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STRANGERS IN A FOREIGN LAND Indian Pentecostal Community in the United States
Editor:
Associate Editors: Contributors: | ||
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John Daniel, D. Min. Thomas Idiculla, Ph.D. Tom John, D.Min. George Kurien, Ph.D. C. Thomas Luiskutty, Ph.D. Samuel Mathai, Ph.D. |
Thomson Mathew, D.Min., Ed.D. Sam Kannampally, Ph.D Philip Thomas, MS Sam Ninan, MA Ashish Raichur, MS Stephen Samuel, M.Div. John Wessly, Ph.D. | |
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Thomas Idiculla, Ph.D., is the founder and President of Agape
Family Ministries International. He is currently pursuing a
doctoral program in Clinical Social Work at Boston College,
Boston. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from the
University of Kerala, and his Master's degree in Social Work and
Doctoral degree in Sociology from Indore University. He has
been employed as Assistant Professor in Social Work at Indore
University, and Research Consultant at Massachusetts Society for
the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, Boston. He received the
Young Social Scientist Award in 1992 from the Madhya Pradesh
State Government. He has contributed several articles to various
Indian Christian publications. Thomas, his wife Suja, and
daughter Miriam attend India Pentecostal Assembly of Boston in
Waltham, (Boston) Massachusetts.
Sam Kannampally, Ph.D., works as a Post-doctoral Research
Associate in the Chemistry Department, Tufts University,
Massachusetts. He received his B.S. from the University of Kerala,
M.S. from Agra University, and Ph.D. from Tufts University,
Massachusetts, in Chemistry. In addition to research publications
in his professional field, he is a contributor of articles to various
Christian. His wife, Jessie, and he has two children, Anita and
Vineeta. Philip Thomas, M.S., is the Worship Leader at Full Gospel Assembly of God in Toronto, Canada. He has also served as the Worship Leader at India Pentecostal Assembly of God, Waltham, (Boston) Massachusetts. He received his Bachelor's degree (Computer Science) from Brandeis University, MA, and Master's degree (Computer Information Systems) from Boston University. He is employed as a Consulting Manager at Digital Equipment Corporation. He has spoken at conventions, conferences, youth seminars, and church meetings in the US, Canada, UAE, and India. His wife, Jejee, and he has two sons, Daniel and Joel. 
John Daniel, D.Min., is the Pastor of Hebron Indian Pentecostal
Church in Houston, TX. He previously pastored India Pentecostal
Churches in New York, and Assam, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and
Kerala in India. He is a graduate of Hebron Bible School, Kerala,
India, (1963), University of Mysore, India (Master of Arts), and
Serampur University, India (Bachelor of Divinity). He was ordained
on July 31, 1970, by the Presbytery of Indian Pentecostal Church of
God (I.P.C). He has served as a teacher and the registrar of Hebron
Bible College, Kerala, President of Pentecostal Young People’s
Association (Youth Ministry of I.P.C), and as the chief editor of Zion
Trumpet, a monthly Christian Journal. He has written many articles
for various Christian magazines, and a commentary on the epistle of
Galatians. He and his wife, Kunjamma, were married in 1969 and
have four children: Grace, Stanley, Stephen, and Nancy. Tom John, D.Min., is an ordained minister and has served as Pastor of India Pentecostal Assembly in Tulsa, Oklahoma, since 1984. His wife Anna and he have two children, Tammy and Jason. He has been an instructor for extension classes of the Berean School of the Bible under the auspices of the Assemblies of God, a telephone prayer partner for KWHB TV 47, and a frequent guest and minister on KDOR TV 17, Tulsa, Oklahoma, appearing on “Call To Prayer,” “Church Spotlight,” and other programs. His ministry goals include evangelism and missions in other nations of the world.
George Kurian, Ph.D., is a Psychologist working at the Regional Institute for Children and Adolescents, Baltimore. He has two Master’s degrees from Howard University and a Doctoral degree from George Washington University. He is the founder and president of Crossroads Counseling Ministries, Inc. in Silver Spring, Maryland. Through professional counseling services, skills development seminars and consulting, CCMI seeks to strength the Christian community in their individual, family and corporate lives. He has also provided spiritual leadership to the Washington Pentecostal Assembly in Silver Spring, Maryland since 1995. He is certified by the National Board for Certified Counselors and the State of Maryland Board of Examiners for Professional Counselors. He is a Charter Member of the American Association of Christian Counselors.
