A Man Who Built Wesley Church at Ikkadu, A Champion of Ministry of Kindness, The Most famous Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Who Ever Worked in India Rev. William Goudie .[ 1857--1922].

Introduction:    We can say that Rev William Goudie was the most popular and famous Wesleyan Methodist Missionaries who ever served in India.  Of-course many tall Wesleyan Methodist missionaries like Revs. James Lynch, Elijah Hoole, Percival, Arminius Burgesses, Cobban., served in South India, but nobody became so popular among the congregational members like Willaim Goudie. and no predecessors of William Goudie moved so closely and intimately with the lowliest, lost and last and stayed with them like him. Rev William Goudie took the gospel to the poorest of the poor with great passion and relentless enthusiasm. and tried his best to remove discrimination and inequality among the fellow believes on the basis of birth. He is called as a Champion of the Ministry of Kindness.  His real-life story will galvanise the readers, missionaries and pastors to raise above petty narrow domestic walls of caste, colour, creed and economic status and to establish a real Church as envisioned by Christ. He did not hate anybody on the basis of religion, charity to all and malice to none was his religious and social policy  

                                                       Rev. William Goudie [ 1857--1922]

William Goudie's Parents and Birth:   Rev William Goudie [Jr] was born on 6th May 1857 in Shetlands islands in Scotland to Rev William Goudi [Sr] and Ms Isabella Jamiesen Goudie.  Shetlands islands is an Archipelago in Scotland, and this territory forms the northernmost part of United Kingdom.

Rev William Goudie' Siblings:   God blessed Rev William Goudie [ Sr] and Mrs Isabella Jamiesen Goudi with all the conjugal blessings and this couple gave birth to the following children: [1] Mr Corp William John Goudie [ 1888-1915], [2] Ms. Helena Maud Goudie Manhire [ 1888- 1971] [3] Mr. Frank Leslie Goudi [ 1891-- 1976] , [4] Nancy Catherine Goudie [ 1892- 1971], [5] Lieut. Alexander Malcolm [ 1893- 1915]. 

Rev. William Goudie Dedicated Himself for the Cause Evangelisation: Young William Goudie learned his first Prayer from his beloved mother Mrs Isabella Jamesen Goudie, but his mother died when he was only 8 years old. His father was also a Christian pastor and so he had the privilege to attend and hear the sermons preached in the Revival Meetings of Mr. D. L Moody and Sankey and the sermons impacted the young William Goudie so much and he decided consciously to become an Evangelist and carry the gospel to non-Christian countries. At a Revival meeting one evening Young William Goudie dedicated himself for the service of Christ. 

He Joined the Richmond Theological College: In line with his decision William Goudie joined the Wesleyan Theological College, Richmond, on 24th January,1879 to become a missionary.  I think it is better to have some idea about this Richmond Theological College.  In 1840, the Methodist Church in Britain, decided to celebrate the Centenary of the Wesley's ministry by building two Theological Institutes one at Didsbury near Manchester which opened in 1842 and another in Richmond a year later in 1843. Richmond theological College was a Wesleyan Methodist College located on the Queen's road in Richmond, London. This Theological College was established for training Missionaries and Ministers. In 1902 this College became a part of the University of London, .and in 1972 this college was closed.

                                

                                  

Mr. William Goudie was Ordained as a Pastor: On his successful completion of his Theological course Mr Willam Goudie was ordained as a Pastor on the 24th, January 1881 at the Clapham High Street Chapel, London.

Rev William Goudie was sent to Madras in 1882:  Famous Wesleyan Missionary Rev Cobban was appointed to Tamil work and put in charge of Madras North Circuit. He found in the villages lying within the area of his Circuit a population of a hundred and fifty thousand people, among whom no Christain work of any kind was being done and so he appointed native Catechists to work in one or two centres, and as a result of that in one village alone about fifty persons were baptized.  In a letter written in 1881 Cobban expressed that:" Whole villages will enter the church when we can fully give ourselves to work among them and are ready to send men to instruct them.  That letter was brought before the Committee in London, and it had great weight with its Members and an appointment was at once made in this regard.  As a result, in 1882 the Rev William Goudie was sent to Madras. [G.G. Findlay, D.D and W.W. Holdsworth, M.A, B.D, The History of the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society [ Vol. V], The Empower Press London, 1924, pp. 231 & 232.]

Rev Willima Goudie Was the First European to Reside in Thiruvallur: Rev. Cobban had been appointed to Thiruvallur and this town was the centre of the village area which Cobban had so much at heart. Rev. Cobban worked in Thiruvallur area, and one hundred people were led to Christ as Christians in Thiruvallur circuit. Rev William Goudie was appointed to the English congregation in Madras and that duty he performed with force and devotion but at the same time he applied himself to the study of Tamil language. During the furlough of Rev Cobban [1886-1888] Madras Circuit claimed the service of Rev William Goudie and so he resided in Madras. When Rev. Cobban returned Rev William Goudie took up his residence in Thiruvallur and Rev Goudie was the first European to reside in Thiruvallur.  Rev Goudie galvanised suitable people to come forward to help the poor people who lived in Thiruvallur area.

