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A Word of Gra titude and A H um ble Request “Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He made the storm be sll, and the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven”. Psalms 107:28-30 D ear Parishione rs Greetings in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ ! ! At the very outset, I thank Lord Almighty for all His guidance, providence and protection towards us during the past 14 months and for bringing us safely to an amicable settlement by solving the issues. On behalf of all the Kuwait Mar Thoma members worshipping in the Marina Hall, I take this oppor- tunity to thank our beloved Metropolitan H. G. Dr. Joseph Mar Thoma whole-heartedly for the sincere efforts to reinstate us as a Parish and for sending Very Rev. K. O. Philipose as the interim Vicar. We extend our sincere gratitude to H.G Dr. Philipose Mar Chrysostom Mar Thoma Valiya Metropolitan, Rt. Rev. Dr. Zacharias Mar Theophilus Suffragan Metropolitan and the respected Episcopal Synod for the initiatives taken up to reach an amicable settlement of Kuwait Mar Thoma issues. I sincerely thank all the members of the sister parishes, well wishers from all over the world, who have supported us directly or indirectly, by deeds and prayers to overcome this difficult situation. We, treasure your valuable prayers and support and request you to continue the same in the days ahead. My sincere gratitude goes to each one of you for the unstinted support given during our trials and hard- ships, which made us to anchor our titanic safely. I thank Lord Almighty for making me an instrument along with my team of Office Bearers and Committee Members in His mighty hands to steer up this gigantic ark. “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10). We could make it happen only because of your tearful prayers, continued support, unconditional love and undiversified unity. I consider this as the victory of our Metropolitan Thirumeni, and the Mar Thoma Church and also the victory of every parish member of our parish, the victory of our faith. Further, I humbly request all the Parish members to maintain this unity in all the future endeavours of our Parish. Yes, we have proved that ‘With God everything is possible”. Let our Parish be a shining star in the history of Mar Thoma Sabha. Let us join our hands to lead the Parish to grow religiously and spiritually. Last, but not the least, my sincere and humble request to everyone is not to highlight a single personality in any social network, since this is the reward of the effort of all the parishioners of our Parish. I also request you to remain silent and not to respond to any e-mails or provocative messages. Let Lord Almighty shower His choicest blessings on each one of you to continue the long journey of our Parish, with God as our Saviour and redeemer. With love and prayers Adv. P. John Thomas Vice President
