G. Samuel

The Reverend
G. Samuel, STBC
B. D. (Serampore)
Born
Gollapalle Samuel

(1945-01-05) 5 January 1945 (age 79)
Udayagiri, Nellore district
NationalityIndian
CitizenshipIndia
EducationB. D. (Serampore)
Alma materRamayapatnam Baptist Theological Seminary, Ramayapatnam
OccupationBaptist Priest
Years active1967 to present
SpouseEva
Children
  • Sarah Rose,
  • Mary Sucharita Babbili,
  • David Prashant Gollapalle,
  • Solomon Sumonth
Parent(s)Smt. Saramma and Sri Simon[1]
ReligionChristianity
ChurchSamavesam of Telugu Baptist Churches (STBC)
Ordained1973
Congregations served
Nagaland, Telangana
Offices held
TitleThe Reverend

The Rev. G. Samuel[2] is the senior Pastor of Baptist Church Hyderabad,[3] a church with a congregation of over 13,000 and services in four different languages.

The Rev. G. Samuel was born on 5 January 1945 in a small village called Udayagiri, Nellore district in India. He lost his father at the age of five, and his mother raised him as a Christian and encouraged him to become a full-time minister and finished his Bachelor of Divinity from the Ramayapatnam Baptist Theological Seminary, Ramayapatnam[1] studying between 1962-1966[1] which was then overseen by Maurice Blanchard and Louis F. Knoll and was also taught by the Old Testament Scholar, Gaddala Solomon and was awarded the degree in the ensuing convocation of the Senate of Serampore College (University) by then Registrar, Chetti Devasahayam, CBCNC.

Samuel was a Missionary Pastor in Nagaland from 1967 through 1970.[4] After coming back from Nagaland, he was appointed as the first full-time Pastor for Baptist Church Hyderabad on 22 June 1970. He was ordained in 1973.[5] Samuel has acted as president of the Andhra Pradesh chapter of the All-India Christian Council.[6]

As an important ecclesiastical figure among the Samavesam of Telugu Baptist Churches, Samuel had been in the forefront of leadership together with S. Benjamin, N. Thomas, and K. Prabhudas and had visited the American Baptist Churches in the United States of America in the nineties.[7] During the 9th World Telugu Christian Summit held in 2017 in Sydney, Australia, Samuel also took part in it together with his fellow companions, Ravela Joseph, STBC and Suppogu Joseph, STBC[8] in the presence of the Church Historian, B. C. Paul, AELC.[9]

Personal life

Although the institution of marriage is not compulsory among Protestant Clergy, Samuel chose to get married on 27 June 1966 to Eva and together they went to Nagaland where their first child Sarah Rose was born in Nagaland. Samuel and Eva together have 4 children namely Sarah Rose, Mary Sucharita Babbili, David Prashant Gollapalle and Solomon Sumanth. David Gollapalle is the Junior Pastor[10] and Solomon Sumonth is the Worship leader of Baptist Church Hyderabad.

References

  1. ^ a b c Baptist Church, Hyderabad
  2. ^ American Baptists in Mission. Vol. 194–196. American Baptist Churches USA. 1995. pp. 90, 94.
  3. ^ Hedlund, Roger E. (2000). Christianity is Indian: the emergence of an indigenous community. ISPCK. p. 328. ISBN 978-81-7214-561-3.
  4. ^ Wiebe, Paul D. (1988). Christians in Andhra Pradesh: the Mennonites of Mahbubnagar. Christian Literature Society. p. 114. OCLC 21196956.
  5. ^ Brief History of Baptist Church Hyderabad
  6. ^ "RSS comments blasphemous". The Hindu. 8 February 2002. Archived from the original on 16 March 2002. Retrieved 24 February 2010.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  7. ^ Yearbook of the American Baptist Churches in the U.S.A., 1989, p.85.[1]
  8. ^ Global Telugu Christian Ministries Newsletter, September–December 2017.[2]
  9. ^ Doctoral Dissertations on Asia, Volume 10, 1988, p.126
  10. ^ "Baptist Church, Hyderabad - BC Board". bchyd.com. Archived from the original on 28 October 2007.

Further reading

  • A. John Prabhakar (2016). Preaching Contextually: A Case with Rural Dalits in India. Notion Press. ISBN 978-1-945926-85-3.
  • T. Punnaiah (2010). "My Memoir, Ministry and Message". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  • K. J. W. Jayakumar (Compiled) (2008). "The Lights That Never Quench - Baptist Missionaries". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  • R. Joseph (2003). "A History of the Telugu Baptist Churches (American Baptist Mission)". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  • Roger E. Hedlund (2000). Christianity is Indian: the emergence of an indigenous community. MIIS, Mylapore. ISBN 978-81-7214-561-3.
  • American Baptist Churches in the U. S. A. (1995). "American Baptists in Mission". 194–196. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  • American Baptist Churches in the U. S. A. (1989). "Yearbook of the American Baptist Churches in the U.S.A.". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  • Paul D. Wiebe (1989). "Christians in Andhra Pradesh: the Mennonites of Mahbubnagar". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)