A LONG VIEW
Sixty-Five Years at Richmond Town
Dr. JSC Fredrick traces a journey from 1960 to the present day
By Dr. Fredrick • Member, RTMC 1960 onward • Now worshipping at Indiranagar Methodist Church
My journey at Richmond Town Methodist Church began in 1960. My brother, the late Rev. Isaiah Victor, was already worshipping there and invited me to an evening service. We walked in and heard Rev. J.T. Seamands and Rev. David Seamands — the two brothers who were then our pastors — playing the trombone and organ. The music was captivating. Then Rev. J.T. Seamands preached from Hebrews 2:3: “How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?” He explained the verse and said there was no adequate English equivalent for the Kannada Atyanta Vishesha Rakshane. I made a commitment. Little did I realise that my journey of faith had begun.
My faith grew through the sound teaching and preaching of those years. I was confirmed into the church alongside about thirty-five other young people during the time of Pastor Schneck and Pastor Heins. Pastor Schneck was soft-spoken, full of kindness and compassion — a man of action who would come to Wilson Garden Methodist Church, change his attire, and join the young people in physically carrying materials for building the Wilson Garden Church parsonage. His humility left a mark on all of us.
The Youth Fellowship and What It Produced
The youth fellowship met weekly, challenged by speakers and teachers to become involved in the church’s ministry. We visited the Eventide Home for senior citizens, the Friend in Need Society, and The Little Sisters of the Poor. We conducted Easter Sunrise Services and took chapel services at Bishop Cotton Boys’ School. We also produced Youth in the Limelight, a fifteen-minute radio programme recorded at FEBA Studios and sponsored by the church.
We went on annual youth camps. One at Quiet Corner, at the foothills of Ooty, drew nearly sixty young people and saw many make commitments to faith. Thirteen of us from RTMC went on a work camp to Danta in South Gujarat to clean, paint, and build a road at a mission hospital. Six others went to Bombay for a week, singing in schools and colleges and sharing their testimonies. When I look at those young people today, they are all fully involved in some form of ministry. I praise God for that.
“The seed that was sown during those years took root. My faith grew through the very sound teaching and preaching of the Word of God.”
— Dr. Fredrick
Pastor Theodore Williams and the Years of Growth
During the years of Pastor Fred Gokavi, Pastor Sampath Kumar, Pastor Theodore Williams, and Pastor Vinay Kumar Moses, the church’s ministry continued to deepen. When Pastor Theodore Williams took over, I served as Lay Leader. I still remember the After-Dinner Song Service, held once a month after the evening service, which drew talented people from across the city to sing, play, and share their testimonies.
I had the privilege of working closely with Rev. Theodore Williams for five years between 1972 and 1977. He was an excellent Bible expositor: methodical, systematic, and disciplined. His messages on the Book of Acts, the Psalms, and Revelation were highlights of his teaching ministry. The church grew by leaps and bounds during his time. He was also the founder of the Indian Evangelical Mission, and through his influence the mission conferences at RTMC became an annual fixture, drawing representatives from mission agencies across India to share their work.
During the 1975 centenary celebrations, Rev. Dr. Theodore Williams and Pastor Dr. Sam Kamaleson ministered every evening for a full week. I had the privilege of being part of that celebration — and now, fifty years later, I have the privilege of being part of the 150th.
I was married in 1974. Rev. Theodore Williams solemnised our wedding, and my wife Pam has been a constant support through everything that followed: the Bible studies, the prayer meetings, the home groups, and the years of ministry. I thank God for her.
The Great Commission Corps and Church Extension
During Rev. Theodore Williams’s time, the Great Commission Corps was established — home Bible study groups across the city, led by trained lay people. I was asked to take charge of two: one in Rajajinagar at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Sundaramony, and another in Jayanagar at the home of Mr. and Mrs. John. It was a great learning experience: receiving the teaching from the pastor on Sunday and then going out to share it with others through the week.
That outreach impulse bore lasting fruit. In 1975, Pastor Williams and I were present when the first congregation in Indiranagar began — in a garage. Today, Indiranagar Methodist Church is one of the largest congregations in the city. Later, Neegal Noronha and I had the privilege of starting the congregation in Koramangala, in the home of Ken Gnanakan. Pastors Robin Paul, Soanes, Ravi Joseph, and Vinay Moses supported that early work. That congregation too has grown into a large independent church.
Many of our young people went on to the Union Biblical Seminary during this period: Albert Davis and his brother David Davis, Paul Mohan, Robin Paul, Joyce Isaac, Prakash George, Niranjan Noronha, and others. Today they serve the Lord in various capacities across the country.
May I end with the challenge with which Rev. Theodore Williams would have ended:
“The Great Commission is not finished. There are areas of Bangalore where there is no church. Pray, ask the Lord what He wants you to do, and move on.”
