Vodcasts
- Sermon Link – Be awake for the Glorious appearance of our Lord (Rev. Santhosh Varughese)
Upcoming Prayers, Meetings & Events
- September 3 (Wednesday)
- 7 PM: Intercessory Prayer (via Zoom)
- September 4 (Thursday)
- 8 PM: Diocesan Sevika Sanghom – Varam celebration meeting (via Zoom – see details below)
- September 5 (Friday)
- 10:30 AM: Fasting Prayer (via Zoom)
- 6:30 PM: Young Family Fellowship Meeting (at church)
- September 6 (Saturday)
- 11 AM: Diocesan Sunday School – Life Skills for Teens – Toolkit: Season I (via Zoom – see details below for signup)
- September 7 (Sunday)
- 9:00 AM: Sunday School
- 10:15 AM: Holy Communion Service (Malayalam)
Condolences
- Rev. Philip Varughese, senior priest of the Mar Thoma Church, well-known convention speaker, and beloved member of our parish, entered eternal rest in Detroit on Wednesday, August 27, 2025, at 9:30 AM, surrounded by his loved ones.Born as the third son of the late V. E. Philip and Gracy Philip of the Vettathethu household, Vathalloor family, Venmoney, Achen dedicated his life to ministry and service. He completed his early education at Mar Thoma High School, Venmoney, and N.S.S. College, Pandalam, followed by theological studies at Kombadi Mar Thoma Bible Institute and Mar Thoma Seminary, Kottayam.He was ordained: Deacon on May 7, 1963 and as Priest on June 26, 1963. Throughout his ministry, Achen served in numerous parishes across Kerala, including: Kattakkada, Neduvalloor,Anicadu,Karavaloor,Niranam,Kurianoor,Mulakuzha,Keekozhoor,Perumbavoor and Nakada. After moving to the United States in 1991, he continued his pastoral service in parishes located in: Detroit, Atlanta, Chicago, Florida, Indianapolis, Dallas and Canadian parishes.Even in retirement, Achen remained active in the Detroit Mar Thoma Church, participating in worship services and church activities until Friday, August 22, the day before he fell ill. His life of faithful service, prayer and dedication to God’s people has left an enduring mark on our parish and community. We are greatful for the love,wisdom, and guidance he shared so generously. May the lord grant him eternal rest and may his soul rejoice in the light of Christ..Funeral services are scheduled for Sept 12 and 13. Detroit Mar Thoma Church expresses our heartfelt condolences on the passing of dear achen and prays for the divine peace and comfort for Kochamma and the entire bereaved family.
Our parish has begun preparations for a blessed funeral and farewell service to honor the life and ministry of Late Rev.Philip Varghese achan. We humbly request the support and cooperation of all parish members in assisting with various activities related to the arrangements, as needed. The Church Executive committee has met and appointed the following committee members to lead the specific area of responsibility
- Transportation of clergy attending the service – Mr. Thomson David
- Accommodation of clergy attending the service – Mrs. Sansu Mathai
- Parking arrangements ( Friday and Saturday )– Dr. Shane Thomas
- Ushers for Friday & Saturday services– Mr. Justin Jones
- Food arrangements for Friday & Saturday – Mr. Vinod Thomas
- Bishop’s Transportation – Mr. Boben George
We are grateful for your prayers and support during this time. May the Lord’s peace and comfort be with us all as we come together to honor Achan’s faithful service.
Kalpanas/Circulars
- Circular No:04 – Sevika Sangham Varam
General Body Notice
- A General Body meeting of the Detroit Mar Thoma church will be held on Sunday, September 14th,2025 in the sanctuary after the Holy Communion Service presided by the President and Vicar, Rev.Santhosh VarugheseThe agenda is as follows:
- Review and approval of by-laws of Detroit Mar Thoma Church for filing with state of Michigan
- Review and approval of Restated articles of incorporation for Detroit mar Thoma Church for filing with state of Michigan
All General Body members are requested to be present
Sunday School
- The Diocese Sunday School is launching a new initiative aimed at helping our children make wise decisions and life choices that lead to a blessed and purposeful life. This program is part of the vision of Rt. Rev. Dr. Abraham Mar Paulos Thirumeni, focused on equipping our children with essential life skills.It seeks to bridge the gap between knowledge and real-life application, while encouraging resilience and empowering students to navigate life’s challenges with confidence—grounded in a strong foundation of faith
“Life Skills for Teens – Toolkit: Season I,” scheduled for Saturday, September 6, 2025, at 11:00 AM (EST) via Zoom.
