About us
In Khammam, Telangana State “Christian Service Unit” stands as a great Witness to the love of Christ through its service activities which endeavour to meet many needs of the poor, the needy, the destitute, the homeless, the aged, the Leprosy Victims, the Mentally and the Physically handicapped, the poor students pursuing Higher Education and Vocational training, and other needs of the poor in villages through women empowerment and Rural development Programmes like providing sewing machines, drilling bore wells, establishing or supporting schools and churches. All of this above is done to Glorify Christ and to help His dear children.
Who we are
Christian Service Unit, is a non-profit organization, which provides education to children, empowerment to women, medical care to the sick, and compassionate support to the elderly and disadvantaged in the Indian state of Telangana.
Our Founder – Late Dr.Korabandi Azariah
A young man called Azariah Korabandi born in Guntur District of Andhra Pradesh, joined with Dorothy Tate one of the CMS missionaries in 1953 in their work. For the next 15 years he worked with Ms. Dorothy Tate. In 1969 after Dorothy Tate retired and returned to the U.K., Brother Azariah took over the leadership of the Gospel team to carry on the work that was being done. His leadership the work continued and expanded. Later, the gospel team became independent.
His ministry in the poor rural town on Khammam, teaching of God's love through Jesus Christ. Believing that evangelism consists of not jest telling others of God's love them, but also exhibiting that love, to help the poorest of the poor in the Khammam district. The work of the Gospel team was supported over the years by a group of friends and supporters in the U.K., many of whom have visited the various projects from time to time.
In 1983 those friends formed the charity, ‘Christ For All In Andhra Pradesh’ in UK, with the aim of supporting this work and enabling it to show God’s love to the people around through the acts of charity. The work in India continues through its registered office in what is now known as the “Christian Service Unit’. Today, with support from Rev.Dr.David Rowe & Rev.Alida Ward, - FOCI (Friends of Christ in India), USA (a not-for-profit organization) and several other friends, the Christian Service Unit providing education to children empowerment to women, medical care to the sick, and compassionate support to the elderly and disadvantaged, Pastors in villages, in which they have built more than 100 churches and provide nearly every kind of social service in the Indian State of Telangana.
Miss Dorothy Tate
In 1886 the first Christian missionaries arrived in Khammam from the Church Missionary Society (CMS), London, England to start the three-fold Gospel, Medical, and Educational Ministries. They established three Institutions – St.Mary’s Hospital, St.Mary’s Church and St.Mary’s school for the three fold purpose. There was phenomenal progress in the three areas, and the three institutions were firmly established.
Miss Dorothy Tate of Church of England Zenana Mission (CEZM) of the Church Missionary Society, England worked in South India as an itinerant Evangelistic Missionary (C.MS. England) for 30 years from 1939 – 1969. During that time Azariah, Mary Seethamma, other Bible Women, Ruthamma and Dorothy Tate formed the Evangelistic team. Azariah used to drive the jeep, attend to the repairs of the vehicles, and translate English messages into Telugu. They worked with her during the last fifteen years, during that time that they witnessed some of these conversions taking place and churches established. Dorothy Tate visited India again in 1984.
Save this Child for me: Mary Seethamma
The conversion story of Mary Seethamma, who was born in a high caste Hindu girl, brought up by her grandmother from early childhood. at 9 years of age, in order to avoid the Sarada Bill which attempted to enforce 18 as the marriageable age, she was hurriedly married to her mother’s young brother. The husband died 12 months later but she was only at 10 years old. Mary’s husband died in a mission hospital. It was the Christmas time, and seeing the happiness of the Christian nurses, her mother wept for her daughter’s fate and prayed that she might have happiness like theirs. Thinking ” This is the God i want” she brought a copy of the Bible and began to pray to Christ. Ma remembered that on one of her pilgrimages she had a narrow escape from drowning in the rive Krishna, and she thought “God did not let me come to Him then, I cannot got to my grandmother because my mother’s lives there, my father does not want me. What can I do?’. She went a Christian Ashram ( A Christian Community). There she met father Devadas, the old blind leader, who proved to be the man she saw in her vision. She agreed to work in the Ashram attending to cooking and other chores. She prayed again and seemed to hear a voice saying ” If you will serve me, I will be more to you than father or mother?. Feeling comforted she thought “I am now completely in God’s hands; whatever happens I will be ready and will not fear”.
When Father Devadas heard about her taking refuge in the ashram, he said, “When I am praying I heard God say, “Save this child”. So he received her in Christ’s name. Mary’s was in that ashram for twelve months and Azariah helped in her preparation for baptism, but when another attempt was later made on her life by her family, Father Devadas sent her with Azariah and his sister to another part of the country to start new evangelistic work. Later, they were able to join a team formed by C.M.S. Missionary, Miss Dorothy Tate.
