Illustrious and Concise History of the Founder of the Wesleyan Methodist Mission in India Rev. James Lynch.... PART FINAL.

Rev. James Lynch preached his First Sermon In a Godown in Black Town    ; Rev. James Lynch  reached Madras via  Tanquebar and on arrival in Madras Rev Lynch was received by one Mr Dunford with great hospitality and love. . On his arrival in Madras Rev. James  Lynch reported his arrival in Madras  to the then Governor of Madras . On March 2, 1817 , Rev. Lynch preached his first sermon in a godown in Black Town, and that was the first sermon preached by a Wesleyan Missionary in Madras.  and close to this godown  the English Wesley Church stands now.   In a  room at the backside of this godown Rev Lunch found his study room and bedroom and his meal he took with his friend Mr Dunford. , It was very clear that Mission urgently needed  a more suitable house for Church. [ G.G. Findlay, op.cit, p.179].

                                                     

                                                              Rev. JAMES  LYNCH       

The First Wesleyan Chapel was built in Royapetta            :         Rev. Lynch assiduously searched for a suitable place in Madras to buy and build a  Church  , At last there came an opportunity of purchasing a property in Royapetta  and Rev. Lynch thought it was a suitable place and his opinion was confirmed by  Mr.  Clough and Mr. Jackson who had come to Madras on a visit. . Finally this property in Royapetta was purchased by Rev Lynch with the support of Mr. Dunford. and this place became the Head Quarters of Wesleyan Methodist Mission  in Madras  A Chapel was built on the site thus acquired and it was opened for the public worship  on March 7, 1819. A Wesleyan Methodist Missionary society was formed  on February 1, 1819, and Mr Frederick Orme an English man practicing as a Lawyer in Madras was the first Secretary of  the Methodist Society in Madras . A systematic  method of seeking  subscription was adopted and during the three years which followed a large sum of Ten Thousand rupees was collected by way of subscription . In addition to this, large sums were obtained for the erection of chapels. It was clear that the first Wesleyan Methodist  Mission enjoyed the goodwill of the people, In 1820 the Rev Titus Close arrived Madras from England to help Rev. Lynch. Rev Close was put in charge of Tamil congregation . Rev Lynch was now able to minister to English and Eurasian residents at St. Thomas Mount and at San Thome . [ G.G. Findlay , p. 180 ].. In the same site a small Wesleyan School was also built by Rev. James Lynch in 1818.  and this Wesley School in Royapetta  became a High School in 1851. 

Rev. Lynch purchased the Second property for the Mission in Black town    : Rev. James Lynch bought the second property for the Mission in Black Town in North Madras .  Black Town was the most populous part of Madras and where the largest congregations assembled , the services had been held in various incommodious and unsuitable places, one of these, where the Methodist meetings were  first held in  Madras, was a stable altered for the purpose [ Elijah Hoole, op.cit, p. 178 ] . Rev. Lynch purchased a plot of ground with some old buildings upon it, situated in Pophams's  Street, or, it is usually called Popham's Broadway , being one of the widest and best streets in Black- Town.; and the principal building , a low room about sixty feet in length and ten feet in breadth, was  appropriated to the purpose of public worship: The Wesleyan society and the congregation agreed with the missionaries that a chapel was necessary and began to subscribe towards its erection .. It was resolved that the chapel  to be erected should be raised  one story from the ground floor , to secure free circulation of air and  to avoid the annoyance from insects and from the noises of the crowded streets . Rev. Lynch found no difficulty in receiving the encouragement  and liberal subscriptions from many of the servants of Government and other highly respectable residents in Madras and as well as from those who had profited by the ministry of himself and colleagues. .The Chapel was  substantially constructed of bricks and chunam and entirely plastered with chunam and without [ Ibid]. The below picture will give some proper idea about the chapel and its premises . 

The upper story which is the chapel, is fifty seven feet long, independent of the covered verandah or porch in front , about seven feet and thirty feet in breadth; and is capable of accommodating a congregation of three hundred persons : more than that number have assembled in it on special occasions. The roof  is of teakwood and covered with tiles; but within, has an arched ceiling of boards , the centre of which is nearly nineteen feet from the floor , which is also of teak wood.. The lower apartments are dry and commodious ; the front one is used as a vestry; that to the left is occupied as the Depository of the Madras Track Society ; that on the right is used for Committees and class meetings. The. small buildings to the right of the chapel is the place  formerly used by the English congregation as a place of worship [ Ibid]. 

