INSTRUCTIONS

HOW TO USE MISSIONGRAM ?

Teaching Objectives:
1. To lead each child to trust God in all circumstances and to help him live daily for Christ. 2. To develop in children a deep and lifelong desire for missionary works.

THIS

HOW TO LEAD A CHILD TO CHRIST ?

And that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. (2 Timothy 3:15)

VITAL SEVEN VITAL TRUTHS TO SAVED TEACH SAVED CHILDREN

1 Teachings, to saved children should be built upon the fact THAT THEIR SINS HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN (Acts 13: 38,39) 2 THE CONSEQUENCES OF SIN AFTER SALVATION (1 John 1:9, John 14:21) 3 STUBBORN OR PERSISTENT SINNING AFTER SALVATION WILL MEAN CHASTISEMENT FROM GOD (Hebrews 12: 9 11) 4 TRUE STANDARD OF CONDUCT is the word of God. (1 Tim. 4:12) 5 THERE ARE SINS OF OMMISSION AND SINS OF COMMISSION (James. 4:17) 6 VICTORY OVER EVERY SIN IS THEIRS BY YIELDING THEMSELVES TO THE LORD (Rom. 6:11 13; Gal. 5:16) 7 Spiritual growth is occurring through DAILY MEDITATION OF THE WORD OF GOD AND PRAYER.

Teacher preparation:
Pray, Read and Practice the entire story thoroughly before you present it to the class. Practice telling the story with flashcards as it fits into the story. Always remember, the goal is to resent this story to make a change in the life of each child.

Show the child his / her NEED for conviction of sin and that sin will separate them from God and it must be punished. You teach the fact of sin through each
lesson The Holy spirit will impact it on them Do not try to scare them, or work on their emotion or persuade him / her but give them the truth in love

(Rom. 3:23, 10: 5-12, 6:23; Isa. 53:6; Ecc. 7:20; Ps. 14:3, 51:5)

Effectiveness:
The effectiveness of the presentation will be determined largely by your dedication, keenness of missionary interest and preparation.

WA Show him the WAY of Salvation. Jesus was perfect God and perfect man Jesus died in your place and mine Jesus gave His blood Jesus rose again and is alive today
(1Cor. 15:3-4; 1 Jh. 2:2; 2 Cor. 5:21; Rom.5:6-8; Heb. 9:22,26, 10:12)

Verse: Memory Verse:

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. (1 Cor. 15:58 )

Show him / her the ASSURANCE of salvation.

(Jn. 3:36; Rev. 3:20; Heb. 13:5)

Printing tips: This book in prepared in A3 paper size suitable for lazer priting. Pages 2-21 of this book are the sheets to be used as the teaching material for the students. Pages 22-32 are the instructions & story board for the teachers. You can take print outs of this sheets in A3 size (actual size) or can reduce to 50% to fit in to A4 size. We recommend you to take the fist 22 sheets in A3 size, in colour. Rest of them can be printed in A3 or A4 (size reduced), in black & white to save the printing cost.

STORY BOARD
LESSON 01
DAYS M E CHERIAN: SCHOOL DAYS Aim: To create a desire in the heart of the children for missionary work and also lead unsaved children to Jesus Christ. Verse: Memory Verse: But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name. (John 1: 12) words. Still he could not continue. Finally, he said loudly, my dear friends and teachers, what I said was not the actual story. I made it up as I forgot the story. Please forgive me. As he was leaving, the Headmaster approached him, took him out of the room and said, Dont worry, child, the story you said was nice. He appreciated the boys honesty. Later the headmaster gave a beautiful gift to the boy for faithfulness. Do you know who this boy was? His name was M.E.Cherian. We are going to learn about him. The neighbors began to say that no boy would survive in Aleyammas house. Podiyans parents were very happy when he was born. They loved him much and gave him special care and wanted to protect little baby from that fatal illness. One day, little Podiyan also was effected with the same illness. But Aleyamma had great faith in God and began praying for him. The Maramon convention was being conducted during that time. His parents requested the believers to pray for him at this convention. The Almighty God answered the prayers of many and healed little Podian. His grandfather, Mathai, took him in his hands and dedicated little Podiyan for the Lords Work. God also blessed Podiyans parents with 7 more children. gospel work quiet often, his mother used to conduct family prayer with her 8 children. She taught them to pray for all their needs and to thank God for His provision. As M.E. Cherian was the eldest child in the family, he was a role model to his brothers, sisters and others outside. His younger siblings obeyed and respected him. There are many stories that can be told about him that showed how he tried to please the Lord in all he did. As he grew up One day he wanted to move a bed from one place to another. So he asked his brother Mathai for help to assist him by holding the bed. But Mathai was not willing. M.E. Cherian got upset and shouted at his brother. He said, Didnt I tell you to hold the bed?!! When he shouted at him, Mathai pushed the bed from the opposite side and it hurt Cherian. Cherian got angry and slapped Mathais cheek. Hurt, by this Mathai ran out and stayed away from home till evening. He returned only during the evening family prayer and sat behind. Cherian regretted and felt sad about this. He stood up and said, This morning, I slapped Mathai and hurt him. I am very sorry about it. Please forgive. Dear children, he had a heart that was willing to accept his misbehavior. This was a noble misbehavior. character of Cherian that was seen throughout his life. God is pleased with all who accept their mistake and feel sorry about it.

