St Andrew’s Church celebrates 200 years, members share evolution of congregation

When David Appasamy moved to Chennai from Pune in 1989, he visited the St Andrew’s Church, Egmore, for a service. The first thing that struck him was the beauty that the church held with its Georgian architecture constructed in the 1800s. Soon he joined the church’s congregation. Over the last 30 years, Appasamy has worshipped at the now 200-year church and seen its evolution.

Now, however, the church is not just a place of worship but of companionship and support, says Appasamy, recalling the early days of his time in Chennai. “We are a part of the fellowship of the church. In the early days, this was a space of support for us to familiarise ourselves with the city. But soon, it became family – my wife had suffered a serious accident while I had been out of town. Women from the church took shifts to look after her while she was in the hospital. We became family bound by the blood of Christ,” said the 63-year-old.

The St Andrew’s Church, called The Kirk in Scottish, completed 200 years of continuous service on February 25, 2021. Built in 1821, a time where the city was not as developed, the congregation was small, primarily Scottish during the early part of the century. As the years passed, there was an increasing need to cater to the growing population of the city.

“For the most part, the Church manages its affairs with just one Presbyter. As the ministries of the church expanded significantly over the last 10 years, the need for an Asst Presbyter was felt. While the Presbyter oversees the spiritual affairs of the main Church, Asst Presbyter provides leadership for the outreach initiatives of the Church. Today, in addition to the two Presbyters, we also have five Tamil and Hindi pastors catering to the outreach churches around Chennai,” said Dulip Thangasamy, Secretary of the Kirk Session.

On the 200th anniversary, a Thanksgiving Service was held and a Bicentennial Commemorative Book was released, following the pandemic restrictions. “Today, the congregation of over 500 families is involved with and supports many ministries that make a difference to the sick, the poor and the marginalised in the city and beyond. We are celebrating the congregation that has worshipped here and served God over these 200 hundred years, making a difference to the lives of the people in the community,” said Rev Isaac Johnson, Presbyter of St Andrew’s Church.