About us
A Marathi church with a Methodist heart.
मेथोडिस्ट हृदयाची मराठी मंडळी
Methodist Marathi Church, Ambernath is a congregation of the Methodist Church in India, gathered on Kalyan Badlapur Road to worship Jesus Christ in the language of our hearts.
Our story
Rooted in Ambernath, reaching the town.
Ambernath grew up around the railway and the ordnance factory, and with it grew a community of Marathi-speaking Christian families who needed a church of their own. The Methodist Marathi Church was that answer: a congregation where the Bible is read, the hymns are sung and the Gospel is preached in Marathi.
Through the years the church has baptised children, married couples, buried its saints and welcomed newcomers. Its registers hold the stories of families across generations, and its wings, from the Sunday School to the Methodist Men, have carried the faith from one generation to the next.
Today we continue that calling. We want Ambernath to know that salvation is a gift of grace received through faith, and we want every person who walks through our door to find a family that will walk with them.
Our pastor · आमचे पाळक
Shepherding the flock
The pastor is appointed by the Methodist Church in India to preach the Word, administer the sacraments and care for every family of the congregation.
Pastor in charge
Rev. Samuel J. Kenneth
2026 – today
Pastor in charge, shepherding the congregation in worship, the Word and the care of its families.
The pastor is at the church every Sunday and is glad to meet visitors, pray with you or talk about baptism, marriage or membership.
Ask for a visitPastors of the church through the years
29 pastors since 1945 · scroll for earlier years
2026 – todayCurrent
Rev. Samuel J. Kenneth
Pastor in charge, shepherding the congregation in worship, the Word and the care of its families.
- GG
2022 – 2026
Rev. Girish A. Gaikwad
- AS
2021 – 2022
Rev. Abhijeet Sasane
- PS
2019 – 2020Associate pastor
Rev. Prakash Shinde
- PA
2019 – 2021
Rev. Philips W. Alhat
- SN
2015 – 2019
Rev. Sharad S. Naik
- NG
2008 – 2015
Rev. Nitin M. Gaikwad
- SK
2006 – 2008
Rev. Sunil V. Karkare
- RU
2001 – 2006
Rev. R. N. Udgirkar
- JT
1997 – 2001
Rev. J. S. Thorat
- SC
1995 – 1997
Rev. S. M. Chandorikar
- JT
1992 – 1995
Rev. J. S. Thorat
- VE
1988 – 1992
Rev. V. R. Endigeri
- SW
1984 – 1987
Rev. S. S. Waghmare
- SW
1981 – 1983
Rev. S. Waghchoure
- ST
1980
Rev. S. E. Timothy
- RK
1967 – 1979
Rev. R. A. Kamble (Kodolikar)
- SS
1962 – 1966Deacon
Rev. S. S. Salvi
- SH
1962 – 1964
Rev. S. S. Hiwale
- RK
1960 – 1961
Rev. R. A. Kamble (Kodolikar)
- VD
1958 – 1959
Rev. V. D. Deolalikar
- SS
1957
Rev. S. S. Salvi
- JN
1954 – 1956
Rev. J. N. Navgire
- PP
1953
Rev. P. D. Padale
- JN
1952
Rev. J. N. Navgire
- SJ
1951
Rev. S. R. Jadhav
- PS
1950
Rev. Paul Samaya
- VD
1949
Rev. V. D. Deolalikar
- SJ
1945 – 1948
Rev. S. K. Jadhav
What shapes us
Four marks of our life together
Worship
उपासना
We gather to give God the glory he deserves: in song, in prayer, in the reading and preaching of Scripture, and at the Lord's table.
Word
वचन
The Bible is opened and explained every Sunday. We want every member, young and old, to know and love the Scriptures in their own language.
Fellowship
सहभागिता
The church is a family. We carry one another's burdens, celebrate one another's joys and keep every member's birthday and anniversary.
Witness
साक्ष
We are sent into Ambernath with the good news, in word and in deed, to our neighbours, our workplaces and our town.
“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together.”
Methodist heritage
Why we are called Methodists
The Methodist movement began in eighteenth-century England when John and Charles Wesley and their friends sought to follow Christ with discipline and joy. Their critics called them 'Methodists' for their methodical devotion; the name stuck, and the movement spread across the world, reaching India in 1856. Its motto, “Holiness unto the Lord”, is ours.