SCENE: 01

SCENE: 02

SCENE: 03

Cherian at the school youth festival

Youth festival was being celebrated at the school, it was time for story telling competition. When the Headmaster called out Roll No. 146, a small boy came running to the stage began to narrate a story. But he was very nervous and after saying two or three sentences, he forgot the reminder of it. He thought Oh, no! What will others think if I dont complete my story? So, he cooked up a story in his own

Birth and studies of M.E.C.

Cherian was born in 1917 in Kuriannor near Kozhencherry, Kerala. His father was Kunjachan Upadeshi and mother Aleyamma. They loved God very much and were poor. Cherian, who was also known as Podiyan, (little one), though he was the fourth child in their family, none of his elder brothers were alive. All of them had died, one after the other, due to a certain illness.

Little Cherian, a model at home

Podiyan grew up as a boy and loved God from his very young age. While his father was away from home for

STORY BOARD
SCENE: 04
Every Friday, he would walk 15 to 20 kilometers to his house in Kurianoor to attend the cottage meeting and Sunday worship meeting. On Monday morning, he would walk back to Tiruvalla. He was very eager to spend time with God and his people. At the age of fifteen, he passed the Malayalam Higher exam. It was like doing a degree (B.Sc., BA, B.Com) in those days and was very difficult too. But he depended on the Lord and he passed the exam. His father was very happy and wanted him to get a job so that he could support the family. When he applied at the school for a job as a teacher, the manager was hesitant to offer a job at first. Because of his young age and short stature. However, he finally got a job as a teacher in the school. One day, there was an inspection going on in the school. After the inspector completed his rounds, he had one complaint. He told the Headmaster that there was no teacher in one of the class rooms. The headmaster was confused. Suddenly he realized the problem! He replied that the shortest boy in that class was the teacher! There was loud laughter and from then on, Cherian was known as kochu sir (short teacher). In his free time, Cherian enjoyed reading the newspaper, writing songs and singing loudly.

SCENE: 05

speaking to Cherian about sin and eternal hell but the blood of Jesus Christ can cleanse us from sin. Upon hearing this, the love of Jesus was leading him towards God. That day he accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Savior and Lord. Dear children, today God wants to talk to you too however good or bad you are. God wants to change your life. Cherian was totally changed. He became a new person. Later on, one of his roommates said that Cherian never complained about any thing. Instead, he sat and sang songs or prayed for his needs. He was always happy. He liked to travel with his father, sharing the gospel and talking about Jesus Christ. He also used to encourage his fellow teachers to join him in presenting the gospel. One day, a group of three brethren arranged an open-air meeting in front of a shop in Kozhencherry. Evg. T. K. Thomas asked V.P. Jacob to preach the gospel in English. They wondered who would translate the message into Malayalam. M.E. Cherian silently prayed and came forward to translate the message. This was his first experience as a translator. Cherian was willing to do anything for God.

Cherian at his school days

Cherian was sent to the only primary school in Kuriannoor. He was the best student in his school. His teachers and other students loved him very much as he was an obedient and wellmannered boy. After completion of his fourth standard, his parents sent him to the Pullad Middle School. There, he passed his 7th standard Malayalam exam which was the Public Exam (or board exam) in those days. Those who passed 7th standard could attend the Teachers Training program after which they could teach primary classes. As they didnt have much money, his father wanted to send him for the Teachers Training course. But his mother wanted to send him for higher education because he was very good in his studies. So he was sent to Tiruvalla for his Malayalam 9th class. There, he stayed with a Marthomite family. They loved him very much because of his good character.

