M E Cherian: A Little Man with Great Faith, Love & Hope

(1917-1993)
A Little Man with Great Faith,
A little Man with Great love for the Lord's work,
A Little Man with Great Hope

School Days

As a young boy, Cherian was sent to the only primary school in Kuriannoor. He was the best student in his school. His teachers and other students loved him very much as he was an obedient and well-mannered boy. After the completion of his fourth standard, his parents sent him to the Pullad Middle School. There, he passed his 7th standard Malayalam exam which was the Public Exam (or board exam) in those days. Those who passed 7th standard could attend the Teachers' Training program after which they could teach primary classes. As they didn't have much money, his father wanted to send him for the Teachers' Training course. But his mother wanted to send him for higher education because he was very good in his studies. So he was sent to Tiruvalla for his Malayalam 9th class. There, he stayed with a Marthomite family. They loved him very much because of his good character. Every Friday, he would walk 15 to 20 kilometers to his house in Kurianoor to attend the cottage meeting and Sunday worship meeting. On Monday morning, he would walk back to Tiruvalla. He was very eager to spend time with God and his people. At the age of fifteen, he passed the Malayalam Higher exam. It was like doing a degree (B.Sc., BA, B.Com) in those days and was very difficult too. But he depended on the Lord and he passed the exam. His father was very happy and wanted him to get a job so that he could support the family. When he applied at the school for a job as a teacher, the manager was hesitant to offer a job at first because of his young age and short stature. However, he finally got a job as a teacher in the school.

One day, there was an inspection going on in the school. After the inspector completed his rounds, he had one complaint. He told the Headmaster that there was no teacher in one of the class rooms. The headmaster was confused. Suddenly he realized the problem! He replied that the shortest boy in that class was the teacher! There was loud laughter and from then on, Cherian was known as 'kochu sir' (short teacher). In his free time, Cherian enjoyed reading the newspaper, writing songs and singing loudly.

Re-birth

M.E.Cherian used to go to the Brethren assembly along with his family. He lived a very good and pleasing life. At the age of nine, he attended a convention at Kumbanad. Cherian was a good listener and made notes of the messages delivered there. A special program was arranged for the children during the convention. A foreign missionary named Stones was taking classes for the children. He was speaking from John 1:12 which says, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name”. The missionary was talking about 'Eternal punishment and the Love of God'. The preacher explained that the love of God will take us into Eternity with God. During the retreat, the Spirit of God was speaking to Cherian about sin and eternal hell and how the blood of Jesus Christ can cleanse us from sin. Upon hearing this, the love of Jesus was leading him towards God. That day he accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Savior and Lord.

Cherian got totally changed. He became a new person. Later on, one of his roommates said that Cherian never complained about any thing. Instead, he sat and sang songs or prayed for his needs. He was always happy.

He liked to travel with his father, sharing the gospel and talking about Jesus Christ. He also used to encourage his fellow teachers to join him in presenting the gospel. One day, a group of three brethren arranged an open-air meeting in front of a shop in Kozhencherry. Evg. T. K. Thomas asked V.P. Jacob to preach the gospel in English. They wondered who would translate the message into Malayalam. M.E. Cherian silently prayed and came forward to translate the message. This was his first experience as a translator. Cherian was willing to do anything for God.

Marriage

Since he had a job, several people brought marriage proposals for him. But it was not easy for him to find a suitable girl due to his low income and short stature. Finally, there was a proposal for a girl named Mariamma. She was studying for the Malayalam higher education. When Cherian went to see her, she was hiding behind the door. As soon as they met, they liked each other.

Cherian asked her, “Are you willing to marry me just because I am a teacher? I may not continue this. When I get a call from God, I will resign and become an Evangelist. Are you willing to become the wife of an Evangelist?” Immediately she replied; “I am willing and want to be a partner in the Gospel work”. Within a few days they got married and started living a victorious Christian life.

Founder of Y. M. E. F.

Cherian liked his job very much and was a dedicated teacher. At the same time his desire was to do something for his Master. He loved to sing: “I will serve the Lord till my last breath” - “anthyashwasam pomvare than velacheyyum njaan, Thruppada seva cheyyum njaan.”

In those days there was a Christian fellowship named Y.M.C.A (Young Men's Christian Association) which consisted of elderly people from all the churches. Cherian joined their group as a member. They used to arrange gospel trips, house visits, open air meetings, tract distribution, etc. but that was conducted only once in a year. They were more interested in social work. Cherian was the only young man among them. One day, a thought came to Cherian's mind: “Why don't we start a men's fellowship for the spiritual edification of the youth?”

