Twenty-two members of Richmond Town Methodist Church • One word for every year of its life
We asked members of Richmond Town Methodist Church — past and present, near and far — to write exactly 150 words about what this congregation has meant to them. One word for every year of the church’s life.
What came back was not grandeur. What came back was specificity — the names of people who prayed over them, the sermons that caught them at exactly the right moment, the altars where they knelt and found, to their own surprise, that they were not alone.
The testimonies below have been edited to 150 words each, with the contributor’s knowledge and approval. Every word is theirs. The shape is ours. The story belongs to God.
WINSLOW – Image No. 2019 – 7 pictures in Deepu’s folder
Saraswathi Priyadarshini
Member since 1998
Sixteen years ago, I found myself newly single, with two young sons, no job, and no certainty about the future. All I had was my faith. I knelt at the altar of RTMC, tears on my face, praying for forgiveness, direction, and the strength to raise my boys in God’s love.
Every summer I brought them to VBS. While they were in class, I taught, directed dramas, and eventually led full VBS musicals. Through God’s grace, I found a teaching position where I continue to work and grow. I have since completed two master’s degrees, won awards for innovative teaching, authored two books, and am now pursuing a PhD in Education — with research focused on Theatre in Education.
None of it was my doing. I owe so much to the members of RTMC who stood by me with prayers and unwavering support. Above all, I give glory to God, who has been faithful through every season. I know this is not the end of my story. The best, I believe, is yet to come.
150 words
“The best, I believe, is yet to come.”
Shilpa Das
Member since 2021 — first-generation Christian
In 2021, both my parents were critically ill with COVID-19. The doctors told us they might not survive. My sister and I spent days on our knees, asking Jesus — a name we had only just begun to call upon — to save them. Against all medical expectations, after twenty-one days, they were discharged. Healed.
That miracle transformed my faith. I had been raised in a different religion, but I knew, without doubt, that I had witnessed the hand of God. I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Saviour.
When Ruben and I decided to marry, I prayed to be baptised before our wedding. God led me to Richmond Town Methodist Church. Pastor Sebastian welcomed us warmly, baptised me, and solemnised our marriage. Over four years, RTMC has become our home and our family. As it celebrates 150 years, I pray our children will also grow in faith here — and call it, as we do, their own.
150 words
“Over four years, RTMC has become our home and our family.”
Praveen Prasanna
Member since 1976, Youth Adviser, Mission worker
Mrs. Daya Martin led me to Christ at VBS in 1976. I was discipled in the MYF by Mr. Sugumar, of the Navigators, and shaped by their systematic Bible study programme — learning to read Scripture inductively and share the Gospel with others.
MYF camps at Kalrayan Hills and Quiet Corner, and the church’s Missions conferences, ignited a passion for cross-cultural outreach that has never left me. Later, mentored by Mr. Gladson Anchan, I led the Home Bible Study in Austin Town for years — a ministry that continues to enrich lives to this day.
We also saw God work powerfully among people of other faiths at the Srinagar Worship Centre. I served in Christian education, missions, and MYF. I watched the hand of God move in the lives of people I had prayed over, taught, and loved. Every part of that story begins here, at RTMC.
Praise God.
150 words
P. Nirmala Kumari
Member since 1976
My association with RTMC began on the day of my marriage to Vincent Roopsingh, on 12 May 1976. Rev. Theodore Williams solemnised our vows and, in the years that followed, his sermons drew us to church every Sunday without fail.
I remember the marriage counsel he gave us — explaining that the word ‘sincere’ derives from the Latin sine cera, ‘without wax.’ Our relationship, he said, should always be genuine and free from pretence. I have never forgotten it.
The pastors who followed enriched us further: Rev. Vinay Kumar Moses, Rev. C.A. Benjamin, Rev. Arun Andrews, Rev. Peppin, Rev. Vasudevan — each refreshing our parched souls with the living Word. After Vincent’s passing, my attendance has become irregular. But I cherish the online services. It is my prayer that RTMC will continue to grow stronger and more vibrant — a lamp in the darkness, offering living water to all who are spiritually thirsty.