When Azariah was with Father Devadas, he met a lady by name Seethamma, a child widow from a well to do farming family who arrived at Kakani Thota where father Devadas lived. she had fled from her house as her family tried to kill her for becoming a follower of Jesus. She took refuge in the Ashram of Father Devadas, under whose spiritual leadership Azariah and Mary Seethamma were helped to treat each other as brother and sister in spite of the fact that the former belonged to low caste and the latter to high caste.
When Azariah was sent out by Father Devadas to embark on evangelism, Mary Seethamma joined him. And when they arrived in Khammam 1953 it was with that bond of Christian relationship. Even though Mary Seethamma was older that Azariah, she treated him as and called him Annayya (elder brother).
As Mary Seethamma came from a farming family, she helped to practice in the new mission field the self-support efforts like growing paddy, working in rice fields, growing bananas and selling them in the market, etc. to support their ministry. that also paved the way, in later years, for some of the other members of the estranged families of Mary Seethamma not only to support her but also to embrace her faith in Jesus. The respect with which Azariah and Mary Seethamma treated each other helped some others from high castes in different villages to consider Jesus.
Ruthamma (John Mark's Mother - the then President of CSU)
Ruthamma, as a young lady mother of 2 children, Ruthamma had been under the care of the missionaries working in Eluru and the surrounding area in West Godavari district. The missionaries sent her to Nellore for Bible Training, after competing which, she remained with the missionaries in that area associating with them in the evangelistic work. Her husband P.C.Abraham from Kerala was working as an evangelist in Madras area. When children was 2 years and 4 years old, he passed away. And then she moved with her two sons (younger one, P.C.John Mark, and elder one Sunder Rao).
Later on, the missionaries at Khammam, Rev. and Mrs. Jackson gave her the work of the Matron of the girl’s hostel for two years. Her 2 children were admitted in the Boys’ hostel attached to the Mission (St.Mary’s) School. Then she pleased with Mrs.Jackson to send her to join the evangelistic team of Bible women led by Miss Dorothy Tate of Church of England Zenana Mission (CEZM) of the Church Missionary Society, England. After she joined the team. During that time Azariah, the other Bible women and the missionary lady, Dorothy Tate formed the Evangelistic team. Azariah used to drive the jeep, attend to the repairs of the vehicles, and translate English messages into Telugu. Ruthamma, John Mark and Sunder Rao had special affection and admiration for Azariah. They sing songs, play small musical instruments like banjo and cymbals, accompany them to villages sometimes, and attend small tasks.
Late Rev.Dr.P.C.John Mark John Mark
John Mark knew Bro.Azariah since the age of 5, and was trained to leadership qualities. Apart from secular studies of MA in English & other courses, he did theological studies in India & the US.
Having had the privilege of watching him from close quarters from John Mark’s childhood as my mother, was also a member of the evangelistic team led by the missionary lady, Dorothy M Tate and having been associated with him in the ministry for over three decades, John Mark observed in him this radical evangelism as an important component of his relating to the people amidst whom he lived.
Azariah was the one who took John Mark to Guntur and got admitted in Andhra Christian College. Azariah was guide and counselor in every decision John Mark and Sunder Rao had to make. It was under his encouragement and exemplary life that John Mark resigned to government job and joined and the Christian Service Unit ministry. John Mark travelled with Azariah to villages and even abroad. He When Azariah passed away, lost a friend, a guide and philosopher.
John Mark got opportunity to study Asian School of Evangelism, USA during 1984. Subsequently, in 1985 God enabled the establishment of Asian School of Evangelism in Khammam to train many young people to be evangelists in this part of the world with support Rev.John Rhoads’s Missionary Evangelistic Fellowship (MEF), Inc, – nearly 700 young people trained with with their support.
We praise God for him and his devotion to God and to his duty. In May 2010 Brother Azariah was tragically killed in a road accident. But the great visionary and compassionate work which he headed up for so many years continued under the leadership of Mr.John Mark who was for many years a companion, long-time friend and trusted second in command and co-worker to Bro. Azariah, and the work of the CSU continued.
John Mark’s passing in 2018, the leadership of CSU was taken up by Dr. John Franklin Thirupathi — whose history with CSU dates back to his own childhood, volunteering as a teen with his uncle Azariah.
Right from – who started it with a vision, to the people who work for us to bring change at the grassroots, to the people who support our work, and most importantly the people who serve on the ground through our work.
Committed, responsible people who are passionate to make a difference to the world around them are the backbone Foundation. We have always taken our role as that of a catalyst in the process of bringing change Over the years, CSU has received the love, support and trust of millions of individuals, who have enabled us to create high impact programmes and benefit over …….. million people every year. We always take pride in making our supporters active partners in our programmes either than just channelize their resources to do good.