After days and nights of prayer, he decided to discuss the matter with his close friends, they decided to have a meeting with older spiritual men to discuss about it. The meeting was on 14th June 1941 at 8 pm at Kuriannoor Brethren Assembly. About 10 believers attended and spent a lot of time in prayer. During the meeting, Cherian shared the need of a Young Men's fellowship. In his message he mentioned that there were a lot of villages waiting to hear the gospel. In those days the gospel work was carried out mainly by foreign missionaries. All those assembled there agreed with his proposal and decided to start a fellowship for the youth. They named it 'Y.M.E.F.' (Young Men's Evangelical Fellowship). This was started to encourage the Youth and spread the Gospel throughout India and all over the world.

Since then, many youth camps, gospel rallies and open air meetings have been organized under the banner of Y.M.E.F. M.E. Cherian wrote more than a hundred songs for the growth and edification of the youth. Today, Y.M.E.F has spread to all the states of India, the Gulf and many other countries. God used 'Kochu sir' for the establishment of Y.M.E.F all through the world.

A Desire for Gospel Work

As a boy, Cherian used to go to Sunday school. As soon as he learned to read, he finished reading the Bible within a few months. He was very eager to know the truths of the Bible. He also organized a prayer group at school. He used to travel with his father for gospel work and often shared his testimony and thoughts from the Bible. He started teaching the Sunday school children. But he had a desire to go for full-time ministry. Even while teaching, he often thought of leaving his job and going for full-time ministry. One Thursday, he decided to leave school and go back home. He planned to send his resignation letter after reaching home. He packed all his belongings in a trunk and walked around 30 km to his home. As he began his journey, he was excited about what he was going to do. However, while walking, he was disturbed by various thoughts concerning his future. The main questions that bothered him were where and how to start the gospel work. By the time he reached home, he was very tired, both mentally and physically. His father was surprised to see him early. Normally, he used to reach home on Friday evening or Saturday. His father asked, “Why did you come early this week?” M.E.C replied, “I just wanted to see you both.” Since he was not fully prepared to make a commitment, he went back to school the next day. Then he took a decision not to go for Gospel work unless God clearly called him. He continued teaching for seven more years.

Call for Gospel work

One Sunday afternoon at the Kumbanadu Brethren Convention, the great poet and preacher K.V. Simon was speaking about the need of Gospel work among the youth. MEC was sitting in the front row and was listening to the message. The preacher pointed at MEC and said that if this Kochu Sir was willing to come out for God's work, God would surely look after him and use him.” At that moment, all the doubts that MEC had were cleared. He was sure without a doubt that God has called him for His work. He decided to obey God's call and submitted his resignation the next day. His manager asked him to rethink his decision. But MEC stood firm. It was in October 1943. He decided to go to Madurai which is known even today as the temple city of Tamil Nadu. The Second World War was at its peak. There was scarcity of food everywhere. M.E.C resigned his job when getting a job was very difficult. Being the eldest earning member of the family, it was a shock when his family heard the news of his resignation. His mother was worried about his future. His father who was an evangelist comforted her saying, 'Our God is great and He will look after him.'

Journey to the Temple City After resigning his job, MEC spent two weeks in his home town. Even though many people said he did a foolish thing by resigning his job, his wife, parents and a few of his spiritual brethren remained his great encouragement. He planned a gospel tour with three fellow brethren to Tamil Nadu. A few people gathered in the assembly hall for the send-off meeting. His father prayed for journey mercies and his mother gave a small packet of coins which amounted to less than a rupee. He comforted his wife with a promise that he would return as soon as possible and take her with him after finding a house in Tamil Nadu. After kissing them goodbye, he started his journey from Kurianoor to Tamil Nadu.

Madurai is the second-largest city in Tamil Nadu after Madras. It's also known as Temple city. The Meenakshi Temple and Tirumalanaaykkal palace are the main attractions to tourists. Naaykkar and Naadaar were the two main tribes in Madurai. All of them were idol worshippers. There were many textile mills. The literacy rate was high as there were many educational institutes in Madurai. The temples, climate, food, lifestyle and languages were a new experience for the men who came from Kerala to share the Word of God.

On October 13, 1943, MEC and a few fellow brethren reached Madurai. In those days MEC could speak only Malayalam. Kochumathai translated MEC's messages to Tamil. Soon two more evangelists from Kerala joined them. As they didn't have enough money, they found it difficult to rent a house for their stay in Madurai. At last they got a place through the YMCA. But the next day itself God enabled them to shift to Mankkamaal Inn. From there they traveled from street to street to share the Gospel of God.

