C V Samuel

Evangelist Cheruvathur Verghese Samuel (or C V Samuel Dindigul as he was widely known) was born on the 15th of April, 1917 at Nellikunnu, Trichur to Mrs. and Mr. Cheruvathur Chumar Verghese of Kunnumkulam. He was an obedient son who followed in the steps of his father all his life. Bro. C.C.Verghese (CVS's father) and Lonappan Upadeshi worked together with Mr. V. Nagal from Germany.

Samuel was saved at a very young age and became a member of the local church soon after. He got a job at the District court, a job which demanded bribery and injustice. As his conscience did not allow him to continue in it, he resigned and joined a Medical Firm at Madras and moved to that place with his family. There he took regular part in gospel preaching and other spiritual activities. As he did not get complete satisfaction either physically or mentally in the new job, he wanted to leave this job many a times but the thought of having a family to support held him back.

It was at this time that he got the offer for a job in Kuwait which he turned down after much consideration as he did not feel comfortable with the idea of leaving his family behind all alone. He then decided to talk things out with his wife, Annammma, daughter of Lonappan Upadeshi. They discussed his job and his feeling of dissatisfaction in it and how he felt the steady and constant call for gospel work. Though he felt considerably relieved to have unburdened his problems with his better half, her practical advice of "Instead of being a burden to others, we'll continue in this job and contribute financially to the cause of the gospel paying much more than tithe" slowed him down from making any decision. Thus Satan tried his best to make them compromise on their divine calling but they continued to intercede before the throne of mercy on this matter. Praise God! they were able to overcome the evil one by the Word of God when they read, "Seekest thou great things for thyself? Seek them not." (Jeremiah 45:5) . Then and there the Almighty God convinced them both to leave the secular job and enter full-time ministry.

Divine Call

Gradually God dealt with them in special and strange ways. On October 29th, 1949, while sitting at the Gospel Hall at Sunshine Sunday school at Royapuram, Madras, God spoke to him and his wife at the same time. Bro. V.P. Jacob was ministering from the Holy Word. His words inspired by the Holy Spirit of God touched both their hearts to such an extent that without any hesitation they rededicated their lived before the feet of the savior and decided that this was it, they were not going to look back again.

Having had speech problems since childhood, Bro. C.V. Samuel knelt down and implored of the Lord, " Lord, I am a stammerer like Moses, how can I do your work?" Praise GOD! from that moment on his speech defect was cured completely and he could speak as fluently, beautifully and forcefully as Moses could after he was blessed by Jehovah. Thus they were able to take the all-important decision to "leave behind their nets and follow Him".

Convinced and dedicated, Bro. CVS resigned from his job and left for Trichur along with his family. His work among the local churches there and among the orphans at the orphanage is remembered very fondly by all the residents of Trichur even today. After working in Trichur for a few years, he felt God's call once again clearly indicating him to leave Trichur and continue his ministry at Madurai. This time , however, he did not delay. He thus moved to Madurai and continued his ministry with Bro. M.E. Cherian there. He labored there for 3 whole years and had to undergo many hardships for the cause of the gospel but he endeavored on by the grace of the Almighty and with the support of his family.

Samuel's life and ministry was always one which he shared happily and wholeheartedly with his wife. Wherever he went, she went with him and hand in hand they were were able to lead many to the knowledge of Jesus and His supreme sacrifice on the cross of Calvary.

Dindigul

After having served his Lord among the residents of Madurai, CVS felt the will and guidance of the Lord to leave Madurai and move over to Dindigul, Tamilnadu. He continued in the Lord's service there for the next 35 years and was instrumental in dealings with people in different strata of society and showing them THE WAY to eternal life. While in Dindigul, he was able to involve himself in the literature ministry too and thus could write many books in English, Malayalam and Tamil as the Lord led him. Another gift he was blessed with was that he could move tactfully among the high officials in the Government service. He would go and talk to them, listen to their needs, pray for them and thus establish lasting friendships among the top ranks and introduce the gospel among them and gift them with Bibles. Thus, many learnt about the Lord Jesus and what He had done for them. Many drunkards and other rough characters were coaxed over to the path of everlasting life by his patient, always smiling and always listening presence.

Speaking of his hospitality, his house was open all hours of the day to believers and those in dire need of counseling. His wife's selfless attitude in this respect supported his cause all along and they were able to thus entertain many servants of God and this way had the privilege of having entertained angels unawares. Bro. C.V. Samuel always helped the poor and the needy without considering whether he had enough for his own needs. He never turned away any soul who came to him for help unmindful of whether the help needed was a physical or spiritual one. Many broken homes were mended by his graceful dealings and he was also able to solve and repair strained relations between various individuals. He was quite tactful in dealing with church-related problems. His calm demeanor helped him to counsel those in deep sorrow and even those who were at the verge of taking their own lives and was instrumental in helping many make a happy come back to life in all its abundance. His service was a great challenge to those who lived within his vicinity and continues to provide hope and strength to many even today through the many books he has written.