Re-birth of Cherian
M.E.Cherian used to go to the Brethren assembly along with his family. He lived a very good and pleasing life. At the age of nine, he attended a convention at Kumbanad. Cherian was a good listener and made notes of messages delivered there. A special program was arranged for the children during the convention. A foreign missionary named Stones was taking classes for the children. He was speaking from John 1:12 which says, But as many as received him, to them he gave the power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. The missionary was talking about Eternal punishment and the Love of God. The preacher explained that the love of God will take us into Eternity with God. During the retreat, the Spirit of God was

STORY BOARD
LESSON 02
THE DESIRE AND CALL FOR MISSIONARY MISSIONARY WORK Aim: Encourage children to trust in the Lord and do more things for the Lord. Verse: Memory Verse: To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul, O my God, I trust in You. (Psalm 25:1) studying for the Malayalam higher education. When Cherian went to see her, she was hiding behind the door. As soon as they met, they liked each other. Cherian asked her, Are you willing to marry me just because I am a teacher? I may not continue this. When I get a call from God, I will resign and become an Evangelist. Are you willing to become the wife of an Evangelist? Immediately she replied; I am willing and want to be a partner in the Gospel work. Within a few days they got married and started living a victorious Christian life. Dear child, look at the provision of God, whether you are short or tall, smart or dull, black or white, whatever you are, God may have a special plan in your life. Just learn Gods to wait for Gods Plan. time his desire was to do something for his Master. He loved to sing:

I will serve the Lord till my last breath anthyashwasam pomvare than velacheyyum njaan, thruppada seva cheyyum njaan..
In those days there was a Christian fellowship named Y.M.C.A (Young Mens Christian Association) which consisted of elderly people from all the churches. Cherian joined their group as a member. They used to arrange gospel trips, house visits, open air meetings, tract distribution, etc. but that was conducted only once in a year. They were more interested in social work. Cherian was the only young man among them. One day, a thought came to Cherians mind: why dont we start a mens fellowship for the spiritual edification of the youth? The only problem was how to gather the young men together. He spent many hours placing this matter before the Lord in prayer. There was a coconut farm near his school where he spent a lot of time placing this matter before the Lord. There were many questions in his mind. How to conduct a young mens fellowship? What all activities could include in it? What would be the consequences? After days and nights of prayer, he

decided to discuss the matter with his close friends. Almost all of them were his fellow teachers. Although many thought it was a good idea, some of them did not agree. Finally, they decided to have a meeting with older spiritual men to discuss about it. The meeting was on 14th June 1941 at 8 pm at Kuriannoor Brethren Assembly. About 10 believers attended and spent lot of time in prayer. During the meeting, Cherian shared the need of a Young Mens fellowship. In his message he mentioned that there were a lot of villages waiting to hear the gospel. In those days the gospel work was carried out mainly by foreign missionaries. All those assembled there agreed with his proposal and decided to start a fellowship for the youth. They named it Y.M.E.F. (Young Mens Evangelical Fellowship). This was started to encourage the Youth and spread the Gospel throughout India and all over the world. Since then, many youth camps, gospel rallies and open air meetings have been organized under the banner of Y.M.E.F. M.E. Cherian wrote more than a hundred songs for the growth and edification of the youth. Today, Y.M.E.F has spread to all the states of India, the Gulf and many other countries. God used Kochu sir for the establishment of Y.M.E.F all through the world. Dear children, today God wants to use you too!

SCENE: 01

Marriage
M.E.Cherian began his career as a teacher at the young age of fifteen. He was a role model and a dedicated teacher in his school. As we heard earlier, Cherian spent many happy days as a teacher, affectionately known as kochu sir. Since he had a job, several people brought marriage proposals for him. But it was not easy for him to find a suitable girl due to his low income and short stature. Finally, there was a proposal for a girl named Mariamma. She was

SCENE: 02

Founder of Y M E F
Cherian liked his job very much and was a dedicated teacher. At the same

