The first seeds of Christianity were sown in 19th century when Thomas Norton became the first missionary to come to Alleppey in Kerala in 1819 to begin and share the message of Christ. Following Thomas Norton came many other people as missionaries to Kerala such as Bishop Speechly, Henry Baker, Benjamin Bailey etc.

Historically, the coming and role of CMS missionaries is a milestone indeed. Their task of fitting into the culture and ways of the people of Kerala was definitely not easy. However, the Diocese stands today, because of the seeds that were planted on fertile ground, and nurtured through the love of Christ, to be strong in faith and strength. The Missionaries identified the need for formal education for the people, including educating women, and thus began the foundation of a few institutions such as CMS College, CMS Press and Industrial School, CMS LP Schools etc. This has played a major role in education and empowerment.

With a rich history, we have much to be grateful for where we are today. 2016 commemorates 200 years of the advent of CMS Missionaries into Kerala. Based on the Bicentenary theme, ‘Journey of a Faith movement into 3rd century that radically changed Travancore’, the celebrations seeks to ignite the very fire of developing society through societal, rural and education programmes through several projects. This includes building homes for the homeless, providing scholarships to poor students, providing special economic aid, agriculture programmes, development of village churches, etc. A memorial for Rev. Thomas Norton, Bicentenary stamp and a book that elaborates the work of missionaries will be released as part of Bicentenary Celebrations. 

The inaugural function of the Bicentenary Celebrations was held on October 23rd, 2012 at Alleppey. Details of the inaugural ceremony can be found on the CSI Madhya Kerala website www.csimkd.in.
More details of the celebrations can be found in Bicentenary Celebration handbook that can be downloaded below: