Arcot Lutheran Church Broadway -Madras, Celebrating 125 Years

History of ALC Broadway

The.  Arcot Lutheran Church, founded by the Danish Missionary Society in 1864, was formerly known as the Danish Mission Church. The name of the church was changed in 1949. Their first station was at Melpattambakkam in South Arcot District. In Madras it came into existence in the last quarter of the 19th century. The Danish Missionaries registered their Mission as a society under the Societies Registration Act of 1860 and it is presently governed by the Tamilnadu Societies Registration Act of 1975.That is its legal status. While it has adopted Episcopal system for church governance, the secular Act provides a democratic frame-work for its functioning. Thus the Constitution of this Church is a balanced combination of Episcopal and democratic principles. This church, born on the principle of casteless church, has a history behind it.

Policy of the DMS towards Casteism in Church: Mission for All and Casteless Church

The issue of casteism in church - caste practices and caste distinctions - was tormenting the Danish Missionary Society very much with Danish Missionaries themselves divided over it. In this situation, the Home Board of the Danish Missionary Society came out with a policy statement, revolutionary in nature, on the avoidance of discrimination based on caste in Church service. It outlined three principles:(1) that only one chalice must be used at the Lord's table, not a separate one for caste converts;(2) that no special seats in the Church should be reserved for them and (3) that no mission worker should refuse to officiate or do an act of love out of caste consideration. In fact the DMS held the view that it was not right to maintain that the mission should be either an Adi Dravida mission or a caste mission. It was not a matter of "either - or " but of "both - and ". Thus the DMS from the beginning stood for a policy of 'Mission for All'. There were however a few missionaries who doubted the wisdom of prescribing fixed rules in these matters. They considered that some of the customs connected with the caste system were not religious. One of them was Rev.Herman Jensen (1842-1909) who was working in Ranipet. He held the view that it was a mistake to work almost exclusively among the Adi Dravidas and he wanted to work in bigger towns and cities where European influence had broken down some of the caste prejudices and the idolatrous superstitions.

The Birth of an ALC Congregation in Madras

In 1878 Rev. Herman Jensen learnt about the immense possibilities for a mission among the Kammala caste people in Madras. The Kammalars were mostly craftsmen, goldsmith, coppersmith, masons, etc. It must be mentioned here that though the congregation created by the Danish Missionaries mostly consisted of people belonging to the suppressed classes, they always had the desire to establish caste congregations. Rev. Hermen Jensen who dreamt of establishing independent congregations of caste converts began work in Madras in 1878.Well versed in Tamil, he had studied Hindu Scriptures and Tamil proverbs, and used them when preaching. The Cross and Resurrection of Christ was the center of his message to the Hindus (while most others dwelt on sin and grace). To his great disillusionment, he found that there would not be any quick way to the building up of caste congregations. His work among the Kammalars resulted in only few baptisms. However some people of other castes became Christians. He was thus able to establish a small caste congregation in Madras, though that congregation was not more economically independent than the Adi Dravida congregations of the Danish Missionary Society. Jensen continued his work in Madras till 1897.In 1888 he bought a house in Rundall's Road, Vepery, in a 25 ground plot where today two big hostels have been erected; one for working women and another one for girl students.

Modus of Work and the Hindu opposition

The work of the Danish Missionaries in Madras was mainly done in Black Town (later renamed George Town in 1906) presently Broadway area. Sunday service was held in those premises where the Arcot Lutheran Church stands today. In 1887 street preaching commenced, but it invited a lot of resentment and opposition from the local Hindu population. Hindu Tract Society was established to counter Christian preachings.

John Lazarus: Satya Tudan and the Christian Patriot

It was at this time that Herman Jensen developed acquaintance with one John Lazarus, a son of an evangelist of London Mission Society ( LMS) and a B.A. graduate of the Madras University. With his thirst for a missionary career, Lazarus joined the DMS at the instance of Jensen since the LMS did not yet ordain Indians for missionary service. He was the first Indian to be ordained as Pastor by the DMS in 1883 and as such the first Indian Pastor of the Arcot Lutheran Church. He worked as missionary and pastor for the small Madras congregation till his retirement in 1914. Since resentment and disturbances by Hindus grew to a certain point as a result of street preaching and since the Hindu Tract Society also was entering into disputations with Christians preachers, John Lazarus started the magazine 'Satya Tudan' first in Tamil in 1888 and later it came out in Telugu too. For many years this magazine, which received the appreciation of both Christians and non-Christians, had a large circulation with subscriber strength of ten to twelve thousand. Later in 1891 he started the paper 'The Christian Patriot' which for many years remained the only All India Christian paper besides the Guardian.

Mission Work in Madras: "The Great Trio- Jensen, Larsen and Lazarus".