STORY BOARD
SCENE: 03
However, while walking, he was disturbed by various thoughts concerning his future. The main questions that bothered him were where and how to start the gospel work. By the time he reached home, he was very tired, both mentally and physically. His father was surprised to see him early. Normally, he used to reach home on Friday evening or Saturday. His father asked, Why did you come early this week? M.E.C replied, I just wanted to see you both. Since he was not fully prepared to make a commitment, he went back to school the next day. Then he took a decision not to go for Gospel work unless God clearly called him. He continued teaching for seven more years. Simon was speaking about the need of Gospel work among the youth. Kochu Sir (or MEC) was sitting in the front row and was listening to the message. The preacher pointed at MEC and said that if this Kochu Sir was willing to come out for Gods work, God would surely look after him and use him. At that moment, all the doubts that MEC had were cleared. He was sure without a doubt that God has called him for His work. He decided to obey Gods call and submitted his resignation the next day. His manager asked him to rethink his decision. But MEC stood firm. It was in October 1943. He decided to go to Madurai which is known even today as the temple city of Tamil Nadu. The Second World War was at its peak. There was scarcity of food everywhere. M.E.C resigned his job when getting a job was very difficult. Being the eldest earning member of the family, it was a shock when his family heard the news of his resignation. His mother was worried about his future. His father who was an evangelist comforted her saying, Our God is great and He will look after him. Dear children, our God really is great and faithful. He held the hands of MEC and worked through him for more than fifty years through various situations. Surely this God wants to be great and faithful in your life as well.

LESSON 03
JOURNEY TO THE TEMPLE CITY Aim: Teach the children that God is able to keep us in all situations. Verse: Memory Verse: In God I have put my trust; I will not fear. (Psalm 56:4)

A desire for Gospel work

As a boy, Cherian used to go to Sunday school. As soon as he learned to read, he completed reading the Bible with in a few months. He was very eager to know the truths of the Bible. As we mentioned earlier, at the age of nine, he accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Savior. He also organized a prayer group at school. He used to travel with his father for gospel work and often shared his testimony and thoughts from the Bible. He started teaching the Sunday school children. But he had a desire to go for full-time ministry. Even while teaching, he often thought of leaving his job and going for full-time ministry. One Thursday, he decided to leave school and go back home. He planned to send his resignation letter after reaching home. He packed all his belongings in a trunk and walked around 30 km to his home. As he began his journey, he was excited about what he was going to do.

SCENE: 01

Troubles but
After resigning his job, MEC spent two weeks in his home town. Even though many people said he did a foolish thing by resigning his job, his wife, parents and a few of his spiritual brethren were a great encouragement. He planned a gospel tour with three fellow brethren to Tamil Nadu. A few people gathered in the assembly hall for the send-off meeting. His father prayed for journey mercies and his mother gave a small packet of coins which amounted to less than a rupee.

SCENE: 04

Call for Gospel work

One Sunday afternoon at the Kumbanadu Brethren Convention, the great poet and preacher K.V.

STORY BOARD
He comforted his wife with a promise that he would return as soon as possible and take her with him after finding a house in Tamil Nadu. After kissing them goodbye, he started his journey from Kurianoor to Tamil Nadu. He walked up to Kozhencherry and boarded a bus to Punalur. Two other brethren also joined him. They traveled from Punalur by train to Chenkottai. They visited several houses in Chenkottai till Madurai and distributed tracts and had open air meeting and shared the Gospel. On October 13, 1943, they reached Madurai. In those days MEC could speak only Malayalam. Kochumathai translated MECs messages to Tamil. Soon two more evangelists from Kerala joined them. As they didnt have enough money, they found it difficult to rent a house for their stay in Madurai. At last they got a place in YMCA. But the next day itself God enable them to shift to Mankkamaal Inn. From there they traveled from street to street to share the Gospel of God.

SCENE: 02

SCENE: 03

Children, can you believe that, every day he and his family were able to experience the provisions of God! MEC didnt know Tamil. So the team arranged a brother named Mathai to stay with him and teach him Tamil. Mr. Mathai brought his wife and three children along with him toMadurai. They stayed with MEC in a small house. They decided to sell the booklet Way of Salvation (rakshippin vazhi) in the streets for 2 paisa (2 cash) for their living. Within six months, MEC was able to speak and give messages in Tamil. After a few days, Mr. Mathai and his family went back to Kerala.

About Madurai
Madurai is the second-largest city in Tamil Nadu after Madras. Its also known as Temple city. The Meenakshi Temple and Tirumalanaaykkal palace are the main attractions to the tourists. Naaykkar and Naadaar were the two main tribes in Madurai. All of them were idol worshippers. There were many textile mills. The literacy rate was high as there were many educational institutes in Madurai. The temples, climate, food, lifestyle and languages were a new experience for the men who had come from Kerala to share the Word of God. They shared the gospel through open-air meetings and tract distribution. Within two weeks, they were able to go to all the streets, sharing the gospel. They rented a house for MEC. The brethren went back to Kerala and within a short period, MEC was able to bring his wife to Madurai as promised. Dear children, if we are willing, God will help us to keep our promises toward God, our parents, and our friends.