They shared the gospel through open-air meetings and tract distribution. Within two weeks, they were able to go to all the streets and share the gospel. They rented a house for MEC and returned to Kerala. Within a short period, MEC was able to bring his wife to Madurai as promised.

Living for His Master

MEC was the first Malayalee missionary to work out of Kerala. He didn't get any support from any of his brethren. He looked to God alone for his daily needs. MEC wrote a song which said “I put my trust in Jesus, so I am blessed.” “Asrayam Yesuvil ennathinaal, bhaagyavaan njaan bhaagyavaan njaan.” He decided not to tell anybody except the Lord of his needs, even if he and his family had to starve for the sake of the Gospel. This was his prayer “Lord, every morning I come to Thy throne of grace for help. What I brought yesterday has finished and I have nothing for my family today. Father, You know better than me what my needs are, so provide for me in your will.”

MEC didn't know Tamil. So the team arranged a brother named Mathai to stay with him and teach him Tamil. Mr. Mathai brought his wife and three children along with him to Madurai. They stayed with MEC in a small house. They decided to sell the booklet “Way of Salvation” (rakshippin vazhri) in the streets for 2 paisa (2 cash) for their living. Within six months, MEC was able to speak and give messages in Tamil after which Mr. Mathai and his family returned to Kerala.

MEC was even offered a chance to manage an orphanage, which would have meant leaving Madurai, albeit for a better place of accommodation; this offer was put aside when MEC realised that Madurai was where he was called to work.

Establishment of Work

MEC stayed in rented houses in different locations of Madurai with his family. Finally they rented a house in a street called '172 West Masi Street' for the sake of gospel. Many souls came to the Lord. MEC knew that it is essential to have their own land and building for the establishment of assembly works there. He started praying this matter with the saints over there. Soon he received an envelope without disclosing the name of the sender. But it was clearly mentioned in the letter that the amount should be used only for buying a land for the church building. That was a clear guidance from God and they could experience the magnificent provisions of God for His children. Thus a building was constructed with two rooms attached to stay. New souls came to the Lord and they began attending the assembly meetings joyfully.

Madurai Bible School

MEC's greatest desire was that God's Word should reach every corner of Tamil Nadu. He also wanted to establish new assemblies. In 1956, he started a Bible School in Madurai. The aim of the school was to teach youth from the Word of God and equip those who had a concern for perishing souls. He wanted to send them to different parts of Tamil Nadu to share the Gospel.

So, he rented a house in West Masi Street. It had two small rooms and a small hall. MEC, his wife, four sons and three daughters stayed in one room and the remaining house was used as the 'Madurai Bible School'. The students used the hall as their dormitory. MEC's wife Mariyamma cooked for her family as well as the Bible school students. As the students increased day by day, it became difficult to accommodate all of them together. So He prayed to God to provide a bigger place for them. God answered their prayer and enabled them to buy a plot of land. There, they constructed a building and named it 'Bible Bhavan'.

Starting of Suvisheshakan Bala Sangam

MEC enjoyed reading the newspaper and used to read the Malayalam Manorama from the time he was small. But he was not able to read the Malayalam news in Madurai. So he made arrangements with the postal department to send him the Malayalam Manorama daily. Whenever he received the paper, he would first look at the children's section. He noticed that, while there were many opportunities for children to develop themselves in the secular world, there was nothing in the spiritual world. He remembered Mathew 19:14 in which Jesus said, “…Let the little children come to me, do not hinder them for the kingdom of God belong to such as these”.

As a teacher, MEC liked children very much and wanted to do something useful for them. However, he didn't want to commit to this because he knew that his calling was to be an evangelist. But at the same time, he wanted to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ among the children and also give them opportunities at an early age to develop their natural talents in the spiritual realm. So he prayed and planned to start a magazine named PITHAL. In those days, one had to get approval from the Government if they wanted to start a magazine. Due to the Second World War, there was a scarcity of paper, and the government did not give permission to start the Magazine “PITHAL”. But he continued to pray that God would make a way.