In 1889 the renowned theologian L.P. Larsen arrived in Madras, which strengthened the DMS work there. The work was extended as there were three missionaries at that time; Herman Jensen, the veteran missionary of vast experience, John Lazarus, the scholar - journalist, and Larsen, a dynamic preacher and a theologian. It was indeed a great combination, which accelerated the missionary movement and resulted in the erection of the present church and the inauguration of a Reading Room, two mile - stones in the march of the Danish Missionary movement in Madras. Methods of Missionary Labour: Street Preaching, Dialogue and Lectures Larsen continued street-preaching since by now opposition to it had abated. In his opinion street-preaching gave an opportunity to get into contact and dialogue with individuals. Street-preaching was followed by talks with individuals and visits to the homes of the educated. Preaching of the Gospel was also done in bazaars and schools.

Larsen was deeply involved in the work among students. The location of Madras Christian College then functioning in Linghi Chetty Street at the Parry's Corner end, facilitated his work. Larsen also opened a Reading Room in 1890 in a rented building where lectures in English were held. It developed into a great institution in course of time. This gave opportunities for talks and discussions with Hindus on themes, which varied from religion to Indian nationalism.

A New Church Building (1892)

The DMS was not having a church building for worship. The Danish missionaries managed to buy a plot in Broadway and erected a fine church built in Gothic architectural style, which was dedicated on 18th December 1892, and Larsen became its first pastor. Next to the church a new house was built for the pastor and the Reading Room functioning in a rented building was shifted to the ground floor of the parsonage .The Reading Room became a popular institution. The church and the Reading Room are the two great contributions of this great trio.

'India Needs Jesus'

Larsen carried on his work under the slogan 'India Needs Jesus'. Certain historical events that took place in Madras influenced him a lot. The National Congress held its session at Madras in 1894, when the pitiable plight of the Indian in South Africa agitated the minds of the delegates. At the same time a Social Conference was also held. The Theosophical Society also held its annual Conference at Adyar with delegates coming from different countries. The Y.M.C.A gathered for its annual rally with delegates from all parts of India. All these events had such an impact on Larsen that he decided to impart dynamism to the missionary movement and it moved him to make a strong appeal to friends of the mission in Denmark with his emphasis on 'India Needs Jesus'.

Preaching in Indian Style : Bajan

The mission work was extended to Elephant Gate in the Western part of the George Town. Here a house on the Wall Tax Road was bought in 1897 and Lazarus assumed charge as missionary. He opened a Bajan Hall and conducted song-preaching in Indian style - bajan, which attracted good attendance.

Johan Bittmann :Open House Strategy

After L.P. Larsen left the DMS to take up work among college students, Rev. Lazarus continued the work until he was joined by Johan Bittmann in 1895.Bittmann became Pastor of the ALC. He held 'Open House' on Saturday afternoons in the Reading Room, when subjects like national movement, revival of Hinduism and social reform were taken up for discussion and debate. The 'Open House' method generated great interest in Hindu youths who gathered in large numbers for these lectures and discussions. The Madras missionaries had two definite concerns for the youth. The first was to contact the Hindu University youth and to bring them into the fold of the Church and the second was to keep the young Christians under Christian influence.

Work among Women

Work among women in Madras was conducted by the Missionaries' wives and the bible women. It consisted of visits to the homes with teaching and telling of Bible stories. John Lazarus started the Bible women's work. This work commenced in the Elephant Gate area in 1886. Mrs.Bittmann also had done this work.

D.M.S School Policy

From the beginning the Danish Missionary Society considered, in the words of Rev.Povl Wandall "teaching is way of missionary approach, which they had to employ". It was their idea that those who became Christians must learn to read, if not for any other reason, at least to enable them to read the Bible. Of course the reason and the motives differed but "the human element has always been the fundamental motive". Therefore right form the beginning the D.M.S was conducting schools as an important part of its activities.

A School Movement: " Fremad" (" Forward")

It was amazing to find that the Danish Missionaries initiated what may be called " A School Movement" in their mission areas with the objective of starting schools wherever it was possible for extension of their mission work. They gave a thrust to this movement by prescribing as its Motto," FREMAD" (Danish) which means "Forward" in English, thus epitomizing the spirit behind the movement. In Madras alone, where the D.M.S started functioning from 1878, seven schools were started before the end of the nineteenth century. The frontiers of this movement went on extending so much so we find Rev.John Lazarus founding schools in Ponneri and in few villages around it. The new railway line to Calcutta made this extension possible. The schools in Madras were situated in different parts of George Town (Broadway area) which was the main center of the D.M.S activities. In 1891 a small school with 6 pupils was opened. Also a separate school for Adi Dravida children was started. In1897, a school for girls was started by Mrs. Helene Bittmann in Park Town area which has today grown into a high school for both boys and girls.

Medical Mission

For a short period the D.M.S had a medical missionary in Madras. It was Dr.Ellen d'Abreu an Anglo-Indian who in 1891 opened a clinic in a small rented flat in Broadway and later in Triplicane. But after sometime the medical work was abandoned since several big government and mission hospitals came up in the city.