150 words
“A lamp in the darkness, offering living water to all who are spiritually thirsty.”
Lipsita Sahu
Member 2012–2017
I came to RTMC as a visitor. I stayed with my family.
The 2012 Christmas Cantata was my beginning. I had never thought of myself as a musician — I sang the wrong notes in rehearsals more often than I care to admit. But Deepu, Rajay, Eunica, Archana, Amit, Janet Aunty, Shalini, and the senior choir members received me with patience and encouragement that I did not know I needed until I found it.
Rev. Jonathan Bangera’s warmth and pastoral care left a mark on my life that I still carry. Through RTMC, God strengthened my faith, taught me the joy of serving others, and blessed me with friendships that distance has not diminished. I was not a music person when I arrived. Today, by God’s grace, I lead the choir in my home church.
That journey began here.
RTMC will forever be my spiritual home.
150 words
“I was not a music person when I arrived. Today, by God’s grace, I lead the choir in my home church.”
Sunil Gokavi
Member from 1970–1983, now based in Bangalore
I have worked across many parts of India, moved through many cultures, navigated many changes. Through all of it, one thing has held: the spiritual foundation I received as an active member of RTMC.
Its value has proved inestimable — the teaching, the fellowship, the freedom and support given to the youth, the singing and praying and sheer joy of being part of something larger than ourselves. There were, of course, things to disagree with. Every church has them. But hindsight is a gift from God — it allows you to see through the fog and recognise the kernels of eternal truth that were quietly planted in you when you were too young to appreciate them.
The Lord knew what He was doing, knitting every part of that community together to shape my understanding of His body. I cannot be anything but grateful for that privileged and lasting spiritual upbringing.
Thank you, RTMC.
150 words
Usha Sundaresan (née Cornelius)
Member from 1966 — now in Graz, Austria
Sixty years have passed since I first sat in the pews of Richmond Town Methodist Church as a nine-year-old, listening to the choir in which my parents sang, watching Ms. Connie Weston conduct from the front. I was told I was too young to join. I waited. Then I joined — and sang solos, taught Sunday school, attended retreats, and made the church my second home.
I left Bangalore in 1981. I married a Baldwinian who had also grown up at RTMC. Our life together, and our parenting of two children, has been shaped by what we learned here. I attend the Methodist Church in Graz, Austria — and the roots of that attendance reach back to Richmond Town.
When the world has appeared dark and hopeless, God has reminded me: ‘Be still, and know that I am God.’ That voice was first heard at RTMC.
I am grateful for every year of it.
150 words
“That voice was first heard at RTMC.”
Sarah Samuel
Member since 1992
My journey with RTMC began in 1992 at the dedication service of the newly built church. Inspired by the evening youth choir, I joined under the guidance of Deepu and choir director Mary Kavoor. Singing in Christmas cantatas became a cherished rhythm of my year.
At seventeen, I began attending the midweek Bible study led by Rev. Arun Andrews — a turning point in my spiritual life. A warm invitation from Youth President Pavan Peter drew me into the youth fellowship, where Joel Francis and Lali became mentors whose influence I still carry.
God answered many prayers at the altar of RTMC — including the prayer for a life partner. My husband and I were married in this church, became members during Rev. Paul Royappa’s pastorate, raised our children here, and I had the privilege of serving in Sunday school ministry.
RTMC has been my spiritual home.
I remain deeply grateful for God’s faithfulness across this journey.
150 words
Shams Stallone
Member since 1987
In 1987, I walked through the gates of Richmond Town Methodist Church — not simply into a building, but into a spiritual home. I was welcomed by warm smiles, familiar hymns, and a congregation that lived out the love of Christ in ways I had not previously encountered.