The  Wesley Chapel in Popham's Broadway, Black Town  was opened in 1822 :  The newly built Wesley Chapel was opened on the 25th of April, 1822.  Before the appointed time of the opening of the newly built Chapel  at Popham's Broadway, the chapel was quite filled. . Missionaries from other Christian societies also participated in the opening function of the chapel.. The service was commenced by the hymn, beginning with , " Jesus we look to thee " &c, . Rev. Lynch preached an appropriate  and thought provoking sermon on Matt. xviii,  20:  " Where two or three are gathered together  in my name , there am I in the midst of them ". Thus another milestone Wesleyan Methodist Chapel was dedicated to the service of the living God, in Black Town in North Madras. .[  [1] G.G. Findlay , D.D, and W.W. Holdsworth , M.A, B.D, The history of the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society , 1924, pp.181  & 182 ] ; [ii] John Telford , B.A,  A Short History of Wesleyan Methodist Foreign Missions,   p. 84, and [iii] Elijah Hoole, Madras, Mysore, and Other South India on a PERSONAL NARRATIVE , London,  1844., pp. 178 to  181 ] 

Lynch founded a Wesleyan Methodist Congregation at St. Thome , Madras       :    Following this a favourable opening  presented itself in St, Thome, Madras. The descendants of the Portuguese who more than two hundred years ago occupied St. Thome as their chief Station in this part of India. Numerous Indo Britains also resided there ;.sufficient to form a good English congregation  A poor Fisherman of St. Thome  whose father was an English man invited Rev. Lynch and Rev. Elijah Hoole  and requested them to make use of one of  his houses  at St. Thome as a Chapel. This request  was readily accepted and regular services at that house in St.Thome was commenced on August 28th, 1822. Rev. Lynch commenced the service with prayer and  short address in English . This House was subsequently purchased and altered for the purpose of public worship. . Regular English service  has been ever since held in it, twice or thrice each week and Tamil and Portuguese sermons have been occasionally preached in it to attentive congregations. Two schools one English, and the other Tamil were established and a English Society was formed . Thus a house was converted as a Chapel by Rev James Lynch. [ Elijah Hoole, , op.cit, p.p. 184 to 187 ]. 

Conclusion     :  After having worked nearly for seven years [ 1817 to 1824 ]  Rev. James Lynch was on the point of returning to England and Rev. J.H England, who had recently arrived in Madras was  obliged  to take up the  work among the English people in Madras . With the return of  Rev. James Lynch to  to his native country  in 1824, the first period of Methodist Mission to India came to an end. In the same year[ 1824] the division of the Tamil District, into two separate Districts of Madras and Jaffna was effected. and  Rev. Carver was transferred from Ceylon to Madras to preside over the continental section [ India]. . Rev James Lynch died in Leeds, England, on March 14, 1958. On many an  account Rev. James Lynch  was the most remarkable of the Wesleyan Methodist Missionaries who sailed with Dr. Coke to the East. . His possessed and manifested both  strength and tenderness. According to author G.G. Findlay, D.D,  , Rev. James Lynch . was one who pleaded with men for reconciliation to God.  The schools founded by Rev James Lynch served as seed beds for the cause of education.  It is not possible to accommodate all the activities and details of Rev. Lynch's religious, spiritual, educational and social  contributions  within the space of this Article  So I will revisit the words of  Mr. Thompson about Rev. James lynch and end this article. Mr. Thompson goes on to say :  " There was to be , however, another link  in  this chain of causation which James Lynch did not ,and could not, see.  William Butler, afterwards a bishop , and the pioneer and founder of the Missions in India of the American Methodist Episcopal Church , was an Irishman. he tells us that a Minister whom he knew in Ireland , of the name of James Lynch , first directed his thoughts to India and kindled the desire to become a Missionary in his heart . He once said  in the Irish Conference , " James Lynch laid his hands on my youthful head, and from him I received the missionary spirit." The Mission of the Methodist Episcopal Church have met with  marvellous success, and during the last thirty years have gathered in, a quarter of a million adherents to Southern Asia.' .Ziegenbalg, Wesley, Lynch, Butler -- so runs the line of spiritual ancestry."  . I thank God for Rev. James Lynch   and I adore Rev. Lynch for the remarkable part played by him for the cause of spiritual awakening and educational uplift of the people specially  in Ceylon and Madras and South India ".

END .

By . P. Babu Manoharan,  M.A,[ All rights  are reserved. this Article will be enlarged, modified or corrected later if needed ].

Illustrious and Concise History of The Founder Wesleyan Methodist Mission in India Rev. James Lynch. ---- PART A.

Introduction   : Among many Methodist Mission missionaries who came to India as Missionaries for the cause of Christ the following three namely :- Rev. R James Lynch, the  founder of the Methodist Missions in India  [ GG Findlay and Holds worth , p 178] Rev. George Mackenzie Cobban [ Ibid ,p 231 [ and Rev. William Goudie [ ibid, p, 232]  deserve our attention on many accounts. These Methodist Missionaries played  praiseworthy and spectacular  role for the spiritual, economic, social and educational  development of the poorest and uncared people who lived in the Northern districts of Tamil Nadu . Below we will see the biographical sketch of  the Founder of Wesleyan Methodist mission in India Rev James Lynch .

                                                                  Rev. James Lynch 

Rev. James Lynch's  Birth     : Rev. James Lynch was born in a Roman catholic family in about 1775 at Parish muff , County Donegal,  in Ireland.. His parents' names are not readily available and the names will be provided here later. . 