Speaker: Mrs. Betsy Chacko
Date: Saturday Sept 6, 2025
Time: 11 am to 1230pm (EST)
Who can attend: Grades 5-12 students
Venue: Zoom video conference
If you are interested in joining this class, please fill out the google form attached to the announcement at the earliest possible.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1jvZNfqtkP14CVua2aURY9j9t7wHAaNSwhgDis6XKSgE/edit
Young Family Fellowship
- There will be a Young Families Fellowship meeting on Friday September 5th at 6:30 PM at the church. All young adults and young families are requested to join. There will be a session arranged for the kids during the meeting. If attending , please respond to the WhatsApp event that has been shared. For any questions, please contact John Mathews ( Tiffy )
Sevika Sanghom
- Mid West Region Sevika Sangham One day RetreatWe will have the mid west region Sevika Sanghom Retreat on Saturday, October 4, 2025 at St. Johns Mar Thoma Church, Michigan. Rev. Ashish Thomas, vicar of Chicago Mar Thoma church will be the lead speaker for the retreat. The theme for the retreat is, WOMEN: PROCLAIMERS AND PRACTISIONERS OF CHANGE
- Sevika Sanghom Varam:To Celebrate the Sevika Sanghom Varam, we have scheduled a Diocesan Sevika Sanghom meeting on September 4, Thursday at 8:00 PM EST. Our chief guest Mrs. Seena Abraham, Vanitha Bhodini Chief Editor , will deliver the main message on the topic “Journeying with Christ mind” . Our Diocesan Bishop and President, Rt. Rev. Dr. Abraham Mar Paulos Episcopa will preside over the meeting.Winners for the Diocesan Sevika Sanghom essay competition will be announced during this meeting.
Your prayerful presence and participation are earnestly requested.
Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88569263060?pwd=fbx7UMauCUw4qTRgPjbp01QSp6Xhmx.1
Meeting ID: 885 6926 3060 Passcode: prayer
Altar Boys & Covenant Girls (Fall 2025 Learning Classes – Phase 1 & 2)
- The Altar Boys and Covenant Girls (ABCG) ministry was established in 2013. Its purpose is to encourage children and youth to:
- Learn more about the church, its faith, heritage, and tradition
- Grow spiritually
- Become well-equipped leaders within the church
Participants must be at least 12 years of age and full communicant members of the church. They should also be committed to learning through the online training programs, capable of assisting the parish as needed (in consultation with the parish Vicar), and prepared to serve for a minimum of three years. To facilitate learning, the ABCG subcommittee is conducting weekly online classes via Zoom & Google Classroom for Fall 2025.
Phase 1
- Schedule: Mondays from September 8 to October 27, 2025.
- Time: 8:45 PM – 9:45 PM (EST).
- Eligibility: The classes are open to full Communicant Mar Thoma members, ages 12-18, from parishes and congregations in the Diocese.
- Registration: Registration is complete upon Vicar approval and payment of fees. The deadline for registration is September 1, 2025, or when seat capacity is reached.
Phase 2
- Schedule: Tuesdays from September 9 to October 28, 2025.
- Time: 8:45 PM – 9:45 PM (EST).
- Eligibility: Classes are open to full Communicant Mar Thoma members, ages 12-18, who have successfully completed Phase 1.
- Registration: Initial registration is required, followed by payment of registration fees. The deadline for registration is September 1, 2025.
Registration Details for Both Phases
- Fees: The registration fee is USD $20 / CAD $20.