Holiness unto the Lord
The motto of the Methodist Church worldwide, taken from Zechariah 14:20. John Wesley taught that God raised up the Methodist people for the very purpose of proclaiming entire sanctification: a heart and a life made wholly the Lord's.
A methodical life
The name began as a nickname. John Wesley and his friends followed a systematic, disciplined method in their spiritual lives, so the “M” in Methodist can also remind us of a methodical life: a disciplined, orderly and intentional pursuit of holiness. In short, Methodists are called to live disciplined and holy lives, dedicated to the Lord.
Rooted in Scripture
John Wesley called himself a man of one book. We read the Bible together, in Marathi, and let it shape how we live.
Warmed by grace
Wesley's heart was “strangely warmed” when he understood that salvation is by grace through faith. That assurance is still our song.
Sent to serve
The Methodist movement grew among ordinary working people and cared for the poor, the sick and the prisoner. We seek to do the same in Ambernath.
Connected
We are one congregation of the Methodist Church in India, part of a worldwide family of churches that pray for and support one another.
Church committee · मंडळी समिती
Those who serve the congregation
The church committee is elected by the congregation and presided over by the pastor to steward the church's worship, property, finances and ministry.
Ex-officio members · पदसिद्ध सदस्य
Pastor in charge
प्रभारी पाळक
Rev. Samuel J. Kenneth
Presides over the committee and every meeting of the church.
Secretary
सचिव
Mr. Rajesh Tribhuvan
Keeps the minutes and records of the church, sends out notices and is the first point of contact for the committee's business.
Treasurer
खजिनदार
Mr. James Mhetre
Receives the offerings and keeps the accounts, pays the church's bills and presents the finances to the committee and the congregation.
Office bearers · पदाधिकारी
President, W.S.C.S.
Women's Society of Christian Service
अध्यक्षा, महिला ख्रिस्ती सेवा संघ
Ms. Philomina Hiwale
Leads the women of the church in prayer, Bible study, fellowship and service to families in need.
President, M.M.F.
Methodist Men's Fellowship
अध्यक्ष, मेथोडिस्ट पुरुष संघ
Mr. Pratish Lawrence
Gathers the men of the church for fellowship and Bible study, and leads their service in the church and the town.
President, M.Y.F.
Methodist Youth Fellowship
अध्यक्ष, मेथोडिस्ट युवक संघ
Mr. Sahil Patole
Leads the young people in worship, fellowship and outreach, and helps them grow as disciples and leaders.
Superintendent, Sunday School
अधीक्षिका, रविवार शाळा
Mrs. Anna Gajbhiv
Oversees the Sunday School, its teachers and classes, so that every child learns the Bible and comes to know Jesus.
Committees · समित्या
- 01
Nomination Committee
नामनिर्देशन समिती
ChairmanRev. Samuel Kenneth
- 02
Committee on Membership and Records
सदस्यत्व व नोंदी समिती
ChairmanMr. Vipul Mirajkar
- 03
Committee on Stewardship and Finance
कारभारीपणा व वित्त समिती
ChairmanMr. Sandeep Tadke
- 04
Committee on Education and Christian Nurture
शिक्षण व ख्रिस्ती संगोपन समिती
ChairmanMr. Joseph Kshirsagar
- 05
Committee on Evangelism and Mission
सुवार्ता व मिशन समिती
ChairmanMr. Sanjay Jadhav
- 06
Committee on Prayer Cell Ministry
प्रार्थना गट सेवा समिती
ChairpersonMrs. Rama Lawrence
- 07
Committee on Peace and Discipline
शांती व शिस्त समिती
ChairmanMr. Premdas Hippergekar
- 08
Committee on Lay Activities
लोककार्य समिती
ChairmanMr. Chandan Mistry
- 09
Committee on Social Concern
समाजसेवा समिती
ChairmanMr. Daniel Gaikwad
- 10
Committee on Printing and Literature
मुद्रण व साहित्य समिती
ChairmanMrs. Sangeeta Salvi
- 11
Choir Committee
गायकवृंद समिती
Choir leaderMr. Emmanuel Mhetre
- 12
Committee on Pastoral Charge and Property
पाळकीय प्रभार व मालमत्ता समिती
ChairmanMr. Umesh Awgade
You are invited
Come and worship with us this Sunday.
या रविवारी आमच्यासोबत उपासनेसाठी या.
Sunday Worship Service, Sundays at 8:15 – 10:00 AM. Kalyan Badlapur Road, Netaji Bazar, Ambernath (West).