Talluru Thomas Gabriel ''(born December 15, 1837;Mary Stillwell McLaurin, ''Chetti Bhanumurti'' in John Craig, J. R. Stillwell, I. C. Archibald, A. E. Baskerville (Edited), ''Some of the Trophies: Canadian Baptist Foreign Mission Board Jubilee Volume, Telugu Trophies - The Jubilee story of some of the principal Telugu converts in the Canadian Baptist Foreign Mission in India from 1874 to 1924'', American Baptist Publication Society, Toronto

/ref> died January 1, 1875)'' was the founder of the

Canadian Baptist Mission The Canadian Baptist Mission (CBM) is an international Baptist Christian missionary society. It is a constituent board affiliated with the Canadian Baptist Ministries. History It was established in 1850 by the Canadian Baptist Ministries. The CBM ...

in India.

Early life and education

Thomas Gabriel was born in

Machilipatnam Machilipatnam (), also known as Masulipatnam and Bandar, is a city in Krishna district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a municipal corporation and the administrative headquarters of Krishna district. It is also the Tehsil, mandal he ...

and grew up at Narasapur and

Rajahmundry Rajahmundry, officially known as Rajamahendravaram, is a city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and District headquarters of East Godavari district. It is the sixth most populated city in the state. During British rule, the District of Rajah ...

where he studied at the

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

School. After securing employment with the

Telegraphs Telegraphs were an alternative rock band based in Brighton, England. Biography Formed in 2005, Telegraphs was made up of members Darcy Harrison (vocals), Hattie Williams (bass/vocals), Sam Bacon (drums), Darren LeWarne (guitar) and Aung Yay ...

Department in 1857, he worked at

and at

Kakinada Kakinada (List of renamed places in India, formerly called Kakinandiwada, Coringa, and Cocanada; ) is the List of cities in Andhra Pradesh by population, sixth largest city of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Andhra P ...

. Gabriel was influenced by the

missionaries of

and became a Christian through the

Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

.Brenton Hamline Badley, ''Indian Missionary Directory and Memorial'', p.223.

/ref> In addition to Thomas Gabriel's employment, he was active in his new-found Christian faith. Gabriel was later transferred to

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

but his sickness made him to go to

Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

in 1867 and in the Hospital, he came across Pastors of the

American Baptist Mission International Ministries is an international Baptist Christian missionary society. It is a constituent board affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA. The headquarters is in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, United States. History The so ...

Samavesam of Telugu Baptist Churches Samavesam of Telugu Baptist Churches (STBC), (Nellore) presently Headquarters A.B.M Compound, Markapur, Prakasham District, Andhra Pradesh( by its Add General Secretary Shri. Chilka David Prakash Rao ) by its Baptist Christian denomination in t ...

and got baptized.

Ministry

Gabriel gave up his job at the

Department in 1869 to take up an ecclesiastical assignment with the Godavari Delta Mission but it was short-lived as he quit it in 1870 and got into business in

to support himself after having exhausted all his money for the sake of the gospel. A chance stopover in

Ramayapatnam Ramayapatnam is a small village in Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh, India on the bank of the Bay of Bengal The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean, bounded on the west and northwest by India, on the north by Bangl ...

at the

Baptist Theoogical Seminary made Gabriel to appeal to the

Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec (CBOQ) is the oldest union of Baptist churches in central Canada. The organization's headquarters is based in Etobicoke, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. CBOQ is a partner of Canadian Baptist Ministries. History ...

through John McLaurin to take up the Mission in northern coastal regions and thus led to the founding of the

in 1874 at

with the arrival of John McLaurinEdwin Munsell Bliss, ''The Encyclopedia of Missions'', 1891, p.131
/ref> who came from

by sea. Gabriel died on January 1, 1875''Teloogoo Mission Scrap Book'', Expositor Book and Job Office, 1888, p.8

/ref> uttering his last words, ''Jesus is precious.''

References

;Notes ;Further reading * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas Gabriel, Talluru People from Krishna district Telugu people 19th-century Christian clergy Indian Baptist ministers 1837 births 1875 deaths Convention of Baptist Churches of Northern Circars Christian clergy from Andhra Pradesh Canadian Baptist Ministries 19th-century Baptists