Living for His master

MEC was the first Malayalee missionary to work out of Kerala. Unfortunately he didnt get any support from any of his brethren. He looked to God alone for his daily needs. MEC wrote a song which said

I put my trust in Jesus, so I am lucky. Asrayam Yesuvil ennathinaal, bhaagyavaan njaan.. bhaagyavaan njaan....
He decided not to tell anybody except the Lord of his needs, even if he and his family had to starve for the sake of the Gospel. This was his prayer

SCENE: 04

Lord, every morning I come to Thy throne for grace for help. What I brought yesterday has finished and I have nothing for my family today. Father, You know better than me what my needs are, so provide for me in your will.

Temptation in a new way

One day a missionary came to visit MEC and stayed for a few days. He noticed the difficulties they were going through. A few days later, MEC got a letter saying :

STORY BOARD
Dear brother Cherian, I saw that you are having a lot of trouble in connection with your stay and ministry. As I am planning to leave India, I would like to put you in charge of my orphanage and school. You are welcome to stay in my bungalow.
At first he thought that the Lord had opened a new way. But later as he prayed about the matter he realized that he had a great call only for Madurai. So he did not accept the offer. In these days of trials and temptation, he did not want to change his mind. Instead, he submitted everything to the hands of Almighty God. He began distributing tracts to people in public places such as railway stations, hospitals, markets and especially at Madurai Meenakshi temple when the festival seasons occurred. One day when MEC was distributing tracts at the Meenakshi temple he met a brother named Kiridas. He wanted to join MEC to learn more from the Bible. He stayed with MEC for six months and learned as much as he could from the Bible. Later on, he became a great help to MEC. Dear children, MEC was willing to share the gospel at any cost. If you are a child of God, and if you are willing, God will enable you, too, to share His Gospel with your friends and relatives.

LESSON 04
WORKED WITH LORD Aim: Teach the children how important it is to follow Gods leading. Verse: Memory Verse:Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6)

Soon he received a registered letter and the sender was unknown. But it was clearly mentioned in the letter that the amount should be used only for buying a land for the church building. That was a clear guidance from God and they could experience the magnificent provisions of God for His children. Praise the Lord! Thus a building was constructed with two rooms attached to stay. New souls came to the Lord and they attended the assembly meeting joyfully.

West Masi Street. It had two small rooms and a small hall. MEC, his wife, four sons and three daughters stayed in one room and the remaining house was used as the Madurai Bible School. The students used the hall as their dormitory. MECs wife Mariyamma cooked for her family as well as the Bible school students. As the students increased day by day, it became difficult to accommodate all of them together. So He prayed for God to provide a bigger place for them. God answered their prayer and enabled them to buy a plot of land. There, they constructed a building and named it Bible Bhavan This is still there Bhavan. today in Madurai. If you go there, you can see Bible Bhavan standing as a testimony to Gods faithfulness.

SCENE: 01

SCENE: 02

SCENE: 03

Establishment of work
MEC stayed in rented houses in different locations of Madurai with his family. Finally they have rented a house in a street called 172 West Masi Street for the sake of gospel. Many souls came to the Lord. MEC knew that it is essential to have their own land and building for the establishment of assembly works there. He started praying this matter with the saints over there.

Madurai Bible school

MECs greatest desire was that every corner of Tamil Nadu should be reached with Gods Word. He also wanted to establish new assemblies. In 1956, he started a Bible School in Madurai. The aim of the school was to teach youth from the Word of God and equip those who had a concern for perishing souls. He wanted to send them to different parts of Tamil Nadu to share the Gospel. So, he rented a house in

Starting of Suvisheshakan Bala Sangam

Earlier, we had said that MEC enjoyed reading the newspaper. MEC used to read the Malayalam Manorama from the time he was small. But he was not able to read

