so far.The full video version of this interview (via Zoom) is also available for viewing on YouTube (click here).Related Link: https://whitecoats4blacklives.org/Danielle on Twitter: @DanielleVMD_____________________________________DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE!www.marthopodcast.comgeorge@marthomacommunitypodcast.com

Thanks again to Beena David for the interview. Check out the links below to learn more about Beena or hear some of her work.Instagram: @beenabeenabeenaYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgeQ9nHdzrss37QT5WWfiCwBeena’s Quartet: thesecondfire.com_____________________________________DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE!www.marthopodcast.comgeorge@marthomacommunitypodcast.com

In this episode, I sit down with Sajan Joseph - one of the leaders and founding members of Redeemer MTC in New Jersey. Being a parish made up primarily of 2nd generation immigrant families, we talk about what went into the process of forming the church and how it is both similar and different from other parishes in North America.CONTACT REDEEMER MTCwww.redeemermtc.orghttps://www.facebook.com/redeemermtcfamily/https://www.instagram.com/redeemermtc/info@redeemermtc.org_____________________________________DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE!www.marthopodcast.comgeorge@marthomacommunitypodcast.com

Brian Thomas is a young engineer, musician, and entrepreneur from Philadelphia, PA. Together we cover topics including pressures to participate in everything the church had to offer while growing up, navigating his undergrad years, and looking ahead to developing his non-profit, Heartbeat Mission.CONTACT BRIANhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/brianbthomas/https://www.facebook.com/thebrianbthomashttps://www.instagram.com/brianbthomas/HEARTBEAT MISSIONhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/theheartbeatmission/https://www.facebook.com/theheartbeatmissionhttps://www.instagram.com/theheartbeatmission/LIGHTBULB MINISTRYhttps://www.facebook.com/thelightbulbministryhttps://www.instagram.com/thelightbulbministry/_____________________________________DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE!www.marthopodcast.comgeorge@marthomacommunitypodcast.com

In part 2 of the interview (see Episode 3 for part 1), OC Uncle describes the early days of the Marthoma community in Philadelphia, and goes on the describe the various mission projects that he has helped to establish in conjunction with the diocese, including plans for the next phase of missions work here in the US._____________________________________DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE!www.marthopodcast.comgeorge@marthomacommunitypodcast.com

OC Abraham shares the story of his arrival in America in 1960, nearly 60 years ago. This episode contains Part 1 of this two part interview.  Be sure to check out part 2 as well!_____________________________________DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE!www.marthopodcast.comgeorge@marthomacommunitypodcast.com

Mrs. Sindhu Aby, serving as Sunday School superintendent for the St. Thomas Mar Thoma Church of Delaware Valley, shares some memories from her days as a Sunday School student along with her thoughts on being a parent and what it takes to serve in her current role.Bonus: Check out her YouTube channel, “Meals and Memories,” for some easy to follow recipes!_____________________________________DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE!www.marthopodcast.comgeorge@marthomacommunitypodcast.com

Rev. Abraham Kuruvilla and I discuss the idea of a "scattered church" and the evolving role of technology in ministry today. _____________________________________DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE!www.marthopodcast.comgeorge@marthomacommunitypodcast.com