About - St Johns CSI Congregation Of South Florida

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About Us

The Church of South India (CSI) is an amalgamation of the Anglican, Methodist, Presbyterian and Congregational Church faiths was inaugurated on September 27, 1947 at St. George’s Cathedral, Chennai India. It consists of 24 dioceses spread across the five States in South India.

The Church of South India (CSI) is the second largest Christian church in India based on the number of members. The Church of South India is the successor of a number of Anglican and Protestant denominations in India, including the Church of England, the British Methodist Church and the Church of Scotland after Indian independence.

It combined The South India United Church (Union of the British Congregationalists and the British Presbyterians); the then 14 Anglican dioceses of South India and one in Sri Lanka; and the South Indian District of the Methodist church. With a membership of nearly four million, CSI is one of four united churches in the Anglican Communion, the others being the Church of North India, the Church of Pakistan and the Church of Bangladesh.

Our Faith

The Holy Bible with old and new testaments are necessary to salvation and is being the rule and ultimate standard of faith.

The Apostle’s Creed as the baptismal symbol and the Nicene Creed are considered as statement of faith.

The two sacraments ordained by Christ himself — Baptism and the Lords Supper — ministered with the unfailing use of Christ's words of Institution and elements ordained by Him.

The inspiration for the Church of South India was born from ecumenism and inspired by the words of Jesus Christ as recorded in the Gospel of John (17.21). Just like the United Church of Christ (Congregationalist), one of their forbearer denominations, their motto is:

That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.'
"That they all may be one" is also the motto of the Church of South India. (John 17:21)

Our Logo

The logo of the Church of South India consists of a cross superimposed on a stylized Lotus flower in a white backdrop; around which the motto and name of the Church, is embossed. It was designed by Prof. J. Vasanthan of the American College, Madurai, India.

The imposing central position of the Cross denotes the foundation of the Church and its faith, while its four arms of the same length promulgates equality. The lotus flower, called Pankaj meaning “mud-born” in Sanskrit, has been of great spiritual and symbolic significance in India, since ancient times.

Its placement in the Logo, proclaims the indigenous nature of the Church of South India and its dependence on the Grace of God, just as a Lotus that blooms at sunrise and closes at sunset, depends on the sun. The stylized rendering makes the lotus petals simultaneously depict the fiery split tongues of the Holy Spirit. The motto of the CSI embossed on the logo, which is an excerpt of Jesus’s prayer in John 17:21, is used as an inclusive affirmation of the need for the unity of all people.

Our Birth

St. John’s CSI Congregation of South Florida has formally started in September 2002. Under the directives of Rt. Rev. Thomas Samuel (Bishop, CSI Madhya Kerala Diocese, Kerala, India), Rev. Oommen George celebrated the first communion service at Dr. John Pushpamangalam Thomas’s residence on 22nd September 2002.