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More honorary projects
Reaching out to people in need
Beyond the four walls of our home church
I have been serving The Leprosy Mission for the last 30 years in the construction, management and maintenance of all their
Hospitals, Vocational Training Centres and Schools spread throughout the country.
I still continue to be with The Leprosy Mission as Engineering Consultant in converting the Leprosy Hospitals into Community
Hospitals so that, it not only serves as a service hospital to the Leprosy patients but also as a General Hospital for the
Community at large, as these hospitals are mostly located in the rural areas where good medical facilities are not otherwise
readily available to the people. For all these, I can only thank and praise my Saviour for making me a tool in His hands
to serve the needy and the poor.
All the construction and maintenance programmes of Brotherhood of the Ascended Christ, St. Stephen’s Community,
Queen Mary’s School and St. Stephen’s College were all taken up by me. St. Stephen’s Hospital
was completely renovated by me and raised to a 400 bedded hospital through the financial help of EZE, the German Funding Agency.
I was in the Board of Management of St. Thomas School, New Delhi for years and had constructed their beautiful Auditorium,
class rooms, library and most of their Junior School. I still continue to be their Technical advisor and all construction
and maintenance works at the School are being referred to me for getting my prior technical approval.
The new constructions at the National YWCA, Delhi YWCA and the Delhi YMCA were undertaken by me.
Outreach activities of the Church - because Christ loved the poor
a. Church planting
I was with the National Council of Churches as Treasurer and a member of the Working Committee for over 11 years, during
which time I was able to help in the development of the various member churches and also came in contact with almost all the
Bishops and Pastors of Church of North India, Church of South India, Marthoma and Jacobite Churches, Lutheran Church and
Methodist Church.
b. Helping refugees
I was appointed as Chairman, Advisory Committee for the Christian Agency for Rehabilitation of Tibetan Refugees known
as SHARAN during the period 1967 to 1969 when the maximum influx of Refugees took place.
c. Relief operations in drought, flood and earthquakes
I was also with the Church's Auxiliary for Social Action (CASA) for over 10 years and was appointed as Chairman, CASA
for 3 years. During this time, so many emergency and rehabilitation works were carried out during floods, earth quakes, drought
etc to provide immediate relief with funds provided by most of the foreign countries. Relief was provided by supplying tents,
clothes, food, blankets, temporary housing, drinking water through deep bore wells etc.
I had visited almost all the States where emergency relief was provided to oversee and ensure that the work was properly
managed and the affected people were really looked after.
As Chairman, CASA, I was once invited to attend one of the Meetings of the World Council of Churches, Geneva to apprise
them of the Emergency and Relief works being done in India.
4. Construction, restoration and maintenance works
After settling in Chennai in 1996, I had been involved in helping the Diocese of Madras, Egmore Wesley Church, St. George's
Cathedral, YWCA, WCC and all the Schools functioning under the Diocese of Madras in their Construction and Maintenance works.
The LITE Project under the Diocese costing over Rupees 8.50 crores is the biggest construction at present which involves
the construction of an Auditorium to accommodate 1200 people having 70 feet clear span and 24 feet high, centrally air conditioned
and acoustically treated, a Chapel, Dining Hall with kitchen, 60 rooms fully furnished, dormitories, meeting halls and a conference
room. The other major constructions are the four storeyed Academic Bio-Tech Block at WCC, St. Margaret Hostel for Senior citizens
at YWCA Madras, Senior Citizens Home at Royapetta for St. George's Cathedral, Manapakkam Church, Gateway to the Cemetery
at St. George's Cathedral, classrooms at Ewart School and a Diocesan Higher Secondary School at Perambur.
I was also given an opportunity to help in the Restoration of St. Andrews Church in Bangalore where the 100 feet tower
had tilted during the floods in 2005 and the whole congregation was so perturbed and worried about this catastrophe at their
147 year old church.
Other constructions now under way are the construction of an Auditorium for St. George's School costing over Rupees 3.50
crores, the Centenary Block for Egmore Wesley Church, a Church at Uthukottai near Andhra border and staff quarters at YWCA.
All these construction and maintenance works keep me fully busy and help me to remain fit and healthy. I thank and praise
God for giving me the strength to do this at this advanced age of mine and I fully believe that the strength that I have,
comes only from the Lord.
J. DURAI RAJ
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