Hyderabad Metro Section

The Hyderabad Metro Section is a part of the East Central India Union Section in the Southern Asia Division. Its headquarters is in Hyderabad, Telangana, India.

Territory: The districts of Hyderabad, Medchal-Malkajgiri, and Rangareddi in the Indian state of Telangana.

Statistics (June 30, 2024): Churches, 13; membership, 3,608; population, 9,165,208

Early History

In 1894, William Lenker reported that a colporteur was stationed in Hyderabad, and a few paragraphs later, he mentioned that the colporteur had been in the city for more than a month.¹ In the following years, other colporteurs worked in Hyderabad and Secunderabad, including Miss Anna Orr and Sister Daisy Jewett (1903-1904) and W. K. Lake in 1911. By 1926, colporteur-evangelists in the area included Aseervadam, Ferguson, R. John Moses, D. J. Benjamin, and G. Isaiah. After that, Wilson David was assigned as a permanent colporteur in the twin cities. For a time, B. S. Moses conducted regular evangelistic meetings in Hyderabad and Secunderabad.² However, as late as 1949, L. G. Mookerjee still listed Hyderabad and Berar as regions that had been contacted but remained unentered.³

That year, John Moses moved to establish Adventist work in Hyderabad and Secunderabad. He organized a Telugu Sabbath school in his home in Secunderabad. Another Sabbath school was held in the home of a photographer in Hyderabad, whose family members were Adventists. A third Sabbath school met in the home of Miss Cunningham, a former member of the Bangalore church and now the manager of Western Stores in Secunderabad.⁴ The third Sabbath school seems to have been formed by those who had completed the Voice of Prophecy lessons.⁵ The first baptisms took place on December 31, 1949, in Hussain Sagar Lake, with eight individuals being baptized.⁶

On March 30, 1951, a Voice of Prophecy gathering with preaching and worship was held in Secunderabad, attracting about 800 attendees. This was followed by an evangelistic series conducted by C. S. Cooper, the new superintendent of the South Telugu Mission.⁷ After the tent meetings concluded, services were held at the home of G. Isaiah on Sundays and Wednesdays. Several individuals were baptized, and a church was officially organized with nineteen members on March 22, 1952, by O. O. Mattison. In the absence of a church building, the members met on the spacious veranda of G. Isaiah’s home.⁸

The following years saw steady progress. Dan Harris moved to Hyderabad in 1954 and purchased property in Secunderabad for a church.⁹ He conducted evangelistic meetings in Secunderabad, where forty people attended a baptismal class, and four were baptized on June 4, 1955.¹⁰ In 1954, Stahlnecker established a school in Secunderabad with 11 students. Pastor Dan Harris also purchased property on Sebastian Road for the church.¹¹ Although the school closed after a year, it was reopened in 1956 with W. H. Eagen as principal and a student enrolment of one hundred.¹²

Later Developments

On March 22, 1956, Mir Khursheed Ali Khan donated the property at 2 Chapel Road, formerly known as Cyprus Abbey, and the headquarters of the South Telugu Mission moved there.

In 1971, an evangelistic series was held in Secunderabad by Judson Moses, which led to a 200-person increase in Sabbath School attendance.¹³ The meetings began with about 200 attendees and grew to over 1,000 by the end. At the conclusion of the series, ninety-nine individuals were baptized.¹⁴

The Hyderabad Metro Region, formerly part of the North Andhra Section, became a separate church administrative unit in 2001.¹⁵ It was reorganized into the Hyderabad Metro Section in 2004.¹⁶

Executive Officers

Hyderabad Metro Region

Director: D. Thygaraj (2001-2004)

Hyderabad Metro Section

Presidents: Y. P. Mohan Rao (2004-2011); K. Christopher (2011-2015); Samuelraj Sodadasi (2015-2021); K. Christopher (2021-2022); Samraj Kumar Katikidala (2022- )

Secretaries: M. Mathew (2015- )

Treasurers: P. Uttam Kumar (2004-2006); Joshi Victor Rayavarapu (2006-2011); Kollabathula Prabhakar Rao (2011- 2020); Ravi Prasad Injety (2020- )

Sources

Devaprasad, P. “A Brief Survey of the Work in Twin Cities.” Eastern Tidings, June 15, 1953.

