Introduction; Former Head- Master of the famous Scott Christian High School Nagercoil from 1896 to 1926, Secretary of Travancore Church Council from 1901 to 1931, Vice President of Nagercoil Municipal Council from 1911 to 1920, A Member of Legislative Council Travancore from 1916 to 1925 late Mr Paul Daniel M.A, LT, was a visionary Christian leader who thought ahead of his times and worked and laid a solid foundation for the formation of a United Christian Church in South India, and indirectly facilitated the formation of the Church of South India.{CSI].. The role played by Mr Paul Daniel as a visionary Christian leader for the future of Christianity in India is mainly dealt with in this Blogpost.
His Parents and his Birth: Many decades ago, there lived a pious LMS Catechist by name Mr. Paul with his beloved wife Ms. Mary Paul [ There is some doubt about this name and if the name is wrong, it will be corrected accordingly, later] in Santhapuram Village that lies on the Southwest of Nagercoil and God blessed this couple with all the connubial blessings and this couple gave birth to Mr. Paul on the 2nd of May 1864 Mr Paul Daniel bloomed as an Educationist par excellence and a remarkable visionary Christian Thinker and played a historic and memorable role for the progress and consolidation of the Protestant Churches in South India.
The Formation of the South Travancore Church Council : As the LMS congregations in Travancore extended from Kanyakumari to Quilon, there arose a necessity for consolidating them into some form of unity and unification and in the year 1874, a meeting of the representatives from all these LMS congregations was held at Neyoor, and as a result of that meeting, the Church Council of Travancore was formed. The main object of this Church Council was to bring about a mutual acquaintance, sympathy, empathy, and union amongst all the LMS congregations, to discuss with freedom the feeling of all the native Christians on all matters affecting the prosperity and future of themselves and their congregations. and to produce a brotherly feeling amongst all the congregations, connected with London Mission Society. This Church Council has produced a feeling of sympathetic consideration among the congregations and has discussed many issues of differences of opinion amongst the Christians and in various ways and has been the means of facilitating native opinion upon many important matters, untrammelled by European influence [Rev. I.H. Hacker, A Hundred Years in Travancore, 1806- 1906., London, 1908, p 56 and 101]. Mr. Paul Daniel became a part and parcel of this Church Council and had the privilege to serve as the Secretary of the Travancore Church Council from 1901 to 1931. with great visionary wisdom and efficacy. [ Memorial Plaque of Mr Paul Daniel erected inside the CSI Home Church Nagercoil].
Formation of South India United Church: Mr. D. M. Devasahayam while writing about The South India Church Union Movement in the famous Book "Rethinking Christianity in India" writes like this, " The study of the present Union Movement in South India need not carry us into a detailed treatment of the various union movements in the past. But we may note that the Presbyterians seem to have been in the vanguard, for in the year 1900 they formed an All -India Presbyterian Union.[ Rethinking Christianity, p. 230. ] In 1904the Congregational Churches and the American Missions in Madura, and Jaffna and the Congregational CFhurhes of the London Mission in the South Travancore came into a similar Federal Union. Now the way for wider union between Presbyterians and Congregationalists began to open and from 1905ti 1907 negotiations to this end proceeded. As a result of these efforts an agreed basis was found in disregarding denominational differences and realizing their "essential oneness" of Christian Faith. So, on the 24th July,1908, the South India United Church [SIUC]was formerly constituted. As. J.P. Jones of the American Board said, "It was a union paving the way for great united organization"[ edited by The Rt.Rev. Dr.J.W.Gladstone, United to Unite, History of the Church of South India, 1947--1997, Chennai, 1997, p. 10].
The Object of the S.I.U.C: " To bind the Churches together into one body with a view to developing a self-supporting, self= governing, and self- propagating Indian Church, which shall present a united living testimony to Christ, and worthily represent to the world the Christian idea"
Mr. Paul Daniel Participated in the First General Assembly of the S.I.U.C: The First General Assembly of the South India United Church was held at the Davidson Street Church in Madras on 25th of July 1908; Mr Paul Daniel, M.A, participated in the First General Assembly of the S.I.U.C. on behalf of the Travancore Church Union along with Rev. I.H. Hacker,[ Author of the A Hundred Years in Travancore, 1806- 1906] Rev. J.M. Kesari, B A and some others. Mr Paul Daniel as the Secretary of the Travancore Church Council participated in all the General Assembly Meetings of this South India Church United Church and contributed valuable ideas for the unity of all Protestant Churches in South India under a single umbrella. It is not possible to deal with all the aspects of Mr. Paul Daniel's participation and contributions in the General Assembly meetings of this South India United Church and so I will high light only some important contribution made by Mr Paul Daniel for the unity of Protestant Churches in South India. Mr Paul Daniel regularly participated in the General Assembly Meetings of the SIUC and unfailingly made his intellectual contribution since the very beginning. to actuate the object of the SIUC in the interest of Protestant churches in South India. It is not possible to deal with all the General Assemble Meetings of the SIUC within the space of this Blogpost. I will deal with some selective General Assembly Meetings of the S.I.U.C in which Mr Paul Daniel participated.