In 1953, with the help of Br. P.K. Mathews and Br. C.V. Samuel, he started a Magazine named Suvesheshakan (Evangelist). In this publication, there were always a few pages with activities and articles for children. In the first edition, he wrote about his desire for children. He stated: “If we light a candle in one room it will give a little light. But if we light ten, it will give enough light. In the same way, we want to start a Suvisheshakan Balasangam (SBS) with the help of your talents”. That was the beginning of the Suvisheshakan Balasangam. Students began registering for it from different parts of Kerala. As the numbers increased, the children began coming together to have fellowship with many kinds of programs. MEC's brother T.E. Easow was a great help in all these matters. One day, a man named T.K. Yohanan brought his sick son John Kurien for treatment at Madurai. Unfortunately, John died at Madurai. He had been an active member in the Suviseshakan Balasangam and had accepted Jesus Christ through it. He had the great hope that he would be with the Lord forever. So his parents decided to support Suvisheshakan Balasangam. They gave 100 rupees which was a big amount in those days. It helped them to start a general camp.

In 1959, the first camp of Suvisheshakan Balasangam started at Kallisery. It played a great role in moulding the young ones to excel in the spiritual field. Today, it is well established in India and throughout the world. There are thousands of youngsters all over the world giving out the light of Jesus Christ just because of the light they received from SBS and VBS.

Father to His Children

MEC had eight children – five boys and three girls. He brought them all up in the fear of the Lord. Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.” This was one verse that he practiced. He loved and cared for his children but also disciplined them when necessary.

Later, one of his sons shared an incident in his testimony. MEC had kept some money in his shaving kit. Later on, when he went to look for that money, it was not there. He called his youngest son, Thomas, and asked him gently, “Son, where is that money?”Thomas replied, “I don't know” When MEC started spanking him, Thomas confessed that he had taken the money. One of his guests was watching them. Later on, he asked MEC why he had beaten his child. MEC replied that if he had not punished him at that time, Thomas would repeat it again and make his father ashamed. This is why he corrected his son immediately.

MEC had a printing press so that Christian magazines could be printed without any hindrances. It was called SUVISESHAKAN press. Many magazines in different languages are still printed there.

MEC knew that people enjoy listening to songs and that they would be helpful in his ministry too. God had given his children the ability to sing. He wanted to use this for the glory of God. This desire grew in his heart, and in 1979 he started a group called 'Happy Melody.' MEC could truly say “As for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”

Death of His Beloved Wife

Behind the success of every man is a woman. This was true in MEC's life. His wife Mariamma Cherian was a godly woman who supported him with her prayers. There are many incidents during which she exercised her faith in God.

One of their sons had small pox when he was about 1 ½ years old. In those days it was a dangerous and often fatal disease. The Health inspector heard about it and came to take the baby to the hospital. MEC was not at home and his wife didn't have enough money with her. She also knew that if the baby was taken to the hospital, he might not come back safely. So she kept her baby on her lap and prayed to the Lord. The All-powerful God healed him, and even today he is actively contributing to the Lord's ministry.

As MEC was away from home most of the time doing the Lord's work, his wife had the great responsibility to look after their eight children, take care of their health, studies, and spiritual matters. There were days when she didn't have enough money to buy provisions for the family. Without murmuring, she would kneel down and ask for help from above. She was the best helpmeet and partner for MEC. In every circumstance she would say “Don't worry; be courageous; God will provide for us.” It comforted MEC a lot. She also was a good sister and friend to those who came to her for help. She served the Lord and His children whole heartedly. She was a great mother to their children.

After living for 42 years together, she was called back to the eternal home.

M E Cherian's Contributions in Christian literature

M E Cherian is widely known in Christian circles even today for his songs and the influence he made on the way the Christians worship especially in the south of India. Because MEC devoted his life to God, the Lord used him in many ways.

MEC was a man of prayer. He enjoyed spending time with the Lord and His Word, in personal Bible study and Evangelism. One of the verses that thrilled his soul was 1 Cor. 15:58 in which Paul says, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”

This was his greatest desire: to work more and more for the Lord and not spend his time in vain. He was a gifted public speaker and God sent him to various parts of the world with the Gospel and Bible truths. His contributions to the world were many. Some of them are mentioned here.

As A Poet

He was a poet and used to write poems even in his childhood. Once while watching his lazy younger brothers he recited: “Kappakku chikkedo, pullu pariyedo Ellaarum ingngane ninnitaathe” Which can be translated as - go do your work and do not stand idle. And this is how it began. His creative mind, vocabulary and godliness helped him to write more poems. These were later published as three volumes named "Vaanoli", "Paadathe Praavu" and "Makane Varu". Through his poetry, both the spiritual and secular world had access to many spiritual truths.

Songs Out of Life Experiences

Songs play an important role in everybody's life. They give peace, comfort, and happiness. MEC started writing songs at the age of 20. He wrote more than 300 songs both in Malayalam and Tamil which have given comfort, courage and strength to different people in diverse circumstances like marriage, sorrow, troublesome days, sickness, and even at the time of death bed. He was able to see the hand of God in all situations and was able to communicate this through song. Almost all his songs are famous and are still sung today.