C. Thomas Luiskutty, Ph.D., is a professor and the chair of the Engineering & Physics Department, Oral Roberts University, Oklahoma. He came to the United States as a graduate student in 1970 on completing B.S. (1965) and M.S. (1969) degrees in Physics from the University of Kerala, India. He completed his Ph.D. (1974) in Physics at the University of Louisville. He taught in colleges in Kerala, India, worked in Bhabha Atomic Research Center, and served as the administrator of a Christian school in Louisville, before joining the faculty of Oral Roberts University. In addition to research and publication in his professional field, Luiskutty is a contributor of articles to many Christian publications, and the author of two books. He and his wife, Celia, have three adult children.
Samuel Mathai, Ph.D., is the founder and President of Good News for the Nations. He received his M.Th. (World Missions), from Dallas Theological Seminary, and Ph.D. (Anthropology) from the University of Kansas. He served as the National Representative of International Student Friendship Ministries. He is also a member of Association of Christian Ministries to Internationals.
Thomson K. Mathew, D.Min., Ed.D., is professor of Pastoral Care and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the Graduate School of Theology and Missions at Oral Roberts University. He graduated from Kerala University in 1971 and came to the US in 1972. He received the Master of Divinity (1975) and Master of Sacred Theology (1977) degrees from Yale University. He holds two doctorates - a Doctor of Ministry degree from Oral Roberts University (1986) and a Doctor of Education degree from Oklahoma State University (1992). Following his ordination in 1976, he pastored a church in Connecticut for five years. He joined the Oral Roberts Ministry in 1981 as a chaplain at the City of Faith Medical Center of Tulsa. He has served on the faculty of Oral Roberts University for several years. He is a fellow of the College of Chaplains and a clinical member of the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education. He has received several awards, including the Indian Pentecostal Writers' Award (1994) and ORU Outstanding Faculty Award (1995). Mathew and his wife, Molly, have two daughters.
Sam Ninan, M.A., was born in India, and came to the US at a young age. Having gone through high school and college in the US he identifies with the issues faced by the second generation. He has a Master’s degree from Dallas Theological Seminary and is working toward a doctoral degree. He attends Living Water Church of Tampa and is actively involved in community and church organizations, such as Teen In Action, Inc. He has contributed articles to various publications within the Indian community. His wife and he have three children.
Ashish Raichur, M.S., is the founder and director of Frontier Missions, an organization working to reach the unreached and teach the untaught in India. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electronics and Communications Engineering and a Master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering. He has been preaching and ministering the word of God since he was thirteen years old. While completing his Bachelor’s degree in Manipal, India, he established a student fellowship on the university campus that has since grown to about 200 people. While pursuing his graduate studies in the US he ministered to a variety of ethnic groups including establishing a Spanish church in New Jersey. His wife, Amy, and he have a son, Joshua.
Stephen Samuel, M.Div., serves as Pastor of Westbury Tabernacle in Westbury, NY. He is an instructor at the Bible Institute in Jamaica, NY, and an ordained minister of the Bethel Gospel Tabernacle Fellowship International, Inc. His parents, Rev. & Mrs. M. S. Samuel, immigrated from India to the United States during the 1960s. Stephen developed his ministry gifts in the multi-cultural church his father pastors in Flushing, New York. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queens College, New York, and a Master of Divinity degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Massachusetts, graduating Magna Cum Laude from both institutions. In the past, Stephen has been a speaker for the Pentecostal Conference of North American Keralites as well as for other events sponsored by members of the Indian Christian community. He has contributed articles to the Indian Christian periodical "Kahalam" ("Trumpet"), and has ministered in India. Stephen and his wife Elizabeth reside in Jackson Heights, NY.
John Wessly, Ph.D., is the founder, president and CEO of Beowulf Corporation. He has Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Physics, and a Ph.D. from University of Baroda (1974). Before coming to the US in 1982 he taught in Mar Thoma College, Tiruvalla, Mar Athanasius College, Kothamangalam, and St. Mary’s College, Sultan Batteri. He also worked at Baroda Electronics Industries as a R&D Manager. In 1984, after completing a Master’s in Engineering degree at the University of Illinois, he joined Huntsville United Research and Technology and rose to the level of Sr. Vice President. He has been nominated for Small Business Man of the Year award by the Huntsville Chamber of Commerce. He leads a fellowship group in the Huntsville area and a prayer fellowship in his own business.
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