Farthing, A. H. “An Evangelist Look Back.” British Advent Messenger, February 8, 1957, 13.

Guild, Nora. “God’s Word Stirs Secunderabad.” Southern Asia Tidings, June 1971, 1.

Ham, A. L. “A New Day in Southern Asia.” ARH, February 16, 1950.

Isaiah, G. “VOP Rally Day in Secunderabad.” Eastern Tidings, May 1, 1951.

John Moses, R. “First Baptism in Secunderabad.” Eastern Tidings, March 15, 1950.

Lenker, Wm. “India.” ARH, January 1, 1895.

Mattision, O. O. “The Secunderabad Church.” Eastern Tidings, May 1, 1952.

Mattison, O. O. “Openings in New Territory.” Eastern Tidings, July 1, 1949.

Mattison, W. H. “Many Baptized” ARH, August 5, 1951.

McAdams, D. A. “Evangelism in the Twin Cities of India, Ministry, March 1, 1956.

Minutes of the DIVEXCO 2004-50, June 1-3, 2004.

Minutes of the DIVEXCO, 2001-81, May 8, 2001.

Mookerjee, L. G. “Unentered States.” Eastern Tidings, September 1948.

Reddy, N. V. “News from the Secunderabad Church.” Southern Asia Tidings, August 1, 1955.

Stephen Kelly, P. “Mission Extension Offering.” Southern Asia Tidings, September 1, 1969.

Notes

1. Wm. Lenker, “India,” ARH, January 1, 1895, 5.↩

2. P. Devaprasad, “A Brief Survey of the Work in the Twin Cities of Secunderabad and Hyderabad,” Eastern Tidings, June 15, 1953, 4.↩

3. L. G. Mookerjee, “Unentered States,” Eastern Tidings, September 1948, 4.↩

4. O. O. Mattison, “Openings in New Territory,” Eastern Tidings, July 1, 1949, 2.↩

5. A. L. Ham, “A New Day in Southern Asia,” ARH, February 16, 1950, 8-9.↩

6. R. John Moses, “First Baptism in Secunderabad,” Eastern Tidings, March 15, 1950, 6.↩

7. G. Isaiah, “VOP Rally Day in Secunderabad, Eastern Tidings, May 1, 1951, 6-7.↩

8. O. O. Mattision, “The Secunderabad Church,” Eastern Tidings,” May 1, 1952, 11.↩

9. D. A. McAdams, “Evangelism in the Twin Cities of India, Ministry, March 1, 1956, 17.↩

10. N. V. Reddy, “News from the Secunderabad Church,” Southern Asia Tidings, August 1, 1955, 8.↩

11. P. Stephen Kelly, September 13, Mission Extension Offering, Southern Asia Tidings, September 1, 1969, 8.↩

12. A. H. Farthing, “An Evangelist Look Back,” British Advent Messenger, February 8, 1957, 13.↩

13. Nora Guild, “God’s Word Stirs Secunderabad,” Southern Asia Tidings, June 1971, 1.↩

14. W. H. Mattison, “Many Baptized During Secunderabad Meetings,” ARH, August 5, 1951, 22.↩

15. “Formation of New Territories,” DIVEXCO, #2001-81, May 8, 2001, 30. The author of this article was a student in the school of evangelism conducted by the Ministerial Association and Spicer College. The meetings were in Chilkalguda, Secunderabad in the summer 1971.↩

16. “Formation of Hyderabad Metro Region Into A Section,” DIVEXCO #2004-50, June1-3, 2004, 58.↩