Dearly beloved St. James family members
Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We enter the New Year with sweet dreams and new hopes. We enter this new year with a lot of memories. Memories of the blessings received will raise new hope about the future. “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead.” (Phili. 3:13) these thoughts from Paul should strengthen us in the New Year.Anandan Gunasekaran is an Indian Army soldier who lost his leg in a mine blast and became a blade runner. After losing his leg in the line of duty (at LoC) Gunasekaran was inspired by Oscar Pistorius who was born without calf bones and won gold in the 200 M sprint at the 2004 Athens Paralympic Games. Gunasekaran underwent rehabilitation at the Army Hospital in Pune. He proudly narrated his list of achievements. He struck his first medal in the Tunisia International Meet in 2014, winning gold medals in the 200 M and 4x100 M and another silver in the 200 M race. Then in 2015, he won another gold in Men’s 200 M and a silver medal in 100 M in the Sri Lanka Army Para Games held in Colombo. The same year, he won another gold medal in men’s 200 M and a silver in men’s 100 M in the World Military Games held in South Korea. His list of achievements extended to the next year as well, where, in Dubai’s Asia Oceania Athletics Championships, he clinched a gold medal in Men’s 400 M and a silver medal in Men’s 200 M. Gunasekaran won three gold medals in the 7th Military World Games 2019. In these difficult times, his journey is a constant reminder to all of us that nothing is impossible. American writer Sarah Manguso thought like this “Time punishes us by taking everything, but it also saves us – by taking everything.” Be hopeful amid all the conflicts.By God's great grace, the dedication service of our new church facility was blessedly arranged. Everyone’s participation was commendable. May the new church building facility strengthen our spiritual existence. May God guide everyone on a blessed path in the New Year. Happy New Year 2025.
May the Triune God bless us all
Ajith Varghese Achen
