Bells ring, choristers sing for a second coming

VISAKHAPATNAM: Christmas bells rang for the first time in the city in 1799 when the first organised missionary activity was launched by the London Missionary Society.

The first Protestant missionaries George Cran and Augustus Des Granges arrived at the end of 17th century on the shores of Visakhapatnam. After a hundred years of missionary work in the city by the London Missionaries, the Canadian Baptist Mission stepped into the shoes of the London Missionaries.

In 1844 Sir Arthur Cotton, the great irrigation architect built the magnificent St John’s Church in the Old Town called Soldierpet, while the St Paul’s Church near the Circuit House was built by Captain J H Bell and the ancient St Peter’s Church in Bheemunipatnam, by the Anglican missionaries during the East India Company rule.

Willliam Carey, a remarkable English Missionary stepped into India against all odds, in spite of the British Parliament’s Opposition to the entry of missionaries in 1760s.

The great trail blazer of Christian Missions supported by none came to Calcutta as a cobbler and while mending old shoes of those who came to him began to talk about Jesus Christ who he stated would mend the eternally tainted souls of human beings.

Another feather in the cap of Christian History of Visakhapatnam is William Carey’s Bible translation into Telugu at the London Mission Memorial Church at the Old Town. Spending time in prayer, Carey translated the gospels into Telugu.

Carey’s commitment and dedication to the cause he held very dear to himself is reflected in the fact that he was an English missionary who had mastered 40 Indian languages and translated the New Testament into 40 languages.

He also translated the Bible into 24 Indian languages including Telugu, Oriya, Hindi, Kannada, Marathi and Tamil. Carey was the first to bring the printing press to India and publish the Holy Bible which he translated from the original Hebrew and Greek languages.

"Santa Claus, an 18th century Saint of England who was originally known as Nicolas observed Christmas as a festival of gifts to signify that Jesus was God’s son gifted to the earth to save the mankind from its sins. He was also a philanthropist who liberally gave gifts to people. In course of time, Nicolas was called St Nicolas. Over the years he was called Santa Claus," explains Rev G Isaiah, Pastor of Quirk Memorial Baptist Church in the City.

Isaiah says the first Xmas tree was planted in 1605 by German Protestant Martin Luther at his house to bring home the spiritual truth that the first Adam created by God lost the "tree of life" by his sin and that Jesus known as the second Adam came to restore the eternal life which was lost by Man, adds Pastor Isaiah.

Similarly, the first Christmas greeting card in Great Britain was printed by artist Marshal Law with the words "Happy Christmas and Merry Christmas."d

Courtesy: NewIndPress