STORY BOARD
the Malayalam news at Madurai. So he made arrangements with the postal department to send him the Malayalam Manorama daily. Whenever he received the paper, he would first look at the childrens section. He noticed that, while there were many opportunities for children to develop themselves in the secular world, there was nothing in the spiritual world. He remembered Mathew 19:14 in which Jesus said, Let the little children come to me, do not hinder them for the kingdom of God belong to such as these. As a teacher, MEC liked children very much and wanted to do something useful for them. However, he didnt want to commit to this because he knew that his calling was to be an evangelist. But at the same time, he wanted to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ among the children and also give them opportunities at an early age to develop their natural talents in the spiritual realm. So he prayed and planned to start a magazine named PITHAL. In those days, one had to get approval from the Government if they wanted to start a magazine. Due to the Second World War, there was a scarcity of paper, and the government did not give permission to start the Magazine PITHAL. But he continued to pray that God would make a way. In 1953, with the help of Br. P.K. Mathews and Br. C.V. Samuel, he started a Magazine named Suvesheshakan (The Evangelist). In this publication, there were always a few pages with activities and articles for children. In the first edition, he wrote about his desire for children. He stated: If we light a candle in one room it will give a little light. But if we light ten, it will give enough light. In the same way, we want to start a Balasangam(SBS) Suvisheshakan Balasangam with the help of your talents. That was the beginning of the Suvisheshakan Balasangam. Students began registering for it from different parts of Kerala. As the numbers increased, the children began coming together to have fellowship with many kinds of programs. MECs brother T.E. Easow was a great help in all these matters. One day, a man named T.K. Yohanan brought his sick son John Kurien for treatment at Madurai. Unfortunately, John died at Madurai. He had been an active member in the Suviseshakan Balasangam and accepted Jesus Christ through it. He had the great hope that he would be with the Lord forever. So his parents decided to support Suvisheshakan Balasangam. They gave 100 rupees which was a big amount in those days. It helped them to start a general camp. In 1959, the first camp of Suvisheshakan Balasangam started at Kallisery. It played a great role in molding the young ones to excel in the spiritual field. Today, it is well established in India and throughout the world. There are thousands of youngsters all over the world giving out the light of Jesus Christ just because of the light they received from SBS and VBS. Thats why today you are here! Dear children, when this little man gave himself for the Lord, the Lord tremendously. used him tremendously. If you are not a child of God, accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and give yourself for the Lord. He can mightily. take and use you mightily.

in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it. This was one verse that he practiced.
He loved and cared for his children but also disciplined them when necessary. Later, one of his sons shared an incident in his testimony. MEC had kept some money in his shaving kit. Later on, when he went to look for that money, it was not there. He called his youngest son, Thomas, and kindly asked him, Son, where is that money? Thomas replied, I dont know When MEC started spanking him, Thomas confessed that he had taken the money. One of his guests was watching them. Later on, he asked MEC why he had beaten his child. MEC replied that if he had not punished him at that time, Thomas would repeat it again and make his father ashamed. This is why he corrected his son immediately. They had daily family prayer in the morning and evening. Even though MEC was often away from home, his wife, Mariamma, would make sure that they continued to have prayer at home.

SCENE: 04

Father shows heavenly Father to his children

MEC had eight children five boys and three girls. He brought them all up in the fear of the Lord. Proverbs 22: 6 says, Train up a child

His desire was that all his children would continue serving the Lord. From the time they were small. MEC talked to them about the Lord and made His presence real in their lives. Today, all of them are serving the Lord in different ways.

STORY BOARD
MEC had a printing press so that Christian magazines could be printed without any hindrances. It was called SUVISESHAKAN press. Today, his eldest son James Cherian is its publisher. Many magazines in different languages are printed there. His second son is involved with the assembly and the Bible School in Madurai. MEC knew that people enjoy listening to songs and that they would be helpful in his ministry too. God had given his children the ability to sing. He wanted to use this for the glory of God. This desire grew in his heart, and in 1979 he started a group called Happy Melody. His Melody. third son, Titus Cherian, is responsible for Happy Melody today. His forth and fifth son Thomas Cherian (Tomy) and Jose along with their family are doing His work in respective places. His daughters and their husbands are also doing the Lords work in various parts of India. MEC could truly say As for me and my family, we will serve the Lord. Dear children, when your parents punish you, remember that it is for your own good and it will help you lead a good life later on.