Contribution to the World of Prose

He presented 11 literatures to the spiritual world. His writing was simple so that everyone could read and understand it. His articles were focused, showed his knowledge of the truth, and his vision. He often used his own life experiences in his articles as well. It usually speaks to the mind. His first article was “Church and churches”; not about the churches like Brethren, Pentecost, Marthoma Catholic or CSI but referring to the “called out ones” or group of saved ones.

As an Evangelist

MEC was an evangelist and an elder of the local assembly. As an evangelist he travelled to many places. He visited almost all the states of India and a few places outside India too. He had many interesting experiences. Once, while on a missionary tour to Dallas from New York, one of his suitcases with his passport, return ticket, Bible and all other travelling documents got exchanged with a similar bag. There were only 15 minutes left for his flight to leave New York. When he explained his problem to the police officers, they told him that somebody on a flight to Athens may have taken his bag. There were more than 300 travelers in that flight. The officers took him there and told him to find his bag. There were only ten minutes left for his flight. “One of you has taken my bag. Please give it back to me as I have a flight to Dallas in five minutes. Please help me”, he requested the passengers. The police officers told him “Sir, all these people are Greek. They probably do not know English. They will not follow what you say.”

MEC then cried out to God, “God, please help me. I don't know Greek. Don't forget me. Please help me”. Suddenly one old lady came near to him with his bag and apologized. He was filled with joy so he said, “Praise the Lord; Halleluiah!” a couple of times with a loud voice. Suddenly four travelers surrounded him and said, “Halleluiah!” and asked him “crishyan? crishyan?” (“Christian? Christian?”) MEC replied “Yes, Christian.” They kissed him and shook his hand. Everybody applauded. MEC also said “Halleluiah!” in a loud voice and rushed to catch his flight.

The End of A Little Man

“My days are numbered” was the usual phrase of MEC in the year 1993. “Just as the candle burns brighter before it burns out, MEC wanted his life to give more light those days, before it ended.” This was his desire. He also did not want to be bedridden but be active doing the Lord's work till the last minute of his life.

On August 18 he came back from his trip to the USA. More than 100 fellow believers and family members were waiting to receive him at the airport. He returned and then went to see his eldest daughter in law – Susi, who was admitted due to the fourth stage of cancer. At her death bed he prayed to God that “God please take my life and give life to my daughter.” God healed her and she could live for more than 10 years.

Those days whoever met him would remark that he was growing younger. In fact, he was more energetic and excited to do the Lord's work. At this time he wrote a song saying, “Enikkundoru puthan paattu paadaan”, which translates to “I have a new song to sing”.

He was eagerly waiting for his eternal home. September 20-26 was one of the happiest weeks in MEC's life. The Tamil Nadu Gospel workers' conference was going on. All who were gathered were filled with joy. They had a big rally to share the gospel of God in the city. MEC walked halfway and then traveled by jeep. He was going to complete his 50th year of Gospel work at Madurai. He had started a worship meeting with three men, and it had grown to a great multitude. So everybody, especially MEC, wanted to arrange a thanksgiving service, and he wanted all his children and grandchildren, relatives, and believers from Tamil Nadu and Kerala to be there and participate in that meeting. He wanted to start an English worship meeting and on September 26th it started at Madurai Bible School. The light in him glowed brighter these days.

October 2nd is an important day in Indian history. Mahatma Gandhi, the father of our nation was born on that day. MEC woke up at 5 o'clock and began his routine of prayer, meditation and writing. At 6, he came for family prayer in the front room. After breakfast he went to the Bible school and took classes there. He came back home for lunch after which he went to MuthukuLaththur Bible class. It was 100 kilometers from Madurai. On the way he felt uneasy but continued on and reached there at 5 pm. He wore his white shirt and mundu that he usually wore only on Sundays. Everybody came for the meeting. He was reading the Bible portion as the last preparation of study. Suddenly he had a chest pain and fell backwards on his cot. There his earthly life ended and his spirit went to the Lord his Master.

Both of his desires were satisfied

Thousands and thousands of people all throughout the world gathered to give MEC a final farewell. Even today, his life is speaking and encouraging us through various ministries in which he was involved. His songs, writings, and messages and even this children's ministry still encourage us in our Christian life.

If you are a child of God, God has a special plan for your life. Find out what it is and live your life for His glory. May His name be glorified.

-Susan Sam Joy

It originally appeared in the Harvest Times magazine's November 2015, December 2015, January 2016 issue.