Mr. Paul Daniel and The Eight General Assembly of the S.I.U.C. The Eighth General Assembly of the South India United Church was held at Nagercoil, on September 11- 15, 1921. In connection with the Eight General Assembly Meeting on the 12th of September 1921, a Public Meeting was held in English in the Home Church, Nagercoil. The first item of the programme was welcome address and the Secretary of the Travancore Church council Mr Paul Daniel welcomed the delegates in impeccable English, The Delegates from Madras Church Council, Arcot church Council, Karnataka Church Council Jaffna Church Council, North Tamil Church Council, Madras Church Council, Travancore Church Council, Telegu Church Council, Malabar Church Council, participated in the Eight General Assembly Meeting of the SIUC. In this meeting Mr Paul Danniel was elected as an Executive Committee Member of the SIUC. He was also elected as the Chairman of the Committee on Life and Work and Statistics. .Mr. Paul Daniel was also elected as a member of the Committee on Union with Anglicans. Mr Paul Daniel discharged his responsibilities with great distinction and dedication. [ Ref: Minutes of the Eighth General Assembly of SIUC]
Mr. Paul Daniel and the Ninth Assembly of the SIUC, Held in Vaddukoddai, Ceylon:[ Aug 24-27, 1923: Mr Paul Daniel, M.A. as the secretary of Travancore Church council participated in the Ninth General Assembly of the SIUC held in Ceylon and made his intellectual contribution to find out solutions for the amalgamation of all the protestant Churches under a single entity. In this General Assembly the elder brother of Mr Paul Daniel, Mr Paul Apollos also participated, on behalf of the Travancore Church Council. In this General Assembly Mr Paul Daniel was elected as Vice President of this General Assembly. The General Assembly also elected Mr Paul Daniel as the Convenor of the Life and Work Committee. and also, he was elected as a Member of the Evangelists Forward Movement Committee Mr Paul Daniel was elected as a member of the Committee on Union. along with Mr K.T. Paul, B.A, O.B.E. Rev. J.M. Kesari, Rev. V. Santiago and some others. Mr. Paul Daniel , M.A, L.T played a crucial role in preparing the Report of the Committee on Union. [Ref; Minutes of the Ninth General Assembly of SIUC]
Mr. Paul Daniel Participated at the Tenth General Assembly of the S.I.U.C: The General assembly of the South India United Church was held at Salem, September 26-29. 1925. The Welcome Meeting was held on September 26, 1925 and this meeting was chaired Mr Paul Daniel, M.A.. L.T. Mr. Paul Daniel participated at this General Assembly Meetings as a Member of the Travancore Church Council along with Rev R. Sinclair, Rev, J,N, Ambrose, Rev. J. Ebenezer kesarai, M.A, and some others. In this General Assembly Meeting Mr Paul Daniel, was appointed as the Convenor of the Committee on Life and Work. The Report of the Committee on the Life and Work of the Church was read by Mr. Paul Daniel, the report was adopted and it was resolved to publish the whole Report. [Ref: Minutes of the Tenth General Assembly of SIUC}
Mr. Paul Dniel Participated at the Twelfth General Assembly of the S.I.U.C: The Twelfth General Assembly of the South India United Church met on Friday, October4, 1929 at 9.30 A.M. in the Haigh Memorial Hall of the Wesleyan Mission in Bangalore. As a member of the Travancore Church Council Mr Paul Daiel participated in this 12 th General Assembly of the SIUC along with Rev. J. Ebenezer Kesari, M.A and some others. Mr Paul Daniel, M.A, was elected as member of a Committee along with Mr. K.T. Paul, Mr G.V. Job and some others, with the assignment to draw up a summary of the discussions on Church Union together with other points on which there was some difference of opinion and report the same to the Assembly for the approval and submission to the Council along with the "Progress Scheme of Union" for their consideration and action. Moreover, Mr Paul Daniel was elected as the Convenor of the Committee on Life and work, he was also elected as a member of the Committee on Union along with Dr. J.J. Banniga [Convenor] Mr. K..T. Paul, Rev V. Santiago and some others. Mr Paul Daniel was elected a Member of the Committee on United Church Herald and Theological Education Committee. Mr. Paul Daniel discharged all of his assigned responsibilities with great efficacy and distinction for the cause of a meaningful United Church in South India and to actuate the objectives of the South India United Church [Ref: Minutes of the Twelfth General Assembly of the SIUC]
Conclusion: Mr. Paul Daniel worked with great and relentless zeal for the cause of Christian Churchin India, but he did not live long enough to see the Birth of the Church of South India on September 27, 1947, The CSI was born as a result of the union of several Protestant Denominations in South India. Mr. Paul Daniel, M.A, died on 22nd July 1931 at the age of 67. He was a great Visionary. he worked very sincerely to actuate the object of the SIUC. He believed that a United Church alone can, withstand the political, cultural, and social Challenges in the future in the independent India. By the relentless efforts taken by the Indian Church leaders the Church of South India was born in 1947. Mr Paul Daniel was definitely one of the greatest Indian Church leaders and he was a multifaceted person. He deserves a detailed Biography and only in a Biography we can cover all the aspects of his life, his goals, traits, accomplishments, his service to the Public as a nominated Member of Sri Moolam Legislative Council, and Nagercoil Municipal Councillor, etc. I will end this Blogpost with the following sentence, "Dear and respected Mr. Paul Daniel, M.A, L.T. M.L.C. we thank God for you, you were really a great soul, and we are proud of you".
END.
By. P Babu Manoharan, M. A [ All rights are reserved. This Blogpost will be modified, enlarged or corrected later if needed}.
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