“Christ for All in Andhra Pradesh”
The other consequences of Bro.Azariah’s two years study in Cambridge is that the new friendships he was able to establish turned out to be a great asset for future ministry. It is some of those friends in England who formed a trust Called “Christ for All in Andhra Pradesh” ( ‘Christ for All’ in short) to support the various ministries of the Christian Service Unit after the Church Missionary Society stopped its grants to the team in early 1980’s England.
Ecumenical Friendship : Rev. David Rowe with K. Azariah
God brought into Azariah’s life new friends like Rev. Dr.David Rowe, and his Friends of Christ in India (FOCI), Mr. Millard Fuller, the founder of the Habitat for Humanity.
“The Local Habitat for Humanity”
In July 1983 Dr.David Johnson Rowe, the then President of Board of the Habitat for Humanity International visited India exploring the possibilities of establishing a Habitat project in India. After visiting some big cities, he visited Khammam at azariah’s invitation. The overwhelming spirit of compassion and co-operation inspired Dr.Rowe to start the Habitat project at Khammam called “The Local Habitat for Humanity” in 1984 – the first Habitat affiliate to be started not only in India but in the whole of South East Asia with objects of building low cost homes by providing interest-free loans. Thousands of people have benefited so far.
Friends of Christ in India (FOCI),
During Dr.David Johnson Rowe visit to India in 1983 as the President of the Habitat for Humanity International, he had a vision in which he saw the letters, FOCI, which is not only the plural of ‘focus’ but the letters formed an acronym for “Friends of Christ in India (FOCI). He felt God was leading him to start a ministry with that name in partnership with Azariah with two distinct emphases on Evangelism and Development. The FOCI (a not-for-profit organization) started to function during 1984-1985. FOCI has been supporting the Christian Service Unit work in various ways.
Through CSU’s work in Khammam & Hyderabad projects, with support from Rev.Dr.David Rowe and Rev.Alida Ward, FOCI, USA is making a difference and has been blessing to many orphan and semi orphan children, the elderly, the handicapped, the leprosy affected, the Aids patients, the pastors, womens, schools, the sick, and provide nearly every kind of social service in the Indian State of Teleanga.
Asian School of Evangelism (ASE)
Rev.John Rhoads, who had been a missionary in China through China Inland Mission, had to flee for his life when China closed its doors for outsiders in 1948. Then he visited Japan and other East Asian countries, and proclaimed the gospel of God’s love.
Then he started a programmes to train young men and women from different Asian countries with the idea that people in Asian countries could be won by Asians, “If Asia is to be reached with the gospel it must be with an Asian voice” said Rev.John Rhoads, The training emphasises the work of evangelism. Azariah happened to meet him in Mumbai in a conference. That meeting with Rev.John Rhoads opened an opportunity for John Mark to study in his school during 1984. Subsequently, in 1985 God enabled the establishment of Asian School of Evangelism in Khammam to train many young people to be evangelists in this part of the world with support Rev.John Rhoads’s Missionary Evangelistic Fellowship (MEF), Inc, – nearly 700 young people trained with with their support.
Pillar of Fire Mission (POF)
Through friends, Azariah came into contact with the pastors of the Pillar of Fire Missions from the US. The Pillar of Fire Mission is a break away from the Methodist Church. Those pastors were to be accompanied from the US to India by Indian Pastor Rev.Dr.Purushotham settled in the US. Because of some exigency as he was unable to accompany the team, he requested Azariah to receive them at Madras Airport and take them to Vijayawada. It is another of God’s coincidences. Azariah received them at the airport, and brought them to Vijayawada for gospel meetings. Those Pillar of Fire Mission pastors visited Khammam and were led by God to start their ministry’s Indian headquarters in Khammam under the leadership of Azariah. This took place in 1993, and since then, the POF has been supporting the different ministries of the Christian Service Unit. Presently they stopped the their funds to CSU. We thank you for their support for many years.
Free Surgical Camps & Rural Health Clinics and
Free Surgical Camp has been running each January since 1999. We believe that we are very unique to larger health care efforts and charities operating in India. We pride ourselves on being able to show donors exactly where your money is being spent. We are a smaller charity and have the advantage of being able to spend all of our donations directly on the poorest of the poor and their medical needs.
Each January, Dr. George Longstreth, surgeon and FOCI board member and Joe Bardenheier IV lead a US based team of fifteen to twenty volunteers made up of physicians and lay people to St. Mary’s Mission Hospital in Khammam to conduct a Free Surgical Camp. The team conducts thousands of examinations and hundreds of operations on indigent patients over ten days, all completely free of charge. http://www.freesurgicalcamp.com