In Dindigul, God enabled Bro. C.V.S to build a Gospel Hall for the church and he bought a cemetery for the church also. In 1985, he had an attack of food-poisoning which resulted in duodenal ulcer that made him very weak. He was taken to Periyakulam for rest and treatment and he and wife stayed there for almost 3 years. Their stay in Periyakulam enabled Dr. George, the doctor who had taken care of him there, and his family to grow in the Lord. But due to the intensity of his sickness they were forced to leave that place and go to Trichur, their home-town. They stayed there for about 10 years during which time the residents at Trichur, who were delighted at the return of their beloved Appachan (father), were able to get spiritual and mental nourishment from C.V.S.'s calm and loving counseling. His little home was always overflowing with those who came to him for this or that need.

One instance of his generous and caring personality comes to my memory. C.V. Samuel Appachan was my grandfather's sister's husband (my granduncle). When I once visited him, he caught me going through his library and asked me, "Mole, do u like reading?" I replied enthusiastically , "Of course Appacha, I love reading. Literature has been my subject since PUC". He replied, "Ok then, I'll keep sending u books every 2 weeks. You read them and keep them with you or lend them to your friends who are interested but don't forget to send me a post card each time you receive a package of books. If you forget to send me the post card, I'll stop sending you any more books, ok?" Taken by surprise at his generous offer with the strange warning at the end of it, I nodded demurely. At that time, I never imagined that he would keep his word to his last breath. Today I have in my possession many books and magazines he sent me. I kept my promise of sending him a post card each time I received a parcel from him but once when it slipped my memory he promptly stopped sending me any more books. It took me a long letter to apologize and make him send me books again. He never forgot anything. He was a man of principles. He always kept his word and was faithful till the end. Today I cherish those books and will treasure them all my life.

Then, there came a stage in his life when he and his beloved wife couldn't stay all by themselves at Trichur. It was then that their second son Abraham (Avarachan) took them to Dindigul to stay with him. But unfortunately the climatic conditions there did not agree with Mrs. C.V.S.'s health and so in 1997, their eldest daughter Jessie and her dear husband Simon took both of them to their home in Chidambaram. It was while they were there that it pleased the Lord to call His faithful servant to His heavenly abode. So on the 22nd of December, 2000, at the age of 84, C.V.S. Appachan left behind his dear wife Annammma and 5 children, Jessie (Chidambaram), Babu (USA), Kunjumol (Muvattupuzha), Avarachan (Dindigul) and Issac (USA) and entered into the presence of the One whom he loved, followed and served so faithfully all his life.

C.V.S.'s homecall was unusually peaceful and radiant. His last minutes on this earth were characterized by the very same calmness as was seen in his entire life. After exchanging one last look at his wife, and gazing radiantly upward, Appachan gestured with his right hand and enthusiastically announced, " The Lord Jesus Christ is calling me: Come Up". Then, he gently passed away with a smile still lingering on his face. What a fitting and challenging way to graduate into Glory! "Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright; for the end of that man is peace." (Psalm 37: 37)

I shall fail in my endeavor if I do not mention a miracle that happened after Appachan's death. Many fellow-believers and relatives wished to take Appachan's earthly body to Trichur, his home town. But as ,before his death, Appachan had expressed his wish on being buried where he was for he believed that it did not matter where one was buried. Wherever the body was laid to rest it would decay and be transformed into dust. It was the soul which mattered and that was already transported to glory. So, C.V. Samuel appachan's family decided to bury his body at Chidambaram itself . But the church at Chidambaram did not possess a burial ground of its own. Hence, the nagging question in everyone's mind was, "Where will we bury our dear Appachan?" As they pondered on this vital question, one of the Councilors of Chidambaram came there and said, "You can bury him in our special burial place. There will be no problem. I will see to it". He was a Hindu Councilor and the place he offered to bury Appachan's body was one allotted to the aristocratic Hindus of that locality. Thus, C.V.S. Appachan was buried as was fitting for a servant of God to be buried. Our God is not a debtor to anybody.

"God moves in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform..", a hymn by W. Cowper was realized in the manner in which Appachan's earthly remains were buried. He still lives in the memory of all those who love him and all those whose lives were influenced by his example.