Church – Dr Mathew Koshy Punnackadu

Church

Dr.Mathew Koshy Punnackad is a Green Church Campaigner since 1990. With his initiative, Kerala Council of Churches instituted a commission for Ecological Concerns. He was the first Convener of the Ecological Commission of KCC. CSI Madhya Kerala Diocese established an Ecological Committee in 1998, and Dr.Mathew Koshy Punnackad was the Convener till 2008. CSI Madhya Kerala Diocese celebrated the ten-year inception of the ecological Committee in 2008 with an International Eco Conference in 2008.

CSI Synod constituted an Ecological Committee in 1992. Prof. Edwin Chandrasekharan, head of environmental Science of Bishop Heber College, was the Convener of the ecological Committee. They met several times and drafted some proposals to make the Church Green. As there was no serious ecological crisis, most of the Church leaders and the congregation didn’t give due seriousness for the warnings given by the Ecological Committee. Rev.Prem Mitra and Ms Jessie Jeyakaran were active during that time. In 2002, Bishop George Issac became the Chairman of ecological Committee, and he entrusted the work of compiling all the proposals and eco theological works earlier committees into a book. He collected all the materials available and edited it and published it as a book ‘Reconciling with Nature’. Bishop George Isaac in his introduction to the book mentioned, “… unless these concerns get into the very stream of our theological thinking through Bible studies, worship etc. we cannot gain any ground of progress in this area. …… I record my deep appreciation for the able editorial work undertaken  voluntarily by Prof. Dr.Mathew Koshy a vibrant member of the Synod Ecological Concerns Committee for this biennium 2002-2003…”  Fifty copies of the book were sent to each diocese for study. As per the demand from various quarters, the Committee translated the book into Telugu, Kannada, Tamil and Malayalam. It gave a great eco-theological awakening for the CSI in all the dioceses. Then he could edit another book  God is Green, ecological ministry of CSI Past, present and future. Since then he has been serving in the ecological Committee as the member or Convener or the Honorary Director. In 2009, the UNDP has honoured the CSI with an eco award while he was in charge of the ecological wing of CSI.  Dr.Mathew Koshy Punnackadu initiated so many eco-programmes like Green Parish Award, Green home award, Green School award, Ecological conventions, Environmental Rally, Rain Water Harvesting projects, Environmental day celebrations, Ecological Sunday, Plastic-free campus, Eco- VBS training, massive Planting of trees, Eco- clubs in School, Eco bible study programmes, publishing of Eco-literatures, model vegetable garden and Eco- church architecture. He has initiated the idea of Earth Bible Sermons, Green Parables, Green Miracles and the Green School programme in CSI. In 2019, Dr.Mathew Koshy Punnackadu has been invited by UNEP to address the fourth Environmental Assembly held at Nairobi.  Dr.Mathew Koshy Punnackad has been visiting  the dioceses to motivate them for a Green Church. All the dioceses are having eco directors and ecological committees. It became a faith movement, and all the Bishops and Clergy are giving leadership in eco-activities.  An article about the Eco-Ministry of the Church of South India (nominated for the 2019 UNESCO-Japan Prize on ESD by World Council of Churches, an NGO in official partnership with UNESCO) was published on the UNESCO website as a good practice real-life story on Education for Sustainable Development:  https://en.unesco.org/news/church-led-eco-ministry-spreads-sustainable-environmental-education-southern-india

The ecological activities done as per the motivation  of Dr.Mathew Koshy Punnackad can be seen in the following videos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lteiAOKJx-U            (1918)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OR5Cg637CsY         (2020)

Dr.Mathew Koshy Punnackadu has initiated the Green School/College Programme in CSI. He has been motivating the Schools and Colleges of  CSI to practice Green Protocol. The following videos will show the results of his work.

CMSLP School, Ennooramvayal, Pathanamthitta, under the Madhya Kerala Diocese won  the First Prize for the Green School programme video presentation organised by the CSI Synod Ecological Concerns under the title’How Green is my School/College?’. This award and the other prizes for the colleges were distributed during the International Eco- Conference held at the CSI Synod Centre from 1st to 4th August 2019. The results and the links to the prize-winning documentaries are given below.