Those years shaped my walk with God in ways I still carry. I learned to serve, to give, to hold up the hands of our ministers. The sanctuary became my refuge, the fellowship my strength. I witnessed God move through prayer meetings, Sunday services, and quiet moments of surrender that no one else saw.
RTMC was my anchor in a changing world. That season taught me that when you are rooted in a church that truly loves Jesus, something takes hold of you that endures.
To this day, I thank God for planting me there.
That anchor has held through everything.
150 words
“The sanctuary became my refuge, the fellowship my strength.”
Ravi David
Member from childhood — father of four, grandfather in faith
Three words define what RTMC has been for me: Foundations. Formation. Family.
Foundations: my first memories are Sunday school classes in First Standard — Bible stories and songs that lodged in me before I had words for what they were doing. For this, I am grateful to God.
Formation: at seventeen, I personally accepted Christ as my Saviour at RTMC. The Bible study groups and personal mentoring that followed showed me what it means to be a disciple of Jesus — not merely a church-goer, but someone shaped from the inside out. For this, I am grateful to God.
Family: I grew up with daily family prayers at home. I watched our four children being nurtured at RTMC. Today, they walk with God and are raising their own families in faith.
The chain that began here has not broken.
For this — above everything else — I am grateful to God.
150 words
“The chain that began here has not broken.”
Eva Sukumar
Member from 1967–1988 — now in Australia
RTMC has been home in more ways than one.
My father, J.D. Arulmani supported the church through preaching, teaching, and VBS. My mother, Beulah, was an integral part of the WSCS and sang solos at Sunday services. At the altar of this church, my parents dedicated me to God’s service.
My brother Gideon and I were raised on the foundations laid by pastors like Rev. Vinay Moses — taught to take Christian values out into the world, not to keep them within these walls. I carry that with me still: in the way I raise my own children, in the way I serve my students in Australia.
A song I sang with the Praise Singers has stayed with me across the years:
‘Helping the widows and orphans in their need, healing the sick ones and binding hearts that bleed.’
That is the calling.
RTMC gave it to me.
150 words
Pamela John
Member since 1993
Thank you, Father, for planting Richmond Town Methodist Church near the heart of this beautiful city.
You led me to a large and generous family. I am grateful for the individuals who have lived their faith before me as a living testament — the Sunday school teachers, the ladies at the sales counter, the helpers around the campus. Each has touched my life in ways they may not know.
The warmth at RTMC is not manufactured. It is the presence of the living God, mediated through people who have chosen, Sunday after Sunday, to show up for one another. I have seen new arrivals welcomed with the kind of warmth that makes a person feel immediately, unexpectedly, at home.
The CEB Hall, the senior citizens’ home, the outreach at Christmas — these are the hands of Jesus in Bangalore.
May RTMC continue to be exactly that: the loving hands of Christ, reaching toward a generation that needs to be found.
150 words
“These are the hands of Jesus in Bangalore.”
Binita George
Member since 2004, with husband Joseph Kishore George
My husband Joseph and I have been members of RTMC since 2008, though the church began blessing our family as early as 2004. In 2019, our son Amrit Immanuel George was baptised and received into membership — a milestone for which we give thanks with full hearts.
We were shaped most profoundly by the ministry of Pastor Theodore Williams — his Bible studies, his clear and Christ-centred preaching, his approachability when we needed counsel. He was a pastor who made himself available in the truest sense of the word.
Amrit was nurtured in Sunday school. The fellowship after services sustained us through the week. Over the years, we have watched the church change around us — and we have learned that change need not unsettle us, because our worship is anchored not in any institution but in a perfect Saviour.
We thank God for one hundred and fifty years of RTMC’s faithfulness. And we pray that He will use it to touch many more lives — including generations not yet born.
150 words
Bob Nathanael
Member since 2015
I would first like to thank my friend who introduced me to this church. I am forever grateful that RTMC has united me with Christ. I used to worship here with this friend, whom I later married at St Paul’s Methodist Church, Bidar.