ALC Madras in 20th Century Slow Growth from 1898 - 1912

The Madras Congregation had not increased much in the period 1892-1912. Only 31 non-Christians were baptized. The reason was that the efforts were concentrated on winning the caste people. The Home Board (Denmark) wanted an India pastor to be appointed for the Madras Congregation but it was difficult to find one until one K.S. Krishnaswamy was chosen in 1905.

Rev. K. S. Krishnaswamy ( 1909-1917)

Rev. Krishnaswamy was an Iyengar Brahmin by birth. While he was a student of Madras Christian College, he got an overwhelming impression of the greatness of Christ and became a Christian in 1892. He studied theology at the seminary of Scotch Mission. From 1901 he worked in the Reading Room. In 1908 he was ordained as an assistant pastor to Rev. Bittmann and later he was given independent charge. He was a good preacher, and on account of his birth he was able to move among people whom other Christians could not contact. Because of weak health he had to retire in 1917. Mention must be made here about three India members of the Broadway Congregation who distinguished themselves in the public life in the first half of the 20th Century. Mr.Chakkari Chetty a Social reformer Mr.Senchayya a theologian Mr.Yethiraj Surendranath Arya a nationalist of extremist views during India's struggle for freedom. whom Rev. Bittmann met in a Jail and brought him to the fold of Christ. These three great men played an active role in the Reading Room and in the congregation. After Rev. Krishnaswamy, Rev. Johan Bittmann and Rev. Heiberg served as pastors of the church. Rev. Bittmann was also the chairman of the Indian Conference of the Danish Missionary Society. Rev. Heiberg's greatest service was that he registered all the property documents and thus secured the properties. After Rev. Heigberg only Indian pastors have been incharge of the Broadway church. The first DMS pastor in Madras was Rev. Krishnaswamy (1908-1917). Rev. Dorairaj Peter (1945-1950) was working as the secretary of the reading room and then he was ordained and posted as pastor of the church. It must be mentioned that Rev. Dorairaj Peter became the first Bishop of the Arcot Lutheran Church and he was the President of ALC for 20 long years. After his death in 1999 he was laid to rest in the church campus.

During the second half of the 20th century a few laymen played a great role in the growth of Broadway congregation. Among them the following were the leading lights of the congregation.

Mr. John Nallathambi ( who was also treasurer of ALC) Mr. Cornelius Isaac Mr. Anskar Isaac Mr. R. J. Samuel ( who was also local P.C Secretary for 20 years and later Church Board secretary) Besides them, the names of Mr. D. Williams, Mr. Joseph Phanuel and Mr. Narasimhan deserve mention here.

They were all stalwarts in congregational life providing leadership to the ALC Broadway community.

Centenary in 1992(18th Dec'1992)

The ALC, Broadway, completed its hundredth year in December1992. As part of its centenary celebrations, renovation of the church was undertaken with the assistance of the Central Administration and local contributions. It was almost a total renovation with the tiled roof completely removed and concrete roofing was done and the old tiled-roofing also kept over it in order to preserve the original look. Flooring was converted into a mosaic one replacing the original glossy tiles flooring which was mostly wornout. Entire wall plastering was scrapped out and cement plastering done newly. The renovation work was completed in November, 1994 and it has strengthened the church building for another hundred years. A Dedication Service of  the renovated  church was held on Sunday the  13th  November 1994. The  then Bishop of ALC,  the Rt. Rev.John Franklin dedicated the church in the presence of the Bishops Emeriti of ALC, the Rt. Rev. Dorairaj Peter, the Rt.Rev.M.Samuel, and the Rt. Rev. John G.David and the DMS Missionaries, Ms.Janne Garder and Ms.Ellen Blaesbjerg. It was a joyous occasion for the congregation.

Centenary (1892-1992) Commemoration Day

After the dedication of the renovated Church, the Centenary Commemoration Day was celebrated on Sunday the 18th December, 1994  ( 102nd Anniversary Day). On  that occasion the  Rt. Rev. Dorairaj Peter  named the  Broadway  Church  as 'Christ Jesus Church' and unveiled the Centenary Commemoration Tablet and conducted the Thanks giving Service. A grateful congregation remembered all those missionaries, pastors and members of the congregation who worked for the growth of this congregation.

Street Children Project:

On the Occasion of the centenary Celebration, the congregation decided to serve the community around. Therefore they started a project for the welfare of the street children who are found living in the Broadway area.This place is a busy commercial center a good lot of people mostly Dalits living on the pavement of broadway, shelterless and in proverty. Therefore this project was started with the financial assistence of Lutheran World Federation ( LWF ), Geneva. Now the local congregation maintaining this project. The project is helping the street children in their educational growth and creating social awarness in them. This project has attracted Danish Volunteers and many other oversees delegates. This functions under the leadership of Prof. K. Jayasekaran.

Congregation:

The Madras Congregation has grown today. The members of the congregation are scattered all over the city. There are more than 150 families and it has expanded its activities under different fellowships like Men's Fellowship, Women's fellowship, Youth fellowship, Junior Ministry, Sunday school and Street Children Project. The Broadway congregation is dynamic and vibrant always willing to serve to the Glory of God and to the extension of His Kingdom