The story of two institutions whose fellowship was above finances
Akash Ryall • Grandson of Mrs. Mignon David, Founder of Bethany High School
When Bethany High was still an unrecognised school, with around three to four hundred students and twenty teachers, RTMC and Bethany were deeply entwined. The people loved and welcomed each other across both institutions — the Richmond Town Methodist Church and The Bethany Home School.
My grandmother, Mrs. Mignon David, worked closely with Rev. Seamands — known affectionately throughout the community as Thatha Seamands — and with other missionary stalwarts who had given their lives to church planting. They welcomed her with open arms and encouraged Bethany to hold all its functions in Stephen’s Hall.
In turn, whenever there was a Prize Day or a school function, my grandmother would leave behind all the decorations — painstakingly made by hand — for the church to use.
“Fellowship was above finances, camaraderie was above currency, and the love of God was above the love of man.”
— Akash Ryall, on the bond between Bethany and RTMC
It truly was a wonderful relationship. As Bethany grew and moved on, the bond with RTMC never changed. If anything, it grew stronger.
A Family Rooted in Two Places
For my family, the connection with RTMC was not simply institutional. It became part of the story of our lives.
On 18th January 1965, my parents, Mr. and Mrs. E.H. Ryall, were married at RTMC. I was later christened there. So was my sister, Ann. We attended Sunday school all our lives and never missed the six o’clock evening service.
We were baptised at RTMC and then confirmed. Rev. Stanley Downes, the then District Superintendent, took our confirmation classes and confirmed both of us.
My soon-to-be wife Mona, Ann, and I all studied at the Baldwin institutions. After our graduation, we had the privilege of a Commencement Service at RTMC. Both Ann and I were later married there, with my dearest friend, Rev. Arun Andrews, leading and conducting our wedding services.
Mona had come to the church as a boarder at Baldwin Girls’. At just eleven years old, moved by the Sunday services, she answered an altar call and gave her life to Christ — a remarkable act of faith for a girl from an Islamic background.
She will tell you today how grateful she was that, when the church was renovated, they kept the original wooden altar. Just before we were married, she was baptised in the pond at RTMC.
For us, then, the church was never simply a place we attended. It was woven through family, school, friendship, worship, baptism, confirmation, and marriage.
Memories That Stay
Some memories return not as complete stories, but as sounds, faces, gestures, and moments that have somehow remained bright across the years.
♫ The Praise Singers
♫ The Scripture Union competitions
♫ The After-Dinner Song Services
♫ The Easter Sunrise services
♫ The Celebrant Singers
♫ And dear old Francis — waving his hand like a single windshield wiper while conducting praise and worship.
These are the details that make a church history personal. They are the things that cannot be captured simply by dates or institutional records — the music, the people, the familiar gestures, and the small memories that return decades later.
The Shepherds Who Led
I had the honour of representing the Baldwin Boys’ High School choir and band at many church services. Looking back, I also remember with gratitude the pastors who served RTMC across those years: Rev. Sampath Kumar, Rev. Fred Gokavi, Rev. R.G. Soanes, Rev. Theodore Williams, Rev. Vinay Kumar Moses, Rev. C.A. Benjamin, Rev. Ravi Joseph, Rev. Vasudevan, and Rev. Arun Andrews.
They were shepherds who led their flock with grace and a passion for Christ. They were truly men of God, and all who attended RTMC between 1965 and 2005 were touched and blessed by His Word.
“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.”
Colossians 3:23
Those were the days, my friend.
There is a touch of poignancy when I look back, but I am reminded that even amidst the chaos of this new world order, God is still at work through ordinary callings and His divine purpose.
We work for Him because He works in us.
My prayer is that this wonderful, historic, God-built building will always house His people — the Church in Richmond Town.
Akash Ryall
Grandson of Mrs. Mignon David, Founder of Bethany High School
Member of RTMC, 1965–2005