- Completion: A certificate of completion will be awarded after successfully completing all three phases (1, 2, and 3)
- Phase 1 Registration Link: https://forms.gle/dzPzaagdgQf2vNCE6
- Phase 2 Registration Link: https://forms.gle/YaZoRwdWT2EFKSFFA
Your prayerful support and cooperation are appreciated. For more information, please contact: marthoma.abcg@gmail.com
On behalf of the Altar Boys & Covenant Girls subcommittee,
Rev. Dennis Abraham
Convener – Altar Boys & Covenant Girls (ABCG) Subcommittee
Cross Roads 2025 – North America-wide short film competition
- The Canadian Marthoma Church Yuvajana Sakhyam, Toronto, is excited to launch a North America-wide short film competition – CrossRoads 2025. We request your prayers and support for this event. Please see the letter below and the guidelines for the short film competition. Requesting your participation in the Short Film Contest. Thank you all. The theme for the competition is “Life’s Turning Point” (ജീവിതത്തിന്റെ വഴിത്തിരിവ്)The best short film will receive 1500 USD, and the top 2 runners up will receive 250 USD each. The distinguished panel of judges consist of,
- Blessy (Film Maker)
- Don Max (Film Maker)
- Rev. Rency Thomas (Director, Church Animation Centre)
Registration Fee is $100.00
The detailed rules and guidelines and the poster of the competition will be shared with the announcements. Interested teams, please register on or before August 31st, 2025.
Registration Link : https://forms.gle/34xvAkfyGwtgL5CZA
Teaser Link: https://youtu.be/HBFCIMwvk4k
First Fruit Auction
Our first fruit Auction is next Sunday after service. This is our annual harvest festival and auction. We welcome our church family to prayerfully and monetarily support this fundraising event. As we have been doing for past years, 15% of the proceeds will be going for charity works. The convenors of the harvest auction Mrs. Suja George and Mrs.Jaya Varghese are going to make an announcement today to give you more details.
Please support this years harvest auction and makes it a blessed event.
Accepted items for auction:
- Garden Vegetables harvested this year
- Special plants like curry leaves plant,banana plants, indoor decorative plants
- Special art works
- Special food prepared ( Biriyani,fish items, special pickles, special cakes etc )
- Special event entry tickets
- Special arrangements
Not accepted: Any types of Clothes are not accepted for auction
Church Convention
- We are delighted to announce our Annual Church Convention, taking place from Friday, September 19 to Sunday, September 21.This year, we are honored to welcome Rev. Dr. Abraham Scaria, Principal of Dharma Jyothi Vidya Peeth Theological Seminary, New Delhi, as our main speaker. Dr. Scaria is a gifted and dynamic speaker, fluent in both English and Malayalam, and brings deep theological insight and spiritual wisdom. We warmly encourage all parish members to prayerfully adjust your schedules and make every effort to attend. This convention is a wonderful opportunity to rejuvenate your spiritual journey through a series of enriching and thought-provoking topics. Let us come together in faith and fellowship, seeking renewal and growth in Christ.🙏 Please mark your calendars and spread the word!
Blood Drive
- The Blood Drive that has been planned for Sept 28, has been cancelled.
Invitation from the Champagne Congregation
- We are delighted to invite you to the inauguration of our new Mar Thoma congregation in Champaign, Illinois, on Saturday, September 21, 2025, at 2:00 PM. We kindly request you to announce this joyous event in your parish and encourage your members to join us. Our new congregation in Champaign-Urbana, home to the University of Illinois, also plans to provide fellowship and support to the student community in the area. We deeply appreciate your prayers, presence, and support as we embark on this new chapter – Rev Johnson Varughese Achen, Vicar
Photo Directory
- Photo directory – photo sessions scheduled for Sept ( All sessions ) cancelled due to the funeral schedule until further notice. We are working with the studio to get new dates.
Change of Dates
- Our First fruit auction: First Fruit auction is moved to September 7th Sunday from Sept 14th due to a conflict with the Photo directory photo shoot. Please adjust your schedule & Calendar.
- Our Church Convention: Our church convention is moved to Sept 19-21, which is also a change from the original published date of Sept 26-28. Please adjust your schedules. Rev. Dr. Abraham Skaria P. from India is going to lead this year’s convention. We will be sharing more details in the coming days.
- Onam Sadhya: now will be held on September 28
- Church Retreat: We’re excited to announce that our parish will be hosting a retreat this year from October 24–26. We are honored to have Pastor Dwight Yoo, a respected and influential leader among our youths, as our retreat speaker & leader.
Please be sure to mark your calendars for these important dates. More details about the retreat program will be shared soon.
Refreshments
- Thanks to refreshment team for arranging the refreshments today.
- Note from the refreshment team:
- Refreshments will be served for 30 minutes only and the cleanup will start after. Requesting every one to join the fellowship time as soon as we finish the benediction.
- They are also requesting those who haven’t contributed to the annual refreshment fund to do so soon. The minimum expected is 100 dollars.
