About Us
Our Purpose
We have come together to worship and spread the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in our community and throughout the world. We choose to be a model congregation worshipping in the Church of South India (CSI) tradition and to uphold the motto and ideals of the CSI - "That they all may be one."
The Early Years
The formation of the Hudson Valley Congregation was the result of the humble prayers of a few families worshipping at the CSI Malayalam Congregation of Greater New York, then at Woodhaven, NY, who wished to have a place of worship closer to their homes in Westchester and the Hudson Valley. Therefore, a unanimous decision was taken to establish a new congregation closer to those dwelling in the northern and western suburbs of New York City. After 26 years, the growth and unity of the Congregation proves that it was under a divine plan.
Our Congregation was formally inaugurated on Sunday, April 10, 1994 during a Special Worship Service at the West Center Congregational Church UCC, Bronxville, NY. After the formation, people who have roots in Church of South India denomination, but were not regularly attending CSI worship due to the distance and other constraints, became part of this Congregation.
Fellowships
SUNDAY SCHOOL
From the beginning, our congregation recognized the need for quality Christian education for our children. Therefore, the Sunday School was organized immediately after the congregation was established under the leadership of Mrs. Shanthi Sam, our first Sunday School Superintendent.
CHOIR
The choir was organized within a year of our founding under the leadership of Mr. Arun Andrews Punnen, our Choirmaster. The choir was formally dedicated by Bishop Sam Mathew in August 1995. Our organists have been Mr. Sam Kuruvilla, Ms. Julie Ipe, Mr. Aji Sam Mathew (Roshan), Carol Kuruvilla and our current orgnists Sanjeev Oommen and Alexis Koshy
YOUTH FELLOWSHIP
We have an active and growing Youth Fellowship in our church. They are regularly conducting Bible Studies, Praise and Worship Nights, and participate in various programs hosted by the neighboring parishes as well as the other CSI churches in the metropolitan region. They also participate in various charitable events such as the "Souper Bowl of Caring" and fund-raisers to benefit charities such as the Midnight Run, Salvation Army, and the United Church of Christ Wider Ministries. They have also contributed funds to build a house for a poor family to live in Kerala, India under the 'Shalom Housing project' of the Madhya Kerala Diocese in 1999. This generous donation was given to the Bishop on the day when ten of them were confirmed. They are also sponsoring a small girl's education and upbringing in Uganda since 2000 through Feed the Children International.
WOMEN'S FELLOWSHIP
The Women's Fellowship is very active in our church and they conduct Bible Study classes, Fasting prayer meetings, and retreats regularly. They have helped various charitable projects here, as well as back in Kerala including sponsoring the education of a girl child in India.
LAITY FELLOWSHIP:
The Laity Fellowship was formed in 2000 for the spiritual needs and development of our lay leaders, both men and women. They conduct the bible study meeting at 10:45 AM every Sunday before the worship service. They also meet on the fourth Sunday of every month. They also lead the weekly teleconference prayer meetings where church members come together over-the-phone to pray for the needs of our church and our world.