Over ten years, I have experienced God’s blessings in my life. The times have gone by and yet they feel close. The sermons rejuvenate my body, mind, and soul. The people and their fellowship have stood firm. We have become a family that understands the mission to make our lives Christ-like.
The Bible studies have enriched my understanding of God’s promises and reinforced my duty to live like Christ. I am looking forward to attending for many more years, and to sharing my testimony of faith — a faith that has continued to bless me and my family through the difficult times of the world in which we live.
150 words
Aural Shatananda
Member 1981–2010
The church was a safe place when I needed one. It gave me friends to live alongside when my family circumstances were difficult. It gave me, in a camp, my first real encounter with Jesus — a moment of genuine surrender that I was not yet ready to hold on to.
I put Christ aside, kept searching, and eventually lost my way entirely. The youth group disappeared slowly, and I drove myself away from people and from God. But the knowledge that God was still there — even when I was not looking — persisted. It persisted until I was twenty-five, and until I finally, really, found Christ.
Looking back, I understand what the church was doing even in those desert years: sheltering me, speaking truth through the lives of the few who lived it, stopping a great deal of damage that might otherwise have been done.
I am grateful for the truth that held, even when I did not.
150 words
“I am grateful for the truth that held, even when I did not.”
Rachel Hongal
Former member — Wellington, Nevada, USA
If I trace the story of my life back far enough, it always leads to the same place: RTMC. It was there, surrounded by people who loved God and loved one another, that my faith first took root. I remember the hushed reverence before the service began, and then the singing — the whole congregation lifting their voices as one until it felt like our praise reached straight to the heavens.
The youth group shaped me most. We gathered week after week, holding each other up through heartbreak and hard questions. I lost my brother, then my mother, then my sister — each loss three years apart. My church family never let me walk any of it alone.
I became completely deaf in my mid-forties. I thanked God for His presence in the silence. After a cochlear implant, He gave me back the world of sound.
Through every season, He was faithful.
RTMC gave me a family, a faith, and a community that never once let go.
150 words
Christina Eapen
Member 1982–1995, TAFTEE worker, Bible Teacher
Early in 1982, I arrived in Bangalore for a new assignment with TAFTEE. Fresh from Bible College, I was met by Shirley Noronha, who with Neegal and young Naveen welcomed me into a new home and new fellowship at RTMC. It was my introduction to Methodism.
Pretty soon I met Doc and Janet Gnanamuthu, who became caring friends and mentors. Almost immediately I became a happy Praise Singer. Their combined musical gifts drew out a beautiful choir. RTMC was a church that sang.
Besides the Noronhas and the Gnanamuthus, a host of others became warm companions: the Whites, Saravanas, Gokavis, Anchans, Eleazers, Janet Williams, Joel Francis, Frankie and Pushpa.
What stood out was their easy camaraderie, mutual care, and the warm acceptance of newcomers. The fourteen years in Bangalore proved crucial to my personal and ministerial growth.
God is at work wherever His people choose to be faithful, sincere, and true.
~150 words
Rev. Dr. Christopher Mohan & Mrs. Rita Mohan
Members since 1977
My wife Rita and I were married at RTMC in 1977. Our son Bryan was later baptised as a teenager and married Carol Shatananda in this church in 2006. Three generations shaped by RTMC’s life and ministry.
Rita was an integral part of the WSCS for many years, contributing through her gifts of hospitality, baking, and tailoring. I was honoured to minister the Word during the tenures of several pastors, from Rev. Vinay Moses through to Rev. Jayawanth N.H.
The Lord used RTMC to bless our family with godly friends, edifying relationships, meaningful worship, and the ministry of faithful servants. Since relocating to Horamavu, we are unable to attend in person. The online services have been a blessing.
We wish the RTMC family well on this historic 150 years and pray that the One who brought us thus far will fulfil all His divine purposes through RTMC until He comes.
