HOREB MTC HISTORY

 

By the Grace of the Almighty God, under the leadership of the Diocesan Bishop Rt. Rev. Geevarghese Mar Theodosius Episcopa and the Vicar Rev. Thomas John, the Horeb Mar Thoma Church was established as a new parish of the Mar Thoma Church within the Diocese of North America & Europe on October 1st, 2012.  Previous to being elevated to parish status, this fellowship of thirty nine families (as of October 1st,2012) had been known as the South Area Mar Thoma Congregation since April 1st, 2012.And before becoming a Congregation, the families were long time members of the Mar Thoma Church of Los Angeles(MTCLA) in Glendora, but had been conducting separate worship services and Sunday School at the Garden Grove United Methodist Church as a prayer group named the South Area Prayer Fellowship (SAPF), operating under the umbrella of the MTCLA.

The members of this prayer group, having been fully supportive and active members of the MTCLA in years past, started the separate worship services in the Garden Grove-Orange County area on April 10, 2011.  The SAPF services were started in an effort to better meet the worship and Sunday School needs of the large concentration of Mar Thoma families with young children residing over thirty miles away from Glendora in the “South Area” of Los Angeles and Orange Counties.  With this history, the new parish has close ties and strong bonds with its mother parish MTCLA and all its members.  Beginning initially with only twenty nine families as a prayer group, by the time of the inception as a parish the membership roster had grown to thirty nine close knit families.

 

Historical Timeline

August 15, 1976

Inaugural worship service of the Mar Thoma Church of Los Angeles.

 

July 9, 1989

First worship service held in the new parish location in Glendora.

 

November 1, 2008

Formation of the St. Andrews Mar Thoma Church in the San Fernando Valley, comprised of former members of the MTCLA

 

September 12, 2010

After many months of discussions among interested members, and under the leadership of vicar Rev. Varghese A. Ninan, a combined General Body meeting of the ‘South A & West’ and ‘South B’ Area prayer groups of the Mar Thoma Church of Los Angeles was held, where it was officially proposed to begin working towards a new Mar Thoma Church/Congregation located more centrally in the South Areas.  A steering committee was selected by those interested families to work towards this goal.

 

November 7, 2010

General Body of the Mar Thoma Church of Los Angeles met and gave unanimous consent to the formation of a new Congregation or Church to serve the needs of the South Area.

 

 January 22, 2011

Based on the diocesan bishop’s direction, a new prayer group under the umbrella of the Mar Thoma Church of Los Angeles, named the South Area Prayer Fellowship, was decided to be formed by the group of families wishing to begin a new congregation or parish during a meeting held at the Garden Grove United Methodist Church led by Rev. Varghese A. Ninan.  Office bearers and committee members of the new prayer group were elected at this meeting.

 

April 10, 2011

The new South Area Prayer Fellowship conducted its first Holy Qurbana Service with twenty nine families under the auspices of Rev. Varghese A. Ninan at the Garden Grove United Methodist Church at 3pm.  Also the first Sunday School session was conducted at 1:30pm this day.

 

May 8, 2011

Rev. Thomas John, just beginning his tenure as the Vicar of the Mar Thoma Church, Los Angeles, conducted his first service for the SAPF.

 

April 1, 2012

By kalpana of the Diocesan Bishop, the SAPF prayer group, by this time comprised of thirty nine regular and active families, was officially declared to be a Congregration within the Mar Thoma Church, Diocese of North America & Europe, named South Area Mar Thoma Congregation.

 

October 1, 2012

By authority of the Mar Thoma Church Synod and Diocesan Bishop, Rt. Rev. Geevarghese Mar Theodosius Episcopa,the thirty nine families of the South Area Mar Thoma Congregation were declared to have parish status, named the Horeb Mar Thoma Church.

 

October 7, 2012

The Horeb Mar Thoma Church was blessed by the inaugural visit of the Diocesan Bishop, Rt. Rev. Geevarghese Mar Theodosius Episcopa and visiting thirumeni Rt. Rev. Dr. Mathews Mar Makarios.  At 6pm on Sunday October 7th, 2012, at the Garden Grove United Methodist Church, the Diocesan Episcopa conducted Holy Qurbana in English, during which time he read aloud the kalpana announcing the creation of the new parish.  He also conducted the inaugural First Communion Service for two first communicants, and afterwards led the first formal Public Meeting of the new parish to honor the occasion.

 

May 1, 2013

Rev. Larry Varghese begins his pastoral ministry at Horeb Mar Thoma Church, Los Angeles and the parish has its first full-time vicar. The first service was conducted on Sun, May 5th 2013.

 

May 7, 2017

Rev. Binu P. Thomas begins his pastoral ministry at Horeb Mar Thoma Church, Los Angeles. The first service was conducted on Sun, May 7th 2017 at the Garden Grove United Methodist Church.