Immanuel Mar Thoma Church, Virginia is the first parish in the state of Virginia in the United States, under Diocese of North America and Europe of Mar Thoma Syrian Church of Malabar in India. Immanuel Mar Thoma Church, VA currently conducts its Holy Communion Service at the Community Lutheran Church located at Sterling, Virginia. The Parish is currently led by Vicar Rev. Jaisen Thomas.
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Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church
Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church (Malankara Mar Thoma Suriyani Sabha as it is called in native Malayalam) is one of the oldest groups of praticising Christians in the world. Believed to be followers of one of the original disciples of Jesus Christ – Saint Thomas (also called Didimus or Thomas, the doubter). It is widely believed that the Apostle St. Thomas came to Muziris on the south west coast of India in AD 52 and laid the foundations of Christianity in this part of the world.
Mar Thoma Church in the United States
The history of the Mar Thoma Church in the North American and European continents represents the dreams and aspirations of the faithful members of the Church. Commencing as a small prayer group in Queens, New York, in 1972, the first approved parish was recognized in New York in 1976. From this humble beginning, the Mar Thoma Church began to immeasurably grow within the last 30 years. In terms of functionality, the churches in this part of the world were grouped as a Zone of the Mar Thoma Church in 1982.
Immanuel Mar Thoma Church, Virginia formation
Immanuel Mar Thoma Church, Virginia was approved as a new parish of the Mar Thoma Syrian Church of Malabar, effective April 15, 2010, by the Synod of the Mar Thoma church which met on February 22, 2010. Rev M.M John was appointed by the Most Rev. Dr. Joseph Mar Thoma Metropolitan as the first vicar of the parish which is under the Diocese of North America & Europe.
Since the early 1990s a dedicated group of Mar Thoma families have lived and worshiped in the Commonwealth of Virginia. These families longed for a place of worship closer to home and a place of Christian learning offered by Sunday school for their children. The information technology boom of the late 1990s brought a new wave of Mar Thoma families to Northern Virginia which was rapidly emerging as the Silicon Valley of the East. These families brought with them a desire for worship and fellowship with like-minded believers. The foundations for a future parish was laid over the years by these families as they participated actively in church organizations at the Mar Thoma Church of Greater Washington which as the parent church offered prayerful support to the infant parish.
Parish inauguration
On December 26, 2010, Diocesan Bishop Rt. Rev. Dr. Geevarghese Mar Theodosius Episcopa formally inaugurated Immanuel Mar Thoma Church, Virginia.
Vicar
Rev. Jaisen Thomas is the vicar of Immanuel Mar Thoma Church, Virginia, since May 1, 2012.
Former Vicars
Church organizations
The parish organizations or ministries are:
Church parsonage
The Church purchased a new property as parsonage on May 04, 2012 at Chantilly, Virginia. The Vicar and his family stays at the parsonage.
Fundraising Project in 2014
The Church is holding a raffle fundraising project in 2014.