150 words
Sheila Mulayail (née Brave)
Member since 1962
In January 1962, I arrived as a boarder at Baldwin Girls. It was compulsory for boarders to attend Sunday school and the RTMC evening service. I was confirmed by Rev. David Seamonds in 1962. When my family moved to Myrtle Lane in 1965, behind the back gate of RTMC, the church became our home church.
I joined the Young Adult Fellowship, then the choir under Mrs. Connie Weston. The After-Dinner services were a blessing, and it was through them that I accepted Jesus as Saviour and Lord.
The carol rounds in December were unforgettable: just us walking through Richmond Town and Langford Town with Dickie Lazaro on guitar, a pastor at our side, the roads empty and quiet.
I was married at RTMC in January 1973. Both my sons were baptised here.
I owe what I am to the values, prayers, and nurture of my growing-up years at RTMC.
~150 words
“The church became our home church.”
WINSLOW – The articles above and below are of The Brave Sisters Esther and Sheila. Please Insert IMAGE 37 in shortlisted.
Esther Khatri (née Brave)
Member 1964–1982
Ours was the Brave family. We settled in Bangalore in 1964 and moved to Myrtle Lane, right opposite the church. RTMC became our second home. At twelve, with the church across the street, I would wander in and spend quiet time under the tall trees in the garden. My go-to place, just to ponder.
Miss Jean Fritchley laid the foundation of my walk with the Lord, encouraged me to sing in the choir, and drew out a talent for singing I still use today. At a revival meeting at RTMC, I gave my life to the Lord at sixteen.
Rev. Theodore Williams, Mrs. Esther Williams, and Pastor Vinay Moses all contributed to my spiritual formation. Both my sister and I were married at RTMC. All three of us were confirmed.
I wonder sometimes what my life would have been without the foundation RTMC gave me from such a young age.
God forever bless this dear church.
~150 words
“I wonder sometimes what my life would have been without the foundation RTMC gave me from such a young age.”
Dr. Edwin Stephen
Member 1982–2024
My journey with RTMC began in 1982 when my brother Benjamin and I joined Baldwin Boys as boarders, walking from the hostel to church each Sunday. During one of those evening services, as an eighth-grader listening to Rev. Theodore Williams preach, I surrendered my life to Christ.
Mentors who followed left strong foundations: Mr. Ravi Arthur, Joel Francis, Franky, Sunitha and Sunil Gokavi, and Doc and Aunty of the Praise Singers. My wife Serina and I were married at RTMC on 11th April 1994, with Rev. R.G. Soans, Pastor Michael Peppin, and Pastor Arun Andrews presiding. Our children Tanya and Chris were dedicated in this sanctuary.
My father helped install the steeple bell in the new building. My mother sang in the choir and worshiped faithfully until her home-calling. Both now stand in glory.
RTMC shaped us in ways that will endure long after we are gone.
~150 words
Danny & Christina
Members 2018–2024
RTMC was the first church that, as a couple, we grew very fond of and deeply attached to. We loved being nourished by the word of God. We enjoyed the fellowship of believers from different backgrounds. We made friends for life.
We had an opportunity to serve, and space to mess up, experiment and learn. We had long engaging discussions and learnt to handle disagreements. We had co-partners to work together and share God’s love to those who haven’t heard of Him.
We had a family come quickly and assist us when one of us had an emergency hospital visit. We had people to call and vent or lament in the middle of the night.
We were deeply loved.
It was in RTMC that God taught us how deeply He loves His church. He showed us that every detail of a Sunday service matters to Him, and through this, He taught us to value and care for His church more deeply.
This is a lesson we carry with us to the place where He has sent us, along with the love and memories of all our dear friends from RTMC.
~150 words
“We were deeply loved.”
✞
TWENTY-TWO VOICES. ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS. ONE STORY.
Richmond Town Methodist Church • Bangalore • 1875–2025
