Kirkspire September 2006
St Andrew’s Church Village Project
How it All Began
Murdoch MacKenzie
The idea that St Andrew’s Church might serve people in the villages came from Edwin Devadasan. He was a distinguished lawyer, a member of the Kirk and was widely known throughout India for his commitment to the poor. The actual location of what soon came to be known as ‘The Village Project’ was the result of a survey which I conducted on behalf of our Madras Diocese of a large number of villages south of Pulicat. Edwin and a few other people asked me to suggest the poorest village which I had encountered in my extensive survey. It happened to be a Christian village called Kammalamadam in which people had come to Christ through the work of Church of Scotland missionaries in about 1912. It belonged to the Ponneri Pastorate and from the beginning the Ponneri Pastor and people were involved in a partnership with the Kirk.
Aware of the dangers of ‘imperialism’ by rich outsiders from the city it was agreed that the work of evangelism and pastoral care would be carried on by the members of Kammalamadam Church and by the Ponneri Pastor and Pastorate, whilst the St Andrew’s Village Project would concentrate on medical and socio-economic projects in co-operation with the villagers in quite a wide area. Thus, as early as May 1973, the Minister’s Letter in the Kirkspire, included these words to the congregation:
“What work would you like to do? Whatever your interests and aptitudes there are opportuities for you to work through the Kirk. There is work in the Choir, in the Sunday School, in the Day Care Centre, in the Village Project, in the Library, on the Bookstall, at the Cemetery, with the Deaf Association, in Hospital Visiting, with the Poor and Destitute who come to the Church for relief, in distributing Christian Literature, in the Women’s Fellowship, in the Action Group, in the gardens, in the Missions to Seamen, with the Aged and those confined to the house, with the New Residents’ Welfare Trust and last, but by no means least, in organised prayer for the life of the world and the healing of the sick.”
In response to this challenge and in the power of the Holy Spirit many things happened including the monthly Healing Services, the Friendship Club, the restoration of the Cemetery and not least the Village Project. By July 1973 several members of the congregation made a statement that
‘the present economic system in India represented the classic example of the city people exploiting the village people.’ In response it was agreed that St Andrew’s would become involved in the life of Pralayampakkam Panchayat, covering Pralayampakkam, Kammalamaddam and Thirupalayvannam villages, and a 21 page report, which I had compiled, was made available for members of the congregation to see. The Kirkspire of July 1973 contained these words:
“ There are 173 families living in the 3 villages most of whom live in dire poverty. The people there are very co-operative and friendly but their main fear, as far as we are concerned, is that we will try to convert them to Christianity. They also say that many groups of do-gooders have come and gone over the years and that usually nothing has happened. Having identified the opportunities and needs of this Panchayat our aim is to enable those who live there to reach a higher standard of living. This will not be easy but it is a challenge which faces every educated person in India today. It is so easy to take a complacent or cynical attitude towards rural development and to blame the Government for not doing more. But our job as citizens of India and, especially as followers of Jesus Christ, is literally to put our hand to the plough and not to look back! It has been truly said that it is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.
Our immediate task is to sink two wells and to deepen a third. This is being done under expert guidance. Plans are afoot for Adult Education, Cottage Industries, Brick-making, Training of young men in modern agricultural methods, laying a road into one village, and for medical work. If you wish to know more about all this please ask for the file in the church office. If you wish to come out and visit the place please contact the Minister.”
As I now write 33 years later we can thank the Lord that, having put our hand to the plough, we have not looked back, and next month we will reflect on what had happened in the Village Project by the end of 1973.
Murdoch MacKenzie
The idea that St Andrew’s Church might serve people in the villages came from Edwin Devadasan. He was a distinguished lawyer, a member of the Kirk and was widely known throughout India for his commitment to the poor. The actual location of what soon came to be known as ‘The Village Project’ was the result of a survey which I conducted on behalf of our Madras Diocese of a large number of villages south of Pulicat. Edwin and a few other people asked me to suggest the poorest village which I had encountered in my extensive survey. It happened to be a Christian village called Kammalamadam in which people had come to Christ through the work of Church of Scotland missionaries in about 1912. It belonged to the Ponneri Pastorate and from the beginning the Ponneri Pastor and people were involved in a partnership with the Kirk.
Aware of the dangers of ‘imperialism’ by rich outsiders from the city it was agreed that the work of evangelism and pastoral care would be carried on by the members of Kammalamadam Church and by the Ponneri Pastor and Pastorate, whilst the St Andrew’s Village Project would concentrate on medical and socio-economic projects in co-operation with the villagers in quite a wide area. Thus, as early as May 1973, the Minister’s Letter in the Kirkspire, included these words to the congregation:
“What work would you like to do? Whatever your interests and aptitudes there are opportuities for you to work through the Kirk. There is work in the Choir, in the Sunday School, in the Day Care Centre, in the Village Project, in the Library, on the Bookstall, at the Cemetery, with the Deaf Association, in Hospital Visiting, with the Poor and Destitute who come to the Church for relief, in distributing Christian Literature, in the Women’s Fellowship, in the Action Group, in the gardens, in the Missions to Seamen, with the Aged and those confined to the house, with the New Residents’ Welfare Trust and last, but by no means least, in organised prayer for the life of the world and the healing of the sick.”
In response to this challenge and in the power of the Holy Spirit many things happened including the monthly Healing Services, the Friendship Club, the restoration of the Cemetery and not least the Village Project. By July 1973 several members of the congregation made a statement that
‘the present economic system in India represented the classic example of the city people exploiting the village people.’ In response it was agreed that St Andrew’s would become involved in the life of Pralayampakkam Panchayat, covering Pralayampakkam, Kammalamaddam and Thirupalayvannam villages, and a 21 page report, which I had compiled, was made available for members of the congregation to see. The Kirkspire of July 1973 contained these words:
“ There are 173 families living in the 3 villages most of whom live in dire poverty. The people there are very co-operative and friendly but their main fear, as far as we are concerned, is that we will try to convert them to Christianity. They also say that many groups of do-gooders have come and gone over the years and that usually nothing has happened. Having identified the opportunities and needs of this Panchayat our aim is to enable those who live there to reach a higher standard of living. This will not be easy but it is a challenge which faces every educated person in India today. It is so easy to take a complacent or cynical attitude towards rural development and to blame the Government for not doing more. But our job as citizens of India and, especially as followers of Jesus Christ, is literally to put our hand to the plough and not to look back! It has been truly said that it is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.
Our immediate task is to sink two wells and to deepen a third. This is being done under expert guidance. Plans are afoot for Adult Education, Cottage Industries, Brick-making, Training of young men in modern agricultural methods, laying a road into one village, and for medical work. If you wish to know more about all this please ask for the file in the church office. If you wish to come out and visit the place please contact the Minister.”
As I now write 33 years later we can thank the Lord that, having put our hand to the plough, we have not looked back, and next month we will reflect on what had happened in the Village Project by the end of 1973.
Murdoch MacKenzie