Rev James Lynch  Became a Methodist        : Rev. James Lynch was brought up as a Roman catholic . However in 1808 he converted to Methodist mission and entered Wesleyan Methodist Ministry .  We can infer that he underwent a theological Course before he began  to work as a Methodist Pastor in the North of Ireland .  He was ordained at Lambeth , St George's in -the - East, and great Queen street. While he was working as a  Methodist Pastor  in Ireland  he was requested  by Irish Methodist Conference to assist the venerable Methodist pastor Rev. Dr. Thomas Coke and accompany him as a Missionary Team member, in his journey to the East [ India and Ceylon]. .

Rev. James Lynch and his Team started their Missionary Journey  towards the East  [ Ceylon and India] ; .In 1813 the venerable Methodist pastor Dr. Thomas  Coke embarked for  India accompanied by the following six Wesleyan Methodist  Missionaries namely : Rev. James Lynch., Rev. William Ault, Rev. George Erskine,  Rev. William M. Harvard,  Rev. Thomas H. Squance and Rev. Benjamin Clough. and two sisters namely ; Mrs Ault and Mrs. Howard .. They were ordained at Lambeth, St.  George's in- the- East and great Queen Street. .Rev Dr. Thomas Coke  and his Missionary team started their  journey towards the East [ India and Ceylon ],  in December 1813 but unfortunately the leader of the team Rev. Dr. Coke died on enroute on May 3, 1814 and Rev. James Lynch who was the most remarkable of the Missionaries who sailed with Dr. Coke to the East  was asked to  take the leadership of the Missionary Team .. This Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Team had scarcely a guinea among them and when they landed three weeks later at Bombay, were unable to pay for their first meal at the inn.  With aching hearts they committed the body of their missionary  Bishop Rev. Dr. Thomas  Coke  to the mighty deep .  They started their voyage towards  Ceylon . Rev. Lynch and his Team landed at Galle in Ceylon on 29- 6- 1814.. This Methodist Missionary Team decided to assign the places of  missionary work  by Lot.   As per the Lot,  Rev. Lynch and Rev Squance were allotted Jaffna as their place of ministerial work. . Rev Lynch and Rev Squance initially started to preach at the Dutch Church at Jaffna Fort mainly to  the Soldiers and Europeans. 

Rev. Lynch Founded a  Wesleyan English School at Jaffna  : Rev. James Lynch was a visionary Educationist.  Rev. James Lycnh with the support of his co-worker  Rev Squance established an English School in 1816 in Jaffna .and it was called as  Jaffna Wesleyan English School. Rev. James Lynch served as its first  Principal   The relentless efforts of Rev Lynch attracted more than 60 students to the Jaffna  Wesleyan English School.. This School gradually and steadily started to grow. Sir Browning the then Governor of Ceylon writes that "there were 70 boys in the School [ Jaffna Wesleyan  English School ] who were instructed by Rev. James Lynch . The English School progresses well and created job for the students in Various sectors."  In course of time this Jaffna Wesleyan English School passed through many name changes and now it is called ."Jaffna Central College ". The following are some of the prominent Alumni  of JCC :-  Mr. Herbert Thambiah, , Mr. Henry Thambiah, , Mr. A.W. Mailvaganam, O.B.E, Sir Sabaratnam Arul Kumaran , the great Tamil Scholar Mr. Arumuka Navalar and many others.. In recognition of Rev. Lynch's contribution to J.C,C. a School Athletic House was named after him in 2002 and a Statue was unveiled in front of the Romaine Cook Hall , J.C.C, in 2013. .

Rev. James Lynch's Historical travel via Nagapattinam  to Madras    :  Rev. James  Lynch was asked to visit Madras  to take necessary steps to regulate the Wesleyan Methodist Society, which awaited his coming . Accordingly Rev. James lynch proceeded to Madras through Nagapattinam, located near Tranquebar in Tamil Nadu   and preached to some persons who were eager to hear him , so we can say that it was in Nagapattinam that the first message in India was delivered by a Methodist Missionary .. Mr.G.G Findaly writes in his book   "The history of the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society " that , " On the way from Negapattinam to Madras Lynch was the guest of the Royal Danish Mission at Tranquebar and visited the graves of Plutschau and Ziegenbalg the first Danish Missionaries sent out under Frederick  IV of Demark ". A revisit and perusal of Lynch's diary about his visit to the graves of the pioneer Danish  Halle missionaries  will help the readers to understand the spirit of Rev Lames Lynch. And so the relevant page from Rev.  Lynch's diary is given below :                                                                                                                                                                         

From the above paragraph we can infer a direct line of spiritual succession--- Ziegenbalg; Susanna Wesley; John Wesley; James Lynch . ,  Rev.  James Lynch after having visited the graves of the pioneer Danish  Halle Mission Missionaries in Tranquebar proceeded towards madras and arrived at Madras and on arriving Madras Rev. James Lynch was received hospitably by Mr. Durnnford. . Rev. Lynch without delay reported his arrival in Madras to the Governor of Madras. .

Rev. James lynch Preached His first Sermon in a Godown in George town   

Next Part  Final will follow soon .

By. P. Babu Manoharan, M.A, ,. [ All rights are reserved. This Article will be enlarged, modified or  corrected later if needed ].