LESSON 05
M.E.CHERIANS M.E.CHERIANS FAITH PROVED Aim: Teach the children to prove their faith in the Lord in life situations. Verse: Memory Verse: Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. (1 Cor. 15:58)

The Health inspector heard about it and came to take the baby to the hospital. MEC was not at home and his wife didnt have enough money with her. She also knew that if the baby was taken to the hospital, he might not come back safely. So she kept her baby on her lap and prayed to the Lord. The All-powerful God healed him, and today he is doing the Lords ministry. As MEC was away from home most of the time doing the Lords work, his wife had the great responsibility to look after their eight children, taking care of their health, studies, and spiritual matters. There were days when she didnt have enough money to buy provisions for the family. Without murmuring, she would kneel down and ask for help from above. She was the best helpmeet and partner for MEC.

The first one said that he liked the authorized translation. The second one said that he liked the Simplified translation. The third one who also wanted to say something said he liked the American Standard Translation. Very calmly, with a sweet voice, the fourth one said, I love my Mothers translation. The other three wondered, What! You love the mothers translation? What does that mean? He replied, My mother is practicing Gods word in her day-to-day life. This is what I like the most and thats the real translation. The other three understood what he meant. This literally happened in the life of Mariamma Cherian. After living for 42 years together, she was called back to her eternal home. doesnt Dear children, it doesnt matter what kind of Bibles we have on our shelves, unless you meditate on Gods Word Gods Word and practice it in your day to day life. Then you can see the blessing in your life.

SCENE: 01

Death of his beloved wife.

Behind the success of every man is a woman. This was true in MECs life. His wife Mariamma Cherian was a praying woman who supported him as a godly wife. There are many incidents in which she exercised her faith in God. One of their sons had small pox when he was about 1 years old. In those days it was a dangerous and often fatal disease.

In every circumstance she would say Dont worry; be courageous; God will provide for us. It comforted MEC a lot. She also was a good sister and friend to those who came to her for help. She served the Lord and His children whole heartedly.She was a great mother to their children. There is a story said about four brothers talking about which English translation of the bible they liked best.

STORY BOARD
SCENE: 02
pariyedo ellaarum ninnitaathe ingane This is how it began. His creative mind, vocabulary and godliness helped him to write more poems. These were later published as three volumes named "Vaanoli" "Paadathe "Vaanoli" Varu" aru". Praavu" and "Makane Varu" Through his poetry, both the spiritual and secular world had access to many spiritual truths. or CSI. Today, we see lots of churches around us with different names. But this Church means called out ones or group of saved ones. Dear children are you saved? Have you received salvation from God for the penalty of sin? Rom 3:23 says: For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Sin is something which you think, do or say Gods law. We against Gods law. We all are sinners in front of God. So you cannot truly belong to the church. But John 3:16 says, For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Jesus died for you on the cross of Calvary to give you eternal life. If you want to be part of the church of Christ, you should accept that you are a sinner and believe that He died for your sins. You need to choose Him as your savior and Lord. in that flight. The officers took him there and told him to find his bag. There were only ten minutes for his flight to leave. Without any hesitation he held up the bag he had and announced Dear friends, please help me, this bag is not mine. One of you have taken my bag. Please give it back to me as I have a flight to Dallas in five minutes. Please help me. The police officer told him Sir, all these people are Greek. They probably do not know English. They will not follow what you say. Do you know what he did? He cried out to God, God, please help me. I dont know Greek. Dont forget me. Please help me. Suddenly one old lady came near to him with his bag and apologized. He was filled with joy so he said, Praise the Lord; Halleluiah a couple of times with a loud voice. Suddenly four travelers surrounded him and said, Halleluiah and asked him crishyan? crishyan? (Christian? Christian?) MEC replied Yes, Christian. They kissed him and shook his hand. Everybody applauded. MEC also said Halleluiah in a loud voice and rushed to catch his flight. Dear children, what a joy to be known as a Christian. There are lots of people from different colors, tribes, cultures, and ways of living but together they are known as Christians. By name you cannot be called as Christian. A Christian means Christ in your life. If Christ is in your life, you should show it before your friends family. and family. May the Good Lord enable you to do that like MEC.

His contribution
Because MEC devoted his life to God, the Lord used him in many ways. He was also a man of prayer. He enjoyed spending time with the Lord and His Word, in personal Bible study and Evangelism. One of the verses that thrilled his soul was 1 Cor. 15:58 in which Paul says, Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. This was his greatest desire: that he work more and more for the Lord and not spend his time in vain. He was a gifted public speaker and God sent him to various parts of the world with the Gospel and Bible truths. His contributions to the world were many. Some of them are mentioned here.