Birthdays & Wedding Anniversaries
- DMTC Family wishes all our fellow members celebrating their Birthday and Wedding Anniversary this upcoming week. May the Almighty Lord bless each one of you and your family in the New Year and the years ahead.
Acknowledgements
We want to thank, Rev. Santhosh Varughese for leading todays service and the message, Rev. P. Chacko, Lay Leaders, Choir, Live stream and Audio teams for assisting today’s service
Please uphold our near & dear ones who are sick and those grieving the loss of their loved ones.
Thank you all for participating, have a blessed week.
Office Bearers Contact Information
- As part of our transition to the new domain, contact emails of the office bearers has been updated. Please take a note of the new email Ids for the church office bearers
- Vicar: vicar@detroitmarthoma.org or 248-792-1134 (Mobile)
- Secretary: sec@detroitmarthoma.org
- Trustees: trustees@detroitmarthoma.org
We are not monitoring the old emails any more. Please take a note of the new emails.
Online Photo Directory
As many of you may or may not know we maintain an online photo directory of parish families. Many photos in the directory are outdated and we invite and encourage all families to provide a more recent photo to be included in the directory. If families have a new photo please e-mail it to the secretary at sec@detroitmarthoma.org. We thank everyone for their support. Link and log-in information for the photo directory will be included in the weekly announcements.
Online Photo Directory Link: https://detroitmarthoma.org/main/resources/parish-directory/
Photo Directory Passcode: 48033
Note about Security – Email/Phone Contacts from the church
- As we are all aware there are many security threats to our personal information in the modern age and unfortunately many ill-intended people try to access this information through underhanded methods. One of the common methods used are communication mediums such as e-mail or phone. We ask members to please take precaution when reviewing and responding to text messages and e-mails they receive including text messages/e-mails from church representatives. In regards to church emails our vicar (Santhosh Achen), secretary and trustees have specific church e-mail accounts: Vicar: vicar@detroitmarthoma.org or 248-792-1134 (Mobile) Secretary: sec@detroitmarthoma.org Trustees: trustees@detroitmarthoma.org. The Vicar, Secretary, and Trustees have their own personal e-mail which they rarely use to communicate parish related matters. If any member is suspicious or uncomfortable with a text message or email they have received from a church representative we ask that you do not respond and instead contact the church representative by phone or in -person. Also please note the Vicar or office bearers will NEVER ask for any personal information (ex. bank account or credit card number) or request for purchases to be made on their behalf via text message or email. We have recently been made aware of a scam e-mail that was sent out using the name of a church representative and therefore we are recommending appropriate precautions by parish members. If you have any further questions please contact the church office bearers.
Live Streaming of Church Events
Live streaming will be available on the church YouTube channel – https://youtube.com/@DetroitMarthomaChurch. After clicking the link, click on “Live” and find the livestream for the respective church event.
We will do our very best to live stream all church events, however as this is dependent on trained volunteers, there may be technical interruptions and occasions where live streaming is not available. We appreciate your patience and understanding.
Zeffy – Online Payment Option
- Zeffy is a user-friendly platform for not-for-profit organizations that allows for one-time and reoccurring monthly contributions with a no transaction fee option. Contributions can be made with credit card, bank account, Apple or Google pay. We strongly encourage all members to utilize Zeffy for electronic payments. Our Trustees want to thank all the members who have utilized this method as this streamlines the financial activities of the parish.
- Zeffy is available through the DMTC Mobile App or church website (link below):https://detroitmarthoma.org/main/resources-2/online-donation/
- With this online payment option, PayPal will no longer be available as an online payment option. If any member has questions or would like additional assistance with Zeffy please contact our Trustee or Accountant, Mr. Thomas Abraham or Mr. Alan Thomas, at any time
Church Zoom Information
Zoom Meeting ID: 811 6679 1004 Password: 926644
- From the Web Browser
- Dial-in
- (US) +1 312 626 6799 and then enter the access code 811 6679 1004# and then# again and then the passcode 926644#
- (Canada) +1 647 558 0588 and then enter the access code 811 6679 1004# and then# again and then the passcode 926644#
Admin Update
If you are currently not receiving emails from the church or would like to update your email address, please notify us by sending it to sec@detroitmarthoma.org. Send your name and address in the email so that we can identify you properly. Please visit the church website