THE INVISIBLE PILLARS
Those who held the church together without a title
The pastors are remembered because they stood at the front.
But the people who held Richmond Town Methodist Church together across the decades were often those who stood at the side — or behind the scenes entirely.
The Sunday school teacher who arrived early to prepare her lesson.
The pianist who never missed a Sunday.
The elder who made tea for the teenagers.
These are the invisible pillars.
This section is for them.
🎼 MISS JEAN FRITCHLEY — THE ORGANIST
Miss Jean Fritchley is named by Viji and Priya, Grace N Joseph, Felix Jeevaneson, Rohit Sailas, Florence Michael, Naomi Manorama Joshua, Sneha Noronha, and Kamala Rachel.
The consistency is striking: across three decades of membership, across every age group, the same name comes back.
Naomi Manorama Joshua gives the fullest account:
“Mrs. Ruth Hicks and Miss Jean Fritchley — sisters — made wonderful music together. Mrs. Hicks was the pianist for several years. Miss Fritchley played the organ, conducted the choir, and was also my best piano teacher. She was such a cheerful and happy person.”
Viji and Priya add:
“Every Sunday without fail, leading the choir.”
It is the consistency that matters — not the brilliance of a single performance, but the faithfulness of showing up, every Sunday, for years.
Niranjan Noronha, asked for his most vivid memory of the church, gives a single image:
“Miss Jean Fritchley playing beautiful hymns on the Hammond organ.”
— Niranjan Noronha — his single most vivid memory of RTMC
That is not a programme.
It is a sound.
And it has stayed with him for fifty years.
🌿 FURTHER PILLARS: THOSE WHO SERVED
The following individuals are named across multiple responses.
Each deserves recognition.
Together, they represent the network of faithful service that has sustained the church across five decades.
💛 MRS. DAYA MARTIN
Named by Praveen Prasanna, who credits her with leading him to Christ at VBS in 1976.
That single act of witness produced a dentist who went on to serve in Srinagar, mentored dozens of young people, and traces everything back to one Sunday morning and one woman who paid attention to a child.
Daya Martin founded Nireekshana, which serves the special needs of children.
One act of attention. One child. One life changed.
Daya’s contribution through Nireekshana is profiled in the Building God’s Kingdom section in this magazine.
🏠 MRS. ESTHER WILLIAMS
Named by Roopa Sundaramony Ravikumar and Amritha Sarah Singh as Sunday school superintendent and VBS director.
Roopa remembers:
“Powerful, unassuming, humble and gracious. Her house was open to us teenagers. We just walked in and out of their home. We were served delicious cakes and we ate on their dining table.”
The open table — the cakes, the dining room, the teenagers who came and went freely — is the image of a ministry that extended far beyond formal programmes.
Ever present, she sought and found the best in every person and drew them into the life of the church, discipling them with an emphasis on:
Faithfulness • Integrity • Consistency
🌱 MRS. JANET S PREM
Named by Grace Veena Bunyan, Shirley Aaron, and Aural Shatananda.
Grace Veena describes her as having:
“Led the Sunday school ministry for many years with a dedication that is rarely seen now.”
Aural Shatananda adds:
“Passion, drive, and love for Jesus.”
🔊 MRS. BETTY (ELIZABETH) WHITE
Named by Naomi Manorama Joshua and Mercy Sarita Moganti.
Naomi’s tribute is specific and generous:
“A very pleasant, gentle lady who quietly served the church for many years. She donated the sound system for the church many years ago. She also made the juice for VBS children at her home with such care that she used boiled water to make the ice and brought it every day of the VBS over so many years.”
The sound system is still in the building.
The juice is remembered by every child who drank it.
🎶 MR. THOMAS PAUL
Named by Kamala Rachel, who recalls him conducting the choir, bringing members to his side of the city by car, and treating everyone to snacks and tea after practice.
The logistics of a choir — the transport, the food, the encouragement — are as much a ministry as the music itself.
The welcoming of children of construction workers and security guards around their home by Augusta and Thomas Paul has grown into “Metro Kids” — a safe and happy after-school place for children.
📚 MRS. ELLEN ALEXANDER
Named by Saraswathi Priyadarshini, who credits her VBS teacher training sessions with launching her own career:
“Those classes became the very first steps in my journey as a teacher. She trained us with such conviction and passion that I would go home inspired.”
Saraswathi went on to a PhD in Theatre in Education.
The thread begins with Ellen Aunty and a VBS training session.
🕯️ MR. NEVILLE NORONHA
Named by Amritha Sarah Singh, Lipsita Sahu, and Sneha Noronha.
Amritha remembers:
“He never missed church, was always there to help and get arrangements done — a person who is missed dearly.”
He was the “go-to” man for a number of senior citizens in the city.
He is among the departed whom the congregation grieves most visibly.
🧹 SELVAM THE SEXTON & JAYAMMA
Named by Eva Sukumar as:
“the sexton who helped with wedding and church event decorations”
and
“the woman who kept the church compound swept and clean.”
These are the people who made the building beautiful so that worship could happen.
They deserve to be named.
✞ THE MINISTRY OF SHOWING UP
There is a particular kind of service that rarely appears in official histories.
It does not always have a title.
It may not have a photograph.
It may never be mentioned from the pulpit.
It is simply the person who arrives early, stays late, makes the tea, plays the music, teaches the child, cleans the room, drives someone home, trains the volunteer, prepares the decorations, or quietly notices who needs help.
Across generations, these people formed the human infrastructure of RTMC.
They were not always standing at the front.
But they were there.
Every Sunday.
Every VBS.
Every choir practice.
Every church event.
Every ordinary day when something simply needed to be done.
And that is why they belong in the story of 150 years of Richmond Town Methodist Church.
The church was held together not only by those who preached from its pulpit, but by those who faithfully showed up.
💛 THE INVISIBLE PILLARS
Their names may not all appear in the official records.
But they are written into the memories of the people they served.
And that is a history worth remembering.