Songs out of life Experience

Songs play an important role in everybodys life. They give peace, comfort, and happiness. MEC started writing songs at the age of 20. He wrote more than 300 songs both in Malayalam and Tamil which have given comfort, courage and strength to different people in diverse circumstances like marriage, sorrow, troublesome days, sickness, and even at the time of death bed. He was able to see the hand of God in all situations and was able to communicate this through song. Almost all his songs are famous and are still sung today.

As an evangalist
He was an evangelist and an elder of the local assembly. As an evangelist he travelled to many places. He visited almost all states of India and a few places outside India too. He had many interesting experiences. Once, while on a missionary tour to Dallas from New York, one of his suitcases with his passport, return ticket, Bible and all other travelling documents were exchanged with a similar bag. There were only 15 minutes left for his flight to leave New York. When he explained his problem to the police officers, they told him that somebody on a flight to Athens may have taken his bag. There were more than 300 travelers

Contribution to the prose world

He presented 11 literatures to the spiritual world. His writing was simple in order that everyone could read and understand it. His articles were focused, showed his knowledge of the truth, and his vision. He often used his own life experiences in his articles as well. It usually speaks to the mind. His first article was Church and churches It was not about the denominational churches like Brethren, Pentecost, Marthoma Catholic

As a poet
He was a poet. From his childhood he used to write poems. Once while watching his lazy younger brothers he recited: kappakku chikkedo, pullu

STORY BOARD
SCENE: 03
At this time he wrote a song saying

Enikkundoru puthan paattu paadaan Enikkundoru mithram koottukoodaan Enikkundoru nalla naadu pokaan Enikkundoru nalla veedupaarkkaan
He was eagerly waiting for his eternal home. September 20-26 was one of the happiest weeks in MECs life. The Tamilnadu Gospel workers conference was going on. All who were gathered were filled with joy. They had a big rally to share the gospel of God in the city. MEC walked halfway and then traveled by jeep. He was going to finish his fiftieth year of Gospel work at Madurai. He had started a worship meeting with three men, and it had grown to a great multitude. So everybody, especially MEC, wanted to arrange a thanksgiving service, and he wanted all his children and grandchildren, relatives, and believers from Tamil Nadu and Kerala to be there and participate in that meeting. He wanted to start an English worship meeting and on September 26th it started at Madurai Bible School. The light in him glowed brighter these days. October 2nd is an important day of Indian history. Mahatma Gandhi, the father of our nation was born on that day. MEC woke up at 5 Oclock and began his routine of prayer, meditation and writing. At 6, he came for family prayer in the front room. After breakfast he went to the Bible school and took classes there. He came back home for lunch after which he went to Muthukulathur

Bible class. It was 100 kilometers from Madurai. On the way he felt uneasy but continued on and reached there at 5. He wore his white shirt and mundu that he usually wore only on Sundays. Everybody came for the meeting. He was reading the Bible portion as the last preparation of study. Suddenly he had a chest pain and fell backwards on his cot. There his earthly life ended and his spirit went to the Lord his Master. Both of his desires were satisfied. Dear children, MEC gave his life for the Lord, the Lord took and used him in many ways for the establishment of the Gospel and now he is with his beloved master and singing praises to him. One day I and you all have to leave this world. Think of where you are goeternity. ing to spend eternity. The Bible says, He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life. If you are not a child of God believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and choose savior, him as your personal savior, your life will be blessed and God will take and use you in many ways. Thousands and thousands of people all throughout the world gathered to give MEC a final farewell. Even today, his life is speaking and encouraging us through various ministries in which he was involved. His songs, writings, and messages and even this childrens ministry still encourage us in our Christian life. If you are a child of God, God has a special plan for your life. Find out what it is and live your life for His glory. glory. May his name be glorified.

The end and beginning of a little man

My days are numbered was the usual phrase of MEC in the year 1993. Just as the candle burns brighter before it burns out, MEC wanted his life to give more light those days, before it ended. This was his desire.
He also did not want to be bedridden but be active doing the Lords work till the last minute of his life. On August 18 he came back from his trip to the USA. More than 100 fellow believers and family members were waiting to receive him at the airport. He came back and then went to see his eldest daughter in law Susi (James cherians wife) who was admitted due to the forth stage of cancer. At her death bed he prayed to God that God please take my life and give a life to my daughter. God healed her and she could live for more than 10 years. Those days whoever met him would remark that he was growing younger. In fact, he was more energetic and excited to do the Lords work.