    

The Institute Built by Rev Goudie in Ikkadu,Thiruvallur Circuit:    Rev. William Goudie considered educational service is also Missionary service.  A Children's Home for both Boys and Girls was Opened at Ikkadu in 1889. The movement in the Thiruvallur Circuit continued to spread and the village of Ikkadu began to be known as the Centre from which the waves of Christian life and power were spreading and wafting over the whole neighbourhood. Later, boys and girls were separated, and the boys were housed in a   commodious and stately building erected by Rev. Wiolliam Goudie in 1902 and this School was known as The Southern Cross School" and from this school, boys were drafted every year to be trained as Village Teachers. This school brought educational, economic and cultural development in the lives of the people of Ikkadu village and surrounding villages. Ikkadu became a centre of Christian activities. and the formerly despised and neglected sons and daughters of the soil started to live with dignity of freedom as Christians. It would be useful to know some more details about this The Southern Cross School. In Melbourne Dr. Fitchett was the editor of a religious journal known by the name, 'The Southern Cross"   An Australian lady by name Mrs. Fiddian who had married an Indian Civil Service Officer, suggested to Dr. Fitchett that the readers of his journal to build a Home for the poor boys of the Thiruvallur Circuit, the request was accepted with enthusiasm and a home was built by the readers of the "The Southern Cross" so the Home for Boys of Thiruvallur Circuit was named as "The Southern Cross Home for Boys.

Rev. William Goudie and the Wesley Church at Ikkadu: Rev. William Goudie as a companion of companionless loved the people of Ikkadu so much. In 1891 more than 300 people were baptized at Ikkadu. and he wanted to build a beautiful Church at the centre of the mission compound at Ikkadu . So he began the construction work of the Church at Ikkadu on the 27th February 1889. He invested his full concentration in the church building project and the construction of the Church was completed. he named the Chruch that he built at Ikkadu as Wesley Church and opened it in 1903. This Monumental Wesley Church, Ikkadu, is under the administrative custody of the Madras CSI Diocese since 1947. This Magnificent Wesley Church at Ikkadu, speaks and reminds us about the sacrifice and the unconditional love of Rev William Goudie for the poor Christins of Ikkadu and its surrounding area.. .

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WESLEY CHURCH AT IKKADU.

Goudie Hr Secondary School at Thiruvallur and Rev William Goudie:   Missionaries of Scotland Free Church founded a School at Thiruvallur in 1857, later the Wesleyan Methodist Missionaries started to work in Thirucvallur and its surrounding areas. The Missionaries of Scotland Free Church appreciated the educational work done by the Wesleyan Methodist Mission Missionaries and handed over their School at Thiruvallur to Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Rev William Goudie in 1891. William Godie built the High School building with a Clock Tower in the current location and opened it on the 16th May 1895. In recognition of William Goudie's contribution towards the development of this School at Thiruvallur it was named after William Goudie as William Goudie High School. In 1947 this school became under the administrative custody and control of the CSI   It was a high School till 1978, and it was known as CSI  Goudie High School and it was upgraded in 1979, and was called as  CSI Goudie Hr Sec School, Thiruvallur. This School is considered as one of the best Schools in Tamil Nadu. This School has played a crucial role in the educational, intellectual and economic development of the people of Thiruvallur and Thiruvallur district.  The Veritable Apostle of the people Rev Willim Gousdie is not alive today, but his legacy wafts above and around the Thiruvallur district.

CSI GOUDIE HIGHER SECONDARY SCHOOL THIRUVALLUR.

Conclusion:                 Rev Goudie's iron like constitution enabled him to accomplish what was beyond the power of the missionaries.  His long and relentless and tireless stride carried him over the raw    tracks that led to distant villages where men would generally hesitate to reach. His own thought drove him like a goad and his thought was occupied with one core object of uplifting the fallen, companionless, voiceless, friendless, and oppressed downtrodden people from the cruel clutches of the oppressors.  There was force and passion in his plea for the cause of the depressed people it is not possible to record within the space of this Blogpost all the reforming and ameliorating work done by Rev Goudie. In 1890 there were ninety-six Church Members in the Thiruvallur circuit with as many more on probation. But in 1900 the numbers were three hundred and eighty-four and two hundred and eighty-seven. and in1910 there were six hundred and sixteen full members and four hundred and forty- seven on trial. At Nagari which was an offset from Thiruvallur circuit there was a Christian community of two hundred more. The descendants of those Christians converted by William Goudie in Thiruvallur circuit do play a dominant role in the affairs of Madras CSI Diocese today. In 1904 in the Thiruvallur circuit the following organizations and institutes were there namely:[1] A Mission House,[2] A Hospital, [3] the Burnham Children's Home, [4] the South cross Home, [5] the Lace Hand and [6] a beautiful Wesleyan Methodist Chapel. When Rev William Goudie first came to Ikkadu in 1889 the only place of worship was a mud hut thatched with leaves on an untidy ground at Ikkadu.. Within fifteen years all these substantial and beautiful buildings had been erected by the relentless visionary efforts taken by Rev. William Goudie. Now I will end this Blogpost quoting a historical sentence of the Authors of the" The History of the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society", G..G. Findlay and W.W. Holdsworth, "In 1906 the time came for William Goudie to return to England, and it was difficult to say who suffered more by his departure from the work he had begun- the people who thus lost their friend and their guide from bondage into freedom, or the guide himself"  

A Champion of Ministry of Kindness Rev. William Goudie died on Palm Sunday,9th April 1922 in England but he lives in the pages of Wesleyan Methodist Mission history.  

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