School Level
First Prize: CMSLP School, Ennooramvayal, Pathanamthitta
https://youtu.be/KmVb0lCGgBc

School Level
Second Prize: Noyes School, Madurai
https://youtu.be/rvttdSanG10

School Level
Second Prize: CSI Girls Higher Secondary School, Pasumalai, Madurai
https://youtu.be/ABH04yYkVas

School Level
Third Prize: OCPM School, Madurai
https://youtu.be/ycMZAqDBgg8

School Level
Third Prize: CMS High School, Mundakayam
https://youtu.be/5ch__KW9vno

School Level
Special Prize: The Edwin Centre CSI School and Home for the Intellectually Challenged in Satchiyapuram, Madurai

https://youtu.be/264yeF2-D0s

Malabar Christian College, Calicut, bags First Prize for the Green College Programme  organised by the CSI Synod Ecological Concerns under the title’How Green is my School/College?’. This award and the other prizes for the colleges were distributed during the International Eco- Conference held at the CSI Synod Centre from 1st to 4th August 2019. The results and the links to the prize-winning documentaries are given below.
First Prize: Malabar Christian College, Calicut
https://youtu.be/TpJSj9emWhg

College Level
Second Prize: Bishop Heber College, Trichy
https://youtu.be/feqOb0xGuNg

College Level
Second Prize: CMS College, Kottayam
https://youtu.be/rq1kJsZfiiw

 

Under the leadership of Dr.Mathew Koshy Punnackad the following books were published for the CSI Synod Department of Ecological concerns

 

1)Reconciling with Nature (English,Telugu, Malayalam, Tamil,Kannada) 2002

A Guide to a Green Church.Published by CSI SECC. Edited by Dr. Mathew Koshy Punnackad

 

2)God is Green (2004) Ecological concerns and work of CSISynod and Dioceses. Published by CSI SECC. Edited by Dr. Mathew Koshy Punnackad

 

3)Eco Vision and Mission (English and Tamil)2006

A guide to Sunday School teachers, Contributors: Dr. Mathew Koshy Punnackad, Ms. Jessy Jeyakaran, Dr.Edwin Chandrasekharan, Published by CSI SECC

 

4)A Christian Response to Ecological Crisis (2009)

Edited by Dr. Mathew Koshy Punnackad and Rt. Rev. Thomas Samuel Published jointly by CSI SECC and CSS

 

5)Green Gospel (2011) Edited by Dr.Mathew Koshy Punnackad and Rt. Rev. Thomas Samuel, Published jointly by CSI SECC and CSS

 

6)Green Church (2014) Published by CSI SECC, Edited by Dr. Mathew Koshy Punnackad

 

7)Earth Bible Sermons 1 (2015) Ecological sermons Published jointly by ISPCK and CSI, Edited by Dr.Mathew Koshy Punnackad

 

8)Earth Bible Sermons 2 (2015) Ecological sermons Published jointly by ISPCK and CSI, Edited by Dr.Mathew Koshy Punnackad

 

9)Earth Bible Sermons 3 (2016) Ecological sermons Published jointly by ISPCK and CSI, Edited by Dr.Mathew Koshy Punnackad

 

10)Green Parable (2016) Edited by Dr.Mathew Koshy Punnackad

 

11)Silent Rhythm. Eco tales for Children(2017). Dr.Mathew Koshy Punnackad& Dr.Anne Susan Koshy Published jointly by ISPCK

 

12)Silent Rhythm. Eco tales for Children(2019). Dr.Mathew Koshy Punnackad& Dr.Anne Susan Koshy. Translated to Tamil by Dr.Philip Robinson Published jointly by ISPCK and CSI

 

13)Green Stories  for Sunday School Children(2019). Dr.Mathew Koshy Punnackad& Dr.Anne Susan Koshy. Published jointly by ISPCK and CSI

 

14)Climate Emergency – Peoples Stories of Adaptation and Mitigation( 2019). Edited by Dr.Mathew Koshy Punnackad. Published jointly by CSI and ISPCK

 

15)Sustainable living . Edited by Dr.Mathew Koshy Punnackad. Published jointly by CSI and ISPCK

 

16)Green Miracles Edited by Dr.Mathew Koshy Punnackad. .Published jointly by CSI and ISPCK