PROF. P. P. THOMAS – ANOINTED TO SERVE

At 1 a.m. on 27th September 2019, Prof. P. P. THOMAS passed away to heaven, to be with our Lord Jesus Christ, whom he loved and served faithfully until his last breath. His funeral service was held on 30 September 2019.

Born with the gift for one-to-one relationships, Prof. P P Thomas loved to be with people. The various disciplines in which he underwent training viz. Philosophy, Psychology, English Literature and Theology showed his interest in human nature.

His career in North India was as a teacher in Nepali Bible School, Gorakhpur and as lecturer in the Department of Philosophy and Psychology, St. John’s College, Agra, and English Language and Literature at three colleges in Kerala (St. Thomas College, Kozhencherry, B. A. M. College, Thuruthicad and Mar Thoma College, Tiruvalla – all in Kerala State, India).

This gave him an opportunity to live in close association with students. He knew the problems of young people first hand – he became a friend to them as he listened to them and talked to them. He enjoyed helping people acquire skills in Inductive Bible Study Method; also in facilitating two local weekly Bible Study Groups in book by book study.

In 1979 during an assignment to teach counseling to church workers Thomas found the scarcity of books on the subject in India. A friend coming from Canada brought him four books and one of them was ‘Counseling with the mind of Christ’ by Charles R Solomon, of Grace Fellowship International.

As has been his habit, he wrote an appreciation to Dr. Solomon. On Solomon’s invitation Thomas underwent Counselor Training with GFI in Denver USA in 1982.

He became convinced of the need for an organization in India to concentrate on healing the emotional problems and needs of people.

Added impetus for the need of an organization was felt in a counseling seminar that he conducted in South India. The participants in the seminar had experience in Christian work among students and they encouraged him to start an organization. The Grace Counseling India was formed in 1982.

Courtesy:

Information: Grace Counseling India

Frame: Google Images