G. T. Abraham

G. T. Abraham (25 September 1940 - 16 February 2018)[3] was Bishop - in - Diocese of Nandyal of the Church of South India.[4] He also taught Christian Ministry at the Andhra Christian Theological College.[2] Hyderabad

Bishop

G. T. Abraham, CSI
Bishop - in - Nandyal
Native name
మహ గనుడు జి. టి. అబ్రహం అయ్యాగారు
ChurchUniting church
(Church of South India comprising Wesleyan Methodist, Congregational and Anglican missionary societies – SPG, WMMS, LMS, CMS, and the Church of England)
DioceseNandyal
Appointed28 December 1994
In officeFrom 28 December 1994 through 25 September 2005[1]
Retired25 September 2005
PredecessorRyder Devapriam, CSI
SuccessorP. J. Lawrence, CSI
Orders
Ordination1967[2]
by Ernest John, CSI
Consecration1994
by Moderator Vasanth P. Dandin, CSI
(Principal Consecrator) and R. Paul Raj, CSI
(Co-consecrator)
RankBishop
Personal details
Birth nameGondi Theodore Abraham
BornNossam, Andhra Pradesh
Died(2018-02-16)February 16, 2018[3]
Nandyal
NationalityIndia
DenominationChristianity
ResidenceNandyal
ParentsRev. G.T. Mark and Christianamma Patnam
OccupationPriesthood
Previous postPastor
EducationB. Sc. (Sri Venkateswara),
B. D. (Serampore),
Th. M. (Virginia)
Alma materGovernment Arts College, Cuddapah,
United Theological College, Bangalore,
Virginia Theological Seminary, Alexandria, Virginia
Sainthood
ShrinesLove builds

Studies

Abraham studied sciences at the Government Arts College in Kadapa.[2] He later enrolled at the United Theological College, Bengaluru and studied theology (B. D.) during 1962-1966[5] when Joshua Russell Chandran was the College Principal. As part of the University requirements, Abraham submitted a dissertation entitled An Estimate of the Missionary and Pastoral Ministry of Bishop Azariah from 1922 to 1945[6][4] after which the Senate of Serampore College (University) under the Registrarship of Chetti Devasahayam awarded him a graduate degree. Later, Abraham was assigned pastoral roles in the parishes of Nandyal Diocese.[2] Abraham later undertook post-graduate studies in theology at the Virginia Theological Seminary[2] in Alexandria, Virginia leading to a Master of Theology in 1983[7] and returned for parish work in the Diocese. He was later deputed to teach at the Andhra Christian Theological College, Hyderabad.

Ecclesiastical ministry

Pastoral

In 1967, after the Diocese of Nandyal ordained Abraham, he pastored parishes within the Diocese which was still experimenting[4] with the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel and the Church of North India[4] and finally the Church of South India.[4]

Teaching

During the Principalship of Suppogu Joseph, STBC at the Protestant Regional Theologiate in Secunderabad, Abraham joined as Faculty Member in 1987 and began teaching Theology to ministerial aspirants in a near-ecumenical setting of Anglicans, Baptists, Lutherans, Methodists, Wesleyan Methodists and others from the small and indigenous Churches during the teaching tenures of M. Victor Paul, AELC, G. Dyvasirvadam, CSI, R. Yesurathnam, CSI and other notable faculty that included the Serampore College {the only constituent College of the Senate of Serampore College (University)} duo,[8] namely P. Joseph, STBC[8] and the Old Testament Scholar,[9] G. Babu Rao, CBCNC.[8]

When Abraham joined the Andhra Christian Theological College in Secunderabad in 1987, he became the third Spiritual Formator to have taught at the Seminary, with the first two being, B. E. Devaraj and Ryder Devapriam who taught at Rajahmundry and Secunderabad during the 1960s and the 1970s respectively.

Bishopric

In 1992, Ryder Devapriam breathed his last during an overseas visitation to Germany leading to Sede vacante in the Diocese of Nandyal leading to the direct supervision of the ecclesiastical affairs by the Church of South India Synod led by Vasanth P. Dandin for nearly two years' until 1994 when the Synod conducted elections and declared Abraham as the Bishop.

After more than a decade of serving as Bishop - in - Nandyal, Abraham retired on attaining superannuation in 2005.

Honours

While attending the Lambeth Conference, 1998, the Virginia Theological Seminary conferred upon Abraham an honorary doctorate at a special academic convocation on 27 July 1998 in Canterbury Cathedral's Crypt in Canterbury, Kent by Bishop Peter James Lee of Episcopal Diocese of Virginia.[10]

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gollark: Unary. Lambda. Calculus.
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References
Notes
  1. "Diocese of Nandyal". Archived from the original on 6 January 2010. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
  2. Christopher Took (over e-mail), Virginia Seminary to confer honorary doctorates at Lambeth, 25 July 1998.
  3. CSI Synod Communications, Bishop Emeritus G. T. Abraham passes away, 16.2.2018.
  4. Constance M. Millington, An ecumenical venture: the history of Nandyal diocese in Andhra Pradesh, 1947-1990, Issue 214 of ATC publication, Asian Trading Corporation, Bengaluru, 1993.
  5. K. M. Hiwale (Compiled), The United Theological College Directory 1910-1997, Bengaluru, 1997. p.33.
  6. Susan Billington Harper, In the Shadow of the Mahatma: Bishop V. S. Azariah and the Travails of Christianity in British India, William B. Eerdmans Publishing, Grand Rapids, 2000, p.409.
  7. Anglican Communion News Service, Virginia Seminary to confer honorary doctorates at Lambeth, 1998.
  8. The Story of Serampore and its College, Council of Serampore College, Serampore (Fourth Edition), 2005, p.92.
  9. G. Babu Rao, Wisdom tradition and the Indian Parallels with special reference to Telugu literature in Reflections on Theology Today, ACTC, Secunderabad, 1990. Archived 7 October 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  10. The Lambeth Daily, Issue 11, Monday, 3 August 1998. p.3
Further reading
Religious titles
Preceded by
Ryder Devapriam, CSI
25 August 1985 – 4 September 1992		 Bishop - in - Nandyal
28 December 1994 – 25 September 2005		 Succeeded by
P. J. Lawrence, CSI
29 May 2006 –2012
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